United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2013
Arms Sale Responsibility Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that it should be U.S. policy to adhere to a policy of restraint in transferring conventional arms if evidence exists of substantial risk that such arms will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law. Urges the President, in negotiating any conventional arms control agreement, to: (1) encourage the national control list of each party to an agreement to cover all types of weaponry, munitions, armaments and related material used for potentially lethal force in military and law enforcement operations; (2) assess each application or proposal to export or internationally transfer arms on a case-by-case basis; (3) deny an arms transfer authorization if there is a substantial risk that the arms will be used to commit or facilitate violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law; (4) require import and transit state authorizations and certified end use assurances before issuing an export license or authorization for any international transfer of conventional arms; and (5) require each party to an agreement to establish a legal framework for lawful brokering and shipping activities relating to conventional arms transfers. Prohibits, with certain exemptions, the transfer of defense articles or defense services to the government of a foreign country under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or the Arms Export Control Act unless the President certifies to Congress that such government is not: (1) engaging in gross violations of internationally-recognized human rights, and (2) identified by the Secretary of State as having governmental armed forces or government supported armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2013
High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct coeducational elementary and secondary schools that participate in any ESEA program to: (1) report annually certain information on equality in their school athletic programs to the Commissioner for Educational Statistics; and (2) make such information available, upon request, to their students, potential students, and the public. Directs the Commissioner to ensure that such data are posted on the Department of Education's Web site within a reasonable period of time.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2013
Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person, in or affecting interstate commerce: (1) from purchasing, attempting to purchase, or transferring a firearm, with intent to deliver the firearm to another person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe is prohibited from possessing a firearm; (2) in purchasing, attempting to purchase, or transferring a firearm, from intentionally providing false or misleading material information on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) firearms transaction record form; or (3) knowingly directing, promoting, or facilitating such a violation. Authorizes an enhanced penalty for the organization or supervision of such conduct. Makes exceptions for a firearm that is lawfully acquired: (1) to be given to another person not prohibited from possessing it under federal or state law as a gift; or (2) by a court-appointed trustee, receiver, or conservator on behalf of an estate or creditor, to carry out a bequest, or in an acquisition by intestate succession. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of offenses under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2013
Patients' Access to Treatments Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish cost-sharing limits for health plans that cover prescription drugs and use a formulary or other tiered cost-sharing structure. Prohibits such a health plan from imposing cost-sharing requirements, including co-payment and co-insurance, applicable to prescription drugs in a specialty drug tier that exceed the dollar amount of cost-sharing requirements applicable to prescription drugs in a non-preferred brand drug tier. Applies the non-preferred brand drug tier for which beneficiary cost-sharing is lowest, if a formulary used by the health plan contains more than one non-preferred brand drug tier. Defines: (1) "non-preferred brand drug tier" as a category of prescription drugs within a tier in a formulary for which beneficiary cost-sharing is greater than tiers for generic drugs or preferred brand drugs, and that are not included within a specialty drug tier; and (2) "specialty drug tier" as a category of prescription drugs within a tier in a formulary for which beneficiary cost-sharing is greater than tiers for generic drugs, preferred brand drugs, or non-preferred drugs in the plan's formulary.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2013
Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to ban the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon, including: a semiautomatic rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and has any one of the following characteristics: (1) a pistol grip; (2) a forward grip; (3) a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; (4) a grenade or rocket launcher; (5) a barrel shroud; or (6) a threaded barrel; a semiautomatic rife or pistol with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds; a semiautomatic pistol that can accept a detachable magazine and has any one of the following characteristics: (1) a threaded barrel, (2) a second pistol grip, (3) a barrel shroud; (4) the capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip, or (5) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; a semiautomatic shotgun that has any one of the following characteristics: (1) a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; (2) a pistol grip; (3) a fixed magazine that can accept more than five rounds; (4) the ability to accept a detachable magazine; (5) a forward grip; or (6) a grenade or rocket launcher; a shotgun with a revolving cylinder; firearms that are specifically listed as prohibited by this Act and copies, duplicates, variants, or altered facsimiles with the capability of any such weapon; all belt-fed semiautomatic firearms; any combination of parts from which any such prohibited firearm can be assembled; and the frame or receiver of a prohibited rifle or shotgun. Excludes from such ban any semiautomatic assault weapon that: (1) is lawfully possessed on the date of enactment of this Act (grandfathered weapon); (2) is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (3) has been rendered permanently inoperable; (4) is an antique firearm; or (5) is used for law enforcement or security purposes or for testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General. Identifies, by make and model, firearms that are specifically exempted from the ban imposed by this Act. Requires the Attorney General to establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any semiautomatic assault weapon which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime under federal or state law. Makes it unlawful to: (1) import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a large capacity ammunition feeding device (generally, a device that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition); or (2) store or keep any grandfathered semiautomatic weapon that may become accessible by an individual who is prohibited from receiving or possessing such a weapon. Requires identification markings (i.e., serial number and the date of manufacture) on semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Provides for the seizure and forfeiture of prohibited large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Makes it unlawful for an unlicensed individual to transfer a grandfathered semiautomatic weapon to another unlicensed individual, unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer: (1) has first taken custody of the weapon for the purpose of complying with existing background check requirements; and (2) upon taking custody, complies with all firearms requirements as if the licensee were transferring the weapon from the licensee's inventory to the unlicensed transferee. Sets forth exceptions. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow the use of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to pay compensation to individuals who surrender semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2013
