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United States · Official source
6,584 records where Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-32] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Sally K. Ride Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2013 - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Sally K. Ride in recognition of her exemplary service as an astronaut, physicist, and science education advocate.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
World War I American Veterans Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) mint and issue $1 silver coins in commemoration of the centennial of America's involvement in World War I, and (2) hold a competition and provide compensation for its winner to design the obverse and reverse of the coins. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the centennial of America's involvement in World War I. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during calendar year 2018. Subjects the coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin, payable by the Secretary to the World War I Centennial Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
Get Relief from Academic Debt Act of 2013 or the GRAD Act of 2013 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers of Direct Stafford Loans to opt to extend the period before they must begin to repay such loans to one year after they cease to carry at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload. (Currently, the repayment period for Direct Stafford Loans begins six months after borrowers cease to carry at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload.) Subsidizes the interest that accrues on Direct Stafford Loans for the first six months of that extended grace period. Makes this Act applicable to Direct Stafford Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Strengthening The Resiliency of Our Nation on the Ground Act or STRONG Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish and chair an interagency working group with cabinet-level representation from all relevant federal agencies in order to: (1) provide a strategic vision of extreme weather resilience; (2) conduct a gap and overlap analysis of current and planned federal activities related to achieving short- and long-term resilience to extreme weather and its impacts on the United States, such as flooding and drought; and (3) develop a National Extreme Weather Resilience Action Plan. Requires the Plan to include the establishment of an online, publicly available information portal to be used by federal agencies and other stakeholders that directs users to key data and tools to inform resilience-enhancing efforts and to build off and complement existing federal efforts. Provides for a coordinating entity to establish and maintain such portal. Requires such coordinating entity to coordinate the implementation of the Plan and to track its progress. Requires the submission of specified reports.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2013
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to list permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer, (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements, (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat or owned it for not less than one year, or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sets forth additional monetary penalties for related violations. Prohibits federal facilities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring dogs or cats for exhibition purposes (currently, for research, experimentation, or exhibition purposes) except from: (1) the operator of an auction that comports with legal requirements, or (2) a person holding a valid dealer or exhibitor license. Prohibits dealers from selling or otherwise providing any research facility (currently, any individual or entity) with random source dogs or cats unless specified certification requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Effective Teaching and Leading Act - Amends title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a new Part E: Building School Capacity for Effective Teaching and Leadership. Directs the Secretary of Education to allot grants to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve teaching and school leadership through a system of teacher and principal induction, professional development, and evaluation that is developed, implemented, and evaluated in collaboration with local teacher, principal, and school leader organizations and preparation programs. Requires LEAs to include in such system: a comprehensive, coherent, high quality formalized induction program for beginning teachers during their first two years of full-time employment; high-quality effective professional development for teachers, principals, school librarians, and other school leaders at their lowest achieving schools; a rigorous, transparent, and equitable teacher and principal evaluation system for all their schools; ongoing high-quality support, coaching, and professional development for principals and other school leaders at their lowest achieving schools; opportunities for teachers and school librarians to assume new school leadership roles and receive training regarding such roles; and significant and sustainable stipends above a teacher's base salary for teachers that serve as mentors, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, or evaluators under these programs. Directs LEA grantees to conduct a valid and reliable full population survey of teaching and learning, at the school and LEA level, the results of which are to inform and be integrated into such systems. Requires a formal evaluation of each system to be conducted by the state, an institution of higher education, or an external agency and the results disseminated widely.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Educator Preparation Reform Act - Amends title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program. (The grant program provides funds to partnerships of high-need local educational agencies [LEAs], high-need schools, institutions of higher education [IHEs], and, as applicable, high-need early childhood education programs which are to use the funds for a pre-baccalaureate teacher preparation program, a teaching residency program, or a combination of such programs. Partnerships may also use grant funds for a leadership development program.) Allows grant funds to be used for pre- or post-baccalaureate teacher preparation programs. Allows grant funds to be used for teaching or principal residency programs. Requires principal residency programs to prepare principals for success in the high-need schools in the partnership by engaging residents in rigorous graduate-level coursework to earn an appropriate advanced credential while they undertake a guided principal apprenticeship alongside a trained and experienced mentor principal. Requires principal residents to have prior prekindergarten through grade 12 teaching experience. Provides them with a living stipend or salary during the one-year residency program in exchange for at least three years of service as a principal in a high-need school immediately following their successful completion