United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
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 · 26 June 2013
Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act of 2013 - Requires a mortgage servicer to assign one case manager to each borrower that seeks a mortgage loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Requires the case manager to: (1) manage the communication between the servicer and the borrower, and (2) make decisions about the borrower's eligibility for a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Prohibits a servicer from initiating a covered foreclosure action against a borrower unless the servicer has performed specified tasks related to offering the borrower, if eligible, a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Requires a servicer to suspend a covered foreclosure action initiated before the enactment of this Act until such tasks have been performed. Prohibits a servicer, during the suspension period, from: (1) sending the borrower a notice of foreclosure, (2) conducting or scheduling a sale of the real property securing the mortgage, or (3) causing final judgment to be entered against the borrower. Prescribes requirements a servicer must meet in order to be deemed to have made a reasonable effort to obtain necessary information to determine a borrower's eligibility for a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Requires a servicer, before notifying a borrower of his or her ineligibility for a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure, to obtain the services of an independent reviewer to review the borrower's file and determine whether or not the borrower is eligible. Makes a violation of this Act a bar to a covered foreclosure action. Allows a servicer in compliance with this Act, however, to bring or proceed with a foreclosure action, regardless of any prior violation. Makes any servicer that fails to comply with any requirement of this Act liable to a borrower in the same manner that a creditor who fails to comply with any requirement is liable to a person.
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
Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of Labor to promulgate an interim final standard on safe patient handling, mobility, and injury prevention to prevent musculoskeletal disorders for direct-care registered nurses and all other health care workers that requires the use of engineering and safety controls to handle patients through the use of mechanical technology and devices where feasible. Requires, however, the use of alternative controls and measures, including trained, designated lift teams, where such technology and devices are not feasible, in order to minimize the risk of injury to nurses and health care workers. Includes among the requirements of a final standard that health care employers: (1) develop and implement a safe patient handling, mobility, and injury prevention program; (2) train their workers on safe patient handling, mobility, and injury prevention; and (3) post a uniform notice that explains the standard, procedures to report patient handling-related injuries, and workers' rights under this Act. Requires the Secretary to conduct unscheduled inspections to ensure compliance with the standard. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to apply the safe patient handling, mobility, and injury prevention standard to hospitals receiving Medicare funds.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Ensuring Shoppers Honest Online Pricing Act of 2013 or the E-SHOP Act - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules requiring an Internet merchant with annual gross revenue of more than $1 million to disclose to each consumer, prior to the final purchase of any good or service, the use of personal information in establishing or changing a price. Defines "personal information" to include an individual's Internet browsing history, device type and manufacturer, operating system, and Internet Protocol address. Directs the FTC to provide specific exceptions when consumers should reasonably expect a change in price based on their personal information, including for the calculation of shipping charges and financial services for which such information is customarily used to formulate a price. Deems a violation of a rule promulgated under this Act to be an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission 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
Ending Secret Law Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that each decision, order, or opinion ("decision," for purposes of this Act) issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review that includes significant construction or interpretation of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) provisions concerning access to business records and the targeting of persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States to acquire foreign intelligence information should be declassified in a manner consistent with the protection of national security, intelligence sources and methods, and other properly classified and sensitive information. Amends FISA provisions concerning access to business records and the targeting of persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States to require the Attorney General, with exceptions, to declassify and make publicly available decisions concerning certain surveillance orders required for inclusion in a semiannual report to Congress. Requires release to the public of unclassified summaries and reports if the Attorney General determines that a decision may not be declassified. Requires the Attorney General, in cases in which an unclassified summary may not be made available, to make publicly available an unclassified report on the status of the internal deliberations and process regarding the declassification by executive branch personnel of such decisions, including estimates of the number of decisions that will be declassified or remain classified.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Requires the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to report annually to Congress on the effects of gun violence on public health and the status of actions taken to address them.