Gun Transparency and Accountability (Gun TRAC) Act of 2013 - Declares that the contents of the Firearms Trace System database maintained by the National Trace Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) shall not be immune from legal process, shall be subject to subpoena or other discovery, shall be admissible as evidence, and may be used, relied on, or disclosed on the same basis as other information in a civil action in any state or federal court or in an administrative proceeding. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) prohibit national instant criminal background check system records from being destroyed until after 90 days after the system assigns and provides a firearms licensee with a unique identification number for the transfer, (2) set forth penalties for the willful violation of an inventory reporting order by a firearms licensee, and (3) prohibit the Attorney General from accepting an application for a federal firearms license from a person whose license has been revoked. Amends the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, to repeal provisions that prohibit appropriated funds from being used: (1) for any background check system that does not require the destruction of any identifying information submitted for a transferee within 24 hours after the system advises a licensee that the transferee's receipt of a firearm is not prohibited; or (2) to promulgate or implement any rule requiring a physical inventory of any firearms business.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to commemorate the lives of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley (children who lost their lives in the September 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, an incident recognized as a catalyst for the civil rights movement). Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals, with amounts received from the sale to be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Homes for Heroes Act of 2013 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veterans fair access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs, (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans, and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the Secretaries of HUD and VA to report annually to Congress with respect to veterans homelessness and housing assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act of 2013 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit any person from knowingly attending an animal fighting venture or causing a minor (a person under the age of 18) to attend such a venture. Subjects any person who: (1) knowingly attends such venture to a fine and/or imprisonment for up to a year for each violation, and (2) knowingly causes a minor to attend such venture to a fine and/or imprisonment for up to three years for each violation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Fort McClellan Health Registry Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Fort McClellan Health Registry containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, during the period beginning on January 1, 1935, and ending on May 20, 1999, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability which may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such health examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide such health examination, as well as consultation and counseling with respect to examination results. Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Fort McClellan; and (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Homes for Heroes Act of 2013 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veteran access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs, (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans, and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families (families with incomes not exceeding 50% of the area median income). Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to all homeless veterans, regardless of medical condition; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning. Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans, and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the VA Secretary on HUD activities relating to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Voter Empowerment Act of 2013 - Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2013 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) to require each state to make available official public websites for online voter registration. Authorizes automated voter registration of certain individuals and establishes other initiatives to promote voter registration, such as same day registration and voter registration of individuals under 18 years of age. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to establish requirements for states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities, including a single office for providing related information. Directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to make grants to eligible states to conduct pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register to vote and vote privately and independently at their own residences (including by telephone). Amends HAVA to reauthorize the program of grants to state and local governments to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit state or local election officials from preventing an individual from registering or voting in any federal election (voter caging), or from permitting a formal challenge under state law to an individual's registration status or eligibility to vote, if the basis for such decision is evidence consisting of: (1) a voter caging document or voter caging list, (2) an unverified match list, (3) an error or omission on voter application or registration documents that is not material to an individual's eligibility to vote, or (4) any other evidence so designated by the Commission. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a person, including an election official, from knowingly and willfully attempting to or depriving or defrauding the residents of a state of their free and fair exercise of the right to vote by the communication of election-related information that is known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent. Increases the penalty for voter intimidation. Declares that the right of an individual U.S. citizen to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless he or she is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution at the time of the election. Prescribes enforcement of this right by public or private civil action. Requires each state to notify in writing any individual convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release from state custody or upon sentence to probation, that he or she has the right to vote in a federal election and so may register to vote. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2013 - Amends HAVA to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical character recognition device or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Prescribes requirements for: (1) publication of poll tapes, (2) treatment of ballots cast at early voting sites and of absentee ballots, and (3) the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. Prescribes laboratory conflict-of-interest requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Requires each state, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to EAC for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Amends HAVA to: (1) add requirements for counting provisional ballots, (2) require each state to allow early voting and facilitate the ability of voters to vote by mail. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act with respect to pre-election reports on availability and transmission of absentee ballots. Revises the 45-day absentee ballot transmission rule. Permits use of a single absentee ballot application for subsequent elections. Entitles to leave a federal employee who serves as a poll worker. Directs the EAC to: (1) make a grant to each eligible state for poll-worker recruitment and training, and (2) develop materials for a model state poll worker training program. Amends HAVA to make available to any person aggrieved by a violation of uniform and nondiscriminatory election technology and administration requirements the option to file a complaint with the Attorney General or pursue a private right of action to enforce such requirements. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless he or she or a family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. Amends NVRA to treat universities as voter registration agencies. Amends HAVA to establish minimum notification requirements on behalf of voters affected by polling place changes. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) coordinate the establishment of a state-based response system for responding to questions and complaints from individuals voting or seeking to vote, or registering to vote or seeking to, in federal elections; (2) establish and operate a toll-free telephone service to connect directly to such response system; and (3) appoint a Voter Hotline Task Force. Makes requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and HAVA applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Amends HAVA to: (1) reauthorize and extend the EAC, and (2) repeal its exemption from certain government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2013
