United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Residue Entries and Streamlining Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to exempt from the U.S. customs laws the importation of instruments of international traffic (certain reusable containers, but excluding communications satellites) containing de minimis residual matter. Defines the term "de minimis residual matter" to mean material remaining in the container after its contents have been unloaded before it is either refilled or cleaned.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits U.S. courts, including the Supreme Court, from basing opinions or rulings on international laws, treaties, or religious laws. Makes any action of a court in violation of such prohibition null and void.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Constitutional Amendment - States that no treaty, executive order, or any agreement with any nation or group of nations or any of the provisions of such agreements, shall be construed to diminish any of the rights or privileges guaranteed to U.S. citizens under the Constitution and federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2013
Perpetual POW/MIA Stamp Act - Directs the Postmaster General to provide for the issuance of a forever stamp that honors the sacrifices of the members of the Armed Forces who have been prisoners, missing, or unaccounted for and that depicts the National League of Families POW/MIA flag.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Declares that no premium tax credits or reductions in cost-sharing for the purchase of qualified health benefit plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) shall be allowed before the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies to Congress that there is a program in place, consistent with PPACA requirements, that verifies the household income and coverage requirements of individuals applying for such credits and cost-sharing reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Stop Playing on Citizen's Cash Act - Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from holding any conference until the Inspector General for Tax Administration of the Department of the Treasury submits to Congress a report: (1) certifying that the IRS has implemented all recommendations set forth in the Inspector General's report titled "Review of the August 2010 Small Business/Self-Employed Division's Conference in Anaheim, California"; and (2) describing such implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that IRS employees are familiar with and act in accordance with taxpayer rights, including the right to be informed, to be assisted, to be heard, to pay no more than the correct amount of tax, to an appeal, to certainty, to privacy, to confidentiality, to representation, and to a fair and just tax system.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act of 2013 - GSE Bailout Elimination and Taxpayer Protection Act - Directs the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), five years after enactment of this Act, to appoint FHFA as receiver of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or (GSEs) under the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, to carry out mandatory receivership (thus terminating the current conservatorship for such GSEs). Repeals the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charters effective five years after enactment of this Act. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to prescribe specified requirements, limitations, and prohibitions on GSE activities until their charters are repealed and authorities terminated. FHA Reform and Modernization Act of 2013 - Establishes the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as a wholly owned government corporation to: (1) provide residential mortgage insurance and other credit enhancement and related activities; (2) supplement private sector activity by serving hard-to-serve markets, developing new mortgage products, and filling gaps in the provision and delivery of mortgage credit; and (3) deliver housing mortgage insurance and credit enhancement and provide other services in a non-discriminatory manner. Prescribes FHA requirements concerning: (1) budget and business plans; (2) examinations, reports, and cost estimates; (3) the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund and capital ratios, reserves, and restoration plans; (4) borrower suspension, ineligibility, and foreclosure; (5) mortgage repurchase; (6) mortgagee indemnification; (7) eminent domain; and (8) residual income. Transfers to FHA, at the end of a five-year transition period, the functions of, authority provided to, and the responsibilities of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and HUD personnel. Amends the National Housing Act to repeal the home equity conversion mortgage (reverse mortgage) program and mortgage insurance for hospitals. National Mortgage Market Utility Act of 2013 - Requires the Director of FHFA to provide for the organization, incorporation, examination, operation, and regulation of a not-for-profit national mortgage market Utility to: (1) enhance efficiency, liquidity, and security in the secondary market for residual mortgages; (2) establish standards for originating and servicing eligible collateral and for issuers and trustees of qualified securities, which would be exempt from the Securities Act of 1933; and (3) operate a common securitization platform that could be available to issues of residential mortgage-backed securities. Prohibits the Utility from: (1) originating, servicing, insuring, or guaranteeing any residential mortgage or other associated financial instrument; or (2) guaranteeing timely payment of principal or interest on any mortgage-related security. Requires the Director to: (1) issue a charter for the Utility; and (2) oversee the transfer to the Utility of the securitization infrastructure announced by the FHFA on October 4, 2012, and as developed by an enterprise or the enterprises in conservatorship (the Platform). Sets forth standards for qualified securities. Directs the utility to organize and operate a national mortgage data repository. United States Covered Bond Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a covered bond regulatory oversight program for the evaluation and maintenance of programs of eligible issuers under which, on the security of a single cover pool, one or more series of covered bonds may be issued. Defines covered bonds as any recourse debt obligation of an eligible issuer that: (1) has an original term to maturity of not less than one year, (2) is secured by a perfected security interest in or other perfected lien on a cover pool owned directly or indirectly by the obligation's issuer, (3) is issued under a covered bond program approved by the applicable covered bond regulator, (4) is identified in a register of covered bonds maintained by the Secretary, and (5) is not a deposit subject to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Amends the Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act of 1984 to authorize any person, trust, corporation, partnership, association, business trust, or business entity created under federal or state law to purchase, hold, and invest in covered bonds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the tax treatment of estates created under covered bond programs and certain transfers under covered bond programs. Imposes a tax on certain estates created under covered bond programs. