United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Charitable Pension Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Pension Protection Act of 2006, as amended by the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010, to allow the sponsor of a multiple-employer defined benefit pension plan to elect for a plan to cease to be treated as an eligible charity plan for plan years beginning after December 31, 2013. Permits revocation of such an election, however, only with the consent of the Secretary of the Treasury. Allows a plan sponsor also to elect to apply specified requirements with respect to the shortfall amortization base in minimum funding standards for such plans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Partnership to Build America Act of 2013 - Establishes the American Infrastructure Fund (AIF) as a wholly-owned government corporation to provide bond guarantees and make loans to state and local governments and non-profit infrastructure providers for transportation, energy, water, communications, or educational facility infrastructure projects (Qualified Infrastructure Projects [QIPs]). Requires AIF also to make equity investments in QIPs such entities sponsor. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, acting through the AIF, to issue American Infrastructure Bonds with an aggregate face value of $50 billion. Requires proceeds from the sale of the bonds to be deposited into the AIF. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow U.S. corporations to exclude from gross income qualified cash dividend amounts received during a taxable year from a foreign-controlled corporation equal to the face value of qualified infrastructure bonds the corporation has purchased. Prohibits allowance of a foreign tax credit to the excluded portion of any dividend received by a U.S. corporation. Prohibits also the allowance of a deduction for expenses related to that excludable portion.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Respecting the Institution of Congress Act - Denies retirement benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to a Member of Congress, former Member, former President, or former Vice President who is convicted of any crime that is a felony under federal or state law (currently, limited to specified felonies under federal law).
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Kids First Research Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate: (1) the taxpayer election to designate $3 of income tax liability for financing of presidential election campaigns, (2) the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and (3) the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account. Redesignates the Presidential Election Campaign Fund as the 10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund. Makes amounts in the Fund available only for allocation to national research institutes and national centers through the Common Fund for making grants for pediatric research under this Act. Requires deposit into the Treasury general fund of any amounts in the Pediatric Research Initiative Fund that remain unobligated on October 1, 2024. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, to allocate funds appropriated under this Act to the national research institutes and national centers for making grants for pediatric research representing important areas of emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve special emphasis and would benefit from conducting or supporting additional research that involves collaboration between two or more national research institutes or national centers, or would otherwise benefit from strategic coordination and planning. Authorizes $13 million out of the 10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund for each of FY2014-FY2023 for pediatric research through the Common Fund. Requires such funds to supplement, not supplant, funds otherwise allocated by NIH for pediatric research. Prohibits the use of such amounts for any purpose other than making grants for pediatric research described in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from implementing or enforcing any requirement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or title I of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 until the Secretary of the Treasury certifies under penalty of perjury that: (1) taxpayer information is not and will not be used for targeting any individual or group for political reasons or on the basis of political views; and (2) the IRS has terminated the employment of all employees found to have violated the constitutional rights of any taxpayer or who knew of abuses related to the targeting of a political group, declined to come forward, or willfully misled investigators. Prohibits taxpayer information from being used for targeting any individual or group that provides information to the IRS for political reasons or on the basis of political views. Prohibits a federal agency from implementing or enforcing any requirement of PPACA or title 1 of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 until the head of such agency certifies under penalty of perjury that the agency has terminated the employment of any employee who is found to have violated the constitutional rights of any taxpayer. Requires such certification to be submitted to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Expanding Patients' Access to Quality Care Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the limitation on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which the physician or an immediate family member has an ownership or investment interest exceeding a specified amount; and (2) the rural provider and hospital exception to the physician ownership or investment prohibition. Extends the rural provider and hospital exception to hospitals that were under construction or development as of December 30, 2010, and hospitals in financial distress. Defines "financial distress" for a cost reporting period as one in which a hospital has had an overall negative combined Medicare inpatient prospective payment system and outpatient prospective payment system operating margin for the most recent three consecutive cost reporting periods for which data are available. Eliminates the process for applying for such an exception for expansions of hospital facility capacity. Limits increases in facility capacity to those hospitals that have had a previous increase.