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act - Amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase-in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate a phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2013
Realize America's Maritime Promise Act or RAMP Act - Requires the total budget resources for expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for harbor maintenance programs to equal the level of receipts plus interest credited to such Fund for that fiscal year. Limits the use of such resources to such programs only. Declares that it shall be out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would cause total budget resources for the Fund in a fiscal year for harbor maintenance programs to be less than the level of receipts plus interest credited to the Fund for that fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2013
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) to add or expand definitions of several terms used in such Act. Modifies or expands grant conditions under such Act, including requirements relating to: (1) nondisclosure of personally identifying information or other client information, (2) information sharing between grantees and subgrantees, (3) civil rights and nondiscrimination, (4) audits, and (5) nonprofit organizations. Requires the Office on Violence Against Women of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a biennial conferral process with state and tribal coalitions, technical assistance providers, and other key stakeholders on the administration of grants and related matters. Requires the Attorney General to authorize in writing expenditures for DOJ conferences that exceed $20,000. Title I: Enhancing Judicial and Law Enforcement Tools to Combat Violence Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants to: (1) combat violent crime against women (STOP grants); and (2) encourage governmental entities to implement policies, training programs, and best practices for recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of domestic violence and violent sex crimes. Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to expand the availability of competent pro bono legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and to authorize appropriations for such assistance for FY2014-FY2018. Revises the grant programs for supporting families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to such families and to train court personnel in assisting such families. Extends through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the training of probation and parole officers to manage sex offenders, and (2) the Court-Appointed Special Advocate program. Amends the federal criminal code with respect to the crime of stalking to prohibit the use of any interactive computer or electronic communication service to stalk victims. Revises and reauthorizes through FY2018 the grant program for outreach strategies targeted at adult or youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations. Title II: Improving Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking - Amends VAWA to extend through FY2018 grant programs to: (1) assist states, Indian tribes, and U.S. territories to establish, maintain, and expand rape crisis centers and other programs to assist victims of sexual assault; and (2) assist victims of domestic violence and other sexual assault crimes in rural areas. Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for grants to end violence against women with disabilities. Amends VAWA to authorize appropriations through FY2018 for the grant program to end elder abuse, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, exploitation, and neglect, and to provide training for law enforcement agencies to better serve victims of abuse in later life. Directs the Attorney General in awarding grants to end elder abuse to give priority to proposals for serving culturally specific and underserved populations. Title III: Services, Protection, and Justice for Young Victims of Violence - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) include tribal or territorial sexual assault coalitions in the grant program for rape prevention and education, and (2) extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for grants for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers. Establishes a minimum allocation of grant funding for states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and each U.S. territory. Amends VAWA to replace certain grant programs for the protection of young victims of violent crimes with a program requiring the Attorney General, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Secretary of Education, to award grants to enhance the safety of youth and children who are victims of, or exposed to, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and to prevent future violence. Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to revise, expand, and reauthorize through FY2018 the grant program for combating violent crimes on college campuses. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand requirements for the disclosure of campus security policies and crime statistics by institutions of higher education to require education programs to: (1) promote the awareness of rape and other violent sex crimes, (2) require disclosure of disciplinary proceedings involving rape and other violent sex crimes and the standard of evidence that will govern such proceedings, and (3) establish procedures for the protection of the confidentiality of crime victims. Title IV: Violence Reduction Practices - Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to academic institutions and organizations to conduct research that examines best practices for reducing and preventing violence against women and children. Amends VAWA to authorize the Attorney General, in consultation with the HHS Secretary and the Secretary of Education, to award grants to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by taking a comprehensive approach that focuses on youth, children exposed to violence, and men as leaders and influencers of social norms (SMART Prevention grants). Title V: Strengthening the Healthcare System's Response to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize, revise, and consolidate grant programs that address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Permits grant funds to be used for the development, expansion, and implementation of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Revises requirements for training and education grants. Title VI: Safe Homes for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking - Amends VAWA with respect to housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Revises eligibility requirements for transitional housing assistance grants for child victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to specify that any victims are eligible and extends the authorization of appropriations for such grants, but at decreased levels, for FY2014-FY2018. Extends the authorization of appropriations, but also at decreased levels, for FY2014-FY2018 for: (1) collaborative grants to increase the long-term stability of victims, and (2) grants to combat violence against women in public and assisted housing. Title VII: Economic Security for Victims of Violence - Amends VAWA to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for the grant program to establish and operate a national resource center on workplace responses to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence. Title VIII: Protection of Battered Immigrants - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) expand the definition of nonimmigrant U-visa (victims of certain crimes) to include victims of stalking; (2) make a child of an alien who was a self-petitioner under VAWA eligible for lawful permanent resident status under such alien's petition; (3) exclude from the public charge bar to admission an alien who is a VAWA self-petitioner, a U-visa applicant, or a battered spouse or child; (4) extend the conditions under which the hardship waiver of the two-year waiting period for permanent resident status may be granted to a battered alien spouse; and (5) expand the scope of criminal-related information that must be disclosed by a U.S. citizen petitioning for a nonimmigrant K-visa (alien fiancee or fiance); Amends the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 to require DHS to: (1) conduct a background check of the National Crime Information Center's Protection Order Database on each K-visa petitioner, and (2) include any appropriate information in the criminal background information provided to the alien fiance/fiancee. