United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2012
Directs the Attorney General to transmit to the House of Representatives any documents and legal memoranda in the Attorney General's possession relating to the practice of targeted killing of United States citizens and targets abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 27 November 2012
Respect States' and Citizens' Rights Act of 2012 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that, in the case of any state law that pertains to marihuana, no provision of such Act shall be construed as indicating congressional intent to: (1) occupy the field in which that provision operates, including criminal penalties, to the exclusion of state law on the same subject matter; or (2) preempt any such state law.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2012
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage. Defines "medical health care" to mean voluntary health treatment by or supervised by a medical doctor that would be covered under minimum essential coverage that: (1) includes voluntary acute care treatment at hospital emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, or similar facilities; and (2) excludes treatment not administered or supervised by a medical doctor, physical examinations or treatment required by law or third parties, and vaccinations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Stop Tenant Organizing Promotion Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from carrying out, supporting, or otherwise providing any assistance to the Tenant Resource Network Program authorized under the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998. Amends the Act to repeal the Secretary's authority to provide funding for the Program. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of any funds currently allocated under the Program. Requires the funds to be covered into the General Fund of the Treasury and used only for reducing the federal budget deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
States' Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act - Exempts real property from civil forfeiture under the Controlled Substances Act due to medical-marijuana-related conduct that is authorized by state law.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Compassionate Freedom of Choice Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to declare that nothing in it or in the Public Health Service Act shall prevent or restrict, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall not implement or enforce any law to prevent or restrict, the importation, distribution, or sale of investigational drugs or devices for terminally ill patients. Prohibits the FDA Commissioner from requiring the disclosure, collection, or reporting of certain information concerning such drugs or devices, except that the sponsor of a clinical trial may voluntarily disclose, collect, or report such information to the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Safeguarding Care Of Patients Everywhere Act or SCOPE Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to repeal the requirement that qualified health plans contract only with health care providers, including hospitals with more than 50 beds, that implement a specified patient safety evaluation system and health care quality mechanisms required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Making College Affordable Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to Coverdell education savings accounts, to: (1) increase the age limit for beneficiaries of such accounts after which contributions may not be made from age 18 to age 26, (2) increase the maximum contribution limit in any taxable year from $2,000 to $10,000, and (3) allow an annual inflation adjustment to the increased contribution limit for taxable years beginning in a calendar year after 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2012
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, the value of any prize or award won in athletic competition in the Olympic Games.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2012
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to allow a state-authorized public entity benefits pool to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for pass-through funding with respect to health care benefits provided through the pool for coverage years beginning on or after January 1, 2014. Requires the Secretary to approve such a pool if the pool will: (1) provide at least the essential health benefits; (2) provide coverage and cost-sharing protections against excessive out-of-pocket spending that are at least as affordable as the health insurance requirements of PPACA would provide; and (3) result in cost savings to the federal government because the cost of coverage through the pool is less than the cost of coverage through an exchange. Treats an individual covered under such a plan as having minimum essential coverage for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code. Requires the Secretary to provide for an alternative means by which an aggregate amount shall be paid to the pool annually based on the premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, and small business credits that would have been provided to an exchange plan. Gives the Secretary 180 days to make a determination on an application under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2012
Protecting Life in Funding Education Act or the PRO-LIFE Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the provision of federal education funding to state or local educational agencies that make health services available to students through school-based health centers, unless those centers certify that they will not provide students with abortions, abortion-related materials, referrals, or suggestions, or directions to abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2012
Aligning Incentives for Better Patient Care Act of 2011 [ sic ] - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) except from the prohibition against certain physician referrals and other compensation any incentive payments promoting quality and efficiency that are made under a quality incentive agreement between a physician and a qualified hospital, (2) prescribe requirements for such agreements, and (3) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide a quality incentive ombudsman with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Amends SSA title XI to exempt such incentive payments from certain civil money penalties as well as from criminal penalites for illegal remunerations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2012
Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. Requires the nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board to include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole product; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per the common unit division of the product, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Permits such information to be provided by a remote-access menu, such as through the internet, for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises at the time the order is placed. Defines “reasonable basis” for a restaurant or similar food establishment’s nutrient content disclosures to mean that the nutrient disclosure is within acceptable allowances for variation in nutrient content, which shall include allowances for variations in serving size, inadvertent human error in formulation of menu items, and variations in ingredients. Sets forth the methods a restaurant or similar food establishment may use to determine nutritional content for disclosure, including ranges, averages, individual labeling of flavors or components, or labeling of one preset standard build. Defines "preset standard build" as the finished version of a menu item most commonly ordered by consumers. Applies the nutritional disclosure requirements to retail food establishments that derive more than 50% of their total revenue from the sale of food.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Ensuring Women's Access to Free-Market Healthcare Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of health savings accounts (HSAs), to allow a health plan which does not have a deductible for prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum care to be treated as a high deductible health plan.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow rehabilitation expenditures for a qualified public educational facility (defined as a school facility which is part of a public elementary or secondary school and is owned by a private, for-profit corporation pursuant to a public-private partnership agreement) to qualify for the rehabilitation tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2012
Truth in Trials Act - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow any person on trial for a federal marijuana-related offense to introduce evidence that the alleged marijuana-related activities were performed in compliance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, (2) allow an affirmative defense to a marijuana prosecution that the alleged marijuana-related activities complied with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, (3) limit the criminal liability of persons convicted of federal marijuana-related offenses, (4) require the preservation and return (if a defendant is acquitted) of property seized in connection with a marijuana prosecution, and (5) prohibit the seizure of plants grown or stored under a physician's recommendation or by order of a state or municipal agency in accordance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2012
Congressional Budget Office Transparency Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), whenever an estimate of costs is prepared for any bill or resolution, to post on the CBO public website all working papers, including data, informational papers, methodologies, spreadsheets, computer programs, background data, revenue estimates, and aggregate data provided by the Joint Committee on Taxation, and any other material used to derive such cost estimate. Prohibits the Director from being required to post on the website any proprietary information utilized by CBO obtained from a third party with whom there is an agreement not to release such information.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2012
Taking Essential Steps for Testing Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise sanctions for laboratories that intentionally refer proficiency testing samples required for certification to another laboratory for analysis by: (1) giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) discretion to substitute intermediate sanctions for such violations instead of the two-year prohibition against ownership or operation which would otherwise apply, and (2) making the one-year certificate revocation for such a laboratory optional rather than mandatory.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2012
Repeal of Obamacare Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act. Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2012
Total Repeal of the Unfair Taxes on Healthcare Act of 2012 or the TRUTH Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to health care provisions added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, to repeal: (1) the excise tax on the excess benefit from certain high cost employer-sponsored health coverage plans; (2) the excise tax on net investment income in the Medicare taxable base; (3) the prohibition against payments from health flexible spending arrangements, health savings accounts (HSAs), and Archer medical savings accounts (MSAs) for over-the-counter drugs; (4) the increased penalty on distributions from an HSA or Archer MSA not used for qualified medical expenses; (5) the limitation on annual salary reduction contributions by an employee to a health flexible spending arrangement under a cafeteria plan; (6) the increase in the income threshold for claiming an itemized deduction for medical expenses; (7) the excise tax on indoor tanning services; (8) the requirement that individuals maintain minimal essential health care coverage; and (9) the excise tax on medical devices. Repeals provisions of PPACA that require: (1) annual fees on branded prescription drug manufacturers and importers and on health insurance providers, and (2) a report by the Secretary of Veteran Affairs (VA) on the effect of fees assessed by such Act on the cost of medical care provided to veterans and on access by veterans to medical devices and branded prescription drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2012
Permits the chief executive of a state to exempt persons in the state acting in their capacity as farmers from a requirement of a covered federal environmental law by determining that such requirement is unduly burdensome to such persons. Requires the chief executive to solicit and accept public comments for at least 90 days before finalizing any such determination. Defines "covered federal environmental law" to mean the Clean Air Act insofar as it applies to emissions of air pollutants other than those resulting from the combustion of fossil fuel, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act), and the Solid Waste Disposal Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2012
Syria Non-Intervention Act of 2012 - Prohibits any funds available to the Department of Defense (DOD) or an element of the intelligence community from being obligated or expended for supporting, directly or indirectly, military or paramilitary operations in Syria by any nation, group, organization, movement, or individual. Provides an exception in the case of a declaration of war against Syria by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2012
Protecting In-Home Care from Government Intrusion Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from finalizing or enforcing proposed Department of Labor rule "Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service" (relating to companion care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities) issued pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and published on December 27, 2011, or any substantially similar rule.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2012