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Comptroller of the Currency to study the impact of the Regulatory Capital Rules finalized by the Board on July 2, 2013 (pursuant to the Third Basel Accord on capital adequacy, stress testing, and market liquidity risk, or Basel III). Prohibits the Board, the FDIC, and the Comptroller of the Currency, in implementing the Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio amendments, from requiring, as a condition for status as a high quality liquid asset, that residential mortgage-backed securities be collateralized only by (or be collateralized by a certain percentage of) full recourse mortgage loans. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to modify the items, compensation, and charges included in points and fees with respect to a high-cost mortgage. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act to exclude from hedge funds and private equity funds certain issuers of asset-backed securities. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to exemptions from specified prohibitions relating to interstate commerce and the mails for transactions by any person other than an issuer, underwriter, or dealer or transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering. Prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from conditioning the availability of such exemptions upon an issuer's undertaking to provide to investors, in connection with initial offers or sales or on an ongoing basis after an initial offer or sale, the same or substantially similar information as would be required in a transaction to which such prohibitions apply. (Thus suspends Regulation AB II rulemaking.) Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to repeal the requirement that federal banking agencies and the SEC jointly prescribe credit risk regulations for securitizers to retain an economic interest in a portion of the credit risk for any asset the securitizer, through the issuance of an asset-backed security, transfers, sells, or conveys to a third party. Amends the Truth in Lending Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act to make exemptions from specified requirements, or repeal related requirements, for certain residential mortgages, particularly those serving as collateral for a qualified security. Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 with respect to: (1) timeliness of examination reports, (2) examination standards, (3) establishment of an Office of Examination Ombudsman, and (4) the right to appeal before an independent administrative law judge. Common Sense Economic Recovery Act of 2013 - Cites circumstances under which, for purposes of determining capital requirements or measuring an insured depository institution's capital, such an institution may treat a non-accrual loan as an accrual loan. (Non-accrual [also known as non-performing or doubtful] loans are those on which interest is overdue and full collection of principal is uncertain, and so interest, if it has not been paid in over 90 days, cannot be credited to the bank's revenue account until it has actually been received.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
Alexis Agin Identity Theft Protection Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the treatment of death information furnished to or maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Authorizes the Commissioner of Social Security to use or provide such information to federal and state agencies for statistical and research activities or to any federal agency for law enforcement or tax administration purposes. Authorizes disclosure of such information by: (1) federal and state agencies to contractors to assist with similar activities, (2) the Commissioner to entities concerning certain individuals who died more than three years earlier as well as to entities certified by the Commissioner, and (3) the Commissioner to the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to assist in the identification of remains.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Fairness for American Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to delay until 2015 the requirement that individuals maintain minimal essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Defund Obamacare Act of 2013 - Prohibits any federal funds from being made available to carry out the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Prohibits any entitlement to benefits under such provisions from remaining in effect on and after the date of the enactment of this Act. Prohibits any payments from being awarded, owed, or made to any state, district, or territory under any such provision. Rescinds any unobligated balances available under such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Authority for Mandate Delay Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to delay until 2015 enforcement of requirements that large employers offer their full-time employees the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage. Delays the effective date of related reporting requirements for such employers and for providers of minimum essential coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Preventing Unionization of Revenue Service Employees Act or the PURSE Act - Excludes employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from provisions of federal personnel law allowing federal employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate in labor organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Save American Workers Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to redefine "full-time employee," for purposes of the mandate requiring employers to provide health care coverage for their employees, as an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week (currently, at least 30 hours of service a week).