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to authorize the DHS Secretary (in addition to the Attorney General) to disclose information relating to aliens who are victims of domestic violence to law enforcement officials for law enforcement purposes in a manner that protects the confidentiality of such information. Authorizes the Attorney General and the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to disclose such information to national security officials to be used solely for a national security purpose. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to provide guidance to officers and employees of their respective departments regarding such disclosures of information. Title IX: Safety for Indian Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) include sex trafficking as a target of the grants to Indian tribal governments to combat violent crime against Indian women, and (2) expand the purposes for which the Attorney General may award domestic violence and sexual assault prevention grants to Indian tribal coalitions. Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to include the Secretary of the Interior, in addition to the HHS Secretary and the Attorney General, as a participant in consultations with Indian tribes regarding the administration of tribal funds and programs, enhancement of Indian women's safety, and federal response to violent crimes against Indian women. Gives Indian tribes criminal jurisdiction over domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protective orders that occur on their lands. Makes that jurisdiction concurrent with federal and state jurisdiction. Requires Indian tribes prosecuting crimes of violence to: (1) prove that the defendant has requisite ties to the Indian tribe; (2) provide defendants the right to an impartial jury trial; and (3) notify a defendant of his or her rights, including the right to file a writ of habeas corpus in federal court. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) increase maximum penalties for assault convictions; and (2) impose criminal penalties on individuals who commit an assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner and who assault such spouse or partner by strangling or suffocating. Reauthorizes appropriations for the national tribal sex offender registry and the tribal protection order registry for FY2014-FY2018. Title X: Safer Act - Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act of 2013 or the SAFER Act of 2013 - Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to make Debbie Smith grants under such Act to states or local governments to: (1) conduct audits of samples of sexual assault evidence that are awaiting testing, provided such governments submit an audit plan that includes a good-faith estimate of the number of such samples; and (2) ensure that the collection and processing of DNA evidence by law enforcement agencies from crimes is carried out in an appropriate and timely manner and in accordance with specified protocols and practices. Requires not less than 5% but not more than 7% of Debbie Smith grant funds distributed in FY2014-FY2017 to be awarded for such purposes if sufficient applications to justify such amounts are received by the Attorney General, provided such awards do not decrease funds for other distribution requirements. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to: (1) develop and publish a description of protocols and practices for the accurate, timely, and effective collection and processing of DNA evidence, which shall address appropriate steps in the investigation of cases that might involve DNA evidence; and (2) make available technical assistance and training to support states and local governments in adopting and implementing such protocols and practices. Requires the Attorney General to submit to Congress an annual report on: (1) grants awarded to states and local governments, (2) the number of deadline extensions granted by the Attorney General, and (3) the processing status of the samples of sexual assault evidence identified in Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reports. Requires, for each fiscal year through FY2018, that not less than 75% of Debbie Smith grant amounts be awarded to carry out for inclusion in the Combined DNA Index System DNA analyses of samples collected under applicable legal authority and of samples collected from crime scenes and to increase the capacity of state or local government laboratories to carry out DNA analyses. Requires the DOJ Inspector General to conduct audits of grant recipients to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Sunsets specified provisions of this Act regarding Debbie Smith grants for auditing sexual assault evidence backlogs on December 31, 2018. Title XI: Other Matters - Amends the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act to allow a prisoner in federal custody to bring a suit against the United States for a mental or emotional injury if such injury resulted from the commission of a sexual act (currently, requires a prior showing of a physical injury). Amends the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 to direct the DHS Secretary to publish a final rule adopting national standards for the detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of rapes and sexual assaults in detention facilities against aliens detained for a violation of U.S. immigration law. Requires the HHS Secretary to publish a similar final rule for the protection of unaccompanied alien children in custodial facilities. Amends the Communications Act of 1934, with respect to obscene or harassing telephone calls, to: (1) remove the intent to annoy requirement in the definition of such crime; and (2) include any specific person as an intended victim of such crime (currently, any person at the called number or who receives the communication). Amends VAWA to extend through FY2018 the grant programs for: (1) improving and implementing processes for entering data on stalking and domestic violence into crime information databases, and (2) appointing victim/witness counselors for the prosecution of sex crimes and domestic violence crimes. Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for child abuse and neglect technical assistance and training programs for judicial personnel and attorneys practicing in juvenile and family courts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Grants Congress and the states the power to regulate the raising and spending of money and in-kind equivalents with respect to federal and state elections, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that: (1) the rights protected by the Constitution are intended to be the rights of natural persons; and (2) the words "people," "person," or "citizen" as used in the Constitution do not include corporations, limited liability companies, or other corporate entities established by the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state, and that such corporate entities are subject to such regulation as the people, through their elected state and federal representatives, deem reasonable and are otherwise consistent with the powers of Congress and the states. Prohibits this Amendment from limiting the rights of freedom of speech, the press, exercise of religion, association, and all such other unalienable rights of the people.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Firearm Safety and Public Health Research Act of 2013 - Makes prohibitions under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, against the use of funds to advocate or promote gun control inapplicable to amounts made available by the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013, insofar as such prohibitions relate to any activity to conduct research on firearms safety or gun violence.