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![Official portrait of Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000607_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
4,947 records where Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Grants every U.S. citizen of legal voting age the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Responsible Student Loan Solutions Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to limit the unpaid amount of Direct Stafford loans that students may amass before completing their undergraduate education. Varies that limit on the basis of whether a student is a dependent student, independent student, or dependent student whose parents are unable to borrow a Direct PLUS loan. Limits the amount of Direct Stafford loans that students may borrow in any academic year before the completion of their undergraduate studies. Varies that limit on the basis of whether a student: (1) is a dependent student, independent student, or dependent student whose parents are unable to borrow a Direct PLUS loan; and (2) has or has not successfully completed the first year or first and second years of their undergraduate studies. Sets the annual interest rate on Direct loans at the bond equivalent rate on 91-day Treasury bills plus a percentage that: (1) represents the total cost of administering the Direct Loan program and borrower benefits, and (2) results in the program being revenue neutral for the applicable 12-month period. Allows the Secretary of Education to use different percentages under that formula for the Direct Stafford Loan, Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, PLUS Loan, and Consolidation Loan programs. Caps the annual interest rate for Direct Stafford loans at 6.8%, and for Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans and Direct PLUS and Consolidation loans at 8.25% Directs the Secretary to charge the borrower of a Direct PLUS loan an origination fee of up to 3% of the loan principal. Limits the applicability of the preceding provisions to loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2013. Authorizes the Secretary to refinance federal PLUS and Stafford loans to permit borrowers to obtain an interest rate determined pursuant to this Act's provisions. Allows the Secretary to charge borrowers an administrative fee for refinancing such loans that does not exceed 0.5% of the loan principal.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Preventing Victims of Stalking Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person: (1) is subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening any individual (currently, an intimate partner of such person or child of such partner or person), or engaging in other conduct that would place any individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury; or (2) has been convicted in any court of stalking. Prohibits any such person from shipping or transporting any firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce, possessing any firearm or ammunition in or affecting commerce, or receiving any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to jurisdiction of courts in the United States over foreign manufacturers that import products into the United States. Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (with respect to drugs, devices, cosmetics, and biological products), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) (with respect to consumer products), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (with respect to chemical substances, new chemical substances, and pesticides) to require foreign manufacturers and producers of such products (or components used to manufacture them), in excess of a minimum value or quantity, to establish a registered agent in the United States authorized to accept service of process on their behalf for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court. Deems a foreign manufacturer or producer of products covered under this Act that registers an agent to consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state or federal courts of the state in which the agent is located for the purpose of any civil or regulatory proceeding. Requires any person who imports into the United States a covered product manufactured or produced outside the United States to provide to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a declaration that to the best of the person's knowledge, with respect to the importation of each covered product, the foreign manufacturer or producer of the product has registered an agent in the United States. Directs the CBP Commissioner to prescribe related regulations. Subjects an importer who fails to provide or files a false declaration to certain penalties. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs jointly to study the feasibility and advisability of requiring foreign producers of food distributed in commerce to establish a registered agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on behalf of such producers for the purpose of all civil and regulatory actions in state and federal courts. Requires the head of each agency cited in this Act similarly to study feasible and advisable methods of requiring foreign manufacturers or producers of component parts of covered products distributed in U.S. commerce to establish registered agents in the United States for purposes of such service of process.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption from restrictions on underground injection of fluids or propping agents granted to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under such Act. Requires: (1) state underground injection programs to direct a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations to disclose to the state (or the Administrator if the Administrator has primary enforcement responsibility in such state) the chemicals intended for use in underground injections prior to the commencement of such operations and the chemicals actually used after the end of such operations, and (2) a state or the Administrator to make such disclosure available to the public. Requires a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations, when a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in such operations is necessary for medical treatment, to disclose such formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the Administrator, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Authorizes such person to require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Gestational Diabetes Act of 2013 or the GEDI Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a multisite gestational diabetes research project within the diabetes program of the CDC to expand and enhance surveillance data and public health research on gestational diabetes. