United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Government Shutdown Prevention Act - Makes specified provisional (automatic) continuing appropriations in the event that any regular appropriation bill for a fiscal year is not enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year, or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. (Thus prevents a federal government shutdown.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits all outlays for a fiscal year (including those for debt service and other debt functions) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit. Prohibits outlays for the total budget from exceeding the previous fiscal years' outlays plus population growth and inflation, unless such increase is approved by two-thirds of each chamber by a roll call vote. Directs the House of Representatives to develop a balanced budget annually. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by two-thirds of each chamber by a roll call vote. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect only by a vote of a majority of both chambers. Requires all: (1) outlays above revenues from the previous fiscal year to be accounted for in the outlays and budgets of the following fiscal year; and (2) surplus revenues at the end of a fiscal year to be allocated to a fund to be returned to the taxpayers, determined by legislation before the end of the subsequent fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Express the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Completion Act - Provides for the appointment of members of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission to a four-year term. Ensures that a design is selected by the Commission for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial as an alternative to any designs submitted or selected before this Act's enactment. Prohibits the use of federal funds to establish the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act - Requires the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to cease all activity that requires a quorum of Board members. Prohibits the Board from implementing, administering, or enforcing any decision, rule, vote, or other action decided, undertaken, adopted, issued, or finalized on or after January 4, 2012, that requires a quorum of the Board members. Terminates the requirements of this Act upon: (1) confirmation of all Board members constituting a quorum with the advice and consent of the Senate, (2) a decision by the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of Board appointments made in January 2012, or (3) the adjournment sine die of the first session of the 113th Congress. Prohibits, in the event of this Act's termination, the implementation, administration, or enforcement of any Board action occurring on or after January 4, 2012, that requires authorization by not less than a quorum of the Board members, unless and until the action is considered and acted upon by a Board constituting a quorum, or the Supreme Court issues a decision on the constitutionality of the Board appointments made in January 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should not sign the Arms Trade Treaty, and that, if he transmits the Treaty with his signature to the Senate, the Senate should not ratify it; and (2) until the Treaty has been signed by the President, received the advice and consent of the Senate, and has been the subject of implementing legislation by Congress, no federal funds should be appropriated or authorized to implement the Treaty, or any similar agreement, or to conduct activities relevant to the Treaty, or any similar agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA] ) to transfer annually, without further appropriation, unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to nonprofit organizations that operate multiple airport centers throughout the United States to provide a place of rest and recuperation for Armed Forces members and their families. (Currently, such moneys are retained by the TSA for civil aviation security.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Life at Conception Act - Declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being beginning at the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Prohibits construing this Act to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Military Tribunals for Terrorists Act of 2013 - Requires trial only by a military commission for any foreign national who: (1) engages or has engaged in an offense relating to a terrorist attack against persons or property in the United States or U.S. government property or personnel outside the United States, and (2) is subject to trial for that offense by a military commission under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
President's Salary Suspended Unless Budget Measure Is On Time Act or President's Salary SUBMIT Act - Requires the payroll administrator responsible for the disbursement of the President's compensation to deposit in an escrow account all such payments otherwise required to be made, if by the first Monday in February of a year the President has not submitted his budget for the succeeding fiscal year. Requires the deposits to begin the day after such Monday and to be released to the President on the earlier of: the day on which he submits the budget, or the last day of his term of office in which such first Monday occurs. Makes this requirement inapplicable to a budget required to be submitted by the President within 30 days after: the commencement date of the term for which the President is elected; or the date as of which a successor fills a vacancy in the office of the President which resulted from his removal from office, death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of such office.