United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Urban Jobs Act of 2013 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make competitive grants to national or regional private nonprofit community-based organizations to carry out Urban Jobs Programs to provide job training, education, and support services and activities for eligible urban youth to provide them with a pathway to employment, or education leading to employment. Defines "eligible youth" as individuals ages 18 to 24 who: (1) are not enrolled in secondary or post-secondary school, or (2) are or have been subject to the criminal justice process. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Jobs Council Advisory Committee. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) community-based affiliates should establish local jobs council advisory committees to aid in establishing local community support for local implementation of the program; and (2) at least one-third of the members of the committee should be employers in high-impact, high-growth industries in the locality.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Military Family Leave Act of 2013 - Entitles an employed family member of a member of the Armed Forces who receives notification of a call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation, or who is deployed in connection with a contingency operation, to two workweeks of leave per year for each family member who is so called or deployed. Allows such leave to: (1) be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule; and (2) consist of paid or unpaid leave, as the employer considers appropriate. Allows an employer to require certification of entitlement to such leave within a leave request. Provides employment and benefits protection for employees upon their return from such leave. Prohibits an employer from interfering with or otherwise denying the exercise of such leave rights.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for the establishment or operation of Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. Requires such Centers to: (1) improve the training of health professionals in palliative care for individuals with serious or life-threatening illnesses; (2) develop and disseminate related curricula; (3) support the training and retraining of faculty to provide instruction in palliative care; (4) support continuing education of health professionals who provide palliative care; (5) provide students with clinical training in palliative care in long-term care facilities, home care, hospices, chronic and acute disease hospitals, and ambulatory care centers; and (6) establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees in palliative care. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to and enter into contracts with schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to provide support for projects that fund the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to eligible individuals; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award incentive grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, clinical social workers, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a certified nurse assistant to develop and implement programs and initiatives to train individuals in providing palliative care in health-related educational, hospice, home, or long-term care settings.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to accept additional documentation for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a coastwise merchant seaman during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such documentation to include Social Security Administration (SSA) records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, documents, or other official employment records. Requires the Secretary, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period, to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for or discharging from the merchant marine. Considers any service so recognized as active-duty service for purposes of veterans' burial benefits. Makes such veterans eligible for any appropriate military medals, ribbons, and decorations. Requires the Secretary to verify that an individual performed such service under honorable conditions without regard to their sex, age, or disability during the service period.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
Authorizes payment under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiary travel program of travel expenses in connection with medical examination, treatment, or care of a veteran with vision impairment, a spinal cord injury or disorder, or double or multiple amputations whose travel is in connection with care provided through a VA special disabilities rehabilitation program, if such care is provided: (1) on an inpatient basis, or (2) while a veteran is provided temporary lodging at a VA facility in order to make such care more accessible. Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans committees on the travel program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Excellence in Mental Health Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to set forth criteria for the certification of federally-qualified community behavioral health centers. Limits such a certification to five years, but requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide an opportunity for recertification at the end of each certification period. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to make such centers eligible for payments for services under Medicaid. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award matching grants to states or Indian tribes to expend funds for the construction or modernization of facilities used to provide community-based mental health and substance abuse services to individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. Requires LEAs to also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level; and (4) discipline policies that minimize the removal of students from instruction and prevent disproportionate punishment. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools; and (2) the Commissioner for Education Statistics to collect state data, that are subject to independent review, to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2013 or the FRESHER Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to repeal provisions prohibiting the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring or directing a state to require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for discharges of stormwater runoff from mining, oil, and gas operations or transmission facilities composed entirely of flows from conveyances used for collecting and conveying precipitation runoff that are not contaminated by contact with any overburden, raw material, intermediate products, finished product, byproduct, or waste products located on the site of such operations. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study and report on stormwater impacts with respect to any area that may be contaminated by stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of: (1) measurable contamination in such area, (2) ground water resources in such area, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers in such area to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with such operations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments under the federal veterinary medicine loan repayment program or any other state loan repayment or forgiveness program that is intended to provide for increased access to veterinary services in such state.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Celebrates the history of municipal bonds, the 100-year precedent of the federal tax exemption for municipal bond interest, and the important contribution municipal bonds have made to economic growth and wellbeing in each state and municipality.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale or transport of equines (horses and other members of the equidae family) or their parts (including flesh, meat, and viscera), or the importing or exporting of equines or their parts into or out of the United States, by any person who knows or should have known that such equines are to be slaughtered for human consumption as food.