United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Aging to: (1) ensure that all programs funded under such Act include appropriate training in elder abuse prevention and the provision of services that address elder justice and exploitation, and (2) update periodically the need for and benefit of such training related to prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation (including financial exploitation) of older adults. Makes it a duty and function of the Administration on Aging to: (1) establish priority information and assistance services for older individuals; (2) ensure full collaboration between all governmental information and assistance systems that serve older individuals; and (3) develop a National Eldercare Locator Service, with a nationwide toll free number. Directs the Assistant Secretary, by grant or contract with a national nonprofit entity, to establish a National Adult Protective Services Resources Center to improve the capacity of state and local adult protective services programs to: (1) respond effectively to abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults, including home care consumers and residents of long-term care facilities; and (2) coordinate with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Requires each area plan to provide that the area agency on aging: (1) increases public awareness of elder abuse and financial exploitation, and removes barriers to elder abuse education, prevention, investigation, and treatment; (2) coordinates elder justice activities of the area agency on aging, community health centers, other public agencies, and nonprofit private organizations; (3) develops standardized, coordinated, and reporting protocols with respect to elder abuse; and (4) reports instances of elder abuse. Directs the Assistant Secretary to make grants to states under approved state plans for elder abuse and neglect screening. Requires a state operating a nutrition project to encourage individuals who distribute nutrition services to distribute information on diabetes, elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and the annual Medicare wellness exam. Requires a state, an area agency on aging, a nonprofit organization, or a tribal organization that receives a grant for an older individuals' protection from violence project to use it to research and replicate successful models of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation prevention and training. Directs the Assistant Secretary to award grants and enter into contracts with eligible organizations to carry out projects to engage volunteers over 50 years of age in providing support and information to older adults (and their families or caretakers) who have experienced or are at risk of elder abuse. Allows a state to use funds under the National Family Caregiver Support Program to support the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to implement or enforce a requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders (including obstructive sleep apnea) only if it is adopted pursuant to a rulemaking proceeding. Applies this Act only to a requirement adopted on or after September 1, 2013.
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 · 2 August 2013
Youth Corps Act of 2013 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to eligible public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations to carry out Youth Corps programs that utilize the Youth Corps model to provide eligible youth age 16 through 24 with education and work readiness training to enable them to find employment in the economy of the 21st century, and instill in them a sense of civic engagement and environmental stewardship. Defines "Youth Corps model" as a youth education and training program for which an eligible entity provides eligible youth, among other things, with stipended or paid work experience and basic and technical skills training leading to: (1) enrollment in postsecondary education or training, (2) attainment of an industry-recognized certification or credential, (3) meaningful employment in the economy of the 21st century, or (4) military service.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Social Security Equality Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to authorize the treatment of permanent partnerships between individuals of the same gender as marriage for purposes of determining entitlement to OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2014 the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of indebtedness on a principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Expresses support for the designation of National Innovation in Education Day to recognize the advances that the nation's schools have made incorporating both creative teaching methods and technology into the classroom. Recognizes: (1) the importance of creative teaching methods as a means of engaging students in their education and inspiring more students to pursue higher education; (2) that technological advancements within the classroom prepare students for a more information-driven market, thus closing the gap between education and the workforce by allowing students to obtain the skills necessary for employment in competitive science and technology fields in the United States; and (3) the achievements of outstanding educators who have exemplified innovative teaching methods.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the initial U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Water and Development Strategy is a significant accomplishment and improves USAID's capacity to provide sustainable and effective water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance; and (2) the Secretary of State, through the Special Advisor for Water Resources, should develop a Global Water Resources Strategy relating to U.S. foreign policy water objectives. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct: (1) the Administrator to designate a Global Water Coordinator to coordinate and oversee water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance; and (2) the Secretary of State to designate a Special Advisor for Water Resources to coordinate and oversee policy relating to water, hygiene, and sanitation assistance. Sets forth principles to ensure that water, sanitation, and hygiene projects carried out under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 achieve maximum impact. Amends the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 to direct: (1) the President, through the Secretary, to develop a strategy every five years to further the U.S. foreign policy objective to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries; and (2) the Administrator, through the Global Water Coordinator, to develop a complementary strategy to further the U.S. foreign assistance objective to provide affordable and equitable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Runaway and Homeless Youth Inclusion Act of 2013 - Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to