United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2013
Monuments Men Recognition Act of 2013 - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a single congressional gold medal in commemoration of the Monuments Men (men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives [MFA] Section under the Allied Armies during World War II) in recognition of their heroic role in the preservation, protection, and restitution of monuments, works of art, and artifacts of cultural importance during and following the War. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the Monuments Men and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
Learning, Educating, Achieving, and Retraining for the Nation Act or LEARN Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to: (1) make discretionary grants to states, local boards, and federally-recognized tribal organizations for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training programs; and (2) use up to 10% of funds authorized under this Act to make grants to such entities for developing on-the-job training programs, including providing capacity building activities for local staff.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2013
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to direct the U.S. Executive Director at each multilateral development bank to: (1) disregard the document entitled "Guidance for U.S. Positions on MDBs Engaging with Developing Countries on Coal-Fired Power Generation" and any other document issued subsequently by the Secretary that sets forth policies, strategies, procedures, or positions substantially similar to those set forth in that document; and (2) not use U.S. influence to propose, advance, or implement any policy, strategy, procedure, or position set forth in that document.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Biennial Commission on Energy Policy Act of 2013 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Biennial Commission on Energy Policy. Directs the Commission to: (1) analyze the accessibility, affordability, reliability, resiliency, and sustainability of energy sources in the United States, including coal, oil, natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, hydropower, geothermal, and biofuels; (2) assess policy options to increase domestic energy supplies and energy efficiency; (3) evaluate energy storage, transmission, and distribution requirements including intermittent energy sources; (4) analyze the prospective role of stakeholders in creating an integrated and comprehensive energy policy, including academia, industry representatives, the public, and federal laboratories and agencies; (5) assess the effectiveness of and need for energy programs, including tax incentives, funding mechanisms, and energy subsidies; and (6) make recommendations for changes to the organization of executive branch entities to facilitate the development and implementation of national energy objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2013
Office of Strategic Services Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to the members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in recognition of their superior service and major contributions during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2013
Economic Recovery On-the-Job Training Act of 2013 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to make discretionary grants to state and local boards for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training programs within economically disadvantaged areas and extremely economically disadvantaged areas. Requires the Secretary to ensure that state and local boards within extremely economically disadvantaged areas receive 25% more authorized grant funds than those within economically disadvantaged areas. Defines "economically disadvantaged area" to mean any area for which there is a single five-digit postal zip code, and which includes any portion of a census tract where the median annual household income is less than $40,000 per year. Defines "extremely economically disadvantaged area" similarly, except for a median annual household income of less than $32,000 per year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish preclearance facilities, conduct preclearance operations, or provide customs services outside of the United States to prevent terrorists, terrorist instruments, and other national security threats from gaining access to the United States. Declares such requirements shall not apply to any preclearance facility that was in operation outside of the United States before enactment of this Act. Declares that any preclearance facility located, preclearance operations conducted, or customs services provided at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, or Doha International Airport in Qatar shall not be considered to have been in operation, conducted, or provided before enactment of this Act. Prohibits such facility, operations, or services from being established, conducted, or provided at any of such airports on or after such enactment. Requires the Secretary, not later than 180 days before entering into any agreement to establish a preclearance facility, conduct preclearance operations, or provide customs services outside of the United States, to: (1) notify Congress and the General Accountability Office (GAO) of the intent to establish such facility, conduct such operations, or provide such services; as well as (2) assess any impacts on passengers traveling to the United States, or economic or security impacts on the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Revises the highway safety improvement program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), under the highway safety improvement program, to establish performance measures for states to use to assess significant reductions in the number of serious injuries and fatalities (as under current law) specifically for both motorized and nonmotorized transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to eliminate the funding mechanism for the three-year transitional reinsurance program, under which group health plans are required to pay a fee to reinsurance entities for plan years beginning January 1, 2014. (The fees are distributed to individual health plans that cover high-risk individuals.) Authorizes appropriations for such reinsurance program instead.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
If You Like Your Health Plan, You Can Keep it Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to prohibit anything in the Act from being construed to require an individual to terminate coverage under a group health plan or health insurance coverage in which the individual was enrolled during any part of the period beginning on the date of enactment of PPACA (March 23, 2010) and ending on December 31, 2013. Allows: (1) continuation of coverage under a group health plan or health insurance in which an individual was enrolled during any part of such period, regardless of whether the individual renews such coverage; (2) family members of the individual to join coverage under such a plan that is renewed; (3) new employees to join a group health plan that provides coverage during any part of such period; and (4) continuation of coverage maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that was ratified before the end of such period.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Parental Accountability for Reducing Child Poverty Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prohibit a state receiving a TANF grant from using any part of it to provide assistance to a parent, caretaker relative, or legal guardian of a child age 6 to 19 who is not attending school for at least the state-required number of days per year. Makes a similar requirement for home schooled children. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reduce the grant to a state which fails to comply with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow through 2018 a new business-related tax credit for an increase in expenditures for qualified development expenses (defined as the sum of any in-house and contract development expenses incurred in the trade or business of a taxpayer), (2) increase to 20% the rate of the alternative simplified research tax credit, and (3) extend through 2018 the tax credit for increasing research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