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and make recommendations regarding better coordination and leveraging of federal programs that relate in any way to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Sets forth the duties of the Commission, which shall include: (1) evaluating HHS programs, (2) identifying current activities and critical gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing care to people with pre-diabetes and diabetes, (3) recommending how an outcomes-based registry may be developed and then used to evaluate various care models and methods, (4) evaluating and expanding education and awareness to health care professionals regarding clinical practices for the prevention of diabetes and the precursor conditions of diabetes, and (5) reviewing and recommending appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources related to diabetes prevention and treatments. Requires the Commission to submit an operating plan to the Secretary and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Condemns Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Calls on Iran to release all prisoners held solely on account of their religion. Calls on the President and Secretary of State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to condemn Iran's continued violation of human rights and demand the release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion. Urges the President and Secretary to impose sanctions on Iranian government officials and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.20 an hour on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act; (2) $9.15 an hour after one year; (3) $10.10 an hour after two years; and (4) the amount determined by the Secretary of Labor (based on increases in the Consumer Price Index) after three years, and annually thereafter. Increases the federal minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.00 an hour for one year on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act. Provides a formula for subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase to ensure that it remains equal to 70% of the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Directs the Secretary of Labor, 60 days before any increase in the minimum wage, to publish it in the Federal Register and on the Department of Labor's website.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Full Employment National Trust Fund with two separate accounts for: (1) Employment Opportunity Grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes for job-creating activities in communities whose economy is not at a level of full employment; and (2) Workforce Investment programs. Establishes arbitration procedures for resolution of disputes for grant recipients. Requires the Secretary of Labor to post a whistleblower hotline on the Department of Labor's website for the public to report noncompliance with the Act's requirements. Directs the Secretary to convene a national employment conference to bring together leaders of small, medium, and large businesses, labor, government, and other parties to discuss employment, with particular attention to structural unemployment and the plight of disadvantaged youth. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise member composition requirements for state and local workforce investment boards to include at least 25% of the chief executive officers of minority-serving, community-based organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on certain covered securities transactions, payable by trading facilities or purchasers that deal in such transactions. Requires a transferor with respect to any outbound securities transaction to deduct and withhold a tax equal to the tax imposed on covered securities transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2013 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, for purposes of determining cognitive, behavioral, and physical disability under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act (SSA), to amend specified Listings of Impairments by providing medical and evaluation criteria for Huntington's Disease. Amends SSA title II to waive the 24-month waiting period for coverage under the Medicare program for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Congratulates the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) on its continued success in support of the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. Commends the school's students, volunteers, and supporting organizations for their hard work in organizing another record breaking THON.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
United States Postal Service Stabilization Act of 2013 - Amends provisions concerning the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), with respect to employees of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), to: (1) provide a new formula for calculating employee pension contributions using the normal-cost percentage method multiplied by the aggregate amount of basic pay payable to employees of USPS and the Postal Regulatory Commission, and (2) provide for the use of excess FERS contributions to pay USPS debt obligations and make pension contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2013 or the PHIT Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly or heads of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses. Defines "qualified sports and fitness expenses" as amounts paid for fitness facility memberships, physical exercise programs, and exercise equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 - Declares that Israel is a major strategic partner of the United States. Amends the Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 to extend authority to: (1) make additions to foreign-based defense stockpiles, and (2) transfer certain obsolete or surplus Department of Defense (DOD) items to Israel. Authorizes the President to carry out U.S.-Israel cooperative activities and to provide assistance for cooperation in the fields of energy, water, homeland security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies. Amends the the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to extend the grant program for U.S.-Israeli cooperation on research, development, and commercialization of renewable energy or energy efficiency. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States and Israel should increase cyber-security cooperation. Urges the President to provide assistance for enhancement of the David's Sling Weapon System, the joint United States-Israel Arrow Weapon System, and the Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system. States that it shall be U.S. policy to include Israel in the visa waiver program when Israel satisfies such program's inclusion requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology items designed and configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, and functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) designate complex rehabilitation technology items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics); and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a Healthcare Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) coding subset that uses specified HCPCS codes for CRT items. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment (DME), if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility (an offshore facility using wind to produce electricity), and (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a qualifying credit for offshore wind facilities program to consider and award certifications for investments eligible for such a credit to qualifying offshore wind facility sponsors. Requires the Secretary to review credits allocated under this Act periodically and authorizes the Secretary to make additional allocations and reallocations of such credits upon determining that: (1) the limit on the total amount of megawatt capacity for offshore facilities with respect to which credits may be allocated under the program has not been attained, or (2) scheduled placed-in-service dates of previously certified facilities have been significantly delayed and the applicant will not meet the required timeline.