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Requires the Secretary of Commerce, in conducting any survey relating to the Census, to include in instructions for completing any such survey that participation in the survey is optional, except that survey respondents must provide their names, contract information, the date of response, and the number of people living or staying at the same addresses where the respondents reside. Prohibits any person participating in a survey from being fined or otherwise compelled to answer questions in connection with the survey (except for the basic questions permitted by this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2013 - Requires each executive or military department or independent establishment to obtain all goods and services necessary for or beneficial to the accomplishment of its authorized functions by procurement from private sources, except if: (1) such goods or services are required by law to be produced or performed by such agency; or (2) the head of the agency determines and certifies that federal production, manufacture, or provision of a good or service is necessary for the national defense or homeland security, that a good or service is so inherently governmental in nature that it is in the public interest to require production or performance by government employees, or that there is no private source capable of providing the good or service. Requires such private sector provision of goods and services to be performed through: (1) the divestiture of federal involvement, (2) the award of a contract using competitive procedures, or (3) conducting a public-private competitive sourcing analysis in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures and determining that using the private sector is in the best interest of the United States and provides the best value to the taxpayer. Authorizes an agency head to utilize federal employees to provide goods or services previously provided by a private sector entity upon completion of a public-private competitive sourcing analysis and after determining that provision by federal employees provides the best value. Requires the Director of OMB to carry out a study, in conjunction with the Comptroller General (GAO), to evaluate the activities carried out in each agency.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Surface Transportation and Taxation Equity Act or the STATE Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the federal excise tax on gasoline and special fuels (but not below two cents per gallon) by corresponding increases in fuel taxes imposed by states as of March 12, 2013 (the date of introduction of this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Calls for the President to refrain from any further vacations at the taxpayers' expense until such sums have been saved that the White House can be reopened for public tours.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2013
Rescinds $500 million of unobligated amounts of foreign assistance for Egypt. Appropriates $500 million for the Department of Defense (DOD) tuition assistance program for FY2013.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to exempt from the requirement to obtain a hazardous material (hazmat) endorsement all class A commercial driver's license (CDL) holders who are custom harvesters, agricultural retailers, agricultural business employees, agricultural cooperative employees, or agricultural producers who operate a service vehicle with a fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000) gallons or less of diesel fuel if the tank is clearly marked with a placard reading "Diesel Fuel."
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2013 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide access to services under medication therapy management programs for Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Program) eligible individuals with a single chronic disease. Allows the application of this Act only if the Chief Actuary for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determines that such application with regard to a particular single chronic disease is not projected to increase overall costs to the Medicare program over the following five year period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Defund Obamacare Act - Deauthorizes appropriations to carry out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or any amendments made by them. Rescinds the unobligated balance of funds made available under such Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
English Language Unity Act of 2013 - Makes English the official language of the United States. Requires, subject to exceptions and rules of construction, that: (1) official functions of the U.S. government be conducted in English, and (2) all naturalization ceremonies be conducted in English. Establishes a uniform English language rule for naturalization. Makes English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, presumptively consistent with the laws of the United States. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue for public notice and comment a proposed rule for uniform testing of English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
ACCESS (ADA Compliance for Customer Entry to Stores and Services) Act of 2013 - Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit an aggrieved person from commencing a civil action for discrimination based on the failure to remove a structural barrier to entry into an existing public accommodation unless the owner or operator of such accommodation: (1) is provided a written notice specific enough to identify such barrier; and (2) has, within specified time periods, either failed to provide the aggrieved person with a written description outlining improvements that will be made to remove such barrier or provided such description and failed to remove such barrier.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include in the definition of "biobased product" forest products that meet biobased content requirements, notwithstanding the market share the product holds, the product's age, or whether the market for the product is new or emerging. Defines "forest product" as a product made from materials derived from the practice of forestry or the management of growing timber, including: (1) pulp, paper, paperboard, pellets, and wood products; and (2) any recycled products derived from forest materials.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) should encourage other countries, through bilateral, regional, and multilateral fora, to establish commercially meaningful de minimis values for express and postal shipments of articles that are exempt from customs duties and certain entry documentation requirements, as appropriate. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to increase from $200 to $800 for 2014, and to $800 adjusted annually for inflation after 2014, the aggregate retail value in the country of shipment of articles that may be imported duty-free into the United States by one person on one day.