VOW to Hire Heroes Extension Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2017 the work opportunity tax credit for hiring a qualified veteran (defined as an unemployed veteran who is certified as being a member of a family receiving food stamp assistance and who is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability), (2) revise tax credit eligibility requirements for documenting the status of veterans and their receipt of unemployment compensation, and (3) extend the payroll tax offset for such credit to certain for-profit employers. Directs the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to make annual reports on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this Act in increasing the employment of veterans. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to pay: (1) each U.S. possession (i.e., American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with a mirror code tax system amounts equal to the loss to such possession due to this Act; and (2) each U.S. possession without such a tax system an amount estimated to equal the loss to such possession that would have occurred due to this Act if such a tax system had been in effect in that possession.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from: (1) increasing flood insurance risk premium rates to reflect the current risk of flood for certain property located in specified areas subject to a certain mandatory premium adjustment, or (2) reducing such subsidies for any property not insured by the flood insurance program as of July 6, 2012, or any policy that has lapsed in coverage as a result of the policyholder's deliberate choice (Pre-Flood Insurance Rate Map or pre-FIRM properties). Sets forth expiration dates for such prohibitions. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA) to prohibit the Administrator from providing flood insurance to prospective insureds at rates less than those estimated for any property purchased after the expiration of such six-month period (currently, any property purchased after July 6, 2012). Directs FEMA to: (1) restore during such six-month period specified estimated risk premium rate subsidies for flood insurance for pre-FIRM properties and properties purchased after such six-month period, and (2) submit to certain congressional committees a draft affordability framework addressing the affordability of flood insurance sold under the National Flood Insurance Program. Prescribes procedures for expedited congressional consideration of legislation on FEMA affordability authorities. Permits FEMA to enter into an agreement with another federal agency either to: (1) complete the affordability study, or (2) prepare the draft affordability framework. Directs FEMA submit to certain congressional committees the affordability study and report. Amends NFIA to authorize FEMA to reimburse homeowners for successful map appeals. Makes any community that has made adequate progress on the construction (as under current law) or reconstruction (new) of a flood protection system which will afford flood protection for the one-hundred year frequency flood eligible for flood insurance at premium rates not exceeding those which would apply if such flood protection system had been completed. Revises guidelines governing availability of flood insurance in communities restoring disaccredited flood protection systems to include riverine and coastal levees. Requires FEMA to: (1) rate a covered structure using the elevation difference between the floodproofed elevation of the covered structure and the adjusted base flood elevation of the covered structure; and (2) designate a Flood Insurance Advocate to advocate for the fair treatment of policy holders under the National Flood Insurance Program and property owners in the mapping of flood hazards, the identification of risks from flood, and the implementation of measures to minimize the risk of flood.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to redefine "navigable waters" to specify that included territorial seas are those that are: (1) navigable-in-fact; or (2) permanent or continuously flowing bodies of water that form geographical features commonly known as streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes that are connected to waters that are navigable-in-fact. Excludes from such term: (1) waters that do not physically abut navigable waters and lack a continuous surface water connection to navigable waters; (2) man-made or natural structures or channels through which water flows intermittently or ephemerally, or that periodically provide drainage for rainfall; or (3) wetlands without a continuous surface connection to bodies of water that are waters of the United States. Prohibits activities carried out by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Army Corps of Engineers from impinging upon states' power over land and water use. Prohibits: (1) aggregation of such excluded wetlands or waters from being used to determine or assert federal jurisdiction, and (2) wetlands without a continuous surface connection to bodies of water that are waters of the United States from being considered to be under federal jurisdiction. Authorizes states or individual property owners to obtain judicial review of jurisdictional determinations by the Administrator or the Secretary of the Army that would affect their ability to plan the development and use of land and water resources within 30 days after such a determination. Considers groundwater to be state water. Prohibits groundwater from being considered in determining or asserting federal jurisdiction over isolated or other waters. Prohibits the Administrator from using a significant nexus test to determine federal jurisdiction over navigable waters and waters of the United States. Nullifies: (1) the Corps' rule entitled "Final Rule for Regulatory Programs of the Corps of Engineers," (2) EPA's proposed rule entitled "Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Clean Water Act Regulatory Definition of 'Waters of the United States,'" (3) the guidance document entitled "Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in Rapanos v. United States & Carabell v. United States (relating to the definition of waters under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act), and (4) any subsequent regulation or guidance issued by federal agencies that defines or interprets the term "navigable waters." Prohibits the Corps and EPA from promulgating rules or issuing guidance that expands or interprets the definition of navigable waters unless expressly authorized by Congress. Sets forth provisions requiring federal agencies to obtain consent of private property owners prior to entering their land to collect information about navigable waters. Requires federal agencies that issue regulations that relate to the definition of navigable waters or waters of the United States and diminish the fair market value or economic viability of a property to pay the affected property owner an amount equal to twice the value of the loss. Gives no force or effect to such regulation until landowners with such claims have been compensated.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013 - Permits a health insurance issuer that has in effect health insurance coverage in the individual market as of January 1, 2013, to continue offering such coverage for sale during 2014 outside of a health care exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Treats such coverage as a grandfathered health plan for purposes of an individual meeting the requirement to maintain minimum essential health coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Delay Until Fully Functional Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) determine whether health care exchanges and all other point of enrollment options are fully functional and operating in a manner consistent with the role envisioned under the Act and report study results to Congress, and (2) conduct subsequent studies every 60 days until the Comptroller General determines that exchanges are fully functional and operating in such manner. Delays the effective date of the penalty for failure to maintain minimum essential coverage to apply the requirements to taxable years beginning six months after the date on which the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies to Congress the results of the GAO determination that exchanges are operating successfully. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the penalty an individual who is unable to enroll in a qualified health plan because of the technical or customer service issues of an exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in Bay Pines, Florida, as the "C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center."
