United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend: (1) the conservation reserve and related programs, and (2) assistance to disadvantaged or beginning farmers or ranchers for access to the environmental quality incentives and the conservation stewardship programs. Permits conservation reserve contract modification to facilitate transfers from retiring owners to limited resource farmers or ranchers. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to: (1) reduce the number of operating years required for a beginning farmer or rancher to qualify for a direct real estate loan; (2) extend conservation loan and loan guarantee authority, and reserve specified amounts for beginning farmers and ranchers; (3) extend the beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot program; (4) authorize micro loans for beginning farmers or ranchers; and (5) make the direct operating loan set-aside for beginning farmers and ranchers permanent. Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to extend the value-added agricultural product market development grant program. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the beginning farmer and rancher development program. Provides assistance for agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veterans. Amends the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act to extend the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. Provides priority assistance for new farming opportunities, including young, beginning, socially disadvantaged, and immigrant issues, as well as farm entry, transition, and transfer issues. Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide for risk management programs targeted at beginning, socially disadvantaged, transitioning, or legal immigrant farmers and ranchers. Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) the position of Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Patient Centered Quality Care for Life Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Patient-Centered Health Care and Quality of Life Stakeholder Strategic Summit to: (1) analyze key health system barriers to providing patient-centered health care that integrates symptom management and other aspects of coordinated or palliative care; and (2) identify strategic solutions for collectively addressing quality of life concerns for the rapidly expanding population of patients and survivors facing serious, complex, and chronic illness in the United States and for the families of such patients and survivors. Requires the Secretary to establish a Summit Steering Committee, which shall draft a summary report detailing Summit recommendations for a national strategic action agenda to improve patient-centered care and quality of life. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a national quality of life education and awareness grants program initiative for seriously ill patients, their families, and health professionals who treat them for the purposes of encouraging an increased demand for and delivery of integrated and patient-centered care for managing their pain and symptoms and improving their quality of life. Requires the Director to award competitive grants to develop new and expand existing information, resources, and communication materials about symptom management and other aspects of patient-centered care as an integral part of quality care for serious illnesses. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish a health care professional workforce training grants program initiative for purposes of promoting and enhancing symptom assessment and management, communications skills, coordinated patient-centered care, and other quality of life focused clinical core competencies across all clinical specialties that serve seriously ill patients and patients with multiple or complex chronic diseases. Requires the Secretary: (1) to update and expand the September 2002 HRSA report, titled "The Supply, Demand and Use of Palliative Care Physicians in the United States"; (2) to establish a Quality of Life Cross-Agency Advisory Committee to assist the CDC and HRSA in conducting the national quality of life education and awareness initiative and the health care professional workforce training initiative and to disseminate initiative findings for cross agency implementation of best practices; and (3) acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop and implement a strategy to be applied across NIH institutes and centers that is in accordance with the Advisory Committee's recommendations to expand national research programs in symptom management, palliative, psychosocial, and survivorship care.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to include the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Department of Labor's program of providing public employment services through a one-stop services delivery system. Directs the Secretary of Labor to allot to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands an amount equal to the allotment percentage Guam received for employment services under the Act in FY1983.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 - Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) support the development and updating of national model building energy codes for residential and commercial buildings to enable the achievement of aggregate energy savings targets established by this Act, (2) encourage and support the adoption by states and local governments of building energy codes that meet or exceed the national codes, and (3) support full compliance with state and local codes. Directs the Secretary to provide grants to establish building training and assessment centers at institutions of higher learning to identify and promote opportunities, concepts, and technologies for expanding building energy and environmental performance. Requires the Secretary to establish the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Financing Initiative to provide grants to states to establish or expand programs to promote the financing of energy efficiency retrofit projects for private sector and commercial buildings. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to replace references to the energy-intensive industries program with references to the future of industry program. Requires the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to expedite consideration of applications from eligible small businesses for loans under the Small Business Act to implement recommendations of industrial research and assessment centers. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Secretary: (1) as part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to conduct on-site technical assessments at the request of a manufacturer to identify opportunities for maximizing the energy efficiency of industrial processes and cross-cutting systems, preventing pollution and minimizing waste, improving efficient use of water in manufacturing processes, and conserving natural resources; and (2) as part of DOE's industrial efficiency programs, to carry out an industry-government partnership program to research, develop, and demonstrate new sustainable manufacturing and industrial technologies and processes that maximize the energy efficiency of industrial systems, reduce pollution, and conserve natural resources. Establishes within DOE a Supply Star program to identify and promote practices, recognize companies, and recognize products that use highly efficient supply chains that conserve energy, water, and other resources. Directs the Secretary to establish rebate programs for expenditures: (1) for the purchase and installation of a new constant speed electric motor control that reduces motor energy use by at least 5%; and (2) made by owners of industrial or manufacturing facilities, commercial buildings, and multifamily residential buildings for the purchase and installation of new energy efficient transformers. Directs the Secretary to issue guidance for federal agencies to employ advanced tools promoting energy efficiency and energy savings through the use of information and communications technologies. Authorizes the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), for any building project for which congressional approval has been received and the design has been substantially completed, but the construction of which has not begun, to use appropriated funds to update the building's design to meet energy efficiency and other standards for new federal buildings. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to include a measure to support the use of electric vehicles or the fueling or charging infrastructure necessary for such vehicles as an "energy or water conservation measure" eligible for energy savings performance contracts. Requires the Administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop and publish a goal for the total amount of planned energy and cost savings and increased productivity by the government through the consolidation of federal data centers during the next five years.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Chained Consumer Price Index should not be used to calculate cost of living adjustments for Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2013
Student Loan Relief Act of 2013 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Federal Direct Stafford loans to loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2013
Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act or STOP Act - Establishes a Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Council, composed mainly of civilians, as an independent entity from the chain of command of the Department of Defense (DOD). Directs the Council to: (1) appoint personnel to the Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office, and advise such Office; (2) appoint the Director of Military Prosecutions (Director); (3) review each request of the Director with respect to a case stemming from a sexual-related offense that has been referred to a military appellate court or to the Department of Justice (DOJ); and (4) submit to the Secretary of Defense, Congress, and the Attorney General a report on each Director request for referral to a higher court. Requires the Council to advise on the development of sexual assault reporting protocols, risk-reduction and response training, and policy. Establishes within DOD the Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office, headed by an Executive Director, to undertake specified duties and responsibilities relating to the investigation, prevention, and reduction of sexual assault incidents within the Armed Forces. Requires the Office to establish protocols to ensure that all reports of sexual assault are taken out of the chain of command and reported directly to the Office. Establishes the position of Director of Military Prosecutions, appointed by the Council, to have independent and final authority to oversee the prosecution of all sexual-related offenses committed by a member of the Armed Forces, and to refer such cases to trial by courts-martial.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2013
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to reauthorize for FY2014-FY2017 the grant program for improvements to the criminal history record system. Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to: (1) establish a four-year implementation plan to ensure maximum coordination and automation of reporting of records or making records available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; (2) direct the Attorney General to make grants to states, Indian tribal governments, and state court systems to improve the automation and transmittal of mental health records and criminal history dispositions; (3) provide for reductions in grant funding to states that have not implemented a relief from disabilities program; (4) make federal court information available for inclusion in the System; and (5) allow the submission to the System of mental health records that would otherwise be protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) expand the enforcement authority or jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); (2) allow the establishment, directly or indirectly, of a federal firearms registry; or (3) extend background check requirements to transfers of firearms other than those made at gun shows or over the Internet, or to temporary transfers for purposes including lawful hunting or sporting, or to temporary possession of a firearm for purposes of examination or evaluation by a prospective transferee. National Commission on Mass Violence Act of 2013 - Establishes the National Commission on Mass Violence to study the availability and nature of firearms, including the means of acquiring firearms, issues relating to mental health, and the impacts of the availability and nature of firearms on incidents of mass violence or in preventing mass violence. Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive factual study of incidents of mass violence, including incidents not involving firearms, to determine the root causes of such mass violence.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2013 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection, insofar as the attending physician, in consultation with the patient, determines such stay to be medically necessary; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act, and (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations. Prohibits a health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act. Allows a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage to nonrenew or discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to the condition for which coverage is being claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Amends the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to include within the definition of "state" the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2013
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013 or the PAST Act - Amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to replace the Designated Qualified Persons program responsible for inspecting horses for soring with a new inspection system. (The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness.) Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prescribe regulatory requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons who are to be hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions and are qualified to detect and diagnose sore horses or otherwise inspect horses at such events. Prohibits issuing a license to any person unless such person is free from conflicts of interest. Authorizes USDA to revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. Requires USDA to give a preference to persons who are licensed or accredited veterinarians in issuing the licenses. Requires USDA to assign USDA-licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. Directs an inspector to issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of the violations within five days of the citation being issued. Requires USDA to: (1) publish on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's website information on violations of such Act; and (2) disqualify a horse that is sore for specified time periods that increase after the first, second, and third instance. Prohibits a person in any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, auctioning, or offering for sale the horse. Prohibits showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse with: (1) an action device that causes friction by rotating around a horse's leg or sliding up and down the leg or strikes the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint, or pastern of the horse; or (2) a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, hoof band, or other device or material if it is constructed to artificially alter a horse's gait and is not strictly protective or therapeutic. Increases the maximum criminal penalties and maximum civil liability penalties for certain HPA violations. Authorizes USDA to disqualify a violator from: (1) transporting or arranging for the transportation of a horse to or from a show, exhibition, sale, or auction; (2) personally giving instructions to an exhibitor; or (3) being knowingly present in a warm-up area, inspection area, or other area that spectators are not permitted. Permits USDA to permanently disqualify a person with at least three violations after notice and an opportunity for a hearing.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2013