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to include military technicians (dual status) in military personnel accounts for purposes of any sequestration order issued by the President after January 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Declares that any agency action taken by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) since January 4, 2012, shall be void unless each NLRB member has been appointed: (1) by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, or (2) by the President to fill a vacancy during a recess of the Senate. Terminates such requirements upon final disposition of all actions alleging as a material fact the unconstitutionality of the appointment of individuals to the NLRB that are pending before a federal court as of enactment of this Act. Prohibits the NLRB from taking any agency action until final disposition is made in all such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Religious Freedom Tax Repeal Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt an employer opposed by reason of adherence to a religious belief or moral conviction from the tax penalty imposed for failure of a group health plan to cover required women's preventive care and screenings. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from bringing an action against a plan to enforce any requirement to provide such coverage to which an employer is opposed by reason of adherence to a religious belief or moral conviction. Exempts group health plans from penalties under state and federal enforcement provisions of the Public Health Service Act for failure to meet such women's health requirements insofar as they concern coverage to which an employer is opposed on the basis of religious belief or moral conviction.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Supports Israel's lawful exercise of self-defense, including actions to stop Iranian aggression such as a strike against Iran's illegal nuclear program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 - Declares that Israel is a major strategic partner of the United States. Amends the Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 to extend authority to: (1) make additions to foreign-based defense stockpiles, and (2) transfer certain obsolete or surplus Department of Defense (DOD) items to Israel. Authorizes the President to carry out U.S.-Israel cooperative activities and to provide assistance for cooperation in the fields of energy, water, homeland security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies. Amends the the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to extend the grant program for U.S.-Israeli cooperation on research, development, and commercialization of renewable energy or energy efficiency. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States and Israel should increase cyber-security cooperation. Urges the President to provide assistance for enhancement of the David's Sling Weapon System, the joint United States-Israel Arrow Weapon System, and the Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system. States that it shall be U.S. policy to include Israel in the visa waiver program when Israel satisfies such program's inclusion requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
Health Care Conscience Rights Act - Amends title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to declare that nothing in such title shall require an individual to purchase individual health insurance coverage that includes coverage of an abortion or other item or service to which the individual has a moral or religious objection, or prevent an issuer from offering or issuing, to that individual, individual coverage excluding such item or service. Makes similar denials about requiring a sponsor to sponsor, purchase, or provide such coverage, or a health insurance issuer or group health plan sponsor to cover an abortion or other item or service to which the sponsor or issuer has a moral or religious objection. Denies also that such title authorizes imposition of a tax, penalty, fee, fine, or other sanction, or imposition of coverage of such an item or service, in relation to health insurance coverage or a group health plan that excludes such an item or service. Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against any action by the federal government and any state or local government receiving federal financial assistance to subject a health professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of abortion discrimination prohibition. Creates a cause of action for the Attorney General or any person or entity adversely affected to obtain equitable or legal relief for any violation of this abortion discrimination prohibition. Allows commencement of an action to be commenced and the granting of relief without a prerequisite pursuit of administrative remedies. Allows such an action against a federal or state governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2013
Support Democracy in Egypt Act - Prohibits the U.S. government from allowing the sale, lease, transfer, retransfer, or delivery of F-16 aircraft, M1 tanks, or certain other defense articles or services to Egypt until the President certifies to Congress that Egypt: (1) is curtailing support for terrorist activities conducted by foreign terrorist organizations; (2) has adopted policies that promote religious and political freedoms; (3) is carrying out concerted efforts to enforce access along the Sinai Peninsula, including preventing illegal weapons smuggling between Egypt and Gaza; and (4) is fully implementing the 1979 Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Justice for the American Diplomats Held Hostage in Tehran Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a common fund to be administered by the class representatives and agents for the former American hostages in Iran and their survivors (case number 1:08-CV-00487 (EGS) of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) in order to pay claims to the American hostages and to family members identified as class members. Finances the fund from: (1) fines and penalties for violations of activities with respect to any government or person by reason of a connection with Iran, and (2) seized or frozen Iranian assets or assets from persons or entities subject to Iran-related sanctions. Sets forth payment priority and amount provisions. States that