United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2014
Pat Summitt Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Pat Summitt in recognition of her career in women's team sports and her courage in speaking out about her battle with Alzheimer's disease. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medal at a price sufficient to cover the cost of both the gold and bronze medals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2014
Thomas Edison BULB Act - Repeals provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 concerning lighting energy efficiency, including provisions that: prescribe energy efficiency standards for general service incandescent lamps, rough service lamps, and other designated lamps; direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to conduct and report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on an annual assessment of the market for general service lamps and compact fluorescent lamps; direct the Secretary to carry out a proactive national program of consumer awareness, information, and education about lamp labels and energy-efficient lighting choices; prohibit a manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler from distributing in commerce specified adapters for incandescent lamps; authorize the Secretary to carry out a lighting technology research and development program; set forth minimum energy efficiency standards for incandescent reflector lamps; set forth requirements for the use of energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs in public building construction, alteration, and acquisition; and require metal halide lamp fixtures and energy efficiency labeling for designated consumer electronic products to be included within the Energy Policy and Conservation Act's (EPCA) regulatory oversight. Provides that EPCA shall be applied and administered as if such provisions had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2013
Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2013
Exempts from the reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment of retired pay of members of the Armed Forces under the age of 62 enacted by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 the retired pay of any member or former member who is: (1) retired, (2) eligible for combat-related special compensation, or (3) entitled to concurrent payment of retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Makes such reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment inapplicable to percentage increases allowed for annuities under survivor benefit plans based on retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2013
Repeals the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62. Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to require taxpayers claiming such credit to provide their social security numbers on their tax returns.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2013
Nullifying Unconstitutional Mandate By Evaluating Results Act or the NUMBER Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment, unless the Comptroller General certifies to Congress that at least 7 million individuals have been successfully enrolled in qualified health plans through a health care exchange during the enrollment period ending on March 31, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2013
Government Lacks Insight To Choose Health Act or the GLITCH Act - Requires the pay of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be reduced by 5% for the first month after the first determination by the Comptroller General (GAO) that the healthcare.gov website is not fully functional and by an additional 5% for each subsequent month until such website is determined to be fully functional. Requires the Comptroller General to make such determination on the 15th of each month.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Immigration Compliance Enforcement (ICE) Act - Prohibits the use of federal funds for: (1) the position of Public Advocate within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); (2) the position of Deputy Assistant Director of Custody Programs and Community Outreach within ICE; or (3) any other position within ICE whose functions are substantially the same as those which as of March 26, 2013, were assigned to the position of Public Advocate within ICE, or as of the date of the enactment of this Act were assigned to the position of Deputy Assistant Director of Custody Programs and Community Outreach within ICE.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Personal Financial Information Protection Act - Makes it unlawful for any officer or employee of the federal government to: (1) willfully make an unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable covered information, or (2) conspire to make such an unauthorized disclosure. Defines "personally identifiable covered information" as any information contained in a financial record if such information includes the name, social security number, street address, telephone number, or electronic mail address of, or other personally identifiable information concerning, a consumer. Makes any person who violates this Act or who willfully aids, abets, counsels, induces, or procures such a violation liable to any person whose personally identifiable covered information has been disclosed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Personal Health Information Protection Act - Makes it unlawful for any officer or employee of the federal government to: (1) willfully make an unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable protected health information, or (2) conspire to make such an unauthorized disclosure. Makes any person who violates this Act or who willfully aids, abets, counsels, induces, or procures such a violation liable to any person whose personally identifiable covered information has been disclosed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Personal Tax Information Protection Act - Makes it unlawful for any officer or employee of the federal government to: (1) willfully make an unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable covered information, or (2) conspire to make an unauthorized disclosure. Defines "personally identifiable covered information" as return, return information, and taxpayer return information unless the disclosure of such information is authorized by law. Makes any person who violates this Act or who willfully aids, abets, counsels, induces, or procures such a violation liable to any person whose personally identifiable covered information has been disclosed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2013
Requires the House of Representatives to bring a civil action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for declaratory or injunctive relief to challenge any of the following policies or actions: the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy that, for health insurance coverage that is renewed for a policy year between January 1, 2014, and October 1, 2014, health insurance issuers may continue to offer coverage that would otherwise be terminated or cancelled for noncompliance with various requirements of title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act (relating to health insurance coverage, individual group market reforms, and general reforms) and corresponding portions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and the Internal Revenue Code, as announced by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services on November 14, 2013; the one-year delay in the application of the reporting requirements of the Code (and its related requirements with respect to shared responsibility for employers regarding health coverage), as provided under Department of the Treasury Notice 2013-45, as announced by the Department on July 2, 2013; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy to exercise prosecutorial discretion for individuals who came to the United States as children, as announced by DHS on June 15, 2012; and the authorization, approval, renewal, modification, or extension of any experimental, pilot, or demonstration project under the Social Security Act (SSA) that waives compliance with any of its mandatory work requirements through a waiver of SSA state family assistance plan requirements. Derives any amounts obligated or expended by the House to carry out this resolution during a fiscal year from existing appropriations for House salaries and expenses for that fiscal year. Provides that nothing in this resolution may be construed as authorizing an increase in the amount of budget authority available to the House for that fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2013
