The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Rep. Barber, Ron [D-AZ-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001279_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
313 records where Rep. Barber, Ron [D-AZ-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress
United States · United States Congress
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
21st Century SCASDP Act - Revises certain criteria the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) must apply in selecting communities, or consortia of communities, with an underserved airport for participation in the Small Community Air Service Development Program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Funeral Honors for World War II Veterans Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to include seven person firing parties in the funeral honors details for World War II veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Veterans Health Administration Management Improvement Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) conduct a five-year management review of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and (2) submit annual reports to Congress on the matters reviewed, including recommendations for improving the VHA's management. Directs the Secretary of the VA to establish a five-year pilot program to improve the VHA's management and accountability that: gives VHA employees an opportunity to learn, implement, and identify successful means of advancing the VHA's management and the delivery of care and services; and improves the management and delivery of care and services at VA medical facilities by implementing the GAO's recommendations, and any other appropriate recommendations, regarding the VHA's planning and evaluation capabilities. Requires the Secretary, during such pilot program, to: (1) establish an annual performance plan that uses logic modeling and risk assessment to coordinate the VA's operations with its goals; and (2) prepare an annual organization evaluation plan for the VHA that is informed by the GAO's recommendations. Establishes an Office of the Management and Accountability Ombudsman within the VA to: assist the Secretary in conducting the pilot program; conduct inspections of VHA medical facilities, including non-VA facilities that provide VA contract care; and work with the Secretary and VHA employees in identifying and resolving problems with the VHA's management, administration, and delivery of care. Directs the GAO to review each budget the President submits to Congress during 2015-2020 to evaluate the proposed budget for VA health care. Establishes a Veterans' Bill of Rights regarding health care, which is to be prominently displayed in each VA medical facility and about which the Secretary shall conduct outreach to veterans and ensure that VA employees receive training.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the United States Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry located at First Street and Pan American Avenue in Douglas, Arizona, as the "Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Expresses support for the designation of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Recognizes that members of the Armed Forces face changing battlefield threats and unique enemy challenges that call for proven equipment tested at the Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Supports the long term viability of Fort Huachuca and its Electronic Proving Ground. Expresses appreciation to soldiers and civilians for their 60 years of work at the Electronic Proving Ground and their service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Commends the work of the individuals and organizations involved in building and maintaining the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a Small Business Saturday, (2) efforts to encourage consumers to shop locally, and (3) efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include terrorism risk as a factor the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) shall consider under the electronic system for travel authorization (ESTA) in determining the eligibility of an alien to travel to the United States. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress regarding: (1) the number of individuals, identified by their countries of citizenship or nationality, who were denied eligibility to travel, or whose eligibility was revoked, under ESTA because the individual was determined to be a U.S. security threat; (2) steps to strengthen ESTA; and (3) foreign government compliance with information sharing agreements concerning passport theft or loss and whether a country's citizens or nationals traveling to the United States pose a U.S. security threat. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend a country from the visa waiver program without prior notice if the country fails to comply with an agreement to share information regarding whether its citizens and nationals traveling to the United States pose a U.S. security threat.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Amends the federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to describe the organization as a national association of veterans (currently, an association of men) who, as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, served this Nation in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign soil or in hostile waters. Expands its purpose of assisting widows to that of assisting surviving spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Condemns: (1) all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval over political events, and (2) the comparison of Israel to Nazis perpetrating a Holocaust or genocide. Applauds those foreign leaders, especially in France, Italy, and Germany, who have condemned anti-Semitic acts, and calls on those who have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism in their countries to do so. Reaffirms support for the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Supports Holocaust educational programs at home and abroad. Urges the Secretary of State to: maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a U.S. foreign policy priority, urge governments to ensure that adequate laws are in place to punish anti-Semitic violence and hate crimes as well as establish mechanisms to investigate and punish perpetrators, continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism as a human rights and religious freedom issue, provide training for diplomatic and law enforcement personnel posted abroad to report on anti-Semitic incidents, deepen engagement with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and support its specialized efforts to monitor and address anti-Semitism, and oppose efforts to prevent any individual from exercising his or her religion without fear of prosecution or violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Post-9/11 Veterans Education Fairness Act - Allows former members of the Armed Forces and Armed Forces Reserves who are entitled to Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to transfer those benefits to family members within 15 years after their discharge or release from military service. (Currently, this transfer authority is restricted to members of the Armed Forces who transfer such entitlement while serving in the Armed Forces.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Maya Angelou.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2014
