United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Transportation Empowerment Act - Declares the purposes of the Act, including returning maximum discretionary authority and fiscal responsibility to the states for all elements of the national surface transportation systems (excluding the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways). Prescribes a limitation on funding of transportation programs and projects carried out under this Act. Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2015-FY2019 for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: (1) metropolitan transportation planning, (2) emergency relief for highways and roads, (3) the federal lands transportation program, and (4) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrative expenses. Authorizes a state to transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Limits federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Repeals the authorization of federal assistance to states for historic bridges. Repeals the transportation alternatives program. Declares that, beginning with FY2014, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: (1) unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of such project, (2) solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or (3) upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2020. Requires the Secretary of Treasury to transfer from the HTF amounts equivalent to motorboat and aviation fuel taxes collected before October 1, 2022, to: (1) the Land and Water Conservation Fund, (2) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and (3) the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to pay from the HTF into the general fund of the Treasury amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2023. Prescribes a motor fuel tax rate schedule for financing of core highway programs. Terminates, on September 30, 2014, the authority of the Secretary to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account. Directs the Secretary, on October 1, 2014, to transfer all amounts in the Mass Transit Account to the Highway Account. Authorizes appropriations out of the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2015-FY2019 for the highway research and development program. Directs the Secretary to allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2016-FY2019. Reduces the excise taxes imposed on: (1) gasoline from 18.3 cents to 3.7 cents, (2) diesel fuel or kerosene from 24.3 cents to 5.0 cents, and (3) diesel-water fuel emulsion from 19.7 cents to 4.1 cents. Requires credits or refunds of certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2019. Declares that this Act shall become effective only if the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) certifies that it is deficit neutral.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2013
Impeaches Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Sets forth articles of impeachment stating that Holder: (1) engaged in a pattern of conduct incompatible with the trust and confidence placed in him in that position by refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on October 12, 2011, in connection with a congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); (2) failed to enforce multiple laws, including the Defense of Marriage Act, the Controlled Substances Act, and the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986; (3) failed his oath of office by refusing to prosecute individuals involved in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scandal of unauthorized disclosure of tax records belonging to political donors; and (4) testified under oath before Congress on May 15, 2013, that he was neither involved in nor had heard of a potential prosecution of the press but later confirmed to the House Judiciary Committee in a letter dated June 19, 2013, that he approved of a search warrant on journalist James Rosen.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2013
Hire More Heroes Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an employer, for purposes of determining whether such employer is an applicable large employer and thus required to provide health care coverage to its employees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to exclude employees who have coverage under a health care program administered by the Department of Defense (DOD), including TRICARE, or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2013
Expresses: (1) deep sympathy to the people of the Philippines for the terrible loss of life and massive destruction from Typhoon Haiyan, (2) solidarity with the people of the Philippines and continued commitment to provide essential assistance to help the Philippines recover from this tragedy, and (3) support for relief and reconstruction assistance provided by relief agencies and the international community. Commends the Filipino-American community for its efforts to organize and deliver disaster relief for the people of the Philippines.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Critical Infrastructure Protection Act or CIPA - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Assistant Secretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate to: (1) include in national planning scenarios the threat of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events; and (2) conduct a campaign to proactively educate owners and operators of critical infrastructure, emergency planners, and emergency responders at all levels of government of the threat of EMP events. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct research and development to mitigate the consequences of EMP events, including: (1) an objective scientific analysis of the risks to critical infrastructures from a range of EMP events; (2) determination of the critical national security assets and vital civic utilities and infrastructures that are at risk from EMP events; (3) an evaluation of emergency planning and response technologies that would address the findings and recommendations of experts, including those of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack; (4) an analysis of available technology options to improve the resiliency of critical infrastructure to EMP; and (5) the restoration and recovery capabilities of critical infrastructure under differing levels of damage and disruption from various EMP events. Includes among the responsibilities of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) relating to intelligence and analysis and infrastructure protection to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees: (1) a comprehensive plan to protect and prepare the critical infrastructure of the American homeland against EMP events, including from acts of terrorism; and (2) biennial updates of such plan.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Girls Count Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) promote programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls, and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, and inheritance rights for women.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
True Understanding of the Economy and Safety Act or TRUE Safety Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO), after the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports to Congress on an hours of service field study, to assess the methodology followed by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) in carrying out the efficacy of the restart rule ("Hours of Service of Drivers") published on December 27, 2011, which applies to operators of commercial motor vehicles of property subject to maximum DOT driving time requirements. Requires the assessment to evaluate the extent to which that methodology meets the requirements of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) that: (1) the data collected is representative of the drivers subject to the restart rule, (2) the methodology is statistically valid, and (3) the study followed the FMCSA plan for the "Scheduling and Fatigue Recovery Project." Directs GAO to assess the Regulatory Impact Analysis that accompanied the final 2011 restart rule. Nullifies the 2011 restart rule until six months after the study report required by this Act has been submitted to Congress. Prohibits the Secretary from applying the restart rule if the conclusions of the field study completed pursuant to MAP-21 do not support or concur with the conclusions of the laboratory study on which the rule was based.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to modify regulations that require motor carriers to conduct preemployment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators for controlled substances or alcohol. Allows a motor carrier to use hair testing as a method for detecting use of controlled substances by an operator, but only for preemployment testing and random testing (but the latter only if the motor carrier tested the operator at preemployment using the same method). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing of operators for use of controlled substances. Directs the Secretary to develop procedures to allow a motor carrier during the rulemaking process to apply for an exemption from current requirements to allow use of hair testing of operators for controlled substances instead of other methods of preemployment and random testing.