General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise FAA medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as a pilot of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under federal law if the flight meets certain criteria and the individual: (1) possesses a valid state driver's license, (2) complies with applicable medical requirements associated with that license, (3) is transporting five or fewer passengers, and (4) is operating under visual flight rules. Defines "covered aircraft" as an aircraft that: (1) is not authorized under federal law to carry more than six occupants, and (2) has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2013
Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing the two-midnight rule to a hospital for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for admissions occurring before October 1, 2014. (The two-midnight rule allows Medicare coverage of only hospital stays for which a physician admits to a hospital a beneficiary expected to require care that crosses two midnights, but generally denies coverage of care expected to require less than a two-midnight stay.) Applies such prohibition to Medicare review contracts. Prohibits Medicare review contractors from denying a claim for inpartient hospital services furnished by a hospital, or inpatient critical access hospital services furnished by a critical access hospital, for discharges occurring before October 1, 2014: (1) for medical necessity due to the length of an inpatient stay in such hospital or due to a determination that the services could have been provided on an outpatient basis; or (2) for requirements for orders, certifications, or recertifications, and associated documentation relating to such matters. Prohibits the Secretary from increasing the sample of claims selected for prepayment review under the Medicare Probe and Educate program above the number and type established by the Secretary as of November 4, 2013. Directs the Secretary to develop: (1) a Medicare hospital payment methodology for short inpatient hospital stays; (2) general equivalency maps to link the relevant International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10 codes (used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures) to relevant Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and the relevant CPT codes to relevant ICD-10 codes, in order to permit comparison of inpatient hospital services and hospital outpatient department servives; and (3) a second crosswalk between Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) codes for inpatient hospital services and Ambulatory Payment Class codes for outpatient hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase by 10% the required state matching funds for certain newly eligible individuals under the Medicaid program who, as of January 1, 2014, are under age 65, not pregnant, not entitled to or enrolled for benefits under SSA title XVIII (Medicare), and whose income does not exceed 133% of the poverty line for a family of the size involved. Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to increase the discretionary spending limit under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) for the security category by $20 billion for FY2014 and then to increase the security and nonsecurity categories for that fiscal year each by half of the remaining estimated reduction in new budget authority resulting from enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
States that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Calls on the Senate to take immediate action on the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 to increase sanctions against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2013
Safe and Secure Federal Websites Act of 2013 - Prohibits a federal agency from deploying or making available to the public a new Federal PII website until a certification is submitted to Congress that the website is fully functional and secure, as defined by this Act. Defines "new Federal PII website" as a website that: (1) is operated by (or under contract with) an agency; (2) elicits, collects, or stores personally identifiable information (i.e., information that can be associated with one individual through a social security account number, taxpayer identification number, state identification number, or other identifier) of individuals and is accessible to the public; and (3) is first made accessible or collects or stores personally identifiable information on or after July 1, 2013. Exempts beta websites designed for testing and development if users execute an agreement acknowledging the risks involved. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study and report on each current and future new Federal PII website.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2013
Israel Sovereignty and Security Recognition Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should recognize Israel's sovereignty and legal right to its lands, including the Golan Heights and Jerusalem as Israel's capital; and (2) the Secretary of State should transfer the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jerusalem, Israel, and either repurpose or sell the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to eliminate the President's authority to waive certain funding limitations for Department of State acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
Parental Notification and Intervention Act of 2013 - Prohibits any person or organization in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or who solicits or accepts federal funds, from performing, permitting facilities to be used to perform, or assisting in the performance of an abortion on an unemancipated minor unless: (1) written notification is provided to the parents of the minor informing them that an abortion has been requested, unless there is clear and convincing evidence of physical abuse of the minor by such parent; (2) there is compliance with a 96-hour waiting period after any required notice has been received by the parents; and (3) there is compliance with any injunction granted by a federal district court if a notified parent initiates a judicial intervention process to enjoin the abortion. Prescribes penalties of not more than a $100,000 fine and/or imprisonment for not more than one year for each willful violation. Provides for an exception from such parental notification requirements if a physician (other than the physician with principal responsibility for making the decision to perform the abortion) determines that: (1) a medical emergency exists that would result in the minor's death if her condition were not immediately treated, even though the treatment may result in the death of her unborn child; (2) parental notification is not possible as a result of the emergency; and (3) certifications regarding compliance with such rules and the reasons upon which such determinations are based have been entered in the minor's medical records. Requires parental notification through certified mail or personal delivery. Defines "parent" to include any legal guardian of an unemancipated minor. Authorizes a notified parent to bring an action in federal court which shall enjoin the abortion: (1) until the court's judgment is final, or (2) permanently unless the court determines that granting such relief would be unlawful. Prohibits this Act from being construed to preempt any state law that establishes, implements, or continues in effect greater parental notification requirements or intervention rights regarding abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
State Health Care Choice Act - Authorizes a state to limit the application of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with respect to health insurance coverage within that state by enacting a law that: (1) expresses the intent of the state to opt out of one or more of the provisions of PPACA, (2) contains a list of the provisions that will not apply to the state, and (3) either expresses the state's intent to continue to administer health coverage-related laws as in effect in the state on March 23, 2010, or provides for the implementation of related state laws enacted after such date. Sets forth provisions that may be made inapplicable within a state, including provisions related to health coverage, essential health benefits, health insurance exchanges, alternative health plans established by states, individual and employer health coverage requirements, interoperable protocols for enrollment in federal and state health and human service programs, and expansion of Medicaid coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
