United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Ready-to-Compete Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to public telecommunications entities to coordinate the development, production, and distribution of innovative multiplatform educational programming and services for young children and youth and their parents, educators, and caregivers. Requires grantees to award subcontracts or enter into agreements with public television stations and producers or distributors of educational programming for the operation of Ready-to-Learn programs. Requires Ready-to-Learn programs to: (1) include programming that is aligned with state academic content and achievement standards; (2) include training and materials for educators and caregivers to facilitate their use of the programming and services; (3) address specific community and school needs, ascertained via ongoing community outreach programs; and (4) include programming in reading, social and emotional development, and at least one other topic in an academic or developmentally appropriate area. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary to award competitive grants to public television stations that partner with states, state workforce investment boards, or institutions of higher education to develop, disseminate, and provide on-line and on-air education and training services for adults.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2013
Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2013 - Prohibits a federal banking regulator from: (1) terminating or limiting the deposit insurance of a depository institution solely because it either provides or has provided financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator, in addition, from recommending, motivating, providing incentives, or encouraging a depository institution not to offer financial services to an individual, or to downgrade or cancel financial services offered to an individual, solely because the individual: (1) is or later becomes a manufacturer, producer, owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) the depository institution was not aware that the individual is the owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from taking any action on a loan to an owner or operator of: (1) a marijuana-related legitimate business, or (2) real estate or equipment that is leased to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Grants immunity from federal criminal prosecution or investigation to a depository institution providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from requiring a depository institution, and any director, officer, employee, or agent of a depository institution, to report a transaction as suspicious solely because a party to the transaction is a marijuana-related legitimate business.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 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) has been convicted of a crime of violence in the previous 10 years; (2) is under age 25 and has been adjudicated as having committed an offense that would have been a crime of violence if committed by an adult; (3) has been convicted on 2 separate occasions in any period of 3 consecutive years in the last 10 of an offense that has the possession or distribution of alcohol or a controlled substance as an element; or (4) has been convicted of stalking. Prohibits any such person from: (1) shipping or transporting in interstate or foreign commerce, or possessing in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or (2) receiving any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2013
School-based Health Centers Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2019 the authorization of appropriations for grants under the school-based health center program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2013
Thirteenth Amendment Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue the following coins in commemoration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution (formally abolished slavery in the United States): up to 250,000 $50 bi-metallic platinum and gold coins, up to 250,000 $20 gold coins, and up to 500,000 $1 silver coins. Requires such coins to be considered legal tender and numismatic items. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during the calendar year beginning January 1, 2016, except that sales may be initiated, without issuance, before such date. Requires specified surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins to be paid to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) the minting and issuing of such coins will not result in any net cost to the U.S. government; and (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed to the Museum until the total cost of designing and issuing all such coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Justice for the Unprotected against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act or the JUSTICE Act - Requires the Attorney General to direct the Bureau of Prisons to allow community organizations to distribute sexual barrier protection devices and engage in sexually transmitted infection (STI) counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Expresses the sense of Congress that states should permit the legal distribution of sexual barrier protection devices in state correctional facilities to reduce the prevalence and spread of STIs in those facilities. Amends the Social Security Act to require the automatic enrollment or reinstatement of enrollment of an eligible individual in a state's Medicaid plan (with the individual's affirmative consent) upon such individual's release from incarceration. Defines an "eligible individual" as an inmate who was enrolled before being incarcerated or who is diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus. Provides for a one-year increase in federal matching payments to states that agree to provide for such enrollment. Directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct an annual survey of all federal and state correctional facilities and immigration detention facilities regarding: (1) STI prevention education and training offered to inmates and staff; (2) inmate access to sexual barrier protection devices; (3) the incidence of sexual violence committed by inmates and staff; (4) required inmate participation in counseling, treatment, and supportive services related to STIs; (5) facility testing of inmates for STIs; (6) pre-release referral to STI-related services; and (7) Medicaid reinstatement assistance upon release. Requires the Attorney General to develop and implement a five-year strategy that includes specified components to reduce the prevalence and spread of STIs in federal and state correctional facilities. Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to include as a homeless person for purposes of eligibility for housing assistance under such Act an individual who: (1) is being released from any prison or other correctional facility, and (2) has been diagnosed with any STI.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) expand the juvenile accountability block grant program with respect to programs for the prevention of bullying to include intervention programs, and (2) authorize appropriations for such grant program for FY2014-FY2018. Encourages the use of best practices for all activities under such grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Electrify Africa Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish a multiyear strategy to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa develop an appropriate mix of power solutions to provide sufficient electricity access to people living in rural and urban areas in order to alleviate poverty and drive economic growth. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should: (1) prioritize where loan guarantees to African financial institutions would facilitate involvement in African power projects, and where partnerships and grants would increase access to electricity; and (2) consider providing grants to develop national, regional, and local energy and electricity policy plans, and expand electricity access to the poorest. Urges: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury to use U.S. influence at each institution in the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank to encourage power sector and electrification investments in sub-Saharan Africa, (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to prioritize investment in the electricity sector of sub-Saharan Africa, and (3) the Trade and Development Agency to promote U.S. private sector participation in energy sector development projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
School Lunch Improvements for Children's Education Act or the SLICE Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to implement an interim or final rule regarding the school lunch and child nutrition programs that: (1) requires the crediting of tomato paste and puree as a vegetable serving based on the volume of tomato paste or puree served, (2) implements science-based sodium reduction targets, and (3) establishes a whole grain requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Community College to Career Fund Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to: (1) institutions of higher education for educational or career training programs for workers, (2) state or local organizations in partnership with community colleges and other training providers for pay-for-performance projects and pay-for-success job training projects, (3) state or local governments to provide job training or recruiting activities necessary to provide skilled workers for businesses that have relocated or are considering relocating operations outside the United States but may instead relocate them to areas served by those governments, and (4) institutions of higher education in partnership with local or regional economic development entities to provide training in starting a small business and entrepreneurship.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching Act or the BEST Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award renewable two-year grants to states to establish or improve a Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Requires students who wish to participate in such a program to submit an application to their state that includes assurances that they: (1) will receive a secondary school diploma or its equivalent in the year they apply; and (2) have met the state's criteria for demonstrating proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Requires states to provide participating students who demonstrate that proficiency: (1) a permanent seal or other marker on their secondary school diploma or its equivalent, and (2) documentation of that proficiency on their official academic transcript. Allows students who gain proficiency in a second language outside of school to participate in such programs. Prohibits states from charging students an application fee.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Accuracy in Medicare Physician Payment Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and appoint an expert outside advisory panel for purposes of providing oversight to the processes relating to valuation of physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Expedited Hiring for VA Trained Psychiatrists Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to appoint a psychiatrist who completes a residency at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility to a VHA health care position immediately after such residency, without regard to civil service or classification laws, if: (1) the psychiatrist meets the qualifications established in regulations prescribed for the position, and (2) such position has been unfilled for at least 35 days.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act - Amends the definition of "spouse" for purposes of veterans' benefits provisions to require an individual to be considered a spouse if the marriage of the individual is valid in the state in which the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place in which the marriage was entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Includes as a state the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories and possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Federal Adjustment in Reporting Student Credit Act of 2013 or the FAIR Student Credit Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with respect to the responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer reporting agencies, to provide for the removal of a previously reported default regarding a qualified education loan from a consumer report if the consumer of the loan meets the requirements of a loan rehabilitation program, where the number of consecutive on-time monthly payments are equal to the number of payments specified in a default reduction program under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Permits a consumer to obtain such rehabilitation benefits only once per loan. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on any hurdles borrowers experience with the private loan rehabilitation program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Calls on China (PRC) to end the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners, and particularly from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups. Calls for a Department of State investigation into organ transplant practices in China, and for the prosecution of those found to have engaged in such practices. Demands an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice by the Communist Party of China and the release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Recommends that: (1) the Department issue a travel warning for U.S. citizens traveling to China for organ transplants informing them that the organ source for their operation may be a prisoner of conscience; and (2) the U.S. government condemn organ transplantation abuses in China, ban the entry of those who have participated in such activities, and prosecute such individuals should they be found on U.S. soil.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) it is U.S. policy to oppose slavery, torture, racism, discrimination, and xenophobia; (2) the United States reaffirms its commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; (3) the United States should give thorough review to domestic policy and legislative proposals that would improve the economic, social, political, cultural, and civil rights and lives of marginalized U.S. communities; (4) the Senate should give its advice and consent to ratifying specified United Nations (U.N.) and International Labor Organization conventions; and (5) the United States should fully support the Inter-American human rights system.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Applauds the U.N. General Assembly for honoring President Mandela's contribution to international peace and freedom. Recognizes the global impact of President Mandela's legacy and commitment to nonviolence, respect, and dialogue. Supports the international community's recognition of Nelson Mandela International Day. Urges all U.S. citizens to reflect on the importance of peace, tolerance, democracy, human rights, and reconciliation in honor of Nelson Mandela International Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Helping Veterans Exposed to Toxic Chemicals Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish within the Department of Defense (DOD) three centers of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health conditions relating to exposure to open burn pits and other environmental exposures. Requires the Secretary to select for such centers entities that: (1) are equipped with the specialized equipment needed to study, diagnose, and treat health conditions relating to such exposure; (2) have a publication track record of post-deployment health exposures among veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan; (3) have collaborated with a geosciences department that has a medical geology division; (4) have developed animal models and in vitro models of dust immunology and lung injury from Iraq and Afghanistan; and (5) have expertise in allergy and immunology, pulmonary diseases, and industrial and management engineering. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the centers collaborate with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), institutions of higher education, and other appropriate public and private entities to carry out specified responsibilities, including to: (1) implement the comprehensive plan and strategy for DOD for the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health conditions relating to such exposure; and (2) provide for dissemination within DOD of best practices for the treatment of such conditions and the training of health professionals. Requires the center to have access to and make use of the data accumulated by the burn pits registry established under the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Respect for Marriage Act - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require alignment of updates for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services under a revised prospective payment system (PPS) with updates for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Revises requirements for the reporting and applying of quality measure data by ASCs and hospital OPDs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ASC value-based purchasing program under which each ASC that the Secretary determines meets (or exceeds) performance standards established, with respect to selected quality measures, for the performance period for a calendar year is eligible for shared savings in the form of a payment increase determined according to a specified formula. Revises requirements for the composition of the expert outside advisory panel the Secretary is required to consult during the annual review of the clinical integrity of the groups and payment weights in the PPS for hospital OPD services. Requires the panel to include suppliers subject to the PPS as well as at least one ASC representative. Requires the Secretary, when excluding from a final rule updating ASC lists a procedure whose inclusion was requested during the public comment period, to cite in the final rule specific criteria based on which the procedure was excluded. Requires the Secretary also to identify the peer reviewed research or the evidence upon which the exclusion is based if certain of those criteria are cited for it. Prohibits the Secretary from using or citing as a criterion or a basis for an exclusion that the procedure can only be reported using a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) unlisted surgical procedure code.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Renewable Energy Parity Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the energy tax credit to solar energy, fuel cell, microturbine, combined heat and power system, small wind energy, and thermal energy properties the construction of which begins before January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Congressional Accountability and Oversight in Syria Act - Prohibits assistance (except for humanitarian assistance) for the purpose, or which would have the effect, of promoting the capacity of any nation, group, organization, movement, or individual to conduct military or paramilitary operations in Syria, unless and until Congress expressly authorizes such assistance by law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Recognizes the historical importance of the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950. Honors the service and sacrifice of the U.S. Armed Forces and the armed forces of allied countries that served, and continue to serve, in Korea. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its alliance with South Korea. Calls on North Korea to abide by international law and cease its nuclear proliferation in order to resume talks that could lead to peace and reunification.