United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2013
No Child Left Inside Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships to support the implementation of state environmental literacy plans that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Includes in the eligible partnerships a local educational agency (LEA) and at least one institution of higher education, another LEA, an elementary or secondary school, or a government or nonprofit entity experienced in environmental literacy. Requires use of the subgrants for one or more of the following activities: providing targeted, job-embedded professional development that improves teachers' environmental content knowledge and pedagogical skills; establishing and operating environmental education summer workshops or institutes for teachers; developing or redesigning more rigorous environmental education curricula; designing programs that prepare teachers to provide environmental education mentoring and training to other teachers in their school; establishing and operating programs to bring teachers and students into contact with working professionals in environmental fields; creating initiatives that incorporate environmental education within teacher training programs or accreditation standards; and promoting the integration of outdoor environmental education lessons into the regular school curriculum and schedule. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to eligible partnerships for one or more of the following activities: developing and implementing state curriculum frameworks for environmental education that meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards for environmental education, replicating or disseminating information about proven and tested model environmental education programs, and developing and implementing new approaches to advancing environmental education and the adoption and use of environmental education content standards. Amends part B (Mathematics and Science Partnerships) of title II of the ESEA to: (1) include nonprofit environmental education organizations and government science, environmental, or natural resource management agencies among the entities eligible to participate in part B partnerships; and (2) allow the use of part B funds to train teachers to use environmental education to enhance student understanding of science and mathematics. Amends part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers) of title IV of the ESEA to include environmental literacy activities among the before and after school activities that such program funds at community learning centers. Directs the Secretary to: request all federal departments and agencies to provide information on any environmental literacy assistance program that they operate, sponsor, or support; make that information searchable and accessible through the Department of Education's website and cross-referenced with the United States Green Ribbon School application information; coordinate environmental literacy activities between the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Commerce; and appoint an advisory panel of stakeholders to advise and support interagency environmental literacy planning and assessment activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Keep Student Loans Affordable Act of 2013 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013, to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2014. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify rules for required distributions from tax-exempt pension plans to an employee who dies before such employee's entire interest is distributed to require such interest to be distributed within five years after the death of such employee, subject to exceptions for an eligible designated beneficiary and surviving spouse of such employee. Defines "eligible designated beneficiary" to include a disabled or chronically-ill individual. Exempts from such modification a binding annuity contract in effect on the enactment date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2018 cancer research programs under the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008. Replaces the current pediatric cancer research and awareness grant program carried out by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with a comprehensive children's cancer biorepositories program. Authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make awards to eligible applicants to build upon existing initiatives to collect biospecimens and clinical and demographic information (including date of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, and patient's gender, race, and ethnicity) for at least 90% of all children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer in Comprehensive Children's Cancer Biorepositories for the purpose of achieving a better understanding of the cause of such cancers and the effects of treatments. Permits award amounts to be used to: (1) acquire, preserve, and store high quality, donated biospecimens and associated clinical and demographic information on children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with cancer in the United States; (2) maintain a secure searchable database for scientists and qualified health care professionals to research such biospecimens and data; and (3) make available and distribute such biospecimens and data to researchers and professionals for peer-reviewed research. Revises the national childhood cancer registry grant program to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants to state cancer registries to enhance and expand infrastructure to track the epidemiology of cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults. Requires a Comptroller General (GAO) report regarding the barriers to conducting pediatric studies of oncologic therapies in applications for new drugs or biological products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including recommendations to improve development and access to new therapies as well as assessments of: (1) the feasibility of requiring studies for a pediatric oncologic indication if the therapeutic target of a drug or biologic product for an adult oncologic indication is highly relevant to any pediatric cancer to which it could apply, and (2) the impact of altering the current exemption for orphan drug designations relating to rare diseases or conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to: (1) redesignate the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking as the Bureau to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and (2) provide for an Assistant Secretary to head the Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Respect for Marriage Act - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable William Dodd Hathaway, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns June 26, 2013, it stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Hathaway.