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Stolen Valor Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to rewrite provisions relating to fraudulent claims about military service to subject to a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both an individual who, with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit, fraudulently holds himself or herself out to be a recipient of: a Congressional Medal of Honor, a distinguished-service cross, a Navy cross, an Air Force cross, a silver star, a Purple Heart, a Combat Infantryman's Badge, a Combat Action Badge, a Combat Medical Badge, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Combat Action Medal, or any replacement or duplicate medal for such medal as authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Retired Pay Restoration Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Grassroots Democracy Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable credit of up to $25 ($50 in the case of a joint return), adjusted for inflation, for qualified grassroots federal congressional campaign contributions paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year. Directs the Grassroots Democracy Advisory Commission (GDAC, established by this Act) to establish a pilot program under which a qualified individual shall be provided with a "Grassroots Democracy Coupon" during the election cycle, which will be assigned a routing number and, at the individual's option, provided in either paper or electronic form. Authorizes the individual to: (1) submit the Coupon, using the routing number, in either electronic or paper form to qualified federal election candidates, and (2) allocate portions of the Coupon's value in $5 increments to a candidate (up to a maximum of $50 per candidate). Requires the GDAC to pay the candidate who transmits the Coupon to it the portion of the Coupon's value that the individual allocated to the candidate, which shall be considered a contribution under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA). Amends FECA with respect to: (1) benefits for participating congressional candidates; (2) Federal Election Commission (FEC) payments to such candidates; (3) candidate use of payments; (4) qualified grassroots contribution, expenditure, and fundraising requirements; (5) certification of participating congressional candidates; (6) campaign administration; (7) prevention of the unnecessary spending of public funds; (8) remittal to the Grassroots Democracy Fund of unspent funds after an election; (9) eligibility of participating candidates for payments; (10) establishment of the Grassroots Democracy Fund in the Treasury and of a Grassroots Democracy Advisory Commission in the FEC; and (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements. Prohibits use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign. Revises bundler disclosure requirements to repeal a specified exception and so require disclosure of persons who provided bundled contributions to the reporting committee. Extends from 60 days before a general, special, or runoff election to 120 days before such an election the period for treatment of communications as electioneering communications. Creates user fees, payable to the FEC, for candidate-designated political committees and bundlers. Amends FECA to empower the FEC to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action to enforce the Act. Requires all political committee designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC, and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces from 48 hours to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the alternative tax on political organizations that have net capital gains for the taxable year; and (2) the treatment as tax-exempt functions of proceeds from a political fundraising or entertainment event, from the sale of political campaign materials not received in the ordinary course of trade or business, or from any bingo game. Revises the formula limiting the amount included in the gross income of a tax-exempt organization that expends funds for an exempt function of a political committee. Repeals the application of graduated tax rates for principal campaign committees (thus applying the highest rates to such committees). Allows an individual to designate a specified portion of any overpayment of tax as a contribution to the Grassroots Democracy Fund. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to set a station's lowest unit price for preemptible use as the charge for a broadcast by the national committee of a political party for an affiliated candidate. Authorizes the FEC to revoke a broadcast station license or construction permit only for at least three willful failures to allow reasonable access to, or to permit purchase of reasonable amounts of time for the use of, a broadcasting station by a legally qualified candidate for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Public Option Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer through Exchanges a health benefits plan (public health insurance option) that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care. Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan: (1) may be made available only through Exchanges; (2) must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through such Exchanges, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing; and (3) must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option, (2) collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates, (3) establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan, and (4) establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years. Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: candidate benefits of fair elections financing of House of Representatives election campaigns; allocations to candidates from the Fair Elections Fund established by this Act; 500% matching payments to candidates for certain small dollar contributions; Fund allocation eligibility requirements; certification of a federal election candidate as a participating candidate; contribution, expenditure, and fundraising requirements; a public debate requirement; remission to the Fair Elections Fund of unspent funds after an election; establishment of the Fair Elections Fund and of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; and transfer of a portion of collected civil money penalties into the Fair Elections Fund. Prohibits: (1) use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign, and (2) establishment of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee. Prescribes a limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates. Amends FECA to empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action. Requires all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC, and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces from 48 hours to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2013
Authorizes an extension of the presidential authority to modify the public debt ceiling (subject to enactment of a congressional joint resolution of disapproval). Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to borrow an additional amount estimated to be sufficient to meet commitments for one year whenever the President certifies to Congress that the public debt subject to limit is within $100 billion of the $16.394 trillion limit and that further borrowing is required to meet existing commitments. Prohibits the debt limit from being raised if, within 50 calendar days after Congress receives that certification, a joint resolution is enacted disapproving the President's exercise of authority with respect to such additional amount. Applies current requirements for expedited consideration of the joint resolution in both houses, with certain exceptions including: the September 14, 2011, termination of the period making it in order in the Senate to consider such a joint resolution; the authorized $400 billion increase in the public debt allowed even though Congress overrides the President's veto of the joint resolution; and the required sequestration ($400 billion reduction in spending) if the President signs the joint resolution, allows it to become law without his signature, or Congress overrides a veto of it.