revise requirements for services provided under grants from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for centers for runaway and homeless youth and their families. Requires the plan proposed by grant applicants for a runaway and homeless youth center to: provide services to persons in a minority category related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, include demographics on the sexual orientation and gender identity or expression of the youth it serves within its statistical records, and serve youth in a manner that is culturally competent. Revises requirements for: transitional living programs for homeless youth to require such programs to serve them in a manner that is culturally competent, and sexual abuse prevention programs to require certification to HHS that these programs have systems in place to ensure services to all youth in such a manner. Requires the HHS report on periodic estimates of incidence and prevalence of youth homelessness to include data on the demographics of such individuals (except identity), including whether they are sexual and gender minority youth. Prohibits any person in the United States, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disability, from being excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under: (1) any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available under the Act; or (2) any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, agreements, and other assistance administered with such funds. Grants the Attorney General and the Office of Justice Programs the same authority to enforce this Act as granted under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Act of 2013 - Considers as a banned hazardous product under the Consumer Product Safety Act any firearm receiver casting or firearm receiver blank (do-it-yourself assault weapon) that: (1) at the point of sale does not meet the definition of a firearm under the federal criminal code; and (2) after purchase can be completed by the consumer to the point at which such casting or blank functions as a firearm frame or receiver for a semiautomatic assault weapon or machine gun. Makes it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, manufacture for sale, or import into the United States for sale, to a consumer an assault weapon parts kit or machine gun parts kit. Makes it unlawful to market or advertise any of these weapons for sale on any medium of electronic communications, including over the Internet. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct or support research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of serious mental illness. Authorizes additional appropriations for National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayments in order to ensure an adequate supply of behavioral and mental health professionals. Reauthorizes the mental and behavioral health education and training program of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Renames mental illness awareness training grants as mental health awareness grants. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to award grants under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to eligible entities for the development of curricula for continuing education and training to health care professionals on identifying, referring, and treating individuals with serious mental illness. Revises the program to assist local communities in developing ways to assist children in dealing with violence. Requires the Secretary to assist local communities and schools in implementing a comprehensive mental health program to assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. Replaces the mandate for youth interagency research, training, and technical assistance centers to one for a single suicide prevention technical assistance center addressing the prevention of suicide among all ages, particularly among groups at high risk for suicide. Reauthorizes and revises the programs for: (1) youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies, and (2) mental health and substance abuse disorder services. Directs the Secretary, acting through the SAMHSA and HRSA Administrators, to award grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to eligible entities for the provision of coordinated and integrated mental health services and primary health care. Requires programs receiving grants to address the problems of persons who experience violence related stress to provide for continued operation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI), including an NCTSI coordinating center. Directs the Secretary to provide information to priority mental health need grantees regarding evidence-based practices for the prevention and treatment of geriatric mental health disorders and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study: (1) the availability of inpatient beds for treatment of mental health disorders; (2) its impact on access to, and the quality of, mental health services; and (3) the impact on individuals with serious mental illness and on states of the exclusion from medical assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act of payment for care or services for certain patients in an institution for mental diseases. Increases requirements for certain annual reports and audits by states of recipients of block grants for: (1) Community Mental Health Services, and(2) prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Declares that the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 shall be construed, in the case of a group health plan or health insurance coverage that provides both medical and surgical benefits and mental health and substance use disorder benefits, to ensure full parity of such benefits, including: (1) at all levels of medically appropriate treatment, and (2) with respect to applicable medical management techniques. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to eligible entities for planning, establishing, coordinating, and evaluating a nationwide public education campaign designed to: (1) promote public awareness and understanding of mental health disorders, including serious mental illness; and (2) reduce the stigma associated with mental health disorders. Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to research the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries from gun violence. Prohibits construction of this mandate, however, as authorizing advocacy or promotion of gun control. Requires the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, to improve the National Violent Death Reporting System, particularly through the voluntary participation of additional states. Declares that none of the authorities provided to the Secretary under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act shall be construed to prohibit a physician or other health care provider from: (1) asking a patient about the ownership, possession, use, or storage of a firearm or ammunition in the patient's home; (2) speaking to a patient about gun safety; or (3) reporting to the authorities a patient's threat of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2013 - Requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Clean Ports Act of 2013 - Declares that federal preemption of state and local law relating to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier of property shall not apply to the authority of a state, local government, or the political authority of two or more states to adopt requirements for motor carriers providing services at port facilities that are reasonably related to the reduction of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, the improvement of highway safety, or the efficient utilization of such port facilities, provided adoption or enforcement of such requirements does not conflict with federal law. Declares that nothing in this Act shall limit the rights reserved to any state or political subdivision of such state under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue in commemoration of the United States Coast Guard: (1) $5 gold coins, (2) $1 silver coins, and (3) half-dollar clad coins. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the traditions, history, and heritage of the Coast Guard, and its role in securing our nation since 1790. Prescribes design requirements. Restricts the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2017. Prescribes the sale price of the coins and coin surcharges. Requires such surcharges to be paid by the Secretary to the National Coast Guard Museum Foundation to help finance the design and construction of the National Coast Guard Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Fairness and Accuracy in Employment Background Checks Act of 2013 - Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish and enforce procedures to ensure the prompt release of accurate federal criminal background records and information exchanged for employment-related purposes; and (2) report to Congress on the exchange of records or information for employment-related purposes under this Act and on all federal statutes, regulations, and policies providing employment restrictions and disqualifications based on criminal records.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
End Racial Profiling Act of 2013 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Defines "racial profiling" to mean the practice of a law enforcement agent or agency relying, to any degree, on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion in selecting which individual to subject to routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, or in deciding upon the scope and substance of law enforcement activity following the initial investigatory activity, except when there is trustworthy information relevant to the locality and timeframe that links a person of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion to an identified criminal incident or scheme. Authorizes the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling to enforce this Act in a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires: (1) federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling; and (2) state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations to ensure that administrative complaint procedures and independent audit programs provide an appropriate response to allegations of racial profiling by law enforcement agents or agencies. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires: (1) the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling, and (2) the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics to analyze the data collected for any statistically significant disparities. Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports on racial profiling by law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the K-9 Companion Corps program for the awarding of grants to assist nonprofit organizations in establishing, planning, designing, and/or operating programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain disabilities. Defines "assistance dog" to mean a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of such a disability, except that such term does not include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Captive Primate Safety Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to add nonhuman primates to the definition of "prohibited wildlife species" for purposes of the prohibition against the sale or purchase of such species in interstate or foreign commerce. Makes it unlawful for a person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase a live animal of any prohibited wildlife species in interstate or foreign commerce (i.e., for pet trade purposes). Modifies exceptions to such prohibition, including by making it inapplicable to a person who is: (1) a licensed and inspected person who does not allow direct contact between the public and prohibited wildlife species, and (2) transporting a single primate of the genus Cebus that was obtained from and trained by a charitable organization to assist a permanently disabled individual with a severe mobility impairment. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Restore Honor to Service Members Act - Requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Permits such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances, such as misconduct, that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. Prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Requires the reissuance of specified military personnel records and discharge forms in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to remove from the offense of sodomy specified activity referred to as unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to revise the Agricultural Marketing Service Master Solicitation and Supplement specifications for the purchase of canned tuna to require that: (1) all such tuna be landed by U.S.-flagged fishing vessels; (2) not less than 75% of the value of such tuna be produced in the United States; and (3) all such tuna be canned in the United States, including Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, or U.S. territories or possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
