United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Recreational Vehicle Certainty Act of 2014 - Amends the Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to exclude from the definition of "manufactured home" covered by the Act any recreational vehicle designed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use and built in compliance with consensus standards for such products, including: a self-propelled motorhome or recreational vehicle trailer towed by another vehicle without a special highway use permit and regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a vehicle; and a park model recreational vehicle with a gross area of up to 400 square feet and meeting other specified criteria. (Currently, the definition excludes any self-propelled recreational vehicle.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2014
Child Support Assistance Act of 2014 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with respect to the permissible purposes of consumer reports, to authorize a consumer reporting agency to furnish a consumer report in response to a request by the head of a state or local child support enforcement agency (or an authorized state or local government official), if the requester certifies that the report is needed for enforcing a child support order, award, agreement, or judgment. Repeals: (1) the requirement for 10 days' prior notice to a consumer whose report is requested, and (2) the authorization for any consumer reporting agency to furnish a report to an agency administering a state plan for child and spousal support in order to set an initial or modified child support award.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act - Title I: Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) to exempt, from the rules of prudential regulators for swap dealers and major swap participants with respect to initial and variation margin requirements for swaps not cleared by a registered derivatives clearing organization, those swaps in which one of the counterparties: (1) is eligible for an exception from clearing requirements because it is not a financial entity, uses swaps to hedge or mitigate commercial risk, and notifies the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) how it meets financial obligations associated with entering into non-cleared swaps; or (2) satisfies specified criteria governing treatment of affiliates in connection with clearing requirements. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, (SEA 1934) regarding registration and regulation of security-based swap dealers and major security-based swap participants, to exempt from initial and variation margin requirements for swaps not cleared by a registered derivatives clearing organization a security-based swap in which one of the counterparties: (1) qualifies for a specified exception from clearing requirements, or (2) satisfies certain criteria governing the treatment of affiliates. Title II: Treatment of Affiliate Transactions - Amends the CEA and SEA 1934 to revise the treatment of affiliate transactions that may be exempt from clearing requirements to authorize such an exemption only if the affiliate enters into the swap to hedge or mitigate the commercial risk of the person that is not a financial entity (as under current law), provided that an appropriate credit support measure or other mechanism is used if the transfer of commercial risk is addressed by entering into a swap with either: (1) a swap dealer or major swap participant, or (2) a security-based swap with a security- based swap dealer or major security-based swap participant. Title III: Holding Company Registration Threshold Equalization Act - Amends SEA 1934 to require an issuer that is a savings and loan holding company to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if: (1) its assets exceed $10 million, and (2) it has a class of equity security held of record by 2,000 or more persons. Requires termination of such registration after a savings and loan holding company certifies that its holders of record of that class of security have been reduced to fewer than 1,200 persons. Suspends automatically the duty of a savings and loan holding company to file supplementary and periodic information if the securities of each class to which the registration statement relates (other than any class of asset-backed securities) are held of record by fewer than 1,200 persons. Title IV: Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act - Amends SEA 1934 to exempt from its registration requirements certain merger and acquisition (M&A) brokers and any person associated with them. Denies such registration exemption, however, to brokers and associated persons who: (1) receive, hold, transmit, or have custody of any funds or securities to be exchanged by parties to a transfer of ownership of an eligible privately held company; or (2) engage on behalf of an issuer in a public offering of securities that are either subject to mandatory registration, or with respect to which the issuer must file periodic information, documents, and reports. Title V: Small Cap Liquidity Reform Act - Amends SEA 1934 to establish a pilot liquidity program for equity securities of emerging growth companies (EGCs) with total annual gross revenues of less than $750 million, under which those securities shall be quoted using either: (1) a minimum increment of $0.05 or $0.10, or (2) the increment at which the securities would be quoted without regard to such minimum increments. Requires that securities of issuers that cease to be EGCs be quoted at the increment at which they would be quoted without regard to the minimum increments established under this Act. Shields an issuer from liability for losses caused solely by the quoting or trading of its securities at a minimum increment of $0.05 or $0.10, another SEC-authorized increment, or by both such quoting and trading. Title VI: Improving Access to Capital for Emerging Growth Companies Act - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 (Act) to reduce from 21 to 15 the number of days before a "road show" that an emerging growth company (EGC), before its initial public offering (IPO) date, may publicly file a draft registration statement for confidential nonpublic review by the SEC. Prescribes a grace period during which an issuer that was an EGC at the time it filed a registration statement for confidential SEC review, but is no longer one, shall continue to be treated as one if it meets certain criteria. Amends the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act to direct the SEC to revise its general instructions on Form S-1 to prescribe conditions under which a registration statement that is filed by an issuer (or submitted for confidential review) before its IPO may omit financial disclosure information for historical periods otherwise required. Title VII: Small Company Disclosure Simplification Act - Exempts emerging growth companies and issuers with total annual gross revenues of less than $250 million from the requirements to use Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) for mandatory periodic reporting filed with the SEC. Allows such companies, however, to elect to use XBRL for such reporting. Directs the SEC to: (1) analyze the costs and benefits to such issuers of the requirements to use XBRL for mandatory periodic reporting; and (2) report to certain congressional committees on the results of such analysis as well as on progress in implementing XBRL reporting within the SEC, and the use of XBRL data by the SEC and by investors. Title VIII: Restoring Proven Financing for American Employers Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 regarding certain prohibitions on proprietary trading by banking entities and certain relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds (Volcker Rule). Prohibits the Volcker Rule from being construed to require divestiture, before July 21, 2017, of any debt securities of collateralized loan obligations issued before January 31, 2014. States that a banking entity shall not be considered to have an ownership interest in a collateralized loan obligation because it either acquires, has acquired, or retains a debt security in such obligation if the debt security has no indicia of ownership other than the right of the banking entity to participate in the removal for cause, or in the selection of a replacement after removal for cause or resignation, of an investment manager or investment adviser of the collateralized loan obligation. Title IX: SBIC Advisers Relief Act - Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to exempt specified advisers of small business investment companies (SBICs) from certain: (1) SEC registration requirements with respect to the provision of investment advice relating to venture capital funds, and (2) SEC registration and reporting requirements regarding assets under management of private funds. Provides the same exemption with respect to any state or local law requiring the registration, licensing, or qualifications of investment advisers. Title X: Disclosure Modernization and Simplification Act - Directs the SEC to: (1) issue regulations permitting issuers to submit a summary page on annual and transition report form 10-K if each item on that page cross-references the material contained in form 10-K; (2) revise regulation S-K in order to reduce the burden on smaller issuers, including emerging growth companies, accelerated filers, and smaller reporting companies while still providing all material information to investors; and (3) eliminate duplicative, overlapping, outdated, or unnecessary provisions in the regulation. Directs the SEC to study ways to: (1) modernize and simplify the requirements in regulation S-K, (2) improve the readability and navigability of disclosure documents, and (3) discourage repetition and disclosure of immaterial information. Title XI: Encouraging Employee Ownership Act - Directs the SEC to revise regulations to require an issuer to furnish investors with additional specified disclosures regarding compensatory benefit plans if the aggregate sales price or amount of securities sold during any consecutive 12-month period exceeds $10 million (currently $5 million), indexed for inflation every five years.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act - Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ); and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Condemns the use of innocent civilians as human shields, including Hamas's use of this illegal tactic. Calls on: (1) the international community to recognize Hamas's grave breaches of international law by using human shields, and (2) Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields. Places responsibility for launching the rocket attacks on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, in Gaza. Supports Israel's sovereign right to defend its territory and stop the rocket attacks on its citizens. Expresses condolences to the families of the innocent victims on both sides of the conflict. Supports Palestinian civilians who reject Hamas and all forms of terrorism and who desire to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Securing Access Via Excellence for Medicare Home Health Act of 2014 or the SAVE Medicare Home Health Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services, to repeal the rebasing reduction adjustment for 2014 and subsequent years required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Establishes a calendar year 2014 payment adjustment under such PPS. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a detailed analysis of the rebasing reduction in Medicare payments for home health services promulgated under the rule for home health prospective payment system rate update for calendar year 2014. Directs the Secretary to specify a home health all-cause all-condition hospital unplanned readmission measure for readmissions (for any cause) to a hospital for an individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) (or enrolled under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medicare Insurance]) and who is receiving post-hospital home health services. Requires this measure to be risk adjusted for potentially preventable readmission to a hospital for such an individual. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) a Medicare home health agency value-based purchasing program (HHA VBP) under which value-based incentive payments are made in a year to home health agencies, and (2) performance standards for application of the unplanned readmission measure. Directs the Secretary to develop by regulation a methodology for assessing the total performance of each home health agency based on these performance standards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) withhold from the payment rates made for each year for home health services the amount necessary so that enactment of this Act is estimated not to result in any net change in payments made for Medicare services, and (2) provide for a distribution of a portion of those withheld amounts for performance payments to home health agencies. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to review the progress of the HHA VBP and make appropriate recommendations on any improvements that should be made to the program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Pay For Success Affordable Housing Energy Modernization Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a demonstration program under which, between enactment of this Act and September 30, 2017, the Secretary may enter into budget-neutral, performance-based agreements (for up to 12 years each) that result in a reduction in energy or water costs with appropriate entities to carry out projects for energy or water conservation improvements at up to 20,000 residential units in multifamily buildings participating in: Section 8 project-based rental assistance programs under the United States Housing Act of 1937, other than Section 8 (voucher program) assistance; supportive housing for the elderly programs under the Housing Act of 1959; or supportive housing for persons with disabilities programs under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. Specifies requirements for payment under an agreement, which shall be contingent on documented utility savings, as well as for eligibility, geographical diversity, and funding for the program. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a detailed plan for the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 - Prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing the proposed rule entitled, "Definition of 'Waters of the United States' Under the Clean Water Act," issued on April 21, 2014, or the proposed guidance entitled, "Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected By the Clean Water Act," dated February 17, 2012; or using the proposed rule or proposed guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance as the basis for any rulemaking or decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to withdraw the interpretive rule entitled, "Notice of Availability Regarding the Exemption from Permitting Under Section 404(f)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act to Certain Agricultural Conservation Practices," issued on April 21, 2014. Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to consult with relevant state and local officials to develop recommendations for a regulatory proposal that would identify the scope of waters covered under the Clean Water Act and the scope of waters not covered.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2014 - Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide 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 to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate agreements, in addition to countries contiguous to the United States, between the United States and Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and any other appropriate country regarding the repatriation of children. Applies the requirements of this Act to any UAC apprehended on or after June 15, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Agricultural Conservation Flexibility Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw the interpretive rule issued on March 25, 2014, entitled, "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of the Army Interpretive Rule Regarding the Applicability of the Clean Water Act Section 404(f)(1)(A)." Prohibits the Corps and the EPA from using the interpretive rule, or any substantially similar rule or guidance, as the basis for any rulemaking, decision, or action regarding the scope or enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Provides that the use of rule or a substantially similar rule or guidance as the basis for any rule, decision, or action is grounds for vacating the rule, decision, or action. Requires soil and water conservation practices to be treated as normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities under permits for non-prohibited discharges of dredged or fill material. Prohibits such practices from being treated as a new use of an area of navigable waters, an impairment of the flow or circulation of navigable waters, or a reduction in the reach of such waters under those permits. Applies this Act to activities occurring on or after March 25, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2014
Federal Reserve Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) to direct the Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to submit to the Comptroller General (GAO) and to certain congressional committees a Directive Policy Rule (DPR), including an identification of FOMC members who voted in its favor. Defines DPR as a policy rule developed by the FOMC that meets specified requirements and provides the basis for the Open Market Operations Directive. Directs GAO to study whether the DPR has materially changed, audit any materially changed DPR, and report to certain congressional committees on whether the ensuing DPR and the FOMC are in compliance with this Act. Requires the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) to testify before certain congressional committees as to why non-compliance with this Act, if any, exists. Establishes a one-week blackout period during which permissible public communications by FOMC members and staff are restricted with respect to: (1) macroeconomic or financial developments; or (2) current, or prospective monetary policy issues. Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) to direct the Federal Reserve Board to issue regulations, after public notice and comment, that provide for the at least three different sets of conditions (baseline, adverse, and severely adverse) and related methodologies required under current law for the evaluation of nonbank financial companies and certain bank holding companies with over $50 billion in assets. Directs the Federal Reserve Board to disclose publicly the aggregate number of supervisory letters sent to such bank holding companies, including the aggregate number of such letters designated as either "Matters Requiring Attention" or "Matters Requiring Immediate Attention." Increases from semi-annual to quarterly the number of times the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board is required to give testimony to Congress. Amends the FRA to require the Vice Chairman for Supervision to give written testimony on the status of all pending and anticipated rulemakings made by the Board. Requires the Federal Reserve Board, before issuing any regulation, to assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and choose the approach that maximizes net benefits and is tailored to impose the least impact on the availability of credit, economic growth, and the least burden on society. Prescribes the contents of a post-adoption impact assessment plan the Board must develop whenever it adopts or amends a major rule. Amends the FRA to prescribe ethics standards governing Federal Reserve Board members and employees, including requirements for disclosure of staff salaries and financial information. Prescribes requirements for Federal Reserve Board negotiations with any foreign or multinational entity. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prescribe requirements for negotiations by the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) with any foreign or multinational entity. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, as a prerequisite to entering into negotiations with any foreign or multinational entity, to notify and consult with certain congressional committees regarding the nature of the agreement and its anticipated effects upon the economy.