Members Play By the Same Rules Act of 2014 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to eliminate Federal Employee Health Benefits Program premium subsidies for Members of Congress. Provides that the only way Members of Congress can satisfy the minimum essential coverage requirement through individual coverage is to enroll in a health plan offered by the health insurance exchange to residents of the congressional district or state they represent.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Helping Unaccompanied Minors and Alleviating National Emergency Act or the HUMANE Act - Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to declare that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence shall be: (1) placed in removal proceedings, (2) eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and (3) provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply only to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate agreements regarding the repatriation of children with Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and any other appropriate foreign country. (Currently such agreements are to be negotiated between the United States and countries contiguous to the United States.) Requires a UAC to be placed within seven days of initial screening in a proceeding to expedite due process and screening. Prohibits a UAC to be removed from U.S. custody during preliminary proceedings until repatriation or unless placed in removal proceedings. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a proceeding to expedite due process and screening for UACs. Requires an immigration judge to: conduct a proceeding to inspect and determine the status of a UAC who is an applicant for U.S. admission not later than 7 days after initial screening, determine within 72 hours of the proceeding's conclusion whether a UAC is likely to be admissible (or eligible for relief from removal) or is lawfully present in the United States, and place a UAC in further proceedings if such conditions have been met or order a UAC removed from the United States without further hearing or review unless there is a claim of asylum or a credible fear of persecution. States that: if a UAC intends to make a claim of asylum or fear of persecution he or she shall be referred to an asylum officer who shall determine in an interview whether there is a credible fear of persecution; if there is no credible fear of persecution a UAC shall be ordered removed without further hearing or review; and a UAC shall be held in protective Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody pending a final determination of credible fear of persecution, or removal. Sets forth due process protections for UACs, including protective HHS custody. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ) to hire or reassign up to 40 immigration judges to conduct expedited inspection and screening of UACs. Prohibits the Secretary of HHS from placing a UAC in the custody of an individual who has been convicted of a sex offense or a crime involving a severe form of trafficking in persons. Requires related biometric criminal background checks. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for: (1) gaining and maintaining situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas along the U.S. southern and northern borders within two years, and (2) gaining and maintaining operational control along the southwest border of the United States not later than five years. Requires the Secretary to submit a related implementation plan to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Requires the Secretary of DHS to implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at and between ports of entry and in the maritime environment. Prohibits the Secretary of DHS from conducting any study relating to the imposition of a border crossing fee for pedestrians or passenger vehicles at land ports of entry along the U.S. southern and northern borders. Directs the Secretary of DHS to: (1) upgrade technological assets and equipment and physical and tactical infrastructure on the southern border, and (2) increase the number of trained active-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on the southern border. Authorizes funds under this Act to be expended, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of HHS, for the governor of a state to order any units or personnel of the state's National Guard to perform specified operations on the southern border. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance law enforcement preparedness, humanitarian responses, and operational readiness along the southern border through Operation Stonegarden.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD), at least annually, to each arrange for an independent third party evaluation of, respectively, the VA and DOD mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Requires a board reviewing the discharge or dismissal of a former member of the Armed Forces whose application for relief is based at least in part on post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury related to military operations or sexual trauma, to: (1) review the medical evidence from the VA or a civilian health provider that is presented by the former member; and (2) review the case, with a presumption of administrative irregularity, and place the burden on the VA or DOD to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that no error or injustice occurred. Directs the VA Secretary to publish an Internet website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with regularly updated information regarding all of the VA's mental health care services. Requires the VA Secretary and the DOD Secretary to enter into certain strategic relationships to facilitate: the mental health referrals of members of the reserve components who have a service-connected disability and are being discharged or released from the Armed Forces, timely behavioral health services for such members, communication when such members are at risk for behavioral health reasons, and the transfer of documentation for line-of-duty and fitness-for-duty determinations. Requires the VA Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine, demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA, and agree to a period of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine. Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a program, as part of the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program, under which the VA Secretary and an institution of higher education (IHE) agree to cover the full cost of charges not covered by post-9/11 educational assistance that are incurred by veterans who: (1) are pursuing an advanced degree in mental health at the IHE, and (2) intend to seek employment as a mental health professional in the VA. Allows the VA Secretary to cover up to 64% of those charges, if the school covers the remainder. Requires the DOD Secretary to submit to Congress a zero-based review of the staffing requirements for individual State National Guard Commands with respect to Directors of Psychological Health. Directs the VA Secretary to establish a pilot program at not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to assist veterans transitioning from active duty and to improve the access of veterans to mental health services. Requires the pilot program at each VISN to include: (1) a community oriented veteran peer support network, and (2) a community outreach team for each medical center in such VISN.