the United States shall be fully subrogated with respect to payments to all rights of each individual paid under this Act against the government of Iran or the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Accountability Act of 2013 - Directs the President to impose sanctions for not less that two years on any foreign person who on or after September 1, 2007, transferred to or acquired from Iran, Syria, or North Korea: (1) certain listed nuclear, dual use, missile, chemical, biological, toxic, or nonlisted but otherwise prohibited goods, services, or technology; (2) acquired, mined, or otherwise extracted materials within the territory or control of Iran, North Korea, or Syria for purposes relating to such countries' nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or missile development programs; (3) transferred to Iran, Syria, or North Korea goods, services, or technology that could assist such countries' efforts to extract or mill uranium ore; or (4) provided a vessel, insurance, or any other shipping service for transporting goods to or from Iran, North Korea, or Syria for purposes relating to such countries' nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or missile development programs. Directs the President to impose sanctions for at least two years on any foreign person that knowingly participated in a uranium-related joint venture with Iran, North Korea, or Syria, or with persons acting on behalf of, or entities controlled by, such countries. Applies the following sanctions to such prohibited activities: (1) arms export prohibitions, (2) Executive Order 12938 prohibitions, (3) dual use export prohibitions, (4) investment prohibitions, (5) financing prohibitions, (6) financial assistance prohibitions, (7) exclusion of corporate officers from the United States, and (8) sanctions on principal executive officers. Prohibits U.S. nuclear cooperation agreements and related export licenses and transfers of materials, services and goods with a country that is assisting the nuclear program of Iran, North Korea, or Syria, or is transferring advanced conventional weapons to such countries. Directs the President to submit an annual report to Congress that identifies each country that allows foreign persons under its jurisdiction to engage in sanctionable activities. Directs the President to prohibit assistance (other than humanitarian assistance) under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and not issue export licenses for defense articles or defense services under the Arms Export Control Act to a foreign country that is assisting Iran, North Korea, or Syria in the acquisition, development, or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles. Prohibits any U.S. government agency from making extraordinary payments in connection with the International Space Station to the Russian Aviation and Space Agency or any other organization of the government of the Russian Federation unless the President has reported to Congress that: (1) it is Russian policy to oppose the proliferation to or from Iran, North Korea, and Syria of weapons of mass destruction and missile delivery systems; (2) the government of the Russian Federation has demonstrated a commitment to prevent the transfer to or from Iran, North Korea, and Syria of goods, services, and technology that could make a material contribution to Iran's nuclear, biological, chemical weapons, or missile programs; and (3) the Russian Aviation and Space Agency has not, during the one-year period ending on the date of such presidential determination, made transfers that are reportable under this Act to or from Iran, North Korea, or Syria. Authorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to make extraordinary payments in connection with the International Space Station to the Russian Aviation and Space Agency that would otherwise be prohibited under this Act: (1) if such payments are necessary for crew safety aboard the International Space Station; or (2) for the construction, testing, preparation, delivery, launch, or maintenance of the Service Module, and for the purchase of the pressure dome for the Interim Control Module and the Androgynous Peripheral Docking Adapter for the U.S. propulsion module under specified conditions. Directs the President to report to Congress identifying each Russian person or entity that the U.S. government has paid since November 22, 2005, for work to be performed or services to be rendered under the Agreement Concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station or any related protocol, agreement, or contract. Directs the Secretary of State to deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to exclude from the United States, an alien listed in a report identifying persons involved in specified weapons proliferation activities with Iran. Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to require, before a vessel arrives at a U.S. port, the owner, charterer, operator, or master of the vessel to certify that the vessel did not enter a port in Iran, North Korea, or Syria during the 180-day period ending on the date of the vessel's U.S. port arrival. Prohibits from landing in a U.S. port for at least two years: (1) any vessel for which a false certification was made; and (2) any other vessel owned or operated by a parent corporation, partnership, association, or individual proprietorship of the vessel for which the false certification was made. Directs the Secretary (of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating) to: (1) identify foreign ports at which vessels have landed during the preceding 12-month period that have also landed at ports in Iran, North Korea, or Syria during such period; and (2) inspect vessels arriving in the United States from such foreign ports to establish whether a vessel was involved, during the 12-month period ending on the date of the vessel's U.S. arrival, in any activity that would be sanctionable under this Act. Directs the President to apply foreign exchange, banking, property and loan guarantee sanctions to any person who provides to or acquires from Iran, North Korea, or Syria goods or technology that is used, or is likely to be used, for military applications. Directs the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), before issuing an export license for nuclear cooperation or approving a loan guarantee or any other U.S. assistance with respect to a nuclear