CLEANER Act of 2013 or the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2013 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act, with respect to the regulation of wastes associated with the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy, to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), within one year, to: determine whether drilling fluids, produced waters, and other wastes associated with such activities meet the criteria promulgated for the identification or listing of hazardous waste; identify or list as hazardous waste any of such energy-associated wastes that the Administrator determines meet the identification or listing criteria; and promulgate regulations regarding standards applicable to generators, transporters, and owners and operators of facilities for the treatment, storage, or disposal of wastes described under this Act (except that the Administrator may modify the requirements for such regulations to consider such wastes' special characteristics so long as the requirements protect human health and the environment). Directs the Administrator to promulgate revisions of the criteria regarding sanitary landfills and practices of open dumping for facilities that receive the energy-associated wastes described under this Act not identified as hazardous waste. Requires such revisions to: be those necessary to protect human health and the environment, allowing consideration of the practicable capability of such facilities; and include, at minimum, groundwater monitoring as necessary to detect contamination, criteria for the acceptable location of new or existing facilities, and provision for corrective action and financial assurance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
American Jobs Act of 2013 - Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in such project are produced in the United States (Buy American). Waives such prohibition in cases where: (1) the prohibition would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron, steel, and the relevant manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron, steel, and manufactured goods produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%. Requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at the locally prevailing rates (Davis-Bacon Act). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) restore the making work pay tax credit in 2014, and (2) extend the additional allowance for depreciation (bonus depreciation) for 3 years. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase from $2 million to $5 million through FY2014 the limit on the guarantee for contract surety bonds and on the liability for bonds obtained by fraud or misrepresentation. Directs the Secretaries of Education and the Interior (for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education) to reserve through FY2014 appropriated amounts to provide educational assistance to outlying areas based on their respective needs. Provides for allocations to states and local educational entities for early childhood learning programs in FY2014-FY2015 at specified levels. Directs the Attorney General to carry out a competitive grant program pursuant to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 for the hiring, rehiring, or retention of career law enforcement officers. Makes appropriations to the Community Oriented Policing Stabilization Fund to carry out such program and provides for a transfer to a First Responder Stabilization Fund, from which the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) shall make competitive grants for hiring additional firefighters pursuant to the Federal Fire Prevention Control Act of 1974. Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities and existing facilities at community colleges. Makes specified funds available to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for: (1) grants-in-aid for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects under the airport improvement program (AIP); (2) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation air traffic control system advancements; (3) highway and bridge restoration, repair, and construction projects and for passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure projects; (4) grants for high-speed rail projects, capital investment grants for intercity passenger rail service, and grants to reduce congestion on intercity rail passenger transportation; (5) capital grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); (6) transit capital assistance grants; (7) capital projects for existing fixed guideway system modernization, replacement and repair of buses and bus-related equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities; and (8) discretionary capital investment grants for surface transportation infrastructure. Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development Act - Establishes the American Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation to make direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate transportation, water, or energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $100 million ($25 million for rural infrastructure projects). Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas. Requires the AIFA Chief Lending Officer to establish: (1) an Office of Rural Assistance to provide technical assistance in the development and financing of rural infrastructure projects, and (2) a Center for Excellence to provide such assistance to public sector borrowers in the development and financing of infrastructure projects. Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to audit and investigate the business activities of AIFA. Makes private projects for which no public benefit is created ineligible for financial assistance. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for infrastructure projects. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of AIFA to establish and collect fees sufficient to cover all or a portion of AIFA administrative costs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2014 the exemption from the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for certain tax-exempt private activity bonds. Appropriates funds for assistance to eligible entities, including state and local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations, businesses, or eligible consortia, for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties and for stabilization of affected neighborhoods (Project Rebuild). Allows the use of funds to: (1) establish financing mechanisms for the purchase and redevelopment of such properties; (2) purchase and rehabilitate such properties; (3) establish and operate land banks for them; (4) demolish blighted structures (except public housing); and (5) redevelop abandoned, foreclosed, demolished, or vacant properties. Requires each state to receive at least $20 million of formula funds, all of which shall be used with respect to low and moderate-income individuals and families. Requires each state and local government grantee to establish procedures to create preferences for development of affordable rental housing. Allows a grantee to use up to 10% of a grant to create jobs by establishing and operating a program to maintain eligible neighborhood properties. Supporting Unemployed Workers Act of 2013 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend the emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) program until January 1, 2016. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through December 31, 2015, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2015, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for employees with less than 10 years of service. Permits the use of pre-existing appropriated funds under such Act to cover the cost of additional extended unemployment benefits and the cost of current benefits. Establishes the Reemployment NOW program to facilitate the reemployment of individuals receiving emergency unemployment compensation (EUC claimants). Requires a state to submit for approval by the Secretary of Labor a plan meeting certain minimum requirements in order to be eligible for an allotment of federal funds under such program. Authorizes a state to use its allotted funds to: (1) establish a Bridge to Work program to provide EUC claimants with short-term work experience placements with eligible employers; (2) provide a wage insurance program to pay, for up to two years, an EUC claimant who obtains reemployment up to 50% of the difference between the wages received at the time of work separation and the wages received for reemployment; and (3) provide a program of enhanced reemployment services to EUC claimants, including unemployed individuals who have exhausted their EUC rights. Provides for federal financing of state short-time compensation programs. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) award grants to states that enact such programs; (2) develop model legislative language for use by states in developing, enacting, and implementing such programs; and (3) report to Congress and the President on the implementation of such programs. Allows an increased work opportunity tax credit for long-term unemployed individuals (individuals who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation for six months or more). Pathways Back to Work Act of 2013 - Establishes programs to subsidize employment for unemployed, low-income adults, to provide summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth, and for work-based training. Provides for an initial appropriation of $5 billion, with funds available for obligation by the Secretary of Labor until December 31, 2014, and for expenditure by grantees and subgrantees until September 30, 2015. Subjects activities funded under this Act to federal labor standards and nondiscrimination protections. Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2013 - Makes it an unlawful practice for certain employers to: (1) publish a job advertisement or announcement that includes provisions indicating that an individual's status as unemployed disqualifies the individual for employment or that the employer will not consider or hire an individual for employment based on such status, (2) fail or refuse to consider or hire an individual because of such status, or (3) direct or request that an employment agency take an individual's status into account to disqualify an applicant for consideration for employment or when screening or referring employees. Makes it an unlawful practice for an employment agency to commit similar acts, including to: (1) screen, or fail or refuse to consider or refer, an individual for employment because of the individual's unemployed status; or (2) limit, segregate, or classify any such individual in any manner that would limit access to job information or consideration, screening, or referral for jobs. Makes it unlawful for any employer or employment agency to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) fail or refuse to hire, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an employee because such individual opposed any practice made unlawful by this Act or asserted any right under it. Prescribes enforcement authorities and legal remedies for violations of this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for offsets against decreases in revenue by: (1) limiting tax deductions and other tax exclusions for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return), (2) treating income received by a partner from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income for income tax purposes, and (3) treating all general aviation aircraft (including corporate jets) as seven-year property for depreciation purposes. Repeals, after 2013, certain tax expenditures for the oil and gas industry, including: (1) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells; (2) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenditures; (3) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells; (4) the tax deduction for income from activities relating to oil, natural gas, or any primary product thereof; (5) the exemption from limitations on passive activity losses; and (6) the tax credits for enhanced oil recovery and for producing oil and gas from marginal wells. Increases from two to seven years the period for amortizing geological and geophysical expenditures. Denies the foreign tax credit for amounts paid or accrued by a dual capacity taxpayer to a foreign country or U.S. possession. Defines "dual capacity taxpayer" as a person who is subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and who receives a specific economic benefit from such country or possession. Sets forth a special rule for the treatment of taxes paid on foreign oil and gas income for purposes of the foreign tax credit. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm--Rudman-Hollings Act), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, to repeal its budget goal enforcement requirements (sequestration mandate).
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Rape Survivor Child Custody Act - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to states that have in place a law that allows the mother of any child that was conceived through rape to seek court-ordered termination of the parental rights of her rapist with regard to that child, which the court shall grant upon clear and convincing evidence of rape. Limits such a grant to: (1) an amount that is not greater than 10% of the average of the total funding of the 3 most recent awards a state received under the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program and the Sexual Assault Services Program; and (2) a 1-year term, subject to renewal for not more than 3 additional years. Requires a state that receives such a grant to use: (1) 25% of grant funds for permissible uses under the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program, and (2) 75% of funds for permissible uses under the Sexual Assault Services Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Pathways Back to Work Act of 2013 - Establishes in the Treasury the Pathways Back to Work Fund, with an initial appropriation of $12.5 billion. Requires the Secretary of Labor to make certain Fund allocations to states with approved plans, qualifying outlying areas (U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau), and Native American program grantees to provide: (1) subsidized employment to unemployed, low-income adults; and (2) summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to local entities for work-based training and other work-related and educational strategies and activities of demonstrated effectiveness to provide unemployed, low-income adults and low-income youths with skills that will lead to employment. Subjects activities funded under this Act to federal labor standards and nondiscrimination protections.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2013