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 · 17 June 2014
TRIA Reform Act of 2014 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) to extend the Terrorism Insurance Program through December 31, 2019, and to revise provisions governing the Program. Provides consultation requirements for determinations of whether an act should be certified by the Secretary of the Treasury as an act of terrorism and a timetable for preliminary and final certifications. Repeals a prohibition against the Secretary certifying an act as an act of terrorism if property and casualty insurance losses resulting from the act do not exceed $5 million. Requires each certification of an act of terrorism, beginning January 1, 2016, to include a determination of whether such act involves nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological (NBCR) terrorism. Requires, beginning on such date, the federal share of payments for: (1) non-NBCR acts of terrorism to be reduced annually to 80% of insured losses by 2019, and (2) NBCR acts of terrorism to be 85% of insured losses. Increases the Program trigger for the payment of compensation for non-NBCR acts of terrorism each year from 2016 to 2019. Prohibits the Secretary, in determining such aggregate losses resulting from certified acts of terrorism, from considering any act resulting, in the aggregate, in less than $50 million in insured losses. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to allow small insurers to voluntarily opt-out of TRIA's mandatory availability requirement if the state's insurance regulatory authority determines that such insurer meets requirements for financial hardship or financial infeasibility for providing coverage for insured losses. Increases, beginning January 1, 2016: (1) the amount that the Secretary is required to collect through terrorism loss risk-spreading premiums, and (2) the insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount. Requires the Secretary, beginning on January 1, 2016, when establishing terrorism loss risk-spreading premiums, to begin collecting such premiums within 18 months after the occurrence of the certified act for which they are imposed. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Committee to encourage the creation and development of risk-sharing mechanisms by insurers to voluntarily reinsure among themselves terrorism losses that are not subject to reimbursement under the Program. Directs the Secretary, beginning on January 1, 2016, to require insurers participating in the Program to submit such information regarding insurance coverage for terrorism losses of such insurers as the Secretary considers appropriate to analyze Program effectiveness. Requires insurers to disclose to the policyholder the premium charged for covered insured losses and the federal share of compensation for insured losses at the time of offer and renewal (currently, also at the time of purchase) of the policy. Requires: (1) the Secretary to conduct an annual study of small insurers participating in the Program to identify competitive challenges in the terrorism risk insurance marketplace; (2) the Directors of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to study the feasibility of applying accrual accounting concepts to budgeting for the costs of this and other federal insurance programs; and (3) the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the viability of federal assessment and collection of upfront premiums from insurers that participate in the Program, creating a capital reserve fund under the Program, and requiring participating insurers to dedicate capital specifically for terrorism losses before such losses are incurred.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the government of Mexico should release U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi and provide for his return to the United States so he can receive appropriate medical assistance, and (2) the President should utilize the full powers and authorities of his office to secure Sgt. Tahmooressi's release.
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
Relief for America's Main Street Lenders Act - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to exclude from the definition of financial entity, solely with respect to an interest rate swap or interest rate security-based swap, financial institutions whose total assets are $50 billion or less.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Regional Financial Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 regarding prohibitions on proprietary trading by banking entities and certain relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds. Directs the appropriate federal banking agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to promulgate, for banking entities with less than $50 billion in trading assets and liabilities, regulations regarding internal controls and recordkeeping whose requirements are less burdensome than those governing banking entities with $50 billion or more in trading assets and liabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2014
Condemns the charge of apostasy and adultery of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag in Sudan and her sentence of 100 lashes and the death penalty. Calls for the release from prison of Ibrahim, her 20-month-old son, and newborn daughter. Urges the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize granting Ibrahim asylum or refugee status. Encourages U.S. efforts to support religious freedom within Sudan, including by requiring before normalizing relations or lifting certain sanctions that Sudan abide by international standards of freedom of religion or belief. Recognizes that every individual should have the opportunity to practice his or her religion without fear of discrimination. Reaffirms the commitment of the United State to end religious discrimination and to pursue policies that guarantee the basic human rights of all individuals. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue their support for religious freedom initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Recognizes the Khmer and Lao/Hmong Freedom Fighters and the people of Cambodia and Laos for their support and defense of the United States Armed Forces and freedom of democracy in Southeast Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2014
Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2014 - Prohibits recovery of damages in certain civil actions based on a claim that, but for the conduct of the defendant, a child, once conceived, would not or should not have been born. Makes such prohibition applicable to claims based on a child's disability, defect, abnormality, race, sex, or other inborn characteristic. Bars such prohibition from being construed to: (1) provide a defense against charges of intentional misrepresentation in state proceedings regulating the professional practices of health care providers and practitioners; (2) provide a defense in any criminal action, including cases of rape or incest; or (3) limit damages in cases where the conduct of the defendant caused personal injury or death to the child or gestational mother.