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Defines marriage in the United States as consisting only of the union of a man and a woman. Prohibits either the U.S. Constitution or the constitution of any state from being construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Stop Targeting Our Politics IRS Act or the STOP IRS Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 to expand existing grounds for termination of the employment of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee to include performing, delaying, or failing to perform (or threatening to perform, delay, or fail to perform) any official action (including any audit) with respect to a taxpayer for purpose of extracting personal gain or benefit or for a political purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Imprisonment for Tax Targeting of Americans Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a mandatory fine and prison term of five years (currently, not more than five years) for: (1) unauthorized disclosure of tax return and return information and for unlawful solicitation to obtain such information, and (2) unauthorized inspection of tax returns or return information. Imposes a mandatory fine and a prison term of not more than five years for willful oppression under color of law by U.S. revenue officers and employees (currently, a fine or a prison term, or both, may be imposed).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Protect American Investments Act of 2013 - Prohibits a U.S.-based company, entity, or person from paying a financial transaction tax imposed by a foreign country on any covered financial transaction. Defines "covered financial transaction" as a financial transaction occurring on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter within the United States, notwithstanding the nationality of the issuer of such security or the residence of any party to the transaction. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) promulgate regulations or other guidance to carry out this Act; (2) not assist any foreign government in collecting any excise tax, related penalty, or related judgment on any covered financial transaction; and (3) apply provisions of the Convention Between the United States of America and the Government of the French Republic for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion With Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital to exempt covered financial transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require alignment of updates for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services under a revised prospective payment system (PPS) with updates for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Revises requirements for the reporting and applying of quality measure data by ASCs and hospital OPDs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ASC value-based purchasing program under which each ASC that the Secretary determines meets (or exceeds) performance standards established, with respect to selected quality measures, for the performance period for a calendar year is eligible for shared savings in the form of a payment increase determined according to a specified formula. Revises requirements for the composition of the expert outside advisory panel the Secretary is required to consult during the annual review of the clinical integrity of the groups and payment weights in the PPS for hospital OPD services. Requires the panel to include suppliers subject to the PPS as well as at least one ASC representative. Requires the Secretary, when excluding from a final rule updating ASC lists a procedure whose inclusion was requested during the public comment period, to cite in the final rule specific criteria based on which the procedure was excluded. Requires the Secretary also to identify the peer reviewed research or the evidence upon which the exclusion is based if certain of those criteria are cited for it. Prohibits the Secretary from using or citing as a criterion or a basis for an exclusion that the procedure can only be reported using a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) unlisted surgical procedure code.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Section 526 Repeal Act - Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the requirement that any federal agency procurement contract for an alternative or synthetic fuel, including those from nonconventional petroleum sources, for any mobility-related use (except research or testing) specify that lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fuel must, on an ongoing basis, be less than or equal to such emissions from equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Recognizes the historical importance of the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950. Honors the service and sacrifice of the U.S. Armed Forces and the armed forces of allied countries that served, and continue to serve, in Korea. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its alliance with South Korea. Calls on North Korea to abide by international law and cease its nuclear proliferation in order to resume talks that could lead to peace and reunification.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Medicare Beneficiary Preservation of Choice Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to repeal the allowance for disenrollment, between January 1 and March 15 of each year, only from an MedicareAdvantage plan to elect enrollment in the original Medicare fee-for-service program. Restores the option under previous law to elect to change from a MedicareAdvantage to the original Medicare fee-for-service plan, or from the original Medicare fee-for-service to a MedicareAdvantage plan, once a year during the first three months.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Death Tax Repeal Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption. Provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2013 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI), VIII (Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans), and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit from receiving benefits under those titles any individual who is the subject of: (1) an outstanding arrest warrant for a felony, or (2) an outstanding arrest warrant for violating a condition of prohibition or parole imposed under federal or state law. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to furnish any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer, upon written request, with the current address, Social Security number, and photograph of any recipient of title VIII benefits if the officer furnishes the Commissioner with the individual's name and other identifying information as reasonably required to establish the individual's unique identity, and notifies the Commissioner that: (1) the individual is fleeing to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, or the individual is violating a condition of probation or parole; and (2) the location or apprehension of such individual is within the officer's official duties.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Secure High-voltage Infrastructure for Electricity from Lethal Damage Act or SHIELD Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with or without notice, hearing, or report, to order emergency measures to protect the reliability of either the bulk-power system or the defense critical electric infrastructure whenever the President issues a written directive or determination identifying an imminent grid security threat. Directs FERC to consult with governmental authorities in Canada, Mexico, and the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) regarding implementation of emergency measures. Prescribes: (1) implementation procedures; and (2) related cost recovery measures affecting owners, operators, and users of either the bulk-power system or the defense critical electric infrastructure. Directs FERC to require any owner, user, or operator of the domestic bulk-power system to implement measures to protect the system against specified vulnerabilities. Requires FERC to issue an order directing ERO to submit for approval, within 30 days, a reliability standard requiring implementation, by any owner, operator, or user of the bulk-power system in the United States, of measures to protect the bulk-power system against an identified grid security vulnerability (including a protection plan with automated hardware-based solutions). Directs FERC also to order the ERO to submit reliability standards to: (1) protect the bulk-power system from a reasonably foreseeable geomagnetic storm event or electromagnetic pulse event (EMP); and (2) require entities that own or operate large transformers to ensure their adequate availability to restore promptly the reliable operation of the bulk-power system in the event of destruction or disability as a result of attack or a geomagnetic storm or EMP. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to: (1) develop technical expertise in the protection of electric energy systems against either geomagnetic storms or malicious acts using electronic communications or electromagnetic weapons; and (2) share it with owners, operators, or users of systems for the generation, transmission, or distribution of electric energy located in the United States and with state commissions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
World War I American Veterans Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue $1 silver coins in commemoration of the centennial of America's involvement in World War I, and (2) hold a competition and provide compensation for its winner to design the obverse and reverse of the coins. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the centennial of America's involvement in World War I. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during calendar year 2018. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin, payable by the Secretary to the World War I Centennial Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Administrative Relief and Accurate Medicare Payments Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a maximum period of: (1) 2 years for submission of Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) claims originally submitted by hospitals as Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) claims, and (2) 60 days for certain such submissions for one-day stays. Reduces from 4 to 3 fiscal years the maximum look-back period under the Medicare Integrity Program for the audit and recovery activities of recovery audit contractors.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Access to Professional Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative cost calculations for purposes of calculating the medical-loss ratio of a health insurance plan. Defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under the laws of the particular state to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2013 - Prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property (i.e., cell phones) for five years after the enactment of this Act. Defines "new discriminatory tax" as a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate, unless such tax was imposed and actually enforced prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Amends the federal judicial code to grant jurisdiction to federal district courts to grant injunctive and other appropriate relief to prevent, restrain, or terminate any acts in violation of this Act. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a study of the impact of state and local taxes on mobile services, providers, or property on the costs consumers pay for mobile services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to rename the section heading of Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the individual retirement accounts (IRAs) of married individuals as the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Recognizes school boards as deliberative public bodies that should be free to engage in prayer at the beginning of meetings consistent with the prayer practice upheld in Marsh v. Chambers . Expresses support for the voluntary practice of prayer at the beginning of meetings of legislative bodies and other deliberative public bodies, including school board meetings.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 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 congressional gold medal to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such gold medal and to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the gold and bronze medals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2013