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for a certain four-year period, to require training establishments applying for state approval of on-the-job training programs to certify that the wages to be paid an eligible veteran or person upon entrance into training will be increased in regular periodic increments until, by the last full month of the training period, they will be at least 75% (currently 85%) of the wages paid for the job for which such eligible veteran or person is being trained. Requires the Secretary to enter into agreements with the heads of other federal departments and agencies to operate similar on-the-job training programs to train eligible veterans or persons to perform skills necessary for employment by the department or agency operating the program. Extends from November 30 through December 31, 2016, the requirement of a reduced pension ($90 per month) for veterans (with neither spouse nor child) or surviving spouses (with no child) covered by Medicaid plans under title XIX of the Social Security Act for services furnished by nursing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act - Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Better Buildings Act of 2013 - Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require the Department of Energy's (DOE) Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to study the feasibility of: (1) significantly improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings through the design and construction of separate spaces with high-performance energy efficiency measures, and (2) encouraging owners and tenants to implement such measures in separate spaces. Requires the Secretary to publish such study on DOE's website. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Secretary of Energy to develop a voluntary Tenant Star program within the Energy Star program to recognize tenants in commercial buildings that voluntarily achieve high levels of energy efficiency in separate spaces. Requires DOE's Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to collect data on categories of building occupancy that consume significant quantities of energy and on other aspects of the property, building operation, or building occupancy determined to be relevant to lowering energy consumption. Prohibits the impact on climate change from being a factor in determining energy efficiency of commercial building tenants.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses during National Small Business Week beginning June 17, 2013. Applauds the efforts and achievements of small business owners and their employees. Recognizes the work of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its resource partners in providing assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Recognizes the importance of ensuring that: (1) guaranteed loans, including microloans and venture capital, are made available to all qualified small businesses; (2) management assistance programs delivered by SBA resource partners are recognized for providing invaluable counseling services to entrepreneurs; (3) SBA small business disaster assistance is provided in a timely and efficient manner; (4) affordable Internet access is available to all people in the United States so that small businesses can utilize such access; (5) regulatory relief is provided to small businesses through the reduction of duplicative or unnecessary regulatory requirements; and (6) leveling the playing field for small business contracting opportunities remains a primary focus.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 5% to 10% the allowable ownership interest in real estate investment trust (REIT) stock for purposes of tax exemptions allowed by the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act relating to foreign investment in United States real property interests.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make available to the public HHS claims and payment data related to SSA title XVIII (Medicare), including data on payments made to any service provider or supplier.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face of adversity. Requires the medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian shall make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the 65th Infantry Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Constitutional Amendment - Grants Congress and the states the power to regulate the raising and spending of money and in-kind equivalents with respect to federal and state elections, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS). Authorizes the issuance of coins under this Act only for a one-year period, beginning on January 1, 2016. Requires all sales of coins minted under this Act to include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar clad coin. Requires all of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins to be paid to the National Park Foundation for projects and programs to help preserve and protect resources under the stewardship of the NPS and to promote public enjoyment and appreciation of those resources. Prohibits the surcharges paid to the Foundation from being used for land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2013
Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act of 2013 or PRIME Act of 2013 - Amends part D (Prescription Drug Benefits) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit sponsors of prescription drug plans (PDPs) from paying claims for prescription drugs that do not include the valid National Provider Identifier for the drug's prescriber. Requires the Secretary's annual report to Congress on the use of recovery audit contractors under the Medicare Integrity Program to: (1) describe the types and financial cost of improper payment vulnerabilities identified by recovery audit contractors and how the Secretary is addressing them, and (2) assess the effectiveness of changes made to Medicare payment policies and procedures in order to address those vulnerabilities. Requires the Secretary to address improper payment vulnerabilities in a timely manner, prioritized based on the risk to the Medicare program. Authorizes the Secretary, under recovery audit contracts under both Medicare and Medicaid (SSA title XIX), to retain a certain portion of the recovered amounts for a program management account for activities addressing problems that contribute to improper payments and fraud. Requires the Secretary, under such contracts, to retain an additional 5% of the recovered amounts to be made available to the HHS Inspector General to investigate improper payments or audit internal controls associated with Medicare or Medicaid payments. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to revise the incentive program under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 for the reporting of fraud and abuse to encourage greater participation by individuals reporting Medicare fraud and abuse. Requires the plan to include certain recommendations for: (1) ways to enhance rewards for individuals reporting, and (2) extention of the incentive program to the Medicaid program. Amends SSA title XIX to cover the costs of equipment, salaries and benefits, and travel and training in appropriations for the Medicaid Integrity Program. Allows the Secretary to increase Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) staff whose duties consist solely of protecting the integrity of the Medicare program by a number determined necessary to carry out the Program (currently, by 100). Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for Medicare administrative contractors to reduce the improper payment error rates in their jurisdictions. Requires imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to $500,000 ($1 million in the case of a corporation), or both, for knowingly, intentionally, and with the intent to defraud purchasing, selling, distributing, or arranging for the purchase, sale, or distribution of a Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP beneficiary identification number or billing privileges under SSA titles XVIII, title XIX, or title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program). Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) with respect to the Federal Parent Locator Service to give the CMS Administrator access to information in the National Directory of New Hires to determine the eligibility of an applicant for, or enrollee in, the Medicare program or an applicable state health subsidy program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Requires the Secretary to disclose to the HHS Inspector General information on individuals and their employers in the National Directory of New Hires if the HHS Inspector General gives the Secretary their names and Social Security account numbers. Restricts the use of such information to: (1) determining the eligibility of an applicant for, or enrollee in, the Medicare program or an applicable state health subsidy program; or (2) evaluating the integrity of such programs. Sets forth rules for the use and disclosure of such information by state agencies. Directs the Secretary to establish a plan to encourage and facilitate the participation of states in the Medicare-Medicaid Data Match Program (Medi-Medi Program). Revises Medi-Medi Data Match Program purposes. Amends SSA title XIX, as amended by PPACA, and XXI with respect to claims processing and detection of fraud within the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2013
Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state plans for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that for each child over whom the state has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, the state agency shall: (1) identify and document in agency records each child identified as a victim of sex trafficking, including severe forms of trafficking in certain persons; and (2) report immediately, within 24 hours, any information on missing or abducted children to the law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Requires such plans also to contain a regularly updated description of the specific measures the state agency has taken to protect and provide services to child victims of sex trafficking, including efforts to coordinate with state law enforcement, juvenile justice, and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve that population. Requires the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) to provide comprehensive national information with respect to the aggregate number of children in foster care identified as victims of sex trafficking. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require any law enforcement agency that entered a missing child report into the NCIC to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report received relating to a child reported missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require that the state plan under the Act certifies that the state has in effect and is enforcing a state law, or is operating a statewide program, relating to child abuse and neglect that includes provisions and procedures requiring: (1) identification and assessment of all reports involving child victims of sex trafficking, and (2) training child protective services workers about identifying and providing comprehensive services for such children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress on issues related to identifying, and providing services for, victims of labor trafficking within the child welfare system.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2013
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships to: (1) provide high quality professional development to elementary school principals in early childhood education and development; (2) gain a knowledge base and capacity to provide high quality early childhood education; and (3) collaborate with early childhood education providers, services providers, and families in creating a continuum of high quality development and learning for children in the community and school settings. Requires each partnership to consist of: (1) a public or private entity experienced in training elementary school principals, (2) at least one public agency, and (3) at least one early childhood education organization that trains early childhood education providers. Requires grantees to conduct an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of their grant-funded programs and activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a panel of leading experts in elementary and early childhood education to: (1) identify the best practices in professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education, (2) review the effective coordination of such training among this Act's grantees, and (3) disseminate the latest research and findings regarding such training.