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
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as an independent federal government advisory body through FY2019. Removes authority under which a USCIRF member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require the Secretary of State to receive assistance from USCIRF when establishing training for Foreign Service officers in the field of internationally recognized human rights, including instruction regarding the relationship between religious freedom and security, as well as the role of religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy. Encourages the Department of State to allow classified information to be accessed by USCIRF Commissioners and staff with the appropriate security clearance. Revises restrictions on USCIRF's acceptance of gifts and donations to permit sponsoring private parties to provide compensation and benefits to interns, fellows, and volunteers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of State to require the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) to use U.S. influence at the OAS to protect the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and strengthen the independent Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to protect human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere, especially in Venezuela. Directs the President to impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions against any person, including a current or former official of the government of Venezuela or a person acting on behalf of such government, who has: (1) perpetrated or is responsible for directing acts of violence or human rights abuses against individuals participating in protests in Venezuela that began on February 12, 2014; (2) directed or ordered the arrest or prosecution of a person primarily because of the person's exercise of freedom of expression or assembly in relation to such protests; (3) knowingly assisted, sponsored, or provided significant financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the commission of such acts; or (4) engaged in censorship against individuals or media outlets disseminating information in relation to such protests. Sets forth related penalty requirements. States that U.S. exclusion sanctions shall not apply if necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations or other applicable international obligations. Authorizes the President to waive sanctions if: (1) in the U.S. national security interests, or (2) conditions in Venezuela have improved with regard to respect for peaceful protest and basic human rights. Directs the President to transmit to Congress a list of persons who: (1) transfer or facilitate the transfer of goods or technologies that are likely to be used to commit serious rights abuses to Venezuela, to any entity organized under the laws of Venezuela, or to any national of Venezuela, for use in Venezuela; or (2) provide services with respect to such goods or technologies after their transfer to Venezuela. Directs the Secretary to submit comprehensive strategies to Congress: (1) promoting internet and information access freedom in Venezuela, and (2) outlining U.S. support for the citizens of Venezuela in seeking free elections and the development of an independent civil society. States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) support efforts to identify prisoners of conscience and cases of human rights abuses in Venezuela, and (2) offer refugee status or political asylum in the United States to political dissidents in Venezuela or assist in their relocation to other countries. Authorizes appropriations for assistance to civil society in Venezuela. Sunsets this Act two years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
CFPB Data Collection Security Act - Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to: (1) establish an opt-out list of consumers who have notified the CFPB that they do not wish to allow it to collect personally identifiable information about them, and (2) give consumers a method of adding and removing their names from the opt-out list via telephone or the CFPB website. Prohibits the CFPB from collecting: (1) personally identifiable information about a consumer listed on the opt-out list (except in the case of consumer complaints), or (2) any data or performing any market monitoring unless it has a Senate-confirmed Director. Prescribes time limitations for the holding of data by the CFPB. Directs the CFPB, if it experiences a data breach that exposes personally identifiable information about a consumer, to give that consumer one year of free credit monitoring. Requires the CFPB to notify consumers publicly of such a breach on the front page of its website. Prohibits CFPB employees from accessing personally identifiable information collected by the CFPB unless they hold a "confidential" security clearance.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Supports the people of Nigeria, especially the parents and families of the girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno state. Condemns Boko Haram for its attacks on civilian targets, including schools, mosques, churches, villages, and agricultural centers. Encourages the government of Nigeria to strengthen efforts to protect children seeking an education and to hold those who conduct such attacks accountable. Commends U.S. efforts to hold terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram accountable, and supports U.S. offers to assist in the search for the abducted girls. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USDA) to continue supporting initiatives that promote the human rights of women and girls in Nigeria.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Strong Forests Grow Strong Communities Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to publish in the Federal Register and make available on the Forest Service website, the annual volume requirement for each unit of the National Forest System (NFS). Defines the "annual volume requirement" for an NFS unit as a volume of national forest materials (trees, portions of trees, or forest products from NFS lands) that is at least 50% of the unit's sustained yield. Prohibits the Secretary from reducing the annual volume requirement for a unit without the consent of a new Act of Congress. Requires the Secretary to manage the sale of national forest materials in each NFS unit in the manner necessary so that the annual volume requirement for that unit is met each calendar year. Directs the Secretary, if a sale of national forest materials may affect the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species, to issue a determination explaining the view that the proposed sale is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of that species. Authorizes the state in which an NFS unit is located, if the Secretary fails to meet the annual volume requirement for that unit for five calendar years, whether consecutively or over a longer than five-year period, to request a cooperative agreement with the Secretary for purposes of managing the unit. Permits a state that undertakes the management of an NFS unit to conduct the management directly, through an agreement with a political subdivision of the state, or through contracts with third parties. Limits a state's request to only those NFS lands of a unit located in the state if the unit covers more than one state. Declares that state environmental, wildlife, and land management laws shall supercede federal environmental, wildlife, and management laws on an NSF unit managed by a state under a cooperative agreement in place pursuant to this Act.