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 · 20 June 2013
Protect Overnight Delivery Act - Repeals the service standards for market-dominant products implemented by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on July 1, 2012, and directs USPS to reinstate the service standards that were in effect on December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Locality Pay Equity Act - Prohibits the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from defining more than one local wage area for prevailing rate employees within a pay locality, except with respect to the pay locality designated as "Rest of United States." Requires the Director of OPM to ensure that this Act shall not reduce any rate of basic pay for any individual who is serving as a prevailing rate employee.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Community Parks Revitalization Act - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a community revitalization program of federal grants to eligible local governments located within standard metropolitan statistical areas for various park and recreation purposes, including grants for rehabilitation and construction, innovation and recreation programming, and recovery action programs. Authorizes the Secretary to designate local governments not located in standard metropolitan statistical areas to receive such grants under a partial eligibility waiver. Prescribes requirements, including matching requirements, for rehabilitation and construction and for innovation and recreation grants. Limits to 10% the use of funds appropriated for rehabilitation and construction grants for acquisition of land or interests in land. Allows a recipient, at its discretion, to transfer a grant in whole or in part to private nonprofit agencies for recreational areas and facilities they own or operate which offer recreational opportunities to the general population. Requires an applicant, for project approval, to submit to the Secretary evidence of its commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation, and maintenance programs for its park and recreation systems, expressed in a five-year local park and recreation recovery action program. Prescribes requirements for the five-year park and recreation recovery action program under an at-risk youth recreation grant. Authorizes the Secretary to increase federal rehabilitation and construction, innovation, and at-risk youth recreation grants to a state under this Act by an additional match of up to 15% (but not more than 15%) of total project or program cost. Limits the aggregate amount of the grant and the additional grant amounts to 85% percent of total project or program cost. Prohibits the conversion, without HUD approval, of any property improved or developed with assistance under this Act for uses other than for public recreation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2013
Food Security Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits be calculated with reference to the cost of the low-cost food plan. Sets forth required adjustments. Authorizes SNAP appropriations through FY2015. Revises funding provisions for consolidated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Extends the availability of commodities for the emergency food assistance program through FY2015.
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 · 13 June 2013
Eleanor Smith Inclusive Home Design Act of 2013 - Requires newly constructed, federally assisted single family houses and town houses to include at least one level that complies with the Standards for Type C (Visitable) Units of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (1005-ICC ANSI A117.1-2009) and any future revisions. Requires: (1) each applicant for federal financial assistance to submit compliance assurances to the relevant federal agency, and (2) each person who arranges for design or construction of a covered dwelling to submit architectural and construction plans for state or local approval. Prohibits federal financial assistance to a state or local government unit unless the recipient is taking certain enforcement actions with regard to covered dwellings. Permits: (1) private civil actions in a U.S. district court or state court for violations of this Act, and (2) the Attorney General to commence civil actions or intervene in civil actions under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Children's Act for Responsible Employment of 2013 or CARE Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to define "oppressive child labor," for purposes of the Act's child labor prohibitions, as the employment of any employee who is: (1) 16 or 17 in any occupation found by the Secretary of Labor to be particularly hazardous for their employment or detrimental to their health or well-being; (2) 14 or 15, unless the employment is confined to periods which do not interfere with the employee's schooling, health, or well-being; or (3) under 14. Revises the Act's exemptions to make the restrictions on oppressive child labor inapplicable to the following: (1) employment in agriculture of an employee under age 18 by his or her parent, or by a person standing in the place of the parent, on a farm owned by the parent or person (current law uses an age- and consent-based scheme); and (2) employment of an employee under age 16 by a parent, or a person standing in place of a parent, other than in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, or any other employment the Secretary finds to be particularly hazardous for the employment of children age 16 or 17 or detrimental to their health or well-being. (Current law applies the child labor restrictions to particularly hazardous agricultural employment, except where the child is employed by a parent or a person standing in place of the parent on a farm owned or operated by such person). Eliminates any waiver of such prohibitions for hand-harvesting of certain crops. Increases civil and establishes criminal penalties for child labor violations. Directs the Secretary to revise federal child labor regulations to prohibit the employment of children under age 18 in duties involving the handling of pesticides.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Worker Anti-Retaliation Act - Prohibits an employer (or any of its agents) from discharging or in any other manner discriminating or taking or threatening adverse action against any employee that disseminates or assists in the dissemination of any message on the employer's property or elsewhere, including through images, picketing, work stoppages, or gathering in groups to protest conflicts with employers or to persuade them to change working conditions, if the employees do not have a representative for collective bargaining and their actions: (1) were peaceful and not taken during work time, except during a lawful work stoppage; and (2) did not destroy or damage the employer's property or block the employer's entrances or exits or otherwise impede the employer's operations or the work of other employees. Applies this same employer prohibition regarding any employee who planned any of these actions or assisted, encouraged, or supported another employee in engaging in them. Limits this prohibition to any employer whose annual gross revenue, when added to the annual gross revenue of its parent corporation and all of its affiliates, exceeds $5 million (exclusive of excise taxes at the retail level that are separately