Show Your Exemption Act - Requires the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives and the Financial Clerk of the Senate to make publicly available the determinations of each Member of the House of Representatives and each Senator regarding the designation of their congressional staff (including leadership and committee staff) as "official" for purposes of requiring such staff to enroll in health insurance coverage provided through a health benefit exchange as required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Requires the failure to designate any staff as "official" to be noted in the determination along with a statement that such failure permits the staff involved to remain in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
New Fair Deal Banking and Housing Stability Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (FHEFSSA), the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act (FNMACA), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act (FHLMCA) to repeal housing goals and related provisions, including the Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund, with respect to the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises) (GSEs). Amends the FNMACA and the FHLMCA to limit Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage purchases on property comprising 1- to 4-family dwelling units. Amends the FHLMCA to repeal the authority of banking entities with respect to Freddie Mac transactions. Amends the FNMACA and the FHLMCA to: (1) reduce GSE conforming loan limits, and (2) set a loan-to-value limitation on GSE mortgage purchases. Amends the FHEFSSA to: (1) replace mandatory risk-based standards for GSEs with mandatory non-risk-based standards, and (2) increase the minimum and critical capital levels for GSEs. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to place specified restrictions on the mortgage assets owned by GSEs Repeals the FNMACA and the FHLMCA, and denies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac any authority to conduct new business. Pledges the full faith and credit of the United States to pay all amounts which may be required under existing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac obligations. Prescribes requirements for winding down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operations. Amends the National Housing Act to revise requirements for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) credit programs and: (1) require mortgagees to repurchase defaulted mortgages in certain circumstances, (2) prohibit mortgage insurance for cash-out refinancings, and (3) prohibit mortgage insurance on a 1- to 4-family residential property for which the seller contributes more than 3% of the total closing costs toward the purchaser's acquisition of the property. Reduces guarantees of mortgages by requiring an increase in FHA downpayment requirements. Terminates FHA credit guarantees five years after enactment of this Act, and transfers FHA functions to the Secretary of the Treasury. Amends the FNMACA to limit Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) guarantees. Abolishes Ginnie Mae and transfers all of its functions to the Secretary. Repeals the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, certain risk retention requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform And Consumer Protection Act, the Affordable Housing Program of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA), and other specified federal law. Repeals transportation planning requirements and rescinds unobligated balances of funds made available to carry them out. Terminates Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sustainable communities initiatives and makes a similar related rescission. Requires the appropriate federal regulators to set the capital standards for financial companies, which shall maintain sufficient capital to remain adequately capitalized. Amend the FDIA to: (1) reduce from $250,000 to $150,000 the amount of the standard maximum deposit insurance amount of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and (2) repeal FDIC Administrator authority to make systemic risk determinations. Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the unusual and exigent authority of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Renames the stabilization fund in the Treasury as the Special Drawing Rights Fund, and directs the Secretary to liquidate all property in the Fund, other than Special Drawing Rights, and to use all such amounts to reduce the public debt. Expresses the sense of Congress that the appropriate congressional committees should each report legislation proposing changes to existing law to accommodate bankruptcy proceedings for failing multinational financial institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Disapproves the President's: (1) failure to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," as required by the Constitution, and (2) usurpation of the legislative power of Congress through the rewriting of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Reaffirms that the preservation of the Constitution's separation of powers is essential for the protection of individual liberty and the maintenance of the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013
Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose an additional penalty of $5,000 on any person or entity convicted of crimes relating to: (1) peonage, slavery, and trafficking in persons; (2) sexual abuse; (3) sexual exploitation and other abuse of children; (4) transportation for illegal sexual activity; or (5) human smuggling in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Domestic Trafficking Victims' Fund into which such penalties shall be deposited and which shall be used in FY2015-FY2019 to award grants or enhance victims' programming under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, and the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990. Allots funds to provide services for child pornography victims. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a determination, based on credible evidence, that a covered individual (i.e., a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident) has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize the Attorney General to award block grants to develop, improve, or expand comprehensive domestic child trafficking deterrence programs to rescue and restore the lives of trafficking victims, while investigating and prosecuting offenses involving child trafficking. Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to include human trafficking and the production of child pornography within the definition of child abuse for purposes of such Act. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) increase restitution for victims of human trafficking; (2) set forth provisions for combating aggravated human trafficking racketeering; (3) allow state and local prosecutors to obtain wiretap warrants in state courts for investigations into human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and child pornography production; (4) increase penalties for offenses involving enticement into slavery, sex trafficking of children, child exploitation, and repeat sex offenders; and (5) revise the definition of the crime of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct to facilitate prosecutions of such crime. Directs the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Innocence Lost National Initiative engage in activities, programs, or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of law enforcement personnel in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex. Requires the Attorney General to audit grants awarded under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. Imposes limits on the use of Department of Justice (DOJ) funds for DOJ conferences involving more than $20,000.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013
Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act - Repeals the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and administer a program of risk corridors for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 under which a qualified health plan offered in the individual or small group market is required to participate in a payment adjustment system based on the ratio of the allowable costs of the plan to the plan's aggregate premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013