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Live by the Laws You Write Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to apply to the following persons the requirement that the the only health plans that the federal government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service shall be health plans created, or offered through a Health Benefit Exchange established, under such Act: (1) Delegates and Resident Commissioners to Congress, (2) congressional committee staff, and (3) House and Senate leadership office staff.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency Act or the SAVE Act - Requires within six months after the enactment of this Act and every two years thereafter: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop and publish a national strategy for managing excess and underutilized federal real property; and (2) the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop and implement a plan to improve the Federal Real Property Profile that ensures the data collected is complete, accurate, and consistent. Requires the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to issue guidance to federal agencies for reinvigorating the role of the competition advocate. Requires OMB to issue government-wide savings goals for the strategic sourcing of goods and services by executive agencies. Requires agency chief information officers to report to OMB on agency efforts to identify and eliminate potentially duplicative information technology investment. Requires the Federal Chief Information Officer to develop and implement the Federal Data Center Optimization Initiative to optimize the usage and efficiency of federal data centers. Requires OMB to issue recommendations for reducing or consolidating the number of federal data centers by at least 40% by the end of FY2018 and by at least 80% by the end of FY2023. Rescinds unobligated budget authority for the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit to Congress a report on efforts to finalize plans and schedules for fully implementing and expanding the use of the Integrated Data Repository and on actions taken to plan, schedule, and conduct training on the One Program Integrity System. Amends the USEC Privatization Act to expand the definition of "uranium" for purposes of transfers and sales to include depleted uranium and any byproduct of uranium processing. Requires OMB to develop a strategy to assess the collective results of federal funding for the reduction of mobile source diesel emissions and to identify and eliminate any unnecessary duplication, overlap, and fragmentation of such activities. Repeals a provision of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 establishing an inspection and grading program for catfish and other species of farm-raised fish or shellfish.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Employees of America Streamlining for Your Savings Act of 2013 or the EASY Savings Act of 2013 - Expands the awards program for disclosures by federal employees of fraud, waste, or mismanagement that result in cost savings to the employee's agency to include identification of surplus funds or unnecessary budget authority. Directs that any savings resulting from the identification of such funds or budget authority be deposited in the Treasury and used to reduce a budget deficit or the federal debt. Prohibits the payment of awards to: (1) the head of an agency; (2) federal officers who serve in a position at level I of the Executive Schedule, and (3) a voting member of an independent establishment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Mother's Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins emblematic of the 100th anniversary of President Wilson's proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins beginning on January 1, 2014, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2014. Requires coin sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, with distribution of one-half of such surcharges to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and one-half to the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research.
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 · 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 · 3 May 2013
Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Requires federal public land management officials to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public lands, including National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, or lands administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable and primitive or semi-primitive areas, for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting, except as limited by: (1) statutory authority that authorizes or withholds action for reasons of national security, public safety, or resource conservation; (2) any other federal statute that specifically precludes recreational fishing, hunting, or shooting on specific federal public lands or waters; and (3) discretionary limitations on recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting determined to be necessary and reasonable. Requires Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands, excluding lands on the Outer Continental Shelf, to be open to recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting unless the managing agency acts to close such lands to such activity for purposes of resource conservation, public safety, energy production, water supply facilities, or national security. Requires the heads of federal agencies to use their authorities to: (1) lease their lands or permit use of their lands for shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific lands for recreational shooting activities. Sets forth requirements for a permanent or temporary withdrawal, change of classification, or change of management status that effectively closes or significantly restricts 640 or more contiguous acres of federal public lands for fishing or hunting or related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act of 2013 - Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to revise the exclusion from the meaning of "mortgage originator" of any employee of a retailer of manufactured homes who does not for compensation or gain take residential mortgage loan applications, for compensation or gain offer or negotiate terms of a residential mortgage loan, or advise a consumer on loan terms (including rates, fees, and other costs). Excludes from the meaning of "mortgage originator," instead, any retailer of manufactured or modular homes or its employees unless the retailer or its employees receive compensation or gain for engaging in certain activities in excess of any compensation or gain received in a comparable cash transaction. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to revise the definition of "high cost mortgage."