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand and intensify public health research on gestational diabetes, including; (1) developing and testing novel approaches for improving postpartum testing or screening and for preventing type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes, and (2) conducting research to further understanding of the factors and health systems that influence the risk of gestational diabetes and the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes. Requires the Director to: (1) award grants for demonstration projects to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes, the recurrence of such disease in subsequent pregnancies, and the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes; and (2) work with state and Indian tribal-based diabetes prevention and control programs assisted by the CDC to encourage postpartum follow-up after gestational diabetes to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and its recurrence, the development of type 2 diabetes in at-risk women, and related complications.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Biennial Budgeting and Enhanced Oversight Act of 2013 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to require: (1) biennial (instead of annual) budget resolutions, (2) biennial appropriations Acts, and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Makes conforming amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), and the CBA.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Keeping All Students Safe Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to establish minimum standards that: prohibit elementary and secondary school personnel from managing any student by using any mechanical or chemical restraint, physical restraint or escort that restricts breathing, or aversive behavioral intervention that compromises student health and safety; prohibit such personnel from using physical restraint or seclusion, unless such measures are required to eliminate an imminent danger of physical injury to the student or others and certain precautions are taken; require states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that a sufficient number of school personnel receive state-approved crisis intervention training and certification in first aid and certain safe and effective student management techniques; prohibit physical restraint or seclusion from being written into a student's education plan, individual safety plan, behavioral plan, or individual education program as a planned intervention; and require schools to establish procedures to notify parents in a timely manner if physical restraint or seclusion is imposed on their child. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to LEAs to: (1) establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures to meet such standards; (2) improve their capacity to collect and analyze data related to physical restraint and seclusion; and (3) implement school-wide positive behavior supports. Requires LEAs to allow private school personnel to participate, on an equitable basis, in activities supported by such grants and subgrants. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national assessment of this Act's effectiveness. Gives Protection and Advocacy Systems the authority provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to investigate, monitor, and enforce this Act's protections for students. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish standards for Head Start agencies that are consistent with the minimum standards for the management of elementary and secondary school students. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds to the Secretary of HHS to assist Head Start agencies in establishing, implementing, and enforcing policies and procedures to meet such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Stability to Ensure the American Dream for Youth Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013, to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students before July 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Better Enforcement for Sexual Assault Free Environments Act of 2013 or BE SAFE Act - Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to repeal the authority of a convening authority (the person taking action on the findings of a court-martial) to use discretion to either set aside a finding of guilty or change such finding to a finding of guilty to a lesser included offense (except with respect to a minor offense). Requires a convening authority, when changing a charge with respect to a minor offense, to prepare a written explanation of such action, which shall be made part of the record. Prohibits a convening authority from reducing a sentence to less than the mandatory minimum sentence, unless to reflect the substantial assistance by the accused in the investigation or prosecution of another person who has committed an offense. Requires a convening authority who disapproves, commutes, or suspends a sentence, in whole or in part, to prepare a detailed written explanation therefor, which shall be made part of the record. Requires mandatory dismissal or dishonorable discharge of a person found guilty under the UCMJ of rape, sexual assault, forcible sodomy, or an attempt thereof. Eliminates any statute of limitations with respect to UCMJ actions for sexual assault of a child. Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide guidance for commanders regarding their authority to make determinations, and to take action, regarding whether a member of the Armed Forces (member) serving on active duty who is alleged to have committed a sexual assault or other sex-related offense should be temporarily reassigned or removed from a position of authority or assignment in order to maintain order and discipline within the member's unit. Directs the Secretary concerned to designate legal counsel (knows as a Victims' Counsel) to provide legal assistance to a member or dependent who is the victim of a sex-related offense, whether the allegation is restricted (confidential) or unrestricted. Requires enhanced training for all military and civilian attorneys providing such assistance. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to report to the congressional defense committees on: (1) sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimum sentencing provisions under the UCMJ, and (2) the roles of commanders in the administration of military justice and the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of UCMJ offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Offending Oil Polluters Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny all income tax credits and deductions to an offending oil polluter. Defines "offending oil polluter" to mean any person responsible for a vessel or a facility from which oil is discharged, unless such person: (1) has met all obligations under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to provide compensation for covered removal costs and damages; (2) was not found during the seven-year period after the first oil discharge to have committed willful or repeated violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; (3) was not convicted of a criminal violation for death or serious bodily injury; (4) did not have more than 10 fatalities at its facilities or refineries resulting from violations of federal or state health, safety, or environmental laws; and (5) was not required to pay fines of more than $10 million for violations of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Military Family Home Protection Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (the Act) to allow a court, in an action to enforce an obligation on real or personal property secured by a mortgage against a servicemember who is, or was, eligible for hostile fire or imminent danger pay during a period of military service, a servicemember placed on convalescent status, a veteran who was medically discharged and retired, or the surviving spouse of a member who died during military service, to stay such proceedings, upon request of a covered individual, for a specified period (generally, one year after the event occurred for which the individual became covered). Prohibits the sale, foreclosure, or seizure of the subject property during such period, except upon a court order or pursuant to an agreement authorized under the Act. Requires the individual so covered to notify the mortgagee, trustee, or other creditor of such coverage. Provides a criminal penalty for violations of the sale or foreclosure prohibitions, and increases current civil penalties for mortgage violations under the Act. Prohibits an individual from being denied or refused credit solely by reason of eligibility for relief under this Act. Requires a servicemember-mortgagor who does not reside in the mortgage-secured residence due to military relocation and who inquires about, or applies for, a refinancing to be considered to occupy such residence during the period of the relocation. Requires each lending institution acting as a creditor to such servicemember, veteran, or surviving spouse to designate an employee responsible for ensuring the institution's compliance with the requirements of this Act. Requires any such institution that had prior annual assets of $10 billion or more to maintain on its primary website a toll-free number for information concerning such requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with respect to the Coast Guard, or any of the military departments to investigate allegations of retaliatory personnel actions taken in response to making protected communications to such Inspector General regarding alleged instances of rape, sexual assault, or other forms of sexual misconduct in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make formula grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish or enhance educational programs and related services that enable pregnant and parenting students to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school. Requires state grantees to: (1) designate a Coordinator for Education of Pregnant and Parenting Students who is to develop and implement a state plan for educating pregnant and parenting students, and (2) develop and implement high-quality professional development programs for LEAs and school personnel. Requires subgrantees to: provide academic support services to pregnant and parenting students; assist such students in accessing quality, affordable child care, and early childhood education services; provide transportation services or assistance to such students and their children; educate students, parents, and community members regarding the educational rights of such students; train school personnel regarding the challenges facing pregnant and parenting students and their educational rights; revise school policies and practices that hinder or discourage such students from continuing their education; provide student parents with training and support in parenting, healthy relationship skills, unplanned pregnancy prevention strategies, and other life skills; and provide educational and career mentoring services and peer groups to pregnant and parenting students. Gives subgrant priority to LEAs in geographic areas with teen birth rates that: (1) exceed the state average, or (2) are below the state average but higher than the state average for one or more racial or ethnic groups. Directs the Secretary to conduct national activities that include: (1) providing technical assistance to states and reviewing their plans for educating pregnant and parenting students, (2) evaluating subgrantees' programs and education program service delivery models for such students, and (3) gathering and disseminating information regarding the education of such students and best practices in facilitating it.