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 or the SOFTWARE Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to apply it to medical software to the same extent and in the same manner as it applies to devices. Defines "medical software" as software that is intended to be marketed: to directly change the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals; or for use by consumers and makes recommendations for clinical action that includes the use of a drug, device, or procedure to cure or treat a disease or other condition without requiring the involvement of a health care provider and which, if followed, would change the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals. Excludes from such definition software whose primary purpose is integral to the functioning of a drug or device and is not a component of a device. Excludes clinical software and health software (defined as follows) from FDCA regulation. Defines "clinical software" as software that: (1) captures, analyzes, changes, or presents patient or population clinical data or information and may recommend courses of clinical action, but does not directly change the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals; and (2) is intended for use only by a health care provider in a health care setting. Defines "health software" as software that is not medical software or clinical software and that: (1) captures, analyzes, changes, or presents patient or population clinical data or information or supports administrative or operational aspects of health care and is not used in the direct delivery of care; or (2) has as its primary purpose to act as a platform for a secondary software, to run or act as a mechanism for connectivity, or to store data. Expresses the sense of Congress concerning the value of clinical software and health software to health care quality and efficacy and the need for legislation that establishes a risk-based regulatory framework that reduces regulatory burdens, promotes patient safety, and fosters innovation. Excludes medical software, clinical software, and health software from the FDCA definition of "device."
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2013
Security Before Access Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, with respect to patient navigator services, to require recipients of grants for the development and operation of demonstration programs to implement procedures developed under this Act to protect the privacy of personally identifiable information (PII). Requires procedures specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to include at least those that: require for access to PII relating to an individual the express written consent of that individual; condition access by a certified application counselor, health insurance navigator, or non-navigator assistance personnel upon a criminal background and fingerprint check; and require the meeting of educational and licensure requirements that are identical or comparable to those currently applicable to health insurance agents and brokers within the state in which they seek to assist consumers. Prohibits a grant recipient from collecting PII until the Comptroller General (GAO) certifies to Congress that HHS and any other relevant federal agencies have implemented all appropriate and necessary actions to safeguard the information of individuals seeking enrollment in a health plan through a health insurance Exchange and to protect them from fraud and abuse. Provides procedures for development of guidance concerning liability, determinations of liable parties, and determinations of whether entities described in this Act are required to obtain professional liability coverage. Imposes criminal penalties for unauthorized access, including under the Internal Revenue Code in cases involving consumer tax return information. Requires the Secretary to permanently disqualify an individual with a criminal background or otherwise in violation of this Act from any further involvement in consumer assistance activities required under the patient navigator provisions or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Allows the disqualification and rescission of federal and Exchange-generated funds from the entity that employs or contracts with such an individual. Relieves consumers from responsibility for failure to meet a requirement under PPACA for obtaining qualified health insurance coverage through an Exchange unless the Secretary has demonstrated with reasonable certainty that effective and comprehensive PII protection is in place prior to any consumer disclosure for health insurance enrollment purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2013
Makes appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided for FY2013 under the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division B of P.L. 112-74), for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by such Act under the heading "Fossil Energy Research and Development." Requires the rate of operations to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: (1) the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), and (2) the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Makes appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under this joint resolution available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) September 30, 2014. Requires implementation of this joint resolution so that only the most limited funding action be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Authorizes amounts made available for civilian personnel compensation and benefits to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2013
Makes appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided for FY2013 under the Science Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6), for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by such Act under the heading "National Aeronautics and Space Administration." Requires the rate of operations to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: (1) the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), and (2) the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Makes appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under this joint resolution available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) September 30, 2014. Requires implementation of this joint resolution so that only the most limited funding action be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Authorizes amounts made available for civilian personnel compensation and benefits to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2013
Mine Safety and Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 - Makes appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division F of P.L. 112-74) as amended by the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6), for continuing projects or activities of MSHA that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 under the heading "Mine Safety and Health Administration." Requires the rate of operations to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: (1) the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); and (2) the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Makes appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under this joint resolution available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) December 15, 2013. Requires implementation of this joint resolution so that only the most limited funding action be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Authorizes amounts made available for personnel compensation and benefits to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should hold public listening sessions on rulemaking targeting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants in each of the 15 states with the highest percentage of electricity generated by coal in 2012 (West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, and Wisconsin); and (2) such sessions should be held at a time and place that would maximize the ability of individuals to participate.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2013
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act - Provides for compensation of federal employees furloughed due to any lapse in appropriations that begins on or about October 1, 2013, for the period of such lapse in appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2013
Amends the Natural Gas Act to exclude from its jurisdiction persons who would not otherwise be subject to the Act if the sole reason for inclusion would be the person's construction or operation of a facility not otherwise subject to the Act that liquefies, stores, processes, or delivers natural gas for vehicular natural gas or other end use purposes even though natural gas may be reinjected into an interstate pipeline, as long as such reinjections are incidental to the facility's provision of natural gas for end use purposes and are required by certain facility needs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2013
