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United States · Official source
3,969 records where Rep. Ellison, Keith [D-MN-5] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2013
Congratulates Pope Francis on his election and recognizes his inspirational statements and actions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the elimination of poverty and hunger should remain key foreign and domestic U.S. policy goals, (2) a Global Marshall Plan holds the potential to transform development assistance in a manner that would significantly reduce poverty, and (3) the President should implement a Global Marshall Plan to increase U.S. assistance towards the elimination of poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2013
Recognizes the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the celebration of Human Rights Day. Supports the ideals of human rights and reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Encourages all nations to continue working towards freedom, peace, and security which can be achieved only through democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2013
Designates the community based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) located at 1961 Premier Drive in Mankato, Minnesota, as the "Lyle C. Pearson Community Based Outpatient Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2013
Prohibiting In-Flight Voice Communications on Mobile Wireless Devices Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations prohibiting an individual on an aircraft from engaging in voice communications using a mobile device during a flight in scheduled passenger interstate or intrastate air transportation. Exempts from such prohibition: (1) on-duty flight crews and attendants, and (2) federal law enforcement officers acting in an official capacity.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2013
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. Instructs the Secretary to select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications. Restricts the period of coin issuance to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. Requires all sales of such coins to include a surcharge of $10 per coin. Prescribes a surcharge distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2013
States that the House of Representatives has learned with profound sorrow of the death of Nelson Mandela, former President of the Republic of South Africa. Tenders its sympathies to the members of his family and his fellow citizens. Honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Nelson Mandela and for his friendship to the United States. Requests the Secretary of State to communicate these expressions of sentiment to Nelson Mandela's family and to the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Requests that when the House adjourns today it do so as a mark of respect to the memory of Nelson Mandela.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
Monuments Men Recognition Act of 2013 - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a single congressional gold medal in commemoration of the Monuments Men (men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives [MFA] Section under the Allied Armies during World War II) in recognition of their heroic role in the preservation, protection, and restitution of monuments, works of art, and artifacts of cultural importance during and following the War. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the Monuments Men and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
Medical Foods Equity Act of 2013 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage of medically necessary food and food modified to be low protein formulated to be consumed or administered under the supervision of a qualified medical provider, for the treatment of conditions as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (the Advisory Committee), and the medical equipment and supplies necessary to administer such food. Provides coverage under the Department of Defense (DOD) TRICARE and Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHBP) programs for such health benefits. Defines "medically necessary food" as a food formulated to be consumed or administered through the gastrointestinal tract orally or by tube under the supervision of a physician and intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation. Includes nutritionally modified counterparts of traditional foods and other forms of foods such as formulas, pills, capsules, and bars. Provides Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP prescription drug coverage of pharmacological doses of vitamins and amino acids used for the treatment of inborn errors of metabolism, for the treatment of conditions as recommended by the Advisory Committee, and as prescribed by a qualified medical provider. Provides similar coverage of such items under the TRICARE and FEHBP programs, without regard to the age of the patient.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
The Small Business and Community Investments Expansion Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to authorize Federal Home Loan Banks to make long-term secured advances to their members to provide funds to community development financial institutions. Requires a Bank, at the time of origination or renewal of a loan or advance, to obtain and maintain a security interest in collateral eligible pursuant to any secured loan for any community development financial institution.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2013
Silent Skies Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enter into a competitive cooperative agreement with an institution, entity, or consortium to carry out a program for the development of aircraft technology that will assist in-service and in-production civil turbojets not meeting stage 4 noise standards to comply with them or with more stringent noise standards. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations to establish minimum standards to ensure that graduated percentages of civil turbojets weighing over 75,000 pounds comply with the stage 4 noise levels by specified dates. Requires the Secretary to request the International Civil Aviation Organization to add to its Work Programme the consideration of international standards for the phase-out of aircraft not complying with stage 4 noise levels. Declares that the requirements of this Act shall not apply to civil turbojet aircraft that operate outside of the 48 contiguous states.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2013
Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that sexual orientation change efforts directed at minors are discredited and ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and are dangerous and harmful. Encourages states to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured. Defines "sexual orientation change efforts" as any practice by a licensed mental health provider, health care provider, or counselor seeking or purporting to impose change of an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Excludes from such definition counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression if such counseling provides: (1) acceptance, support, and understanding of a person; (2) coping, social support, and identity exploration and development; (3) developmentally appropriate counseling for a person seeking to transition from one gender to another; or (4) sexual orientation- and gender identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the President should declassify a 28-page section of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001, and (2) the families of the victims and the people of the United States deserve answers about the events and circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2013 - Requires each state, within three years, to have in effect legislation that: (1) treats a minor who has engaged or attempted to engage in a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, (2) discourages the charging or prosecution of such an individual for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense, and (3) encourages the diversion of such individual to child protection services. Authorizes the Attorney General to withhold specified Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds from a state that fails to comply with such requirement. Increases the amount a victim of peonage, slavery, or trafficking in persons may recover in a civil action against the perpetrator to treble damages. Directs the Attorney General to establish a process to collect and analyze data relating to the issuance and enforcement of mandatory restitution orders with respect to such offenses. Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants annually for a national communication system to assist victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons in communicating with service providers. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to include victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons among those eligible for the Job Corps. Directs the Attorney General to implement and maintain a National Strategy for Combating Human Trafficking that includes: (1) integrated federal, state, local, and tribal efforts to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases; (2) case coordination within the Department of Justice (DOJ); and (3) interagency coordination regarding the prevention, investigation, and apprehension of individuals targeting and exploiting adults and children for human trafficking. Amends the VTVPA to require the Attorney General's annual report on agency activities under such Act to including information on: (1) data relating to the issuance and enforcement of mandatory restitution orders with respect to peonage, slavery, and trafficking in persons; and (2) the number of sex and labor trafficking investigations that were opened by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Labor, or the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center or that were reported to the United States attorneys, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in DOJ's Civil Rights Division, and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in DOJ's Criminal Division. Amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to modify the definition of "tier III sex offender" to include a sex offender whose offense is: (1) punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, and (2) comparable to or more severe than sex trafficking committed against a minor or an attempt or conspiracy to commit such offense against a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
End Polluter Welfare Act of 2013 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to reduce or eliminate royalty payments for oil and natural gas leases in the Outer Continental Shelf. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to increase minimum royalty payments for coal, oil, and natural gas leases. Repeals the program for ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and production. Amends the Oil Pollution Act to eliminate the limitation on liability for offshore facilities and pipeline operators for oil spills. Rescinds all unobligated balances made available to the World Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Export-Import Bank, the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Department of Energy (DOE), and other international financing entities to carry out any project that supports fossil fuel (i.e., coal, petroleum, natural gas, or any derivatives used for fuel). Terminates the Office of Fossil Energy Research and Development in DOE and the authority to carry out any of its programs. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to eliminate from the categories of projects eligible for loan guarantees for innovative technologies: (1) projects involving advanced fossil energy technology, and (2) and crude oil refineries. Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from making loans under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to carry out projects that will use fossil fuel. Prohibits the use of Department of Transportation (DOT) funds to award any grant or other direct assistance to any rail or port project that transports fossil fuel. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) limit or repeal provisions allowing tax incentives for investment in fossil fuels, (2) increase the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate, and (3) impose a 13% tax on the removal price of any taxable crude oil or natural gas from the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. Designates the Powder River Basin in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming as a coal producing region. Eliminates accelerated depreciation for property that is receiving a subsidy for fossil fuel production.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