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act of 2013 or the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with HIV/AIDS should: (1) not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status; and (2) demonstrate a public health-oriented, evidence-based, medically accurate, and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, health implications, treatment, and the impact of punitive HIV-specific laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions on public health and on affected people, families, and communities. Directs: (1) the Attorney General (AG), Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Secretary of Defense (DOD) to initiate a national review of federal (including military) and state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV/AIDS; and (2) the AG to transmit to Congress and make publicly available the results of such review with related recommendations. Requires the AG and HHS Secretary to: (1) develop and publicly release guidance and best practice recommendations for states, and (2) establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation system to measure state progress. Directs the AG and HHS and DOD Secretaries to transmit to the President and Congress any proposals necessary to implement adjustments to federal laws, policies, or regulations. Prohibits this Act from being construed to discourage the prosecution of individuals who intentionally transmit or attempt to transmit HIV to another individual.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Email Privacy Act - Amends the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 to prohibit a provider of remote computing service or electronic communication service to the public from knowingly divulging to any governmental entity the contents of any communication that is in electronic storage or otherwise maintained by the provider. Revises provisions under which the government may require, pursuant to a warrant, the disclosure by such a provider of the contents of such communications. Eliminates the different requirements applicable under current law depending on whether such communications were stored for fewer than, or more than, 180 days. Requires a law enforcement agency, within 10 days after receiving the contents of a customer's communication, or a governmental entity, within 3 days, to provide the customer a copy of the warrant and a notice that such information was requested by, and supplied to, the government entity. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the authority of a governmental entity to use an administrative or civil discovery subpoena to: (1) require an originator or recipient of an electronic communication to disclose the contents of such communication to the governmental entity; or (2) require an entity that provides electronic communication services to employees or agents of the entity to disclose the contents of an electronic communication to or from such employee or agent to a governmental entity if the communication is held, stored, or maintained on an electronic communications system owned or operated by the entity. Authorizes a governmental entity that is: (1) seeking a warrant for the contents of communications to include in the application a request for an order delaying the notification required for up to 180 days, in the case of a law enforcement agency, or up to 90 days, in the case of any other governmental entity; and (2) obtaining the contents of a communication, or information or records, to apply to a court for an order directing a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service to which a warrant, order, subpoena, or other directive is directed not to notify any other person of the existence of the directive for up to 180 days, in the case of of a law enforcement agency, or up to 90 days, in the case of any other governmental entity. Provides for extensions. Requires service providers, after such extension, to provide the government three business days' notice of their intent to inform a customer or subscriber that the provider has disclosed the individual's electronic communications information to the government. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress by September 30, 2015, regarding the disclosure by electronic communication service providers of customer communications and records, including an analysis and evaluation of such disclosure under provisions: (1) as in effect before the enactment of this Act, and (2) as amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2013 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity and enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution, a federal or state statute, or related public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children in the foster care system face. Encourages Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. Supports the designation of National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Improving the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act of 2013 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to include gender-responsive services in the grant program for juvenile delinquency prevention. Defines "gender-responsive services" to mean promising practices and evidence-based services that comprehensively address the needs of girls in the juvenile justice system by providing services that reflect an understanding of: (1) the unique pathways of girls into the juvenile justice system; (2) the need for interventions that address common experiences of girls in the system, including histories of abuse, violence, broken family relationships, and substance abuse; and (3) the social and cultural factors of girls in the system. Includes in such definition trauma-specific services. Authorizes appropriations for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Grant Program from FY2014-FY2019.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Enhanced Access to Medicaid Services Act of 2013 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to apply the Medicaid primary care payment rate in 2013 and 2014 to additional physicians with a primary specialty designation of neurology, psychiatry, or obstetrics and gynecology.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to: (1) identify opportunities and ideas within government and the private sector that are key components in achieving the end of breast cancer and which have been overlooked, yet are ripe for collaboration and investment; (2) recommend projects to leverage such opportunities and ideas in the areas of the primary prevention of breast cancer and the causes and prevention of breast cancer metastasis; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine for an evaluation of the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Pediatric Subspecialty and Mental Health Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Reauthorizes through FY2018 a pediatric specialty educational loan repayment program for health professionals providing pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical specialty, or child and adolescent mental and behavioral health care in an area with a shortage of the specified pediatric subspecialty that has a sufficient pediatric population to support the subspecialty.