United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2013 - Amends provisions of federal civil service law to extend employment-related and retirement benefits to domestic partners of federal employees and to set forth requirements for establishing and terminating a domestic partnership, including the filing of an affidavit attesting to the existence and legitimacy of the partnership. Modifies provisions relating to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to extend eligibility for annuity and survivor benefits to current and former domestic partners of federal employees on the same basis as married employees. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations to provide that domestic partners and former domestic partners shall be considered as spouses or former spouses for purposes of creditable service determinations under CSRS and FERS. Makes domestic partners of federal employees eligible for: (1) the federal employee group life insurance (FEGLI) program, (2) federal employees health benefits (FEHB), (3) dental and vision benefit plans, and (4) long-term care insurance coverage. Grants the head of an federal agency authority to reimburse an employee for taxes incurred by the domestic partner of such employee for travel, transportation, or relocation expense reimbursements. Modifies provisions of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) to make domestic partners of federal employees eligible for worker compensation benefits under such Act. Adds "domestic partner" to the list of relatives subject to restrictions on federal employment of relatives and related prohibitions. Includes a biological, adopted, or foster child of a domestic partner as a "son or daughter" for purposes of federal employee family and medical leave provisions. Allows a federal employee family and medical leave to care for a domestic partner. Requires the President to prescribe regulations necessary to ensure that specified provisions relating to the following are administered in a manner consistent with the purposes of this Act: (1) the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; (2) travel, transportation, and related payments and benefits under the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and for civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD); (3) certain benefits for members of the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and (4) benefits related to federal employees or annuitants and benefits necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to make provisions of that Act applicable to domestic partners of federal employees to the same extent as married employees, including provisions relating to financial disclosure, government-wide limitations on outside earned income and employment, gifts to superiors and to federal employees, bribery, acceptance of travel expenses from nonfederal sources, taxes on self-dealing, and disqualification of a justice, judge, or magistrate judge. Requires reporting by: (1) the President on the implementation of this Act, and (2) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the effect of this Act on premiums or other periodic charges under FEHB and the impact of extending benefits to domestic partners on federal employee retention and recruitment efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act - Amends the federal judicial code to include among the exceptions to U.S. jurisdictional immunity of foreign states any statutory or common law tort claim arising out of an act of extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, hostage taking, terrorism, or the provision of material support or resources for such an act, or any claim for contribution or indemnity relating to a claim arising out of such an act. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) impose liability on, and grant U.S. district courts personal jurisdiction over, any person who commits, or aids, abets, or conspires with a person who commits, an act of international terrorism that injures a U.S. national; and (2) repeal provisions prohibiting civil actions against foreign states or foreign officials for damages related to acts of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act - Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to make permanent the ban on state and local taxation of Internet access and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013 - Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) a Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program. Includes among Program purposes to: (1) improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and increase domestic production; (2) stimulate U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing research, innovation, and technology; and (3) accelerate the development of an advanced manufacturing workforce. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a network of centers for manufacturing innovation, to be known as the Network for Manufacturing Innovation; and (2) award financial assistance to assist in planning, establishing, or supporting such centers. Directs the Secretary to establish within NIST the National Office of the Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program to: (1) oversee the Program, (2) develop and periodically update a strategic plan for the Program, (3) establish a clearinghouse of public information related to Program activities, and (4) act as a convener of the Network. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the Office incorporates the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership into Program planning to ensure that the results of the Program reach small- and medium-sized entities. Establishes in the Treasury a Network for Manufacturing Innovation Fund for carrying out the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Safe Freight Act - Prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Railroad Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Social Security Equality Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to authorize the treatment of permanent partnerships between individuals of the same gender as marriage for purposes of determining entitlement to OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Investor Choice Act of 2013 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to revise the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to prohibit, or impose conditions or limitations on the use of, agreements that require customers or clients of any broker, dealer, or municipal securities dealer to arbitrate any future dispute between them arising under the federal securities laws, related rules and regulations, or the rules of a self-regulatory organization if it finds that prohibition, imposition of conditions, or limitations are in the public interest and for the protection of investors. Declares unlawful for a broker, dealer, funding portal, or municipal securities dealer (entities) to enter into, modify, or extend an agreement with customers or clients governing a future dispute between the parties that would mandate arbitration. Declares likewise unlawful acts by such entities that would restrict, limit, or condition the ability of a customer or client to: (1) select or designate a forum for dispute resolution, or (2) pursue a claim relating to a dispute in an individual or representative capacity or on a class action or consolidated basis.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2014 the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of indebtedness on a principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Condemns: (1) the commission of hate crimes against all Americans, including Sikh-Americans; and (2) acts of violence, bigotry, and discrimination against Sikh-Americans. Urges educators, counselors, and others to support educational efforts to prevent the epidemic bullying of Sikh-American children and families. Expresses support for outreach efforts by federal and local law enforcement leaders to prevent violence and hate crimes against Sikh-Americans. Urges the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) to adopt and implement recommendations of the FBI Advisory Policy Board to track hate crimes against Sikh-Americans, Hindu-Americans, Arab-Americans, and other groups.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Saving More American Resources Today Grid Study Act of 2013 or SMART Grid Study Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and the heads of other federal departments and agencies, as necessary, to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council to research the future resilience and reliability of the nation's electric power transmission and distribution system. Names such research the "Saving More American Resources Today Study" or "SMART Study."