International Violence Against Women Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy. Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to develop or update annually for six years a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of USAID to provide assistance to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls internationally.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Universal Racial Profiling Elimination Standards, and Procedures for Effective Constitutional Rights Training Act or the Universal RESPECT Act - Prohibits federal law enforcement agents from engaging in racial profiling. Requires: (1) the Attorney General to review all applicable law enforcement policies and procedures to ensure that they are sufficient to eliminate racial profiling while performing official law enforcement duties, and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that no recipient of covered federal law enforcement assistance engages in racial profiling. Directs the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) to develop and incorporate any necessary changes to all training, curriculum, and professional certification classes to ensure consistency with the requirements of this Act. Requires: (1) the Director to identify, develop, and update model practices that prevent racial profiling; and (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board (FLETAB) to incorporate such practices into the law enforcement community through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Model Practice Clearinghouse and other means. Directs FLETAB to: (1) develop a standard of review of anti-racial profiling components of law enforcement training curricula, and (2) deny accreditation or reaccreditation to academies, programs, and instructors not meeting such standard. Requires: (1) the Officer and the Office for State and Local Government Coordination to review the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) or equivalent program of the states to assess the anti-racial profiling education component of such curricula, and (2) the Secretary to notify states of deficiencies in the curriculum and to make available to the states assistance to develop sufficient curriculum to meet minimum anti-racial profiling standards. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require state, local, and tribal government recipients of DHS grants for law enforcement to certify that they do not engage in racial profiling. Directs the Officer and the FLETC to develop guidance, outreach, training, and programs that include civil rights and civil liberties training, in particular programs designed to prevent racial profiling. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and distribute to state, local, and tribal authorities courses and materials that comply with the Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin No. 373 or successor bulletin for integration into the curricula for recruits and recurrent training for experienced law enforcement officers; and (2) make available to the states assistance to develop sufficient curriculum to meet minimum anti-racial profiling standards. Requires guidance for DHS grants for law enforcement to inform recipients that expenditures on any training, programs, presentations, and speakers that are acquired from an entity other than DHS must be approved in advance by the Chief Privacy Officer and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Grants the Officer primary jurisdiction over all matters relating to the review, implementation, and oversight of the requirements of this Act. Requires the Officer: (1) using information gained by investigations of complaints and information indicating possible abuses of civil rights or civil liberties by DHS employees and officials or that are related to DHS activities, to make recommendations to DHS for improvements in policy, supervision, training, and practice related to civil rights or civil liberties or for the relevant office to review the matter and take appropriate action; and (2) to review and assess information alleging abuses of civil rights, civil liberties, and racial and ethnic profiling by law enforcement agencies receiving grants or assistance from DHS. Requires each DHS component and executive agency to ensure that it provides the Officer with access to requested information within 30 days after the Officer requests it. Authorizes the Officer to require access by subpoena to any institution or entity outside of the federal government and any record relating to such institution or entity that is the subject of or related to an investigation. Authorizes the Officer to: (1) request the assistance of the Inspector General to investigate compliance with civil rights protection standards and complaints of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies; and (2) suspend the eligibility of a state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency to receive grants or training at federal law enforcement training facilities for violating this Act until the practices of the agency are brought into compliance. Requires law enforcement entities receiving grants or training from DHS to: (1) collect data on all routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, (2) provide that the data collected shall include detail sufficient to permit an analysis of whether a law enforcement agency is engaging in racial profiling, (3) utilize a standardized form that shall be made available to law enforcement agencies, (4) maintain all data collected for not less than four years, and (5) protect the privacy of individuals whose data is collected. Directs the Officer to receive and maintain data from the states on: (1) the implementation of racial profiling education curricula in state POSTor equivalent state-level program peace officer certification, (2) the adoption rate by state POST programs of the FLETAB model practices on racial profiling, (3) the number of credible complaints of improper racial profiling practices filed against state law enforcement entities, (4) the disposition of such complaints, and (5) the disciplinary action by state law enforcement entities against officers and agents adjudicated guilty of improper racial profiling practices. Requires the Secretary's annual report on the Officer to include a section related to the enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Humane Care for Primates Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate a final rule revising federal regulations regarding the importation of nonhuman primates (i.e. chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, macaques, and numerous other species) to expand the categories of uses for which nonhuman primates may be imported and distributed to include live nonhuman primates imported into the United States by a certified primate sanctuary for purposes of providing lifetime shelter and care. Requires such rule to establish a process for the certification of facilities as primate sanctuaries for purposes of the importation, shelter, and care of nonhuman primates.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Federal Employees Responsible Investment Act - Establishes the Corporate Responsibility Stock Index Fund as an investment option under the Thrift Savings Fund. Directs the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to select a minimum of one index for such Fund comprised of stocks that have been analyzed and selected using basic criteria, including corporate governance, environmental practices, workplace relations and benefits, product safety and impact, international operations and human rights, involvement with repressive regimes, and community relations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Permanently Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 to repeal its sunset date December 31, 2012 (thus making the Act permanent). Establishes a private right of action to enforce compliance with such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013
Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to condition each state's receipt of ESEA funds, beginning in FY2015, on the state having in effect and enforcing a law or regulation that meets the minimum requirements for the prevention and treatment of concussions set forth in this Act. Requires each local educational agency in the state to develop and implement a standard plan for concussion safety and management for its public schools that includes: (1) the education of students, parents, and school personnel about concussions through specified activities; (2) specified supports for each student recovering from a concussion; and (3) specified best practices designed to ensure the uniformity of safety standards, treatment, and management. Requires each public school to post on school grounds and make publicly available on the school website specified information on concussions. Provides that if any public school personnel suspects that a student has sustained a concussion during a school-sponsored activity: (1) the student is to be immediately removed from participation in that activity and prohibited from participating in school-sponsored athletic activities until the student submits a written release from a health care professional; and (2) that individual is to report all available information regarding the student's injury to a concussion management team that will then confirm and report to the student's parents the date, time, and type of the injury suffered by the student and any actions taken to treat the student. Requires each concussion management team to include a health care professional, the student's parents, other relevant school personnel, and an individual assigned by the public school to oversee and manage the students' recovery. Requires the school's concussion management team to consult with and make recommendations to relevant school personnel and the student to ensure that the student is receiving the appropriate academic supports, including: (1) periods of cognitive rest over the course of the school day, (2) modified academic assignments, (3) gradual reintroduction to cognitive demands, and (4) other appropriate academic accommodations or adjustments.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2013
Calls on the U.S. government to recognize the campaign of genocide launched against the Kurdish people in Iraq. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to the friendship between the United States and the Kurdish people in Iraq.
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
Technology, Equality and Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act or the TEACH Act - Directs the Access Board to develop accessibility guidelines for electronic instructional materials and related information technologies in institutions of higher education (IHEs). Requires those guidelines to: (1) include performance criteria to ensure that electronic instructional materials and related information technologies are accessible to the blind and disabled; (2) be consistent with the standards for technical and functional performance criteria issued pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and (3) be, to the extent practicable, consistent with national and international accessibility standards for those materials and technologies. Directs the Access Board to review and, as appropriate, amend the guidelines every three years to reflect technological advances or changes in electronic instructional materials and related information technologies. Deems IHEs that use electronic instructional materials and related information technologies that comply with the guidelines to be in compliance with nondiscrimination provisions under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2013
Recognizes that all Americans should be treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Acknowledges the struggle of the Stonewall protestors (human rights protesters at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969) and other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people for equality. Encourages the celebration of LGBT Pride Month to provide an opportunity for people in the United States to learn about discrimination and inequality that continues to face LGBT people. Recognizes that the United States must continue to strive to ensure that the promise of equality is realized for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Airport Security Act of 2013 - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA]) to establish a program to prohibit all but specified authorized individuals from possessing a firearm at a covered airport, including any individual who enters the airport, or exits public transportation at it, for air travel, meeting another individual, picking up cargo, or employment. Directs the Assistant Secretary to require airport operators to: (1) display conspicuous notices summarizing the program at each airport entrance, and (2) require law enforcement personnel to monitor the airport to prevent violations and escort air travelers who are authorized to carry a firearm. Prescribes criminal penalties for nonauthorized individuals who knowingly possess a firearm at a covered airport.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Revises the highway safety improvement program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), under the highway safety improvement program, to establish performance measures for states to use to assess significant reductions in the number of serious injuries and fatalities (as under current law) specifically for both motorized and nonmotorized transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013 - Amends the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 to apply the prohibitions against collecting personal information from children to online applications and mobile applications directed to children. Establishes additional privacy protections against the collection of personal or geolocation information from children and minors. Revises the definition of: "operator" to include online and mobile applications (currently, only Internet websites and online services) and to make such definition apply specifically to operators and providers of such websites, services, or applications who, for commercial purposes, in interstate or foreign commerce: (1) collect