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage. Defines "medical health care" to mean voluntary health treatment by or supervised by a medical doctor that would be covered under minimum essential coverage that: (1) includes voluntary acute care treatment at hospital emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, or similar facilities; and (2) excludes treatment not administered or supervised by a medical doctor, physical examinations or treatment required by law or third parties, and vaccinations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2013 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan providing benefits with respect to anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable coverage for prescribed, patient-administered anticancer medications used to kill, slow, or prevent the growth of cancerous cells and that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Applies such requirement to medication that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is: (1) medically necessary for the purpose of killing, slowing, or preventing the growth of cancerous cells in accordance with nationally accepted standards of medical practice; and (2) clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. Permits such coverage to be subject to the same cost-sharing applicable to anticancer medications administered by a health care provider under the plan. Prohibits a health plan from imposing an increase in out-of-pocket costs, reclassifying benefits with respect to anticancer medications, or applying more restrictive limitations on prescribed orally- or intravenously-administered or injected anticancer medications. Requires a plan to provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act. Prohibits a health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act. Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to assess how closing the Medicare part D donut hole affects Medicare coverage for orally-administered anticancer medications, with a particular focus on cost and accessibility.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Dental Insurance Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to prescribe certain health care coverage value requirements for dental benefits under self-insured group health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Troop Talent Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretaries of the military departments, to the maximum extent practicable, to make information on civilian credentialing opportunities available to members of the Armed Forces (members) beginning with, and at every stage of, their training for military occupational specialities, in order to permit such members to: (1) evaluate the extent to which such training correlates with skills and training required for various civilian certifications and licenses, and (2) assess the suitability of such training for obtaining and pursuing such certifications and licenses. Requires the information made available to: (1) be consistent with the Transition Goals Plans Success program, and (2) include information on the civilian occupational equivalents of military occupational specialties. Requires such Secretaries to make available to civilian credentialing agencies specified information on the content of military training provided to members. Allows members or veterans to use educational assistance provided through the Department of Defense (DOD) or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in pursuit of a civilian certification or license only if the successful completion of a curriculum fully qualifies such student to take the appropriate examination and be certified or licensed to meet any other academic conditions required for entry into that occupation or profession. Requires the military occupational specialties designated for a military skills to civilian credentialing pilot program under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to include those specialties relating to the military information technology workforce. Directs the VA Secretary to reestablish the Professional Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee (under current law, terminated on December 31, 2006). Provides additional Committee duties, including the development of: (1) guidance for audits of licensure and certification programs in order to ensure high-quality education to members and veterans, and (2) a plan to improve outreach to members and veterans on the importance of licensing and certification and the availability of educational benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2014: (1) the Medicare-dependent hospital program, and (2) increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Veterans Claims Efficiency Through Automation Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include in a required annual VA activities and costs report to Congress a report on the automatic processing of claims for compensation during the preceding year, including each medical condition for which claims were processed and the number of claims for each condition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Distillery Excise Tax Reform Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a reduction (from $13.50 to $2.70 on each proof gallon produced in the United States) in the excise tax on distilled spirits for domestic distillers who produce not more than 60,000 proof gallons of distilled spirits during the calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Recognizes: (1) the disparate impacts of climate change on women and the efforts of women globally to address it, and (2) the need for balanced participation of men and women in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Encourages the use of gender-sensitive frameworks in developing climate change policies. Affirms Congress's commitment to: (1) support women who are particularly vulnerable to prepare for and adapt to climate change impacts, including a commitment to increase education and training opportunities for women to develop local resilience plans to address the effects of climate change; (2) empower women in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of climate change strategies; and (3) include women in economic development planning, policies, and practices that directly improve conditions that result from climate change. Encourages the President to: (1) integrate a gender approach in all U.S. policies and programs that are globally related to climate change, and (2) ensure that those policies and programs support women globally to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award National Classified School Employees of the Year Awards to public school employees within certain occupational specialties who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through higher education. Requires the Secretary to choose an awardee each year, out of nominations received from each state, from each of the following occupational specialties: (1) paraprofessionals, (2) clerical and administrative services, (3) transportation services, (4) food and nutrition services, (5) custodial and maintenance services, (6) security services, (7) health and student services, (8) technical services, and (9) skilled trades.