of the residency program. Replaces the leadership development program with an educator development program that addresses a partnership's need to train and retain educators other than teachers or principals, such as specialized instructional support personnel and other school staff who provide or support instruction. Authorizes a partnership to receive more than one grant during a five-year period if one of the grants is used to establish a teaching or principal residency program that was not established with the prior grant. Applies certain partnership accountability and evaluation requirements to teachers, principals, and other educators. Revises teacher preparation program accountability requirements. Applies them not only to IHEs, but also to other organizations approved by the state to prepare teachers for classrooms. Requires those programs to train prospective teachers to teach diverse populations and core academic subjects. Requires states to: (1) establish a period of improvement and redesign for teacher preparation programs they identify as at-risk, and (2) provide such programs with technical assistance for up to three years before identifying those that fail to make sufficient improvement as low-performing and closing them down. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program through FY2019. Amends part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require states to develop, implement, and publicly disclose their criteria for identifying a teacher preparation program as low-performing or at risk of being identified as such. Requires those criteria to include multiple measures of teacher performance. Replaces the program under subpart 3 (Subgrants to Eligible Partnerships) of part A of title II of the ESEA with a program under which states, directly or through subgrants to certain educational entities, use funds reserved under part A to: (1) provide technical assistance to and close low-performing teacher preparation programs identified under the HEA, and (2) develop a system for assessing the quality and effectiveness of professional development offered throughout the state. Permits states to use such funding, directly or through subgrants: (1) to develop and implement a teacher performance assessment for teacher preparation programs, LEAs, and the state agency responsible for licensing teachers; and (2) for certain professional development activities currently funded under subpart 3. Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the HEA to prohibit IHEs that offer a teacher preparation program that is projected to close from awarding new TEACH grants. (The TEACH grant program provides tuition assistance to students who commit to teaching a high-need subject in a high-need elementary or secondary school for four years.) Makes students who are completing a postbaccalaureate teacher education program eligible to participate in the TEACH grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Half in Ten Act of 2013 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty, which shall develop a National Strategy to reduce the number of persons living in poverty in America in half within 10 years after release of the 2012 Census report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to extend from December 31, 2014, through December 31, 2024, the Terrorism Risk Insurance program. Extends to September 30, 2027, the deadline by which the Secretary of the Treasury is required to collect all mandatory premiums for any act of terrorism occurring on or after January 1, 2012. Requires reports in 2017, 2020, and 2023 on the findings of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets pursuant to an ongoing analysis regarding the long-term availability and affordability of (market conditions for) terrorism risk insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Partnership to Build America Act of 2013 - Establishes the American Infrastructure Fund (AIF) as a wholly-owned government corporation to provide bond guarantees and make loans to state and local governments and non-profit infrastructure providers for transportation, energy, water, communications, or educational facility infrastructure projects (Qualified Infrastructure Projects [QIPs]). Requires AIF also to make equity investments in QIPs such entities sponsor. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, acting through the AIF, to issue American Infrastructure Bonds with an aggregate face value of $50 billion. Requires proceeds from the sale of the bonds to be deposited into the AIF. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow U.S. corporations to exclude from gross income qualified cash dividend amounts received during a taxable year from a foreign-controlled corporation equal to the face value of qualified infrastructure bonds the corporation has purchased. Prohibits allowance of a foreign tax credit to the excluded portion of any dividend received by a U.S. corporation. Prohibits also the allowance of a deduction for expenses related to that excludable portion.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Veterans Access to Speedy Review Act - Requires the Board of Veterans' Appeals, for purposes of scheduling a veteran's appeal hearing at the earliest possible date, to determine whether to provide such hearing: (1) at its principal location or at another Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility or other federal facility, and (2) through the use of videoconferencing or by an appellant's personal appearance. Requires the Board to notify the appellant of such decisions. Allows: (1) the appellant to request a different location or type of hearing, and (2) the Board to grant such request while ensuring that the hearing is scheduled at the earliest possible date.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2013
Safe Housing for Homeless Veterans Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from making a grant or providing other assistance to any entity for the provision of housing or housing services to homeless veterans unless such entity submits to the Secretary a certification that the building proposed for such housing or services is in compliance with all local codes relevant to operations and level of care provided, as well as any other local requirements regarding the condition of the structure and the operation of the supportive housing or service center. Directs the Secretary to include, in a currently-required annual report on assistance to homeless veterans, an evaluation of the safety and accessibility of such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2013