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the use of Urban Area Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant Program funding for enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass prophylaxis capabilities, including the development and maintenance of an initial pharmaceutical stockpile, including medical kits, and diagnostics sufficient to protect first responders, their families, and immediate victims from a chemical or biological event.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion within the District of Columbia except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater. Makes an exception where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such exception only in the manner which provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman than would other available methods. Prescribes penalties for violations. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act, but authorizes such a woman or the father or maternal grandparent of the unborn child to obtain appropriate relief through a civil action. Provides for injunctive relief to prevent violations. Sets forth specified privacy protections in court proceedings for the woman upon whom an abortion has been performed. Requires any physician who performs an abortion within the District to report it to the Department of Health of the District of Columbia, which shall issue annual public reports.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Mustafa Akarsu Local Guard Force Support Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide special immigrant status for the surviving spouse or child of a U.S. government employee killed abroad in the line of duty, provided that: (1) the employee had performed faithful service for at least 15 years; and (2) the principal officer of a Foreign Service establishment (or, in the case of the American Institute of Taiwan, the Director) recommends, and the Secretary of State approves, the granting of such status. States that this Act shall be effective beginning on January 31, 2013, and shall have retroactive effect.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to restrict the health plans that the federal government may make available to the President, Vice-President, or federal employees to a health plan either created under PPACA or offered through a health care exchange established under PPACA. (Currently, such restriction applies to Members of Congress and congressional staff.)
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
In It All Together Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to limit the health plans that the federal government may make available to the President, the Vice President, and executive cabinet officials to those created under the Act or offered through an Exchange established under the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2013 or CLEAR Relief Act of 2013 - Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) to publish in the Federal Register proposed revisions to the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement on the Assessment of Financial and Managerial Factors that: (1) apply the policy to bank holding companies having pro forma consolidated assets of less than $5 billion (adjusted annually), no engagement in nonbanking activities involving significant leverage, and no significant amount of outstanding debt; and (2) increase from 1.1 to 3.1 the debt-to-equity ratio allowable for a small bank holding company in order to retain its eligibility both to pay a corporate dividend and to implement expedited processing procedures under Regulation Y of the Board. Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to require the Board to exempt from certain escrow or impound requirements a loan secured by a first lien on a consumer's principal dwelling if the loan is held by a creditor with assets of $10 billion or less. Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to exempt from its annual privacy policy notice requirement any financial institution which: (1) provides nonpublic personal information only in accordance with specified requirements, and (2) has not changed its policies and practices regarding disclosures of nonpublic personal information from those disclosed in the most recent disclosure sent to consumers. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to conduct cost-benefit analyses of certain new or amended generally accepted accounting principles. Requires the SEC to determine, as a prerequisite to recognition of such new or amended principles, whether the benefits to investors significantly outweigh the costs. Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to exempt community banks having total assets on a consolidated basis of $10 billion or less from mandatory annual management assessment of internal controls. Amends TILA to: (1) add to the definition of a qualified residential mortgage loan that it is originated and retained in a portfolio for at least three years by a creditor having less than $10 billion total assets, and (2) redefine a balloon loan that is a "qualified mortgage" to specify a balloon loan extended by a creditor that originates and retains balloon loans in a portfolio for at least three years, and, together with all affiliates, has total assets of $10 billion or less. Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to provide either exemptions or adjustments from the mortgage loan servicing and escrow account administration requirements of the Act for servicers of 20,000 or fewer mortgage loans. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to require federal financial institutions regulatory agencies to establish a $250,000 threshold level at or below which a certified or licensed appraiser is not required to perform appraisals in connection with federally related transactions. Declares that, if an order to request for the transfer of funds (entry) is received via an automate clearing house, a receiving depository financial institution shall not be required to verify that the entry is not a prohibited transaction if the originating depository financial institution has warranted its compliance with the sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control in connection with the entry.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to exempt from specified Basel III regulations community banks with consolidated assets of $50 billion or less.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2013