energy project, to certify to Congress that issuing the license or approving the loan guarantee will not permit the transfer of any goods or technology that may have military application to Iran, North Korea, or Syria. Prohibits any U.S. contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from being used to support any assistance provided by the IAEA through its Technical Cooperation Program to Iran, North Korea, or Syria. Repeals the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Military Religious Freedom Protection Act - Requires the sincerely held religious or moral beliefs of a member of the Armed Forces concerning the appropriate and inappropriate expression of human sexuality to be accommodated and not the basis of any adverse personnel action, discrimination, or denial of promotion, schooling, training, or assignment (adverse actions). Prohibits a military chaplain from being directed, ordered, or required to perform any duty, rite, ritual, ceremony, service, or function (ceremony) that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs (beliefs) of the chaplain or the chaplain's faith group. Prohibits the refusal of a chaplain to perform a ceremony that is contrary to such beliefs from being the basis of any adverse actions. Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations setting forth guidance to implement such requirements and prohibitions. Prohibits a military installation or other property owned, rented, or otherwise under the jurisdiction or control of the Department of Defense (DOD) from being used to officiate, solemnize, or perform a marriage or marriage-like ceremony involving anything other than the union of one man with one woman.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
EDA Elimination Act of 2013 - Terminates the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Repeals the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take such actions as necessary and appropriate to conclude the outstanding affairs of the EDA, including dispositions of personnel, assets, and obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
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.) Permits an insured depository institution to treat a non-accrual loan as an accrual loan if: (1) the loan is current, (2) no monthly payment has been more than 30 days delinquent during the previous 6-month period, and (3) loan payments are being made pursuant to the contract terms and all parties agree to any refinances and modifications. Prohibits a modified or restructured loan from being treated as a non-accrual loan if the borrower demonstrates the ability to perform on such a loan: (1) over a period of 6 months; or (2) over a period of 3 consecutive payments in the case of a quarterly, semi-annual, or longer repayment schedule. Prohibits the appropriate federal banking agency from: (1) imposing any additional accounting requirements upon an insured depository institution with respect to a loan treated as an accrual loan under this Act if the result of such requirement would adversely impact measurement of the institution's capital, or (2) requiring an insured depository institution to treat a loan as a non-accrual loan solely because the loan collateral has reduced in value. Excludes from the accounting requirements and prohibitions of this Act any issuer of a security registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Directs the Financial Stability Oversight Council to study how best to prevent the issuance of contradictory guidance to such institutions by federal banking agencies with respect to loan classifications and capital requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
American Job Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring certain employers who have a workforce of 50 or more full-time employees to provide health insurance coverage for their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Condemns the attack against the residents of Camp Hurriya in Iraq. Calls on the President to work with Iraq to ensure that the December 25, 2011, Memorandum of Understanding on the temporary relocation and eventual resettlement of the residents of Camp Ashraf is fully implemented and that humanitarian protections for such residents are upheld. Urges the President to work with Iraq and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to return the residents of Camp Hurriya to Camp Ashraf where they will have more protection from any future terrorist attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Requires the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Research and Development at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to provide a comprehensive assessment of research on the implications of the use of mid-level ethanol blends (defined as an ethanol-gasoline blend containing greater than 10% and up to and including 20% ethanol by volume that is intended to be used in any conventional gasoline-powered motor vehicle or nonroad vehicle or engine), comparing mid-level ethanol blends to gasoline blends containing 10% and 0% ethanol; and (2) report on the findings of such assessment and on the agreement or disagreement of the Administrator of EPA with each of such findings. Nullifies waivers granted under the Clean Air Act before this Act's enactment that allow the introduction into commerce of mid-level ethanol blends for use in motor vehicles and prohibits the Administrator from granting any new waivers until after such report is submitted. Requires such assessment to include: (1) an evaluation of the environmental, safety, durability, and performance effects of the introduction of mid-level blends on onroad, nonroad, and marine engines, onroad and nonroad vehicles, and related equipment; and (2) an identification of areas of research, development, and testing necessary to ensure that existing motor fuel infrastructure is not adversely impacted by mid-level ethanol blends and to reduce the risk of misfueling by users at various points in the distribution and supply chain.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to determine if Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization and: (1) if so, designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization; and (2) if not, report to Congress concerning those criteria which have not been met. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the imposition of sanctions on certain Iranian government persons responsible for, or complicit in, human rights abuses, diversion of food and medicine, and censorship. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to subject to mandatory sanctions a financial institution that facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services for a person that: (1) is subject to human rights-related sanctions, or (2) exports sensitive technology to Iran and is subject to the prohibition on procurement contracts. Amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 to authorize the President to impose sanctions on a foreign person that knowingly conducted or facilitated a significant financial transaction with the Central Bank of Iran or other Iranian financial institution subject to sanctions for the purchase of goods (other than petroleum or petroleum products) or services by or from a person in Iran, or on behalf of a person in Iran. Excludes from such sanctions a transaction for the sale of agricultural commodities, food, medicine or medical devices to Iran. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions on a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitated a significant financial transaction on behalf of any person directly or indirectly owned or controlled by an Iranian person included on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Revises the exception to the imposition of sanctions for purchases of Iranian petroleum or petroleum products. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should coordinate with the European Union (EU) and its member states to restrict Iran's access to the euro currency. Directs the President to develop a National Strategy on Iran that provides strategic guidance for addressing threats posed by Iran. Directs the President to report to Congress every 60 days regarding the Iranian nuclear timetable and the projected economic effects of international sanctions on Iran. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding presidential implementation of specified sanctions on Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust Fund Act of 2013 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish the Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust Fund, consisting of revenues from duties paid on imported citrus or citrus products, to support scientific research, technical assistance, and development activities to combat both domestic and invasive citrus diseases and pests harming the United States. Establishes the Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust Fund Advisory Board. Makes Fund amounts available to the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a coordinated program of research and product development relating to: (1) scientific research of both domestic and invasive diseases and pests afflicting the citrus industry; and (2) support for the dissemination and commercialization of relevant information, techniques, and technologies discovered through Fund research or other research projects intended to solve problems caused by citrus production diseases and invasive pests. Requires the President to notify certain congressional committees before entering into a trade agreement that could result in a decrease in the amount of: (1) duties paid on imported citrus or citrus products, and (2) funds transferred into the Fund. Prescribes a formula for required estimated tax payments otherwise due in each of the quarters of 2018 from corporations with assets of at least $1 billion. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) to extend certain customs users fees for the processing of merchandise entered into the United States between October 23, 2021, and November 6, 2021, and other specified customs users fees for merchandise entered between October 30, 2021, and November 13, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to payments for physician services, to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from applying a multiple procedure payment reduction policy to the professional component of imaging services until the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register: (1) an analysis of the information used in the final rule to implement the physician fee schedule in 2013 to determine what, if any, efficiences exist within the professional component of imaging services when two or more studies are performed on the same patient on the same day; and (2) detailed information on which activities in the vignettes in such rule were assigned specified reduction percentages, how such percentage reductions for the pre-, intra-, and post-service work were determined and calculated, and the clinical aspects that went into those decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require: (1) individuals who claim a tax credit for qualified tuition and related expenses under the Hope Scholarship tax credit or the Lifetime Learning tax credit to include their social security numbers on their tax returns, and (2) the educational institutions of such individuals to provide their employer identification numbers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order to consider any bill or joint resolution that appropriates foreign assistance for more than one country.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should suspend the delivery of F-16 fighter aircraft, M1 tanks, and certain defense articles and services listed on the United States Munitions List to the government of Egypt until the President determines that such government: (1) is politically stable as evidenced by a lack of civil unrest and the termination of the use of military force against Egyptian citizens, (2) is a full partner in its alliance with the United States, and (3) demonstrates respect for Israel and its people.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2013
Decrease Spending Now Act - Rescinds $45 billion of unobligated balances of current discretionary appropriations. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) determine which appropriation accounts the rescission shall apply to and the amount that each such account shall be reduced, and (2) report to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress a list of the accounts reduced by the rescission, including the amounts rescinded from each such account. Exempts from such rescission the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2013