Veteran Employment Transition Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit to include recently discharged veterans, and (2) make permanent the work opportunity tax credit for qualified veterans. Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Guard to inform military personnel who are discharged or released from active duty of the work opportunity tax credit and provide them with documentation relating to eligibility for and use of such credit. Requires the Secretaries of Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Defense to enter into an agreement to govern the coordination of veteran job training services. Requires the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs to prepare reports on the veteran job training programs of their respective departments. Amends the DOD pilot program for assessing the feasibility and advisability of permitting enlisted personnel to obtain civilian credentialing or licensing for skills required for military occupational specialties to require the designation as military occupational specialties of the MOS 31B Military Police, MOS 15Q AC-Air Traffic Controller, and the MOS 12M Fire Protection, in addition to not fewer than three and not more than five additional military occupational specialties. Amends the Small Business Act to direct the head of each executive department to submit an annual report to the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) containing the percentage of the total value of all prime contracts awarded by the executive department during the preceding one-year period to small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2013
Calls on the President to work toward: (1) equitable and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon Turkey's acknowledgment of the facts and consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and (2) a comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Truth in Tuition Act of 2013 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide each student admitted to an undergraduate or graduate program: (1) a multi-year tuition and fee schedule; or (2) a single-year tuition and fee schedule, and a nonbinding, multi-year estimate of net costs after all financial aid is awarded. Requires IHEs that choose the second option to include with each multi-year estimate the average deviation, in percentage terms, between previous year estimates and actual net costs for their students. Directs the Secretary of Education to waive the application of these requirements to IHEs for which the requirements are not practicable due to events that cause them severe economic distress, a dramatic reduction in state or federal aid, or any other circumstance the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), with respect to charges that allege an offense triable by court-martial (with certain exclusions) for which the maximum punishment includes confinement for more than one year, to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to require the Secretaries of the military departments to provide for the determination of whether to try such charges by general or special court-martial to be made by a commissioned officer of grade O-6 or higher with significant experience in such trials and who is outside the chain of command of the accused. Provides that a determination not to proceed to trial shall not preclude a commanding officer from either referring such charges for trial by summary court-martial or imposing non-judicial punishment. Requires Rule 306 (relating to policy on initial disposition of offenses) of the Manual for Courts-Martial to be amended to strike the character and military service of the accused from factors to be considered by the disposition authority. Revises the list of officers authorized to convene general and special courts-martial to include those in grade O-6 or higher assigned such responsibility by their department chief of staff (with the same prohibition against an officer in the same chain of command as the accused). Requires each chief of staff to establish an office which shall convene general and special courts-martial and detail judges and members. Requires a military judge to call a general or special court-martial trial into session within 90 days of the determination of its necessity. Requires a convening authority (the official acting on the sentence of a court-martial), when taking any action other than approving a sentence, to prepare a written justification of such action which shall be made part of the record of the court-martial. Prohibits a convening authority from: (1) dismissing or setting aside a finding of guilty, or (2) reducing a finding of guilty to a finding of guilty to a lesser included offense. Requires a commanding officer who receives a report of a sexual-related offense involving a member in such officer's chain of command to act immediately upon such report by way of referral to the appropriate criminal investigative office or service. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to require an independent panel established by the DOD Secretary to monitor and assess the implementation and efficacy of this Act and its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Native American Psychiatric and Mental Health Care Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a five-year grant to one department of psychiatry in, or one non-profit entity affiliated with, an accredited medical school in this country to carry out a demonstration program to recruit, train, deploy, and professionally support psychiatric physicians who agree to provide primary and specialty health care services in Indian health programs for at least two years. Requires the grantee to: (1) create a nationally-replicable workforce model that identifies and incorporates best practices for carrying out such activities, and (2) provide participating psychiatric physicians with up to one year of supplemental clinical and cultural competency training that enables them to provide primary and specialty health care services in Indian health programs. Requires participating psychiatric physicians to: (1) be licensed or eligible for licensure to practice in the state to which they will be deployed; and (2) demonstrate a commitment, beyond the one year of training and two years of deployment, to a career as a specialty care or primary care physician providing mental health services in Indian health programs. Gives a preference to psychiatric physicians who are American Indians or Alaska Natives. Directs the Secretary to make a repayment, under the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program, of the educational loans of participating psychiatric physicians for each year of their deployment to an Indian health program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), upon request, to furnish headstones or markers for certain veterans buried in a veterans' cemetery on land owned by or held in trust for a tribal organization.