Revises requirements for the non-rural area wage index floor in the formula for the national adjusted diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate used in calculating payments under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for each inpatient hospital discharge in a fiscal year involving inpatient hospital services of a subsection (d) hospital. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in the case of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2013, to apply budget neutrality, under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and related regulations, on a state-specific rather than national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor, including a minimum wage index, for each non-rural area, using a specified methodology as if it had been fully implemented for FY2011 using a 100% state-specific adjustment to the area wage index. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed as preventing the Secretary, for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2014, from modifying related regulations in carrying out budget neutrality requirements. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to end the application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor as of October 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury, or any delegate of the Secretary, from implementing or enforcing any provisions of or amendments made by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Expanding Patients' Access to Quality Care Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the limitation on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which the physician or an immediate family member has an ownership or investment interest exceeding a specified amount; and (2) the rural provider and hospital exception to the physician ownership or investment prohibition. Extends the rural provider and hospital exception to hospitals that were under construction or development as of December 30, 2010, and hospitals in financial distress. Defines "financial distress" for a cost reporting period as one in which a hospital has had an overall negative combined Medicare inpatient prospective payment system and outpatient prospective payment system operating margin for the most recent three consecutive cost reporting periods for which data are available. Eliminates the process for applying for such an exception for expansions of hospital facility capacity. Limits increases in facility capacity to those hospitals that have had a previous increase.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $18 to $9 (the pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer; and (2) further reduce the rate of such tax on brewers who produce not more than 2 million barrels of beer during the calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2013
Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Requires federal public land management officials to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public lands, including National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, or lands administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable and primitive or semi-primitive areas, for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting, except as limited by: (1) statutory authority that authorizes or withholds action for reasons of national security, public safety, or resource conservation; (2) any other federal statute that specifically precludes recreational fishing, hunting, or shooting on specific federal public lands or waters; and (3) discretionary limitations on recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting determined to be necessary and reasonable. Requires Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands, excluding lands on the Outer Continental Shelf, to be open to recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting unless the managing agency acts to close such lands to such activity for purposes of resource conservation, public safety, energy production, water supply facilities, or national security. Requires the heads of federal agencies to use their authorities to: (1) lease their lands or permit use of their lands for shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific lands for recreational shooting activities. Sets forth requirements for a permanent or temporary withdrawal, change of classification, or change of management status that effectively closes or significantly restricts 640 or more contiguous acres of federal public lands for fishing or hunting or related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2013
No Monuments to Me Act of 2013 - Prohibits the use of federal funds for any real property, project, or program named for an individual then serving as a Member of Congress (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner) or as President. Excepts: (1) any presidential library; or (2) any project or program commenced, or any real property named, prior to the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2013 - Directs the President to investigate credible information of sanctionable activities involving North Korea and to designate and apply sanctions with respect to any person (referred to as a "designated person" and includes business entities, nongovernmental organizations, and governmental entities operating as business enterprises) the President determines is knowingly: contributing, through the export to or import from North Korea of any goods or technology, to the use, development, production, stockpiling, or acquisition of nuclear, radiological, chemical, or biological weapons, or any device or system designed to deliver such weapons; exporting, or facilitating the export of, defense articles and services to North Korea, or from North Korea to any other country; exporting, or facilitating the export of, any luxury goods to North Korea; providing, selling, leasing, registering, or reflagging a vessel, aircraft, or other conveyance, or providing insurance or any other shipping or transportation service used to transport goods to or from North Korea, for purposes of facilitating a specified unlawful activity or evading a regulation established under this Act or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); transferring, paying, exporting, withdrawing, or otherwise dealing with any property or interest in property of the government of North Korea for purposes of