or maintain, directly or through a service provider, personal information from or about their users; (2) allow another person to collect such personal information; or (3) allow users of such websites, services, or applications to publicly disclose personal information; and "disclosure" as the release of personal information (currently, the release of personal information collected from a child in identifiable form). Requires verifiable parental consent, under specified circumstances, for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information of a child, including certain online contact information collected in response to a specific request from a child when such information is used to contact a different child. Prohibits, without verifiable parental consent in the case of a child or without consent of the minor in the case of a minor, an operator of a website, online service, online application, or mobile application directed to children or minors, or an operator having actual knowledge that personal information being collected is from children or minors, from: (1) using, disclosing to third parties, or compiling personal information collected from children or minors for targeted marketing purposes; and (2) collecting geolocation information in a manner that violates the regulations prescribed under this Act. Defines a "minor" as an individual over the age of 12 and under the age of 16. Prohibits an operator from discontinuing service provided to a child or minor on the basis of a refusal, by the child's parent or the minor, to permit the further use or maintenance in retrievable form, or future collection, of certain personal or geolocation information from such individuals, to the extent that the operator is capable of providing such service without such information. Requires an operator of a website, online service, online application, or mobile application directed to children or minors to treat all users as children or minors for purposes of this Act, except as permitted by regulation. Prohibits an operator of a website, online service, or such applications directed to minors from collecting personal information from minors unless such operator has adopted, and complies with, a Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens that is consistent with the Fair Information Practices Principles established by this Act. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate regulations that require operators to implement mechanisms that permit a user to erase content submitted by such user that is publicly available through such websites, services, or applications and that contains or displays personal information of children or minors. Sets forth enforcement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Low-Wage Federal Contractor Employee Back Pay Act of 2013 - Amends the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 to require the federal government to provide compensation to the employees of federal contractors that provide retail, food, custodial, and security services to the federal government who were placed on unpaid leave as a result of any lapse in appropriations beginning on or about October 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Teacher Tax Deduction Enhancement Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend until 2020 the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school educators (i.e., teachers, instructors, counselors, principals, or aides); (2) increase to $500 the allowable amount of such deduction for full-time educators (working at least 900 hours during the school year); and (3) allow such tax deduction for educators in preschool programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month and efforts to raise awareness and improve outreach to individuals at risk for suicide, especially veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Encourages the people of the United States to learn more about the warning signs of suicide and how each person can help prevent suicide and promote mental health.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2013
Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families. Allots grants to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level. Defines "high-quality prekindergarten programs" as those that: serve children who are three or four by the eligibility determination date or have attained the legal age for state-funded prekindergarten; require staff to have high qualifications, which for teachers include specified alternative requirements that all involve possessing a bachelor's degree; maintain an evidence-based maximum class size and child-to-instructional staff ratio; offer a full-day program; provide developmentally appropriate, evidence-based curricula and learning environments that are aligned with state early learning and development standards; offer teachers salaries comparable to those earned by kindergarten through grade twelve teachers; provide for ongoing monitoring and program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement; offer accessible comprehensive services for children, including specified minimum services; provide high-quality professional development for all staff; meet education performance standards under the Head Start Act; and maintain evidence-based health and safety standards. Conditions states' grant eligibility on demonstrating to the Secretary that they: (1) have or will establish early learning and development standards, (2) have or will develop the ability to link prekindergarten data with their elementary and secondary school data, (3) offer state-funded kindergarten for children, and (4) have established a State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. Allows states to reserve up to 20% of their grant funds over the first four years of their grant for prekindergarten quality improvement activities, including support for teachers seeking a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or a closely-related field. Authorizes states to apply to the appropriate Secretary to use up to 15% of their grant for subgrants to high-quality early childhood education and care programs for infants and toddlers whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level. Requires state to develop, implement, and make publicly available performance measures and targets for their grant activities. Prohibits state grantees from requiring any child to participate in any federal, state, local, or private early childhood education program. Limits the use of assessments funded by the grant program. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a process to provide Head Start program services to children who are younger than age four in states or regions that provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs. Directs the Secretary to award competitive, matching, capacity-building grants to states that assure the Secretary that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. Amends the Head Start Act to direct the Secretary of HHS to make grants to Early Head Start agencies to partner with center-based or family child care providers, particularly those that receive support under the Child Care and Development Block Grant of 1990 (CCDBGA), to assist those providers in meeting applicable Head Start and Early Head Start program performance standards. Authorizes those partnerships to serve children through age three. Directs the Secretary of HHS to give Early Head Start program grant priority to Early Head Start agencies that agree to enter into such partnerships with center-based or family child care providers. Amends the CCDBGA to require states to: (1) ensure that the funding they receive for child care services under the Community Services Block Grant Act and the program of block grants for social services under the Social Security Act is subject to the requirements and limitations of the CCDBGA; (2) provide children with assistance under the CCDBGA for at least 12 months before redetermining their eligibility, provided their family income does not exceed 85% of the state median income for their family size; and (3) use the CCDBGA's funding to supplement, not supplant, other public funding for child care services and activities. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to: (1) reserve a specified amount of Child Care and Development Block Grant program funds, in fiscal years in which program funding exceeds a specified amount, for formula grants to states, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to improve the quality of child care programs and services; and (2) carry out demonstration and pilot projects designed to develop and implement strategies and practices useful in supporting the needs of low-income families in-need of, or receiving, child care services. Reauthorizes appropriations under the Child Care and Development Block Grant program for FY2014-FY2023. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the need for Congress to continue providing resources to the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program to support the work of states in helping at-risk families voluntarily receive home visits from nurses and social workers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2013
Women's Health Protection Act of 2013 - Makes the following limitations and requirements concerning abortion services unlawful and prohibits their imposition or application by any government: a requirement that a medical professional perform specific tests or follow specific medical procedures, unless generally required in the case of medically comparable procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to delegate tasks, other than one applicable to medically comparable procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to prescribe or dispense drugs based on her or his good-faith medical judgment, other than one generally applicable; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to provide abortion services via telemedicine, other than one generally applicable; a requirement or limitation concerning the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hospital transfer arrangements of facilities where abortions are performed, or the credentials, hospital privileges, or status of personnel at such facilities that is not otherwise imposed where medically comparable procedures are performed; a requirement that, prior to obtaining an abortion, a woman make medically unnecessary visits to the provider of abortion services or to any individual or entity that does not provide such services; and a requirement or limitation that prohibits or restricts medical training for abortion procedures, other than one generally applicable to medically comparable procedures. Makes unlawful a measure or action that restricts the provision of abortion services, or the facilities that provide them, that is similar to any of those described above if it singles out abortion services or make abortion services more difficult to access and does not significantly advance women's health or the safety of abortion services. Provides standards for the making of a prima facie case in a civil action challenging such restrictions and factors to be considered by a court in determining whether a measure or action impedes access to abortion services. Makes the following other restrictions on the performance of abortion unlawful and prohibits their imposition or application by any government: a prohibition or ban prior to fetal viability; a prohibition after fetal viability when, in the good-faith medical judgment of the treating physician, continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or health; a restriction that limits a woman's ability to obtain an immediate abortion when a health care professional believes, based on good-faith medical judgment, that delay would pose a risk to the woman's health; and a prohibition or restriction on obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability based on a woman's reasons or perceived reasons or that requires her to state her reasons before obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability. Requires courts to liberally construe the provisions of this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General or an individual or entity aggrieved by (or a health facility or medical professional adversely affected by) a violation of this Act, to commence a civil action for injunctive relief. Preempts any provision enacted by a state or subdivision having the force of law that conflicts with any provision of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2013
FAFSA Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to disclose, on the form notifying students of their expected family contribution, the special circumstances under which students may qualify as independent for purposes of the determination regarding their need and eligibility for title IV assistance. Allows students who may qualify as independent on the basis of those special circumstances to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as independent students for purposes of the initial determination of their title IV assistance by a financial aid administrator at an institution of higher education to which they are applying. Requires the financial aid administrators to: (1) provide those students with an initial determination regarding their title IV assistance in the same manner as, and by no later than the date that, they provide other independent students with that determination; and (2) use, in making a final determination regarding that assistance, the discretion provided to them under title IV to verify whether such students meet the special circumstances to qualify as independent students.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Restorative Justice in Schools Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow local educational agencies to use title II subgrants to train school personnel in restorative justice and conflict resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