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules to prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, a person from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that: (1) such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide such services, or (2) such person is not a provider of abortion services if such person does provide such services. Defines "abortion services" as providing surgical and non-surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy, or providing referrals for such procedures. Sets forth the enforcement authority of the FTC, including with respect to nonprofit organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Every Child Deserves a Family Act - Prohibits an entity that receives federal assistance and is involved in adoption or foster care placements from discriminating against prospective adoptive or foster parents solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status or on the basis of the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in order to ensure compliance with, and ensure understanding of the legal, practice, and culture changes required by this Act in making foster care and adoption placement decisions, to provide specified technical assistance to all entities covered by this Act. Requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of whether states have substantially complied with this Act in eliminating policies, practices, or statutes that deny adoption rights on the basis of these criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2013 - Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to require each location of a covered program to meet specified minimum standards if individually or together with other locations it has an effect on interstate commerce. Defines "covered program" as one operated by a public or private entity that with respect to one or more children unrelated to the program owner or operator: (1) provides a residential environment; and (2) operates with a focus on serving children with emotional, behavioral, or mental health problems or disorders, or problems with alcohol or substance abuse. Directs the Assistant Secretary to: (1) implement an ongoing review process for investigating and evaluating reports of child abuse and neglect; (2) establish public websites with information about each covered program, as well as a national toll-free telephone hotline to receive complaints; (3) establish civil penalties for violations of standards; and (4) establish a process to ensure that complaints received by the hotline are promptly reviewed by persons with appropriate expertise. Requires the Assistant Secretary to refer any violation of such standards to the Attorney General for appropriate action. Authorizes the Attorney General to file such a complaint on his or her own initiative regardless of whether such a referral has been made. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to establish additional eligibility requirements for grants to states to prevent child abuse and neglect at residential programs. Requires such states to develop policies and procedures to prevent child abuse and neglect at covered programs consistent with the standards specified by this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study outcomes for children in both private and public covered programs under this Act encompassing a broad representation of treatment facilities and geographic regions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Personalized Handgun Safety Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make grants to qualified entities (states or local governments, organizations, or institutions of higher education) to develop technology for personalized handguns (a handgun that enables only the authorized user to fire it). Requires a recipient to use not less than 70% of grant funds to develop technology for personalized handguns. Allows such entity to use not more than: (1) 20% of such funds to develop technology for retrofitted personalized handguns, and (2) 10% of such funds for administrative costs. Provides for one-year grant awards, subject to renewal. Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to promulgate a consumer product safety standard providing a specified timetable by which handguns manufactured, sold, offered for sale, traded, transferred, shipped, leased, or distributed in the United States must be personalized handguns or retrofitted personalized handguns, depending on the date of manufacture. Exempts antique firearms and firearms owned by the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires the cost of retrofitting a handgun to be borne by the manufacturer if the manufacturer is operational at the time the retrofit is required. Makes appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) available to the Attorney General for payments to reimburse handgun manufacturers for the costs of retrofitting handguns. Authorizes an official or agency of a state to bring a civil action in U.S. district court against a handgun seller or manufacturer on behalf of residents adversely affected by a violation of such standard. Amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to exclude from the definition of "qualified product" any handgun manufactured after two years after enactment of this Act that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2013 or VETS Act of 2013 - Allows a health care professional who is authorized to provide health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and who is a licensed professional to practice at any location in any state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth, territory, or possession, regardless of where the professional or patient is located, if the professional is using telemedicine to provide treatment. Allows such treatment regardless of whether such professional or patient is located in a facility owned by the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce, breeding, or possessing any prohibited wildlife species (current law prohibits importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing such a species in interstate or foreign commerce). Includes among exemptions to such prohibition the breeding transportation, or possession of such species by authorized persons. Defines "breeding" as facilitating the propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent the propagation or reproduction, of a prohibited wildlife species or other animal. Removes from the list of persons authorized to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase, breed, or possess such species a person that is licensed or registered, and inspected, by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) or any other federal agency with respect to such species. Includes in such list: an institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or certified related facilities that coordinate with an AZA Species Survival Plan for breeding of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; a wildlife sanctuary that cares for such species, is a tax exempt corporation, does not commercially trade in or propagate such species, does not allow direct contact between the public and animals, and does not allow the transportation and display of such species off-site; a person that is in possession of animals of such species that were born before the date of this Act's enactment and that are registered with APHIS within 180 days after such regulations are promulgated; and a traveling circus that regularly travels in interstate commerce to conduct performances featuring live prohibited wildlife species and multiple trained human entertainers, that does not allow members of the public to be in direct contact with or unsafe proximity to a prohibited wildlife species of any age, and that, during the three years preceding this Act's enactment, has not been determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to have violated the Animal Welfare Act by reason of jeopardizing the health and well-being of a prohibited wildlife species. Establishes civil and criminal penalties and forfeiture requirements for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Puerto Rico Status Resolution Act - Authorizes the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico to provide for a ratification vote on the admission of Puerto Rico as a state of the United States on an equal footing with the several states in all respects. Requires (if a majority of votes cast in the ratification vote are for the admission of Puerto Rico as a state): (1) the President to submit to Congress legislation to admit Puerto Rico as a state, and (2) Congress to act, through legislation, to admit Puerto Rico as a state.