Ensuring Access to Affordable and Quality Companion Care Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, with respect to the exemption from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements of domestic service employment to provide companionship services for individuals who because of age or infirmity are unable to care for themselves, to provide detailed definitions of "companionship services" and "domestic service employment." Excludes from companionship services those relating to the care and protection of the aged or infirm which require and are performed by trained medical personnel. Extends the exemption to third-party employment of an employee to provide companionship services to such individuals, including non-medical in-home personal care or household work related to their care. Defines "third-party employment" to mean employees who provide companionship services while employed by an employer or agency other than the family or household using their services, whether or not such an employee is assigned to more than one household or family in the same workweek when providing such services. Exempts from the Act's maximum hour requirements third-party employment in domestic service of an employee who resides in the household in which the services are provided.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2012
Home School Equity Act for Tax Relief of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2012 the tax deduction for expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, and (2) expand the definition of "school" for purposes of such tax deduction to include a home school which provides elementary or secondary education if such school is treated as a home school or private school under state law.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2012
Disapproves and nullifies the rule relating to the health insurance premium tax credit submitted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and published in the Federal Register on May 23, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2012
Expand Opportunity for Education Savings Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) expand the definition of "eligible educational institution" for purposes of tax-exempt qualified tuition programs (529 tuition programs) to include elementary and secondary schools, and (2) make the limitation on room and board expenses inapplicable to elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2012
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions providing for the use of funds from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund for presidential nominating conventions. Requires that any amount which is returned by the national committee of a major or minor party to the Treasury from an account established under the Fund to make payments for conventions to be used solely for deficit reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2012
Restoring Access to Medication Act - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that limit payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin (thus allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs).
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2012
Homeland Security Respect for Life Act - Prohibits funds appropriated for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from being used to: (1) pay for an abortion, except in a case where a pregnant detainee suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the detainee in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by, or arising from, pregnancy itself, or in a case of rape; or (2) require any person to perform, or facilitate in any way the performance of, any abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2012
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend the temporary suspension of duty on mixtures or coprecipitates of yttrium oxide and europium oxide.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2012
Stop Abortion Funding in Multi-state Exchange Plans Act or SAFE Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in entering into contracts with health insurance issuers, to ensure that no multi-state qualified health plan offered in a health benefit exchange provides coverage of abortion. Excepts from such limitation: (1) a pregnancy that results from rape or incest; or (2) a case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. Prohibits any state law from preempting the coverage limitations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2012
Government Spending Accountability Act of 2012 or the GSA Act of 2012 - Requires the head of each federal agency to submit to Congress, not less frequently than quarterly, a detailed, itemized report on any conference or meeting for which the agency must pay a fee and that: (1) is attended by 50 or more employees, or (2) has a total cost of $100,000 or more. Exempts any conference or meeting: (1) for which an agency head determines complying with such reporting requirement would not be in the interest of national security, or (2) which an agency head determines is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2012
Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2012 - Prohibits a federal agency (excluding the Federal Election Commission [FEC], the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation [FDIC], and the U.S. Postal Service [USPS]) from proposing or finalizing any midnight rule that would likely result in: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete internationally. Defines "midnight rule" as an agency statement of general applicability and future effect that is issued during the moratorium period, that is intended to have the force and effect of law, and that is designed to: (1) implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy; or (2) describe the procedure or practice requirements of an agency. Defines the "moratorium period" as the day after the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in every fourth year succeeding a presidential election through January 20 of the following year in which a President is not serving a consecutive term. Exempts any midnight rule that the President determines is necessary: (1) because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, (2) to enforce criminal laws, (3) to protect U.S. national security, or (4) to implement an international trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2012
