United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2014
Job Creation through Energy Efficient Manufacturing Act - Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to establish a Financing Energy Efficient Manufacturing Program to provide grants to states to establish or expand programs to finance energy efficiency retrofit, onsite clean and renewable energy, smart grid, and alternative vehicle fleet projects for industrial businesses (covered programs). Defines "state" as a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other territory or possession of the United States. Requires the Secretary to consult with states and stakeholders to establish a process to identify financing opportunities for manufacturing and industrial business with asset portfolios across multiple states. Requires states that receive such funding to give a higher priority to covered programs that: (1) leverage private and nonfederal sources of funding, and (2) aim to expand the use of energy efficiency project financing using private sources of funding. Requires: (1) states receiving such grants to collect, share, and report on data resulting from covered programs carried out under this Act; and (2) the Secretary to incorporate the data into appropriate DOE databases, with provisions for the protection of confidential business data. Requires grant funds to be provided to the state office responsible for developing the state energy plan under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2014
Expresses support for the designation of School Social Work Week. Honors the contributions of school social workers to the success of students in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2014
West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church located at 775 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia, to evaluate the national significance of the Church and to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating such area as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2014
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. Sets the amount to be authorized and the amount to be appropriated for each fiscal year from FY2015-FY2023 as the greater of: (1) a specified amount, or (2) a specified percentage of an amount determined pursuant to a formula that multiplies the number of children receiving special education services by the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes and appropriates funds for FY2024 and each subsequent fiscal year equal to the greater of a specified amount or 40% of the amount determined using such formula. Requires amounts appropriated to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2014
Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Reauthorizes the Older Americans Act of 1965 (OAA) and funding for its programs for FY2014-FY2018. Makes it an objective of such Act the acquiring for older individuals of high-quality services in a manner that is culturally and linguistically responsive to such individuals and family caregivers. Includes older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) individuals within the purview of such Act and specifically among certain reporting requirements. Requires the Director of the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs (in the Administration on Aging [AOA] of the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]) to collect, analyze, and report on best practices related to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in long-term care facilities. Requires the Assistant Secretary for Aging of the AOA to: (1) focus on the health and economic needs and welfare of older individuals; (2) conduct studies and collect data to determine the services that are needed by LGBT older individuals; (3) ensure that authorized programs include appropriate training in the prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation and provision of services that address elder justice and the exploitation of older individuals; and (4) establish and operate a National Resource Center for Women and Retirement, a National Adult Protective Services Resource Center, and a National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Aging. Establishes an Advisory Committee to Assess, Coordinate, and Improve Legal Assistance Activities to study the legal services activities assistance system for older individuals. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018, and revises requirements for, the AOA, the Eldercare Locator Service, pension counseling and information programs, supportive services, congregate nutrition services, disease prevention and health promotion services, family caregiver support, the nutrition services incentive program, the Community Service Senior Opportunity Act, grants for Native Americans. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a grant to or enter into a cooperative agreement with a public or private nonprofit entity to establish a National Resource Center on Family Caregiving. Directs the Assistant Secretary to award grants and enter into contracts with eligible entities to carry out projects to: (1) support and promote modern multipurpose senior center models; (2) build an evidence base of modern, replicable practices that allow senior centers to serve a diverse array of older individuals, as well as their families and other caregivers; and (3) mobilize services and leverage resources to support the role of multipurpose senior centers as community focal points, and for the establishment, construction, maintenance, and operation of centers. Directs the Assistant Secretary to make a grant on a competitive basis to enable an eligible nonprofit organization to provide training and technical assistance to grant recipients. Revises requirements for the national family caregiver support program and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, revising conflict-of-interest requirements and prohibitions for the latter. Requires health programs for older individuals to cover behavioral health. Directs the Comptroller General to study the transportation services for older individuals. Directs the Assistant Secretary to issue guidance to applicable to states, area agencies on aging, and providers of services for older individuals, with respect to serving Holocaust survivors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2014