Protecting Habitat Homeownership Act - Amends the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to exempt residential mortgage loans originated by non-profit low-income housing providers from certain minimum loan standards as well as appraisal, servicing, and billing requirements. Defines "non-profit low-income housing provider" as a tax-exempt charitable organization that does not engage in the business of a loan originator or mortgage broker but does make residential mortgage loans: (1) to promote or facilitate homeownership for poor or low-income, disabled, or other disadvantaged persons or families; and (2) at interest rates lower than the bank prime loan rate; or (3) that are, after adjusting for inflation, no-interest loans or loans with interest rates significantly below the interest rates for loans for purchase of single-family housing generally available in the market. Prescribes additional requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2013
Recognizes the suffering of Indian citizens who have been victims of religious violence. Calls for religious freedom and related human rights to be included in the United States-India Strategic Dialogue and for such issues to be raised directly with federal and state Indian government officials. Declares that the House of Representatives shares the opinion of the Department of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that the Gujarat government has not adequately pursued justice for the victims of religious violence in 2002 and expresses concern regarding reports about the complicity of local officials. Commends the U.S. government for exercising its authority in 2005 under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to deny a U.S. visa to Narendra Modi on the grounds of religious freedom violations, and encourages it to review the applications of any individuals implicated in such violations under the same standard. Commends the role of India's National Human Rights Commission and the Indian Supreme Court, which has led to some convictions in Gujarat riot cases and the arrest of high-level leaders in the Gujarati administration. Calls on India to: (1) increase training on human rights and religious freedom standards and practices for police and the judiciary; and (2) empower the National Commission on Minorities with enforcement mechanisms. Calls on Gujarat and other Indian states with anti-conversion laws to repeal such legislation and ensure freedom to practice, propagate, and profess religion as enshrined in the Indian constitution. Encourages the establishment of an impartial body of interfaith religious leaders, human rights advocates, legal experts, and government officials to discuss and recommend actions to promote religious tolerance and understanding. Urges all political parties and religious organizations to publicly oppose the exploitation of religious differences and denounce harassment and violence against religious minorities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Repeals the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution and declares that Congress shall have no power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, except in time of war declared by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Employee Rights Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization or its agents to interfere with the rights of employees to organize and select representation to collectively bargain. Adds a requirement that representatives be selected by secret ballot in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by a majority of the employees in a unit. Defines "majority" for purposes of determining the majority of employees in an election to mean the majority of all employees in the unit, and not the majority of employees voting in the election. Requires the NLRB, in cases where an existing certified or voluntarily recognized bargaining unit experiences turnover, expansion, or alteration by merger of more than 50% of the unit's employees, to conduct a secret paper ballot among the unit employees: (1) between the 120th day and 110th day before the collective bargaining agreement's expiration or before the end of three years, if there is an agreement between the labor organization and the employer; or (2) within 30 days, if there is no agreement between such parties. Requires the NLRB to decide, before the election of a labor organization as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of all employees of an appropriate unit, whether such unit shall be the employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision unit. Requires the NLRB to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing when it is investigating an election petition if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation affecting commerce exists. Revises the requirement that the NLRB direct an election by secret ballot, and certify its results, whenever it finds upon the record of such a hearing that a question of representation exists. Adds a requirement that the NLRB also review all post-hearing appeals before finding that such a question exists. Requires an employer to provide the NLRB a list consisting only of employee names and home addresses of all eligible voters within 7 days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate unit or following any agreement between the employer and the labor organization regarding eligible voters. Prohibits an election after the filing of a petition unless and until: (1) a hearing is conducted before a qualified hearing officer on any and all material, factual issues regarding jurisdiction, statutory coverage, appropriate unit, unit inclusion or exclusion, or eligibility of individuals; and (2) the issues are resolved by a regional Director, subject to appeal and review, or by the NLRB. Declares that election results shall not be final nor any labor organization be certified as a bargaining representative unless the NLRB has ruled on: (1) each pre-election issue not resolved before the election; and (2) the NLRB conducts a hearing and resolves each issue pertaining to the conduct or results of the election. Makes any labor organization found to have interfered with, restrained, or coerced employees in the exercise of their rights to form or join a labor organization or to refrain from forming or joining (including the filing of a decertification petition) liable for lost wages and unlawfully collected union dues and fees, if any, and an additional amount as liquated damages. Amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act) to permit an election by secret ballot to be conducted through votes cast by electronic ballot cast in the privacy of a voting booth. Requires every employee in a bargaining unit represented by a labor organization, regardless of membership status, to have the same right as members to vote by secret ballot to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with, or to engage in, a strike or refusal to work of any kind against their employer. Prohibits the use of an employee's union dues for any purpose not directly related to the labor organization's collective bargaining, unless that employee authorizes such expenditure in writing. Prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all unit employees affected, determined by a secret ballot vote conducted by a neutral, private organization chosen by agreement between the employer and the labor organization. Requires each labor organization to make the independently verified annual audit report of its financial condition and operations available to all of its members and represented nonmembers. Makes it unlawful for a person to use force or violence, or threaten the use of force or violence, to restrain, coerce, or intimidate a person, or attempt to, in order to obtain from any person any right to represent employees, compensation, or other term or condition of employment. Subjects persons who willfully violate such prohibitions to both civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Transportation Empowerment Act - Declares the purposes of the Act, including returning maximum discretionary authority and fiscal responsibility to the states for all elements of the national surface transportation systems (excluding the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways). Prescribes a limitation on funding of transportation programs and projects carried out under this Act. Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2015-FY2019 for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: (1) metropolitan transportation planning, (2) emergency relief for highways and roads, (3) the federal lands transportation program, and (4) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrative expenses. Authorizes a state to transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Limits federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Repeals the authorization of federal assistance to states for historic bridges. Repeals the transportation alternatives program. Declares that, beginning with FY2014, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: (1) unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of such project, (2) solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or (3) upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2020. Requires the Secretary of Treasury to transfer from the HTF amounts equivalent to motorboat and aviation fuel taxes collected before October 1, 2022, to: (1) the Land and Water Conservation Fund, (2) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and (3) the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to pay from the HTF into the general fund of the Treasury amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2023. Prescribes a motor fuel tax rate schedule for financing of core highway programs. Terminates, on September 30, 2014, the authority of the Secretary to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account. Directs the Secretary, on October 1, 2014, to transfer all amounts in the Mass Transit Account to the Highway Account. Authorizes appropriations out of the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2015-FY2019 for the highway research and development program. Directs the Secretary to allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2016-FY2019. Reduces the excise taxes imposed on: (1) gasoline from 18.3 cents to 3.7 cents, (2) diesel fuel or kerosene from 24.3 cents to 5.0 cents, and (3) diesel-water fuel emulsion from 19.7 cents to 4.1 cents. Requires credits or refunds of certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2019. Declares that this Act shall become effective only if the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) certifies that it is deficit neutral.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Impeaches Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Sets forth articles of impeachment stating that Holder: (1) engaged in a pattern of conduct incompatible with the trust and confidence placed in him in that position by refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on October 12, 2011, in connection with a congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); (2) failed to enforce multiple laws, including the Defense of Marriage Act, the Controlled Substances Act, and the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986; (3) failed his oath of office by refusing to prosecute individuals involved in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scandal of unauthorized disclosure of tax records belonging to political donors; and (4) testified under oath before Congress on May 15, 2013, that he was neither involved in nor had heard of a potential prosecution of the press but later confirmed to the House Judiciary Committee in a letter dated June 19, 2013, that he approved of a search warrant on journalist James Rosen.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2013
Knife Owners' Protection Act of 2013 - Entitles any person who is not otherwise prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a knife to transport a knife from any place where such person may lawfully possess, carry, or transport such a knife to any other place where such person may lawfully do so: (1) by motor vehicle if the knife is not directly accessible from the passenger compartment or is in a locked container, glove compartment, or console; or (2) by other means over land or through water or the air if the knife is in a locked container. Allows any knife or tool designed for enabling escape in an emergency incorporating a blunt tipped safety blade, a guarded blade, or both for cutting safety belts to be carried in the passenger compartment without being secured in a locked container, glove compartment, or console, except in the passenger cabin of aircraft whose passengers are subject to airport screening procedures of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2013
Health Insurance Freedom Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), with respect to the definition of a qualified health plan, to allow a health insurance issuer to offer coverage that: (1) provides the essential health benefits package required of a qualified health plan other than the minimum benefits required under the essential benefits and level of coverage requirements, and (2) meets federal and state benefit requirements as otherwise applied as of October 1, 2013, in the state in which the coverage is offered. Makes such coverage ineligible: (1) for the premium assistance income tax credit or PPACA cost-sharing reductions; and (2) to be treated as a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum plan or be taken into account for purposes of determining the applicable second lowest cost silver plan. Makes this Act's amendments effective as if they were included in the enactment of PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Amends the National Security Agency Act of 1959 and the Inspector General Act of 1978 to require the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Inspector General of NSA to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping, Dragnet-collection, and Online Monitoring Act or the USA FREEDOM Act - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to set forth additional requirements for obtaining orders for business records in counterterrorism investigations, including requiring that the records sought pertain to a foreign power, an agent of a foreign power, or an individual in contact with, or known to a suspected agent of, a foreign power. Requires additional information if the applicant is seeking a nondisclosure requirement in connection with such request. Allows the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to apply for renewals of nondisclosure requirements. Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to require the production of call data records by the provider of a wire or electronic communication service. Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvements and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Justice (DOJ), for 2010 through 2013, to report on an examination of the minimization procedures (procedures designed to minimize the acquisition and retention of information and to prohibit its unauthorized dissemination) used in relation to business records orders. Imposes additional requirements on the authorized use of pen registers and trap and trace devices (devices for recording incoming and outgoing telephone numbers), including that: (1) the information sought must pertain to a foreign power, agent thereof, or individual in contact with or known to such an agent; and (2) the application must contain a statement of proposed minimization procedures. Requires audits of the effectiveness and use of such devices. Prohibits the searching of collections of communications of U.S. persons, except: (1) under an order or authorization for electronic surveillance or physical search, (2) with the consent of such person, or (3) under a reasonable belief that the life or safety of the person is threatened and the information is sought to assist that person. Limits the collection of wholly domestic communications of a U.S. person to those communications: (1) to which any party is a target of the acquisition; or (2) that contain an identifier of a target of an acquisition, only if the communications are acquired to protect against international terrorism or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Prohibits receiving into evidence any information obtained in an acquisition against any U.S. person for which a deficiency in the procedures for acquiring such information is identified by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court). Authorizes the FISA Court, if the government corrects any deficiencies so identified, to permit the use or disclosure of information acquired before the correction under such minimization procedures as the FISA Court shall establish. Repeals on June 1, 2015, FISA procedures regarding the targeting of non-U.S. persons located outside the United States in order to acquire foreign intelligence information. Requires reviews of surveillance targeting and minimization procedures by the IG of the Intelligence Community (IC), including mandatory review with respect to the privacy rights of U.S. persons. Establishes within the judicial branch an Office of the Special Advocate to participate in proceedings before the FISA Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, request reconsiderations of FISA Court decisions, and participate in appeals and reviews. Requires the Special Advocate to vigorously advocate in support of legal interpretations that protect individual privacy and civil liberties. Requires the Attorney General to publicly disclose specified information in connection with FISA Court or FISA Court of Review decisions