United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2013
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in honor of the members of the 17 Bombardment Group (Medium), who became known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, in recognition of their military service during World War II. Requires the medal to be given to the National Museum of the United States Air Force for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that such Museum should make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations and events associated with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the next triennial International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly to be held in September 2013 in Montreal, Canada; and (2) instruct the U.S. Mission to the ICAO to officially request observer status for Taiwan at the Assembly and other related meetings, activities, and mechanisms, and urge ICAO member states to support Taiwan observer status and participation in the ICAO.
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
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education (DGME) costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), for each of FY2015-FY2019 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Directs the Secretary to determine the total number of additional residency positions available for distribution, in accordance with guidelines for allocating 33% to hospitals already operating over the resident limit, and generally setting the aggregate number of increases in the resident limit to 3,000 in each year. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2015, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education (IME), insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the National Health Care Workforce Commission established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to study the physician workforce. Directs the Comptroller General to study strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to deem an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital to be an inpatient with respect to satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital requirement in order to entitle the individual to Medicare coverage of any post-hospital extended care services in a skilled nursing facility (SNF).
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Personalize Your Care Act of 2013 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to cover a Voluntary Advance Care Planning Consultation. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) establish statewide programs for physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, or (2) expand or enhance existing programs for physician orders for life-sustaining treatment. Directs the Secretary to adopt, by rule, standards for a qualified electronic health record, with respect to patient communications with a health care provider about values and goals of care, to adequately display the patient's current: (1) advance directive, and/or (2) physician order for life-sustaining treatment. Requires under Medicare and Medicaid that an advance directive validly executed outside the state in which the directive is presented must be given effect by a service provider or an organization to the same extent as an advance directive validly executed under the law of the state in which it is presented. Requires that, in the absence of a validly executed advance directive, any authentic expression of a person's wishes with respect to health care be honored.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education (DGME) costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), for each of FY2014-FY2018 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Directs the Secretary to determine the total number of additional residency positions available for distribution, in accordance with guidelines for allocating 33% to hospitals already operating over the resident limit, and generally setting the aggregate number of increases in the resident limit to 3,000 in each year. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2015, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education (IME), insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Revises requirements for counting interns and residents to declare that in certain circumstances the three-year rolling average of the actual full-time equivalent resident counts shall not apply. Makes the same declaration with respect to the ratio of the hospital's full-time equivalent interns and residents to beds. Eliminates both requirements after December 31, 2012. Requires the current year count of full-time equivalent residents to determine a hospital's graduate medical education (GME) payment. Requires all the time spent by an intern or resident in an approved medical residency training program, regardless of setting, to be counted toward the determination of full-time equivalency if the hospital meets certain subsection (d) hospital criteria. Prohibits the Secretary from treating a cost reporting period for which a hospital trains residents participating in a program of another hospital as a period for which the hospital has an approved medical residency period. Requires the Secretary (who currently is authorized) to prescribe rules which allow institutions which are members of the same affiliated group to elect to apply the limitation on the number of residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine on an aggregate basis. Requires such rules to authorize all facilities established on or after January 1, 2000, whose resident limits are adjusted on or after January 1, 1997, to elect to apply the limitation on the number of residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine on an aggregate basis after a certain period. Declares that, in the case of a resident who changes residency specialties, the period of board eligibility and the initial residency period shall be equal to the minimum number of years of formal training required to satisfy the requirements for the initial board eligibility of the program into which the resident transfers. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement procedures under which the amount of payments that a hospital would otherwise receive for IME costs for discharges occurring during a fiscal year is adjusted based on the reporting of measures and the performance of the hospital on measures of patient care priorities. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress and the National Health Care Workforce Commission on both DGME and IME payments that hospitals receive under the Medicare program. Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the physician workforce, identifying specialties for which there is a shortage; and (2) strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Requires disregard of any hours worked by a firefighter under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement for purposes of any determination relating to federal eligibility for or the amount of any overtime pay.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale or transport of equines (horses and other members of the equidae family) or their parts (including flesh, meat, and viscera), or the importing or exporting of equines or their parts into or out of the United States, by any person who knows or should have known that such equines are to be slaughtered for human consumption as food.
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
Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include occupational therapists within the definition of "behavioral and mental health professionals" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2013 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide access to services under medication therapy management programs for Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Program) eligible individuals with a single chronic disease. Allows the application of this Act only if the Chief Actuary for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determines that such application with regard to a particular single chronic disease is not projected to increase overall costs to the Medicare program over the following five year period.