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Amends the National Security Agency Act of 1959 and the Inspector General Act of 1978 to require the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Inspector General of NSA to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping, Dragnet-collection, and Online Monitoring Act or the USA FREEDOM Act - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to set forth additional requirements for obtaining orders for business records in counterterrorism investigations, including requiring that the records sought pertain to a foreign power, an agent of a foreign power, or an individual in contact with, or known to a suspected agent of, a foreign power. Requires additional information if the applicant is seeking a nondisclosure requirement in connection with such request. Allows the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to apply for renewals of nondisclosure requirements. Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to require the production of call data records by the provider of a wire or electronic communication service. Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvements and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Justice (DOJ), for 2010 through 2013, to report on an examination of the minimization procedures (procedures designed to minimize the acquisition and retention of information and to prohibit its unauthorized dissemination) used in relation to business records orders. Imposes additional requirements on the authorized use of pen registers and trap and trace devices (devices for recording incoming and outgoing telephone numbers), including that: (1) the information sought must pertain to a foreign power, agent thereof, or individual in contact with or known to such an agent; and (2) the application must contain a statement of proposed minimization procedures. Requires audits of the effectiveness and use of such devices. Prohibits the searching of collections of communications of U.S. persons, except: (1) under an order or authorization for electronic surveillance or physical search, (2) with the consent of such person, or (3) under a reasonable belief that the life or safety of the person is threatened and the information is sought to assist that person. Limits the collection of wholly domestic communications of a U.S. person to those communications: (1) to which any party is a target of the acquisition; or (2) that contain an identifier of a target of an acquisition, only if the communications are acquired to protect against international terrorism or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Prohibits receiving into evidence any information obtained in an acquisition against any U.S. person for which a deficiency in the procedures for acquiring such information is identified by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court). Authorizes the FISA Court, if the government corrects any deficiencies so identified, to permit the use or disclosure of information acquired before the correction under such minimization procedures as the FISA Court shall establish. Repeals on June 1, 2015, FISA procedures regarding the targeting of non-U.S. persons located outside the United States in order to acquire foreign intelligence information. Requires reviews of surveillance targeting and minimization procedures by the IG of the Intelligence Community (IC), including mandatory review with respect to the privacy rights of U.S. persons. Establishes within the judicial branch an Office of the Special Advocate to participate in proceedings before the FISA Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, request reconsiderations of FISA Court decisions, and participate in appeals and reviews. Requires the Special Advocate to vigorously advocate in support of legal interpretations that protect individual privacy and civil liberties. Requires the Attorney General to publicly disclose specified information in connection with FISA Court or FISA Court of Review decisions appealed by the Special Advocate. Requires the release of as much information regarding the facts and analysis in such decisions as is consistent with legitimate national security concerns. Authorizes the FBI Director to request from a communication service provider the name, address, length of service, and local and long distance billing records of a person as part of a national security investigation only if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the information sought pertains to a foreign power, an agent of a foreign power, or an individual in contact with, or known to a suspected agent of, a foreign power. Provides similar requirements with respect to an FBI request for information from financial institutions and consumer reporting agencies. Revises provisions prohibiting the disclosure of the receipt of a national security letter by such providers, institutions, and agencies to except disclosure to: (1) those persons to whom disclosure is necessary to comply with the request, (2) an attorney in order to obtain legal advice or assistance regarding the request, or (3) other persons as permitted by the FBI. Includes under such prohibition (with the same exceptions) national security letters issued in connection with the investigation of persons with access to classified information. Allows affected communications providers, financial institutions, and consumer reporting agencies to seek judicial review of requests for information. Requires the DOJ IG to report results of audits of national security letters issued during 2010 through 2013. Amends provisions of FISA, the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, the National Security Act of 1947, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) concerning national security letters to, effective June 1, 2015, make such provisions read as they read on October 25, 2001. Allows electronic service providers to publicly report on information provided under FISA orders and national security letters. Exempts such providers from liability with respect to such reports. Revises requirements concerning government reporting on the use of FISA orders and national security letters. Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to remove the AG as a required intermediary for subpoenas in connection with authorized activities of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Condemns the atrocities and terrorist attack that occurred at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 21 through 24, 2013. Offers condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed in the attack and expresses hope for the recovery of the wounded, including U.S. citizens. Recognizes the many heroic acts by Kenyan citizens, first responders, and the Kenya Red Cross to rescue those caught in the Westgate Mall attack. Reaffirms U.S. support for the efforts of the government and people of Kenya to combat terrorism, promote tolerance, and bring the perpetrators of the Westgate Mall attack to justice. Commends Kenya's continued participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia. Recognizes Kenya as an important U.S. ally and partner.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Fraudulent Overseas Recruitment and Trafficking Elimination Act of 2013 - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State to incorporate anti-trafficking and anti-slavery priorities into other aspects of foreign assistance to ensure that assistance programs do not contribute to vulnerability to, or the prevalence of, human trafficking and slavery. Requires a foreign labor contractor to disclose in writing in English and in the primary language of the worker being recruited specified information, including the identity of the employer and the recruiter, worker protections, and a signed copy of the work contract. Prohibits a foreign labor contractor from providing related false or misleading information. Prohibits certain recruitment fees. Requires a foreign labor contractor to obtain from the Secretary of Labor a certificate of registration which shall be valid for two years. Provides for a registration fee. Exempts from such certificate requirement an employer who engages in foreign labor contracting solely to find workers for the employer's own use without the participation of any other foreign labor contractor. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) maintain a list of all registered foreign labor contractors and a list of all such ontractors whose registration has been revoked; and (2) establish a process for receipt, investigation, and disposition of complaints. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require a consular officer, before issuing specified work visas, to: (1) provide the alien with certain trafficking information, and (2) review and include in the alien's visa file the foreign labor recruiter's disclosures. Directs the Secretary of State to ensure that: (1) each U.S. diplomatic mission has a person responsible for receiving information from any worker who has been subject to violations of this Act, and (2) consulates maintain and make public any information regarding the identities of foreign labor contractors and the employers to whom those contractors supply workers. Sets forth administrative and civil action enforcement requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013 - Permits a health insurance issuer that has in effect health insurance coverage in the individual market as of January 1, 2013, to continue offering such coverage for sale during 2014 outside of a health care exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Treats such coverage as a grandfathered health plan for purposes of an individual meeting the requirement to maintain minimum essential health coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Delay Until Fully Functional Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) determine whether health care exchanges and all other point of enrollment options are fully functional and operating in a manner consistent with the role envisioned under the Act and report study results to Congress, and (2) conduct subsequent studies every 60 days until the Comptroller General determines that exchanges are fully functional and operating in such manner. Delays the effective date of the penalty for failure to maintain minimum essential coverage to apply the requirements to taxable years beginning six months after the date on which the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies to Congress the results of the GAO determination that exchanges are operating successfully. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the penalty an individual who is unable to enroll in a qualified health plan because of the technical or customer service issues of an exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2013
Obamacare Choice Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to delay until 2015 the requirement that individuals maintain minimal essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2013
Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, dealers, or collectors (licensees) to sell or deliver any firearm (currently, rifles or shotguns) to a resident of a state other than the state in which the licensee is located or temporarily located if the licensee meets with the purchaser to complete the sale or delivery and the transaction complies with the laws of the state in which the transfer is conducted and the purchaser's state of residence; and (2) eliminate the requirement that a licensee must conduct business at a gun show only in the state that is specified on the licensee's license. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition: (1) between licensed firearms dealers at any location in any state; or (2) by a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to an unlicensed person at a temporary location in any state. Amends definitions for federal firearms provisions to: (1) revise the definition of a "member of the Armed Forces on active duty" to include a member (or member's spouse) who is a resident of the state in which such person maintains legal residence or in which the member maintains a place of abode from which the member commutes each day to the permanent duty station; and (2) provide that an officer or employee of the United States (other than a member of the Armed Forces) stationed outside the United States for a period exceeding one year, or a spouse residing with such an officer or employee, is a resident of the state in which the person maintains legal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2013 - Requires each communication funded by a federal agency for advertising or educational purposes to clearly state: (1) in the case of a printed communication, including mass mailings, signs, and billboards, that the communication is printed and published at taxpayer expense; and (2) in the case of a communication transmitted through radio, television, or the Internet, that the communication is produced and disseminated at taxpayer expense. Requires any such printed communication, including e-mails, to be of sufficient size to be clearly readable, to be set apart from the other contents of the communication, and to be printed with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the printed statement. Exempts from such requirements: (1) information in a solicitation for offers for a federal contract; and (2) advertisements for employment opportunities, not including advertising materials developed for use in recruiting and retaining personnel for the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in Bay Pines, Florida, as the "C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center."
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
Expresses support for efforts to: (1) provide protections and supports for sexually exploited and trafficked girls in the United States, and (2) create criminal or civil penalties for anyone who buys or sells a child through a system of child trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2013
United States-Iran Nuclear Negotiations Act - States that it is the policy of Congress that it is in the national security interest of the United States and its allies and partners to ensure that Iran: (1) halts all uranium enrichment and identifies all enrichment sites, (2) removes and transfers to a third party under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) all uranium enriched to a 20% and higher threshold, (3) closes the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, and (4) ceases developing reactors capable of producing plutonium and the importation and domestic manufacturing of all centrifuges for enriching uranium. Expresses the sense of Congress that if these objectives are met it shall be U.S. policy to enter into a negotiated settlement regarding nuclear activities in Iran. Declares that the United States is capable, willing, and ready to use military force to prevent Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapons capability. Acknowledges that this Act constitutes current consultation with the President on Iran in order to provide for application of all options to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability and provides consent to the appropriate use of force against legitimate targets in Iran to: (1) uphold and implement all relevant United Nations (U.N.) Security Council resolutions regarding Iran's nuclear program, (2) deter Iran's development of nuclear weapons in order to protect the national security interests of the United States and its allies and partners, and (3) degrade Iran's capacity to develop such weapons in the future. States that, if any business, firm, or entity has not terminated the provision of goods, services, or technology in Iran or with any Iranian-controlled entity, the President may: (1) prohibit that business, firm, or entity from receiving any U.S. government contract or accessing U.S. capital markets; and (2) in the case of a business, firm, or entity that is a foreign financial institution, prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or payable-through account.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2013
Makes appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided for FY2013 under the Science Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6), for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by such Act under the heading "National Aeronautics and Space Administration." Requires the rate of operations to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: (1) the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), and (2) the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Makes appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under this joint resolution available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) September 30, 2014. Requires implementation of this joint resolution so that only the most limited funding action be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Authorizes amounts made available for civilian personnel compensation and benefits to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2013
Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with respect to abortion coverage in qualified plans offered through a Health Benefit Exchange, to modify the notice rules to require that: in the case of services regarding abortions both for which public funding is prohibited and allowed, the extent of coverage shall be prominently displayed in any marketing or advertising materials, comparison tools, or summary of benefits and coverage explanation made available by the issuer of the plan, by an Exchange, or by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), including information made available through an Internet portal or Exchange; and in the case of abortions for which public funding is prohibited and where the premium for the plan is disclosed, the surcharge attributable to such services, consisting of an amount equal to the actuarial value of the coverage, shall be disclosed and identified separately.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2013
Appropriates for FY2014, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2014 are not in effect, such sums as are necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts for FY2013 and under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, to administer and furnish the compensation, pension benefits, readjustment benefits, insurance and indemnities, housing benefits, and vocational rehabilitation benefits provided for under federal veterans' benefits laws. Requires the appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this Act to remain available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation (including a continuing appropriation) for any purpose for which amounts are made available in this Act, (2) enactment of the applicable regular or continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any appropriation for such purpose, or (3) January 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2013