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide transportation on scheduled and unscheduled military flights within the United States and on scheduled overseas flights on a space-available basis for veterans with a service-connected, permanent disability rated as total.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act - States that it is the policy of the United States to ensure that funds made available for operations of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan are to be used only for providing for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense (DOD) contractor personnel in Afghanistan. Allows such funds to be obligated and expended only for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Repeal of the Authorization for Use of Military Force - States that the Authorization for Use of Military Force (P.L. 107-40) has been used to justify an open-ended authorization for the use of military force and such an interpretation is inconsistent with the authority of Congress to declare war and make all laws for executing powers vested by the Constitution in the U.S. government. Repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force, effective 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an additional tax deduction for the cost of installing mechanical insulation property. Limits the amount of such deduction to the lesser of 30% or the reduction in energy loss from the installed mechanical insulation property compared to property that meets the minimum requirements of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standard 90.1-2007. Allows the cost of replacing mechanical insulation property to be treated as a deductible business expense in the current taxable year. Defines "mechanical insulation property" as insulation materials, facings, and accessory products: (1) placed in service in connection with a mechanical system which is located in the United States and of a character subject to an allowance for depreciation; and (2) utilized for thermal, acoustical, and personnel safety requirements for mechanical piping and equipment, hot and cold applications, and heating, venting and air conditioning applications which can be used in a variety of facilities. Allows a tax deduction for capital expenditures related to mechanical insulation property.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2013 - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) complete, within 12 months of enactment of this Act, the required audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) and of the Federal Reserve Banks; and (2) submit to Congress, within 90 days of audit completion, a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions. Repeals certain limitations placed upon such audit. Instructs the Comptroller General to audit and report on the review of loan files of homeowners in foreclosure in 2009 or 2010, required as part of the enforcement actions taken by the Board against supervised financial institutions. Prescribes audit contents, including: (1) the guidance given by the Board to independent consultants retained by the supervised financial institutions regarding procedures to be followed in conducting the file reviews, (2) the factors considered by independent consultants when evaluating loan files and the results obtained pursuant to those reviews, and (3) the determinations made by such consultants regarding the nature and extent of financial injury sustained by each homeowner as well as the level and type of remediation offered.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act - Declares the policy of the United States concerning protection and preservation of the wilderness ecosystem of the Arctic coastal plain. Designates specified lands within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2013 or DISCLOSE 2013 Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to redefine the term "independent expenditure" as an expenditure by a person that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, taking into account whether the communication involved mentions a candidacy, a political party, or a challenger to a candidate, or takes a position on a candidates, qualifications, or fitness for office. Expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications. Prescribes: (1) disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, and certain other entities; and (2) disclaimer requirements for campaign-related disbursements and for certain communications. Requires any communication transmitted through radio or television to include an individual or organizational disclosure statement, together with: (1) the Top Two Funders List of the persons providing the largest and second largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a radio communication, and (2) the Top Five Funders List of the five persons providing the largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a television communication. Repeals the prohibition against political contributions by individuals age 17 or younger. Requires a covered organization which submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders, members, or donors on its finances or activities to include in each report, in a clear and conspicuous manner, the information included in the statements it has filed about campaign-related disbursements the organization has made during the period covered by the report. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require semiannual reports on certain election campaign contributions filed with the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives by registered lobbyists (or persons or organizations required to register as lobbyists) to contain: (1) the amount of any independent expenditure of $1,000 or more made by each such person or organization, along with the name of each candidate being supported or opposed and the amount spent supporting or opposing that candidate; and (2) the amount of any electioneering communication of $1,000 or more made by such person or organization, along with the name of the candidate referred to in the communication and whether the communication involved was in support of or in opposition to the candidate.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Attorney General as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies the Attorney General of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. Imposes recordkeeping requirements on gun show operators and criminal penalties for failure to register as a gun show operator and maintain required records. Grants the Attorney General authority to enter the business premises of any gun show operator, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this Act. Increases criminal penalties for serious recordkeeping violations and violations of criminal background check requirements. Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to hire additional investigators to carry out inspections of gun shows.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit: (1) the transfer or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, except for such a device lawfully possessed within the United States on or before the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) the importation or bringing into the United States of such a device. Exempts: (1) the transfer or possession of such a device by a federal, state, or local agency or law enforcement officer; (2) certain transfers to licensees under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954; (3) possession of such a device transferred to an individual upon retirement from a law enforcement agency if such individual is not otherwise prohibited from receiving ammunition; and (4) the manufacture, transfer, or possession of such a device by a licensed manufacturer or importer for authorized testing or experimentation purposes. Sets penalties for violations. Requires a large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after this Act's enactment to be identified by a serial number that clearly shows that the device was manufactured after such enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 - Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NICS Act) to modify the periods during which penalties are applicable to states that do not make certain records pertaining to firearms eligibility electronically available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICBCS). Repeals provisions authorizing the Attorney General to waive certain penalties if a state provides substantial evidence that it is making a reasonable effort to provide such records. Directs the Attorney General to publish, and make available on a publicly accessible website, an annual report that ranks states by the ratio of number of records submitted by each state to the estimated total number of available records of the state. Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to: (1) require the head of each federal agency to submit to the Attorney General, biannually, a written certification indicating whether the agency has provided pertinent information contained in any agency record demonstrating that a person falls within a category of persons prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law; and (2) include a federal court as a federal department or agency, and require the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to perform the functions of a department or agency head, for purposes of such Act. Amends the federal criminal code to define the terms "adjudicated as a mental defective" and "committed to a mental institution" for purposes of federal firearms provisions. Prohibits an individual so adjudicated before the effective date of this Act from applying for relief from disability under the NICS Act on the basis that the individual does not meet the requirements under such definition. Prohibits a person who is not a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer from transferring a firearm to, or receiving a firearm from, another unlicensed person, except: (1) through a licensed dealer, which shall conduct a background check through the NICBCS; and (2) after inspecting a permit that confirms that such background check has been conducted. Specifies exceptions, including for: (1) the transfer of a bona fide gift between immediate family members; (2) a transfer that occurs by operation of law or by an executor or trustee because of the death of another person; (3) a temporary transfer that occurs in the home of the unlicensed transferee who believes that possession of the firearm is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to the transferee; and (4) certain temporary transfers without the transfer of title at a shooting range, at a shooting competition, or while hunting, fishing, or trapping. Prohibits an unlicensed transferee from receiving a firearm from an unlicensed transferor if the licensed dealer through which the transfer is made receives a notification from the NICBCS that the transfer is prohibited. Sets forth requirements for a licensed dealer that assists in such transfer, including requirements to: (1) notify the transferor and transferee of compliance with background check requirements and of the receipt of any notification from the NICBCS that a transfer is prohibited, and (2) report to the Attorney General on such a transfer and on transfers of two or more pistols and/or revolvers to the same unlicensed transferee during any five consecutive business days. Permits such dealer to assess a processing fee.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Financial Crisis Criminal Investigation Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY2013-FY2016 for the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to hire 1,000 FBI agents as well as additional forensic experts to investigate corporate, securities, and mortgage fraud, and associated violations of law relating to the U.S. financial markets. Authorizes the hiring also of additional employees by the Attorney General and by the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement to conduct related investigations and prosecutions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to prohibit an insured depository institution from being an affiliate of any broker or dealer, investment adviser, investment company, or any other person or entity engaged principally in the issue, flotation, underwriting, public sale, or distribution of stocks, bonds, debentures, notes, or other securities. Prohibits officers, directors and employees of securities firms from simultaneous service on the boards of depository institutions, except in specified circumstances. Requires any such individual serving as an officer, director, employee, or other institution-affiliated party of any insured depository institution to terminate such service as soon as practicable after enactment of this Act. Requires an insured depository institution to wind-down in an orderly manner and terminate any affiliation prohibited by this Act. Amends the Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall Act) to expand its prohibition against the transaction of banking activities by securities firms. Declares that Congress ratifies the interpretation by the Supreme Court of specified statutory language in the case of Investment Company Institute v. Camp ( ICI ) regarding permissible activities of banks and securities firms. Declares that the reasoning of the Court in that case shall continue to apply to the limitations placed upon security affiliations under the FDIA as enacted by this Act. Prohibits a federal banking agency or federal court from issuing an interpretation regarding such security affiliations that is narrower than that of the Court in ICI . Makes technical and conforming changes to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Revised Statutes of the United States, and specified federal law. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Comptroller of the Currency, or another appropriate federal banking agency to report to Congress a detailed description of the basis for its decision each time it makes a determination or grants an extension concerning an affiliation between insured depository institutions and investment banks or securities firms.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act of 2013 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to require each state to allow individuals to vote in a federal election on each day during the 15-day period ending on the second day immediately preceding the election date in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day. Requires a state to ensure that each polling place that allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. Requires each state to provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources (including physical resources) at a polling place used in a federal election to ensure: (1) a fair and equitable waiting time for all voters in the state, and (2) that no individual will be required to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at the polling place. Requires each state to develop, and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a contingency plan under which it shall provide any polling place on a federal election day whose waiting times exceed one hour with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies, including a polling place at which individuals may cast ballots before the election date. Requires the Commission to report to Congress biennially on the impact of this Act's early voting and waiting time provisions on the administration of elections for federal office. Prescribes requirements for the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. Allows civil money penalties, intervention by aggrieved parties, and private actions to address HAVA violations by a state or jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 27 November 2012
Respect States' and Citizens' Rights Act of 2012 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that, in the case of any state law that pertains to marihuana, no provision of such Act shall be construed as indicating congressional intent to: (1) occupy the field in which that provision operates, including criminal penalties, to the exclusion of state law on the same subject matter; or (2) preempt any such state law.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2012
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage. Defines "medical health care" to mean voluntary health treatment by or supervised by a medical doctor that would be covered under minimum essential coverage that: (1) includes voluntary acute care treatment at hospital emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, or similar facilities; and (2) excludes treatment not administered or supervised by a medical doctor, physical examinations or treatment required by law or third parties, and vaccinations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2012