appealed by the Special Advocate. Requires the release of as much information regarding the facts and analysis in such decisions as is consistent with legitimate national security concerns. Authorizes the FBI Director to request from a communication service provider the name, address, length of service, and local and long distance billing records of a person as part of a national security investigation only if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the information sought pertains to a foreign power, an agent of a foreign power, or an individual in contact with, or known to a suspected agent of, a foreign power. Provides similar requirements with respect to an FBI request for information from financial institutions and consumer reporting agencies. Revises provisions prohibiting the disclosure of the receipt of a national security letter by such providers, institutions, and agencies to except disclosure to: (1) those persons to whom disclosure is necessary to comply with the request, (2) an attorney in order to obtain legal advice or assistance regarding the request, or (3) other persons as permitted by the FBI. Includes under such prohibition (with the same exceptions) national security letters issued in connection with the investigation of persons with access to classified information. Allows affected communications providers, financial institutions, and consumer reporting agencies to seek judicial review of requests for information. Requires the DOJ IG to report results of audits of national security letters issued during 2010 through 2013. Amends provisions of FISA, the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, the National Security Act of 1947, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) concerning national security letters to, effective June 1, 2015, make such provisions read as they read on October 25, 2001. Allows electronic service providers to publicly report on information provided under FISA orders and national security letters. Exempts such providers from liability with respect to such reports. Revises requirements concerning government reporting on the use of FISA orders and national security letters. Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to remove the AG as a required intermediary for subpoenas in connection with authorized activities of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2013
Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, dealers, or collectors (licensees) to sell or deliver any firearm (currently, rifles or shotguns) to a resident of a state other than the state in which the licensee is located or temporarily located if the licensee meets with the purchaser to complete the sale or delivery and the transaction complies with the laws of the state in which the transfer is conducted and the purchaser's state of residence; and (2) eliminate the requirement that a licensee must conduct business at a gun show only in the state that is specified on the licensee's license. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition: (1) between licensed firearms dealers at any location in any state; or (2) by a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to an unlicensed person at a temporary location in any state. Amends definitions for federal firearms provisions to: (1) revise the definition of a "member of the Armed Forces on active duty" to include a member (or member's spouse) who is a resident of the state in which such person maintains legal residence or in which the member maintains a place of abode from which the member commutes each day to the permanent duty station; and (2) provide that an officer or employee of the United States (other than a member of the Armed Forces) stationed outside the United States for a period exceeding one year, or a spouse residing with such an officer or employee, is a resident of the state in which the person maintains legal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits Congress from making any law that is applicable to a U.S. citizen but not equally applicable to: (1) Congress; (2) the executive branch, including the President, Vice President, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and all other officers of the United States, including those provided for under the Constitution and by law; and (3) Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of inferior courts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2013 - Requires each communication funded by a federal agency for advertising or educational purposes to clearly state: (1) in the case of a printed communication, including mass mailings, signs, and billboards, that the communication is printed and published at taxpayer expense; and (2) in the case of a communication transmitted through radio, television, or the Internet, that the communication is produced and disseminated at taxpayer expense. Requires any such printed communication, including e-mails, to be of sufficient size to be clearly readable, to be set apart from the other contents of the communication, and to be printed with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the printed statement. Exempts from such requirements: (1) information in a solicitation for offers for a federal contract; and (2) advertisements for employment opportunities, not including advertising materials developed for use in recruiting and retaining personnel for the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in order to provide a positive incentive for certain hospitals to lower their excess readmission ratios for inpatient services, to make an additional payment to a hospital in such proportion that provides for a sharing of the savings from better-than-expected performance between the hospital and the Medicare program. Authorizes the Secretary, in the case of a state that has amended its Medicaid plan to provide coordinated care through a health home for individuals with chronic conditions, to contract with the state medical assistance agency to serve eligible individuals with chronic conditions who select a designated provider, a team of health care professionals operating with such a provider, or a health team as the individual's health home. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a national or multi-state regional center of excellence with a network of affiliated local providers to provide through one or more medical homes for targeted, accessible, continuous, and coordinated care to individuals under Medicare and Medicaid with a long-term illness or medical condition that requires regular medical treatment, advising, and monitoring. Authorizes an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) to include coverage of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services as supplemental health care benefits to the same extent as a Medicare Advantage plan is permitted to provide such coverage of such services as supplemental health care. Recognizes telehealth services and remote patient monitoring in the national pilot program on payment bundling. Includes among originating sites (at which an eligible telehealth individual is located at the time a service is furnished via a telecommunications system), but without receiving payment of a facility fee, any critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, home telehealth sites, as well as specified others. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to give states the option to provide coordinated care for enrollees with high-risk pregnancies and births. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to specify additional health care providers to which universal telecommunications service support must be provided. Requires Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules for enhancing health care provider access to advanced telecommunications and information services to disregard provider location.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2013
Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with respect to abortion coverage in qualified plans offered through a Health Benefit Exchange, to modify the notice rules to require that: in the case of services regarding abortions both for which public funding is prohibited and allowed, the extent of coverage shall be prominently displayed in any marketing or advertising materials, comparison tools, or summary of benefits and coverage explanation made available by the issuer of the plan, by an Exchange, or by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), including information made available through an Internet portal or Exchange; and in the case of abortions for which public funding is prohibited and where the premium for the plan is disclosed, the surcharge attributable to such services, consisting of an amount equal to the actuarial value of the coverage, shall be disclosed and identified separately.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2013