facilitating such unlawful activity or evading such regulations; engaging in or facilitating censorship by North Korea; or committing or facilitating a serious human rights abuse by North Korea. Directs the President to designate and exercise IEEPA authorities with respect to the government of North Korea as well as any person or foreign government the President determines has been: listed or sanctioned under any regulation, specified executive order, or the IEEPA for illicit activities or activities concerning North Korea's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; sanctioned under U.N. Security Council resolutions concerning North Korea's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; or convicted of a criminal offense for engaging in sanctionable activities. Authorizes the President to exercise IEEPA authorities with respect to any foreign government or financial institution the President determines to be: engaging in sanctionable activities involving North Korea; failing to freeze funds, assets, or economic resources of a person designated pursuant to the requirements above or that could be used to facilitate sanctionable activities relating to imports or exports; failing to monitor import and export transactions appropriately; permitting any North Korean financial institution to open any new branches, offices, or joint ventures within its jurisdiction, or to take an ownership interest in, or establish or maintain a correspondent relationship with any bank in its jurisdiction, if it could be used to facilitate sanctionable import or export activities; failing to prohibit transfers of bulk cash to and from North Korea in facilitation of sanctionable import or export activities; providing public financial support for trade with North Korea to facilitate such import or export activities; or facilitating the use of any proceeds of the bribery of North Korean government officials, or the misappropriation, theft, or embezzlement of public funds by, or for the benefit of, such officials. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties under the IEEPA. Establishes the North Korea Enforcement and Humanitarian Fund in which assets subject to criminal, civil, or administrative forfeiture or penalties are to be deposited for the enforcement of this Act and to carry out humanitarian activities under the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004. Expresses the sense of Congress that the government of North Korea should be treated as a primary money laundering concern that may be required to undertake special measures with respect to the recordkeeping and reporting of certain financial transactions as well as the identification of customers or retention of information relating to certain beneficial ownership, payable-through, or correspondent accounts. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to require domestic financial institutions to apply special measures to certain designated entities. Directs domestic financial institutions to terminate various accounts maintained for persons, foreign governments, or financial institutions required to be designated as engaging in sanctionable activity under this Act and for foreign financial institutions providing services to such designated entities. Prohibits a designated person that is a domestic financial institution from serving as a primary dealer in U.S. debt instruments or as a repository for U.S. funds. Sets forth authority for the President to prohibit certain foreign exchange and banking transactions, revoke transaction licenses, and direct the Secretary of State to deny visas to designated aliens. Permits the President to impose sanctions against persons providing specialized financial messaging services to designated North Korean financial institutions. Requires a validated license for exports to North Korea under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits munitions and defense articles from being provided to North Korea under the Arms Export Control Act regardless of whether it is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Bars U.S. government contracts from being provided to designated persons. Authorizes the seizure or forfeiture of vessels or aircraft used to facilitate sanctionable activities. Directs the President to withhold assistance to the governments of countries providing defense articles or services to North Korea or receiving such articles or services from North Korea. Sets forth exceptions to designations under this Act and authorizes the President to waive designations and sanctions, for a period of up to one year, upon the President's submission to Congress of a determination that the waiver: protects vital U.S. economic and national security interests, benefits entities cooperating with investigations, and addresses humanitarian aid considerations while meeting other specified standards. Permits the President to temporarily suspend sanctions with a certification to Congress under specified circumstances and to prescribe rules for removing sanctions. Directs issuers of financial securities regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose activities relating to North Korea in annual and quarterly reports. Authorizes state and local governments to divest assets and prohibit investments in companies that invest in North Korea. Exempts North Korea from the jurisdictional immunity of foreign states, thereby enabling plaintiffs to seek certain damages against North Korea regardless of whether it is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage. Defines "medical health care" to mean voluntary health treatment by or supervised by a medical doctor that would be covered under minimum essential coverage that: (1) includes voluntary acute care treatment at hospital emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, or similar facilities; and (2) excludes treatment not administered or supervised by a medical doctor, physical examinations or treatment required by law or third parties, and vaccinations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion within the District of Columbia except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater. Makes an exception where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such exception only in the manner which provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman than would other available methods. Prescribes penalties for violations. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act, but authorizes such a woman or the father or maternal grandparent of the unborn child to obtain appropriate relief through a civil action. Provides for injunctive relief to prevent violations. Sets forth specified privacy protections in court proceedings for the woman upon whom an abortion has been performed. Requires any physician who performs an abortion within the District to report it to the Department of Health of the District of Columbia, which shall issue annual public reports.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to restrict the health plans that the federal government may make available to the President, Vice-President, or federal employees to a health plan either created under PPACA or offered through a health care exchange established under PPACA. (Currently, such restriction applies to Members of Congress and congressional staff.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face of adversity. Requires the medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian shall make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the 65th Infantry Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2013 or CLEAR Relief Act of 2013 - Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) to publish in the Federal Register proposed revisions to the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement on the Assessment of Financial and Managerial Factors that: (1) apply the policy to bank holding companies having pro forma consolidated assets of less than $5 billion (adjusted annually), no engagement in nonbanking activities involving significant leverage, and no significant amount of outstanding debt; and (2) increase from 1.1 to 3.1 the debt-to-equity ratio allowable for a small bank holding company in order to retain its eligibility both to pay a corporate dividend and to implement expedited processing procedures under Regulation Y of the Board. Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to require the Board to exempt from certain escrow or impound requirements a loan secured by a first lien on a consumer's principal dwelling if the loan is held by a creditor with assets of $10 billion or less. Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to exempt from its annual privacy policy notice requirement any financial institution which: (1) provides nonpublic personal information only in accordance with specified requirements, and (2) has not changed its policies and practices regarding disclosures of nonpublic personal information from those disclosed in the most recent disclosure sent to consumers. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to conduct cost-benefit analyses of certain new or amended generally accepted accounting principles. Requires the SEC to determine, as a prerequisite to recognition of such new or amended principles, whether the benefits to investors significantly outweigh the costs. Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to exempt community banks having total assets on a consolidated basis of $10 billion or less from mandatory annual management assessment of internal controls. Amends TILA to: (1) add to the definition of a qualified residential mortgage loan that it is originated and retained in a portfolio for at least three years by a creditor having less than $10 billion total assets, and (2) redefine a balloon loan that is a "qualified mortgage" to specify a balloon loan extended by a creditor that originates and retains balloon loans in a portfolio for at least three years, and, together with all affiliates, has total assets of $10 billion or less. Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to provide either exemptions or adjustments from the mortgage loan servicing and escrow account administration requirements of the Act for servicers of 20,000 or fewer mortgage loans. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to require federal financial institutions regulatory agencies to establish a $250,000 threshold level at or below which a certified or licensed appraiser is not required to perform appraisals in connection with federally related transactions. Declares that, if an order to request for the transfer of funds (entry) is received via an automate clearing house, a receiving depository financial institution shall not be required to verify that the entry is not a prohibited transaction if the originating depository financial institution has warranted its compliance with the sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control in connection with the entry.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2013
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Declares that an action for civil liability may be brought against a merchant's assignee only if the violation is apparent on the face of a rental-purchase agreement to which it relates, including, but not limited to, a disclosure that can be determined to be incomplete or inaccurate from the face of the agreement. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to state attorneys general. Subjects to criminal penalties any willful and knowing violation of the information disclosure requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009: (1) was a "bill for raising revenue" as those words were intended to be understood in article I, section 7, clause 1 of the Constitution; and (2) did not originate in the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2013
Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Benefits Double Dip Elimination Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to declare that for any month that an individual is entitled to unemployment compensation he or she shall be deemed to have engaged in substantial gainful activity and so be disqualified from receiving Social Security disability benefits after a certain period has elapsed. States that, for purposes of determining services rendered by an individual during a period of trial work which will not disqualify the individual for disability benefits, the individual shall be deemed to have rendered services in a month if he or she is entitled to unemployment compensation or trade adjustment assistance for that month.
![Official portrait of Rep. Johnson, Sam [R-TX-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000174_200.jpg)