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act or SIMPLE Voting Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to allow individuals to vote in a federal election on each day during the 15-day period ending two days before the election date in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day. Requires a state to ensure that each polling place which allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. Requires each state to provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources (including physical resources) at a polling place used in a federal election to ensure: (1) a fair and equitable waiting time for all voters in the state, and (2) that no individual will be required to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at the polling place. Requires each state to develop, and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a contingency plan under which it shall provide any polling place on a federal election day whose waiting times exceed one hour with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies, including a polling place at which individuals may cast ballots before the election date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2012
Servicemember Mental Health Review Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish within each military department a board of review to review determinations previously made that covered individuals separated from the Armed Forces have a mental condition not amounting to disability. Defines "covered individuals" as members and former members of the Armed Forces who have been separated from the Armed Forces since September 11, 2001, because of unfitness for duty because of a mental condition not amounting to disability, including separation on the basis of a personality disorder or adjustment disorder. Requires the Secretary to ensure that covered individuals receive notification of their right to a separation review by the appropriate Mental Health Discharge Board of Review. Requires the establishment of such Boards. Permits a Board to make specified recommendations to the Secretary with respect to a covered individual, including the recharacterization of the separation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Stewart Lee Udall Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Stewart Lee Udall, in recognition of his contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Health Registry containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada (Gagetown), during the period beginning on January 1, 1956, and ending on December 31, 2005, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability which may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such health examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide such health examination, as well as consultation and counseling with respect to examination results. Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Gagetown; and (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), from any appropriations for a fiscal year containing a qualifying winter season, to allot to each qualifying state, at least 25% of whose households use heating oil as the primary heating fuel, an amount that is at least the same as that allotted to the state for FY2010. Requires that allotments to states that do not qualify under this Act be ratably reduced if necessary to ensure the allotments to qualifying states. Defines a "qualifying winter season" as one occurring after enactment of this Act for which the projected average price of heating oil is greater than the average price for the winter of 2011-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2012 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a market pricing program for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) as a replacement for the competitive acquisition program for DMEPOS, which is hereby terminated. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct annual market-priced auctions from among entities supplying market priced items and services in an eligible market area selected in the auction design, (2) establish a lead product for each of specified product categories, and (3) award a contract to any entity in an eligible market area in which an auction is conducted whose bid is below a clearing price equal to the highest cost bid that will meet capacity targets in the market area. Requires the Secretary to contract with an auction expert to assist in, and a market monitor to monitor, the design, development, and functioning of the auction. Adjusts the covered DME item update for 2012 through 2014 and each subsequent year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Grassroots Democracy Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable credit of up to $25 ($50 in the case of a joint return), adjusted for inflation, for qualified grassroots federal congressional campaign contributions paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year. Directs the Grassroots Democracy Advisory Commission (GDAC, established by this Act) to establish a pilot program under which a qualified individual shall be provided with a "Grassroots Democracy Coupon" during the election cycle, which will be assigned a routing number and, at the individual's option, provided in either paper or electronic form. Authorizes the individual to: (1) submit the Coupon, using the routing number, in either electronic or paper form to qualified federal election candidates, and (2) allocate portions of the Coupon's value in $5 increments to a candidate (up to a maximum of $50 per candidate). Requires the GDAC to pay the candidate who transmits the Coupon to it the portion of the Coupon's value that the individual allocated to the candidate, which shall be considered a contribution under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA). Amends FECA with respect to: (1) benefits for participating congressional candidates; (2) Federal Election Commission (FEC) payments to such candidates; (3) candidate use of payments; (4) qualified grassroots contribution, expenditure, and fundraising requirements; (5) certification of participating congressional candidates; (6) campaign administration; (7) prevention of the unnecessary spending of public funds; (8) remittal to the Grassroots Democracy Fund of unspent funds after an election; (9) eligibility of participating candidates for payments; (10) establishment of the Grassroots Democracy Fund in the Treasury and of a Grassroots Democracy Advisory Commission in the FEC; and (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements. Prohibits use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign. Revises bundler disclosure requirements to repeal a specified exception and so require disclosure of persons who provided bundled contributions to the reporting committee. Extends from 60 days before a general, special, or runoff election to 120 days before such an election the period for treatment of communications as electioneering communications. Creates user fees, payable to the FEC, for candidate-designated political committees and bundlers. Amends FECA to empower the FEC to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action to enforce the Act. Requires all political committee designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC, and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces from 48 hours to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the alternative tax on political organizations that have net capital gains for the taxable year; and (2) the treatment as tax-exempt functions of proceeds from a political fundraising or entertainment event, from the sale of political campaign materials not received in the ordinary course of trade or business, or from any bingo game. Revises the formula limiting the amount included in the gross income of a tax-exempt organization that expends funds for an exempt function of a political committee. Repeals the application of graduated tax rates for principal campaign committees (thus applying the highest rates to such committees). Allows an individual to designate a specified portion of any overpayment of tax as a contribution to the Grassroots Democracy Fund. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to set a station's lowest unit price for preemptible use as the charge for a broadcast by the national committee of a political party for an affiliated candidate. Authorizes the FEC to revoke a broadcast station license or construction permit only for at least three willful failures to allow reasonable access to, or to permit purchase of reasonable amounts of time for the use of, a broadcasting station by a legally qualified candidate for federal office.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000597_200.jpg)