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 · 10 April 2014
Financial Regulatory Clarity Act of 2014 - Requires the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), before issuing a regulation or order, to assess other federal regulations and orders to determine whether the agency's proposal is in conflict with, is inconsistent with, or is duplicative of such other regulations or orders and whether such other federal regulations or orders are outdated.
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
Expanding the Availability of Medicare Data Act - Expands the kinds of uses of Medicare data available to qualified entities for quality and patient care improvement activities. (A "qualified entity" is a public or private entity that: [1] is qualified to use claims data to evaluate the performance of service providers and suppliers on measures of quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and resource use; and [2] agrees to meet specified requirements, such as ensuring data security.) Authorizes a qualified entity to use claims data combined with non-claims data the entity has received, as well as information derived from evaluation of service provider and supplier performance, to conduct additional non-public analyses and provide or sell them to authorized users for non-public use (including to assist service providers and suppliers to develop and participate in quality and patient care improvement activities, including new models of care). Defines "authorized users" as service providers, suppliers, employers, health insurance issuers, medical societies or hospital associations, or any other entities approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prohibits a qualified entity from charging a fee to provide Medicare claims data. Requires a qualified entity and an authorized user to enter into a data use agreement, and prohibits the use of data or analyses for marketing purposes or, except in certain circumstances, its redisclosure. Directs the Secretary to provide Medicare data to qualified clinical data registries for purposes of linking it with clinical outcomes data and performing risk-adjusted, scientifically valid analyses and research to support quality improvement or patient safety. Requires charging a fee to a registry for such data. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to include among standardized extracts of Medicare claims data that may be made available to qualified entities, if the Secretary determines appropriate, also claims data under SSA titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP). Requires any fees charged for making standardized extracts available to qualified entities to be deposited into the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Program Management Account (currently, into the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund).
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2014
Wood Stove Regulatory Relief Act of 2014 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for an eight-year period, from finalizing, issuing, implementing, or enforcing rules under the Clean Air Act applicable to any new source of air pollutants that is a residential wood heater, a residential hydronic heater, a forced-air furnace, or a residential masonry heater unless the rules comply with this Act. Prohibits the Administrator from setting particulate matter emission limits below a specified threshold for adjustable rate wood heaters, single burn rate wood heaters, pellet heaters/stoves, residential hydronic heaters, and forced-air furnaces. Phases in requirements for complying with emission limits. Sets forth provisions requiring third-party testing of compliance with emission limits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2014
Global Internet Freedom Act of 2014 or the GIF Act of 2014 - Prohibits the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information from relinquishing the responsibility of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with respect to Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions, including: (1) coordination of the assignment of technical Internet protocol parameters, (2) performance of administrative functions associated with Internet domain name system root zone management, and (3) allocation of Internet numbering resources.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
Money Remittances Improvement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, with respect to compliance with reporting requirements for monetary instrument transactions of financial institutions, to rely upon examinations conducted by a state supervisory agency of a category of financial institution if: (1) the category is required to comply with federal requirements, or (2) the state supervisory agency examines the category for compliance with federal requirements. Instructs the Secretary to consult with state supervisory agencies when issuing rules to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Small Business Advisory Board Act - Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish a Small Business Advisory Board to: (1) advise and consult with the Bureau in the exercise of the Bureau's functions under the federal consumer financial laws applicable to eligible financial products or services; and (2) provide information on emerging practices of small businesses that provide eligible financial products or services, including regional trends, concerns, and other relevant information. Requires the Director to appoint at least 12 members to such Board.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2014
Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 to direct the President to deny U.S. admission to any representative of the United Nations (U.N.) who: (1) has engaged in espionage activities or a terrorist activity against the United States or its allies, and (2) may pose a threat to U.S. national security interests.