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 · 5 March 2013
Coordination of Pro Bono Medically Recommended Dental Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities to maximize the number of eligible low-income individuals receiving dental care. Requires an entity to use amounts received under a grant or contract to fund the employment costs of a program to: (1) coordinate the provision of free, medically recommended dental care to eligible low-income individuals by volunteer dentists in a manner consistent with state licensing laws; and (2) verify the medical, dental, and financial needs of individuals who may be eligible for such dental services. Requires an eligible: (1) entity to be tax-exempt and provide for the participation of eligible individuals in a free dental services program; and (2) individual to be entitled to benefits or be enrolled under Medicare, Medicaid, or a state plan or waiver under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
United States Postal Service Stabilization Act of 2013 - Amends provisions concerning the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), with respect to employees of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), to: (1) provide a new formula for calculating employee pension contributions using the normal-cost percentage method multiplied by the aggregate amount of basic pay payable to employees of USPS and the Postal Regulatory Commission, and (2) provide for the use of excess FERS contributions to pay USPS debt obligations and make pension contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Women and Workforce Investment for Nontraditional Jobs or Women WIN Jobs - Requires the Secretary of Labor, in any fiscal year in which the total authorization of appropriations to carry out this Act exceeds $50 million, to allocate grants to states with approved state plans to provide funding to eligible entities (partnerships) to increase low-income women's participation in high-wage, high-demand occupations in which women make up less than 25% of the current workforce. Authorizes states to use grants for statewide activities, including to: (1) provide technical assistance to eligible entities and to state registered apprenticeship programs and sponsors and joint apprenticeship training councils in meeting their enrollment goal for low-income women in nontraditional occupations, (2) develop policies and protocols that set goals for hiring specific percentages of women into registered apprenticeships and permanent employment openings in publicly assisted projects, and (3) engage in outreach activities and provide training to overcome stereotypes about women in nontraditional occupations as well as gender inequity among employers. Authorizes the allocation of grant funds to eligible entities to support the recruitment, training, placement, and retention of low-income women in nontraditional occupations. Directs the Secretary to convene a national commission to examine and make recommendations for improving the status of women in high-demand, high-wage nontraditional occupations. Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to collect data on the status of women's participation in underrepresented sectors of the economy, and examine the status of women in relation to that of men. Directs the Secretary to establish a national clearinghouse to collect and distribute best practices.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 - Declares that Israel is a major strategic partner of the United States. Amends the Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 to extend authority to: (1) make additions to foreign-based defense stockpiles, and (2) transfer certain obsolete or surplus Department of Defense (DOD) items to Israel. Authorizes the President to carry out U.S.-Israel cooperative activities and to provide assistance for cooperation in the fields of energy, water, homeland security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies. Amends the the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to extend the grant program for U.S.-Israeli cooperation on research, development, and commercialization of renewable energy or energy efficiency. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States and Israel should increase cyber-security cooperation. Urges the President to provide assistance for enhancement of the David's Sling Weapon System, the joint United States-Israel Arrow Weapon System, and the Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system. States that it shall be U.S. policy to include Israel in the visa waiver program when Israel satisfies such program's inclusion requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology items designed and configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, and functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) designate complex rehabilitation technology items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics); and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a Healthcare Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) coding subset that uses specified HCPCS codes for CRT items. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment (DME), if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Authorizes the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate the formation of the Peace Corps and to honor the ideals upon which it was founded. Prohibits the use of federal funds to pay any expense to establish the commemorative work.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Provides that, when in the opinion of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) a temporary fiduciary is needed to protect the benefits of a VA beneficiary while a determination of incompetency is being made or appealed or a fiduciary is appealing a determination of misuse, the Secretary may appoint one or more temporary fiduciaries for up to 120 days. Requires the Secretary to provide a written statement to a beneficiary determined by the Secretary to be mentally incompetent for purposes of appointing a fiduciary. Allows the beneficiary to appeal such determination. Allows a beneficiary for whom the Secretary appoints a fiduciary to, at any time, request the Secretary to remove such fiduciary and appoint a new one. Requires the Secretary to comply with any such request made in good faith. Prohibits any such removal or new appointment from delaying or interrupting the beneficiary's receipt of benefits. Requires a appointed fiduciary appointed by the Secretary to act independently of the VA and in the interest of the beneficiary. Provides for the predesignation of a fiduciary. Provides that, if a beneficiary does not designate a fiduciary, the Secretary shall appoint, to the extent possible, a fiduciary who is: (1) a