Coast Guard Academy Opportunity Act - Modifies the Coast Guard Academy cadet nomination process by requiring that half of each incoming class be composed of cadets nominated by: (1) the Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, the President pro tempore of the Senate; (2) a Senator; (3) a Member of the House of Representatives; and (4) the various delegates to Congress, including the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico. Entitles each Senator, House Member, Delegate, and Resident Commissioner to nominate three persons each year. Requires nominees to be citizens or nationals of the United States and meet any minimum requirements established by the Secretary of the respective department in which the Coast Guard is operating. Directs the Superintendent of the Academy to furnish any Member of Congress, upon written request, the name of the nominating authority responsible for the nomination of any named or identified person for appointment to the Academy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Federal Direct Stafford loans to loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to allocate and award funds to outlying areas under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program on the same basis as those funds are allocated and awarded to states. (The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program allocates and awards funds to states to support their funding of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education and other governmental services.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp Act of 2013 - Directs the United States Postal Service (USPS) to issue and sell, at a premium, a Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp. Requires the use of such stamp to be voluntary on the part of postal patrons. Requires proceeds from the sale of the semipostal stamp to be transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to help fund the maintenance backlog and operational shortfall of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Requires the stamp to be made available to the public for at least two years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Student Loan Fairness Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan that allows borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) to limit their monthly payment on such loans to one-twelfth of 10% of the amount by which their adjusted gross income and that of their spouse (if applicable) exceeds 150% of the federal poverty level. Establishes a 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program that provides FFEL and DL forgiveness to borrowers who, after the date that is 10 years before the date of this Act's enactment, have made 120 monthly payments under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan or under another repayment plan that required them to make payments at least as large as those they would have made under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan. Credits the months during which an individual is in deferment due to an economic hardship as months for which payment was made for purposes of the 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program. Caps the amount of loan forgiveness that the program will provide to individuals who become new borrowers after the date of this Act's enactment. Caps the interest rate on new DLs at 3.4%. Amends the public service employee loan forgiveness program to forgive the DLs of participants who have made 60 (currently, 120) monthly payments on such loans pursuant to specified repayment plans. Includes primary care physicians in medically underserved areas in the public service employee loan forgiveness program. Allows certain borrowers to consolidate their private education loans as Direct Consolidation Loans, provided the private loans were made on or before the date of this Act's enactment. Limits such borrowers to those who: (1) were students eligible for unsubsidized Stafford loans or PLUS loans under the FFEL or DL programs for their enrollment at an institution of higher education, or would have been had they been enrolled on at least a half-time basis; (2) borrowed at least one private education loan for such enrollment; and (3) have an average adjusted gross income that does not exceed their total education debt. Caps the interest rate on those Direct Consolidation Loans at 3.4%. Requires borrowers to apply for such loans within one year of this Act's enactment. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to direct the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) to issue regulations that require private education lenders to sell private education loans to the Secretary of Education for consolidation as Direct Consolidation Loans. Sets forth the data to be used in determining the price paid for such loans. Amends title IV of the HEA to direct the Secretary of Education to pay the interest that accrues on unsubsidized FFELs and DLs that are deferred due to a student borrower's lack of full-time employment. Requires the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on Federal Consolidation Loans that are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment, provided the application for such a loan is received on or after the date of this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on FFELs and DLs that are subject to income-based repayment provisions and are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment. Limits these interest-free deferment periods to those occurring on or after the date of this Act's enactment and covering no more than three years of full-time unemployment. Excludes from a borrower's taxable income the principal and interest on FFELs and DLs that is forgiven pursuant to income-based repayment plans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 to provide for its applicability to the United States (currently, the Act applies to foreign countries). Authorizes appropriations to the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund for FY2014-FY2018. Authorizes an increase in the amount available from the Fund for administrative expenses. Requires not less than 20% of amounts made available from the Fund for any fiscal year to be used for projects relating to the conservation of marine turtles in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Great Ape Conservation Reauthorization Amendments Act of 2013 - Amends the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to award a multi-year grant to an eligible person to implement a great ape conservation project that the person demonstrates is an effective, long-term conservation strategy for great apes and their habitats. Requires the Secretary to convene a panel of experts to identify the greatest needs and priorities for the conservation of great apes within a year of this Act's enactment and every five years thereafter (current law authorizes the Secretary to convene a panel to consider the greatest conservation needs every two years). Requires the panel to include representatives from foreign range states with expertise in great ape conservation and to consider relevant great ape conservation plans or strategies, including scientific research and findings related to: (1) conservation needs and priorities of great apes, (2) regional or species-specific action plans or strategies, (3) applicable strategies developed or initiated by the Secretary, and (4) any other applicable conservation plan or strategy. Authorizes the Secretary to pay expenses of convening and facilitating meetings of the panel. Authorizes appropriations for the Great Ape Conservation Fund for FY2014-FY2018.