Flood Insurance Fairness Act of 2013 - Prohibits the taking effect of specified flood insurance premium changes under the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (which prohibit the estimating of flood insurance premium rates for severe repetitive loss and other specified properties or extending premium subsidies to new or lapsed flood insurance policies, and which also require certain flood insurance risk premium rate adjustments) until 180 days after both chambers of Congress have completed consideration of a qualified joint resolution providing for legislative changes to ensure that risk premium rates for flood insurance coverage under the national flood insurance program are substantially affordable for all homeowners. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to submit to Congress and make publicly available a determination of whether the risk premium rates for flood insurance coverage under the national flood insurance program resulting from such legislative changes are substantially affordable for all homeowners. Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of the proposed joint resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2013
Safe Military Bases Act - Repeals: (1) Army Regulation 190-14, entitled "Carrying of Firearms and Use of Force for Law Enforcement and Security Duties"; and (2) Department of Defense Directive Number 5210.56, entitled "Use of Deadly Force and the Carrying of Firearms by DOD Personnel Engaged in Law Enforcement and Security Duties." Nullifies any provision in any other law, rule, regulation, or executive order that prohibits military personnel trained in firearms from carrying officially issued or personally owned firearms on military bases. Prohibits: (1) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretaries of the military departments from reinstating the firearm bans repealed in this Act or enacting similar restrictions; and (2) the President from taking any executive action, promulgating any rule, or issuing any executive order or regulation to prohibit military personnel from carrying firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2013
Health Care Regulator Accountability Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to prohibit the federal government from making any health care plan available to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or any other federal executive agency employees responsible for the administration of the Act except a health plan created under it or offered through an American Health Benefit Exchange. Prohibits the Secretary of HHS, the IRS Director, and the head of any other agency involved in promulgating rules or regulations to carry out or to enforce PPACA, or any amendments made by it, from obligating or expending, in any fiscal year, more than 90% of the funds made available for the salaries and expenses of their offices unless those regulations are promulgated and take effect before the fiscal year's close. Requires rescission of any amounts which remain precluded from obligation or expenditure on that last day of the fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2013
Government Shutdown Fairness Act - Requires a reduction in the annual rate of pay of a Member of Congress during a government shutdown equal to the product of 1 day's worth of pay under such annual rate and the number of 24-hour periods during which the government shutdown is in effect. Makes such reduction applicable to days occurring after the date of the general election for federal office held in November 2014. Requires any amount of pay of a Member of Congress in the 113th Congress that is reduced due to a government shutdown to be held in escrow until the last day of the 113th Congress and released for payment to Members at that time.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2013
Marriage and Religious Freedom Act - Prohibits the federal government from taking an adverse action against a person on the basis that such person acts in accordance with a religious belief that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. Defines "adverse action" as any federal government action to discriminate against such person, including: (1) denying or revoking certain tax exemptions or disallowing a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; (2) denying or excluding such person from receiving any federal grant, contract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status; or (3) denying or withholding any benefit under a federal benefit program. Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government. Authorizes the Attorney General (DOJ) to bring actions to enforce this Act. Specifies that the term "person" includes any person regardless of religious affiliation, as well as corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2013
American Health Care Reform Act of 2013 - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow an income tax standard deduction for a specified percentage of an individual's health insurance costs, regardless of whether or not the taxpayer itemizes other deductions. Excludes the amount of such a deduction from employment taxes. Allows a taxpayer, for earned income credit purposes, to exclude from earned income any employer contributions to a qualified accident or health plan. Allows double additional contributions to a health savings account (HSA) if both spouses are age 55 or older and one spouse is not an account beneficiary. Prescribes special rules for HSA coverage eligibility for certain individuals: (1) participating in a Medicare Advantage Medical Savings Account (MSA), (2) receiving periodic hospital care or medical services for a service-connected disability, (3) eligible for Indian Health Service assistance, or (4) eligible for TRICARE coverage. Prescribes requirements for interaction of health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements with HSAs. Prohibits the payment of health insurance premiums from HSAs, with certain exceptions. Prescribes circumstances in which certain medical expenses incurred before establishment of an HSA may still be qualified expenses. Prescribes requirements for protection of any HSA in a bankruptcy proceeding. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize additional health opportunity account demonstration programs. Treats membership in a health care sharing ministry as coverage under a high deductible health plan. Renames high deductible health plans as HSA qualified plans. Allows payments from an HSA for: (1) direct primary care service arrangements, (2) certain exercise equipment and physical fitness programs, (3) certain nutritional and dietary supplements, and (4) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician for the right to receive medical services on an as-needed basis. Increases the maximum limit on contributions to an HSA to match deductible and out-of-pocket expenses limitations. Prescribes requirements for establishment of child health savings accounts, for which an income tax deduction shall be allowed a taxpayer equal to the aggregate cash amount paid into the account during the taxable year. Amends the IRC to include in gross income any distributions from an HSA for an abortion. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), and the IRC to authorize premium and cost-sharing variances in group health plans based on certain financial incentives for participation (or lack of it) in a standards-based wellness program. Amends the PHSA to direct the Secretary to provide a grant of up to $5 million to each state for the costs of creation and initial operation of a qualified high risk pool if it has not created such a pool as of September 1, 2013. Limits participation in such a pool to U.S. citizens and nationals. Declares that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with conditions of this Act. Prohibits a health insurance issuer from offering, selling, or issuing individual health insurance coverage in a secondary state if its insurance commissioner does not use a risk-based capital formula for determining capital and surplus requirements for all health insurance issuers. Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to declare that nothing in it shall modify, impair, or supersede the operation of any of the antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance (including the business of dental insurance). Amends SSA title XI (General Provisions) to require the Secretary to make available to the public Medicare claims and payment data, including data on payments made to any provider of services or supplier. Authorizes a state to establish a Health Plan and Provider Portal website to standardize information on: (1) health insurance plans available in the state, and (2) price and quality information on health care providers (including physicians, hospitals, and other health care institutions). Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship or the practice of medicine. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to eliminate the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Amends ERISA to prescribe requirements for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans meeting certain ERISA certification criteria whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations. Limits the commencement of a health care lawsuit, except in certain cases including fraud or intentional concealment, to three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury, whichever occurs first. Limits to $250,000 the amount of noneconomic damages in such a lawsuit, but allows a claim for the full amount of any economic damages. Requires the court, in any health care lawsuit, to supervise the arrangements for payment of damages to protect against conflicts of interest that may have the effect of reducing the amount of damages awarded that are actually paid to claimants. Specifies criteria for the award of punitive damages, limited to the greater of $250,000 or double the amount of economic damages. Preempts state law with respect to health care lawsuits. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) require any health plan to provide coverage of or access to abortion services; or (2) allow the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, or any other federal or non-federal person or entity in implementing this Act to require coverage of, or access to, abortion services. Prohibits the use of funds authorized or appropriated by this Act to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes abortion coverage, except: (1) if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) in the case where a pregnant female suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the female in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2013
Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act - Directs: (1) the Secretary of the military department concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces (members) who were killed or wounded in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009; and (2) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom to civilian employees and contractors of DOD who were killed or wounded in such attack. Deems, for purposes of all applicable federal benefit laws, regulations, and policies: (1) such members to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an enemy act; and (2) such employees to have been killed or wounded by hostile action while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation and to have been killed or wounded in a terrorist attack. Excludes any member whose death or wound was the result of willful misconduct. Applies such provisions to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other psychological injuries that were a a result of such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Stability, Security, and Fairness Resolution of 2013 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2014. Appropriates amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2013 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division A of P.L. 113-6); the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6); and The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6). Requires the rate for operations for each account to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: section 3004 of division G of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), if any; and the sequestration order issued to enforce a specified budget goal pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act). (The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act was amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011 to revise the discretionary spending limits and reduce the discretionary appropriations and direct spending specified in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act unless a joint committee bill achieving an amount greater than $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction would be enacted by January 15, 2012.) Provides funding under this joint resolution through FY2014, unless otherwise provided for in this division or in the applicable appropriations Act. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including those for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such fiscal year. Enacts the following bills into law: H.R. 2216 (Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014), as engrossed by the House of Representatives on June 4, 2013; H.R. 2217 (Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014), as engrossed by the House on June 6, 2013; and H.R. 2397 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014), as engrossed by the House on July 24, 2013. Amends the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to reduce the discretionary category in new budget authority for FY2014 from $1.066 trillion to $967.473 million. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), if for FY2014 the amount of new budget authority provided by this joint resolution exceeds such discretionary spending limits, to increase the applicable percentage of 0% by the amount necessary to eliminate the excess of the limit. Rescinds the applicable 0%, subject to such requirement, of: the budget authority provided (or obligation limit imposed) for FY2014 for any discretionary account in section 101 of this joint resolution, the budget authority provided in any advance appropriation for FY2014 for any discretionary account (excluding any account funded under section 111 of this joint resolution) in any prior fiscal year appropriation Act, and the contract authority provided in FY2014 for any program subject to limitation incorporated or otherwise contained in section 101 of this joint resolution. Exempts: amounts designated by the Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT) or for disaster relief; or the amount made available by this joint resolution for "Social Security Administration, Limitation on Administrative Expenses" for continuing disability reviews under titles II (Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance [OASDI] Benefits) and XVI (Grants to States for Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled) of the Social Security Act (SSA), and for the cost associated with conducting redeterminations of eligibility under SSA title XVI. Prohibits, during any fiscal year, the use of federal funds to carryout: (1) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA); or (2) certain PPACA related requirements in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Rescinds any funds provided by PPACA, its title, or subtitle for FY2014. Delays: the obligation of any PPACA funds for FY2015 until January 1, 2015; and implementation of PPACA, its related requirements in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or amendments made by either Act until December 31, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 - Title I: Program Reforms and Streamlining - Revises requirements for feasibility studies under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 to: (1) limit the duration of any feasibility study to 3 years; (2) limit the cost of any such study to $3 million; and (3) require personnel of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to conduct concurrent reviews of feasibility studies (currently, sequential reviews are permitted). Requires the Secretary of the Army, not later than 90 days after the initiation of a feasibility study, to initiate federally-mandated reviews, including environmental reviews. Amends the WRDA of 2000 to authorize the Secretary to accept and expend funds contributed by a public utility company to expedite the evaluation of a permit for a water resources project or activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army. Amends the WRDA of 2007 to designate the Corps as the federal lead agency in the environmental review process (i.e., preparation of an environmental impact statement, environmental assessment, categorical exclusion, or other document under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [NEPA]) for a water resources project study. Requires the Corps to: (1) facilitate the expeditious resolution of the environmental review process and complete documents required by NEPA, (2) conduct concurrent environmental reviews, and (3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation in and comment on the environmental review process for a project. Repeals requirements for: (1) a reconnaissance study by the Corps prior to initiating a feasibility study, and (2) review of the cost effectiveness of the design of each water resources project that has a total cost in excess of $10 million. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for the review of section 14 applications. Defines a "section 14 application" as an application for the temporary occupation or use of a public work or the alteration or permanent occupation or use of a public work. Authorizes a non-federal interest (i.e., a sponsor for a water resources project, including federally-recognized Indian tribes and nonprofit entities) to: (1) provide funds to the Corps to carry out feasibility studies and to carry out authorized federal water resources development projects, and (2) make contributions to the operation and maintenance of the inland navigation facilities. Extends the authority of the Secretary to carry out water-related planning activities and studies in Indian country in FY2014-FY2023. Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program to evaluate the cost effectiveness and project delivery efficiency of allowing non-federal interests to carry out at least 15 authorized water resources development projects for coastal harbor improvement, channel improvement, inland navigation, flood damage reduction, and hurricane and storm damage reduction. Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on feasibility studies under this Act and on proposed modifications to an authorized water resources development project or feasibility study. Requires the President, as part of the President's annual budget submission to Congress, to identify and recommend Corps construction projects for which Congress should provide funding at the full level authorized for such projects. Requires the Corps, as part of such budget process, to report on the prioritization of federal action for the next fiscal year to mitigate for fish and wildlife losses due to Corps water resources projects in the Missouri River Basin. Directs the Secretary to make specific project recommendations relating to flood and storm damage reduction activities under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a locally preferred plan that provides a higher level of flood protection and is funded by non-federal interests; (2) evaluate alternatives to ensure safety of affected communities and the resiliency of water resources development projects to future flooding and storm events; and (3) establish procedures for providing the public and governmental entities, including Indian tribes, with timely information regarding expected water levels and preparedness actions. Amends the WRDA of 1974 to authorize the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states to encourage state programs for levee safety. Requires the Secretary to establish federal guidelines relating to levee safety. Requires the Secretary to: (1) undertake a comprehensive review of Corps policy on vegetation management for levees, and (2) report on the use of electronic commerce in federal procurement. Amends the WRDA of 1992 to require the Secretary to consider the beneficial use of dredged material in a manner that contributes to the maintenance of sediment resources in the nearby costal system. Directs the Secretary to encourage: (1) advanced modeling technologies, including 3-dimensional digital modeling, for activities related to water resources development projects and studies; (2) corrosion prevention activities at water resources development projects; and (3) the use of durable, resilient, and sustainable material and practices in carrying out Corps activities. Requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the management practices, priorities, and authorized purposes at Corps reservoirs in arid regions. Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should consider a water resources development bill not less than once every Congress. Title II: Navigation Improvements - Subtitle A: Ports - Authorizes the Secretary, for any fiscal year in which specified target appropriations are met, to use up to 5% of the total amount made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for eligible operations and maintenance costs described in the WRDA of 1986 for that fiscal year for expanded uses of such Trust Fund. Amends the WRDA of 1986 to direct the Secretary to: (1) assess the operation and maintenance needs of harbors used for commercial navigation and fishing and other purposes; (2) make expenditures to pay for operation and maintenance costs of the harbors, based on an equitable allocation of funds among all such harbors, regardless of the size or tonnage throughput of the harbor; (3) allocate, in each of FY2015-2016, not less than 10% of the total amount of the expenditures to pay for operation and maintenance costs of emerging harbors (those that transit less than 1 million tons of commerce annually); and (4) manage and allocate funding for all individually authorized projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single, comprehensive system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a non-federal interest to maintain a navigation project for a harbor or inland harbor (federally authorized harbor) in accordance with the WRDA of 1986. Amends the WRDA of 2007 to direct the Secretary to consolidate deep draft navigation expertise within the Corps into a deep draft navigation planning center of expertise. Authorizes the Secretary, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to reopen the Cape Arundel Disposal Site in Maine as an alternative dredged material disposal site. Subtitle B: Inland Waterways - Directs the Secretary, for certain projects for navigation infrastructure of the inland and intracoastal waterways, to utilize certified project managers, utilize risk-based cost estimates, evaluate early contractor involvement acquisition procedures, review the use of fully funded contracts or continuing contracts, identify best management practices to speed project delivery, and develop a portfolio of standard design for inland navigation locks. Directs the Secretary to develop and submit a 20-year investment strategy for making capital investments on the inland and intracoastal waterways. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to prepare a report on the efficiency of collecting the fuel tax for the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary to study methods of financing the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, including issuance of tax-exempt bonds and imposing user fees, and to consider the feasibility of fees and revenues from alternative sources. Directs the Secretary to conduct an inland waterways stakeholder roundtable to provide for a review and evaluation of alternative approaches to: (1) address the financial needs of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and (2) support the water infrastructure needs of the Inland Waterways System. Requires 25% of the cost of construction for the Olmsted Project (a navigation project for Locks 52 and 53 on the Lower Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky) to be paid from amounts appropriated from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. Expresses the sense of Congress that the appropriation for the Project should not be less than $150 million for each fiscal year until construction of the Project is completed. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress an annual financial plan for any inland waterways project that has an estimated total cost of $500 million or more. Directs the Secretary, at least 90 days before carrying out a proposed modification to the operation of a lock at a project for navigation on the inland waterways, to: (1) provide notice of the proposed modification in the Federal Register, and (2) accept public comments on the proposed modification. Directs the Secretary to assess the operation and maintenance needs of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Directs the Secretary to study and report on the impact of closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minnesota on the economy and the environment. Provides for the closure of such facility if the annual average tonnage moving through it during the preceding 5 years was not more than 1.5 million tons. Authorizes the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to: (1) design and construct one or more hydroelectric generating facilities at the W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River, Oklahoma; and (2) market the electricity generated from any such facility. Title III: Deauthorizations and Backlog Prevention - Directs the Secretary to submit to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and publish in the Federal Register, a report that lists each authorized water resources development project, or separable element of a project, authorized for construction before November 8, 2007: (1) for which construction was not initiated before the enactment of this Act or for which no funds were obligated for construction of the project during the 5-year period ending on July 1, 2013; and (2) that has an estimated cost to complete of at least $12 billion. Directs the Secretary to conduct an assessment of all properties under the control of the Corps of Engineers and develop an inventory of the properties that are not needed for its missions. Provides that a water resources development project, or separable element of such project, shall not be authorized for construction by this Act after the last day of the seven-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act unless during that period funds have been obligated for construction of such project. Deauthorizes projects for flood protection, navigation, shoreline protection, and other improvement at specified locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, and Wisconsin. Provides for land conveyances in Oklahoma and Washington. Title IV: Water Resources Infrastructure - Authorizes specified final feasibility studies for water resources development and conservation and other purposes, including regarding: (1) navigation in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia; (2) flood risk management in Kansas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Kentucky; (3) hurricane and storm damage risk reduction in North Carolina and California; (4) hurricane and storm damage risk reduction and environmental restoration in Mississippi; and (5) environmental restoration in Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Modifies projects for: (1) navigation at Miami Harbor, Miami-Dade County, Florida, and at the Lower Ohio River, Illinois and Kentucky; and (2) flood control at Little Calumet River Basin (Cady Marsh Ditch), Indiana.