relative, (2) a guardian, or (3) authorized to act on their behalf under a durable power of attorney. Provides for: (1) fiduciary commissions when necessary; and (2) the temporary payment of benefits to a person having custody and control of an incompetent or minor beneficiary, to be used solely for the benefit of the beneficiary. Directs the Secretary to maintain a list of state and local agencies and nonprofit social service agencies that are qualified to act as a fiduciary. Requires any certification of a fiduciary to be made on the basis of an inquiry or investigation of his or her fitness and qualifications. Requires the investigation to include a face-to-face interview and a background check. Allows a person convicted of a federal or state offense to serve as a fiduciary only when the Secretary finds such person to be appropriate under the circumstances. Requires each fiduciary to disclose the number of beneficiaries that the fiduciary acts on behalf of. Requires the Secretary to: (1) maintain records of any person who has previously served as a fiduciary and had such status revoked, and (2) notify the beneficiary within 14 days after learning that the fiduciary has been convicted of a crime. Directs the Secretary, upon reason to believe that a fiduciary may be misusing all or part of a beneficiary benefit, to: (1) conduct a thorough investigation, and (2) report results to the Attorney General and the head of each federal department or agency that pays a beneficiary benefit to such fiduciary. Requires each Veterans Benefits Administration regional office to maintain specified fiduciary information. Requires (under current law, permits) a fiduciary to file an annual accounting of the administration of beneficiary benefits. Requires the Secretary to conduct annual random audits of fiduciaries who receive a commission for such service. Requires fiduciary repayment of misused benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that in this Congress the Committee on Agriculture should not propose any reduction in the availability or amount of benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and that the House should reject any proposed legislation that seeks to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Expresses support for efforts to make improving women's health a priority in the 113th Congress. Expresses support for efforts to ensure that women have: (1) access to the best available scientifically based health care, safe childbearing, and affordable insurance coverage for all of their pregnancy-related health care needs, including contraception and abortion, as well as for their general health care needs; (2) the autonomy to decide whether and when to have children and the medically accurate information, education, and access to health services to make such decisions; (3) autonomous decision making, informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality regarding their health care; (4) the ability to participate equally in ethically conducted clinical research; and (5) the resources needed to guarantee their financial and economic security as they age. Expresses support for efforts to ensure that: (1) parents have and can use earned sick days to care for themselves and their families, have paid leave to prepare for and recover from pregnancy and childbirth and to care for their children or loved ones, and may receive a social security credit if they are forced to leave the workforce to care for a child or a loved one; and (2) women receive equal pay for equal work. Expresses support for efforts to: (1) work to end gender discrimination and improve women's health by implementing the Affordable Care Act, end health disparities for women, and end gender-based violence; and (2) eliminate discrimination and promote women's health and economic security by ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform job functions are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to determine if Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization and: (1) if so, designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization; and (2) if not, report to Congress concerning those criteria which have not been met. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the imposition of sanctions on certain Iranian government persons responsible for, or complicit in, human rights abuses, diversion of food and medicine, and censorship. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to subject to mandatory sanctions a financial institution that facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services for a person that: (1) is subject to human rights-related sanctions, or (2) exports sensitive technology to Iran and is subject to the prohibition on procurement contracts. Amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 to authorize the President to impose sanctions on a foreign person that knowingly conducted or facilitated a significant financial transaction with the Central Bank of Iran or other Iranian financial institution subject to sanctions for the purchase of goods (other than petroleum or petroleum products) or services by or from a person in Iran, or on behalf of a person in Iran. Excludes from such sanctions a transaction for the sale of agricultural commodities, food, medicine or medical devices to Iran. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions on a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitated a significant financial transaction on behalf of any person directly or indirectly owned or controlled by an Iranian person included on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Revises the exception to the imposition of sanctions for purchases of Iranian petroleum or petroleum products. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should coordinate with the European Union (EU) and its member states to restrict Iran's access to the euro currency. Directs the President to develop a National Strategy on Iran that provides strategic guidance for addressing threats posed by Iran. Directs the President to report to Congress every 60 days regarding the Iranian nuclear timetable and the projected economic effects of international sanctions on Iran. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding presidential implementation of specified sanctions on Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to define a "high volume retail breeder" as a person who, in commerce, for compensation or profit: (1) has an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs; and (2) sells, via any means of conveyance, more than 50 of the offspring of such dogs for use as pets in any one-year period. Considers such a breeder of dogs to be a dealer. Requires dealers to include on licensing applications and annual renewals the total number of dogs exempted from exercise on the premises of the dealer in the preceding year by a licensed veterinarian. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to promulgate requirements for the exercise of dogs at facilities owned or operated by a dealer, including requiring daily access to exercise that: (1) allows the dogs to move sufficiently in a way that is not forced, repetitive, or restrictive; and (2) is in an area that is spacious, cleaned at least once a day, free of infestation by pests or vermin, and designed to prevent the dogs from escaping. Allows an exemption if: (1) a licensed veterinarian determines that a dog should not exercise because of the health, condition, or well-being of the dog; and (2) such determination is reviewed and updated at least once every 30 days by the veterinarian, unless the basis for the determination is a permanent condition. Subjects such a determination to review and approval by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Optometric Equity in Medicaid Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require coverage under Medicaid of services of optometrists.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2013
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement). Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for matching subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires program participants to use their grants and subgrants to enhance the geographic literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12 by supporting specified activities, including: (1) educational research; (2) teacher training; (3) the development of effective teaching tools and learning materials; (4) the application of rigorous academic standards and assessment techniques; (5) comparative studies of world cultures, economies, and environments; and (6) the exchange of information regarding the state of geographic literacy and strategies for its improvement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2013
Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) to include in their annual security report policies encouraging the accurate and prompt reporting of all crimes to campus police and appropriate law enforcement agencies when crime victims elect to, or are unable to, report the crimes. Requires that report to include: (1) data on the occurrence of certain violent crimes that are motivated by the victim's nationality; and (2) statistics concerning the occurrence of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking incidents reported to campus security authorities or local police. Requires schools to protect victim confidentiality when reporting criminal threats to the campus community. Directs IHEs to include in their annual security report a statement of policy regarding their programs to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and the procedures they follow when such an offense is reported. Requires an IHE's policy regarding those offenses to include: education that promotes awareness of the offenses; possible sanctions or protective measures imposed following disciplinary action; procedures victims should follow after such an offense occurs; institutional disciplinary procedures; information about how the IHE will protect victim confidentiality; the written notification of students and employees concerning on-campus and community services available for victims; and the written notification of victims regarding their options for, and assistance in, changing academic, living, transportation, and working situations, regardless of whether or not they choose to report the crime. Requires students and employees who report having been the victim of such an offense to their IHE, whether it occurred on or off campus, to receive a written notification of their rights and options under the IHE's policy. Directs the Secretary of Education to seek the counsel of the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the development, and dissemination to IHEs, of best practices for preventing and responding to incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
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
Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), no later than August 31, 2013, to complete development of a plan to provide chiropractic health care services and benefits, as a permanent part of the TRICARE program (a DOD managed health care program), for covered beneficiaries. Requires plan implementation by January 31, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
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
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out programs that provide adolescents with comprehensive sex education to: (1) replicate evidence-based sex education programs, (2) substantially incorporate elements of evidence-based sex education programs, or (3) create a demonstration project based on generally accepted characteristics of effective sex education programs. Sets forth provisions regarding evaluation of such programs. Requires the Secretary to establish a common set of performance measures to assess the implementation and impact of grant programs funded under this Act. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to: (1) institutions of higher education to enable such institutions to provide young people with comprehensive sex education with an emphasis on reducing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy; and (2) eligible entities to train targeted faculty and staff in order to increase effective teaching of comprehensive sex education for elementary and secondary school students. Prohibits programs funded under this Act from discriminating on the basis of actual or perceived sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. Prohibits federal funds provided under this Act from being used for health education programs that: (1) deliberately withhold life-saving information about HIV; (2) are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; (3) promote gender stereotypes; (4) are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of sexually active youth or lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender youth; or (5) are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. Amends the Public Health Service Act to repeal a prohibition against the use of appropriations for AIDS prevention programs to provide education or information designed to promote or encourage, directly, homosexual or heterosexual activity or intravenous substance abuse. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to repeal a prohibition against the use of authorized funds to operate a program of contraceptive distribution in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the caps on Medicare outpatient rehabilitation physical therapy services and speech-language pathology services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2013 - Requires the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or GSEs), in carrying out the Home Affordable Refinance Program, to adopt specified criteria pertaining to: (1) borrower eligibility, (2) representations and warranties, (3) prohibition on up-front fees, (4) alternative streamlined methods to determine the value of a property, (5) the purchase or guarantee of any new mortgage resulting from the refinancing of an eligible mortgage, and (6) guarantee fees. Requires the GSEs to notify all borrowers with a mortgage owned or guaranteed by a GSE about the Program and its eligibility criteria, and inform borrowers of the website required below. Directs the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to establish a single website where borrowers may: (1) determine their potential eligibility for participation in the Program, (2) see a complete list of and links to qualified lenders, (3) use a mortgage refinance calculator to calculate potential payment savings based on different interest rates, and (4) obtain tips on refinancing their loan. Directs the Director of FHFA to issue guidance to require the GSEs to make their refinancing guidelines consistent to ease the compliance requirements of qualified lenders, and in particular with respect to loans with less than 80% loan-to-value ratio and closing cost policies of the GSEs, which regulations or guidance shall be put into effect not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Capital Access for Small Businesses and Jobs Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to empower federal credit unions to receive payments on certain uninsured non-share accounts, subject to such terms, rates, and conditions as may be established by the board of directors, within limitations prescribed by the National Credit Union Administration Board (Board). Requires any Board-prescribed system of prompt corrective action to take into account that credit unions rely predominantly (under current law, must rely) upon retained earnings to build net worth. Redefines "net worth" with respect to any insured credit union (other than a low-income credit union) to include uninsured non-share capital accounts that: (1) do not alter the cooperative nature of the credit union; (2) are subordinate to all other claims against the credit union, including the claims of creditors, shareholders, and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund; (3) are available to cover operating losses in excess of retained earnings and, to the extent so applied, will not be replenished; (4) if they have a stated maturity, have an initial maturity of at least five years, and their net worth may be discounted at the Board's discretion when the remaining maturity is less than five years; (5) are subject to disclosure and consumer protection requirements as determined by the Board; (6) are offered by a credit union that is sufficiently capitalized and well-managed, and (7) are subject to such rules and regulations as the Board may establish.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Lena Horne Recognition 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 Lena Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Three Kids Mine Remediation and Reclamation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the Henderson Redevelopment Agency of the city of Henderson, Nevada, the Three Kids Mine Federal Land (the parcel or parcels of federal land consisting of approximately 948 specified acres) for the environmental remediation and reclamation of the Three Kids Mine Project Site. Directs the Secretary to administratively adjust the fair market value of the Three Kids Mine Federal Land based on the reasonable approximate assessment, remediation, and reclamation costs for the Three Kids Mine Project Area. Requires the Henderson Redevelopment Agency to pay the fair market value, if any for the Three Kids Mine Federal Land. Adjusts the boundary of the River Mountains Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Releases the United States, upon making the conveyance, from any and all liabilities or claims of any kind or nature arising from the presence, release, or threat of release of any hazardous substance or mining related materials at the Three Kids Mine Project Site. Makes the provisions of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 inapplicable to land conveyed under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
HIV Organ Policy Equity Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to repeal the requirement that the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network adopt and use standards of quality for the acquisition and transportation of donated organs that include standards for preventing the acquisition of organs infected with the etiologic agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Replaces this requirement with authorization for the Network to adopt and use such standards with respect to organs infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), provided that any such standards ensure that organs infected with HIV may be transplanted only into individuals who are infected with such virus before receiving such an organ. Revises similarly the requirement that organ procurement organizations arrange for testing to prevent the acquisition of organs infected with the AIDS etiologic agent to require that they arrange for testing to identify organs infected with HIV. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and publish guidelines for the conduct of research relating to transplantation of organs from HIV-infected donors. Requires the Network to revise its standards of quality regarding HIV-infected organs and the Secretary to revise related regulations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) review annually the results of scientific research in conjunction with the Network to determine whether they warrant revision of quality standards relating to donated HIV-infected organs and to the safety of cross-strain transplantation; and (2) direct the Network, if the review so warrants, to revise its standards in a way that ensures the changes will not reduce the safety of organ transplantation. Amends the federal criminal code to declare that an organ donation does not violate the prohibition against a knowing organ donation by an HIV-infected individual if the donation is made in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Lyon County Economic Development and Conservation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the city of Yerington, Nevada, identified federal land in Lyon and Mineral Counties. Designates identified federal land in Nevada managed by the Forest Service, to