Reduce Expenditures in Nuclear Infrastructure Now Act or the REIN-IN Act - Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2014-FY2023: (1) for the research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) or procurement of a long-range penetrating bomber aircraft; (2) to procure an SSBN-X submarine (and prohibits the use of such funds for FY2024 and thereafter to procure more than eight such submarines); or (3) for the RDT&E or procurement of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds authorized to be appropriated for FY2014 or thereafter for DOD or the Department of Energy (DOE): (1) to make the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons; (2) until the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy jointly certify that the total cost of the B61 life extension program has been reduced to not more than $5 billion; (3) for the W78 life extension program; (4) for the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility project; (5) to replace the chemistry and metallurgy research building at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico; or (6) for the uranium processing facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Prohibits Navy forces, beginning in FY2020, from including more than eight operational ballistic-missile submarines available for deployment. Prohibits the use of DOD funds for FY2014 or thereafter: (1) to maintain more than 250 submarine-launched ballistic missiles; (2) to maintain more than 150 intercontiental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on a 24-hour, high alert status; or (3) for the medium extended air defense system. Requires initial and annual reports from the Secretaries of Defense and Energy outlining their respective plans to carry out the requirements of this Act. Directs the President to submit to Congress an annual report containing a comprehensive accounting by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the amounts obligated or expended by the federal government for each nuclear weapon and related nuclear program during the fiscal year covered by the report for the life cycle of such weapon or program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2014
Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2014 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE), acting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to act as the lead federal agency for coordinating and disseminating information on existing federal programs and assistance that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out a review of existing programs and financing mechanisms available in or from appropriate federal agencies with jurisdiction over energy financing and facilitation that are currently used or may be used for such purposes; (2) establish a federal cross-departmental collaborative coordination, education, and outreach effort to streamline communication and promote available federal opportunities and assistance for such projects that enables states, local educational agencies, and schools to use existing federal opportunities more effectively and to form partnerships with governors, state energy programs, local educational, financial, and energy officials, state and local officials, nonprofit organizations, and other appropriate entities to support project initiation; (3) provide technical assistance for states, local educational agencies, and schools to help develop and finance projects that meet specified requirements; (4) develop and maintain a single online resource website with contact information for relevant technical assistance and support staff in the Office for states, local educational agencies, and schools to effectively access and use federal opportunities and assistance to develop such projects; and (5) establish a process for recognition of schools that have successfully implemented such projects and are willing to serve as resources for other local educational agencies and schools to assist initiation of similar efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2014
American Royalties Too Act of 2014 - Expands copyright owners' exclusive rights, in the case of a work of visual art, to include the right to collect or authorize the collection of a royalty if the work is sold by a person other than the author for at least $5,000 in an auction. Defines "auction" as a public sale of visual art to the highest bidder run by an entity that sold at least $1 million of works of visual art during the previous year. Revises the term "work of visual art" to make requirements for photographs consistent with requirements for paintings, drawings, and prints. (Currently, a photograph must be a still photographic image produced for exhibition purposes only.) Limits the amount of such a royalty to the lesser of: (1) 5% of the purchase price; or (2) $35,000, subject to cost-of-living adjustments. Directs entities conducting such auctions to collect and pay the royalties to a visual artists' copyright collecting society. Requires the collecting society, at least four times each year, to distribute the appropriate royalties (minus administrative expenses) to authors or successor copyright owners. Requires an author of a work of visual art, in order to be eligible to receive such a royalty, to: (1) be a citizen of, or domiciled in, the United States or a country that provides resale royalty rights; or (2) have first created the work in the United States or a country that provides such royalty rights. Establishes a copyright infringement offense for the failure to pay such a royalty. Subjects infringers to: (1) statutory damages, and (2) liability for the full royalty. Prohibits the sale, assignment, or waiver of the right to collect such a royalty, subject to exceptions for works made for hire and transfers of copyright ownership. Directs the Register of Copyrights to issue regulations governing visual artists' copyright collecting societies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014
Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for trauma care programs through FY2019. Requires that not more than 50% of amounts remaining for a fiscal year after FY2014 (after allocation for administrative purposes or for improvement of emergency medical services in rural areas) be allocated for competitive grants to support pilot projects for emergency care and trauma systems. Requires the inclusion of standards and requirements of the American Burn Association in trauma care modifications of a state plan for providing emergency medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014