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Safe Streets Act of 2013 - Requires each state to have in effect within two years a law, or each state department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) an explicit policy statement, that requires all federally-funded transportation projects, with certain exceptions, to accommodate the safety and convenience of all users in accordance with certain complete streets principles. Defines "complete streets principles" as federal, state, local, or regional level transportation laws, policies, or principles which ensure that the safety and convenience of all users of a transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, children, older individuals, motorists, freight vehicles, and individuals with disabilities, are accommodated in all phases of project planning and development. Allows such law or policy to make project-specific exemptions from such principles only if: (1) affected roadways prohibit specified users by law from using them, the cost of a compliance project would be excessively disproportionate to the need, or the population, employment densities, traffic volumes, or level of transit service around a roadway is so low that the expected roadway users will not include pedestrians, public transportation, freight vehicles, or bicyclists; and (2) all such exemptions are properly approved. Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a method for evaluating compliance by state departments of transportation and MPOs with complete streets principles. Requires the Access Board to issue final standards for accessibility of new construction and alterations of pedestrian facilities for public rights-of-way. Requires the Secretary to conduct research regarding complete streets to: (1) assist states, MPOs, and local jurisdictions in developing and implementing complete streets-compliant plans, projects, procedures, policies, and training programs; and (2) establish benchmarks for, and provide technical guidance on, implementing complete streets policies and principles.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Women's Preventive Health Awareness Campaign - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) provide for the planning and implementation of a national public outreach and educational campaign to raise public awareness, including provider awarenesss, of women's preventive health; and (2) establish a national media campaign and maintain and update an appropriate Internet website as part of such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Locality Pay Equity Act - Prohibits the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from defining more than one local wage area for prevailing rate employees within a pay locality, except with respect to the pay locality designated as "Rest of United States." Requires the Director of OPM to ensure that this Act shall not reduce any rate of basic pay for any individual who is serving as a prevailing rate employee.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
FISA Court in the Sunshine Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that each decision, order, or opinion ("decision," for purposes of this Act) issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review that includes significant construction or interpretation of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) provisions concerning access to business records and the targeting of persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States to acquire foreign intelligence information should be declassified in a manner consistent with the protection of national security, intelligence sources and methods, and other properly classified and sensitive information. Amends FISA provisions concerning access to business records and the targeting of persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States to require the Attorney General, with exceptions, to declassify and make publicly available decisions concerning certain surveillance orders required for inclusion in a semiannual report to Congress. Requires release to the public of unclassified summaries and reports if the Attorney General determines that a decision may not be declassified. Requires the Attorney General, in cases in which an unclassified summary may not be made available, to make publicly available an unclassified report on the status of the internal deliberations and process regarding the declassification by executive branch personnel of such decisions, including estimates of the number of decisions that will be declassified or remain classified.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Civilian Contractors Engaged in Intelligence Activities Reduction Act of 2013 - Requires the Director of National Intelligence: (1) to study the extent to which contractors are used in the conduct of intelligence activities and the type of information to which such contractors have access; (2) by December 31, 2013, to submit a report containing the results of the study and a plan for reducing the number of intelligence community contractors with top secret security clearances that are engaged in intelligence activities, including analysis, by 25%; and (3) by December 31, 2014, to make such reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Community Parks Revitalization Act - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a community revitalization program of federal grants to eligible local governments located within standard metropolitan statistical areas for various park and recreation purposes, including grants for rehabilitation and construction, innovation and recreation programming, and recovery action programs. Authorizes the Secretary to designate local governments not located in standard metropolitan statistical areas to receive such grants under a partial eligibility waiver. Prescribes requirements, including matching requirements, for rehabilitation and construction and for innovation and recreation grants. Limits to 10% the use of funds appropriated for rehabilitation and construction grants for acquisition of land or interests in land. Allows a recipient, at its discretion, to transfer a grant in whole or in part to private nonprofit agencies for recreational areas and facilities they own or operate which offer recreational opportunities to the general population. Requires an applicant, for project approval, to submit to the Secretary evidence of its commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation, and maintenance programs for its park and recreation systems, expressed in a five-year local park and recreation recovery action program. Prescribes requirements for the five-year park and recreation recovery action program under an at-risk youth recreation grant. Authorizes the Secretary to increase federal rehabilitation and construction, innovation, and at-risk youth recreation grants to a state under this Act by an additional match of up to 15% (but not more than 15%) of total project or program cost. Limits the aggregate amount of the grant and the additional grant amounts to 85% percent of total project or program cost. Prohibits the conversion, without HUD approval, of any property improved or developed with assistance under this Act for uses other than for public recreation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