Farming Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to consider mung beans and pulse crops as covered commodities whose planting on base acres is prohibited unless the commodity, if planted, is destroyed before harvest. Provides that: (1) as of crop year 2014 producers on a farm may reduce the base acres for any covered commodity for a crop year by one acre for each acre used for the production of fruits or vegetables (other than potatoes) for processing; (2) such acres devoted to fruits or vegetables shall be included in base acres for the covered commodity for the subsequent crop year unless the producers on the farm make the election to produce fruits and vegetables for the subsequent crop year; and (3) if a farm's base acres are recalculated the production of fruits or vegetables shall be considered to be the same as the planting, prevented planting, or production of a covered commodity.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2013
Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders applicable to manufacturers of concrete masonry products (concrete). Requires any such order to provide for the establishment of a Concrete Masonry Products Board, which shall carry out a program of promotion, research, and information regarding concrete products. Requires manufacturers and importers to maintain, and make available, specified records. Requires any such order to provide that assessments shall be paid by concrete manufacturers with respect to concrete manufactured and marketed in the United States. Provides assessment rates. Requires at least 50% of the assessments paid by a manufacturer to be used to support research, education, and promotion plans and projects in support of the geographic region of the manufacturer. Directs the Secretary, during the 60-day period preceding the proposed effective date of an order, to conduct a referendum for order approval among the manufacturers required to pay assessments under the order. Outlines referendum procedures. Provides for petition and review of an order, and order enforcement through U.S. district courts. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct appropriate investigations in order to administer this Act (with power of subpoena). Directs the Secretary to suspend or terminate any order or provision that obstructs or does not tend to effectuate the purposes of this Act, or that is not favored by persons voting in a referendum.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2013
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education for Alzheimer's Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for comprehensive Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2013
Pest Free Food Supply Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw the proposed order published in the January 19, 2011, Federal Register that would phase out the authorized fluoride tolerances for the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride (resulting in the substance no longer meeting the safety standard under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2013
Military Mental Health Empowerment Act - Directs the Secretaries of the military departments to ensure that information concerning the availability of mental health services to members of the Armed Forces (members), as well as privacy rights related to the receipt of such services, is provided to: (1) each officer candidate during initial training, (2) each recruit during basic training, and (3) each other member at such time as the Secretary of Defense (DOD) considers appropriate. Requires each department Secretary to: (1) seek to eliminate perceived stigma associated with seeking and receiving mental health services, and (2) promote the use of such services on a basis comparable to the use of other medical and health services. Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the above information is also provided to current members, including members of the reserve components.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Border Security Results Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) report, every 180 days, on the state of operational control of the international borders of the United States; and (2) achieve situational awareness of such borders within two years. Requires the Secretary to submit: (1) a comprehensive strategy for gaining and maintaining operational control of high traffic areas of such borders within a two-year period, (2) an implementation plan for each DHS border security component to carry out such strategy, and (3) an updated strategy and implementation plan after submission of each Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. Requires such strategy to include: (1) an assessment of principal border security threats, (2) efforts to analyze and disseminate border security and threat information between DHS border security components, (3) a comprehensive border security technology plan, (4) Department of Defense (DOD) surveillance capabilities, (5) the use of manned aircraft and unmanned aerial systems, (6) agreements with foreign governments that support U.S. border security efforts, (7) staffing requirements for all border security functions, and (8) specified metrics. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review and report on such implementation plan. Directs the Secretary to: (1) implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security between ports of entry, at ports of entry, and in the maritime environment; (2) request the head of a national laboratory within the DHS laboratory network with prior expertise in border security to provide an independent assessment of, and ensure statistical validity of, such metrics; and (3) make such assessment and the metrics data and methodology available to GAO for a report to Congress. Directs: (1) the Secretary to submit a certification to Congress and the Comptroller General upon determining that operational control of such borders has been achieved, and (2) the Comptroller General to verify the accuracy of such certification. Directs the Comptroller General to submit a report addressing areas of overlap in responsibilities within DHS's border security functions. Directs the Secretary to report annually on: (1) a resource allocation model for current and future year staffing requirements for optimal staffing levels at all land, air, and sea ports of entry; (2) detailed information on the level of manpower available at and between such ports of entry; and (3) detailed information describing the difference between such optimal and actual levels.