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Military Family Leave Act of 2013 - Entitles an employed family member of a member of the Armed Forces who receives notification of a call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation, or who is deployed in connection with a contingency operation, to two workweeks of leave per year for each family member who is so called or deployed. Allows such leave to: (1) be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule; and (2) consist of paid or unpaid leave, as the employer considers appropriate. Allows an employer to require certification of entitlement to such leave within a leave request. Provides employment and benefits protection for employees upon their return from such leave. Prohibits an employer from interfering with or otherwise denying the exercise of such leave rights.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for the establishment or operation of Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. Requires such Centers to: (1) improve the training of health professionals in palliative care for individuals with serious or life-threatening illnesses; (2) develop and disseminate related curricula; (3) support the training and retraining of faculty to provide instruction in palliative care; (4) support continuing education of health professionals who provide palliative care; (5) provide students with clinical training in palliative care in long-term care facilities, home care, hospices, chronic and acute disease hospitals, and ambulatory care centers; and (6) establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees in palliative care. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and enter into contracts with schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to provide support for projects that fund the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to eligible individuals; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award incentive grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, clinical social workers, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a certified nurse assistant to develop and implement programs and initiatives to train individuals in providing palliative care in health-related educational, hospice, home, or long-term care settings.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar Estrada Chavez, pledges to promote his legacy, and encourages the people of the United States to commemorate his legacy and to always remember his rallying cry, "Si, se puede!" ("Si, se puede!" is Spanish for "Yes, we can!")
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and revise a grant program for screening, counseling, and other services related to heritable disorders. Expands eligible grantees to include a health professional organization and an early childhood health system. Extends a grant program to evaluate the effectiveness of screening, counseling, or health care services in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by heritable disorders in newborns and children. Expands the program to include evaluation of treatment and follow-up care for newborns and their families after screening and diagnosis. Extends for five years the operation of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue the Advisory Committee after such time. Requires the Advisory Committee to meet in person at least twice each year. Extends the clearinghouse for newborn screening information. Expands the duties of the clearinghouse to include: (1) maintaining current data on the number of conditions for which screening is conducted in each state; and (2) establishing or disseminating guidelines for services and personnel necessary for follow-up, diagnosis, counseling, and treatment of to conditions detected by newborn screening. Extends requirements for the Secretary to provide for quality assurance of laboratories involved in screening newborns and children for heritable disorders. Extends the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Newborn and Child Screening. Authorizes the Secretary to have the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program to: (1) provide research and data for newborn conditions under review by the Advisory Committee to be added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel; and (2) conduct pilot studies on conditions recommended by the Advisory Committee to ensure that screenings are ready for nationwide implementation. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to develop longitudinal followup and tracking programs for newborn screening.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
Amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for volunteer services for programs conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), community partnership projects for national wildlife refuges, and refuge education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development Act of 2013 - Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (the Act) to allow state leadership activities grants to be used to provide technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations desiring grants under the Act. Directs the National Institute for Literacy to: (1) disseminate information regarding integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs; and (2) study the effectiveness of distance learning or self-study programs for English language learners. Makes integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs eligible for assistance under the Secretary of Education's national leadership activities program. Requires the Secretary to award grants to states for integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs, with each state's grant amount tied to the size and growth of their recent immigrant population. Amends the Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to replace references to individuals of limited English proficiency with references to English language learners. Requires the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research to establish a national research and development center for adult education and literacy, or include adult education if a center for adult literacy has already been established. Establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting United States Citizenship to be awarded to companies and other organizations that make extraordinary efforts in assisting their employees and members to learn English and increase their understanding of U.S. history and civics. Renames the Office of Citizenship within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration (the Office). Includes among its functions furthering the integration of immigrants into this country. Permits the Office to accept donations in support of its activities. Authorizes the Chief of the Office to provide grants to states to: (1) form State New American Councils to develop and implement comprehensive immigrant introduction plans and disseminate information pertaining to effective English acquisition and civics education programs; and (2) award subgrants, through such Councils, to local governments to assist them in integrating immigrants into communities pursuant to such plans. Establishes a New Citizens Award program authorizing the President to present a medal to up to 10 new citizens per year who make an outstanding contribution to this country.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Supports the creation of a bipartisan Presidential Commission to study the establishment of a National Museum of the American People to tell the immigration and migration stories of all people in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2013