Appropriates for FY2014, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2014 are not in effect, such sums as are necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts for FY2013 and under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, to administer and furnish the compensation, pension benefits, readjustment benefits, insurance and indemnities, housing benefits, and vocational rehabilitation benefits provided for under federal veterans' benefits laws. Requires the appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this Act to remain available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation (including a continuing appropriation) for any purpose for which amounts are made available in this Act, (2) enactment of the applicable regular or continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any appropriation for such purpose, or (3) January 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2013
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 20, 2013, relating to "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act or RAISE Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to declare that neither its prohibition against interference by an employer with employees' right to bargain collectively, nor the terms of a collective bargaining agreement entered into between employees and an employer after enactment of this Act, shall prohibit an employer from paying an employee higher wages, pay, or other compensation than the agreement provides for.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Marriage and Religious Freedom Act - Prohibits the federal government from taking an adverse action against a person on the basis that such person acts in accordance with a religious belief that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. Defines "adverse action" as any federal government action to discriminate against such person, including: (1) denying or revoking certain tax exemptions or disallowing a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; (2) denying or excluding such person from receiving any federal grant, contract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status; or (3) denying or withholding any benefit under a federal benefit program. Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government. Authorizes the Attorney General (DOJ) to bring actions to enforce this Act. Specifies that the term "person" includes any person regardless of religious affiliation, as well as corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2013
American Health Care Reform Act of 2013 - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow an income tax standard deduction for a specified percentage of an individual's health insurance costs, regardless of whether or not the taxpayer itemizes other deductions. Excludes the amount of such a deduction from employment taxes. Allows a taxpayer, for earned income credit purposes, to exclude from earned income any employer contributions to a qualified accident or health plan. Allows double additional contributions to a health savings account (HSA) if both spouses are age 55 or older and one spouse is not an account beneficiary. Prescribes special rules for HSA coverage eligibility for certain individuals: (1) participating in a Medicare Advantage Medical Savings Account (MSA), (2) receiving periodic hospital care or medical services for a service-connected disability, (3) eligible for Indian Health Service assistance, or (4) eligible for TRICARE coverage. Prescribes requirements for interaction of health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements with HSAs. Prohibits the payment of health insurance premiums from HSAs, with certain exceptions. Prescribes circumstances in which certain medical expenses incurred before establishment of an HSA may still be qualified expenses. Prescribes requirements for protection of any HSA in a bankruptcy proceeding. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize additional health opportunity account demonstration programs. Treats membership in a health care sharing ministry as coverage under a high deductible health plan. Renames high deductible health plans as HSA qualified plans. Allows payments from an HSA for: (1) direct primary care service arrangements, (2) certain exercise equipment and physical fitness programs, (3) certain nutritional and dietary supplements, and (4) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician for the right to receive medical services on an as-needed basis. Increases the maximum limit on contributions to an HSA to match deductible and out-of-pocket expenses limitations. Prescribes requirements for establishment of child health savings accounts, for which an income tax deduction shall be allowed a taxpayer equal to the aggregate cash amount paid into the account during the taxable year. Amends the IRC to include in gross income any distributions from an HSA for an abortion. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the IRC to authorize premium and cost-sharing variances in group health plans based on certain financial incentives for participation (or lack of it) in a standards-based wellness program. Amends the PHSA to direct the Secretary to provide a grant of up to $5 million to each state for the costs of creation and initial operation of a qualified high risk pool if it has not created such a pool as of September 1, 2013. Limits participation in such a pool to U.S. citizens and nationals. Declares that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with conditions of this Act. Prohibits a health insurance issuer from offering, selling, or issuing individual health insurance coverage in a secondary state if its insurance commissioner does not use a risk-based capital formula for determining capital and surplus requirements for all health insurance issuers. Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to declare that nothing in it shall modify, impair, or supersede the operation of any of the antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance (including the business of dental insurance). Amends SSA title XI (General Provisions) to require the Secretary to make available to the public Medicare claims and payment data, including data on payments made to any provider of services or supplier. Authorizes a state to establish a Health Plan and Provider Portal website to standardize information on: (1) health insurance plans available in the state, and (2) price and quality information on health care providers (including physicians, hospitals, and other health care institutions). Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship or the practice of medicine. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to eliminate the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Amends ERISA to prescribe requirements for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans meeting certain ERISA certification criteria whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations. Limits the commencement of a health care lawsuit, except in certain cases including fraud or intentional concealment, to three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury, whichever occurs first. Limits to $250,000 the amount of noneconomic damages in such a lawsuit, but allows a claim for the full amount of any economic damages. Requires the court, in any health care lawsuit, to supervise the arrangements for payment of damages to protect against conflicts of interest that may have the effect of reducing the amount of damages awarded that are actually paid to claimants. Specifies criteria for the award of punitive damages, limited to the greater of $250,000 or double the amount of economic damages. Preempts state law with respect to health care lawsuits. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) require any health plan to provide coverage of or access to abortion services; or (2) allow the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, or any other federal or non-federal person or entity in implementing this Act to require coverage of, or access to, abortion services. Prohibits the use of funds authorized or appropriated by this Act to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes abortion coverage, except: (1) if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) in the case where a pregnant female suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the female in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2013
Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act - Directs: (1) the Secretary of the military department concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces (members) who were killed or wounded in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009; and (2) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom to civilian employees and contractors of DOD who were killed or wounded in such attack. Deems, for purposes of all applicable federal benefit laws, regulations, and policies: (1) such members to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an enemy act; and (2) such employees to have been killed or wounded by hostile action while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation and to have been killed or wounded in a terrorist attack. Excludes any member whose death or wound was the result of willful misconduct. Applies such provisions to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other psychological injuries that were a a result of such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Conservation Act of 2013 - Directs the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to: (1) prepare and adopt a data collection strategy for the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery, including interstate collaboration measures and a plan for annual stock assessments; and (2) prepare, adopt, and submit to the Secretary of Commerce a fishery management plan providing for the conservation and management of Gulf of Mexico red snapper and describing the standards of compliance for Gulf coastal states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) to use in developing fishery management measures. Permits an increase in the quota of Gulf of Mexico red snapper apportioned to commercial fishing based on stock assessments. Prohibits such plan, for a three-year period, from reducing such quota, except in the event of a reduction in stock prior to the end of such period in which case the quotas apportioned to all fishing sectors shall be reduced to ensure a sustainable harvest. Directs the Secretary to determine whether the plan: (1) includes fishery management measures compatible with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and (2) ensures the long-term sustainability of Gulf of Mexico red snapper. Requires each Gulf coastal state to submit for the Commission's approval appropriate management measures that ensure compliance with the objectives of the fishery management plan. Directs the Secretary, upon receiving the Commission's certification that the management measures of all such states have been approved, to: (1) revoke federal regulations and portions of the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico that conflict with the plan for Gulf of Mexico red snapper, and (2) transfer management of Gulf of Mexico red snapper to such states. Directs the Commission to determine, periodically, whether state enforcement is satisfactory. Requires the Commission to: (1) offer assistance to noncompliant states, and (2) vote on whether to notify the Secretary when a state remains noncompliant. Authorizes the Secretary to close a fishery within federal waters adjacent to a noncompliant state. Directs the Secretary to report biennially to Congress, the governor of each Gulf coastal state, and the Commission regarding the economic impacts for the local, regional, and national economy of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Stability, Security, and Fairness Resolution of 2013 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2014. Appropriates amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2013 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division A of P.L. 113-6); the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6); and The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6). Requires the rate for operations for each account to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: section 3004 of division G of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), if any; and the sequestration order issued to enforce a specified budget goal pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). (The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act was amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011 to revise the discretionary spending limits and reduce the discretionary appropriations and direct spending specified in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act unless a joint committee bill achieving an amount greater than $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction would be enacted by January 15, 2012.) Provides funding under this joint resolution through FY2014, unless otherwise provided for in this division or in the applicable appropriations Act. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including those for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such fiscal year. Enacts the following bills into law: H.R. 2216 (Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014), as engrossed by the House of Representatives on June 4, 2013; H.R. 2217 (Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014), as engrossed by the House on June 6, 2013; and H.R. 2397 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014), as engrossed by the House on July 24, 2013. Amends the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to reduce the discretionary category in new budget authority for FY2014 from $1.066 trillion to $967.473 million. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), if for FY2014 the amount of new budget authority provided by this joint resolution exceeds such discretionary spending limits, to increase the applicable percentage of 0% by the amount necessary to eliminate the excess of the limit. Rescinds the applicable 0%, subject to such requirement, of: the budget authority provided (or obligation limit imposed) for FY2014 for any discretionary account in section 101 of this joint resolution, the budget authority provided in any advance appropriation for FY2014 for any discretionary account (excluding any account funded under section 111 of this joint resolution) in any prior fiscal year appropriation Act, and the contract authority provided in FY2014 for any program subject to limitation incorporated or otherwise contained in section 101 of this joint resolution. Exempts: amounts designated by the Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT) or for disaster relief; or the amount made available by this joint resolution for "Social Security Administration, Limitation on Administrative Expenses" for continuing disability reviews under titles II (Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance [OASDI] Benefits) and XVI (Grants to States for Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled) of the Social Security Act (SSA), and for the cost associated with conducting redeterminations of eligibility under SSA title XVI. Prohibits, during any fiscal year, the use of federal funds to carryout: (1) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA); or (2) certain PPACA related requirements in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Rescinds any funds provided by PPACA, its title, or subtitle for FY2014. Delays: the obligation of any PPACA funds for FY2015 until January 1, 2015; and implementation of PPACA, its related requirements in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or amendments made by either Act until December 31, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2013
James Madison Congressional Accountability Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to extend the requirement for participation in the American Health Benefit Exchange (a state health insurance exchange created by PPACA) to the President, Vice-President, executive branch political appointees, and employees of congressional committees and leadership offices of Congress (currently, this requirement applies to Members of Congress and their staff). Prohibits any government contribution to or subsidy for the health insurance coverage of such officials and employees.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2013 - Expands the federal prohibition against state taxation of interstate commerce to: (1) include taxation of out-of-state transactions involving all forms of property, including intangible personal property and services (currently, only sales of tangible personal property are protected); and (2) prohibit state taxation of an out-of-state entity unless such entity has a physical presence in the taxing state. Sets forth criteria for: (1) determining that a person has a physical presence in a state, and (2) the computation of the tax liability of affiliated businesses operating in a state.
![Official portrait of Rep. Duncan, Jeff [R-SC-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000615_200.jpg)