American Families United Act - States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to enable the Attorney General (DOJ) or the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand his or her discretionary authority beyond a case-by-case basis, or to provide legalization or nationalization of persons covered under this Act. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to revise waiver of inadmissibility requirements, among other things waiving inadmissibility for: (1) certain persons who entered the United States before age 16 who have earned a degree from a U.S. institution of higher education, (2) false claims of U.S. citizenship by persons under age 18 or lacking mental competence to knowingly misrepresent a claim, and (3) false claims of U.S. citizenship if inadmissibility would create family separation hardship for the alien (including a self-petitioner under the Violence Against Women Act) or for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member. Authorizes parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility for unlawful presence. Places a three-year limit on immigration-related misrepresentations rendering aliens inadmissible. Revises the definition "conviction" for INA purposes. Authorizes an immigration judge in specified circumstances, including family separation hardship, but with certain exceptions, to decline to order an alien removed, deported, or excluded and terminate related proceedings or grant permission to reapply for admission or for relief from removal.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Smarter Sentencing Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to direct the court to impose a sentence for specified controlled substance offenses without regard to any statutory minimum sentence if the court finds that the criminal history category for the defendant is not higher than category two. (Currently, the court may disregard the statutory minimum if the defendant does not have more than one criminal history point.) Authorizes a court that imposed a sentence for a crack cocaine possession or trafficking offense committed before August 3, 2010, on motion of the defendant, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, the attorney for the government, or the court, to impose a reduced sentence as if provisions of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 were in effect at the time such offense was committed. Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, possessing, importing, or exporting specified controlled substances. Directs the Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of such an offense under the CSA and CSIEA to ensure consistency with this Act and to consider specified factors, including: (1) its mandate to formulate guidelines to minimize the likelihood that the federal prison population will exceed federal prison capacity, (2) fiscal implications of changes, (3) relevant public safety concerns, (4) the intent of Congress that penalties for violent and serious drug traffickers who present public safety risks remain appropriately severe, and (5) the need to reduce and prevent racial disparities in sentencing. Requires the Attorney General to report on how the reduced expenditures on federal corrections and cost savings resulting from this Act will be used to help reduce overcrowding, increase investment in law enforcement and crime prevention, and reduce recidivism.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require mammography facilities to include information regarding the patient's individual measure of breast density in both the written report of the results of a mammography examination provided to the patient's physician and the summary of that written report given to patients. Requires the summary to: (1) convey the patient's risk of developing breast cancer associated with below, above, and average levels of breast density; and (2) include language communicating that individuals with more dense breasts may benefit from supplemental screening tests and should talk with their physicians about any questions or concerns regarding the summary.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Stop Deducting Damages Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) deny a tax deduction for any amount paid or incurred for compensatory or punitive damages in connection with any judgment in, or settlement of, any action against a government; and (2) include in gross income any amount paid as insurance or otherwise due to liability for punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Save Access to a Valuable Investment Needed to Generate Savings Act of 2013 or the SAVINGS Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) allow individual taxpayers an option to purchase U.S. savings bonds in paper form with a portion or all of a tax refund during the period ending on December 31, 2018; or (2) implement an alternative option that allows for the gifting of U.S. savings bonds, serves the unbanked, and retains the ability to sign-up on the return of tax.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Expresses support for the designation of National Anti-Bullying Month to: (1) acknowledge the harmful impact of bullying and of judging others based on appearance or group affiliation; (2) promote respect; and (3) support everyone's right to be free from shame, judgment, or attack.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
American Savings Promotion Act - Amends the Revised Statutes of the United States, the Federal Reserve Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the Home Owners' Loan Act to authorize covered financial institutions to conduct a contest, known as a "savings promotion raffle," in which the sole consideration required for a chance of winning designated prizes is obtained by the deposit of a specified amount of money in a savings account or program, where each ticket or entry has an equal chance of being drawn. Subjects such a drawing contest to regulations promulgated by the appropriate prudential regulator. Excludes such a "savings promotion raffle" from the prohibition against a covered financial institution's dealing in "lottery" tickets. Amends the federal criminal code to exempt savings promotion raffles conducted by an insured depository institution or an insured credit union from specified prohibitions against interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises.