stated). Prohibits such an employer from providing for an employee's defense, backpay, damages, or settlement if that employee is found to be in violation of the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Recognizes the Scaling Up Nutrition movement as a global partnership to support country-led efforts to improve maternal and child nutrition. Supports U.S. leadership to improve nutrition outcomes for pregnant and lactating women and young children. Calls on relevant federal agencies to consider developing a nutrition strategy to further coordination efforts to improve nutrition funding and outcomes across U.S. government global nutrition programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 450 Lexington Avenue in New York, New York, as the "Vincent R. Sombrotto Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Commuter Parity Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, of certain transportation benefits provided by an employer to an employee, to allow a monthly exclusion amount of: (1) $220 for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle from home to work and any transit pass, (2) $220 for qualified parking, and (3) $35 for qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement. Allows an annual cost-of-living adjustment to such exclusion amounts after 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2013 - Prohibits the distribution of a food if its container is composed, in whole or in part, of bisphenol A (BPA) or can release BPA into food. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to grant one-year renewable waivers to a facility for a particular container if such facility: (1) demonstrates that it is not technologically feasible to replace BPA in the container or to use an alternative container that does not contain BPA, and (2) submits to the Secretary a plan and timeline for removing BPA from such container. Sets forth labeling requirements for a product granted a waiver. Requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) to review substances in order determine whether there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate exposure to such substance, taking into consideration potential adverse effects from low dose exposure and the effects on vulnerable populations and populations with high exposure. Sets forth remedial actions based on the Secretary's determination. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require a manufacturer or supplier of a food contact substance to notify the Secretary of the identity and intended use of any such substance prior to its introduction into interstate commerce and of its determination that: (1) no adverse health effects result from low-dose exposures to such substance; and (2) such substance has not been shown, after tests which are appropriate for the evaluation of the safety of food contact substances, to cause reproductive or developmental toxicity in humans or animals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Calls on the government of Sri Lanka to build on its establishment of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). Recognizes that the LLRC report did not adequately address issues of accountability for both the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Calls for the establishment of an independent international mechanism to look into allegations of war crimes and other human rights violations committed by all sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka. Encourages Sri Lanka to allow for greater media freedoms. Urges Sri Lanka to allow humanitarian organizations and international human rights groups greater access to the war-affected. Acknowledges the end of the war and the importance of reaching a power-sharing political settlement.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2013
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to list permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer, (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements, (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat or owned it for not less than one year, or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sets forth additional monetary penalties for related violations. Prohibits federal facilities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring dogs or cats for exhibition purposes (currently, for research, experimentation, or exhibition purposes) except from: (1) the operator of an auction that comports with legal requirements, or (2) a person holding a valid dealer or exhibitor license. Prohibits dealers from selling or otherwise providing any research facility (currently, any individual or entity) with random source dogs or cats unless specified certification requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or FIT Kids Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to implement comprehensive programs to promote physical activity, education, and fitness and nutrition that are based on scientifically valid research, and an analysis of need that considers, at a minimum, physical education indicators. Limits a grant award to a maximum of five years. Prescribes certain activities under a grant, including that states must: (1) develop and implement a physical education indicators measurement system; (2) collect and publish information on physical activity, education, and fitness and nutrition at the school level; (3) use indicators to identify and address student needs; (4) encourage local education agencies to integrate physical activity, education, and fitness into a range of subjects throughout the school day and locations within schools; and (5) award sub-grants based on identified needs. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, to establish program performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of the grant program's activities. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the compact with parents under the school-level parental involvement policy to include a description of the school's responsibility to support their children in leading a healthy and active life, such as by providing health meals and snacks, encouraging participation in physical education, and sharing in physical activity outside the school day to support successful academic achievement. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require the Secretary to promote equal opportunities for students with disabilities to be included and participate in physical education and extracurricular athletics implemented in, or in conjunction with, elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education, by ensuring the provision of appropriate technical assistance and guidance for schools and institutions and their personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to replace the program providing incentive payments to public elementary schools for foreign language instruction with a partnership program in foreign languages that provides matching grants to partnerships composed of state or local educational agencies and institutions of higher education. Requires such partnerships to establish, improve, or expand model programs of foreign language learning from kindergarten through grade 12 that increase the number of high school graduates who attain advanced proficiency in at least one foreign language. Requires each model program to have a dimension allowing the student to gain an understanding of the historic, geographic, cultural, economic, and other contextual factors of countries whose people speak the language studied. Conditions a partnership's continued funding for two additional five-year periods, after an initial four-year funding period, on its demonstrating its program's effectiveness based on nationally recognized standardized foreign language assessments. Directs the Secretary of Education to collect and analyze data on such programs annually and disseminate aggregated program data nationally, as well as information on successful programs and practices.