Rep. Latham, Tom [R-IA-3]

An amendment numbered 1 and printed in the Congressional Record to specify that any person who manufactures or distributes a controlled substance shall be liable in a civil action to any party harmed, directly or indirectly, by the use of that controlled substance.

United States · United States Congress

An amendment numbered 39 printed in the Congressional Record to designate $4 million for the Small Business Administration to be used for the National Veterans Business Development Corporation established under the Small Business Act.

United States · United States Congress

An amendment no. 22 and printed in Part A of H.Rept. 106-186 to provide a civil remedy for victims of illegal drugs and holds those who manufacture or distribute a controlled substance liable for direct or indirect harm by use of the controlled substance.

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An amendment, printed as amendment No. 7 in House Report 104-483, to grant local and state law enforcement officers the authority to capture and detain for transfer to federal custody illegal aliens who are in violation of a deportation order.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment is technical in nature and clarifies which funds are available for the project-based rental assistance account.

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An amendment numbered 3 printed in Part A of House Report 111-219 to reduce the `Capital Assistance for High Speed Rail Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail Service' by $3,000,000,000 to the President's request of $1,000,000,000 and strikes the transfer authority for the National Infrastructure Bank.

United States · United States Congress

An amendment to prohibit the use of funds from being made available to pay salaries and expenses of personnel who implement or administer section 741 or section 508(e)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act or any regulation, bulletin, policy, or agency guidance issued pursuant to such section for the 2007 and the 2008 reinsurance years, except that funds are available to administer such section for policies for those producers who, before the date of the enactment of this Act, had in effect a crop year 2006 crop insurance policy from a company eligible for the opportunity to offer a premium reduction under such section for the 2006 reinsurance year.

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Subsequent to adoption of the resolution, the Chair announced that, without objection, the word "General" in section 3(j)(1) is changed to "Government".

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Amendment directs the existing $14.7 million in DOT funding to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration rather than towards a new Assistant Secretary.

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An amendment directing the implementation by regulation of administrative complaint remedies with regard to contracts for transportation of agricultural commodities.

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An amendment numbered one and printed in H. Rept. 106-127 to provide $105.6 million to support farm loans.

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An amendment numbered 8 printed in Part A of House Report 111-578 to cut $1.8 billion from specific accounts that were increased over and above the President's request.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment clarifies that the report required to be submitted to Congress by Federal agencies promulgating a rule under the Act, must include a list of any other related regulatory actions taken by, or that will be taken by, any other Federal agency with authority to implement the same statutory provision or regulatory objective.

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Expressing support for the designation of a "Small Business Saturday" and supporting efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses.

United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014

Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a Small Business Saturday, (2) efforts to encourage consumers to shop locally, and (3) efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.

To amend the Federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to reflect the service of women in the Armed Forces of the United States.

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014

Amends the federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to describe the organization as a national association of veterans (currently, an association of men) who, as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, served this Nation in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign soil or in hostile waters. Expands its purpose of assisting widows to that of assisting surviving spouses.

SAVE Medicare Home Health Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014

Securing Access Via Excellence for Medicare Home Health Act of 2014 or the SAVE Medicare Home Health Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services, to repeal the rebasing reduction adjustment for 2014 and subsequent years required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Establishes a calendar year 2014 payment adjustment under such PPS. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a detailed analysis of the rebasing reduction in Medicare payments for home health services promulgated under the rule for home health prospective payment system rate update for calendar year 2014. Directs the Secretary to specify a home health all-cause all-condition hospital unplanned readmission measure for readmissions (for any cause) to a hospital for an individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) (or enrolled under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medicare Insurance]) and who is receiving post-hospital home health services. Requires this measure to be risk adjusted for potentially preventable readmission to a hospital for such an individual. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) a Medicare home health agency value-based purchasing program (HHA VBP) under which value-based incentive payments are made in a year to home health agencies, and (2) performance standards for application of the unplanned readmission measure. Directs the Secretary to develop by regulation a methodology for assessing the total performance of each home health agency based on these performance standards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) withhold from the payment rates made for each year for home health services the amount necessary so that enactment of this Act is estimated not to result in any net change in payments made for Medicare services, and (2) provide for a distribution of a portion of those withheld amounts for performance payments to home health agencies. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to review the progress of the HHA VBP and make appropriate recommendations on any improvements that should be made to the program.

Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014

Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 - Prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing the proposed rule entitled, "Definition of 'Waters of the United States' Under the Clean Water Act," issued on April 21, 2014, or the proposed guidance entitled, "Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected By the Clean Water Act," dated February 17, 2012; or using the proposed rule or proposed guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance as the basis for any rulemaking or decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to withdraw the interpretive rule entitled, "Notice of Availability Regarding the Exemption from Permitting Under Section 404(f)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act to Certain Agricultural Conservation Practices," issued on April 21, 2014. Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to consult with relevant state and local officials to develop recommendations for a regulatory proposal that would identify the scope of waters covered under the Clean Water Act and the scope of waters not covered.