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Veterans' Assistance to Lower Unemployment and Enhance VA Services Act or the VALUES Act - Entitles disabled veterans and the mothers or spouses of certain deceased or disabled veterans to receive an additional 15 points on their examination for entrance into the competitive service at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Entitles certain veterans who served on active duty in the Armed Forces to receive an additional 10 points on their examination for entrance into the competitive service at the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens. Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Ask Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract with an experienced non-government entity to conduct an annual survey, over a five-year period, of a statistically significant sample of veterans who reside in the geographic area served by each VA medical facility to determine the experiences of such veterans in obtaining hospital care and medical services at such facility. Requires those surveys to include questions relating to: the veteran's ability to obtain hospital care and medical services at the facility in a timely manner, the time that expires between the date the veteran requests an appointment and the date on which the appointment is scheduled, the frequency with which scheduled appointments are cancelled, and the quality of hospital care or medical services the veteran receives. Requires the non-government entity to consult with veterans service organizations in designing and conducting the surveys. Prohibits the non-government entity from conducting a survey before the Comptroller General (GAO) certifies the survey as scientifically valid and the proposed sample size of veterans as statistically significant. Directs the Secretary to make the results of the surveys publicly available on the VA's Internet website.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Charitable Automobile Red-Tape Simplification Act of 2014 or the CARS Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for charitable contributions, to modify the substantiation rules for donations of qualified vehicles (i.e., motor vehicles manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways and boats or airplanes) to require: (1) a statement with respect to such qualified vehicles and a good faith estimate of their value at the time of donation; and (2) a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the contribution by the donee organization, with information about the donor and the qualified vehicle.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
Protecting American Jobs and Exports Act - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States through FY2021. Extends through FY2021 and gradually increases (with a specified exception) the Bank's aggregate outstanding loan, guarantee, and insurance authority. Extends through FY2021 Bank authority to provide financing for the export of nonlethal defense articles or services whose primary end use will be for civilian purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014 - Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement between the Hualapai Tribe, the Department of of the Interior, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and the Freeport Minerals Corporation. Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Agreement between the Tribe, the United States as trustee for the Tribe, and Freeport Minerals Corporation. Directs the Secretary of Interior to execute both agreements. Sets forth provisions regarding the waiver, release, and retention of specified water rights claims.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 - Title I: Improvement of Scheduling System for Health Care Appointments - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract for an independent assessment of: the process at each VA medical facility for scheduling appointments for veterans; the staffing level and productivity of each VA medical facility; the organization, processes, and tools used by the VA to support clinical documentation and the subsequent coding of inpatient services; the VA's purchasing, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and medical devices; and the VA's performance in paying amounts owed to third parties and collecting amounts it is owed. Directs the Secretary: (1) through a technology task force, to review the VA's needs regarding its system and software for scheduling veterans' medical appointments; and (2) to implement task force recommendations the Secretary considers feasible, advisable, and cost-effective. Title II: Training and Hiring of Health Care Staff - Requires the Inspector General of the VA to annually determine the five health care occupations for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary, upon a determination by the Inspector General that there is such a staffing shortage regarding a particular health care occupation, to recruit and directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to serve in that particular occupation for the VA. Directs the Secretary, under the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance program, to give scholarship priority to applicants pursuing education or training towards a career in a health care occupation that represents one of the five largest staffing shortages in the VA. Requires the Secretary to submit a biennial report to Congress, until 2024, assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility. Directs the Secretary to establish a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities. Terminates the program after two years. Requires the Secretary, thereafter, to provide health care management training materials to specified VA employees upon the commencement of their employment. Makes specified appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that remain unobligated at the end of FY2014 and FY2015 available to the Secretary to hire additional health care providers for the VHA, particularly in VA medical facilities and areas experiencing the greatest shortages. Title III: Improvement of Access to Care from Non-Department of Veterans Affairs Providers - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with specified non-VA facilities if the veterans: have been unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within the VHA's wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services and such veterans opt for non-VA care or services; reside more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility; or reside in a state without a VA medical facility that provides hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care and such veterans reside more than 20 miles from such a facility. Provides for such care through contracts with any health care provider participating in the Medicare program, any federally-qualified health center, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Directs the Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services at non-VA facilities: (1) when they enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) when they attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within the VHA's wait time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with non-VA facilities two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Requires the Secretary to transfer the authority to pay for health care through non-VA facilities from the VA's Veterans Integrated Service Networks and medical centers to the VHA's Chief Business Office. Directs the Secretary to conduct outreach to each Indian medical facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization through a contract or compact with the IHS to raise awareness of the ability of such facilities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to enter into agreements with the VA for reimbursement for providing veterans with health care at such facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish performance metrics for assessing the performance of the VA and IHS under a memorandum of understanding to increase access to, and the quality and coordination of, health care services. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the reimbursement of direct care services provided to veterans with Native Hawaiian health care systems that are in receipt of funds from grants awarded, or contracts entered into, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Title IV: Health Care Administrative Matters - Directs the Secretary to improve veterans' access to telemedicine and other health care through the use of VA mobile vet centers by establishing standardized requirements for the operation of such centers. Includes among those requirements: (1) the number of days each center is expected to travel each year, (2) the number of locations each center is expected to visit each year, (3) the number of appointments each center is expected to conduct each year, and (4) the method and timing of notification given by each center to individuals in the area to which such center is traveling. Requires each mobile vet center to have the capability to provide telemedicine services. Establishes an Independent Commission on Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Projects to review the VA's current construction and maintenance projects and medical facility leasing program to identify any problems the VA experienced in carrying out such projects and program. Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to examine veterans' access to VA health care and strategically examine how best to organize the VHA, locate health care resources, and deliver health care to veterans over the next 10 to 20 years. Directs the President to require the Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of the VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdictions. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the performance goals of any VISN or VA medical center employee any goal that might disincentivize the payment of VA amounts to provide health care through a non-VA provider. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, the VA's wait time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through the HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, (2) the VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative, and (3) the VA's verification of the credentials and licenses of health care providers furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans in non-VA facilities. Requires the Secretary to implement a plan to address the Comptroller General's findings and recommendations. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with non-VA facilities; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures to another VA employee. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any appropriate grade for which the individual is qualified. Gives an individual seven days to appeal such a removal or transfer to the Merit Systems Protection Board (Board). Requires the Board to conduct an expedited review process that results in a final decision on such an appeal within 21 days after it was submitted. Title V: Health Care Related to Sexual Trauma - Expands eligibility for counseling and treatment for sexual trauma to veterans who were on inactive duty training when they experienced sexual assault or harassment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such counseling and treatment to active-duty members of the Armed Forces who experienced sexual assault or harassment while serving on active duty or active or inactive duty training. (Under current law, such services are provided only to veterans.) Prohibits such a member from being required to obtain a referral before receiving such services. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the treatment and services available from the VA for male veterans who experience military sexual trauma compared to such treatment and services available to female veterans who experience such trauma. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to submit reports to Congress on the transition of military sexual abuse treatment from the DOD to the VA. Title VI: Major Medical Facility Leases - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain major medical facility leases at specified locations for up to specified amounts. Directs the Secretary, in exercising the authority to enter into such leases, to record as the full cost of the contractual obligation at the time a contract is executed either: (1) the amount of total payments under the full lease term, or (2) the first-year payments plus the specified cancellation costs if the lease is terminated before its full term. Requires the funding prospectus of a proposed lease to include a detailed analysis of how the lease is expected to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 and the Anti-Deficiency Act, including an analysis of: (1) the classification of the lease as a lease-purchase, capital lease, or operating lease; (2) the obligation of budgetary resources associated with the lease; and (3) the methodology used in determining the asset cost, fair market value, and cancellation costs of the lease. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before entering into a lease, to submit to Congress: (1) notice of the intention to enter into, and a detailed summary of, such lease; (2) a description and analysis of any differences between the lease prospectus submitted and the proposed lease; and (3) a scoring analysis demonstrating that the proposed lease fully complies with OMB Circular A-11. Requires the Secretary, no more than 30 days after entering into a lease, to report any material differences between the proposed lease and the lease entered. Title VII: Veterans Benefits Matters - Expands the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include surviving spouses (currently, children) of service members who die in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires a surviving spouse entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage. Directs the Secretary to disapprove, for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs, courses of education provided by a public educational institution of higher education (IHE) that charges veterans living in the state higher tuition and fees than it charges in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence. Makes this provision applicable to: (1) veterans who were discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service less than three years before their date of enrollment in the applicable course, (2) family members eligible for such assistance due to their relationship to such veterans, and (3) courses that commence on or after July 1, 2015. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a public IHE's course on the grounds that the IHE conditions a veteran's receipt of in-state tuition rates on such veteran: (1) demonstrating an intent, by means other than physical presence, to establish residency in the state; or (2) satisfying other requirements not related to the establishment of residency. Title VIII: Appropriation and Emergency Designations - Authorizes and appropriates such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for FY2014-FY2016. Treats such funding as emergency funding that is not subject to pay-as-you-go spending constraints.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: select a medical center in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to serve as the national center (Center) for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of health conditions of descendants (i.e., a biological child, grandchild, or great-grandchild) of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to that exposure; establish an advisory board to advise the center, to determine which health conditions result from exposure to toxic substances, and to study and evaluate cases of exposure of current and former members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances; and establish an Office of Extramural Research to conduct research on wounds, illnesses, injuries, and other conditions suffered by active members of the Armed Forces resulting from exposure to toxic substances and to assist the Advisory Board in considering claims of exposure to toxic substances. Requires the Center, in coordination with the National Birth Defect Registry, to track and research the genetic link between individuals who are exposed to Agent Orange and the medical conditions of their children. Extends eligibility for medical care and caregiver assistance to descendants of a veteran who was exposed to toxic substances while serving as a member of the Armed Forces if: (1) the descendant has a health condition resulting from exposure to toxic substances and is homebound due to such condition, and (2) the veteran has or had the same health condition. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which not less than 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of disability. Directs the VA Secretary, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the DOD Secretary to jointly conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed at members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on incidents of exposure to toxic substances, health conditions resulting form such exposure, and the potential long-term effects of such exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts with such non-VA facilities as may be necessary to furnish hospital care and medical services to veterans who: have waited longer than the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (as of June 1, 2014) for an appointment for hospital care or medical services in a VA facility; have been notified by a VA facility that an appointment for hospital care or medical services is not available within such wait-time goals; or reside more than 40 miles from the VA medical facility, including a community-based outpatient clinic, that is closest to their residence. Allows eligible veterans who opt for hospital care or medical services in a non-VA facility to receive such care or services through the completion of the episode of care, but for no longer than 60 days. Directs the Secretary, to the extent that appropriations are available to the VHA for medical services, to reimburse non-VA facilities with which the VA does not have such a contract for providing hospital care and medical services to such veterans, if such care and services cannot be provided within the VHA's wait-time goals in a facility with which the VA has a contract. Sets the reimbursement rate for such care or services at the greatest of the VA, Medicare, or TRICARE (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed care program) payment rate for such care or services. Terminates the Secretary's authority to contract with or reimburse non-VA facilities for the provision of such care and services two years after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract or contracts with a private entity or entities with experience in VHA and private delivery systems and in health care management to conduct an independent assessment of the hospital care and medical services furnished in VA facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from paying awards and bonuses to VA employees for FY2014-FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Reducing Barriers for Veterans Education Act of 2014 - Makes an individual who is eligible for educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program eligible for assistance with the fees for applying to institutions of higher education (IHEs). Sets the amount of such assistance payable to an individual at the lesser of: (1) the total application fees charged to the individual by the IHEs, or (2) $750.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Veterans TRICARE Choice Act - Allows an individual who is eligible to participate in the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program) to: (1) elect to be ineligible to enroll in such program, (2) make tax deductible contributions to a health savings account during the period such individual elects to be ineligible for TRICARE coverage, and (3) enroll in the TRICARE program at a later date during a special enrollment period.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Military Opportunities for Mothers Act or the MOM Act - Requires military personnel who give birth to a child to be given 42 days of convalescent leave for use in connection with that birth. Allows military personnel up to 42 additional days of leave in connection with the birth of such child upon the expiration of the convalescent leave, but: makes them ineligible for basic pay for any day on which such additional leave is used, although they are to be considered to be on active duty for all other purposes; and their commanding officer may recall them from such leave when necessary to maintain unit readiness.