Recognizes the significance of the Smith-Lever Act which established the Cooperative Extension System. Honors the university faculty and local educators who provide educational programs to help people, families, youth, businesses, and communities solve problems, develop skills, and build a better future. Thanks the volunteers who promote excellence for 4-H Clubs, the Master Gardeners program, the Family and Consumer Sciences program, and other Cooperative Extension System programs. Encourages continued collaboration and cooperation among federal, state, and local governments to assure the sustainability of the Cooperative Extension System.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act - Adjusts the boundary of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin to include the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light Addition at the end of the breakwater on Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin. Declares that Congress does not intend for the designation of that property to create a protective perimeter or buffer zone around its boundary. Permits retention of rights to use a portion of Lakeshore land and facilities by: (1) the Army Corps of Engineers for breakwater maintenance, and (2) the Coast Guard for federal aids to navigation. Directs the National Park Service (NPS), Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers to cooperate in their operations so as to not lower the standards evolved for the operation of NPS units, federal aids to navigation, and harbor maintenance under federal law respecting the Lakeshore. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements with the city of Ashland, the county of Ashland, and the county of Bayfield, Wisconsin, for the purpose of cooperative law enforcement and emergency services within the boundaries of the Lakeshore. Declares that nothing in this Act or the amendments it makes shall be construed to increase the amount of appropriations authorized for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Renewable Fuel Utilization, Expansion, and Leadership Act or the REFUEL Act - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a renewable and alternative energy infrastructure competitive grant program. Makes eligible for such grants projects that are: (1) for new infrastructure or retrofitting existing infrastructure for the dispensing of covered renewable or alternative energy for retail consumption, and (2) capable of dispensing fuel containing an amount of covered renewable or alternative energy that is higher than ordinarily found in commerce. Requires that priority be given to projects in rural areas and that entities receiving grants provide at least a 30% match of federal funds. Dedicates to the grant program 1% of amounts received as royalties for production of oil from oil and gas leases under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Defines "covered renewable or alternative energy" as renewable energy, energy intended for use in electric vehicle charging, and hydrogen and fuel cells.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Unmuzzle the Drug Czar Act of 2014 - Amends the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 to repeal a provision requiring the Director of National Drug Control Policy to: (1) ensure that no federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy are expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (which includes marijuana), and (2) oppose any attempt to legalize the use of any such substance that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved for use for medical purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Access to Hearing Healthcare Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of Medicare-covered audiology (hearing and balance assessment) services provided by a qualified and legally authorized audiologist to state that such services are covered without regard to any requirement that: (1) the individual receiving them be under the care of (or referred by) a physician or other health care practitioner, or (2) such services are provided under the supervision of a physician or other health practitioner. Includes audiology services as medical services, as so redefined, under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a congressional gold medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medal at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such medals.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the Freedom Riders in recognition of their contribution to civil rights, which inspired a movement to equality in interstate travel. Requires such medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be available for display and research. Expresses the sense of Congress that the medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the Freedom Riders.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Commemorates the achievements of the environmental justice movement over the last 20 years. Affirms that Congress should uphold the principles of environmental and climate justice. Urges the President to: (1) address environmental justice issues in his climate change initiatives, (2) commit to focusing on greater oversight and supporting federal agency advancement of environmental justice, and (3) work with tribal leaders and communities to address their unique environmental justice concerns.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Supports the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week to increase understanding of, and interest in, engineering and technology careers. Recognizes that engineering education is a critical component of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2014
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2014 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), with regard to sequestration adjustments, to require any adjustments in enacted appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior for a fiscal year, to be the amount of additional new budget authority provided for wildfire suppression operations in the appropriations Act, but not to exceed $2.689 billion in such authority in each of FY2014-FY2021. Defines "additional new budget authority" as the amount specified in an appropriations Act for a fiscal year to pay for wildfire suppression operations, but only to the extent such authority exceeds 70% of the average costs for wildfire suppression operations over the previous 10 years. Prescribes requirements for any request by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture for supplemental appropriations necessary for wildfire suppression operations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2014