United States Civil Rights Trail Special Resource Study Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate a range of alternatives for the protection and interpretation of sites associated with the struggle for civil rights in the United States, including alternatives for potential addition of some or all of the sites to the National Trails System. Requires submission of a report to Congress that contains the results of such study and recommendations of the Secretary with respect to the route.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Amends the Hudson Valley National Heritage Area Act of 1996 to extend through FY2022 the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to make grants or provide assistance for the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area in New York.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include information on the coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity in the "Medicare and You Handbook." Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow other physicians, registered dietitians, certified diabetes educators, and instructors trained and certified by the National Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Coach Training program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide, and be independently reimbursed for, intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished outside of the primary care setting, so long as any such nonphysician provider or instructor furnishing the therapy must communicate any recommendation or treatment plan for an individual to the individual's primary care physicians or practitioner. Authorizes the Secretary to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more comorbidities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2013
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day. Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future, and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2013
Food Security Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits be calculated with reference to the cost of the low-cost food plan. Sets forth required adjustments. Authorizes SNAP appropriations through FY2015. Revises funding provisions for consolidated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Extends the availability of commodities for the emergency food assistance program through FY2015.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2013
Rabbi Arthur Schneier Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to Rabbi Arthur Schneier in recognition of his pioneering role in promoting religious freedom and human rights throughout the world.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2013
Commends the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children. Calls on fathers across the United States to use Father's Day to: (1) reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives, (2) spend Father's Day with their children, and (3) express their love and support for their children. Urges men to understand the level of responsibility fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement of children's moral, mental, social, academic, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. Encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children, including the devotion of time, energy, and resources.
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
Grants for Renewable Energy Education for the Nation Act or GREEN Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships of local educational agencies (LEAs), postsecondary institutions, and clean and renewable energy industry representatives to develop programs of study focused on emerging careers and jobs in the fields of clean and renewable energy. Requires a priority be given to grant applications that: (1) use online learning or other innovative methods to deliver a program of study to individuals outside the partnership, and (2) focus on low-performing students and special populations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to LEAs and postsecondary institutions to promote development of career and technical educational facilities that are energy efficient and use renewable energy practices.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2013 - Conditions continued approval of a state plan under part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) upon state assessment of its policies with respect to barriers to employment and financial support of children. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for an employment demonstration project involving a court- or state child support agency-supervised employment program for noncustodial parents who have barriers to employment and a history of nonpayment, so that they can pay their child support obligations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants for transitional jobs programs and for public-private career pathways partnerships. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) funding for responsible fatherhood programs, (2) activities promoting responsible fatherhood, and (3) elimination of a separate TANF work participation rate for two-parent families. Prohibits a state from conditioning receipt of TANF or certain other benefits on participation in a healthy marriage or responsible fatherhood program. Amends SSAct title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to prohibit a state from collecting any amount owed it by reason of costs it has incurred under SSAct title XIX (Medicaid)for the birth of a child for whom support rights have been assigned. Requires a state to make a full distribution of collected child support to the family. Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 with respect to: (1) deductions from family income for child support received in order to qualify for food stamps, (2) verification of child support payments, and (3) inclusion of economic opportunities programs in qualifying work programs. Amends SSA title IV part A (TANF) with respect to: (1) grants to healthy family partnerships for domestic violence intervention and prevention, and (2) grant recipients and their procedures for responding to the risks of domestic violence. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the earned income tax credit percentage for eligible individuals with no qualifying children.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