Panama Canal and Pan-Pacific Exhibition Centennial Celebration Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue in commemoration of the centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and the Panama Canal: (1) $5 octagonal gold coins, (2) $5 round gold coins, (3) $2.50 gold coins, (4) $1 gold coins, and (5) half-dollar silver coins. Urges that the coin designs be close likenesses of the five coins issued by the San Francisco Mint at the opening of the Pan-Pacific Exposition. Prescribes design requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to issue circulating clad half dollar coins, in the same design as for the half dollar silver coins. Limits the issue to five consecutive calendar years. Restricts the issuance of certain coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2017. Prescribes the sale price of the coins and coin surcharges. Requires such surcharges to be paid by the Secretary to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for the design and construction of appropriate exhibitions in the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
Safe And Fair Environment on Highways Achieved through Underwriting Levels Act of 2013 or SAFE HAUL Act of 2013 - Revises certain minimum financial responsibility requirements to increase from $750,000 to $4.422 million the minimum level of financial responsibility sufficient to satisfy established liability coverage for motor carriers or motor private carriers providing property transportation. Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to adjust such amount annually for inflation relating to medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Community-Based Gang Intervention Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should acknowledge and address social conditions such as poverty, homelessness, inadequate educational systems, and limited economic opportunities in developing a comprehensive gang violence reduction strategy. Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to: (1) require the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to nonprofit community-based gang intervention agencies to provide services for reducing and stopping gang-related and gang-motivated violence and crime, (2) include representatives of community-based gang intervention agencies in juvenile justice and delinquency prevention advisory groups established by state plans, and (3) include community-based gang intervention and prevention activities in state and local grant programs for delinquency prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2013
School-based Health Centers Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2019 the authorization of appropriations for grants under the school-based health center program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2013
Finds that Argentina has failed to meet G20 membership responsibilities. Calls upon the President and the Secretary of the Treasury to work the G20 members to terminate Argentina's participation until Argentina has: (1) reversed efforts to expropriate foreign investment, (2) satisfied U.S. court judgements against it, (3) honored awards of international arbitral panels against it, and (4) complied with Financial Action Task Force recommendations. Conditions Argentina's G20 membership on its adherence to international norms of economic relations and commitment to the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
STEM Innovation Networks Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to state-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) networks or similar organizations of STEM stakeholders to expand STEM education and STEM educator development. Includes among grant uses: testing, sharing, and scaling up STEM education research, promising practices, and exemplary programs; identifying state STEM education weaknesses and prioritizing strategies to address them; implementing rigorous career and college ready standards in STEM education; developing and implementing innovative STEM assessments that measure student progress toward those career and college ready standards; promoting and developing pre- and in-service STEM teacher training; developing STEM career pathways and workforce education and training programs that reflect 21st century workforce needs; facilitating the implementation of expanded STEM learning opportunities on school sites; and promoting, supporting, and designing programs that develop STEM content coaches and master educators in order to strengthen core competencies of the classroom practitioner. Requires grantees to conduct periodic independent evaluations of their effectiveness in accomplishing those activities. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) endorsing or approving any STEM curriculum designed for use in an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education; or (2) requiring a state, local educational agency, or school to adopt a specific STEM program or instructional materials.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Patents and Trademarks Encourage New Technology Jobs Act or the PATENT Jobs Act - Requires, notwithstanding the presidential sequestration order issued on March 1, 2013, that the budgetary resources sequestered with respect to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) be available for obligation for the same purpose and in the same manner as if such order had not been issued. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to expand the list of budget accounts exempt from reduction under certain sequestration orders issued by the President to include the USPTO.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Electrify Africa Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish a multiyear strategy to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa develop an appropriate mix of power solutions to provide sufficient electricity access to people living in rural and urban areas in order to alleviate poverty and drive economic growth. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should: (1) prioritize where loan guarantees to African financial institutions would facilitate involvement in African power projects, and where partnerships and grants would increase access to electricity; and (2) consider providing grants to develop national, regional, and local energy and electricity policy plans, and expand electricity access to the poorest. Urges: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury to use U.S. influence at each institution in the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank to encourage power sector and electrification investments in sub-Saharan Africa, (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to prioritize investment in the electricity sector of sub-Saharan Africa, and (3) the Trade and Development Agency to promote U.S. private sector participation in energy sector development projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Community College to Career Fund Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to: (1) institutions of higher education for educational or career training programs for workers, (2) state or local organizations in partnership with community colleges and other training providers for pay-for-performance projects and pay-for-success job training projects, (3) state or local governments to provide job training or recruiting activities necessary to provide skilled workers for businesses that have relocated or are considering relocating operations outside the United States but may instead relocate them to areas served by those governments, and (4) institutions of higher education in partnership with local or regional economic development entities to provide training in starting a small business and entrepreneurship.