Government By the People Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a refundable credit of 50% of qualified congressional House campaign contributions paid or incurred during the taxable year (contributions of cash by an individual to a House candidate or a political committee established and maintained by a national political party if the contribution is not prohibited under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 [FECA], to be known as "My Voice Federal" contributions). Directs the Government by the People Oversight Commission, established by this Act, to launch a pilot program under which it shall select three eligible states to operate a voucher pilot program. Requires a state under a voucher pilot program to provide each qualified individual during the election cycle, upon his or her request, with a "My Voice Voucher" worth $50 (in either paper or electronic form), which will be assigned a routing number. Authorizes the individual, using the assigned routing number, to submit the My Voice Voucher, in either electronic or paper form, to qualified federal election candidates, allocating a portion of its value in $5 increments. Requires the Commission to pay any candidate who transmits a My Voice Voucher that portion of its value which the individual allocated to the candidate. Considers this transaction a contribution by the individual to the candidate for purposes of FECA. Requires a state operating a voucher pilot program also to permit an individual to revoke a My Voice Voucher within two days after submitting it to a candidate. Requires such a state to establish a commission or designate an existing entity to oversee and implement the program in the state, except that no such commission or entity may be composed of elected officials. Amends FECA with respect to: benefits for participating House of Representatives candidates; Federal Election Commission (FEC) payments to such candidates; candidate use of payments; qualified small dollar contributions, expenditures, and fundraising requirements; certification of participating candidates; campaign administration; prevention of the unnecessary spending of public funds; establishment of the Freedom From Influence Fund in the Treasury and of a Government by the People Oversight Commission in the FEC; remittal of unspent funds to the Freedom From Influence Fund after an election; eligibility of participating candidates for additional payments; civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; a Commission action appeals process; and contributions and expenditures by multicandidate and political party political committees on behalf of participating candidates. Prohibits a certified participating candidate's authorized committee from establishing a joint fundraising committee with any political committee other than another authorized committee of the candidate. Prohibits a certified participating candidate from establishing, financing, maintaining, or controlling a leadership PAC (political action committee). Prohibits use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign. Revises bundler disclosure requirements to repeal a specified exception and so require disclosure of persons who provided bundled contributions to the reporting committee. Amends FECA to empower the FEC to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action to enforce the Act. Requires all political committee designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC; and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces from 48 hours to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to set a station's lowest unit price for preemptible use as the charge for a broadcast by the national committee of a political party for an affiliated candidate. Authorizes the FEC to revoke a broadcast station license or construction permit only for at least three willful failures to allow reasonable access to, or to permit purchase of reasonable amounts of time for the use of, a broadcasting station or cable system by a legally qualified candidate for federal office. Amends the IRC to allow tax payers to designate that a specified portion of any overpayment of tax be contributed to the Freedom From Influence Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2014
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the 96-hour physician certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under which a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2014
New Opportunities for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Financing Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a pilot program to make loans and loan guarantees to eligible entities to carry out bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects. Prescribes project eligibility requirements. Requires the Secretary to ensure that at least 25% of funds provided under this Act are used to support projects in low-income communities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2014
Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the $1 million limitation on the deductibility of employee compensation, to: (1) extend such limitation to any individual who is a current or former officer, director, or employee of a publicly-held corporation; (2) eliminate the exemption from such limitation for compensation payable on a commission basis or upon the attainment of a performance goal; and (3) make such limitation applicable to all publicly-held corporations that are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to register securities and provide periodic reports to their investors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2014
National Commission on the Structure of the Army Act of 2014 - Establishes the National Commission on the Structure of the Army to undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of the Army to determine: (1) the proper force mixture of the active component and reserve component, and (2) how the structure should be modified to best fulfill mission requirements in a manner consistent with available resources. Directs the Commission to give particular consideration to evaluating a structure that: (1) meets current and anticipated requirements of the combatant commands; (3) achieves a cost-efficiency balance between the regular and reserve components, with a focus on fully burdened and lifecycle cost of Army personnel; (3) ensures that the regular and reserve components have the capacity needed to support homeland defense and disaster assistance missions in the United States; (4) provides for sufficient numbers of regular members of the Army to provide a base of trained personnel from which the personnel of the reserve components could be recruited; (5) maintains a peacetime rotation force to support operational tempo goals of 1:2 for regular members and 1:5 for members of the reserve components; and (6) maximizes and appropriately balances affordability, efficiency, effectiveness, capability, and readiness. Prohibits the use of any funds made available for FY2015 for the Army to: (1) divest, retire, or transfer, or prepare to divest, retire, or transfer, any aircraft of the Army assigned to units of the Army National Guard as of January 15, 2014; or (2) reduce personnel below the authorized end strength levels of 350,000 for the Army National Guard as of September 30, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2014