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 · 29 October 2013
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from: (1) increasing flood insurance risk premium rates to reflect the current risk of flood for certain property located in specified areas subject to a certain mandatory premium adjustment, or (2) reducing such subsidies for any property not insured by the flood insurance program as of July 6, 2012, or any policy that has lapsed in coverage as a result of the policyholder's deliberate choice (Pre-Flood Insurance Rate Map or pre-FIRM properties). Sets forth expiration dates for such prohibitions. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA) to prohibit the Administrator from providing flood insurance to prospective insureds at rates less than those estimated for any property purchased after the expiration of such six-month period (currently, any property purchased after July 6, 2012). Directs FEMA to: (1) restore during such six-month period specified estimated risk premium rate subsidies for flood insurance for pre-FIRM properties and properties purchased after such six-month period, and (2) submit to certain congressional committees a draft affordability framework addressing the affordability of flood insurance sold under the National Flood Insurance Program. Prescribes procedures for expedited congressional consideration of legislation on FEMA affordability authorities. Permits FEMA to enter into an agreement with another federal agency either to: (1) complete the affordability study, or (2) prepare the draft affordability framework. Directs FEMA submit to certain congressional committees the affordability study and report. Amends NFIA to authorize FEMA to reimburse homeowners for successful map appeals. Makes any community that has made adequate progress on the construction (as under current law) or reconstruction (new) of a flood protection system which will afford flood protection for the one-hundred year frequency flood eligible for flood insurance at premium rates not exceeding those which would apply if such flood protection system had been completed. Revises guidelines governing availability of flood insurance in communities restoring disaccredited flood protection systems to include riverine and coastal levees. Requires FEMA to: (1) rate a covered structure using the elevation difference between the floodproofed elevation of the covered structure and the adjusted base flood elevation of the covered structure; and (2) designate a Flood Insurance Advocate to advocate for the fair treatment of policy holders under the National Flood Insurance Program and property owners in the mapping of flood hazards, the identification of risks from flood, and the implementation of measures to minimize the risk of flood.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Pay Our Bills Act - Authorizes an extension of the presidential authority to modify the public debt ceiling (subject to enactment of a congressional joint resolution of disapproval). Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to borrow an additional amount required to meet existing commitments if the President certifies to Congress that the public debt is within $100 billion of the current limit and that further borrowing is required. (The debt limit was $16.699 trillion before its suspension in the Continuing Appropriations Act, FY2014 [P.L. 113-46].) Authorizes Congress to use current requirements for expedited consideration of the joint resolution. Increases the debt limit by the certified amount if the time for disaproval has lapsed without enactment of the joint resolution. Suspends the debt limit for the period beginning on the date on which the President submits such a certification to Congress and ending on the earlier of: 15 calendar days after Congress receives the certification, or enactment of a joint resolution disapproving the President's exercise of authority for the debt limit under that certification. Increases the debt limit, effective on the day after the certification is submitted, to the extent that: the face amount of public debt obligations and those whose principal and interest are guaranteed by the U.S. government (except guaranteed obligations held by the Secretary) outstanding on the day after such date exceeds the face amount of such obligations outstanding on the date the President certifies Congress. Excludes from such formula any obligation whose issuance was not necessary to fund a commitment that required payment before the day after the certification is submitted to Congress. Prohibits the debt limit from being increased if a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted within 15 days after receipt by Congress (in session or not) of a presidential certification that the public debt is within $100 billion of the current limit. Provides for expedited consideration of such a joint resolution in the House and Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Condemns the atrocities and terrorist attack that occurred at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 21 through 24, 2013. Offers condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed in the attack and expresses hope for the recovery of the wounded, including U.S. citizens. Recognizes the many heroic acts by Kenyan citizens, first responders, and the Kenya Red Cross to rescue those caught in the Westgate Mall attack. Reaffirms U.S. support for the efforts of the government and people of Kenya to combat terrorism, promote tolerance, and bring the perpetrators of the Westgate Mall attack to justice. Commends Kenya's continued participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia. Recognizes Kenya as an important U.S. ally and partner.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Early Childhood Education Professional Improvement Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to: provide scholarships that enable preschool teachers employed in an early childhood education program to pursue a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a closely related field; support preschool teachers employed in an early childhood education program to attain a credential, licensure, or endorsement that demonstrates competence in early childhood education if their bachelor's degree is not in that or a closely related field; increase the compensation of teachers who are making progress toward a degree in early childhood education or who have attained that degree; and provide ongoing professional development opportunities to preschool teachers and teacher assistants employed in an early childhood education program. Requires each state that desires a grant to include a description of its comprehensive early childhood professional development system in its application. Requires grant recipients to maintain their fiscal effort for the activities supported by the grant funds for a fiscal year at levels equal to or greater than their fiscal effort for such activities during the preceding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Extend Not Cut SNAP Benefits Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend through FY2014 the benefit calculation of 113.6 % of the June 2008 value of the thrifty food plan for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) as well as the consolidated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should: (1) continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on individuals, families, and communities; and (2) support programs designed to end domestic violence.