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 · 1 April 2014
Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act - Revises subpart 1 (Charter School Programs) of part B (Public Charter Schools) of title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including by subsuming subpart 2 (Credit Enhancement Initiatives to Assist Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation) under subpart 1. Replaces the current charter school grant program with a program awarding grants to state entities (state educational agencies, state charter school boards, Governors, or charter school support organizations) and, through such grantees, subgrants to charter school developers to open new charter schools and expand and replicate high-quality charter schools. Requires grantees to use at least 7% of grant funds to: (1) provide technical assistance to subgrantees and authorized public chartering agencies, and (2) work with those agencies to improve the charter school authorization process. Permits the Secretary of Education to waive certain statutory or regulatory requirements if the waiver is requested by a grant applicant and promotes the purpose of the Charter School program without tampering with what is definitionally required of charter schools. Requires the Secretary to award credit enhancement grants to public entities and private nonprofit entities that have the highest-quality applications, after considering the diversity of such applications. (Currently, the Secretary is required to award at least three grants, including at least one to a public entity, one to a private nonprofit entity, and one to a consortium of such entities, provided an application from each merits approval.) Revises the per-pupil facilities aid program (under which the Secretary makes competitive matching grants to states to provide per-pupil financing to charter schools) to allow states to: (1) partner with organizations to provide up to 50% of the state share of funding for the program; and (2) receive more than one program grant, so long as the amount of the grant funds provided to charter schools increases with each successive grant. Directs the Secretary to conduct national activities that include: providing state entities with technical assistance in awarding subgrants to charter school developers; providing technical assistance to grantees under the credit enhancement and per-pupil facilities aid programs; disseminating best practices; evaluating the charter school program's impact, including its impact on student achievement; and awarding competitive grants directly to charter school developers (in states that have not applied for or received a charter school grant) and to charter management organizations to open, replicate, and expand charter schools. Requires states and local educational agencies to ensure that a student's records are transferred as quickly as possible to a charter school or another public school when the student transfers from one such school to the other. Allows charter schools to serve prekindergarten or postsecondary school students. Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2020.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2014
Bureau Advisory Commission Transparency Act - Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to make the Federal Advisory Committee Act applicable to each advisory committee of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2014
Special Inspector General for Monitoring the ACA Act of 2014 or the SIGMA Act of 2014 - Establishes the Office of the Special Inspector General for Monitoring the Affordable Care Act to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the implementation and administration of programs and activities established under, and payment system changes made by, the Affordable Care Act (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010). Requires the Special Inspector General to be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires the Special Inspector General to appoint an Assistant Inspector General for Auditing and an Assistant Inspector General for Investigations. Places the Special Inspector General under the supervision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), but prohibits federal agencies involved in implementing or administering the Affordable Care Act from preventing or prohibiting the Special Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2014
Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), for the period beginning upon enactment of this Act and ending on April 15, 2014, to waive certain federal vehicle weight limitations for covered logging vehicles to operate on the Interstate Highway System. Defines the term "covered logging vehicle" to mean a vehicle that: (1) is transporting raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, biomass, or wood chips; (2) has a gross vehicle weight of no more than 99,000 pounds; (3) has at least six axles; and (4) is operating on specified segments of Interstate Route 25 and Interstate Route 535 in Minnesota and Interstate Route 39 and Interstate Route 535 in Wisconsin.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014
Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation Act of 2014 or HHEATT Act of 2014 - Declares that a covered emergency exemption from federal motor carrier safety regulations issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shall remain in effect until May 31, 2014, unless the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) determines that the emergency for which the exemption was provided ends before that date. Defines "covered emergency exemption" as one issued or extended between February 5, 2014, and the date of enactment of this Act to effect regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations directly assisting the delivery of propane and home heating fuels. States that nothing in this Act may be construed to prohibit the FMCSA from issuing or extending a covered emergency exemption beyond May 31, 2014, under other federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014
Supports the people of Venezuela in their pursuit of freedom of expression and assembly to promote democratic principles in Venezuela. Deplores the violence and political intimidation perpetrated against opposition leaders and protesters in Venezuela. Urges the international community to encourage dialogue between the government of Venezuela and the political opposition. Urges the Department of State to: (1) work with other countries in the Americas to ensure that fundamental freedoms in Venezuela are in accordance with the Inter-American Democratic Charter and to strengthen the ability of the Organization of American States (OAS) to respond to the erosion of democratic norms and institutions in member states, and (2) insist that the Secretary General of the OAS convene the OAS's Permanent Council to seek the most effective way end the violence in Venezuela.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act - Adjusts the boundary of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin to include the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light Addition at the end of the breakwater on Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin. Declares that Congress does not intend for the designation of that property to create a protective perimeter or buffer zone around its boundary. Permits retention of rights to use a portion of Lakeshore land and facilities by: (1) the Army Corps of Engineers for breakwater maintenance, and (2) the Coast Guard for federal aids to navigation. Directs the National Park Service (NPS), Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers to cooperate in their operations so as to not lower the standards evolved for the operation of NPS units, federal aids to navigation, and harbor maintenance under federal law respecting the Lakeshore. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements with the city of Ashland, the county of Ashland, and the county of Bayfield, Wisconsin, for the purpose of cooperative law enforcement and emergency services within the boundaries of the Lakeshore. Declares that nothing in this Act or the amendments it makes shall be construed to increase the amount of appropriations authorized for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014