Dairy COOL Act of 2014 - Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to define dairy product for country of origin purposes. Requires a retailer of a covered commodity that is a dairy product to designate the origin of the covered commodity as: (1) each country in which or from which the one or more dairy ingredients or dairy components of the covered commodity were produced, originated, or sourced; and (2) each country in which the covered commodity was processed. Declares that, with respect to a dairy product produced exclusively in the United States, designation by a retailer of the state, region, or locality of production shall be sufficient to identify the United States as the country of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2014
Honors the victims of the genocide in Cambodia that took place from April 1975 through January 1979, and supports efforts to pursue justice for its victims.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the requirement that a federal court retain jurisdiction for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Expands the types of violations triggering the authority of a court to retain such jurisdiction to include certain violations of the Act as well as violations of any federal voting rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. Excludes from the list of violations triggering jurisdiction retention authority any voting qualification or prerequisite which results in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote that is based on the imposition of a requirement that an individual provide a photo identification as a condition of receiving a ballot for voting in a federal, state, or local election. Revises requirements for determining which states and political subdivisions are covered or not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Subjects to the requirements for making such a determination any state (and all of its political subdivisions) during a calendar if 5 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 15 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Specifies application of such new coverage requirements to any specific political subdivision if: (1) 3 or more voting rights violations occurred in it during the previous 15 calendar years; or (2) 1 or more voting rights violations occurred in it during the previous 15 calendar years and the subdivision had persistent, extremely low minority turnout during that period. Provides that, if a state obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote, the requirements for a new declaratory judgment generally will not apply, unless the new coverage requirements of this Act apply to the state solely on the basis of voting rights violations occurring after the declaratory judgment was issued. Prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Modifies authority to assign observers, including authorizing the assignment of observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Revises requirements for injunctive relief, including its scope and the persons authorized to seek relief as well as the grounds for granting it.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2014
Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014 - Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to update a report for Congress concerning the role of telecommunications in the commission of hate crimes. Requires such report to include: (1) an analysis of the use of telecommunications (including the Internet, broadcast television and radio, cable television, public access television, commercial mobile services, and other electronic media) to advocate and encourage violent acts and the commission of hate crimes as specified in the Hate Crime Statistics Act; (2) NTIA recommendations; and (3) updates concerning the role of telecommunications in crimes of hate and violent acts against ethnic, religious, and racial minorities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2014
Lymphedema Treatment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to cover certain lymphedema compression treatment items as durable medical equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2014
New Chance for a New Start in Life Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Labor, subject to the availability of appropriations, to make grants to state and local governments and Indian tribes to carry out employment training programs to assist long-term unemployed persons obtain the skills and training to reenter the workforce and fill jobs in sectors of the economy projected to have the highest rates of demand during the period 2012 through 2022. Prescribes certain grant condition and use requirements. Declares that an individual receiving services or compensation funded by a grant under this Act shall not be cause for any reduction in the amount of unemployment compensation that individual is otherwise due.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2014
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. Limits the minting of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2017. Prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to help finance the construction of a new building and renovation of existing National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2014
Oil and Gas Leasing Inflation Adjustment Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to increase from $2 per acre to $4 per acre the national minimum acceptable bid for oil and gas leases. Increases from $2 per acre to $5 per acre the minimum acceptable bid for a tar sand lease. Increases the annual rental of a lease from $1.50 per acre to $3 per acre for the first through the fifth year of the lease. Increases the annual lease rental from $2 per acre to $4 per acre for each year after such fifth year. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to make a cost-of-living adjustment of such dollar amounts at least once every four years and to publish each one in the Federal Register.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2014