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that in this Congress the Committee on Agriculture should not propose any reduction in the availability or amount of benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and that the House should reject any proposed legislation that seeks to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to determine if Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization and: (1) if so, designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization; and (2) if not, report to Congress concerning those criteria which have not been met. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the imposition of sanctions on certain Iranian government persons responsible for, or complicit in, human rights abuses, diversion of food and medicine, and censorship. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to subject to mandatory sanctions a financial institution that facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services for a person that: (1) is subject to human rights-related sanctions, or (2) exports sensitive technology to Iran and is subject to the prohibition on procurement contracts. Amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 to authorize the President to impose sanctions on a foreign person that knowingly conducted or facilitated a significant financial transaction with the Central Bank of Iran or other Iranian financial institution subject to sanctions for the purchase of goods (other than petroleum or petroleum products) or services by or from a person in Iran, or on behalf of a person in Iran. Excludes from such sanctions a transaction for the sale of agricultural commodities, food, medicine or medical devices to Iran. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions on a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitated a significant financial transaction on behalf of any person directly or indirectly owned or controlled by an Iranian person included on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Revises the exception to the imposition of sanctions for purchases of Iranian petroleum or petroleum products. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should coordinate with the European Union (EU) and its member states to restrict Iran's access to the euro currency. Directs the President to develop a National Strategy on Iran that provides strategic guidance for addressing threats posed by Iran. Directs the President to report to Congress every 60 days regarding the Iranian nuclear timetable and the projected economic effects of international sanctions on Iran. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding presidential implementation of specified sanctions on Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate at least one city in the United States each year as an "American World War II City" based on: (1) contributions to the war effort during World War II; and (2) efforts to preserve the history of such contributions, including preservation organizations or museums, restoration of World War II facilities, and recognition of World War II veterans. Designates Wilmington, North Carolina, as the first such city.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the posthumous award of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and groundbreaking achievements in politics, her election as the first African-American woman in Congress, and her campaign to be the first African-American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2013
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of International Water Safety Day. Acknowledges: (1) that water safety education should be included in primary and secondary school education, (2) the importance of water safety education, and (3) that every person should learn to swim.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Child Tax Credit Permanency Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to: (1) make permanent the reduction (from $10,000 to $3,000) of the eligibility threshold for the refundable portion of such credit, and (2) require an annual inflation adjustment to the allowable amount of such credit (i.e., $1,000) after 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor collectively the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in recognition of their military service and exemplary record during World War II. 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 CAP. 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 · 15 February 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that a National Voting Rights Act Mobilization Day should be designated to remind all Americans of the critical role that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 continues to play in protecting the right to vote, and to be an occasion for them to voice their support for this landmark civil rights law.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Capital Access for Small Businesses and Jobs Act - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to empower federal credit unions to receive payments on certain uninsured non-share accounts, subject to such terms, rates, and conditions as may be established by the board of directors, within limitations prescribed by the National Credit Union Administration Board (Board). Requires any Board-prescribed system of prompt corrective action to take into account that credit unions rely predominantly (under current law, must rely) upon retained earnings to build net worth. Redefines "net worth" with respect to any insured credit union (other than a low-income credit union) to include uninsured non-share capital accounts that: (1) do not alter the cooperative nature of the credit union; (2) are subordinate to all other claims against the credit union, including the claims of creditors, shareholders, and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund; (3) are available to cover operating losses in excess of retained earnings and, to the extent so applied, will not be replenished; (4) if they have a stated maturity, have an initial maturity of at least five years, and their net worth may be discounted at the Board's discretion when the remaining maturity is less than five years; (5) are subject to disclosure and consumer protection requirements as determined by the Board; (6) are offered by a credit union that is sufficiently capitalized and well-managed, and (7) are subject to such rules and regulations as the Board may establish.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Lena Horne Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Lena Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
American Fighter Aces 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 single congressional gold medal in honor of the American Fighter Aces, collectively, in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of the nation's freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2013 or the ABLE Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses. Defines "qualified disability expenses" to include expenses for education, including higher education expenses, a primary residence, transportation, obtaining and maintaining employment, health and wellness, and other personal support expenses. Treats a qualified ABLE program and an ABLE account in the same manner as a qualified tuition program for income tax purposes (i.e., allowing a tax exemption for such program and an exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to a contributor to or a beneficiary of a program account). Defines "qualified ABLE program" as a program established and maintained by a state agency under which a person may make contributions to an ABLE account established to pay for qualified disability expenses. Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources attributable to an ABLE account.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act - Establishes in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Establishes in Auburn, New York, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park also as a unit of the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities for the historical preservation and interpretation of such parks. Requires the Secretary to complete a general management plan for such parks.