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - Declares it an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept; or (4) require such employees to take leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Establishes the Special Committee on Sexual Assault and Abuse in the Armed Forces to conduct oversight, ensure accountability, and report to the House of Representatives on activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) to prevent, reduce, prosecute, and provide victims' services for cases of sexual assault and abuse within the Armed Forces. Gives the Special Committee jurisdiction and oversight responsibility to conduct investigations into issues related to sexual assault and abuse in DOD, including prevention and victim services and care.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2013
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of Mental Health Month, and (2) the finding of the President's Commission on Mental Health that the nation's failure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy. Recognizes that mental well-being is as important as physical well-being for citizens, communities, businesses, and the economy. Applauds the coalescing of national and community organizations in working to promote public awareness of mental health and in providing critical information and support to the people and families affected by mental illness. Encourages organizations and health practitioners to use Mental Health Month as an opportunity to promote mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to appropriate services, and support overall quality of life for those living with mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (PRC) eligible for designation as a visa waiver program country.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Preventing Victims of Stalking Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person: (1) is subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening any individual (currently, an intimate partner of such person or child of such partner or person), or engaging in other conduct that would place any individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury; or (2) has been convicted in any court of stalking. Prohibits any such person from shipping or transporting any firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce, possessing any firearm or ammunition in or affecting commerce, or receiving any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement a staffing plan that includes a minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratio by unit, adjustments above the minimum ratio under appropriate circumstances, and compliance with minimum licensed practical nurse staffing requirements. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a national acuity tool to establish nurse staffing requirements above minimum ratios. Directs the Secretary to adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs incurred in providing services to Medicare beneficiaries that are attributable to compliance with such ratios. Authorizes a nurse to object to, or refuse to participate in, any activity, policy, practice, assignment or task if in good faith it would violate minimum ratios under this Act or if the nurse is not prepared by education, training, or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of any patient or jeopardizing the license of the nurse. Prohibits a hospital from: (1) taking specified actions against a nurse based on the nurse's refusal to accept an assignment for such a reason; or (2) discriminating against any patient, employee, or any other individual for good faith complaints or grievances relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or of any affiliated or related facilities. Prohibits actions by hospitals to restrain such rights. Sets forth enforcement provisions. Applies provisions of this Act through federal health programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health benefits programs. Includes stipends in the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program. Expands the nurse retention grant program to authorize programs to implement nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption from restrictions on underground injection of fluids or propping agents granted to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under such Act. Requires: (1) state underground injection programs to direct a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations to disclose to the state (or the Administrator if the Administrator has primary enforcement responsibility in such state) the chemicals intended for use in underground injections prior to the commencement of such operations and the chemicals actually used after the end of such operations, and (2) a state or the Administrator to make such disclosure available to the public. Requires a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations, when a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in such operations is necessary for medical treatment, to disclose such formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the Administrator, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Authorizes such person to require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to delay from FY2014 to FY2016 commencement of the period during which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is required to pay to any "subsection (d) hospital": (1) 25% of the amount of the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment that would otherwise be made to it for the fiscal year, plus (2) an additional payment amount according to a specified formula. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to delay from the beginning of FY2014 until the beginning of FY2016 (and so eliminate for FY2014 and FY2015) aggregate reductions in DSH allotments for all states.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Supporting Working Moms Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to extend the requirement that certain employers provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child to bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity employees or outside salesmen who are exempt from federal labor laws that limit the number of hours in a workweek.