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) payments for eligible individuals to weeks of employment ending on or before April 1, 2014. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until March 31, 2014, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and September 30, 2014, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2013, to March 31, 2014, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to appropriate funds out of the employment security administration account through the first quarter of FY2015 to assist states in providing reemployment and eligibility assessment activities. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through March 31, 2014, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits. Makes a change in application of a certain requirement (nonreduction rule) to a state that has: (1) entered a federal-state EUC agreement, under which the federal government would reimburse the state's unemployment compensation agency making EUC payments to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular unemployment compensation under state or federal law and meet specified other criteria; and (2) enacted a law before December 1, 2013, that, upon taking effect, would violate the nonreduction rule. (Under the nonreduction rule such an agreement does not apply with respect to a state whose method for computing regular unemployment compensation under state law has been modified to make the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010, less than what would have been paid before June 2, 2010.) Declares that the nonreduction rule shall not apply to a state which has enacted a law before December 1, 2013, that, upon taking effect, would violate the nonreduction rule. Allows such a state, however, to enter into a subsequent federal-state EUC agreement on or after enactment of this Act if, taking into account this inapplicability of the nonreduction rule, it would otherwise meet the requirements for an EUC agreement. (Thus allows such a subsequent EUC agreement to permit payment of less than the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2013
Military Retirement Restoration Act - Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat a foreign corporation managed and controlled, directly or indirectly, primarily in the United States as a domestic corporation for U.S. tax purposes if the stock of such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market or the aggregate gross assets of such corporation during the taxable year or any preceding taxable year is $50 million or more.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Servicemembers and Veterans Prescription Drug Safety Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) and the Attorney General (AG) to jointly carry out a program under which a member of the Armed Forces (member), an individual receiving or entitled to military retired or retainer pay, a dependent-beneficiary of a member, or any person lawfully entitled to dispose of the property of any of such individuals may deliver a personal-use controlled substance (the prescription medication of a deceased individual) for disposal at a facility to be specified by the Secretary and the AG. Requires the Secretary and AG, in implementing the program, to develop appropriate guidelines and procedures to prevent the diversion, misuse, theft, or loss of such delivered substances. Directs the Secretary and the AG to jointly carry out a program under which a veteran, a veteran's spouse or dependent, a person in receipt of medical services at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility, or any person lawfully entitled to dispose of the property of any of such individuals may deliver such a controlled substance for disposal at a specified facility, subject to the same guidelines and procedures with respect to such delivered substances.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out surveillance, education, and testing programs with respect to hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus infections. Requires the Secretary to establish a national system with respect to HBV and HCV to: (1) determine the prevalence of such infections; (2) carry out testing programs to increase the number of individuals who are aware of their infection; (3) disseminate public information and education programs for the detection and control of such infections; (4) improve the training of health professionals in the detection, control, and treatment of such infections; and (5) provide referrals for counseling and medical treatment and ensure the provision of follow-up services. Directs the Secretary to determine the populations that are considered at high risk. Directs the Secretary to establish and support public-private partnerships that facilitate such HBV and HCV surveillance, education, screening, testing, and linkage to care programs. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to convene the Preventive Services Task Force every three years to review its recommendation for HBV and HCV screening. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and carry out a plan to provide veterans who were born between 1945 and 1965 with an HBC risk assessment and, if they are diagnosed with such virus, a thorough evaluation of, and information regarding, their need for treatment, vaccination, or other therapy. Requires the VA to use compliance with such plan as a key performance measure under the VA Handbook Performance Management System or its successor, including by giving the director of a VA medical facility that is not fully compliant a less than fully successful performance appraisal.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the amount of benefits excludible; and (2) make such tax exclusion available for taxable years beginning in 2014, 2015, or 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Child Care Access and Refundability Expansion Act or the Child CARE Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for dependent care expenses, to: (1) make such credit refundable, (2) deny such credit to nonresident aliens, and (3) allow an annual cost-of-living adjustment after 2013 to the amounts used to determine an income-based reduction in the amount of such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2013
General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise FAA medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as a pilot of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under federal law if the flight meets certain criteria and the individual: (1) possesses a valid state driver's license, (2) complies with applicable medical requirements associated with that license, (3) is transporting five or fewer passengers, and (4) is operating under visual flight rules. Defines "covered aircraft" as an aircraft that: (1) is not authorized under federal law to carry more than six occupants, and (2) has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2013
Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing the two-midnight rule to a hospital for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for admissions occurring before October 1, 2014. (The two-midnight rule allows Medicare coverage of only hospital stays for which a physician admits to a hospital a beneficiary expected to require care that crosses two midnights, but generally denies coverage of care expected to require less than a two-midnight stay.) Applies such prohibition to Medicare review contracts. Prohibits Medicare review contractors from denying a claim for inpartient hospital services furnished by a hospital, or inpatient critical access hospital services furnished by a critical access hospital, for discharges occurring before October 1, 2014: (1) for medical necessity due to the length of an inpatient stay in such hospital or due to a determination that the services could have been provided on an outpatient basis; or (2) for requirements for orders, certifications, or recertifications, and associated documentation relating to such matters. Prohibits the Secretary from increasing the sample of claims selected for prepayment review under the Medicare Probe and Educate program above the number and type established by the Secretary as of November 4, 2013. Directs the Secretary to develop: (1) a Medicare hospital payment methodology for short inpatient hospital stays; (2) general equivalency maps to link the relevant International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10 codes (used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures) to relevant Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and the relevant CPT codes to relevant ICD-10 codes, in order to permit comparison of inpatient hospital services and hospital outpatient department servives; and (3) a second crosswalk between Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) codes for inpatient hospital services and Ambulatory Payment Class codes for outpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2013
STEM Gateways Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) elementary and secondary school programs for women and girls, underrepresented minorities, and individuals from all economic backgrounds. Requires those programs to be directed toward at least one of the following goals: encouraging the interest of elementary and secondary school students in the STEM fields; motivating the engagement of those students in the STEM fields by providing them with relevant hands-on learning opportunities; supporting classroom success in the STEM disciplines by elementary and secondary school students; supporting STEM workforce training and career preparation for secondary school students; and improving the access of secondary school students to STEM career and continuing education opportunities. Defines an "eligible entity" as: (1) a local educational agency (LEA); (2) an educational service agency serving more than one LEA; (3) a consortium of LEAs; (4) nonprofit organizations that work with elementary schools, secondary schools, or institutions of higher education and have shown a commitment to achieving the goals listed above; or (5) community colleges working in partnership with secondary schools to create dual enrollment, credit transfer, or accelerated postsecondary credentialing opportunities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2013
States that the House of Representatives has learned with profound sorrow of the death of Nelson Mandela, former President of the Republic of South Africa. Tenders its sympathies to the members of his family and his fellow citizens. Honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Nelson Mandela and for his friendship to the United States. Requests the Secretary of State to communicate these expressions of sentiment to Nelson Mandela's family and to the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Requests that when the House adjourns today it do so as a mark of respect to the memory of Nelson Mandela.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
Monuments Men Recognition Act of 2013 - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a single congressional gold medal in commemoration of the Monuments Men (men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives [MFA] Section under the Allied Armies during World War II) in recognition of their heroic role in the preservation, protection, and restitution of monuments, works of art, and artifacts of cultural importance during and following the War. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the Monuments Men and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2013
Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that sexual orientation change efforts directed at minors are discredited and ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and are dangerous and harmful. Encourages states to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured. Defines "sexual orientation change efforts" as any practice by a licensed mental health provider, health care provider, or counselor seeking or purporting to impose change of an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Excludes from such definition counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression if such counseling provides: (1) acceptance, support, and understanding of a person; (2) coping, social support, and identity exploration and development; (3) developmentally appropriate counseling for a person seeking to transition from one gender to another; or (4) sexual orientation- and gender identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
International Violence Against Women Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy. Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to develop or update annually for six years a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of USAID to provide assistance to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls internationally.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Domestic Violence Criminal Disarmament Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to reserve not more than 5% of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds for one or more states that have demonstrated that such a state has adopted policies, procedures, protocols, laws or regulations pertaining to the possession or transfer of firearms or ammunition that: impose restrictions and penalties substantially similar to or more comprehensive than those under federal criminal code provisions prohibiting the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to a person who has been convicted of domestic violence or who is subject to a protective order with respect to an intimate partner; require state and local courts to: (1) consider whether such person possesses firearms that have been or are likely to be used to threaten, harass, menace, or harm the victim or the victim's child or may otherwise pose a danger to the victim; and (2) order the seizure or surrender of firearms and ammunition from such person; are designed to ensure that state or local law enforcement execute the seizure or surrender of authorized firearms and ammunition when such person is reported to possess firearms that are obtained or possessed illegally; provide for the seizure or surrender of authorized firearms and ammunition and the return of such firearms and ammunition in a manner that protects the safety of victims of such persons; and give state and local law enforcement the authority, to the extent allowable under federal laws and the U.S. Constitution, to seize firearms or ammunition when responding to domestic violence situations where there is probable cause to believe such firearms and ammunition are contraband, illegally in the possession of the offender, have been or are likely to be used to threaten, harass, menace, or harm the victim, or may otherwise pose a danger to the victim.