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation. Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations, and (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces. Declares that this Act does not repeal or modify any federal, state, territorial, or local law creating a special right or preference concerning employment for a veteran. Prohibits this Act from being construed to: (1) prohibit an employer from requiring an employee to adhere to reasonable dress or grooming standards, or (2) require the construction of new or additional facilities. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from compelling collection or requiring production of statistics from covered entities on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Provides for enforcement, including giving the EEOC, the Librarian of Congress (LOC), the Attorney General (DOJ), and U.S. courts the same enforcement powers as they have under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and other specified laws. Allows actions and proceedings, subject to exception, against the United States and the states.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a domestic partner or his or her child, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition. Amends federal civil service law to apply the same leave allowance to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and publish guidelines to assist state, Indian tribe, and tribal organization child welfare agencies and juvenile and family courts in efforts to serve appropriately youth who are victims of trafficking and youth at-risk of becoming such. Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require a state plan for foster care and adoption assistance to require reasonable efforts be made to: (1) identify as a victim of trafficking and document appropriately in agency records each child who is such a victim over whom the agency has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision; and (2) specify in agency records the type of trafficking to which the child has been subjected. Requires the plan to require the agency to report within 72 hours to appropriate law enforcement agencies for entry into the National Crime Information Center database the identity of each child to whom the agency is providing child welfare services who is missing or has been abducted or is identified as a victim of trafficking. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require the state plan for use of a grant for a child abuse or neglect prevention program to contain an assurance that the state law has in place provisions and procedures for the assessment and identification of victims of trafficking, as well as comprehensive training and services to serve such victims.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Assessing Progress in Haiti Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on the status of post-earthquake recovery and development efforts in Haiti, including efforts to prevent the spread of cholera and treat persons infected with the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or HELLPP Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to revise requirements for coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes regarding the processes of: (1) documentation by a physician of, and certification of a comprehensive plan of care related to, the diabetic condition; (2) prescription by a podiatrist or other qualified physician upon a finding of the medical necessity for the therapeutic shoes, including findings communicated to a certifying doctor of medicine or osteopathy of certain related foot conditions; and (3) fitting and supplying the shoes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject to the continuing levy upon property and property rights, for collection of unpaid taxes, any payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013 - Amends the Egg Products Inspection Act to revise provisions concerning housing and treatment of egg-laying hens and enforcement of such requirements. Sets forth separate caging device and environmental and housing conversion provisions for California. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to delegate to the California Department of Food and Agriculture certain enforcement authority with respect to eggs produced, shipped, handled, transported, or received in California prior to the date that is 15 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
American Opportunity Tax Credit Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits with a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that: (1) allows an income tax credit of up to $2,500 of the qualified tuition and related expenses of a student who is carrying at least one half of a normal course load, (2) increases the income threshold for reductions in the credit amount based upon modified adjusted gross income, (3) allows a lifetime dollar limitation on such credit of $15,000 for all taxable years, and (4) makes 40% of the credit refundable. Allows an exclusion from gross income of any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a federal court to impose a sentence below a statutory minimum if necessary to avoid violating federal provisions prescribing factors courts must consider in imposing a sentence. Requires the court to give the parties notice of its intent to impose a lower sentence and to state in writing the factors requiring such a sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2013 - Directs the President to develop and transmit to Congress a comprehensive strategy to end