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to private employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required. Authorizes an employer to provide compensatory time only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, an agreement between the employer and employee. Prohibits an employee from accruing more than 160 hours of compensatory time. Requires an employee's employer to provide monetary compensation, after the end of a calendar year, for any unused compensatory time off accrued during the preceding year. Requires an employer to give employees 30-day notice before discontinuing compensatory time off. Prohibits an employer from intimidating, threatening, or coercing an employee in order to: (1) interfere with the employee's right to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment of monetary overtime compensation, or (2) require an employee to use such compensatory time. Makes an employer who violates such requirements liable to the affected employee in the amount of the compensation rate for each hour of compensatory time accrued, plus an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, reduced for each hour of compensatory time used.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Helping Heroes Fly Act - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA]) to develop and implement a process to provide expedited passenger screening services for severely injured or disabled Armed Forces members and veterans. Requires the Assistant Secretary also to maintain an operations center to provide for the movement of such members and veterans through screening before boarding a domestic or foreign passenger aircraft. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish and publish certain protocols for severely injured or disabled Armed Forces members and veterans or their family members and others to contact the operations center to request expedited screening services for the member or veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Free Syria Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: the United States should increase its humanitarian support for those affected by the conflict in Syria; Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon should be commended for keeping its borders open to Syrian refugees; the President should urge other countries in the area to keep their borders open for such purpose, and should urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to expedite the protection and resettlement of the most vulnerable refugees; the President should provide temporary immigration relief measures for and grant humanitarian parole to Syrian nationals with approved immigrant petitions; the United States should coordinate its assistance efforts with the Syrian Opposition Coalition's Assistance Coordination Unit; individuals within the Bashar al Assad (Assad) regime who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity must be brought to justice; U.S. military assistance should be provided only to groups demonstrating a commitment to securing, safeguarding, and ultimately eliminating Syrian chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons-related materials; the United States should provide non-lethal military equipment to friendly Syrian opposition military forces; all countries should deny the use of their airspace to Syrian-bound Iranian aircraft containing weapons; and the United States and its partners should take steps to ensure that women are full and equal participants in negotiations regarding the future of Syria and in all transitional and future Syrian government institutions. Outlines governing principles for the provision of U.S. humanitarian assistance to address the Syrian conflict. Authorizes assistance for the protection of women, children, and other vulnerable populations affected. Prohibits any assistance to an entity that has attacked or prevented the operation or activities of health care facilities or providers. Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide additional humanitarian assistance to Syria. Earmarks funds authorized under this Act for Syrian opposition-allied local coordination committees and the provision of U.S. civilian broadcasting to Syria. Requires assistance funds to be marked as being "From the American People" and to include a representation of the U.S. flag. Expresses the sense of Congress supporting the provision of appropriate military assistance for vetted Syrian opposition forces. Authorizes the President to direct the drawdown of Department of Defense (DOD) defense articles and services, and to provide military education and training, for such forces. Authorizes the President to: establish a program to facilitate the destruction of Syrian chemical and biological weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, and associated parts and equipment; provide assistance, make contributions, and use the U.S. voice, vote, and influence to provide post-Assad governmental transition assistance to Syria; and temporarily suspend certain sanctions against Syria in the event of a post-Assad government which meets specified requirements. Provides temporary personnel authorities in connection with aiding Syria in the establishment of a post-regime government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for the establishment or operation of Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. Requires such Centers to: (1) improve the training of health professionals in palliative care for individuals with serious or life-threatening illnesses; (2) develop and disseminate related curricula; (3) support the training and retraining of faculty to provide instruction in palliative care; (4) support continuing education of health professionals who provide palliative care; (5) provide students with clinical training in palliative care in long-term care facilities, home care, hospices, chronic and acute disease hospitals, and ambulatory care centers; and (6) establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees in palliative care. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and enter into contracts with schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to provide support for projects that fund the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to eligible individuals; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award incentive grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, clinical social workers, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a certified nurse assistant to develop and implement programs and initiatives to train individuals in providing palliative care in health-related educational, hospice, home, or long-term care settings.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