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Ansar al-Sharia Terrorist Designation Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on whether the Libyan faction of Ansar al-Sharia meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization, and if not, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Libyan faction of Ansar al-Sharia should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the American people and Congress do not support the use of the U.S. Armed Forces in, or directed at, Syria; and (2) there are not overriding imminent U.S. national security interests at stake and Congress will not fund any military action taken in contradiction to this joint resolution. Prohibits the use of funds available to any U.S. government department or agency for the use of force in, or directed at, Syria by the U.S. Armed Forces unless a subsequent Act of Congress specifically authorizes such use of force or there is an attack or imminent attack on the United States, its territories or possessions, or the U.S. Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2013
Immediate Establishment of Syrian War Crimes Tribunal Resolution - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should urge the government of Syria and other groups involved in the civil war in Syria to implement an immediate cease fire and engage in negotiations to end the bloodshed; (2) the United States should declare that it is a requirement of basic justice that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, whether committed by officials of the government of Syria or members of other groups involved in the civil war in Syria, should be investigated and prosecuted; (3) the President should direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations (U.N.) to promote the establishment of a Syrian war crimes tribunal; (4) in working with other countries to establish a Syrian war crimes tribunal the United States should promote judicial procedures that enable the prosecution of the most culpable persons guilty of directing such crimes; (5) the United States should make an immediate priority the collection of information for use as evidence to support the indictment and trial of any person responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Syria; and (6) the United States should urge other interested states to apprehend and deliver into the custody of a Syrian war crimes tribunal persons indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Syria, and urge such states to provide relevant information to the tribunal.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 232 Southwest Johnson Avenue in Burleson, Texas, as the "Sergeant William Moody Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Armed Services Always Paid Act or ASAP Act - Provides for funding the pay and allowances, without interruption, of members of the Armed Forces, including reserve personnel, during any period of lapsed appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
No Bailouts for State and local Governments Act - Prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase or guarantee obligations of, issue lines of credit to, or provide direct or indirect grants-in-aid to any state, municipal, local, or county government which, on or after January 1, 2013, has filed for bankruptcy, has defaulted on its obligations, is at risk of defaulting, or is likely to default, without such federal assistance if such purchase, guarantee, extension of credit, or grant is made to assist the government in: (1) avoiding defaulting on the payment of principal or interest due on an obligation of the government, or (2) curing such a default. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from using, directly or indirectly, general fund revenues or borrowed funds to purchase or guarantee, for the same purposes, any asset or obligation of any such state, municipal, local, or county government. Prohibits the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from: (1) providing or extending to, or authorizing with respect to, such a state, municipal, local, or county government, or other entity with taxing authority or bonding authority, for the same purposes, any funds, loan guarantees, credits, or any other financial instrument or other authority, including bond purchases; or (2) otherwise assisting such a government entity, for the same purposes, under any Board authority. Waives the application of this Act for federal assistance provided in response to a natural disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) vote against China (PRC) regaining United Nations Council on Human Rights (UNHRC) membership and encourage other members to vote against its election, and (2) encourage another member to stand for election as an alternate candidate from the Asia-Pacific region.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Prohibits the House of Representatives from bringing any legislation including any conference report regarding immigration to the House floor for a vote until the U.S. southern border is secured, as confirmed by the governors and the legislatures jointly of the four southern border states.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal in honor of President Shimon Peres of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Fairness for America's Heroes Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to exempt veterans, until January 1, 2015, from the penalty for failure to maintain minimum essential health care coverage. Defines a "veteran," for purposes of this Act, as an individual who served on active duty (other than active duty for training) and who has been discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 350,000 $1 silver coins, and 300,000 half dollar clad coins to commemorate the centennial of the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the 100 years of Boys Town, one of the largest nonprofit child care agencies in the United States. Permits issuance of such coins only between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2013
Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel Act- Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should recognize the sovereign status of an undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital; (2) recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and transferring the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv will send a signal of U.S. commitment to Israel; and (3) the Secretary of State should transfer the Embassy to 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, repurpose or sell the Embassy in Tel Aviv, and deposit any sale proceeds in the Asset Management Account of the Department of State. Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to repeal, as of January 1, 2014, the President's authority to waive the limitation on the obligation of funds for acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013 - Amends: (1) the federal criminal code to expand the scope of prohibitions against sex trafficking to include patronizing or soliciting a commercial sex act with a victim of sex trafficking, and (2) the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to expand the definition of "sex trafficking" to include patronizing or soliciting a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Directs the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Innocence Lost National Initiative engage in activities, programs, or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of state and local law enforcement officers in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Delays for one year the effective date of any provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or of any health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2011 that were scheduled to take effect on or after January 1, 2014. Suspends for one year, beginning January 1, 2014, any tax or tax increase imposed by such provisions if the tax or increase takes effect before that date.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Declares that no premium tax credits or reductions in cost-sharing for the purchase of qualified health benefit plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) shall be allowed before the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies to Congress that there is a program in place, consistent with PPACA requirements, that verifies the household income and coverage requirements of individuals applying for such credits and cost-sharing reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2013
Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act of 2013 - GSE Bailout Elimination and Taxpayer Protection Act - Directs the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), five years after enactment of this Act, to appoint FHFA as receiver of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or (GSEs) under the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, to carry out mandatory receivership (thus terminating the current conservatorship for such GSEs). Repeals the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charters effective five years after enactment of this Act. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to prescribe specified requirements, limitations, and prohibitions on GSE activities until their charters are repealed and authorities terminated. FHA Reform and Modernization Act of 2013 - Establishes the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as a wholly owned government corporation to: (1) provide residential mortgage insurance and other credit enhancement and related activities; (2) supplement private sector activity by serving hard-to-serve markets, developing new mortgage products, and filling gaps in the provision and delivery of mortgage credit; and (3) deliver housing mortgage insurance and credit enhancement and provide other services in a non-discriminatory manner. Prescribes FHA requirements concerning: (1) budget and business plans; (2) examinations, reports, and cost estimates; (3) the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund and capital ratios, reserves, and restoration plans; (4) borrower suspension, ineligibility, and foreclosure; (5) mortgage repurchase; (6) mortgagee indemnification; (7) eminent domain; and (8) residual income. Transfers to FHA, at the end of a five-year transition period, the functions of, authority provided to, and the responsibilities of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and HUD personnel. Amends the National Housing Act to repeal the home equity conversion mortgage (reverse mortgage) program and mortgage insurance for hospitals. National Mortgage Market Utility Act of 2013 - Requires the Director of FHFA to provide for the organization, incorporation, examination, operation, and regulation of a not-for-profit national mortgage market Utility to: (1) enhance efficiency, liquidity, and security in the secondary market for residual mortgages; (2) establish standards for originating and servicing eligible collateral and for issuers and trustees of qualified securities, which would be exempt from the Securities Act of 1933; and (3) operate a common securitization platform that could be available to issues of residential mortgage-backed securities. Prohibits the Utility from: (1) originating, servicing, insuring, or guaranteeing any residential mortgage or other associated financial instrument; or (2) guaranteeing timely payment of principal or interest on any mortgage-related security. Requires the Director to: (1) issue a charter for the Utility; and (2) oversee the transfer to the Utility of the securitization infrastructure announced by the FHFA on October 4, 2012, and as developed by an enterprise or the enterprises in conservatorship (the Platform). Sets forth standards for qualified securities. Directs the utility to organize and operate a national mortgage data repository. United States Covered Bond Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a covered bond regulatory oversight program for the evaluation and maintenance of programs of eligible issuers under which, on the security of a single cover pool, one or more series of covered bonds may be issued. Defines covered bonds as any recourse debt obligation of an eligible issuer that: (1) has an original term to maturity of not less than one year, (2) is secured by a perfected security interest in or other perfected lien on a cover pool owned directly or indirectly by the obligation's issuer, (3) is issued under a covered bond program approved by the applicable covered bond regulator, (4) is identified in a register of covered bonds maintained by the Secretary, and (5) is not a deposit subject to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Amends the Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act of 1984 to authorize any person, trust, corporation, partnership, association, business trust, or business entity created under federal or state law to purchase, hold, and invest in covered bonds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the tax treatment of estates created under covered bond programs and certain transfers under covered bond programs. Imposes a tax on certain estates created under covered bond programs. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Comptroller of the Currency to study the impact of the Regulatory Capital Rules finalized by the Board on July 2, 2013 (pursuant to the Third Basel Accord on capital adequacy, stress testing, and market liquidity risk, or Basel III). Prohibits the Board, the FDIC, and the Comptroller of the Currency, in implementing the Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio amendments, from requiring, as a condition for status as a high quality liquid asset, that residential mortgage-backed securities be collateralized only by (or be collateralized by a certain percentage of) full recourse mortgage loans. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to modify the items, compensation, and charges included in points and fees with respect to a high-cost mortgage. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act to exclude from hedge funds and private equity funds certain issuers of asset-backed securities. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to exemptions from specified prohibitions relating to interstate commerce and the mails for transactions by any person other than an issuer, underwriter, or dealer or transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering. Prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from conditioning the availability of such exemptions upon an issuer's undertaking to provide to investors, in connection with initial offers or sales or on an ongoing basis after an initial offer or sale, the same or substantially similar information as would be required in a transaction to which such prohibitions apply. (Thus suspends Regulation AB II rulemaking.) Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to repeal the requirement that federal banking agencies and the SEC jointly prescribe credit risk regulations for securitizers to retain an economic interest in a portion of the credit risk for any asset the securitizer, through the issuance of an asset-backed security, transfers, sells, or conveys to a third party. Amends the Truth in Lending Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act to make exemptions from specified requirements, or repeal related requirements, for certain residential mortgages, particularly those serving as collateral for a qualified security. Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 with respect to: (1) timeliness of examination reports, (2) examination standards, (3) establishment of an Office of Examination Ombudsman, and (4) the right to appeal before an independent administrative law judge. Common Sense Economic Recovery Act of 2013 - Cites circumstances under which, for purposes of determining capital requirements or measuring an insured depository institution's capital, such an institution may treat a non-accrual loan as an accrual loan. (Non-accrual [also known as non-performing or doubtful] loans are those on which interest is overdue and full collection of principal is uncertain, and so interest, if it has not been paid in over 90 days, cannot be credited to the bank's revenue account until it has actually been received.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from enforcing any federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing (including any component of that process), relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in any state that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for that activity. Requires the Department to recognize and defer to state regulations, permitting, and guidance, for all activities related to hydraulic fracturing relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on federal land regardless of whether those rules are duplicative, more or less restrictive, have different requirements, or do not meet federal guidelines. Defines "hydraulic fracturing" as the process by which fracturing fluids (including a fracturing fluid system) are pumped into an underground geologic formation to generate fractures or cracks, thereby increasing rock permeability near the wellbore and improving production of natural gas or oil.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2013
United States-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation Act of 2013 - Authorizes the President, acting through the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of State, to provide assistance, upon request of the Israeli government, for the procurement of the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system, as well as authorization for cooperation on the development, maintenance, enhancement, and sustainment of the David's Sling, Arrow, and Arrow 3 anti-missile defense systems, for the purposes of intercepting rockets, missiles, and projectiles launched against Israel.
![Official portrait of Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000814_200.jpg)