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $18 to $9 (the pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer; and (2) further reduce the rate of such tax on brewers who produce not more than 2 million barrels of beer during the calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Keeping All Students Safe Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to establish minimum standards that: prohibit elementary and secondary school personnel from managing any student by using any mechanical or chemical restraint, physical restraint or escort that restricts breathing, or aversive behavioral intervention that compromises student health and safety; prohibit such personnel from using physical restraint or seclusion, unless such measures are required to eliminate an imminent danger of physical injury to the student or others and certain precautions are taken; require states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that a sufficient number of school personnel receive state-approved crisis intervention training and certification in first aid and certain safe and effective student management techniques; prohibit physical restraint or seclusion from being written into a student's education plan, individual safety plan, behavioral plan, or individual education program as a planned intervention; and require schools to establish procedures to notify parents in a timely manner if physical restraint or seclusion is imposed on their child. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to LEAs to: (1) establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures to meet such standards; (2) improve their capacity to collect and analyze data related to physical restraint and seclusion; and (3) implement school-wide positive behavior supports. Requires LEAs to allow private school personnel to participate, on an equitable basis, in activities supported by such grants and subgrants. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national assessment of this Act's effectiveness. Gives Protection and Advocacy Systems the authority provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to investigate, monitor, and enforce this Act's protections for students. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish standards for Head Start agencies that are consistent with the minimum standards for the management of elementary and secondary school students. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds to the Secretary of HHS to assist Head Start agencies in establishing, implementing, and enforcing policies and procedures to meet such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide: (1) technical assistance to rural and small municipalities and tribal governments for planning, developing, and financing eligible state water pollution control revolving fund projects; and (2) technical assistance and training to enable rural, small, and tribal publicly owned treatment works and decentralized wastewater systems to protect water quality and comply with the CWA. Authorizes annual appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for: (1) grants to states for administering programs for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution; (2) watershed pilot projects (currently called wet weather watershed pilot projects); (3) grants to states for water pollution control revolving funds; (4) a pilot program for alternative water source projects; and (5) sewer overflow control grants. Expands the types of watershed pilot projects eligible for technical assistance and grants. Revises: (1) the eligibility requirements for grants for sewage collection systems; and (2) provisions concerning state water pollution control revolving funds, including by expanding the types of projects eligible for assistance. Requires states to: (1) establish affordability criteria to identify municipalities that would experience a significant hardship raising revenue for state water pollution control revolving fund projects, (2) establish a list of such projects that prioritizes water quality improvement projects for FY2015 and thereafter, and (3) provide financial assistance to only projects on such list. Requires the Administrator to report annually on the performance of the projects and activities carried out with assistance made available by a state water pollution control revolving fund. Prohibits state water pollution control revolving funds from being used for a project for the construction of treatment works unless the steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in such project are produced in the United States, with specified exceptions. Requires the Administrator to prohibit the use of steel, iron, and manufactured goods produced in a foreign country in a project funded with amounts made available from such fund if such country is in violation of the terms of an agreement with the United States by discriminating against such goods that are produced in the United States. Authorizes the Administrator to waive the requirement that a state deposit an amount equal to 20% of the state's annual capitalization grant into the state's water pollution control revolving fund if the Administrator determines that the state is experiencing economic hardship and that providing such a deposit would adversely impact the state's ability to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of its waters. Revises provisions concerning: (1) state water pollution control revolving fund amounts reserved for Indian tribes, and (2) the use of such amounts. Changes the tonnage duty (currently, a tax) on specified vessels entering or returning to a U.S. port. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the Clean Water Trust Fund for: (1) capitalization grants to states for water pollution control revolving funds; (2) grants to states for water pollution control programs; (3) grants for research for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution; and (4) direct loans or guaranteeing obligations authorized under provisions of this Act entitled the Water Pollution Control Investment Act. Water Pollution Control Investment Act - Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) make a direct loan to a state infrastructure financing authority for use in the same manner as a capitalization grant made under the CWA for state water pollution control revolving funds, and (2) guarantee obligations for construction of large water infrastructure projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Recognizes the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Partnerships for Achieving Student Success Act or the PASS Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive, renewable, five-year grants to partnerships between low-income local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools offering graduate programs in school counseling, school social work, school psychology, or psychology to increase the number of program graduates employed by low-income LEAs. Defines "low-income LEAs" as those that: (1) serve students at least 20% of which are from low-income families; (2) have ratios of school counselors, school social workers, and psychologists to students that fall at least 10% below specified target ratios; and (3) have been identified as needing improvement or corrective action or that include at least one school identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires the use of the grant funds to: provide program graduate students with field training at partnership LEA schools; contribute to program graduates' salaries at such schools for up to three