Full Faith and Credit Act - Finds that the Secretary of the Treasury shall take all necessary actions to ensure all U.S. obligations with regard to debt held by the public (public debt) are fully discharged when due. Declares that such actions may include the forgoing of obligations not related to public debt for a period of time the Secretary deems necessary. Requires the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on public debt to take priority over all other obligations incurred by the U.S. government in the event that the federal debt reaches the statutory limit. Prescribes a special rule for insufficiency of funds to make public debt payments. Requires the Secretary, if expecting there will be insufficient funds available to dispose of public debt obligations on the next calendar day on which they are due, to extend the maturities of any other obligations and refuse to issue warrants (for any money drawn on the Treasury) to the extent necessary to provide funds the Secretary deems prudent to dispose of public debt obligations within the next 30 days. Requires the Secretary, if receipts exceed those required to meet such public debt obligations, to prioritize the disposal of all other obligations either acquired for the government or delivered by an executive agency, and the issuance of warrants, in the order the Secretary considers advisable and in the public interest.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013 - Deems a domestic mine that will provide strategic and critical minerals to be an "infrastructure project" as described in Presidential Order "Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects" dated March 22, 2012. Sets forth the responsibilities of the lead agency (federal, state, local, tribal, or Alaska Native Corporation) with responsibility for issuing a mineral exploration or mine permit with respect to project coordination, agency consultation, project proponents, contractors, and the status and scope of any environmental impact statement. Requires the lead agency to determine that any such action would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) if the procedural and substantive safeguards of the lead agency's permitting process alone, any applicable state permitting process alone, or a combination of the two processes together provide an adequate mechanism to ensure that environmental factors are taken into account. Requires the lead agency's project lead, at a project proponent's request, to enter into an agreement with the project proponent and other cooperating agencies that sets time limits for each part of the permit review process. Applies this Act to a mineral exploration or mine permit for which an application was submitted before enactment of this Act if the applicant so requests in writing. Requires the lead agency to begin implementing this Act with respect to such application within 30 days after receiving such a request. Requires the lead agency, with respect to strategic and critical materials within a federally administered unit of the National Forest System, to: (1) exempt from federal regulations governing Special Areas all areas of identified mineral resources in Land Use Designations (other than Non-Development Land Use Designations); (2) apply such exemption to all additional routes and areas that the agency finds necessary to facilitate the construction, operation, maintenance, and restoration of the areas of the identified mineral resources; and (3) continue to apply such exemptions after approval of the Minerals Plan of Operations for the unit. Declares the priority of the lead agency is to maximize mineral resource development while mitigating environmental impacts, so that more of the mineral resource can be brought to the market place. Prescribes the Federal Register notice process for mineral exploration and mining projects. Authorizes the holder of a mineral exploration or mine permit to intervene as of right in any covered civil action by a person affecting rights or obligations of the permit holder under the permit. Bars a civil action claiming legal wrong caused by an agency action unless it is filed by the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date of the final federal agency action to which it relates. Requires the court to hear and determine any covered civil action as expeditiously as possible. Prohibits the court, in a covered civil action, from granting or approving prospective relief unless it finds that such relief is narrowly drawn, extends no further than necessary to correct the violation of a legal requirement, and is the least intrusive means necessary to correct such violation. Declares inapplicable to such a civil action specified requirements of the Equal Access to Justice Act relating to award of costs and fees to a prevailing plaintiff. Prohibits payment from the federal government for court costs of a party in such a civil action, including attorneys' fees and expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to eliminate the annual fee on health insurance providers set to be imposed beginning on January 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Protecting American Jobs Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to repeal the authority of the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to issue, and prosecute before the Board, complaints with respect to unfair labor practices. Repeals the prohibition against: (1) review of an administrative law judge's report by any person other than a Board member or legal assistant; and (2) advice to or consultation with the Board by an administrative law judge with respect to exceptions taken to his or her findings, rulings, or recommendations. Limits the Board's rulemaking authority to rules concerning the internal functions of the Board. Prohibits the Board from promulgating rules that affect the substantive rights of a person, employer, employee, or labor organization. Revises Board powers to grant it the authority to investigate unfair labor practices, but repeals its power to prevent any person from engaging in them. Repeals the Board's power to issue a complaint against a person charging an unfair labor practice. Allows an aggrieved party to bring a civil action for relief (including injunctions) in U.S. district court or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in cases where it appears that a person has engaged, is engaging, or is about to engage in an unfair labor practice.