Amends Rule III (Calendars and Committee Reports) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the report accompanying each public bill or joint resolution reported by any committee to contain: (1) an analysis by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to determine if the bill or joint resolution creates any new federal program, office, or initiative that would duplicate or overlap any existing federal entity with similar mission, purpose, goals, or activities, along with a listing of all such overlapping or duplication; and (2) an explanation provided by the committee as to why the creation of each new program, office, or initiative is necessary if a similar program, office, or initiative exists. Makes it out of order to consider such a measure unless the committee of jurisdiction has prepared and posted on its website an overlapping and duplicative program analysis and explanation for the legislation that contains the same CRS analysis and committee explanation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2012
Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act with respect to mandatory fee disclosures on automated teller machines (ATMs) operated by a person other than a financial institution holding a consumer's account. Repeals the requirement that such a fee disclosure appear in a prominent and conspicuous location on or at the ATM. Limits such requirement to appearance of a fee disclosure on the ATM screen.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2012
Urges Members of Congress who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, federal government run health insurance option to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree to enroll under that public option.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2012
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2013 the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of indebtedness on a principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2012
Pool Safety and Accessibility for Everyone (Pool SAFE) Act - Prohibits any suit brought for violations of the revised regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 concerning the requirements to provide an accessible means of entry to pools for places of public accommodation and commercial facilities that occurred on or after March 15, 2012, and before the date that is one year after enactment of this Act. Bars the Attorney General (AG) from investigating or initiating a compliance review of an alleged violation occurring during such period. Requires dismissal of any suit brought against a place of public accommodation or commercial facility for such a violation brought on or after March 15, 2012, and before the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the AG to revise accessibility regulations to provide that a place of public accommodation or a commercial facility is in compliance with the requirement to have an accessible means of entry to a pool when such a place or facility uses a portable pool lift on request, even if: (1) installation of a permanent lift is readily achievable, and (2) a single portable pool lift is used for multiple pools.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2012
Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit the Attorney General (AG) or any federal official from administering or enforcing certain accessibility regulations relating to pools provided by public entities or at public accommodations. Prohibits regulations added under final rules issued by the AG entitled: (1) "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services" from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool provided by a public entity, and (2) "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities" from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool at a public accommodation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2012
Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2012 - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to repeal the prohibition on importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce: (1) fish or wildlife taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign law; or (2) plants taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign law, without the payment of appropriate royalties, taxes, or stumpage fees required by foreign law, or in violation of any limitation under foreign law that governs the export or transshipment of plants. Repeals the prohibition on possessing such fish, wildlife, or plants within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Establishes a $200,000 maximum limit on a civil penalty for a knowing violation of such Act that involves fish, wildlife, or plants with a market value of $350 or more. Repeals: (1) criminal penalties under such Act, and (2) the authorization to suspend, modify, or cancel specified licenses or permits issued to any person who is convicted of a criminal violation of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2012
Expresses the sense of Congress that, except in response to an actual or imminent attack against the United States, the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress violates the exclusive power of Congress to declare war under article I of the Constitution, and therefore constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2012
Faster Access to Specialized Treatments Act or FAST Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should apply specified accelerated approval and the fast track provisions to expedite the development and availability of treatments for serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions while maintaining appropriate safety and effectiveness standards. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), at the request of the sponsor of a new drug, to include as a fast track product a new drug, either alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, that is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. Permits the Secretary to approve an application for approval of a product for a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, including a fast track product, upon a determination that the product has an effect on: (1) a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit; or (2) on a clinical endpoint, including an endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. Directs the Secretary, in conjunction with other planned reviews of the new drug review process, to contract with an independent entity with expertise in assessing biopharmaceutical development and regulatory review programs to evaluate the FDA's application of the fast track processes on the development and availability of innovative treatments for patients suffering from serious or life-threatening conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Disapproves and nullifies the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and published December 22, 2011, relating to representation election procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) tax incentives for retirement savings plans play an important role in encouraging employers and employees to participate in such plans, (2) existing incentives have increased the number of Americans covered by a retirement plan, and (3) a reformed and simplified tax code should include incentives to maintain and contribute to such plans and to strengthen retirement security for all Americans.