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal in honor of President Shimon Peres of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Runaway and Homeless Youth Inclusion Act of 2013 - Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to revise requirements for services provided under grants from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for centers for runaway and homeless youth and their families. Requires the plan proposed by grant applicants for a runaway and homeless youth center to: provide services to persons in a minority category related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, include demographics on the sexual orientation and gender identity or expression of the youth it serves within its statistical records, and serve youth in a manner that is culturally competent. Revises requirements for: transitional living programs for homeless youth to require such programs to serve them in a manner that is culturally competent, and sexual abuse prevention programs to require certification to HHS that these programs have systems in place to ensure services to all youth in such a manner. Requires the HHS report on periodic estimates of incidence and prevalence of youth homelessness to include data on the demographics of such individuals (except identity), including whether they are sexual and gender minority youth. Prohibits any person in the United States, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disability, from being excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under: (1) any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available under the Act; or (2) any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, agreements, and other assistance administered with such funds. Grants the Attorney General and the Office of Justice Programs the same authority to enforce this Act as granted under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Nuclear Workers Health Advisory Board Act - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to require the President to establish an Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health. Requires the Board to provide advice to the President on the review and approval of the Department of Labor site exposure matrix (SEM) used to determine the eligibility of Department of Energy (DOE) employee contractor claims for compensation for lung disease resulting from exposure to toxic substances.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2013 - Requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue in commemoration of the United States Coast Guard: (1) $5 gold coins, (2) $1 silver coins, and (3) half-dollar clad coins. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the traditions, history, and heritage of the Coast Guard, and its role in securing our nation since 1790. Prescribes design requirements. Restricts the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2017. Prescribes the sale price of the coins and coin surcharges. Requires such surcharges to be paid by the Secretary to the National Coast Guard Museum Foundation to help finance the design and construction of the National Coast Guard Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 5% to 10% the allowable ownership interest in real estate investment trust (REIT) stock for purposes of tax exemptions allowed by the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act relating to foreign investment in United States real property interests.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to specify that an unlawful employment practice is established when the complaining party demonstrates that age or participation in investigations, proceedings, or litigation under such Act was a motivating factor for any practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice (thereby allowing what are commonly known as "mixed motive" claims). Permits a complaining party to rely on any type or form of admissible evidence, which need only be sufficient for a reasonable trier of fact to find that an unlawful practice occurred. Declares that a complaining party shall not be required to demonstrate that age or retaliation was the sole cause of a practice (thereby rejecting the Supreme Court decision in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc. , which requires a complainant to prove that age was the "but-for" cause for the employer's decision). Authorizes the court, on a claim in which an individual demonstrates that age was a motivating factor for any employment practice and in which a respondent demonstrates that the same action would have been taken in the absence of the impermissible motivating factor, to grant declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees and costs directly attributable only to the pursuit of a claim. Prohibits the court in such an instance from awarding damages or issuing an order requiring any admission, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, or payment. Applies the same standard of proof to other employment discrimination and retaliation claims, including claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and similar laws concerning federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
End Racial Profiling Act of 2013 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Defines "racial profiling" to mean the practice of a law enforcement agent or agency relying, to any degree, on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion in selecting which individual to subject to routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, or in deciding upon the scope and substance of law enforcement activity following the initial investigatory activity, except when there is trustworthy information relevant to the locality and timeframe that links a person of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion to an identified criminal incident or scheme. Authorizes the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling to enforce this Act in a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires: (1) federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling; and (2) state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations to ensure that administrative complaint procedures and independent audit programs provide an appropriate response to allegations of racial profiling by law enforcement agents or agencies. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires: (1) the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling, and (2) the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics to analyze the data collected for any statistically significant disparities. Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports on racial profiling by law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Captive Primate Safety Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to add nonhuman primates to the definition of "prohibited wildlife species" for purposes of the prohibition against the sale or purchase of such species in interstate or foreign commerce. Makes it unlawful for a person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase a live animal of any prohibited wildlife species in interstate or foreign commerce (i.e., for pet trade purposes). Modifies exceptions to such prohibition, including by making it inapplicable to a person who is: (1) a licensed and inspected person who does not allow direct contact between the public and prohibited wildlife species, and (2) transporting a single primate of the genus Cebus that was obtained from and trained by a charitable organization to assist a permanently disabled individual with a severe mobility impairment. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Restore Honor to Service Members Act - Requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Permits such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances, such as misconduct, that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. Prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Requires the reissuance of specified military personnel records and discharge forms in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to remove from the offense of sodomy specified activity referred to as unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013 - Amends: (1) the federal criminal code to expand the scope of prohibitions against sex trafficking to include patronizing or soliciting a commercial sex act with a victim of sex trafficking, and (2) the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to expand the definition of "sex trafficking" to include patronizing or soliciting a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Directs the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Innocence Lost National Initiative engage in activities, programs, or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of state and local law enforcement officers in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2013
Panama Canal and Pan-Pacific Exhibition Centennial Celebration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue in commemoration of the centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and the Panama Canal: (1) $5 octagonal gold coins, (2) $5 round gold coins, (3) $2.50 gold coins, (4) $1 gold coins, and (5) half-dollar silver coins. Urges that the coin designs be close likenesses of the five coins issued by the San Francisco Mint at the opening of the Pan-Pacific Exposition. Prescribes design requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to issue circulating clad half dollar coins, in the same design as for the half dollar silver coins. Limits the issue to five consecutive calendar years. Restricts the issuance of certain coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2017. Prescribes the sale price of the coins and coin surcharges. Requires such surcharges to be paid by the Secretary to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for the design and construction of appropriate exhibitions in the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
Global Democracy Promotion Act - States that, with respect to eligibility for assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be ineligible for such assistance solely on the basis of health or medical services provided by such organizations with non-U.S. government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided and would not violate U.S. federal law if provided in the United States. Declares in addition that foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving assistance under part I of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
Food and Drug Administration Safety Over Sequestration Act of 2013 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to exempt from sequestration calculations (mandatory across-the-board spending cuts) user fees that fund salaries and other administrative expenses of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Openness in Political Expenditures Now Act or OPEN Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require a corporation which submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders and a labor organization which submits similar reports to its members to include in each such report specified information on disbursements it has made for certain political activity (including independent expenditures and electioneering communications) during the period covered by the report. Limits the amount of disbursements reported, however, to the amount that equals or exceeds the applicable threshold for the covered political activity. Defines "applicable threshold" for a disbursement as: (1) $250 for an independent expenditure, (2) $10,000 for an electioneering communication or another kind of communication meeting specified criteria, and (3) the amount of the applicable limitation on contributions in effect for payment of dues or other amounts to a trade association or to a tax-exempt non-profit civic league meeting certain criteria (501[c][4] organization). Requires a corporation or labor organization reporting such expenditures to: (1) file a statement about them with the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and (2) post on its website (if any) a hyperlink from its homepage to this statement on the EAC website. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject a 501(c)(4) organization to the income tax on corporations if: (1) its expenditures for the taxable year for covered political activity exceed the lesser of 10% of its total expenditures or $10 million, and (2) its governing instrument does not effectively prohibit its expenditures for a covered political activity from exceeding these thresholds.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), upon a request by the chairman or ranking minority member of specified congressional committees, to determine if a proposed measure would result in reductions in budget outlays in budgetary outyears through the use of preventive health and preventive health services. Requires CBO, if the measure would result in such substantial reductions, to include in any CBO projection a description and estimate of such reductions and a description of the basis for such conclusions. Authorizes CBO to prepare a budget projection that includes some or all of the budgetary outyears.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2013
Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2013 - Prohibits a federal banking regulator from: (1) terminating or limiting the deposit insurance of a depository institution solely because it either provides or has provided financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator, in addition, from recommending, motivating, providing incentives, or encouraging a depository institution not to offer financial services to an individual, or to downgrade or cancel financial services offered to an individual, solely because the individual: (1) is or later becomes a manufacturer, producer, owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) the depository institution was not aware that the individual is the owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from taking any action on a loan to an owner or operator of: (1) a marijuana-related legitimate business, or (2) real estate or equipment that is leased to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Grants immunity from federal criminal prosecution or investigation to a depository institution providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from requiring a depository institution, and any director, officer, employee, or agent of a depository institution, to report a transaction as suspicious solely because a party to the transaction is a marijuana-related legitimate business.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2013
Emergency Information Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include public broadcasting facilities within the definition of a "private nonprofit facility" that provides essential services of a governmental nature to the general public, and to include broadcast and telecommunications within the definition of "critical services" provided by such a facility, for purposes of eligibility for certain disaster assistance. Makes this Act applicable to a major disaster declared by the President under such Act on or after October 28, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2013
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2013 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2016 for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Authorizes NASA and NASA-related programs, activities and reports, including those with regard to human exploration, the Space Launch System and the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle, space radiation, the International Space Station (ISS), commercial crew transportation, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, radioisotope thermoelectric generators, land imaging remote sensing data, aeronautics research, project and program reserves, NASA education programs, astronaut occupational health care, and near-Earth objects. Establishes a space technology program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, with respect to rollovers to a traditional or Roth individual retirement account (IRA) of payments to qualified airline employees in commercial airline carrier bankruptcy cases, to: (1) extend the period for filing a claim for refund of an overpayment of tax resulting from the receipt of such payments (i.e., by the later of April 15, 2015, or the expiration of the limitation period for filing refund claims); (2) modify the definition of "airline payment amount" to include payments in an airline carrier bankruptcy case filed after September 11, 2001, and before January 1, 2007, or on November 29, 2011; and (3) modify the definition of "qualified airline employee" to include an employee who was a participant in a defined benefit plan maintained by an airline carrier that was frozen effective November 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Patents and Trademarks Encourage New Technology Jobs Act or the PATENT Jobs Act - Requires, notwithstanding the presidential sequestration order issued on March 1, 2013, that the budgetary resources sequestered with respect to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) be available for obligation for the same purpose and in the same manner as if such order had not been issued. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to expand the list of budget accounts exempt from reduction under certain sequestration orders issued by the President to include the USPTO.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Members Operating to Be Innovative and Link Everyone Resolution or MOBILE Resolution - Amends Rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each committee to permit any member absent from the site of a hearing, and any other absent individual invited to participate in the hearing, to use video conferencing and related technologies in order to participate in it to the same extent as members of the committee and other individuals present at the site of the meeting. Requires a committee to adopt a rule to count any member who participates remotely in a hearing as one of the number of members constituting a quorum at the hearing. Amends Rule XV (Business in Order on Special Days) to require the Clerk, Chief Administrative Officer, and Sergeant at Arms to work together to develop and implement a secure remote voting system under which any member absent from the floor shall be permitted to cast a vote remotely on a motion to suspend the rules if the vote is taken by electronic device. Requires the member to be treated as present for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum for considering the motion.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should ban and prevent the importation of shark fins from sharks caught through the practice of finning. Recognizes the threat shark finning poses to sharks and condemns the practice worldwide.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Computer Science Education Act of 2013 - Amends title IX (General Provisions) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to define "computer science" as the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including the study of computing principles, computer hardware and software design, computer applications, and the impact of computers on society. Makes computer science a core academic subject. Includes computer science teachers in professional development activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act - Amends the definition of "spouse" for purposes of veterans' benefits provisions to require an individual to be considered a spouse 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 · 26 June 2013
Respect for Marriage Act - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where 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 where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