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to the treatment of revocable trusts for the benefit of an individual for purposes of meeting income requirements for Medicaid coverage. Extends the supplemental needs trust exemption from treatment of a trust as resources available to the individual to supplemental needs trusts for Medicaid beneficiaries established by those beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Half in Ten Act of 2013 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty, which shall develop a National Strategy to reduce the number of persons living in poverty in America in half within 10 years after release of the 2012 Census report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Unemployment Restoration Act - Makes available for obligation, in the same amount and manner as if such order had not been issued, any budgetary resources sequestered under the presidential sequestration order issued on March 1, 2013, for federal payments to a state under the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 and similar payments under the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008, pursuant to a federal-state agreement. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to apply the same requirements for FY2014-FY2021 with respect to any presidential sequestration order that might be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act, with respect to asthma-related grants for child health services, to give an additional preference to a state that allows self-administration of asthma and anaphylaxis medication and makes a certification concerning the adequacy of the state's civil liability protection law to protect trained school personnel who may administer epinephrine to a student reasonably believed to be having an anaphylactic reaction. Requires elementary and secondary schools in such a state to: (1) permit trained personnel to administer epinephrine to a student reasonably believed to be having such a reaction, (2) maintain a supply of epinephrine in a secure location that is easily accessible to trained personnel for such treatment, and (3) have in place a plan for having on the school premises during operating hours one or more designated personnel trained in administration of epinephrine.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take certain actions regarding eating disorder research, including to: (1) implement a scientifically justified budget for research on eating disorders, (2) coordinate and evaluate NIH research activities and programs, (3) expand NIH research on eating disorders, (4) establish a task force on eating disorder research, and (5) provide for centers of excellence for research on eating disorders. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of epidemiological data on eating disorders; (2) establish a Center of Eating Disorders Epidemiology to collect and analyze information on eating disorders; and (3) establish a CDC clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data generated under this Act. Sets forth requirements for providing education and training on eating disorders, including: (1) developing and implementing a training program for health professionals on eating disorders; (2) establishing the Task Force on Eating Disorders Prevention in Educational Institutions to develop and provide training on eating disorders identification and prevention for students, faculty, coaches, and staff in schools; and (3) conducting public service announcements. Amends the PHSA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to also provide coverage for eating disorders. Applies such requirement to coverage offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand coverage for eating disorders. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to award grants for patient advocacy to help individuals with eating disorders obtain adequate health care services and insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2013
Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) U.S. ability to attract foreign direct investment is directly linked to U.S. long-term economic prosperity, global competitiveness, and security; (2) it is a top national priority to enhance U.S. global competitiveness, prosperity, and security by removing unnecessary barriers to foreign direct investment and the U.S. jobs it creates and promoting policies to ensure the United States remains the premier global destination in which to invest, hire, innovate, and manufacture products; (3) maintaining the U.S. commitment to open investment policy encourages other countries to reciprocate and enables the United States to open new markets abroad for U.S. companies and their products; (4) U.S. policies regarding foreign direct investment should also reflect national security interests and should not disadvantage domestic investors or companies; and (5) U.S. efforts to attract foreign direct investment should be consistent with efforts to maintain and improve the U.S. standard of living. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct an interagency review of the U.S. global competitiveness in attracting foreign direct investment and report to Congress recommendations for increasing U.S. global competitiveness without weakening labor, consumer, financial, or environmental protections.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2013
Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to eligible entities to establish pilot programs to develop, study, or evaluate model systems for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors. Requires the Secretary to convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer to establish a plan to meet specified objectives relating to medical and psychosocial care workforce development, including: (1) disseminating to health care educators information relevant to providing medical and psychosocial services to persons with pediatric cancers, (2) adapting curricula for continuing education of the existing workforce, and (3) strengthening the emphasis on psychosocial health care in educational accreditation standards and professional licensing and certification. Reauthorizes and expands the National Cancer Institute's pediatric cancer research and awareness program to include research on: (1) pediatric cancer survivors within minority or other medically underserved populations, (2) health disparities in pediatric cancer survivorship outcomes, and (3) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors. Requires the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to establish and operate a clinic for comprehensive long-term follow-up services for pediatric cancer survivors.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2013
Calls on the President to work toward: (1) equitable and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon Turkey's acknowledgment of the facts and consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and (2) a comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2013