Medicare DMEPOS Audit Improvement and Reform (AIR) Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014

Medicare DMEPOS Audit Improvement and Reform (AIR) Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a Medicare Administrative Contractor Payment Outreach and Education Program for DMEPOS (durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies) suppliers. Requires each Medicare administrative contractor responsible for DMEPOS payments, in order to reduce improper payments to DMEPOS suppliers under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), to provide suppliers, physicians and practitioners who prescribe DMEPOS, and discharge planners and case managers who coordinate DMEPOS for individuals in the contractor's area with error rate reduction training as well as: a list of suppliers' most frequent payment errors and the most expensive payment errors over the last quarter, specific instructions regarding how to correct or avoid such errors in the future as well as to prevent future issues related to new audits, and a notice of all new topics that have been approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for audits. Sets forth the structure for audits of DMEPOS suppliers, requiring a contractor to give priority to activities under the DMEPOS payment outreach and education program that will reduce improper Medicare payments based on technical errors, medical necessity, and fraud. Requires annual reports to Congress on the use of recovery audit contractors under the Medicare Integrity Program to include certain information on the results of audit appeals related to DMEPOS. Requires the Secretary to: (1) increase the maximum record requests made by Medicare DMEPOS contractors in auditing claims of suppliers with a relatively high audited claims error rate for DMEPOS payments, and (2) decrease the maximum record requests for suppliers with a relatively low error rate. Directs the Secretary to limit the audit documentation review period for Medicare administrative contractors to three years.

Lean and Responsive Government Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014

Lean and Responsive Government Act - Requires the head of each federal agency to describe the implementation of continuous process improvement in the agency's periodic update on agency performance. Defines "continuous process improvement" as a management methodology (commonly referred to as lean six sigma) that combines tools to improve process speed, reduce waste, and incorporate requirements with data driven project analysis to provide products and services with improved quality at lower cost. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) make available on the OMB website a description of the results of the government-wide implementation of continuous process improvement, and (2) appoint an expert on such process as a member of the Performance Improvement Council to advise on its implementation across agencies. Requires: (1) each agency's Chief Operating Officer to implement continuous process improvement, (2) each agency's Performance Improvement Officer to advise and assist the agency head and Chief Operating Officer in implementing such process, and (3) the head of each agency to include information on the results of continuous process improvement projects in each relevant appropriation request for the agency. Requires the Director to designate a center of excellence for continuous process improvement training from within the Department of Defense (DOD).

CARS Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014

Charitable Automobile Red-Tape Simplification Act of 2014 or the CARS Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for charitable contributions, to modify the substantiation rules for donations of qualified vehicles (i.e., motor vehicles manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways and boats or airplanes) to require: (1) a statement with respect to such qualified vehicles and a good faith estimate of their value at the time of donation; and (2) a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the contribution by the donee organization, with information about the donor and the qualified vehicle.

Transparency in Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Transparency in Education Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Education from issuing a final rule or implementing a proposed rule affecting the determination as to whether a postsecondary career education program provides training that leads to gainful employment in a recognized occupation, which is required if it is to participate in a program under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), until 90 days after: the Secretary publishes a complete data analysis on the impact of such proposed rule on all postsecondary education programs and students at all categories of institutions of higher education that participate in a program under title IV of the HEA, that analysis is published in a format similar to the Gainful Employment 2012 Informational Rate Calculations published by the Department of Education, and the Comptroller General (GAO) issues a report that reviews such data analysis for accuracy and completeness.

Strongly supporting the quality and value of diversity and innovation in the Nation's higher education institutions, and strongly disagreeing with the President's proposal to create and administer a Postsecondary Institution Ratings System.

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: students and families should maintain the right and responsibility of determining where to enroll for postsecondary education; the federal government, in conjunction with states and accreditors, has a responsibility and the tools to ensure that the significant taxpayer funds that are invested in student aid each year are appropriately spent; the federal government could play a positive role in making information regarding postsecondary education available to prospective students; the Administration should work collaboratively with the higher education community to make that information more consumer friendly and accessible to students and their families; and the Administration's proposal to rate postsecondary institutions through an oversimplified federal rating system will lead to less choice, diversity, and innovation and should be rejected.

Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Medicare payments for dialysis services provided to individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and acute kidney injury. Extends the time period when a private health insurer, in determining benefits, cannot consider a group health insurance enrollee's ESRD or entitlement to Medicare coverage due to ESRD. Makes individuals with ESRD eligible for Medicare Advantage. Allows dialysis facilities to provide kidney disease education services and allows physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists to refer individuals to those services. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ESRD Care Coordination program to provide higher Medicare payments to nephrologists, dialysis facilities, and other providers that reduce spending on ESRD by being part of a coordinated care organization. Amends the Public Health Service Act to include dialysis as a service provided by the National Health Service Corps in health professional shortage areas. Makes nephrologists and non-physician practitioners who provide dialysis eligible for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and Loan Repayment Program. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit a report identifying gaps in chronic kidney disease research and comparing research funding to expenditures on disease treatment. Requires HHS to study the causes of kidney disease and efforts to treat kidney disease in disproportionately affected minority populations.

Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014

Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act of 2014 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to extend the rural community hospital demonstration program from five through 10 years.