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching Act or the BEST Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award renewable two-year grants to states to establish or improve a Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Requires students who wish to participate in such a program to submit an application to their state that includes assurances that they: (1) will receive a secondary school diploma or its equivalent in the year they apply; and (2) have met the state's criteria for demonstrating proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Requires states to provide participating students who demonstrate that proficiency: (1) a permanent seal or other marker on their secondary school diploma or its equivalent, and (2) documentation of that proficiency on their official academic transcript. Allows students who gain proficiency in a second language outside of school to participate in such programs. Prohibits states from charging students an application fee.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2013 - Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation. Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) make senior and subordinated direct loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing or refinancing of an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds. Requires the Board to establish an Executive Committee, headed by the chief executive officer, to establish requirements and make recommendations for project proposals to be considered for financial assistance. Requires the Bank to establish a Risk Management Committee, headed by the chief risk officer, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by both geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for all financial assistance provided by the Bank; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure of the Bank; (5) provide financial recommendations to the Board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for American Infrastructure Bonds in a given calendar year do not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such Bonds. Requires the Bank to establish an audit committee, headed by a chief compliance officer, to be responsible for auditing and accounting activities. Requires the Board to approve criteria established by the Executive Committee, with public input, for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. Sets forth criteria to be considered by the Board for each type of infrastructure project. Requires the Executive Committee to conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance. Requires any financial assistance for an infrastructure project to be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations. Limits the amount of assistance under this Act to 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs. Exempts all bonds issued by the Bank, and the interest on or credits with respect to such bonds, from state or local government taxation. Sets forth requirements regarding compliance of assisted projects with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes. Requires the Board to establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount estimated to equal the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such Bonds is to be appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Calls on China (PRC) to end the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners, and particularly from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups. Calls for a Department of State investigation into organ transplant practices in China, and for the prosecution of those found to have engaged in such practices. Demands an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice by the Communist Party of China and the release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Recommends that: (1) the Department issue a travel warning for U.S. citizens traveling to China for organ transplants informing them that the organ source for their operation may be a prisoner of conscience; and (2) the U.S. government condemn organ transplantation abuses in China, ban the entry of those who have participated in such activities, and prosecute such individuals should they be found on U.S. soil.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Applauds the U.N. General Assembly for honoring President Mandela's contribution to international peace and freedom. Recognizes the global impact of President Mandela's legacy and commitment to nonviolence, respect, and dialogue. Supports the international community's recognition of Nelson Mandela International Day. Urges all U.S. citizens to reflect on the importance of peace, tolerance, democracy, human rights, and reconciliation in honor of Nelson Mandela International Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Respect for Marriage Act - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Motorcoach Safety, Accountability, and Technology Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations to ensure that an individual conducts a brake performance inspection before each motorcoach trip to ensure that the brake performance satisfies all federal law requirements. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to: (1) establish minimum performance standards for onboard electronic air brake monitoring systems for motorcoaches, (2) require motorcoaches to be equipped with automatic emergency braking and collision warning systems, (3) require motorcoaches with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with a lane departure warning system, and (4) require motorcoaches to be equipped with a device to limit maximum speed to 70 miles per hour. Requires the Secretary to make such technologies tamper resistant. Directs the Secretary to study the feasibility of requiring motorcoaches be retrofitted with such technologies. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to establish standards for motorcoaches to use regrooved, recapped, or retreaded tires. Revises Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program requirements. Requires the Secretary to approve plans under which states agree to assume responsibility for improving motor carrier safety and adopt and to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety, hazardous materials transportation safety, or compatible regulations, standards, and orders if the plan ensures that (except in the case of an imminent or obvious safety hazard) an inspection of a passenger motorcoach is conducted at a station, terminal, border crossing maintenance facility, and destination (as under current law), but also a weigh station, rest stop, turnpike service area, or other location where adequate food, shelter, and sanitation facilities are available for passengers as well as passengers with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Renewable Energy Parity Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy tax credit to solar energy, fuel cell, microturbine, combined heat and power system, small wind energy, and thermal energy properties the construction of which begins before January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Women's Preventive Health Awareness Campaign - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) provide for the planning and implementation of a national public outreach and educational campaign to raise public awareness, including provider awarenesss, of women's preventive health; and (2) establish a national media campaign and maintain and update an appropriate Internet website as part of such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Protect Overnight Delivery Act - Repeals the service standards for market-dominant products implemented by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on July 1, 2012, and directs USPS to reinstate the service standards that were in effect on December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Strengthening Entrepreneurs' Economic Development Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish and carry out a direct lending program for small businesses (businesses with fewer than 20 employees). Sets forth provisions governing the amount and repayment period of, and interest rate on, such a loan. Authorizes the Administrator to collect a fee from the borrower. Directs the Administrator to: (1) issue guidance regarding prudent underwriting standards for such loans; (2) establish a process of making each loan application available to lenders for the purpose of originating, underwriting, closing, and servicing the loan; (3) first give priority to lenders within 50 miles of the principal office of the applicant, then make such applications available to lenders in the Preferred Lenders Program, and then consider such a loan for origination, underwriting, closing, and servicing by the Administrator; (4) offer to sell loans made under the program through the semi-annual public solicitation of offers to purchase; and (5) maintain and service loans that are not sold through asset sales. Amends the Small Business Act to require the SBA, for each small business loan in excess of $2 million that is approved under such Act, to collect a fee not to exceed a certain percentage of the outstanding balance of the deferred participation share of the loan as necessary to reduce to zero the cost to the SBA of making such loan.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
San Gabriel Watershed Restoration Act - Directs the Chief of Engineers, in coordination with Los Angeles County, California, to: (1) prepare a feasibility study for environmental ecosystem restoration, flood control, water quality control, water supply storage, outdoor recreation enhancements, and other aspects of the San Gabriel River Watershed revitalization that is consistent with the goals of the San Gabriel River master plan published by that County; and (2) identify demonstration projects for construction and restoration of the San Gabriel River Watershed. Authorizes the Chief to construct demonstration projects to provide information to develop the study. Limits to 65% the federal share of the cost of any project under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Strengthen And Fortify Existing Bridges Act of 2013 or SAFE Bridges Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program to assist states to rehabilitate or replace bridges found to be structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or fracture critical. Requires states to use apportioned program funds for projects to rehabilitate and replace such bridges. Sets the federal share of project costs at 100%.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Black Box Privacy Protection Act - Amends the Automobile Information Disclosure Act to require manufacturers of new automobiles to disclose on the information label affixed to the window of the automobile: (1) the presence and location of an event data recorder (commonly referred to as a "black box"), (2) the type of information recorded and how such information is recorded, and (3) that the recording may be used in a law enforcement proceeding. Sets forth similar requirements for motorcycle manufacturers. Defines "event data recorder" as any device or means of technology installed in an automobile that records information such as automobile or motorcycle speed, seatbelt use, application of brakes, or other information pertinent to the operation of the automobile or motorcycle. Prohibits the manufacture, sale, offering for sale, or import into the United States of an automobile manufactured after 2015 (bearing a model year of 2016 or later) that is equipped with an event data recorder, unless the consumer can control the recording of information. Requires the event data recorder in an automobile or motorcycle, and any data recorded, to be considered the property of the owner of the automobile or motorcycle. Makes the retrieval or downloading of recorded data by any other person unlawful, except: (1) with the owner's consent, (2) in response to a court order, or (3) by a dealer or automotive technician to service the vehicle. Requires certain violations to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include information on the coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity in the "Medicare and You Handbook." Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow other physicians, registered dietitians, certified diabetes educators, and instructors trained and certified by the National Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Coach Training program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide, and be independently reimbursed for, intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished outside of the primary care setting, so long as any such nonphysician provider or instructor furnishing the therapy must communicate any recommendation or treatment plan for an individual to the individual's primary care physicians or practitioner. Authorizes the Secretary to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more comorbidities.
![Official portrait of Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-32]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ca_32_napolitano_grace_200.jpg)