School Nutrition Flexibility Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to prohibit the Secretary of Agriculture from promulgating rules and regulations applicable to the school lunch and breakfast programs that establish a maximum quantity of grains, meat, or meat alternates that may be served in any meal or during any period of time of any school year. Makes the formula that school food authorities are required to use to establish the price for a paid lunch (a lunch provided to children who are not eligible for free or reduced price meals) applicable only to school food authorities that had a negative balance in their nonprofit school food service account for the previous school year.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Auto Enroll Repeal Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to repeal the requirement that employers with more than 200 full-time employees that offer enrollment in one or more health benefits plans enroll automatically all new full-time employees in one of those plans.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a process which subjects to a single, combined maximum annual limit, applied incrementally, the number of additional documentation requests made to a hospital by Medicare administrative contractors, recovery audit contractors, or Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program contractors pursuant to prepayment and postpayment audits requiring a hospital to submit a medical record for audit purposes. Directs the Secretary also to establish a distinct additional documentation request limit, computed according to a specified formula, for each hospital claim type for each hospital for a 45-day period in a year. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the Medicare Integrity Program and use of recovery audit contractors. Requires the Secretary to ensure that recovery audit contracts include certain mandatory terms and conditions pertaining to: (1) penalties for certain compliance failures, (2) penalties for overturned appeals, (3) postpayment and prepayment audits, and (4) guidelines for prepayment review. Directs the Secretary to publish on the Internet website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services information on recovery audit contractor performance regarding: (1) audit rates, denials, and appeals outcomes; and (2) independent performance evaluations. Deems to be an original claim for Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) payment a resubmitted hospital claim for Medicare part A payment for inpatient hospital services which a recovery audit contractor determines: (1) were not medically necessary and reasonable based on the site of service, but (2) would be medically necessary and reasonable in an outpatient setting of the hospital. Requires payment to be made for such a resubmitted claim for all furnished items and services for which payment may be made under Medicare part B. Deems to be a reopened claim, for purposes of a hospital's ability to resubmit a claim for Medicare payment in timely fashion, any claim that is the subject of an audit by a recovery audit contractor or a Medicare administrative contractor. Requires contracts for a recovery audit contractor to require that a physician review each denial of a claim for medical necessity made by an employee of the contractor who is not a physician. Subjects to administrative and judicial review the Secretary's compliance with guidelines for reopening and revising benefit determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. Requires the nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board to include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole product; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per the common unit division of the product, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Permits such information to be provided by a remote-access menu, such as through the internet, for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises at the time the order is placed. Defines “reasonable basis” for a restaurant or similar food establishment’s nutrient content disclosures to mean that the nutrient disclosure is within acceptable allowances for variation in nutrient content, which include variations in serving size or ingredients, and inadvertent human error in formulation of menu items. Sets forth the methods a restaurant or similar food establishment may use to determine nutritional content for disclosure, including ranges, averages, individual labeling of flavors or components, or labeling of one preset standard build (i.e., the finished version of a menu item most commonly ordered by consumers). Applies the nutritional disclosure requirements to retail food establishments that derive more than 50% of their total revenue from the sale of food.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2013
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in honor of the members of the 17 Bombardment Group (Medium), who became known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, in recognition of their military service during World War II. Requires the medal to be given to the National Museum of the United States Air Force for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that such Museum should make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations and events associated with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2013
Northern Route Approval Act - Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for the pipeline described in the application filed on May 4, 2012, by TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to the Department of State for the Keystone XL pipeline, including the Nebraska reroute evaluated in the Final Evaluation Report issued by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in January 2013 and approved by the Nebraska governor. Deems the final environmental impact statement issued by the Secretary of State on August 26, 2011, coupled with such Final Evaluation Report, to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and of the National Historic Preservation Act. Grants original and exclusive jurisdiction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to determine specified issues (except for review by the Supreme Court on writ of certiorari). Deems the Secretary of the Interior to have issued a written statement setting forth the Secretary's opinion that the Keystone XL pipeline project will not jeopardize the continued existence of the American burying beetle or destroy or adversely modify American burying beetle critical habitat. States that any taking of the American burying beetle that is incidental to the construction or operation and maintenance of the Keystone XL pipeline shall not be considered a prohibited taking of such species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Deems the Secretary to have issued: (1) a grant of right-of-way and temporary use permit pursuant to the Mineral Leasing Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and (2) a special purpose permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (described in a certain application filed with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for the Keystone XL pipeline). Directs the Secretary of the Army to issue permits pursuant the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899 for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Keystone XL pipeline. Authorizes such Secretary to waive any procedural requirement that the Secretary considers desirable in order to accomplish the purposes of this Act. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from prohibiting or restricting an activity or use of an area that is authorized under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize Medicare payment for the services of qualified radiologist assistants.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Training Tomorrow's Doctors Today Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education (DGME) costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), for each of FY2014-FY2018 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Directs the Secretary to determine the total number of additional residency positions available for distribution, in accordance with guidelines for allocating 33% to hospitals already operating over the resident limit, and generally setting the aggregate number of increases in the resident limit to 3,000 in each year. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2015, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education (IME), insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Revises requirements for counting interns and residents to declare that in certain circumstances the three-year rolling average of the actual full-time equivalent resident counts shall not apply. Makes the same declaration with respect to the ratio of the hospital's full-time equivalent interns and residents to beds. Eliminates both requirements after December 31, 2012. Requires the current year count of full-time equivalent residents to determine a hospital's graduate medical education (GME) payment. Requires all the time spent by an intern or resident in an approved medical residency training program, regardless of setting, to be counted toward the determination of full-time equivalency if the hospital meets certain subsection (d) hospital criteria. Prohibits the Secretary from treating a cost reporting period for which a hospital trains residents participating in a program of another hospital as a period for which the hospital has an approved medical residency period. Requires the Secretary (who currently is authorized) to prescribe rules which allow institutions which are members of the same affiliated group to elect to apply the limitation on the number of residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine on an aggregate basis. Requires such rules to authorize all facilities established on or after January 1, 2000, whose resident limits are adjusted on or after January 1, 1997, to elect to apply the limitation on the number of residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine on an aggregate basis after a certain period. Declares that, in the case of a resident who changes residency specialties, the period of board eligibility and the initial residency period shall be equal to the minimum number of years of formal training required to satisfy the requirements for the initial board eligibility of the program into which the resident transfers. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement procedures under which the amount of payments that a hospital would otherwise receive for IME costs for discharges occurring during a fiscal year is adjusted based on the reporting of measures and the performance of the hospital on measures of patient care priorities. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress and the National Health Care Workforce Commission on both DGME and IME payments that hospitals receive under the Medicare program. Directs the Comptroller General to study: (1) the physician workforce, identifying specialties for which there is a shortage; and (2) strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require personnel (excluding physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) who furnish the technical component of either medical imaging examinations or radiation therapy procedures for medical purposes (except certain exempt individuals) to possess current: (1) certification in each medical imaging or radiation therapy modality and service they furnish from a certification organization designated under this Act; and (2) state licensure or certification where such services and modalities are within the profession's scope of practice as defined by the state, and where requirements for licensure, certification, or registration meet or exceed standards established by the certification organization designated under this Act. Gives individuals enrolled in specified training or certification programs when the list of approved certification organizations is published an additional six months after completion of a training program to become fully qualified under this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish a program for designating certification organizations after consideration of specified criteria; (2) provide a process for individuals whose training or experience is determined to be equal to, or in excess of, that of a graduate of an accredited educational program in that specialty to demonstrate that their experience meets the educational standards for qualified personnel in their imaging modality or radiation therapy procedures; and (3) publish a list of designated certification organizations. Authorizes the Secretary to waive standards under this Act or to develop alternative standards for rural or health professional shortage areas as appropriate. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow Medicare payment for medical imaging and radiation therapy services only if the examination or procedure is furnished by an individual who meets this Act's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Celebrates the history of municipal bonds, the 100-year precedent of the federal tax exemption for municipal bond interest, and the important contribution municipal bonds have made to economic growth and wellbeing in each state and municipality.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests (thus covering 100% of their cost under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled]).