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Sensible Accounting to Value Energy Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop and issue guidelines for all federal mortgage agencies (including the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae], the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac], and any affiliates) to implement enhanced loan eligibility requirements, for use when testing the ability of a loan applicant to repay a covered loan, that account for the expected energy cost savings for a loan applicant at a subject property. Directs the Secretary to issue guidelines for how covered agencies shall determine: (1) the maximum permitted loan amount based on the value of the property for all covered loans made on properties with an energy efficiency report, and (2) the estimated energy savings for properties with such a report. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to require standards for the performance of real estate appraisals in connection with federally related transactions to require at a minimum that state certified and licensed appraisers have timely access, where practicable, to information from the property owner and the lender that may be relevant in developing an opinion of value regarding the energy- and water-saving improvements or features of a property. Applies the requirement of state certified appraisers to transactions involving any real property on which the appraiser makes adjustments using an energy efficiency report. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory group on the implementation of the enhanced energy efficiency underwriting criteria established in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
LNG Excise Tax Equalization Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to adjust the excise tax on liquefied natural gas to 24.3 cents per energy equivalent of a gallon of diesel.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Strengthening America's Schools Act of 2013 - Revises and reauthorizes programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Title I: College and Career Readiness for All Students - Amends title I of the ESEA to revise the school improvement program under part A. Eliminates the requirement that local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools make adequate yearly progress toward state academic performance standards or be subject to specified improvements, corrective action, or restructuring. Requires states to adopt college and career ready academic content and achievement standards and assessments in reading, mathematics, science, and English language proficiency. Requires states to adopt and implement assessments of student achievement and academic growth toward those standards that: (1) measure the overall performance of students in each public school; and (2) allow for the disaggregation of the results by gender, each major racial and ethnic group, English proficiency status, migrant status, status as a student with a disability, and economically disadvantaged status. Allows states to adopt alternate academic achievement standards and assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Allows states to develop and administer computer adaptive assessments that measure student growth above or below grade level. Directs states that use school improvement funds to support early childhood education to establish, or certify the existence of, early learning guidelines for preschool-aged children and early grade standards for children in kindergarten through grade three. Requires states to establish annual performance targets for LEAs and elementary and secondary schools that include targets for student proficiency, academic growth, English language proficiency for English learners, and high school graduation rates. Requires LEAs to ensure that each school that, after two consecutive years, has not met state performance targets for the same student subgroup develops and implements a locally designed intervention to improve student achievement in that subgroup. Subjects schools to improvement strategies if they are identified as: (1) focus schools due to their having among the largest achievement or graduation gaps among student subgroups in the state; or (2) priority schools due to their status as the lowest achieving schools in the state, high schools with graduation rates below 60%, or focus schools for the six preceding consecutive years. Requires each LEA that serves a focus school to develop and implement a measurable and data-driven correction plan to improve the performance of the school's low-achieving subgroups. Requires LEAs to conduct a data-driven needs analysis of each of their priority schools and use it to select and implement, as appropriate for each school: (1) a transformation strategy, (2) a turnaround strategy, (3) a whole school reform strategy, (4) a restart strategy, or (5) a school closure strategy. Requires LEAs to allow students at priority schools to transfer to another of its public schools that has not been identified as a priority school, unless that option is prohibited by state law. Repeals the School Support and Recognition program. Requires teachers teaching a core academic subject in a program supported with school improvement funds to be highly qualified and certified to teach that subject area, but makes this requirement applicable only to new teachers if the state has fully implemented a professional growth and improvement system. Requires LEAs to show that: (1) combined state and local per-pupil expenditures in each of their schools served under part A are not less than the average combined state and local per-pupil expenditures for their schools not served under part A; or (2) the average combined state and local per-pupil expenditures at its high-poverty schools are no less than those expenditures at its low-poverty schools, if LEAs serve all of their schools under part A. Establishes the Blue Ribbon Schools program that allows states to award their highest performing schools with increased autonomy, flexibility in using ESEA funds, and monetary rewards. Directs the Secretary of Education, acting jointly with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to designate exemplary early childhood education programs as centers of excellence in early childhood and award each of them a bonus grant to improve the quality of their program and others in their region. Authorizes the Secretary to identify and recognize exemplary schools, programs, and individuals. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states to develop, improve, or administer their college and career ready academic standards and assessments. Replaces part B (Student Reading Skills Improvement Grants) of title I with new Pathways to College grant programs that: (1) assist schools in implementing innovative and effective secondary school reform strategies, and (2) cover part or all of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) examination fee low-income students incur. Amends the program, under part C (Education of Migratory Children), providing grants to states for the education of migratory children. Requires migratory children to be given the opportunity to meet the same college and career readiness standards as other children. Amends part D (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk). Requires states to ensure that students who have been placed in the juvenile justice system are promptly re-enrolled in secondary school or placed in re-entry programs that best meet their educational and social needs. Includes at-risk Indian children and youth in the program. Replaces part E (National Assessment of Subchapter I) with a new part E (Educational Stability of Children in Foster Care) program to facilitate the educational transition of children that move to a new school attendance area as the result of being placed in foster care, changing their foster care placement, or leaving foster care. Eliminates parts F (Comprehensive School Reform), G (Advanced Placement Programs), and H (School Dropout Prevention). Title II: Supporting Teacher and Principal Excellence - Replaces title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) with a new title II (Supporting Teacher and Principal Excellence). Strikes parts A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund), B (Mathematics and Science Partnerships), C (Innovation for Teacher Quality) and D (Enhancing Education Through Technology) of title II. Establishes a new: (1) part A (Continuous Improvement and Support for Teachers and Principals) program to train and increase the number and equitable distribution of high-quality teachers and principals; (2) part B (Teacher Pathways to the Classroom) program to support the recruitment, selection, preparation, placement, retention, and support of teachers in high-need subjects or fields at high-needs schools; (3) part C (Teacher Incentive Fund) program for the development, implementation, improvement, or expansion of strategies to ensure that the most effective teachers and principals are serving in the lowest-performing schools; and (4) part D program (under provisions entitled the "Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act of 2013" or the "ATTAIN Act") to enhance the use of educational technology. Title III: Language and Academic Content Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students - Revises and renames title III (Language and Academic content Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students). Changes the current references to "limited English proficient students" to "English learners." Amends part A (English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act), which provides funding to states to improve the education of English learners. Requires each state to establish a performance target for the percentage of English learners they serve who are making progress in achieving English proficiency not more that five years after being identified as English learners. Requires states that fail to meet their performance target for two consecutive years to develop an improvement plan to meet the target. Authorizes Indian tribes or educational entities that receive grants under the part A program to use them for Native American immersion and restoration programs. Revises the professional development grant program for English language instructors. Directs the Secretary to establish an independent commission on the assessment and advancement of English learners to provide the Secretary with advice regarding the education of English learners and their inclusion in state assessment and accountability systems. Requires the Secretary to distribute English language acquisition technology innovation grants for the pursuit of breakthrough research and development in educational technology that benefits English learners. Strikes part B (Improving Language Instruction Educational Programs). Title IV: Supporting Successful, Well-Rounded Students - Replaces title IV (21st Century Schools) with a new title IV (Supporting Successful, Well-Rounded Students). Replaces part A (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities) with a new part A (under provisions entitled the "Improving Literacy Instruction and Student Achievement Act"), which creates programs that provide funding to: (1) states to improve the literacy of children from birth through grade 12, and (2) LEAs to develop and enhance effective school library programs. Creates a new part B (Improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Instruction and Student Achievement), which creates programs that provide funding to: (1) states to improve preschool and elementary and secondary school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education; and (2) LEAs or states, acting in partnership with institutions of higher education (IHEs) or nonprofit organizations, to establish STEM Master Teacher Corps programs. Establishes a new part C (Increasing Access to a Well-Rounded Education and Financial Literacy), which creates programs that provide funding to states to: (1) increase the access of low-income students to high-quality courses in the arts, civics and government, economics, environmental education, financial literacy, foreign languages, geography, health education, history, music, physical education, or social studies; and (2) integrate financial literacy education into their elementary and secondary schools and train their secondary school financial literacy or entrepreneurship teachers to teach financial literacy in core academic subjects (under provisions entitled the "Financial Literacy for Students Act"). Establishes a new part D (Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students), which provides funding to states to foster comprehensive improvements to school-level conditions for learning. Establishes a new part E (under provisions entitled the "Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2013"), which prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Revises the program under part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers) and places it in a new part F. Includes summer learning and expanded learning time activities in the