be known as the Wovoka Wilderness, as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Truth in Trials Act - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow any person on trial for a federal marijuana-related offense to introduce evidence that the alleged marijuana-related activities were performed in compliance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, (2) allow an affirmative defense to a marijuana prosecution that the alleged marijuana-related activities complied with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, (3) limit the criminal liability of persons convicted of federal marijuana-related offenses, (4) require the preservation and return (if a defendant is acquitted) of property seized in connection with a marijuana prosecution, and (5) prohibit the seizure of plants grown or stored under a physician's recommendation or by order of a state or municipal agency in accordance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act - Considers a person a spouse, for purposes of military personnel policies and military and veterans' benefits, if the marriage of the individual is valid in the state in which the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place in which the marriage was entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Includes as a state the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories and possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Sugar Reform Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to make loans available to processors of domestically grown sugarcane (18 cents per pound) and sugar beet processors through FY2017. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to make specified sugarcane and sugar beet quantity estimates through crop year 2017. Requires that sugar allotments be appropriate to maintain adequate supplies at reasonable prices, taking into account all domestic supply sources, including imports. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend or modify marketing allotments, taking into account: (1) the interests of consumers, food industry workers, businesses, and agricultural producers; and (2) the competitiveness of domestically produced and imported foods containing sugar. Revises sugar tariff-rate quota adjustment provisions to direct the Secretary to: (1) adjust tariff-rates to provide adequate domestic sugar supplies at reasonable prices, (2) establish and adjust tariff-rate quotas so that the ratio of sugar stocks to total sugar use at the end of the quota year will be approximately 15.5%, and (3) promulgate regulations that permit any country that has been allocated a quota share to temporarily transfer all or part of the share to any other country that has also been allocated a quota share. Extends flexible marketing sugar allotment authority through crop year 2017. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to repeal the feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Access to Frontline Health Care Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and carry out a Frontline Providers Loan Repayment Program under which the Secretary agrees to make student loan repayments in exchange for a health professional providing frontline care services for two years in a frontline care scarcity area. Defines "frontline care services" as health care services in the fields of general surgery, optometry, ophthalmology, chiropractic, physical therapy, audiology, speech language pathology, pharmacies, public health, podiatric medicine, dietetics, occupational therapy, general pediatrics, respiratory therapy, medical technology, otolaryngology, or radiologic technology.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Credit Union Small Business Jobs Creation Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit an insured credit union from making any member business loan that would result in the total amount of such loans outstanding at that credit union at any one time exceeding either: (1) 1.75 times the actual net worth of the credit union, or (2) 12.25% of the total assets of the credit union. Authorizes the National Credit Union Administration Board to approve an application by an insured credit union to make one or more member business loans that would result in a total amount of such loans outstanding at any one time of up to 27.5 % of the total assets of the credit union, if the credit union meets specified safety and soundness criteria. Prohibits an insured credit union that has made such a member business loan but that is not well capitalized from making any new member business loans until it becomes well capitalized and obtains Board approval. Directs the Board to develop a tiered approval process, including lending standards, under which an insured credit union gradually increases the amount of member business lending in a manner consistent with safe and sound operations. Directs the Comptroller General to study the status of member business lending by insured credit unions.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS). Authorizes the issuance of coins under this Act only for a one-year period, beginning on January 1, 2016. Requires all sales of coins minted under this Act to include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar clad coin. Requires all of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins to be paid to the National Park Foundation for projects and programs to help preserve and protect resources under the stewardship of the NPS and to promote public enjoyment and appreciation of those resources. Prohibits the surcharges paid to the Foundation from being used for land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Ruth Moore Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in any case in which a veteran claims that a covered mental health condition was incurred in or aggravated by military sexual trauma during active duty, to accept as sufficient proof of service-connection a diagnosis by a mental health professional together with satisfactory lay or other evidence of such trauma and an opinion by the mental health professional that such condition is related to such trauma, if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service, and to resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Allows such service-connection to be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Includes as a "covered mental health condition" post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or any other mental health diagnosis that the Secretary determines to be related to military sexual trauma. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress in each of 2014 through 2018 on covered claims submitted.
![Official portrait of Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/6809296b6c2e6631263de728_200.jpg)