American Super Computing Leadership Act - Amends the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 with respect to: (1) exascale computing (computing system performance at or near 10 to the 18th power floating point operations per second); and (2) a high-end computing system with performance substantially exceeding that of systems commonly available for advanced scientific and engineering applications. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) coordinate the development of high-end computing systems across DOE; (2) partner with universities, National Laboratories, and industry to ensure the broadest possible application of the technology developed in the program to other challenges in science, engineering, medicine, and industry; and (3) include among the multiple architectures researched, at DOE discretion, any computer technologies that show promise of substantial reductions in power requirements and substantial gains in parallelism of multicore processors, concurrency, memory and storage, bandwidth, and reliability. Repeals authority for establishment of at least one High-End Software Development Center. Directs the Secretary to conduct a coordinated research program to develop exascale computing systems to advance DOE missions. Requires establishment through competitive merit review of two or more DOE National Laboratory-industry-university partnerships to conduct integrated research, development, and engineering of multiple exascale architectures. Requires the Secretary to conduct mission-related co-design activities in developing such exascale platforms. Defines "co-design" as the joint development of application algorithms, models, and codes with computer technology architectures and operating systems to maximize effective use of high-end computing systems. Directs the Secretary to develop any advancements in hardware and software technology required to realize fully the potential of an exascale production system in addressing DOE target applications and solving scientific problems involving predictive modeling and simulation and large-scale data analytics and management. Requires DOE also to explore the use of exascale computing technologies to advance a broad range of science and engineering. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress an integrated strategy and program management plan. Requires the Secretary, before initiating construction or installation of an exascale-class computing facility, to transmit to Congress a separate plan detailing: (1) the proposed facility's cost projections and capabilities to significantly accelerate the development of new energy technologies; (2) technical risks and challenges that must be overcome to achieve successful completion and operation of the facility; and (3) an independent assessment of the scientific and technological advances expected from such a facility relative to those expected from a comparable investment in expanded research and applications at terascale-class and petascale-class computing facilities, including an evaluation of where investments should be made in the system software and algorithms to enable these advances.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require alignment of updates for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services under a revised prospective payment system (PPS) with updates for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Revises requirements for the reporting and applying of quality measure data by ASCs and hospital OPDs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ASC value-based purchasing program under which each ASC that the Secretary determines meets (or exceeds) performance standards established, with respect to selected quality measures, for the performance period for a calendar year is eligible for shared savings in the form of a payment increase determined according to a specified formula. Revises requirements for the composition of the expert outside advisory panel the Secretary is required to consult during the annual review of the clinical integrity of the groups and payment weights in the PPS for hospital OPD services. Requires the panel to include suppliers subject to the PPS as well as at least one ASC representative. Requires the Secretary, when excluding from a final rule updating ASC lists a procedure whose inclusion was requested during the public comment period, to cite in the final rule specific criteria based on which the procedure was excluded. Requires the Secretary also to identify the peer reviewed research or the evidence upon which the exclusion is based if certain of those criteria are cited for it. Prohibits the Secretary from using or citing as a criterion or a basis for an exclusion that the procedure can only be reported using a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) unlisted surgical procedure code.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from an employee's gross income employer-provided accident and health plan benefits extended to a domestic partner or non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiary eligible to receive such benefits under an employer plan (i.e., "eligible beneficiary"); (2) exempt such benefits paid to eligible beneficiaries from otherwise applicable employment and unemployment taxes; (3) allow self-employed individuals a tax deduction for the health insurance costs of their eligible beneficiaries; (4) allow tax-exempt voluntary employees' beneficiary associations to provide sick and accident benefits to the domestic partners and non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiaries of their members; (5) allow reimbursement of the medical expenses of an eligible beneficiary from a health savings account (HSA); and (6) extend tax-exempt medical benefits to the eligible beneficiaries of retired employees Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide guidance relating to reimbursements from a flexible spending arrangement and a health reimbursement arrangement attributable to an eligible beneficiary as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Renewable Energy Parity Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy tax credit to solar energy, fuel cell, microturbine, combined heat and power system, small wind energy, and thermal energy properties the construction of which begins before January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Women's Preventive Health Awareness Campaign - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) provide for the planning and implementation of a national public outreach and educational campaign to raise public awareness, including provider awarenesss, of women's preventive health; and (2) establish a national media campaign and maintain and update an appropriate Internet website as part of such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to incorporate engineering design skills and practices into their academic content standards and academic achievement standards and assessments in science by the 2016-2017 school year. Requires states to reserve 10% of the grant they receive under the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations and other entities with expertise in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to develop and provide professional development and instructional materials for STEM education in their state. Changes current references to the mathematics and science partnerships program to references to the STEM partnerships program, which provides funding to states, institutions of higher education, and high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit and train STEM teachers and improve STEM curricula. Amends the 21st century community learning centers program to include STEM activities (currently, mathematics and science activities) within the before- and after-school activities funded under that program. Amends the rural and low-income school program to include professional development in engineering education among the uses of the funds provided to rural LEAs. Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to require the National Center for Education Research to sponsor and conduct research geared toward improving STEM, rather than just mathematics and science, teaching and learning. Directs the Secretary of Education to support research on engineering education and use that research to provide information to the public, and technical assistance to states, on best practices and promising innovations in kindergarten through grade 12 engineering education.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Sally K. Ride Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2013 - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Sally K. Ride in recognition of her exemplary service as an astronaut, physicist, and science education advocate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2013
Limiting Internet and Blanket Electronic Review of Telecommunications and Email Act or the LIBERT-E Act - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) (as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act) to require the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in applications for court orders requiring the production of tangible things (commonly referred to as business records, including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, to include a statement of specific and articulable facts showing reasonable grounds to believe that such things are relevant and material to an authorized investigation. (Currently, a general statement of facts must only show that the tangible things are relevant to an authorized investigation.) Requires that the items sought pertain only to an individual that is the subject of such investigation. Removes a list of production items currently designated as presumptively relevant. Requires a judge approving the release of such tangible things to enter orders directing the applicant to notify each person required to produce items of the right to challenge the legality of a production or nondisclosure order as well as the procedures for filing a petition for such a challenge. Removes a requirement that a judge considering a petition to modify or set aside a nondisclosure order treat as conclusive a certification by the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, an Assistant Attorney General, or the FBI Director that disclosure may endanger national security or interfere with diplomatic relations. Directs the Attorney General to make available to all Members of Congress information currently provided to House and Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, including the number of persons targeted for FISA orders, the number of times the Attorney General has authorized such information to be used in a criminal proceeding, and copies of applications, pleadings, orders, and decisions in matters before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. Requires unclassified summaries of significant decisions, orders, or opinions of such Courts to be made available to the public. Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and inspectors general of each element of the intelligence community authorized to acquire information pursuant to specified FISA orders to jointly report to Congress on the impact of such acquisitions on the privacy interests of U.S. persons. Requires the DOJ Inspector General to make such report available to the public, with any redactions limited to those necessary to protect properly classified information. Requires assessments and reviews regarding guidelines for targeting certain persons located outside the United States and minimization procedures to be submitted in unclassified form, with a classified annex permitted.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2013
Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training Act or the ENLIST Act - Authorizes the enlistment in the armed forces of aliens unlawfully present in the United States on December 31, 2011, who: (1) have been continuously present in the United States since such date; (2) were younger than 15 years of age when they initially entered the United States; and (3) are otherwise eligible for original enlistment in a regular component of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust the status of an alien enlisted under such authority to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act applicable to aliens who entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972. Rescinds such lawful permanent resident status if the alien is separated from the armed forces under other than honorable conditions before serving the term of enlistment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2013 - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity when extending credit. Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; (2) "person" as a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association; and (3) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Medicare Audiology Services Enhancement Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) limit covered auditory services to only auditory treatment, vestibular treatment, and intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring services in addition to currently covered hearing and balance assessment services; (2) exclude inter-operative neurophysiological monitoring provided by a physician or qualified audiologist in hospitals from covered inpatient hospital services; (3) revise the requirements and procedure for payment of outpatient auditory services claims of service providers; (4) include audiology services under the limitation on certain physician referrals for designated health services; and (5) declare that nothing in such Act shall be construed to require a qualified audiologist to participate in Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2013 - Prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property (i.e., cell phones) for five years after the enactment of this Act. Defines "new discriminatory tax" as a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate, unless such tax was imposed and actually enforced prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Amends the federal judicial code to grant jurisdiction to federal district courts to grant injunctive and other appropriate relief to prevent, restrain, or terminate any acts in violation of this Act. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a study of the impact of state and local taxes on mobile services, providers, or property on the costs consumers pay for mobile services.
![Official portrait of Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001193_200.jpg)