Securing Our Nation's Application Privacy Act of 2014 or the SNAP Act of 2014 - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate regulations that require any person who develops, sells or offers for sale, or makes available to consumers: (1) a software program that runs on the mobile platform or operating system of a mobile device (mobile application) to ensure that such application does not access specified content or functions stored on a mobile device while the application is not actively in use, unless the application triggers disclosure and consent functions of the mobile platform or operating system and the user grants affirmative express consent; and (2) a mobile platform or operating system to ensure that such platform or operating system provides device users with a disclosure immediately before any application that is not actively in use accesses any such content or functions and prevents such access unless the user grants such express consent. Specifies categories of content and functions prohibited from being accessed without consent, including: (1) geographic location; (2) contact information; (3) photographs, videos, or audio recordings; (4) events or notations stored in a calendar application; and (5) a camera, microphone, or any information obtained from such a camera or microphone. Requires violations of such regulations to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2014
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the 96-hour physician certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under which a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2014
National Commission on the Structure of the Army Act of 2014 - Establishes the National Commission on the Structure of the Army to undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of the Army to determine: (1) the proper force mixture of the active component and reserve component, and (2) how the structure should be modified to best fulfill mission requirements in a manner consistent with available resources. Directs the Commission to give particular consideration to evaluating a structure that: (1) meets current and anticipated requirements of the combatant commands; (3) achieves a cost-efficiency balance between the regular and reserve components, with a focus on fully burdened and lifecycle cost of Army personnel; (3) ensures that the regular and reserve components have the capacity needed to support homeland defense and disaster assistance missions in the United States; (4) provides for sufficient numbers of regular members of the Army to provide a base of trained personnel from which the personnel of the reserve components could be recruited; (5) maintains a peacetime rotation force to support operational tempo goals of 1:2 for regular members and 1:5 for members of the reserve components; and (6) maximizes and appropriately balances affordability, efficiency, effectiveness, capability, and readiness. Prohibits the use of any funds made available for FY2015 for the Army to: (1) divest, retire, or transfer, or prepare to divest, retire, or transfer, any aircraft of the Army assigned to units of the Army National Guard as of January 15, 2014; or (2) reduce personnel below the authorized end strength levels of 350,000 for the Army National Guard as of September 30, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 with respect to certain prohibitions against proprietary trading by banking entities and certain relationships of such entities with hedge funds and private equity funds (Volcker rule). Directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the appropriate federal banking agencies, when issuing or modifying any regulation related to such prohibitions, to consider: (1) whether it is necessary or appropriate in the public interest; (2) whether it will promote efficiency, competition, and capital formation; and (3) the impact it would have on competition. Prohibits such agencies from adopting a regulation that would impose a burden on competition neither necessary nor appropriate in furtherance of the Act. Directs such agencies to include in the statement of basis and purpose incorporated in the regulation the reasons for determining that any burden on competition imposed by the regulation is necessary or appropriate in furtherance of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 - Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with respect to the requirement that a federal court retain jurisdiction for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Expands the types of violations triggering the authority of a court to retain such jurisdiction to include certain violations of the Act as well as violations of any federal voting rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. Excludes from the list of violations triggering jurisdiction retention authority any voting qualification or prerequisite which results in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote that is based on the imposition of a requirement that an individual provide a photo identification as a condition of receiving a ballot for voting in a federal, state, or local election. Revises requirements for determining which states and political subdivisions are covered or not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Subjects to the requirements for making such a determination any state (and all of its political subdivisions) during a calendar if 5 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 15 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Specifies application of such new coverage requirements to any specific political subdivision if: (1) 3 or more voting rights violations occurred in it during the previous 15 calendar years; or (2) 1 or more voting rights violations occurred in it during the previous 15 calendar years and the subdivision had persistent, extremely low minority turnout during that period. Provides that, if a state obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote, the requirements for a new declaratory judgment generally will not apply, unless the new coverage requirements of this Act apply to the state solely on the basis of voting rights violations occurring after the declaratory judgment was issued. Prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Modifies authority to assign observers, including authorizing the assignment of observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Revises requirements for injunctive relief, including its scope and the persons authorized to seek relief as well as the grounds for granting it.
![Official portrait of Rep. Duffy, Sean P. [R-WI-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000614_200.jpg)