serious human rights violations in Sudan and to promote comprehensive peace and democratic reform. Requires the strategy to include an interagency plan along with a description of the resources and additional personnel required for the diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military activities to be undertaken to address and end human rights violations, strengthen democratic institutions, and expand democratic participation and governance, including capacity building of Sudanese civil society, political parties, and nongovernmental organizations seeking peaceful democratic change. Requires a description of: (1) the options for expanding U.S. diplomatic engagement with countries with close political or economic relations with Sudan, including China, Russia, Qatar, Egypt, and other traditional allies and multilateral organizations; and (2) the manner in which sanctions against Sudan or Sudanese individuals will be more effectively enforced, including by providing adequate resources and personnel to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) within the Department of the Treasury, prioritizing the enforcement of Sudan sanctions within OFAC, and mandating increased collection of intelligence information on Sudanese targets of sanctions. Directs the President to impose specified visa, development assistance, security assistance, property, credit, financial assistance, export, cultural, or scientific sanctions on any person or government that: (1) supported or assisted Sudan in the commission of serious human rights violations in Sudan, including by selling, leasing, or otherwise transferring military equipment to Sudan or providing property, goods, technology, services, or other support in the amount of $500,000 or more that directly and significantly contributes to Sudan committing or assisting in the commission of serious human rights violations; (2) is interfering or has interfered with the delivery of humanitarian aid to Sudan; (3) is impeding the peace process or threatening the stability of any part of Sudan or the region; or (4) failed to execute an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against any Sudanese official if such person or government had the jurisdictional authority to execute the warrant and failed to make the arrest without reasonable justification. Prohibits the imposition of sanctions or other prohibitions on any government or person that is: (1) acting on behalf of the government of South Sudan in connection with the shipment or payment for oil from South Sudan or the advancement of peace between Sudan and South Sudan, or (2) providing humanitarian aid to Sudan. Amends: (1) the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act of 2004 to make its asset and visa sanctions applicable to Sudan, and (2) the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006 to impose such sanctions on Janjaweed commanders and coordinators threatening peace and stability in Sudan. Terminates sanctions upon certification by the President that specified conditions have been met.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require a state Medicaid plan to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for an eligible individual, regardless of age. Amends SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) to require a state CHIP plan also to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for an eligible individual.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Saving Essential American Sailors Act or SEAS Act - Amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) to repeal the Act's repeal of the agricultural export requirements that: (1) 25% of the gross tonnage of certain agricultural commodities or their products exported each fiscal year be transported on U.S. commercial vessels, and (2) the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) finance any increased ocean freight charges incurred in the transportation of such items. Revives and reinstates those repealed requirements to read as if they were never repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Yosemite National Park Boundary Expansion Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the approximately 1,575 acres of identified land that is adjacent to Yosemite National Park in California for addition to the Park. Permits an acquisition of such land to be made by donation, purchase from a willing seller, or exchange and revises the boundary of the Park to reflect the acquisition. Requires the Secretary to administer any acquired land as part of the Park.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Patient Centered Quality Care for Life Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Patient-Centered Health Care and Quality of Life Stakeholder Strategic Summit to: (1) analyze key health system barriers to providing patient-centered health care that integrates symptom management and other aspects of coordinated or palliative care; and (2) identify strategic solutions for collectively addressing quality of life concerns for the rapidly expanding population of patients and survivors facing serious, complex, and chronic illness in the United States and for the families of such patients and survivors. Requires the Secretary to establish a Summit Steering Committee, which shall draft a summary report detailing Summit recommendations for a national strategic action agenda to improve patient-centered care and quality of life. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a national quality of life education and awareness grants program initiative for seriously ill patients, their families, and health professionals who treat them for the purposes of encouraging an increased demand for and delivery of integrated and patient-centered care for managing their pain and symptoms and improving their quality of life. Requires the Director to award competitive grants to develop new and expand existing information, resources, and communication materials about symptom management and other aspects of patient-centered care as an integral part of quality care for serious illnesses. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish a health care professional workforce training grants program initiative for purposes of promoting and enhancing symptom assessment and management, communications skills, coordinated patient-centered care, and other quality of life focused clinical core competencies across all clinical specialties that serve seriously ill patients and patients with multiple or complex chronic diseases. Requires the Secretary: (1) to update and expand the September 2002 HRSA report, titled "The Supply, Demand and Use of Palliative Care Physicians in the United States"; (2) to establish a Quality of Life Cross-Agency Advisory Committee to assist the CDC and HRSA in conducting the national quality of life education and awareness initiative and the health care professional workforce training initiative and to disseminate initiative findings for cross agency implementation of best practices; and (3) acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop and implement a strategy to be applied across NIH institutes and centers that is in accordance with the Advisory Committee's recommendations to expand national research programs in symptom management, palliative, psychosocial, and survivorship care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Speaker should follow regular House procedure and immediately request a conference and appoint conferees to negotiate a FY2014 budget resolution conference agreement with the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Native American Indian Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to pay four-year Native American-serving nontribal institutions of higher education the out-of-state tuition of their Indian students if those schools are required to provide a tuition-free education, with the support of their state, to Indian students in fulfillment of a condition under which the college or state received its original grant of land and facilities from the federal government. Limits that payment each fiscal year to the institution's total out-of-state tuition for Indian students in academic year 2012-2013. Treats such payments as reimbursements to such institutions from their states. Rescinds unobligated discretionary appropriations to offset the costs of this program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act of 2013 - Prohibits an employer from discharging, discriminating, or engaging in retaliatory actions against specified employees who report to a government official any violation or unsafe condition under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Sets forth procedures for the filing, investigation, and adjudication of a complaint regarding such retaliation. Requires employers to: (1) post a notice approved by the Secretary of Labor explaining employee rights and remedies under this Act in a conspicuous location in the place of employment where employees frequent; (2) provide training to employees about their rights under this Act within 30 days of employment, and at least once every 12 months thereafter; and (3) provide employees with a card containing a toll free telephone number at the Department of Labor to get information or file a complaint under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor, within 30 days after enactment of this Act, to designate agency officials to receive, investigate, and adjudicate complaints concerning violations under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Protecting America's Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to expand its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, under specified conditions, to cede OSHA jurisdiction to another federal agency with respect to certain occupational standards or regulations for such agency's employees. Declares OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. Increases protections for whistle blowers under OSHA. Prescribes requirements relating to: (1) a employer's duty to furnish a place of employment free from recognized hazards causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm that the employer creates or controls or in which the employer exposes any individual (not just an employer's employee) performing work there; (2) the posting of employee rights; (3) a site-controlling employer's duty to keep a site log for recordable injuries and illnesses of all employees, including employees of the site-controlling employer or others (including independent contractors) performing work there; (4) employer reporting of employee work-related deaths or hospitalizations, (5) a prohibition against employers adopting or implementing policies or practices that discourage or discriminate against employee reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses; (6) a prohibition against the loss of wages or employee benefits due to an employee participating in a workplace inspection; (7) investigations of incidents resulting in death or the hospitalization of two or more employees which occur in a place of employment; and (8) a prohibition against the issuing, modifying, or settling of unclassified citations for occupational health and safety standard violations. Continues requirements relating to: (1) the rights of an employee (including a former employee or family member in lieu of an employee) who has sustained a work-related injury or illness that is the subject of an inspection or investigation; (2) an employer's right to contest citations and penalties; and (3) periods permitted for an employer to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations pending an employer's contest to a citation and procedures for stays of the time period for abatement of those violations. Increases civil and criminal penalties for certain OSHA violators. States that pre-final order interest on any penalties owed shall begin to accrue on the date a party contests a citation, at an interest rate calculated at the current underpayment rate. Prescribes requirements for the Secretary's evaluation of state occupational safety and health plans as well as workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Revises requirements for state plans for the development and enforcement of state occupational safety and health standards in lieu of applicable federal occupational safety and health standards. Requires the Secretary to approve plans that provide for state consideration of repeated occupational safety and health violations committed by an employer within the state as well as those committed under other occupational safety and health plans in states where the Secretary has jurisdiction. Requires a state that has an approved plan for the development and enforcement of occupational safety and health standards to amend its plan to conform to the requirements of this Act within 12 months after enactment of this Act.