years after they graduate; increase the number of school counselors, school social workers, and psychologists per student in such schools; recruit, hire, and retain culturally or linguistically under-represented graduate students in school counseling, school social work, or school psychology; enhance the capacity of partnership graduate schools to train such professionals; develop course work designed to facilitate such graduates' service to low-income LEAs and at-risk students; and provide tuition credits to such graduate students and student loan forgiveness to program graduates employed as school counselors, school social workers, or psychologists by low-income LEAs for at least five consecutive years. Directs the Secretary to establish a program providing student loan forgiveness to non-participants in this Act's grant program who have been employed for at least five consecutive years as school counselors, school social workers, or psychologists by low-income LEAs. Requires the Secretary to identify a formula for future use in designating regions as eligible for benefit programs due to their having a shortage of such school personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to: (1) identify opportunities and ideas within government and the private sector that are key components in achieving the end of breast cancer and which have been overlooked, yet are ripe for collaboration and investment; (2) recommend projects to leverage such opportunities and ideas in the areas of the primary prevention of breast cancer and the causes and prevention of breast cancer metastasis; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine for an evaluation of the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2013
Protecting Lakes Against Quaggas Act of 2013 or the PLAQ Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the importation or shipment of the species of mussels of the genus Dreissena (thus covering quagga mussels). (Currently, the prohibition applies to only the zebra mussel of the species Dreissena polymorpha.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2013
Amends the Miscellaneous Appropriations Act, 2001 to extend the period during which the Secretary of the Army may use amounts in the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund to operate and maintain a water quality project administered by the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, in California, or the Central Basin Water Quality Project administered by the Central Basin Municipal Water District from 10 to 15 years after the initial date of operation of the project.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2013 - Directs the President to investigate credible information of sanctionable activities involving North Korea and to designate and apply sanctions with respect to any person (referred to as a "designated person" and includes business entities, nongovernmental organizations, and governmental entities operating as business enterprises) the President determines is knowingly: contributing, through the export to or import from North Korea of any goods or technology, to the use, development, production, stockpiling, or acquisition of nuclear, radiological, chemical, or biological weapons, or any device or system designed to deliver such weapons; exporting, or facilitating the export of, defense articles and services to North Korea, or from North Korea to any other country; exporting, or facilitating the export of, any luxury goods to North Korea; providing, selling, leasing, registering, or reflagging a vessel, aircraft, or other conveyance, or providing insurance or any other shipping or transportation service used to transport goods to or from North Korea, for purposes of facilitating a specified unlawful activity or evading a regulation established under this Act or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); transferring, paying, exporting, withdrawing, or otherwise dealing with any property or interest in property of the government of North Korea for purposes of facilitating such unlawful activity or evading such regulations; engaging in or facilitating censorship by North Korea; or committing or facilitating a serious human rights abuse by North Korea. Directs the President to designate and exercise IEEPA authorities with respect to the government of North Korea as well as any person or foreign government the President determines has been: listed or sanctioned under any regulation, specified executive order, or the IEEPA for illicit activities or activities concerning North Korea's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; sanctioned under U.N. Security Council resolutions concerning North Korea's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; or convicted of a criminal offense for engaging in sanctionable activities. Authorizes the President to exercise IEEPA authorities with respect to any foreign government or financial institution the President determines to be: engaging in sanctionable activities involving North Korea; failing to freeze funds, assets, or economic resources of a person designated pursuant to the requirements above or that could be used to facilitate sanctionable activities relating to imports or exports; failing to monitor import and export transactions appropriately; permitting any North Korean financial institution to open any new branches, offices, or joint ventures within its jurisdiction, or to take an ownership interest in, or establish or maintain a correspondent relationship with any bank in its jurisdiction, if it could be used to facilitate sanctionable import or export activities; failing to prohibit transfers of bulk cash to and from North Korea in facilitation of sanctionable import or export activities; providing public financial support for trade with North Korea to facilitate such import or export activities; or facilitating the use of any proceeds of the bribery of North Korean government officials, or the misappropriation, theft, or embezzlement of public funds by, or for the benefit of, such officials. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties under the IEEPA. Establishes the North Korea Enforcement and Humanitarian Fund in which assets subject to criminal, civil, or administrative forfeiture or penalties are to be deposited for the enforcement of this Act and to carry out humanitarian activities under the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004. Expresses the sense of Congress that the government of North Korea should be treated as a primary money laundering concern that may be required to undertake special measures with respect to the recordkeeping and reporting of certain financial transactions as well as the identification of customers or retention of information relating to certain beneficial ownership, payable-through, or correspondent accounts. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to require domestic financial institutions to apply special measures to certain designated entities. Directs domestic financial institutions to terminate various accounts maintained for persons, foreign governments, or financial institutions required to be designated as engaging in sanctionable activity under this Act and for foreign financial institutions providing services to such designated entities. Prohibits a designated person that is a domestic financial institution from serving as a primary dealer in U.S. debt instruments or as a repository for U.S. funds. Sets forth authority for the President to prohibit certain foreign exchange and banking transactions, revoke transaction licenses, and direct the Secretary of State to deny visas to designated aliens. Permits the President to impose sanctions against persons providing specialized financial messaging services to designated North Korean financial institutions. Requires a validated license for exports to North Korea under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Prohibits munitions and defense articles from being provided to North Korea under the Arms Export Control Act regardless of whether it is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Bars U.S. government contracts from being provided to designated persons. Authorizes the seizure or forfeiture of vessels or aircraft used to facilitate sanctionable activities. Directs the President to withhold assistance to the governments of countries providing defense articles or services to North Korea or receiving such articles or services from North Korea. Sets forth exceptions to designations under this Act and authorizes the President to waive designations and sanctions, for a period of up to one year, upon the President's submission to Congress of a determination that the waiver: protects vital U.S. economic and national security interests, benefits entities cooperating with investigations, and addresses humanitarian aid considerations while meeting other specified standards. Permits the President to temporarily suspend sanctions with a certification to Congress under specified circumstances and to prescribe rules for removing sanctions. Directs issuers of financial securities regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose activities relating to North Korea in annual and quarterly reports. Authorizes state and local governments to divest assets and prohibit investments in companies that invest in North Korea. Exempts North Korea from the jurisdictional immunity of foreign states, thereby enabling plaintiffs to seek certain damages against North Korea regardless of whether it is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue an order to require: (1) the installation of secondary barriers, other than the cockpit door, to prevent access to the flight deck of each commercial aircraft; (2) such barriers on an aircraft with a cockpit door to remain locked while the aircraft is in flight and the cockpit door separating the flight deck and the passenger area is open; and (3) such barriers on an aircraft without a cockpit door to remain locked as determined by the pilot in command.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Condemns the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and calls for the full prosecution of those responsible for the IED terrorist attack in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 15, 2013. Expresses condolences to the families of those who were killed in the Boston terrorist attack, and support for those who were injured and their families. Supports U.S. service members, first responders, and explosive ordnance disposal personnel who face the IED threat. Calls on all relevant U.S. agencies to: (1) coordinate with international partners and other responsible entities to reduce the use of IEDs and curb their proliferation; and (2) support the care of active duty service members, veterans, and first responders who are victims of IEDs by facilitating the exchange of blast trauma research data among law enforcement agencies, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and veterans service organizations. Urges the governments of all nations, as well as the United Nations (U.N.) and other international organizations, to formally renounce the use of IEDs. Calls on the U.S. government to support international action against IEDs and those who traffic in IED components and techniques, and to support IED victims by sharing related event data and information.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Recognizes the significance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May) as an important time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to our nation's history. Recognizes that Asian American and Pacific Islander communities enhance the rich diversity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face of adversity. Requires the medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian shall make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the 65th Infantry Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation. Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations, and (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces. Declares that this Act does not repeal or modify any federal, state, territorial, or local law creating a special right or preference concerning employment for a veteran. Prohibits this Act from being construed to: (1) prohibit an employer from requiring an employee to adhere to reasonable dress or grooming standards, or (2) require the construction of new or additional facilities. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from compelling collection or requiring production of statistics from covered entities on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Provides for enforcement, including giving the EEOC, the Librarian of Congress (LOC), the Attorney General (DOJ), and U.S. courts the same enforcement powers as they have under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and other specified laws. Allows actions and proceedings, subject to exception, against the United States and the states.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and publish guidelines to assist state, Indian tribe, and tribal organization child welfare agencies and juvenile and family courts in efforts to serve appropriately youth who are victims of trafficking and youth at-risk of becoming such. Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require a state plan for foster care and adoption assistance to require reasonable efforts be made to: (1) identify as a victim of trafficking and document appropriately in agency records each child who is such a victim over whom the agency has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision; and (2) specify in agency records the type of trafficking to which the child has been subjected. Requires the plan to require the agency to report within 72 hours to appropriate law enforcement agencies for entry into the National Crime Information Center database the identity of each child to whom the agency is providing child welfare services who is missing or has been abducted or is identified as a victim of trafficking. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require the state plan for use of a grant for a child abuse or neglect prevention program to contain an assurance that the state law has in place provisions and procedures for the assessment and identification of victims of trafficking, as well as comprehensive training and services to serve such victims.