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act - Amends the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, to repeal prohibitions on using appropriated funds: (1) to disclose contents of the Firearms Trace System database maintained by the National Trace Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) or any information required to be kept by firearms dealers except as specified in such Act; (2) to promulgate or implement any rule requiring a physical inventory of any firearms business; or (3) for any background check system that does not require the destruction of identifying information submitted for a transferee within 24 hours after the system advises a federal firearms licensee that the transferee's receipt of a firearm is not prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Riya Wilson Act - Amends title IV (Grants to States for Aid and Services to Needy Families with Children and for Child-Welfare Services) of the Social Security Act to require an approved state plan that is required in order to be eligible for federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that such state has in effect procedures that require the state child welfare agency to promptly report information on missing or abducted children to law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require a state reporting a missing child under the age of 21 to the NCIC to: (1) require the state law enforcement agency that entered the report to include a recent photograph in information updating a record, and (2) notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report received relating to a child reported missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Postal Service Protection Act of 2013 - Sets forth rules for the recalculation of annuities for employees of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and for the redetermination of surplus or supplemental liabilities under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Prescribes the "average pay" to be used in calculating annuities and surplus amounts. Authorizes the transfer of surplus postal retirement contributions in FY2010 to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund, the Postal Service Fund, and the Employees' Compensation Fund under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) and to USPS for payment of its debt obligations. Eliminates the requirement for pre-funding of the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Sets forth criteria for the closing or consolidation of postal facilities. Allows USPS to provide any nonpostal service or product in a manner consistent with the public interest. Provides for the mailing of wine and beer sent by a licensed winery or brewery in accordance with the laws of the state, territory, or district where the addressee or agent takes delivery. Establishes in USPS the position of the Chief Innovation Officer who shall have proven expertise and success in the postal and shipping industry and in innovation, marketing, technology, and management. Establishes a Postal Innovation Advisory Commission. Requires the Postmaster General to report to specified congressional committees and the Postal Regulatory Commmission on a comprehensive strategy for maximizing USPS revenue through innovative postal and nonpostal products and services. Prohibits USPS from reducing the frequency of mail delivery to fewer than six days each week or from increasing the expected delivery time for market-dominant products. Repeals the annual limitation on the percentage changes on postal rates for market-dominant products.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Expanded & Improved Medicare for All Act - Establishes the Medicare for All Program to provide all individuals residing in the United States and U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, dietary and nutritional therapies, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services, and vision care. Prohibits an institution from participating unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that deliver care in their own facilities to participate. Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions. Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits. Sets forth methods to pay institutional providers of care and health professionals for services. Prohibits financial incentives between HMOs and physicians based on utilization. Establishes the Medicare for All Trust Fund to finance the Program with amounts deposited: (1) from existing sources of government revenues for health care, (2) by increasing personal income taxes on the top 5% income earners, (3) by instituting a modest and progressive excise tax on payroll and self-employment income, (4) by instituting a modest tax on unearned income, and (5) by instituting a small tax on stock and bond transactions. Transfers and appropriates to carry out this Act amounts that would have been appropriated for federal public health care programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Requires the Medicare for All Program to give first priority in retraining and job placement and employment transition benefits to individuals whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration. Requires creation of a confidential electronic patient record system. Establishes a National Board of Universal Quality and Access to provide advice on quality, access, and affordability. Requires the eventual integration of the Indian Health Service into the Program, and an evaluation of the continued independence of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. Requires a comprehensive school mental health program funded under this Act to assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. Makes only a partnership between a local educational agency and at least one community program or agency that is involved in mental health eligible for such funding. Sets forth assurances required for eligibility, including that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with at least one relevant community-based entity that clearly states the responsibilities of each partner; (2) the program will include training of all school personnel, family members of children with mental health disorders, and concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. Requires grantees to comply with the health information privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating grant program activities, including: (1) the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) the development of measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, to include student and family measures and local educational measures.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2013
American Discoveries and American Jobs Commission Act of 2013 - Establishes the Commission on American Discoveries and American Jobs to study: (1) the state of technology transfer from federally funded research to the private sector; (2) the possibilities for the federal government to collect royalties from early research that leads to the commercialization of a profitable product or technology; (3) the potential adverse consequences of such royalties on technology transfer, commercialization, and economic growth; and (4) the potential benefits of reinvesting revenues from federal royalties into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and seeding future federally funded research. Requires submission to Congress of recommendations of specified regulatory and statutory changes.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2013
Veterans Education Equity Act of 2013 - Revises the formula for the payment by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of tuition and fees for individuals entitled to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program and pursuing programs of education at public institutions of higher learning to include, as an additional payment formula, the greater of: (1) the actual net costs for in-state tuition after applying the receipt of any tuition waivers, reductions, scholarships, or other assistance; or (2) $17,500 for the academic year beginning on August 1, 2011 (such amount to be increased each subsequent year by the average percentage increase in undergraduate tuition costs).