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, as part of the Veteran's Workforce Investment Program, to carry out a five-year pilot program (to be known as the Veterans Manufacturing Employment Program) to award competitive grants to three states for the establishment and administration of a State Manufacturing Employment Program to make grants to manufacturing employers and labor-management organizations that provide training, on-job training, apprenticeships, and certification classes to eligible veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act of 2014 - Establishes the White House Office of Mental Health Policy to monitor federal mental health activities and develop a National Strategy for Mental Health, a comprehensive plan to provide services to individuals with mental illness. Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY 2019 various mental health grant programs, including programs for youth suicide prevention, homeless individuals, and diverting individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system. Replaces youth interagency research, training, and technical assistance centers with a suicide prevention technical assistance center and authorizes the center through FY2019. Revises and extends through FY2019 grant programs to provide: (1) comprehensive community mental health services for children with serious emotional disturbances, and (2) for continued operation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI). Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create a national media public service campaign to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Directs SAMHSA to award grants to states to create a Web-based acute psychiatric bed registry to facilitate the placement and treatment of individuals in psychiatric crisis. Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require coverage of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs. Eliminates Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services. Expands Medicare coverage to include marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services. Authorizes through FY2019 additional appropriations for National Health Service Corps scholarships and loan repayments to ensure an adequate supply of behavioral and mental health professionals. Native American Psychiatric and Mental Health Care Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary to award one grant to a medical school to recruit and train psychiatric physicians for Indian health programs. Makes participating physicians eligible for the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program. Adds occupational therapists to the National Health Service Corps to address shortages in health professional shortage areas. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct or support research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of serious mental illness and violence associated with mental illness. Allows the Director of the National Institutes of Health to establish a Youth Mental Health Research Network to conduct or support youth mental health research and intervention services. Revises and extends through FY2019 a program for children dealing with violence. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2019 collaboration program grants and expand assistance to veterans and inmates with mental illness. Applies Medicaid, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage incentives for implementation of electronic health records to specified mental health professionals and facilities. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide individuals enlisting in the Armed Forces with a mental health assessment to be used as a baseline for subsequent assessments. Directs DOD to furnish needed care for mental illness to any veteran who served on active duty in a combat zone. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a pilot program for repaying student loans in exchange for service as a psychiatrist in the Veterans Health Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Expresses support for the designation of National Mental Health No Stigma Week.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014 - Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act concerning establishment of minimum leverage and minimum risk-based capital requirements on a consolidated basis for a depository institution holding company or a nonbank financial company supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board). States that federal banking agencies shall not be required to subject any person to such minimum capital requirements, to the extent that such person either: (1) acts in its capacity as a regulated insurance entity regulated by a state insurance regulator, or (2) is a regulated foreign subsidiary engaged in the business of insurance (including a regulated foreign affiliate of such subsidiary). Exempts from any requirement to prepare holding company financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles any Board-supervised depository institution holding company or nonbank financial company that is also a person regulated by a state insurance regulator or a regulated foreign subsidiary (or a regulated foreign affiliate) that files its holding company financial statements using only Statutory Accounting Principles in accordance with state law.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Supports the designation of Mental Health Month to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and to place emphasis on scientific findings regarding mental health recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Strengthening Healthcare Options for Vulnerable Populations Act - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend permanently the authorization for certain Medicare Advantage (MA) Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). Requires MA D-SNPs by December 31, 2018, to be fully integrated, in accordance with state law, with capitated contracts with states for any benefits under SSA title XIX (Medicaid), including long-term care and behavioral health. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a clearly defined role for state Medicaid agencies in contracting and oversight of plans. Directs the Secretary, in implementing requirements for the payment of Medicare+Choice organizations, to take steps necessary to ensure that the quality rating for a D-SNP: (1) does not disadvantage a plan that enrolls full-benefit dual (Medicare- and Medicaid-) eligible individuals, qualified Medicare beneficiaries, and individuals with complex health care needs; and (2) accounts for differences in socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of enrollees of such a plan that result in significant variation in health outcomes. Allows the Secretary to increase temporarily the quality rating that a specialized MA plan would otherwise receive under certain circumstances. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on steps taken for improving health outcomes, cost controls, and beneficiary satisfaction. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to designate the Federal Coordinated Health Care Office (FCHCO) as the dedicated point of contact within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to assist states with ongoing D-SNP administration issues. Allows the Secretary, through the FCHCO, to waive applicable Medicare requirements to promote the integration, alignment, and delivery of items and services under the Medicare program and the Medicaid program, with respect to dual eligible individuals and to ensure the seamless delivery of patient-centered services across the continuum of care with resect to such individuals. Requires D-SNPs to provide coverage during the appeals process with respect to dispute resolution for claims. Directs the Secretary to establish a streamlined process for dispute resolution for claims and appeals, with respect to items and services furnished to special needs individuals, to align the Medicare program process with the one under the Medicaid program. Amends SSA title XI to require the Secretary to report to Congress on the Integrated Data Repository and the One Program Integrity System.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) to revise qualifications requirements for members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Revises requirements for the Corporation's annual report to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to require a description of and rationales for: (1) the Corporation's efforts to focus on specific countries and populations, and (2) its combination of media channels employed in meeting the promotional objectives of its marketing campaign. Directs the Corporation and the Secretary (or their designees) to meet biannually to review procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received by the Corporation from non-federal sources. Reduces from 80% to 75% the percentage of the fair market value of those goods and services the Corporation may receive from non-federal sources each fiscal year, increasing from 20% to 25% the federal matching rate. Includes U.S. territories among the states and the District of Columbia whose benefit the Corporation's international travel promotion plan must ensure. Extends the TPA and the Corporation through FY2020. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend through FY2020 also the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to charge a fee for use of the electronic travel authorization system to determine, in advance, an alien's eligibility to travel to the United States. Amends the TPA to require the Corporation to establish performance metrics to: (1) measure the impact of its marketing efforts, and (2) demonstrate any cost or benefit to the U.S. economy. Requires the Corporation to report to Congress actions it has taken in response to any recommendations the Government Accountability Office (GAO) might make to it. Requires the Corporation to: (1) establish a competitive procurement process, and (2) certify in its annual report to Congress that any contracts it has entered into were in compliance with that process.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 161 Live Oak Street in Miami, Arizona, as the "Staff Sergeant Manuel V. Mendoza Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2014
Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) prevent Hezbollah's global logistics and financial network from operating in order to curtail funding of its domestic and international activities; and (2) utilize diplomatic, legislative, and executive avenues to combat Hezbollah's criminal activities in order to block that organization's ability to fund its global terrorist activities. Directs the President to report to Congress: (1) a list of satellite, broadcast, or other providers that knowingly transmit the content of al-Manar TV; and (2) the identity of those providers that have or have not been sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly: (1) facilitates the activities of Hezbollah or its agents, instrumentalities, affiliates, or successors; (2) facilitates the activities of a person acting on behalf of or owned or controlled by an agent, instrumentality, affiliate, or successor; (3) engages in money laundering to carry out such an activity; (4) facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services to carry out such an activity, including services that involve a transaction of gold, silver, platinum, or other precious metals; or (5) facilitates any of these activities, conspires to facilitate or participate in such an activity, or is owned or controlled by a foreign financial institution that knowingly engages in such an activity. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe reporting, information sharing, and due diligence requirements for domestic financial institutions that maintain a correspondent account or payable-through account in the United States for a foreign financial institution. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirements if in the U.S. national security interests, and with congressional notification. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to identify to Congress every 180 days each foreign central bank that carries out an activity prohibited under this Act. Sets forth penalty requirements for specified violations under this Act. Directs the President to designate Hezbollah as: (1) a significant foreign narcotics trafficker if Hezbollah meets meets the criteria set forth under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, and (2) a significant transnational criminal organization if Hezbollah meets the criteria set forth under specified executive orders and statutes. Requires the President to report to Congress which of these criteria the President determines that Hezbollah has not met, if it does not. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress regarding Hezbollah's involvement in the trade in rough diamonds outside of the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme. Declares that nothing in this Act shall apply to authorized U.S. intelligence activities. States that any requirement of this Act shall cease to be in effect 30 days after the President certifies to Congress that Hezbollah: (1) is no longer designated as a foreign terrorist organization; (2) is no longer listed in the Annex to Executive Order 13224 (blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit or support terrorism); and (3) poses no significant threat to U.S. national security, interests, or allies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2014
Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act of 2014 - Exempts expatriate health plans, employers acting as sponsors of such plans, and health insurance issuers providing coverage under such plans from the health care coverage requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Deems expatriate health coverage to be minimum essential coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored plan according to the Internal Revenue Code. Declares that a qualified expatriate (and any dependent) enrolled in an expatriate health plan shall not be considered a U.S. health risk for purposes of assessing the annual fee on health insurance providers that provide health coverage to any U.S. health risk for any year after 2014. Establishes a special rule for calculating the amount of this fee for calendar 2014. Defines a "qualified expatriate" as: (1) a participant in a group health plan who is a U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or nonimmigrant about whom there is a good faith expectation of being abroad, in connection with his or her employment, for at least 90 days in a 12-month period, or of traveling abroad on at least 15 occasions during such a period; or (2) an individual who is abroad as a member of a group determined appropriate by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 North Taylor Lane in Patagonia, Arizona, as the "Jim Kolbe Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2014