Compact-Impact Reimbursement Act of 2013 - Amends the Compact of Free Association Act of 1985 to authorize and appropriate FY2013 funds to the Secretary of the Interior for: (1) grants to any local government of the United States that demonstrates financial strain due to demands on public services by significant immigration from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau; and (2) aid in defraying costs incurred as a result of increased demands placed on health, educational, social, or public safety services, or infrastructure related to such services due to the residence of qualified nonimmigrants. Directs the Secretary to provide for periodic enumerations of qualified nonimmigrants in the states and territories of the United States. Defines "qualified nonimmigrant" as a person admitted to the United States pursuant to: (1) section 141 of the Compact of Free Association set forth in title II, or (2) section 141 of the Compact of Free Association between the United States and the government of Palau.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. Requires LEAs to also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level; and (4) discipline policies that minimize the removal of students from instruction and prevent disproportionate punishment. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools; and (2) the Commissioner for Education Statistics to collect state data, that are subject to independent review, to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to treat American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as separate states for purposes of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Tsunami Forecasting and Warning Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Tsunami Warning and Education Act to direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through the National Weather Service, to establish or maintain a Caribbean Tsunami Warning Center in Puerto Rico. (The responsibilities of tsunami warning centers include monitoring and evaluating earthquakes, disseminating forecasts and tsunami warning bulletins to federal, state, and local governments as well as the public, and ensuring information sharing between forecasters and emergency management officials.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Stepping Up to STEM Act of 2013 - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish the Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education within the Department of Education to administer STEM education. Directs the Office of STEM Education to conduct an independent evaluation of the Department's STEM Education programs at least once every five years. Establishes an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED) within the Department to pursue breakthrough research and development in educational technology and to facilitate the effective use of that technology to improve student achievement. Directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to state-based STEM networks or similar organizations of STEM stakeholders to increase students' achievement in the STEM disciplines in elementary and secondary schools and in out of school and afterschool programs. Includes among grant uses: testing, sharing, and scaling up STEM education research, promising practices, and exemplary programs; identifying state STEM education weaknesses and prioritizing strategies to address them; implementing rigorous career and college ready standards in STEM education; developing and implementing innovative STEM assessments that measure student progress toward those career and college ready standards; promoting and developing pre- and in-service STEM teacher training; developing STEM career pathways and workforce education and training programs that reflect 21st century workforce needs; facilitating the implementation of expanded STEM learning opportunities on school sites; and promoting, supporting, and designing programs that develop STEM content coaches and master educators in order to strengthen core competencies of the classroom practitioner. Requires grantees to conduct periodic independent evaluations of their effectiveness in accomplishing those activities. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) endorsing or approving any STEM curriculum designed for use in an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education; or (2) requiring a state, local educational agency, or school to adopt a specific STEM program or instructional materials.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests (thus covering 100% of their cost under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled]).
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and make recommendations regarding better coordination and leveraging of federal programs that relate in any way to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Sets forth the duties of the Commission, which shall include: (1) evaluating HHS programs, (2) identifying current activities and critical gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing care to people with pre-diabetes and diabetes, (3) recommending how an outcomes-based registry may be developed and then used to evaluate various care models and methods, (4) evaluating and expanding education and awareness to health care professionals regarding clinical practices for the prevention of diabetes and the precursor conditions of diabetes, and (5) reviewing and recommending appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources related to diabetes prevention and treatments. Requires the Commission to submit an operating plan to the Secretary and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2013 - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPIEC) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals age 62 or older. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to use such new CPIEC in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits, replacing the CPI for All Urban Consumers (U.S. city average).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.20 an hour on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act; (2) $9.15 an hour after one year; (3) $10.10 an hour after two years; and (4) the amount determined by the Secretary of Labor (based on increases in the Consumer Price Index) after three years, and annually thereafter. Increases the federal minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.00 an hour for one year on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act. Provides a formula for subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase to ensure that it remains equal to 70% of the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Directs the Secretary of Labor, 60 days before any increase in the minimum wage, to publish it in the Federal Register and on the Department of Labor's website.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply it specifically to American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands. Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to cover these same territories plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to cover the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Applies to such jurisdictions specified criminal penalties relating to the intimidation of voters, interference by government employees, and voting by aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act - Authorizes any person, entity, or the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to propose the regulation of nonnative wildlife taxa. Requires the Director to determine whether the proposal should be approved within 180 days. Requires the Director to promulgate regulations to: (1) specify the criteria for regulating a nonnative taxon as an Injurious I taxon or Injurious II taxon that is injurious to humans, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife, or wildlife resources; (2) establish a process for assessing and analyzing the risks of taxa that may have been imported into or found in interstate commerce; and (3) designate a wildlife taxon that was previously designated as injurious by statute or the Secretary of the Interior as an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon. Requires the Secretary, not later than three years after enactment of this Act, to: (1) define the phrase "non-native wildlife taxa novel to the United States"; (2) establish a process to ensure that all such taxa are thereafter reviewed by the Director to determine whether they should be regulated as Injurious I or Injurious II taxa prior to allowing their importation; and (3) seek to avoid, in promulgating such regulation, creating a new incentive for animal importers to import novel taxa prior to the effective date of such regulation. Requires the Director, prior to designating a taxon as an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon, to prepare a risk determination. Authorizes the Director to immediately and temporarily designate a nonnative wildlife taxon as Injurious I if an emergency exists because such unregulated taxon poses an imminent threat of harm to individuals in, or wildlife of, the United States or to the U.S. economy or environment. Requires the Director to: (1) establish an electronic, publicly available database that describes all quantities of imports of all live wildlife and the regulatory status of such wildlife; (2) monitor and report on the identities and quantities of nonnative wildlife taxa being imported; and (3) make more rapid determinations on proposals for regulation of importations or shipments of injurious mammals, birds, fish, amphibia, and reptiles under the Lacey Act by requiring the Secretary to forego time-consuming optional administrative steps that are not essential and by authorizing the Secretary to forego economic impact analyses. Gives the Secretary the primary authority to prevent the importation of, and interstate commerce in, wildlife pathogens and harmful parasites. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to impose import restrictions to prevent the importation of, and commerce in, such pathogens and parasites. Establishes exemptions to such requirement. Prohibits any person from: (1) importing or knowingly possessing such an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon, or the descendant of such an animal, that was imported in violation of this Act; (2) engaging in interstate commerce for or knowingly possessing such an animal that was transported in interstate commerce in violation of this Act; and (3) releasing any such taxon into the wild. Sets forth exemptions from such prohibitions. Authorizes the Director to issue permits to qualified institutions to authorize actions otherwise prohibited for such taxon. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Secretary to adopt a fee to be charged on imported live wildlife shipments, excluding shipments made by qualified institutions for scientific, veterinary, or medical research, education, conservation outreach, or display purposes. Establishes the Injurious Wildlife Prevention Fund to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) should encourage other countries, through bilateral, regional, and multilateral fora, to establish commercially meaningful de minimis values for express and postal shipments of articles that are exempt from customs duties and certain entry documentation requirements, as appropriate. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to increase from $200 to $800 for 2014, and to $800 adjusted annually for inflation after 2014, the aggregate retail value in the country of shipment of articles that may be imported duty-free into the United States by one person on one day.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2013 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 or other specified federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Restoring Medicaid for Compact of Free Association Migrants Act of 2013 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 to permit coverage under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for citizens of the Freely Associated States lawfully residing in the United States under the Compacts of Free Association between the United States Government and the Governments of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Permits Medicaid coverage also to lawful residents, in accordance with such Compacts, but only at the option of the governor, of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa. Exempts such citizens from the five-year limited eligibility of qualified aliens for federal means-tested public benefits with respect to Medicaid benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2013
Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to increase from 0.125% to 1.5% the allocation of appropriations to each of the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for grants to support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of rape crisis centers and other programs and projects to assist those victimized by sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Amends the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) grants and contracts for research to develop processes for converting saline water into water suitable for beneficial uses, and (2) the demonstration and development program for water desalination and related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Workforce Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for: (1) WIA title I, workforce investment systems for job training and employment services; and (2) WIA title II, adult education and family literacy education programs. Revises member composition of state and local workforce investment boards to require at least 20% of the board be composed of representatives of the workforce within the state. Revises requirements for a five-year state worker investment plan. Revises requirements for the state unified plan for adult education and literacy programs. Revises requirements for: (1) local workforce investment areas, boards, and plans; (2) one-stop delivery systems; and (3) the allotment of federal funds among states for statewide youth (including disadvantaged youth) activities and statewide workforce investment activities, Native American workforce investment programs, and adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities. Defines "core programs" to mean: (1) youth workforce investment activities and adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities, (2) adult education and literacy activities, (3) employment services, and (4) vocational rehabilitation services. Establishes unified state and local performance accountability measures for the core programs. Directs the Secretary of Labor to allocate federal funds for the costs of infrastructure associated with one-stop centers for job training and employment services. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for the Job Corps program. Prescribes a special rule to make Armed Force veterans eligible for the Job Corps if certain requirements are met. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to establish jointly a demonstration College Corps project to provide certain at-risk youth intensive education and skills training to prepare them for college and for high-skilled employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish annually performance indicators for Job Corps centers and for recruitment and career transition service providers serving the Job Corps program. Revises requirements for the Native American, migrant and seasonal farm worker, and veterans' workforce investment programs. Requires the establishment of performance accountability measures for such programs. Repeals the youth opportunity grant program. Replaces demonstration, pilot, multiservice, research, and multistate work investment projects with innovation work investment projects. Subjects such projects to certain performance accountability measures. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to provide for the competitive award of: (1) transition grants to states to assist them in making the transition to meeting the requirements of this Act; (2) workforce innovation and best practices grants to state partnerships or regional entities for workforce investment projects to target services to low-income individuals, low-skill individuals, long-term unemployed, and other populations with barriers to employment; and (3) youth innovation and best practices grants to states or local boards and other specified entities for innovative strategies and activities to improve education and employment outcomes for eligible youth. Converts the national emergency grants program into a national dislocated worker grants program. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award national dislocated worker grants to provide disaster relief employment in a disaster area of a state. Revises and reauthorizes appropriations for the YouthBuild program. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Native American, migrant and seasonal farm worker, and veterans' workforce investment programs. Establishes an Office of Disability Employment Policy within the Department of Labor. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to: (1) institutions of higher education for educational or career training programs for workers; (2) state or local organizations in partnership with community colleges and other training providers for pay-for-performance projects and pay-for-success job training projects; (3) state or local governments to provide job training or recruiting activities necessary to provide skilled workers for businesses that are considering relocating back to the United States; and (4) institutions of higher education in partnership with local or regional economic development entities to provide training in starting a small business and entrepreneurship. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of federally-funded job training programs to provide job training services to eligible individuals, particularly individuals with barriers to employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants to states for integrated English literacy and civics education. Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to authorize use of a state's allotment of public employment services funds to provide unemployment insurance claimants and other unemployed individuals with referrals to, and application assistance for, training and education resources and programs, including student assistance under Federal Pell Grants of the Higher Education Act of 1965, educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance, state student higher education assistance, and training and education programs under WIA titles I and II, and title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program of competitive grants to state employment agencies to carry out pilot projects that enhance the professional development and the provision of public employment services by agency staff. Replaces the nationwide employment statistics system, which the Secretary of Labor is required to oversee, with a nationwide labor market information system. Establishes the Workforce Information Advisory Council. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to transfer the Rehabilitation Services Administration from the Office of the Secretary of Education and reestablish it in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. Revises requirements for: (1) state plans for vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, (2) eligibility for vocational rehabilitation assistance and individualized plans for employment for disabled individuals, (3) monitoring and review of vocational rehabilitation programs, and (4) state allotments for such programs. Requires: (1) states to make certain funds available to designated state units for pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities who are transitioning to employment from education or training, and (2) each local office of a state unit to designate at least one Local Pre-Employment Transition Coordinator for students with disabilities. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to each designate a National Pre-Employment Transition Coordinator for Students with Disabilities. Revises American Indian vocational rehabilitation services grant program eligibility requirements to permit grants to be renewed for an additional 5-years, provided certain conditions are met. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services grants to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers, (2) recreational programs for individuals with disabilities, (3) the National Council on Disability, (4) the Access Board, and (5) employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations to assist states in developing collaborative programs to provide supported employment services for individuals (including youth) with the most significant disabilities to enable them to achieve supported employment in competitive integrated employment. Establishes within the Department of Education an Independent Living Administration (ILA), independent of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. Revises requirements for a state plan for state independent living services for individuals with significant disabilities, including through establishment of additional centers for independent living or focused outreach to serve underserved populations. Directs the ILA Director (currently, the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration) to make allotments to states for independent living services to individuals with significant disabilities. Revises the composition and functions of State Independent Living Councils. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) the centers for independent living grant program, and (2) independent living services for older individuals who are blind grant program. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor and in coordination with the Commissioners of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, of Social Security, and of the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the heads of other relevant federal agencies, to carry out campaigns to educate employers and the general public on the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Coastal State Climate Change Planning Act - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation planning and response program to: (1) provide assistance to coastal states to voluntarily develop coastal climate change adaptation plans to minimize contributions to climate change and to prepare for and reduce the negative consequences that may result from climate change in the coastal zone, and (2) provide financial and technical assistance and training to enable coastal states to implement such plans through coastal states' enforceable policies. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to coastal states to develop such plans and to support projects that implement strategies contained in such plans. Requires the Secretary to promote and encourage the use of National Estuarine Research Reserves as sites for pilot or demonstration projects carried out with such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Child Tax Credit Permanency Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to: (1) make permanent the reduction (from $10,000 to $3,000) of the eligibility threshold for the refundable portion of such credit, and (2) require an annual inflation adjustment to the allowable amount of such credit (i.e., $1,000) after 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor collectively the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in recognition of their military service and exemplary record during World War II. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the CAP. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Jobs Protection Act - Gives Sealaska, the regional Alaska Native Corporation for southeast Alaska, 90 days following this Act's enactment to agree to accept the conveyance of specified federal land, subject to certain conditions and restrictions, as full and final satisfaction of its remaining land entitlement under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Identifies the lands to be conveyed as: (1) the 25 parcels of federal land comprising approximately 69,235 acres that are generally depicted as "Sealaska Selections" on certain Sealaska Land Entitlement Finalization maps, and (2) up to 127 cemetery sites and historical places that Sealaska must apply for and that comprise up to 840 acres of federal land. Includes with those conveyances: (1) public easements under the ANCSA, (2) a ten-year easement for Forest System research activities on study plots, and (3) an easement providing Sealaska access to and the use of the log transfer facility at Shipley Bay on Kosciusko Island. Keeps those 25 parcels of conveyed lands that are outside ANCSA withdrawal areas open for subsistence uses and noncommercial recreational uses by the public. Allows Sealaska to impose reasonable restrictions on public access to and across the conveyed lands. Requires Sealaska to allow existing guiding or outfitting special use permit holders to continue to operate on the conveyed lands for the remainder of the permit term and a subsequent ten-year renewal period. Renames certain culturally and historically significant trade and migration routes and keeps them open for travel by Sealaska and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Reuniting Families Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to establish the fiscal year worldwide level of employment-based immigrants at 140,000 plus: (1) the previous year's unused visas, and (2) the number of unused visas from FY1992-FY2011. Establishes the fiscal year worldwide level of family-sponsored immigrants at 480,000 plus: (1) the previous year's unused visas, and (2) the number of unused visas from FY1992-FY2011. Revises the definition of "immediate relative" to: (1) mean a child, spouse, or parent of a U.S. citizen or the child or spouse of a lawful permanent resident (and for each family member of a citizen or resident, such individual's accompanying spouse or child), except that in the case of parents such citizens shall be at least 21 years old; (2) permit a widow or widower of a U.S. citizen or resident to seek permanent resident status if married at least two years at the time of the citizen's or resident's death or, if married less than two years, by showing through a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not solely to obtain an immigration benefit; and (3) include an alien who was the child or parent of a U.S. citizen or resident at the time of the citizen's or resident's death if the alien files a petition within two years after such date or prior to reaching 21 years old. Increases immigration visas for: (1) unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and (2) brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. Provides an 80,640 visa allocation for the unmarried sons and daughters of permanent resident aliens. Increases annual per country (10% of annual total) and dependent area (5% of annual total) limits for employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas. Expands specified family-unity exceptions to unlawful presence-based inadmissibility. Provides specified relief for orphans and spouses regarding: (1) petitions for immediate relative status, (2) parole eligibility, (3) permanent resident status adjustment, and (4) processing of immigrant visas. Makes an alien inadmissible for willful misrepresentation of citizenship. (Under current law inadmissibility is based on false representation of citizenship.) Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act - Exempts children of naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant limitations. Makes a minor child of an alien fiancee/fiance or of an alien spouse of a U.S. citizen eligible for derivative K-visa status provided that the child's age is determined using such child's age at the date that the petition to classify such child's parent as a K-visa alien is filed with the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS). Authorizes the Secretary or the Attorney General to adjust the status of a finacee/fiance or alien spouse and any minor children (K-visa) to conditional permanent resident status if such alien marries the petitioner within three months after U.S. admission. Redefines "child" for purposes of titles I and II of the Act to include a stepchild under 21 years old. (Current law includes a stepchild who has not reached 18 years old at the time the marriage creating the status of stepchild occurred.) Amends INA to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Revises provisions regarding: (1) priority date retention; (2) false claims and misrepresentations; and (3) waiver eligibility for widows, widowers, and orphans. Defines "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners. Defines "alien permanent partner" as the individual in a permanent partnership who is being sponsored for a visa.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2013 or the ABLE Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses. Defines "qualified disability expenses" to include expenses for education, including higher education expenses, a primary residence, transportation, obtaining and maintaining employment, health and wellness, and other personal support expenses. Treats a qualified ABLE program and an ABLE account in the same manner as a qualified tuition program for income tax purposes (i.e., allowing a tax exemption for such program and an exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to a contributor to or a beneficiary of a program account). Defines "qualified ABLE program" as a program established and maintained by a state agency under which a person may make contributions to an ABLE account established to pay for qualified disability expenses. Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources attributable to an ABLE account.
![Official portrait of Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho [D-MP-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001177_200.jpg)