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Fast Track to College Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award matching six-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support dual enrollment programs, such as early college high schools, that allow secondary school students to earn credit simultaneously toward a secondary school diploma and a postsecondary degree or certificate. Gives grant priority to applicants: (1) that propose to establish or support a dual enrollment program for a student body at least 40% of which is impoverished; and (2) from states that provide assistance to dual enrollment programs, such as assistance defraying the costs of higher education. Requires applicants to make assurances that: (1) students will not be required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses, and (2) those courses will be taught by faculty that meet their partner IHE's normal standards. Authorizes the Secretary to award matching five-year grants to states to: (1) plan and implement statewide strategies to make dual enrollment programs more accessible to students who are underrepresented in postsecondary education; (2) provide technical assistance to dual enrollment programs; and (3) engage in outreach, assessment, and teacher training activities designed to strengthen such programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract for an independent evaluation of this Act's programs, and (2) provide technical assistance to LEAs and their partners and disseminate information concerning best practices in dual enrollment programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise requirements for payments for physician's services to eliminate the sustainable growth rate system from the formula for determination of the fee schedules for such services. Sets at 0.0 the 2014 update to the single conversion factor in such formula. Establishes updates for separate primary care and other service categories beginning January 1, 2015, as well as separate conversion factors and separate updates through 2018 for each service category. Directs the Secretary, through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, to: (1) expand testing of each innovative payment and service delivery model in at least three geographic regions; and (2) include analysis of average implementation costs, per physician, in evaluations of models in phase 1 testing. Specifies as such a model, subject to testing, payment for outpatient therapy services and speech language pathology services on the basis of a treatment session, an episode of care, or other bundled payment methodology as a model to be tested during phase 1 testing. Directs the Comptroller General to study the evaluations of each model tested. Directs the Secretary to release to the public a comprehensive list of such health care delivery models identified as likely to: (1) reduce spending without reducing quality of care, or (2) improve the quality of patient care without increasing spending. Requires the Secretary to inform physicians, nurse practitioners, group practices, and institutions employing Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) providers on how best to transition to alternative health care delivery and payment models aimed at improving the coordination, quality, and efficiency of health care. Freezes the physician fee schedule for 2019 by requiring 0.0 updates to the relevant conversion factors. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract and agree with regional extension centers to provide guidance and assistance on how physicians may transition to implementation of alternative health care delivery models identified as represernting best practices; and (2) make certain funding available to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Care Technology to award grants and incentive payments under a competitive process to regional extension centers and other qualified entities for such activities. Requires the Office to: (1) establish a process for the competitive selection of regional extension centers (and other qualified entities) in the third quarter of 2015, and (2) authorize the initial distribution of funds to such centers and entities. Prescribes updates to conversion factors for 2020-2023, but freezes them again beginning in 2024. Requires the Secretary to consider certain factors in determining the growth rates to be recognized beginning with 2020 for alternative payment and delivery models. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the impact on spending and on access to services under Medicare resulting from changes to the Medicare delivery and payments systems, including those made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2013
Uniting American Families Act of 2013 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines: (1) "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners, and (2) "alien permanent partner" as the individual in a permanent partnership who is being sponsored for a visa.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2013
Recognizes the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Commemorates the legacy of Rosa Parks to inspire all people of the United States to stand up for freedom and the principles of the Constitution.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000043_200.jpg)