Alzheimer's Accountability Act of 2014 - Amends the National Alzheimer's Project Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for each fiscal year through FY2025, to submit to the President for review and transmittal to Congress, after reasonable opportunity for comment (but without change) by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services, an annual budget estimate (including regarding personnel needs) for the NIH initiatives under the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
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 · 18 March 2014
Amends the Department of Defense Survivor Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (also known as the Honoring the Families of Fallen Soldiers Act) to appropriate funds for fiscal years after FY2014 during any period of lapsed appropriations for the payment of death gratuities and related benefits for survivors of deceased servicemembers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2014
DHS Acquisition Accountability and Efficiency Act – Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) designate the Under Secretary for Management of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the Chief Acquisition Officer for DHS; (2) include the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Information Officer of DHS in the DHS acquisition process; (3) establish the position of Chief Procurement Officer under the Under Secretary for Management to exercise leadership over the DHS procurement function and to issue acquisition regulations and policies; and (4) require the Under Secretary for Management to take steps to improve the accountability, standardization, and transparency of major DHS acquisition programs. Directs the Under Secretary for Management to: (1) establish an Acquisition Review Board to strengthen accountability and uniformity within the DHS acquisition review process, review acquisition programs, and review the use of best practices; and (2) establish DHS-wide policies to increase opportunities for effectiveness and efficiencies in the DHS major acquisition process. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the Acquisition Review Board. Establishes a process for notifying the congressional homeland security committees of a breach in a major DHS acquisition program (e.g., failure to meet any cost, schedule, or performance requirements). Directs the Under Secretary for Management to develop a plan for remediating a breach and for analyzing the root cause of the breach. Requires the DHS Secretary to submit to such committees a multiyear acquisition strategy to guide the overall direction of DHS acquisition, including a plan to address DHS acquisition workforce accountability and talent management and an assessment of the feasibility of conducting a pilot program to establish a Homeland Security Acquisition Workforce Development Fund to ensure that the DHS workforce has the capacity to perform its mission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2014
Supports the goals and ideals of Professional Social Work Month and World Social Work Day.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2014
Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act - Requires (current law authorizes) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept, for purposes of establishing a claim for veterans disability benefits, a report of a medical examination administered by a private physician without requiring confirmation by a Veterans Health Administration physician if the report is sufficiently complete. Defines "sufficiently complete" as competent, credible, probative, and containing such information as required to make a decision on the claim for which the report is provided. Requires the Secretary to submit: (1) a report on the progress of the VA's Acceptable Clinical Evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations, and (2) an annual report for each VA regional office regarding claims for which private medical evidence was determined to be unacceptable.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2014
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover pharmacist services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2014
Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to the hospital readmission reduction program to exclude from the program admissions related to transplants, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), burns, trauma, psychosis, or substance abuse. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in applying requirements for the excess readmission ratio, to provide for a risk adjustment that will take into account a hospital's proportion of inpatients who are full-benefit dual eligible individuals (eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid under SSA title XIX) in order to ensure that hospitals that treat the most vulnerable populations are not unfairly penalized. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study the appropriateness of using a threshold of 30 days for readmissions under the program. Directs the Secretary, in promulgating regulations for the hospital readmission reduction program, to consider the use of V codes for potential exclusions of cases involving noncompliant patients in promulgating applicable regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2014
Lake Berryessa Recreation Enhancement Act of 2014 - Transfers the administrative jurisdiction over specified water and land that is within or adjacent to Lake Berryessa in California from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for administration as the Lake Berryessa Recreation Area. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to act in accordance with any existing agreement with any organization for the management of campgrounds and marinas located in the Area. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a management plan for the Area as a new document or by adopting the recreational use plan adopted by the Bureau of Reclamation on June 2, 2006. Declares that, nothing in this Act or any subsequent management plan shall impair the ability of the Bureau of Reclamation and its managing partners to operate, maintain, or manage Monticello Dam, Lake Berryessa, and other Solano Project facilities in accordance with that project's authorized purposes. Requires the Commissioner of Reclamation to continue to administer and operate the Dam and any power facility related to it. Authorizes the Secretary to establish, modify, charge, and collect recreation or concession fees at the Area in accordance with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Permits the Secretary to retain such fees for purposes of managing the Area.