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 20, 2013, relating to "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2013
Recognizes that: (1) access to hospitals and other health care providers for patients in rural areas of the United States is essential to the survival and success of U.S. communities; (2) preserving and strengthening access to quality health care in rural areas is crucial to the success and prosperity of the United States; (3) strengthening access to hospitals and other health care providers for patients in rural areas makes Medicare more cost-effective and improves health outcomes for patients, and (4) rural health care providers are integral to the local economies and are one of the largest types of employers in rural areas of the United States. Celebrates the many dedicated medical professionals across the United States who work hard each day to deliver quality care to people living in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Help Extend Auditory Relief (HEAR) Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover aural rehabilitation services, hearing aids as durable medical equipment (DME), audiology rehabilitation services, and related hearing services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Ensure Reliable and Affordable American Energy Act of 2013 - Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit a regulation concerning emissions of carbon dioxide from a fossil fuel-fired electric generating unit to address climate change from taking effect until the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies that a sufficient number of countries have put into effect regulations concerning such emissions that are at least as stringent as the regulation under the Act. Defines "sufficient number" to mean a number of countries that, in the aggregate, account for at least 80% of global carbon dioxide emissions, excluding those in the United States, in the calendar year immediately preceding the year in which the regulation under the Act would be enforced.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2013
American Health Care Reform Act of 2013 - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow an income tax standard deduction for a specified percentage of an individual's health insurance costs, regardless of whether or not the taxpayer itemizes other deductions. Excludes the amount of such a deduction from employment taxes. Allows a taxpayer, for earned income credit purposes, to exclude from earned income any employer contributions to a qualified accident or health plan. Allows double additional contributions to a health savings account (HSA) if both spouses are age 55 or older and one spouse is not an account beneficiary. Prescribes special rules for HSA coverage eligibility for certain individuals: (1) participating in a Medicare Advantage Medical Savings Account (MSA), (2) receiving periodic hospital care or medical services for a service-connected disability, (3) eligible for Indian Health Service assistance, or (4) eligible for TRICARE coverage. Prescribes requirements for interaction of health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements with HSAs. Prohibits the payment of health insurance premiums from HSAs, with certain exceptions. Prescribes circumstances in which certain medical expenses incurred before establishment of an HSA may still be qualified expenses. Prescribes requirements for protection of any HSA in a bankruptcy proceeding. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize additional health opportunity account demonstration programs. Treats membership in a health care sharing ministry as coverage under a high deductible health plan. Renames high deductible health plans as HSA qualified plans. Allows payments from an HSA for: (1) direct primary care service arrangements, (2) certain exercise equipment and physical fitness programs, (3) certain nutritional and dietary supplements, and (4) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician for the right to receive medical services on an as-needed basis. Increases the maximum limit on contributions to an HSA to match deductible and out-of-pocket expenses limitations. Prescribes requirements for establishment of child health savings accounts, for which an income tax deduction shall be allowed a taxpayer equal to the aggregate cash amount paid into the account during the taxable year. Amends the IRC to include in gross income any distributions from an HSA for an abortion. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the IRC to authorize premium and cost-sharing variances in group health plans based on certain financial incentives for participation (or lack of it) in a standards-based wellness program. Amends the PHSA to direct the Secretary to provide a grant of up to $5 million to each state for the costs of creation and initial operation of a qualified high risk pool if it has not created such a pool as of September 1, 2013. Limits participation in such a pool to U.S. citizens and nationals. Declares that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with conditions of this Act. Prohibits a health insurance issuer from offering, selling, or issuing individual health insurance coverage in a secondary state if its insurance commissioner does not use a risk-based capital formula for determining capital and surplus requirements for all health insurance issuers. Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to declare that nothing in it shall modify, impair, or supersede the operation of any of the antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance (including the business of dental insurance). Amends SSA title XI (General Provisions) to require the Secretary to make available to the public Medicare claims and payment data, including data on payments made to any provider of services or supplier. Authorizes a state to establish a Health Plan and Provider Portal website to standardize information on: (1) health insurance plans available in the state, and (2) price and quality information on health care providers (including physicians, hospitals, and other health care institutions). Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship or the practice of medicine. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to eliminate the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Amends ERISA to prescribe requirements for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans meeting certain ERISA certification criteria whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations. Limits the commencement of a health care lawsuit, except in certain cases including fraud or intentional concealment, to three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury, whichever occurs first. Limits to $250,000 the amount of noneconomic damages in such a lawsuit, but allows a claim for the full amount of any economic damages. Requires the court, in any health care lawsuit, to supervise the arrangements for payment of damages to protect against conflicts of interest that may have the effect of reducing the amount of damages awarded that are actually paid to claimants. Specifies criteria for the award of punitive damages, limited to the greater of $250,000 or double the amount of economic damages. Preempts state law with respect to health care lawsuits. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) require any health plan to provide coverage of or access to abortion services; or (2) allow the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, or any other federal or non-federal person or entity in implementing this Act to require coverage of, or access to, abortion services. Prohibits the use of funds authorized or appropriated by this Act to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes abortion coverage, except: (1) if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) in the case where a pregnant female suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the female in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2013
Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act - Directs: (1) the Secretary of the military department concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces (members) who were killed or wounded in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009; and (2) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom to civilian employees and contractors of DOD who were killed or wounded in such attack. Deems, for purposes of all applicable federal benefit laws, regulations, and policies: (1) such members to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an enemy act; and (2) such employees to have been killed or wounded by hostile action while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation and to have been killed or wounded in a terrorist attack. Excludes any member whose death or wound was the result of willful misconduct. Applies such provisions to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other psychological injuries that were a a result of such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Declares that the federal excise tax on new tractor trailer trucks, heavy duty trucks, and certain truck trailers should not be increased and that Congress should review the detrimental impacts of such tax in considering future transportation policy.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 - Title I: Program Reforms and Streamlining - Revises requirements for feasibility studies under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 to: (1) limit the duration of any feasibility study to 3 years; (2) limit the cost of any such study to $3 million; and (3) require personnel of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to conduct concurrent reviews of feasibility studies (currently, sequential reviews are permitted). Requires the Secretary of the Army, not later than 90 days after the initiation of a feasibility study, to initiate federally-mandated reviews, including environmental reviews. Amends the WRDA of 2000 to authorize the Secretary to accept and expend funds contributed by a public utility company to expedite the evaluation of a permit for a water resources project or activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army. Amends the WRDA of 2007 to designate the Corps as the federal lead agency in the environmental review process (i.e., preparation of an environmental impact statement, environmental assessment, categorical exclusion, or other document under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [NEPA]) for a water resources project study. Requires the Corps to: (1) facilitate the expeditious resolution of the environmental review process and complete documents required by NEPA, (2) conduct concurrent environmental reviews, and (3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation in and comment on the environmental review process for a project. Repeals requirements for: (1) a reconnaissance study by the Corps prior to initiating a feasibility study, and (2) review of the cost effectiveness of the design of each water resources project that has a total cost in excess of $10 million. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for the review of section 14 applications. Defines a "section 14 application" as an application for the temporary occupation or use of a public work or the alteration or permanent occupation or use of a public work. Authorizes a non-federal interest (i.e., a sponsor for a water resources project, including federally-recognized Indian tribes and nonprofit entities) to: (1) provide funds to the Corps to carry out feasibility studies and to carry out authorized federal water resources development projects, and (2) make contributions to the operation and maintenance of the inland navigation facilities. Extends the authority of the Secretary to carry out water-related planning activities and studies in Indian country in FY2014-FY2023. Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program to evaluate the cost effectiveness and project delivery efficiency of allowing non-federal interests to carry out at least 15 authorized water resources development projects for coastal harbor improvement, channel improvement, inland navigation, flood damage reduction, and hurricane and storm damage reduction. Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on feasibility studies under this Act and on proposed modifications to an authorized water resources development project or feasibility study. Requires the President, as part of the President's annual budget submission to Congress, to identify and recommend Corps construction projects for which Congress should provide funding at the full level authorized for such projects. Requires the Corps, as part of such budget process, to report on the prioritization of federal action for the next fiscal year to mitigate for fish and wildlife losses due to Corps water resources projects in the Missouri River Basin. Directs the Secretary to make specific project recommendations relating to flood and storm damage reduction activities under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a locally preferred plan that provides a higher level of flood protection and is funded by non-federal interests; (2) evaluate alternatives to ensure safety of affected communities and the resiliency of water resources development projects to future flooding and storm events; and (3) establish procedures for providing the public and governmental entities, including Indian tribes, with timely information regarding expected water levels and preparedness actions. Amends the WRDA of 1974 to authorize the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states to encourage state programs for levee safety. Requires the Secretary to establish federal guidelines relating to levee safety. Requires the Secretary to: (1) undertake a comprehensive review of Corps policy on vegetation management for levees, and (2) report on the use of electronic commerce in federal procurement. Amends the WRDA of 1992 to require the Secretary to consider the beneficial use of dredged material in a manner that contributes to the maintenance of sediment resources in the nearby costal system. Directs the Secretary to encourage: (1) advanced modeling technologies, including 3-dimensional digital modeling, for activities related to water resources development projects and studies; (2) corrosion prevention activities at water resources development projects; and (3) the use of durable, resilient, and sustainable material and practices in carrying out Corps activities. Requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the management practices, priorities, and authorized purposes at Corps reservoirs in arid regions. Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should consider a water resources development bill not less than once every Congress. Title II: Navigation Improvements - Subtitle A: Ports - Authorizes the Secretary, for any fiscal year in which specified target appropriations are met, to use up to 5% of the total amount made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for eligible operations and maintenance costs described in the WRDA of 1986 for that fiscal year for expanded uses of such Trust Fund. Amends the WRDA of 1986 to direct the Secretary to: (1) assess the operation and maintenance needs of harbors used for commercial navigation and fishing and other purposes; (2) make expenditures to pay for operation and maintenance costs of the harbors, based on an equitable allocation of funds among all such harbors, regardless of the size or tonnage throughput of the harbor; (3) allocate, in each of FY2015-2016, not less than 10% of the total amount of the expenditures to pay for operation and maintenance costs of emerging harbors (those that transit less than 1 million tons of commerce annually); and (4) manage and allocate funding for all individually authorized projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single, comprehensive system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a non-federal interest to maintain a navigation project for a harbor or inland harbor (federally authorized harbor) in accordance with the WRDA of 1986. Amends the WRDA of 2007 to direct the Secretary to consolidate deep draft navigation expertise within the Corps into a deep draft navigation planning center of expertise. Authorizes the Secretary, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to reopen the Cape Arundel Disposal Site in Maine as an alternative dredged material disposal site. Subtitle B: Inland Waterways - Directs the Secretary, for certain projects for navigation infrastructure of the inland and intracoastal waterways, to utilize certified project managers, utilize risk-based cost estimates, evaluate early contractor involvement acquisition procedures, review the use of fully funded contracts or continuing contracts, identify best management practices to speed project delivery, and develop a portfolio of standard design for inland navigation locks. Directs the Secretary to develop and submit a 20-year investment strategy for making capital investments on the inland and intracoastal waterways. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to prepare a report on the efficiency of collecting the fuel tax for the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary to study methods of financing the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, including issuance of tax-exempt bonds and imposing user fees, and to consider the feasibility of fees and revenues from alternative sources. Directs the Secretary to conduct an inland waterways stakeholder roundtable to provide for a review and evaluation of alternative approaches to: (1) address the financial needs of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and (2) support the water infrastructure needs of the Inland Waterways System. Requires 25% of the cost of construction for the Olmsted Project (a navigation project for Locks 52 and 53 on the Lower Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky) to be paid from amounts appropriated from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. Expresses the sense of Congress that the appropriation for the Project should not be less than $150 million for each fiscal year until construction of the Project is completed. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress an annual financial plan for any inland waterways project that has an estimated total cost of $500 million or more. Directs the Secretary, at least 90 days before carrying out a proposed modification to the operation of a lock at a project for navigation on the inland waterways, to: (1) provide notice of the proposed modification in the Federal Register, and (2) accept public comments on the proposed modification. Directs the Secretary to assess the operation and maintenance needs of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Directs the Secretary to study and report on the impact of closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minnesota on the economy and the environment. Provides for the closure of such facility if the annual average tonnage moving through it during the preceding 5 years was not more than 1.5 million tons. Authorizes the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to: (1) design and construct one or more hydroelectric generating facilities at the W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River, Oklahoma; and (2) market the electricity generated from any such facility. Title III: Deauthorizations and Backlog Prevention - Directs the Secretary to submit to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and publish in the Federal Register, a report that lists each authorized water resources development project, or separable element of a project, authorized for construction before November 8, 2007: (1) for which construction was not initiated before the enactment of this Act or for which no funds were obligated for construction of the project during the 5-year period ending on July 1, 2013; and (2) that has an estimated cost to complete of at least $12 billion. Directs the Secretary to conduct an assessment of all properties under the control of the Corps of Engineers and develop an inventory of the properties that are not needed for its missions. Provides that a water resources development project, or separable element of such project, shall not be authorized for construction by this Act after the last day of the seven-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act unless during that period funds have been obligated for construction of such project. Deauthorizes projects for flood protection, navigation, shoreline protection, and other improvement at specified locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, and Wisconsin. Provides for land conveyances in Oklahoma and Washington. Title IV: Water Resources Infrastructure - Authorizes specified final feasibility studies for water resources development and conservation and other purposes, including regarding: (1) navigation in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia; (2) flood risk management in Kansas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Kentucky; (3) hurricane and storm damage risk reduction in North Carolina and California; (4) hurricane and storm damage risk reduction and environmental restoration in Mississippi; and (5) environmental restoration in Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Modifies projects for: (1) navigation at Miami Harbor, Miami-Dade County, Florida, and at the Lower Ohio River, Illinois and Kentucky; and (2) flood control at Little Calumet River Basin (Cady Marsh Ditch), Indiana.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2013
No Obamacare Subsidies for Members of Congress Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to prohibit the expenditure of federal funds to pay any portion of the premium for a health plan purchased by a Member of Congress pursuant to the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013 - Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) a Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program. Includes among Program purposes to: (1) improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and increase domestic production; (2) stimulate U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing research, innovation, and technology; and (3) accelerate the development of an advanced manufacturing workforce. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a network of centers for manufacturing innovation, to be known as the Network for Manufacturing Innovation; and (2) award financial assistance to assist in planning, establishing, or supporting such centers. Directs the Secretary to establish within NIST the National Office of the Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program to: (1) oversee the Program, (2) develop and periodically update a strategic plan for the Program, (3) establish a clearinghouse of public information related to Program activities, and (4) act as a convener of the Network. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the Office incorporates the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership into Program planning to ensure that the results of the Program reach small- and medium-sized entities. Establishes in the Treasury a Network for Manufacturing Innovation Fund for carrying out the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Energy Security and Employment Act - Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Retains the authority of the Secretary of Defense to designate national defense areas on the outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015, issued by the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), to be the final oil and gas leasing program for FY2013-FY2018 under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). Considers the Secretary to have issued a final environmental impact statement for such program in accordance with specified law. Terminates the Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017. Amends the OCSLA to direct the Secretary to share OCS receipts with states and local governments according to a specified allocation formula composed of bonus bids and royalties to adjacent states, including states that: (1) have a coastline point within 300 miles of the center of the leased tract; and (2) allow leasing within at least 25% of the portion of each state's Adjacent Zone that is within 75 miles of the coastline. Prescribes payment of allocations to: (1) certain states and coastal county-equivalent political subdivisions, and (2) coastal municipal political subdivisions. Permits payment of such funds to be used as matching funds for other federal programs. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from ANWR. States that the "Final Legislative Environmental Impact Statement" (April 1987) on the Coastal Plain prepared by the Secretary satisfies the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 regarding prelease activities under this Act, including actions authorized to be taken by the Secretary regarding regulations for the establishment of a leasing program before the first lease sale is conducted. States the Secretary shall not be required to identify nonleasing alternative courses of action, nor to analyze the environmental effects of those courses of action. Authorizes the Secretary to designate and exclude from leasing up to 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a special area, and 4,000 acres in the Sadlerochit Spring area as another special area, requiring special management and regulatory protection. Prohibits surface occupancy of a special area if the Secretary leases all or a portion of it for oil and gas exploration, development, or production. Authorizes lease terms to permit horizontal drilling technology from sites on lease tracts located outside the special area. Prohibits the Secretary from closing land within the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, or production except in accordance with this Act. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for lease sales to any person qualified to obtain a lease for oil and gas deposits, at a minimum of 200,000 acres for the first lease sale. Permits lease sales conducted through an Internet leasing program. Prescribes lease sales, terms and conditions, including a timetable for lease sales. Provides for expedited judicial review. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation, (2) convey to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation specified surface estate of land in accordance with a certain agreement, and (3) convey to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation a certain subsurface estate. Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on the use of funds for either a commercial oil shale leasing program or for oil shale lease sales. Directs the Secretary to open lands for leasing of oil shale resources. Prescribes a standard for judicial review governing energy projects, including a limitation upon injunctive and prospective relief. Establishes: (1) the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator, and (2) regional offices to coordinate review of federal permits for oil and gas projects on federal lands onshore and on the OCS. Prohibits both the President and the head of a federal department or agency from promulgating regulations providing for the control of emissions of a greenhouse gas, enforce or implement any law or regulation that provides for the control of emissions of a greenhouse gas, take action relating to or take into consideration the climate effects of emissions of a greenhouse gas, consider climate effects in implementing or enforcing any law or condition or deny any approval based upon climate effects. Precludes the Secretary of Transportation from exercising any authority regarding greenhouse gases. Retains specified requirements governing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. Nullifies certain rules and actions taken by EPA before the date of enactment of this Act to regulate greenhouse gases for effects relating to atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and climate change. Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit EPA from granting any state request for a waiver of standards to control emissions of greenhouse gas air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines of model year 2017. Deems stricken from a state implementation plan any designation of greenhouse gases as pollutants subject to regulation or as regulated pollutants, or otherwise authorizing or requiring limitations on the emission of greenhouse gases under state law. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the prohibition against federal procurement of alternative or synthetic fuel unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and combustion of the fuel supplied must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) prohibit any state from prescribing or attempting to enforce any control or prohibition regarding any characteristic or component of either a fuel or fuel additive in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine, (2) require the use of conventional gasoline in a motor vehicle throughout the United States, and (3) repeal certain requirements for oxygenated gasoline. Requires EPA, upon the request of a state governor or the governing body of an Indian tribe, to enter into a streamlined refinery permitting agreement. Requires EPA to conduct a research and demonstration program to evaluate the air quality benefits of ultra-clean Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuel, including diesel and jet fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Domestic Energy Production Protection Act of 2013 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit for analysis by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) a proposed rule or guidance under the Clean Air Act that may reduce the level of energy output in a specified sector before such a rule or guidance may take effect. Defines "specified sector" as one of the nine sectors of energy production listed in the document entitled "Annual Energy Outlook 2013: With Projections to 2040," published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in April 2013. Requires the Administrator of OIRA (Administrator), within 90 days of receiving the proposed rule or guidance, to conduct an analysis to determine if such rule or guidance, individually or when combined with another final rule or guidance issued by EPA, will reduce the level of energy output in a specified sector below the level of the prior year. Requires such analysis to include the potential impact of the rule or guidance on energy output in such sectors and any potential job losses over a period of 10 years. Requires the Administrator to report to Congress after making a determination that a proposed rule or guidance would reduce such energy output. Prohibits such rule or guidance that is the subject of a report from taking effect unless Congress enacts a joint resolution approving it. Establishes a process for approving a rule or guidance by a joint resolution. Removes rules promulgated pursuant to this Act from the established process for review of agency rulemaking, if a rulemaking will reduce energy output. Defines "energy output" as the level of production for a year, measured in quadrillion Btu, as calculated and included in such document.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013 - Requires a business enterprise that employs 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees, or 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, exclusive of overtime, in a call center to notify the Secretary of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States. Subjects violators to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 a day. Directs the Secretary to establish, maintain, and make publicly available a list of all such employers that relocate a call center. Authorizes the Secretary to remove from the list an employer that has relocated the call center from a location outside the United States to a location inside the United States. Requires such an employer to remain on the list for up to three years after each relocation. Makes such an employer ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, except where the employer demonstrates that a lack of such loan or grant would threaten national security, result in substantial job loss in the United States, or harm the environment. Requires the head of federal or state executive agency or military department, when awarding a civilian or defense-related contract, to give preference to a U.S. employer that does not appear on the list. Requires a business entity that initiates or receives a customer service communication to require each of its employees or agents participating in the communication to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each such communication unless all involved employees or agents are located in the United States. Exempts any communication: (1) initiated by a consumer if the consumer knows or reasonably should know that the employee or agent is located outside the United States, or (2) related to the provision of emergency services. Requires such a business entity, upon request, to transfer a customer to a customer service agent who is physically located in the United States. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exclude certain classes or types of business entities or customer services communications from the requirements of this Act under exceptionally compelling circumstances. Sets forth enforcement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to address potential shortages in the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan for payment of health care benefits to retired coal miners by expanding the eligible uses of interest transferable to the plan from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, and supplemental payments from the General Fund of the Treasury. Requires calculation of such amount by taking into account only those beneficiaries who are actually enrolled in the plan as of enactment of this Act, as well as those retirees whose health benefits, payable directly by an employer in the bituminous coal industry under a coal wage agreement as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012, would be denied or reduced. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the trustees of the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan a certain additional amount of funds, to pay pension benefits required under that plan, if the $490 million limitation on certain transfers to the UMWA Combined Benefit Fund and distributions to states and Indian tribes exceeds the aggregate amount required to be transferred to them. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prescribe a special rule that employer contributions to an employees' trust or annuity benefit plan providing supplemental benefits solely to participants in a pension plan are neither deductible nor nondeductible as such from the employer's gross income. Subjects such contributions, on the other hand, to deduction as an allowable trade or business expense. Treats a trust holding the assets of such a pension benefit plan as a tax-exempt organization. Excludes from taxable wages any payments made to, or on behalf of, an employee or his or her beneficiary under such a plan.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Behavioral Health Information Technology Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include as a health care provider behavioral and mental health professionals, substance abuse professionals, psychiatric hospitals, certain community mental health centers, and residential or outpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment facilities. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to incentives for meaningful use of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology under the pay schedule for physician's services, to include as additional eligible professionals clinical psychologists providing qualified psychologist services. Subjects any additional eligible professionals, including those under a MedicareAdvantage (MA) plan, to reductions in incentive payments after a certain date for failure to be a meaningful EHR user. Makes inpatient psychiatric hospitals eligible for payment for inpatient hospital services. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to treat as Medicaid providers: (1) public and certain private hospitals that are principally psychiatric hospitals, (2) certain community mental health centers, and (3) certain residential or outpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment facilities. Makes eligible professionals under the Medicaid program certain clinical psychologists providing qualified psychologist services. Authorizes a covered entity to submit to a patient safety organization information on electronic health record (EHR)-related adverse events with respect to certified EHR technology. Specifies covered entities as certain EHR users, health information exchange entities, and health care professionals who use EHR technology. Defines an EHR-related adverse event as a defect, malfunction, or error in the certified health information technology or EHR used by a provider, or in the input or output of data maintained through such technology or record, that results or could reasonably result in harm to a patient. Limits electronic discovery (e-discovery) in any health care lawsuit against a covered entity relating to an Reallotted adverse event involving certified EHR technology to information: (1) related to that event, and (2) from the period in which the event occurred. Prohibits a claimant from commencing a lawsuit more than three years after the manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers, or should have discovered, the injury, whichever occurs first. Requires tolling of this limitation, however, to the extent that the claimant is able to prove: (1) fraud; (2) intentional concealment; or (3) the presence of a foreign body, with no therapeutic or diagnostic purpose or effect, in the injured person. Subjects each party to such a lawsuit which is not a covered entity to proportionate liability only. Allows punitive damages against a covered entity only upon proof by clear and convincing evidence that the entity acted with reckless disregard for the claimant's health or safety. Shields covered entities, employees, agents, and representatives from civil liability for libel or slander arising from information or entries made in certified EHR technology, or transferred to another eligible provider, if the information, entries, or transfer were made in good faith and without malice.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 350,000 $1 silver coins, and 300,000 half dollar clad coins to commemorate the centennial of the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the 100 years of Boys Town, one of the largest nonprofit child care agencies in the United States. Permits issuance of such coins only between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Part D Beneficiary Appeals Fairness Act - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to a prescription drug plan (PDP) that provides for any tiered cost-sharing within a formulary (including a structure that provides for different co-payment or coinsurance amounts for drugs in different tiers included within the formulary), to authorize a Medicare part D eligible individual enrolled in the plan to request an exception to the tiered cost-sharing structure. States that in no case may the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) allow a PDP sponsor to make any formulary tier of the tiered cost-sharing structure (including a formulary tier used for very high cost or unique items) ineligible for lower-cost sharing through an exception.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2013 - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that limit payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin (thus allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs).
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) repeal sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology from the determination of annual conversion factors in the formula for payment for physicians' services; and (2) prescribe an update to the single conversion factor for 2014 through 2018, as well as 2019 all subsequent years, of 0.5%. Requires the update for a year beginning with 2019 to be adjusted by the applicable determined quality adjustment for any eligible professional who does not have a payment arrangement (eligible professional quality update incentive program). Prescribes requirements for core measure sets as well as quality measures for them. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) an eligible professional quality update incentive program meeting specified criteria, and (2) one or more methods to assess an eligible professional's performance with respect to quality measures and clinical practice improvement activities. Amends SSA title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to require payment for covered professional services furnished by an eligible professional under a specified Alternative Payment Model (APM) to be made under Medicare in accordance with the payment arrangement under such model. Directs the Secretary to establish a process to implement eligible APMs. Sets forth requirements for: (1) expanding uses of Medicare data by qualified entities; (2) promoting care coordination and Medicare homes; (3) soliciting recommendations on non-acute episodes of care definitions; and (4) establishing a physician reporting system to improve the accuracy of relative values, such as data relating to service volume and time.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Delays for one year the effective date of any provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or of any health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2011 that were scheduled to take effect on or after January 1, 2014. Suspends for one year, beginning January 1, 2014, any tax or tax increase imposed by such provisions if the tax or increase takes effect before that date.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2013
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Fossil Energy, to carry out a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in power generation systems and to identify the technologies that will lead to gas turbine combined cycle efficiency of 65% or simple cycle efficiency of 50%. Requires the program to: (1) support first-of-a-kind engineering and detailed gas turbine design for megawatt-scale and utility-scale electric power generation; (2) include technology demonstration through component testing, subscale testing, and full scale testing in existing fleets; (3) include field demonstrations of the developed technology elements to demonstrate technical and economic feasibility; and (4) assess overall combined cycle and simple cycle system performance. Sets forth as program goals: (1) in phase I, to develop the conceptual design of, and to develop and demonstrate the technology required for, advanced high efficiency gas turbines that can achieve at least 62% combined cycle efficiency or 47% simple cycle efficiency on a lower heating value basis; and (2) in phase II, to develop the conceptual design for advanced high efficiency gas turbines that can achieve at least 65% combined cycle efficiency or 50% simple cycle efficiency on a lower heating value basis. Directs the Secretary, in selecting program proposals, to emphasize the extent to which the proposal will: (1) stimulate the creation or increased retention of jobs in the United States; and (2) promote and enhance U.S. technology leadership. Authorizes appropriations.
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 · 18 July 2013
Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from enforcing any federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing (including any component of that process), relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in any state that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for that activity. Requires the Department to recognize and defer to state regulations, permitting, and guidance, for all activities related to hydraulic fracturing relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on federal land regardless of whether those rules are duplicative, more or less restrictive, have different requirements, or do not meet federal guidelines. Defines "hydraulic fracturing" as the process by which fracturing fluids (including a fracturing fluid system) are pumped into an underground geologic formation to generate fractures or cracks, thereby increasing rock permeability near the wellbore and improving production of natural gas or oil.
![Official portrait of Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001180_200.jpg)