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and make recommendations regarding better coordination and leveraging of federal programs that relate in any way to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Sets forth the duties of the Commission, which shall include: (1) evaluating HHS programs, (2) identifying current activities and critical gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing care to people with pre-diabetes and diabetes, (3) recommending how an outcomes-based registry may be developed and then used to evaluate various care models and methods, (4) evaluating and expanding education and awareness to health care professionals regarding clinical practices for the prevention of diabetes and the precursor conditions of diabetes, and (5) reviewing and recommending appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources related to diabetes prevention and treatments. Requires the Commission to submit an operating plan to the Secretary and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2013 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide access to services under medication therapy management programs for Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Program) eligible individuals with a single chronic disease. Allows the application of this Act only if the Chief Actuary for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determines that such application with regard to a particular single chronic disease is not projected to increase overall costs to the Medicare program over the following five year period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2013 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, for purposes of determining cognitive, behavioral, and physical disability under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act (SSA), to amend specified Listings of Impairments by providing medical and evaluation criteria for Huntington's Disease. Amends SSA title II to waive the 24-month waiting period for coverage under the Medicare program for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 - Declares that Israel is a major strategic partner of the United States. Amends the Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 to extend authority to: (1) make additions to foreign-based defense stockpiles, and (2) transfer certain obsolete or surplus Department of Defense (DOD) items to Israel. Authorizes the President to carry out U.S.-Israel cooperative activities and to provide assistance for cooperation in the fields of energy, water, homeland security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies. Amends the the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to extend the grant program for U.S.-Israeli cooperation on research, development, and commercialization of renewable energy or energy efficiency. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States and Israel should increase cyber-security cooperation. Urges the President to provide assistance for enhancement of the David's Sling Weapon System, the joint United States-Israel Arrow Weapon System, and the Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system. States that it shall be U.S. policy to include Israel in the visa waiver program when Israel satisfies such program's inclusion requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
Health Care Conscience Rights Act - Amends title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to declare that nothing in such title shall require an individual to purchase individual health insurance coverage that includes coverage of an abortion or other item or service to which the individual has a moral or religious objection, or prevent an issuer from offering or issuing, to that individual, individual coverage excluding such item or service. Makes similar denials about requiring a sponsor to sponsor, purchase, or provide such coverage, or a health insurance issuer or group health plan sponsor to cover an abortion or other item or service to which the sponsor or issuer has a moral or religious objection. Denies also that such title authorizes imposition of a tax, penalty, fee, fine, or other sanction, or imposition of coverage of such an item or service, in relation to health insurance coverage or a group health plan that excludes such an item or service. Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against any action by the federal government and any state or local government receiving federal financial assistance to subject a health professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of abortion discrimination prohibition. Creates a cause of action for the Attorney General or any person or entity adversely affected to obtain equitable or legal relief for any violation of this abortion discrimination prohibition. Allows commencement of an action to be commenced and the granting of relief without a prerequisite pursuit of administrative remedies. Allows such an action against a federal or state governmental entity.
![Official portrait of Rep. Brooks, Susan W. [R-IN-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001284_200.jpg)