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Community College Energy Training Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to create a program awarding grants to community colleges to provide workforce training and education in sustainable energy industries and practices, such as: (1) alternative energy; (2) high-performance green building construction, design, and redevelopment; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water, energy, and resource conservation; (5) recycling and waste reduction; and (6) sustainable agriculture and farming. Requires at least one-half of the grant funds to be awarded to community colleges with existing sustainability programs leading to certificates, credentials, or degrees in one or more of these industries or practices.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Truth in Tuition Act of 2013 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide each student admitted to an undergraduate or graduate program: (1) a multi-year tuition and fee schedule; or (2) a single-year tuition and fee schedule, and a nonbinding, multi-year estimate of net costs after all financial aid is awarded. Requires IHEs that choose the second option to include with each multi-year estimate the average deviation, in percentage terms, between previous year estimates and actual net costs for their students. Directs the Secretary of Education to waive the application of these requirements to IHEs for which the requirements are not practicable due to events that cause them severe economic distress, a dramatic reduction in state or federal aid, or any other circumstance the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), with respect to charges that allege an offense triable by court-martial (with certain exclusions) for which the maximum punishment includes confinement for more than one year, to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to require the Secretaries of the military departments to provide for the determination of whether to try such charges by general or special court-martial to be made by a commissioned officer of grade O-6 or higher with significant experience in such trials and who is outside the chain of command of the accused. Provides that a determination not to proceed to trial shall not preclude a commanding officer from either referring such charges for trial by summary court-martial or imposing non-judicial punishment. Requires Rule 306 (relating to policy on initial disposition of offenses) of the Manual for Courts-Martial to be amended to strike the character and military service of the accused from factors to be considered by the disposition authority. Revises the list of officers authorized to convene general and special courts-martial to include those in grade O-6 or higher assigned such responsibility by their department chief of staff (with the same prohibition against an officer in the same chain of command as the accused). Requires each chief of staff to establish an office which shall convene general and special courts-martial and detail judges and members. Requires a military judge to call a general or special court-martial trial into session within 90 days of the determination of its necessity. Requires a convening authority (the official acting on the sentence of a court-martial), when taking any action other than approving a sentence, to prepare a written justification of such action which shall be made part of the record of the court-martial. Prohibits a convening authority from: (1) dismissing or setting aside a finding of guilty, or (2) reducing a finding of guilty to a finding of guilty to a lesser included offense. Requires a commanding officer who receives a report of a sexual-related offense involving a member in such officer's chain of command to act immediately upon such report by way of referral to the appropriate criminal investigative office or service. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to require an independent panel established by the DOD Secretary to monitor and assess the implementation and efficacy of this Act and its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Telephone Records Protection Act - Repeals a provision of the federal criminal code requiring a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service to disclose to a governmental entity local and long distance telephone connection records, or records of session times and durations, of a subscriber to or customer of such service when such entity uses an administrative subpoena authorized by a federal or state statute or federal or state grand jury or trial subpoena.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to the impact of climate change on health systems. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) publish and implement a national strategic action plan to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the impact of climate change on public health in the United States and other nations, particularly developing nations; (2) revise the plan periodically to reflect new information; (3) establish a permanent science advisory board; and (4) contract with the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine to assess the need for health professionals to prepare for and respond to the impact of climate change on public health.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Ban All Radioactive Recycling Act of 2013 - Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to prohibit the Department of Energy (DOE) from planning or undertaking sales, trades, barters, or transfers of any metal that has been used or stored in a radiological area other than for certain storage purposes. Requires storage or disposal of such metal, when removed from the radiological area in which it was used or stored, at a site: (1) specifically licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the storage or disposal of radioactive waste, (2) specifically licensed by a state pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 for the storage or disposal of radioactive waste, or (3) at a site on DOE property that has been approved by the Secretary of Energy for storage or disposal of radioactive waste.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Trial and Experimental Studies Transparency Act of 2012 [ sic ] or TEST Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the clinical trials that must be reported to the clinical trial registry data bank to include: (1) any interventional study of a drug, device, or biological product conducted outside of the United States the results of which are submitted to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as support for approval of an application; and (2) postmarket surveillance of a class II or class III device that involves data collection from human subjects. Defines "interventional study" to mean a study in human beings in which individuals are assigned by an investigator, based on a protocol, to receive specific interventions to evaluate their effects on biomedical health-related outcomes. Requires submission to the data bank of supporting documents, including protocol documents and consent documents used to enroll subjects into the trial. Requires the responsible party for a clinical trial to submit clinical trial information to the data bank before the first patient is enrolled in the trial. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to post the information submitted to the data bank within 30 days after the submission is determined to meet the quality criteria established by the Director. Revises time frames for the reporting of results data to the clinical trial registry. Requires the Director and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) to report on the number of clinical trials with information submitted to the registry and steps taken to enforce compliance with such reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules to prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, a person from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that: (1) such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide such services, or (2) such person is not a provider of abortion services if such person does provide such services. Defines "abortion services" as providing surgical and non-surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy, or providing referrals for such procedures. Sets forth the enforcement authority of the FTC, including with respect to nonprofit organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2013 - Requires: (1) there to be an independent anti-doping organization with responsibility for ensuring the integrity and safety of horse races that are the subject of interstate off-track wagers, and (2) the independent anti-doping organization designated pursuant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 to serve as such organization. Sets forth as the duties of such organization: (1) developing, publishing, and maintaining rules regarding substances, methods, and treatments that may and may not be administered to a horse participating in such a race; (2) implementing programing relating to anti-doping education, research, testing, and adjudication to prevent any horse participating in such a race from racing under the effect of any prohibited substance, method, or treatment; and (3) excluding from participation in any such race any person who is determined to have violated such a rule or who is subject to a suspension from horse racing activities by any state racing commission. Prescribes conditions under which such organization may: (1) suspend the period a person is excluded from participation; and (2) permit the use of furosemide by a horse participating in such a race during the two-year period following enactment of this Act. Permits a host racing association to conduct a horse race that is the subject of an interstate off-track wager, and permits an interstate off-track wager to be accepted by an off-track betting system, only if consent is obtained from such organization. Requires such organization to ensure that all costs incurred in carrying out its duties are defrayed pursuant to agreements for such consent.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Every Child Deserves a Family Act - Prohibits an entity that receives federal assistance and is involved in adoption or foster care placements from discriminating against prospective adoptive or foster parents solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status or on the basis of the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in order to ensure compliance with, and ensure understanding of the legal, practice, and culture changes required by this Act in making foster care and adoption placement decisions, to provide specified technical assistance to all entities covered by this Act. Requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of whether states have substantially complied with this Act in eliminating policies, practices, or statutes that deny adoption rights on the basis of these criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act or AFFIRM Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to prohibit the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) from paying a part of the crop insurance premium for additional coverage for any person or legal entity that has an average adjusted gross income in excess of $250,000. Caps: (1) the rate of return for all crop insurance providers combined for the 2013 and subsequent reinsurance years at 12% of retained premium, and (2) total reimbursements for administrative and operating costs for the 2013 insurance year for all types of policies and plans of insurance at $900 million. Requires that any renegotiated Standard Reinsurance Agreement, when compared to the immediately preceding Agreement, shall reduce FCIC obligations. Requires annual disclosure to the public of specified crop insurance premium subsidy information.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce, breeding, or possessing any prohibited wildlife species (current law prohibits importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing such a species in interstate or foreign commerce). Includes among exemptions to such prohibition the breeding transportation, or possession of such species by authorized persons. Defines "breeding" as facilitating the propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent the propagation or reproduction, of a prohibited wildlife species or other animal. Removes from the list of persons authorized to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase, breed, or possess such species a person that is licensed or registered, and inspected, by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) or any other federal agency with respect to such species. Includes in such list: an institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or certified related facilities that coordinate with an AZA Species Survival Plan for breeding of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; a wildlife sanctuary that cares for such species, is a tax exempt corporation, does not commercially trade in or propagate such species, does not allow direct contact between the public and animals, and does not allow the transportation and display of such species off-site; a person that is in possession of animals of such species that were born before the date of this Act's enactment and that are registered with APHIS within 180 days after such regulations are promulgated; and a traveling circus that regularly travels in interstate commerce to conduct performances featuring live prohibited wildlife species and multiple trained human entertainers, that does not allow members of the public to be in direct contact with or unsafe proximity to a prohibited wildlife species of any age, and that, during the three years preceding this Act's enactment, has not been determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to have violated the Animal Welfare Act by reason of jeopardizing the health and well-being of a prohibited wildlife species. Establishes civil and criminal penalties and forfeiture requirements for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem to be misbranded any drug intended for human use that contains an ingredient (other than a polyol) that constitutes or is derived from a grain or starch-containing ingredient and whose label fails to include a parenthetical statement identifying the source of the ingredient so constituted or derived.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - Declares it an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept; or (4) require such employees to take leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_il_9_schakowsky_janice_200.jpg)