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Universal Racial Profiling Elimination Standards, and Procedures for Effective Constitutional Rights Training Act or the Universal RESPECT Act - Prohibits federal law enforcement agents from engaging in racial profiling. Requires: (1) the Attorney General to review all applicable law enforcement policies and procedures to ensure that they are sufficient to eliminate racial profiling while performing official law enforcement duties, and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that no recipient of covered federal law enforcement assistance engages in racial profiling. Directs the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) to develop and incorporate any necessary changes to all training, curriculum, and professional certification classes to ensure consistency with the requirements of this Act. Requires: (1) the Director to identify, develop, and update model practices that prevent racial profiling; and (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board (FLETAB) to incorporate such practices into the law enforcement community through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Model Practice Clearinghouse and other means. Directs FLETAB to: (1) develop a standard of review of anti-racial profiling components of law enforcement training curricula, and (2) deny accreditation or reaccreditation to academies, programs, and instructors not meeting such standard. Requires: (1) the Officer and the Office for State and Local Government Coordination to review the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) or equivalent program of the states to assess the anti-racial profiling education component of such curricula, and (2) the Secretary to notify states of deficiencies in the curriculum and to make available to the states assistance to develop sufficient curriculum to meet minimum anti-racial profiling standards. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require state, local, and tribal government recipients of DHS grants for law enforcement to certify that they do not engage in racial profiling. Directs the Officer and the FLETC to develop guidance, outreach, training, and programs that include civil rights and civil liberties training, in particular programs designed to prevent racial profiling. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and distribute to state, local, and tribal authorities courses and materials that comply with the Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin No. 373 or successor bulletin for integration into the curricula for recruits and recurrent training for experienced law enforcement officers; and (2) make available to the states assistance to develop sufficient curriculum to meet minimum anti-racial profiling standards. Requires guidance for DHS grants for law enforcement to inform recipients that expenditures on any training, programs, presentations, and speakers that are acquired from an entity other than DHS must be approved in advance by the Chief Privacy Officer and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Grants the Officer primary jurisdiction over all matters relating to the review, implementation, and oversight of the requirements of this Act. Requires the Officer: (1) using information gained by investigations of complaints and information indicating possible abuses of civil rights or civil liberties by DHS employees and officials or that are related to DHS activities, to make recommendations to DHS for improvements in policy, supervision, training, and practice related to civil rights or civil liberties or for the relevant office to review the matter and take appropriate action; and (2) to review and assess information alleging abuses of civil rights, civil liberties, and racial and ethnic profiling by law enforcement agencies receiving grants or assistance from DHS. Requires each DHS component and executive agency to ensure that it provides the Officer with access to requested information within 30 days after the Officer requests it. Authorizes the Officer to require access by subpoena to any institution or entity outside of the federal government and any record relating to such institution or entity that is the subject of or related to an investigation. Authorizes the Officer to: (1) request the assistance of the Inspector General to investigate compliance with civil rights protection standards and complaints of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies; and (2) suspend the eligibility of a state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency to receive grants or training at federal law enforcement training facilities for violating this Act until the practices of the agency are brought into compliance. Requires law enforcement entities receiving grants or training from DHS to: (1) collect data on all routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, (2) provide that the data collected shall include detail sufficient to permit an analysis of whether a law enforcement agency is engaging in racial profiling, (3) utilize a standardized form that shall be made available to law enforcement agencies, (4) maintain all data collected for not less than four years, and (5) protect the privacy of individuals whose data is collected. Directs the Officer to receive and maintain data from the states on: (1) the implementation of racial profiling education curricula in state POSTor equivalent state-level program peace officer certification, (2) the adoption rate by state POST programs of the FLETAB model practices on racial profiling, (3) the number of credible complaints of improper racial profiling practices filed against state law enforcement entities, (4) the disposition of such complaints, and (5) the disciplinary action by state law enforcement entities against officers and agents adjudicated guilty of improper racial profiling practices. Requires the Secretary's annual report on the Officer to include a section related to the enforcement of this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000607_200.jpg)