Time Off to Vote Act - Entitles an employee to two hours of paid leave on the day of any federal election in order to vote. Gives the employer the right to determine the two-hour-period, excluding any lunch break or other break. Prohibits the loss of benefits for any employee taking such leave under this Act. Makes it unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of or the attempt to exercise, the right to take leave under this Act, or to discriminate against an employee in any manner for taking leave under this Act. Makes it unlawful for any employer to discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any individual for: (1) opposing any practice made unlawful by this Act; (2) filing any charge, or instituting or causing to be instituted any proceeding, under or related to this Act; or (3) testifying or preparing to testifying in any inquiry or proceeding relating to any leave provided under this Act. Specifies the penalties for any employer who violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
Eleanor Smith Inclusive Home Design Act of 2013 - Requires newly constructed, federally assisted single family houses and town houses to include at least one level that complies with the Standards for Type C (Visitable) Units of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (1005-ICC ANSI A117.1-2009) and any future revisions. Requires: (1) each applicant for federal financial assistance to submit compliance assurances to the relevant federal agency, and (2) each person who arranges for design or construction of a covered dwelling to submit architectural and construction plans for state or local approval. Prohibits federal financial assistance to a state or local government unit unless the recipient is taking certain enforcement actions with regard to covered dwellings. Permits: (1) private civil actions in a U.S. district court or state court for violations of this Act, and (2) the Attorney General to commence civil actions or intervene in civil actions under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Children's Act for Responsible Employment of 2013 or CARE Act of 2013 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to define "oppressive child labor," for purposes of the Act's child labor prohibitions, as the employment of any employee who is: (1) 16 or 17 in any occupation found by the Secretary of Labor to be particularly hazardous for their employment or detrimental to their health or well-being; (2) 14 or 15, unless the employment is confined to periods which do not interfere with the employee's schooling, health, or well-being; or (3) under 14. Revises the Act's exemptions to make the restrictions on oppressive child labor inapplicable to the following: (1) employment in agriculture of an employee under age 18 by his or her parent, or by a person standing in the place of the parent, on a farm owned by the parent or person (current law uses an age- and consent-based scheme); and (2) employment of an employee under age 16 by a parent, or a person standing in place of a parent, other than in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, or any other employment the Secretary finds to be particularly hazardous for the employment of children age 16 or 17 or detrimental to their health or well-being. (Current law applies the child labor restrictions to particularly hazardous agricultural employment, except where the child is employed by a parent or a person standing in place of the parent on a farm owned or operated by such person). Eliminates any waiver of such prohibitions for hand-harvesting of certain crops. Increases civil and establishes criminal penalties for child labor violations. Directs the Secretary to revise federal child labor regulations to prohibit the employment of children under age 18 in duties involving the handling of pesticides.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Adoption Tax Credit Tribal Parity Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow Indian tribes to make the determination that a child is a child with special needs for purposes of the adoption tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to exclude any drug or biological product which is approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing solely for one or more rare diseases or conditions (orphan drug) from the annual fee on manufacturers or importers with branded prescription drug sales exceeding $5 million. Makes this Act effective as if included in PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Counseling for Career Choice Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive establishment grants to states to develop and implement comprehensive school counseling programs that provide students with effective postsecondary education planning and career guidance services. Requires each program to be aligned with a statewide counseling framework that: (1) encompasses grades 6 through 12 and postsecondary education; and (2) is developed in consultation with, or exists with the support of, at least five stakeholders that include at least one business or industry and at least one local educational agency (LEA) or secondary school. Requires establishment grant funds to be used to: (1) train and hire school counselors; (2) identify regional workforce trends and postsecondary options available in the state; (3) establish, improve, or coordinate postsecondary opportunities; (4) recommend curricular improvements to better align curricula with workforce trends and available postsecondary opportunities; (5) establish partnerships with American Job Centers; and (6) leverage the resources and emerging technologies being developed by stakeholders to support the counseling framework. Allows states to carry out program activities directly or through competitive subgrants to LEAs, or consortia consisting of an LEA, and one or more LEAs, educational service agencies, tribal organizations, postsecondary institutions, or nonprofit organizations with expertise in counseling or career and technical education. Directs the Secretary to reserve at least 10%, but no more than 20%, of the amount appropriated for this Act's counseling program to award competitive capacity-building grants to states that do not receive an establishment grant.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000053_200.jpg)