program. Requires the program to serve students who primarily attend: (1) high-need schools; (2) schools that, after two consecutive years, have not met state performance targets for the same student subgroup; and (3) focus schools. Establishes a new part G (under provisions entitled the "Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2013") awarding: (1) Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants to nonprofit organizations that work in coordination with certain educational and governmental entities to provide education and support services to children who live in distressed neighborhoods, and (2) Promise School grants to high-need LEAs and Indian schools that partner with nonprofit organizations or IHEs to provide education and student support services to children who attend high-poverty schools. Establishes a new part H (Parent and Family Information and Resource Centers), which provides funds to nonprofit organizations to operate state parent and family information and resource centers. Requires part J funds to support nationally significant programs that help all children meet the college and career ready academic content and achievement standards required by this Act. Establishes a new part K (Competency-Based Assessment and Accountability Demonstration Authority), which authorizes the Secretary to provide states with the authority to incorporate competency-based targets for student learning in their title I accountability systems. Title V: Promoting Innovation - Replaces title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs) with a new title V (Promoting Innovation). Creates a new part A (Race to the Top) program that awards grants to states and high-need LEAs to carry out one or more educational goals selected by the Secretary. Lists those goals. Creates a new part B (Investing in Innovation) program to support the school innovation efforts of public schools and LEAs. Revises the Magnet Schools Assistance program under part C, which provides grants to LEAs to establish and operate magnet schools under a court-ordered desegregation plan or voluntary desegregation plan approved by the Secretary. Replaces the existing Public Charter Schools program under part B with a new Public Charter Schools program under part D. Establishes under part D: (1) a subpart 1 (Successful Charter Schools Program), to support the creation, expansion, or replication of high-performing charter schools; and (2) a subpart 2 (Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation), to improve access to facilities and facilities financing for high-performing charter schools. Revises Voluntary Public School Choice Programs to support the establishment or expansion of inter- or intra-district public school choice programs that enable students attending focus or priority schools to attend high-quality public schools, including charter schools. Title VI: Promoting Flexibility; Rural Education - Redesignates title VI (Flexibility and Accountability) as title VI (Promoting Flexibility; Rural Education). Replaces part A (Improving Academic Achievement) with a new part A (Transferability) program that allows states and LEAs to transfer funds they are allotted for state-level and local-level activities, respectively, by an ESEA formula grant to other state or LEA formula grant programs under the ESEA. Prohibits states from transferring any funds that originate in titles I or III, and prohibits LEAs from transferring any funds that originate in title I, III, VII (part A), or VIII, out of each respective title. Amends part B (Rural Education Initiatives) of title VI to give LEAs that qualify for funding under both the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) programs the option to choose the program for which they would prefer to receive funding. Title VII: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education - Amends title VII (Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education). Amends part A (Indian Education) to revise the programs under subparts 1 (Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies), 2 (Special Programs and Projects to Improve Educational Opportunities for Indian Children and Youth), 3 (National Activities), and 4 (Federal Administration). Provides support for Native American language immersion and restoration programs. Preserves the national research activities under subpart 3, but strikes: (1) the in-service training for teachers of Indian children program, (2) the fellowships for Indian students program, (3) the gifted and talented Indian students program, (4) the grants to tribes for education administrative planning and development program, and (5) the improvement of educational opportunities for adult Indians program. Revises the Native Hawaiian Education program. Includes among the approved uses of grant funds, workforce preparation and training for Native Hawaiian youth. Revises the Alaska Native Education program under provisions entitled the "Alaska Native Educational Equity, Support, and Assistance Act." Title VIII: Impact Aid - Amends title VIII (Impact Aid). Alters calculations made in determining the payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property, or for federally-connected children, within their areas. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to make the changes that Act made to the Impact Aid program permanent, including the requirement that the Secretary complete Impact Aid payments to eligible LEAs within three fiscal years of their appropriation. Title IX: General Provisions - Amends title IX (General Provisions) to establish additional definitions for terms that are applicable throughout the ESEA. Allows students who are threatened by, or the victim of, a criminal offense at their public school to attend a safe public school within the LEA's jurisdiction. (Currently, this unsafe school choice option is available only to students attending schools identified as persistently dangerous or to students who become victims of a criminal offense at their public school.) Title X: Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools - Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools Act - Establishes a Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools. Title XI: Amendments to Other Laws; Miscellaneous Provisions - McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Reauthorization Act of 2013- Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to revise, and reauthorize appropriations for, the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, which provides funds to states for the education of homeless youth. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish in the Department of Education an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education (ARPA-ED) to pursue breakthrough research and development in educational technology and provide for its effective use.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Office of Rural Education Policy Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Office of Rural Education Policy (Office) in the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Requires the Office to be headed by a Director who advises the Secretary of Education on the characteristics and needs of rural schools, and the effects current policies and proposed statutory, regulatory, administrative, and budgetary changes have on states and local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve such schools. Requires the Director to: establish and maintain a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating certain information on rural education; identify innovative research and demonstration projects on topics of importance to rural schools; coordinate rural education activities within the Department; inform the Department of other federal agency activities related to rural education; coordinate its activities with Indian schools and the Department of the Interior's responsibilities regarding such schools; provide technical assistance and other support for rural education improvement efforts; and produce an annual report, for Congress and the public, on the condition of rural education. Requires the Director to prepare regulatory impact analyses of the Secretary's proposed and final rules that may have a significant impact on states or LEAs that serve rural schools.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct made unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute a civil action in any appropriate U.S. district court for a violation of this Act. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Frank R. Lautenberg, a Senator from New Jersey. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on June 4, 2013, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the National Park Service (NPS), to make improvements to a support facility, including a visitor center, for a National Historic Site operated by the NPS if such project: (1) is conducted using amounts included in the budget of the NPS in effect on the date on which the project is authorized, (2) is subject to a 50% non-federal cost sharing requirement, and (3) is conducted in an area in which the NPS was authorized by law to establish such a facility. Allows the Secretary to operate and use all or part of a support facility, including a visitor center, for such a Site: (1) to carry out the duties associated with the operation and support of such Site, and (2) only in accordance with an agreement between the Secretary and the local government in which the facility is located.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Veterans to Paramedics Transition Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the grant program to improve emergency medical services in rural areas to include as a permissible use of grant funds the provision to military veterans of required coursework and training to enable them to satisfy emergency medical services personnel certification requirements. Requires such coursework and training to take into account, and not be duplicative of, previous medical coursework and training received by such veterans in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Growing Education Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act or the GREAT Teachers and Principals Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to: (1) create or approve teacher or principal preparation academies and create or designate authorizers of those academies; (2) support the creation and operation of such academies; and (3) award subgrants to nonprofit entities to establish or expand such academies, measure their effectiveness, or recruit enrollees who have demonstrated strong potential to be effective teachers or principals. Requires each academy to enter into a charter with an authorizer that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the academy and the obligations of the authorizer. Prohibits authorizers from renewing an academy's charter if it fails to produce the minimum number or percentage of effective teachers or principals specified in its charter. Requires each academy to provide: (1) enrollees with a significant portion of their training through clinical preparation that partners them with successful teacher or principal mentors, and (2) certificates of completion only to graduates who demonstrate a track record of success in preparing students for college and careers. Requires state grantees to recognize a certificate of completion from an academy as at least the equivalent of a master's degree in education for the purposes of teacher or principal hiring, retention, compensation, and promotion in the state. Directs the Secretary to enter into an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community Service under which the Corporation approves national service positions for candidates at each teacher or principal preparation academy receiving financial assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
English Learning and Innovation Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award renewable, competitive grants to states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and public charter schools or charter school management organizations to carry out activities that result in English learners becoming proficient in English so that they can access the knowledge needed to meet state academic content standards and be ready for postsecondary education and careers (innovation grants). Includes among those activities: (1) improving instructional programs, including through the use of dual-language or bilingual education; (2) ensuring that English learners are taught by effective teachers at schools administered by effective principals; (3) increasing the ability of the families of English learners to engage in their child's education and development; and (4) expanding best practices to other schools or LEAs. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive capacity building grants to states and LEAs that have experienced a significant increase in English learners for use in building their capacity to provide quality instruction to English learners and their parents and become competitive in applying for an innovation grant. Directs the Secretary to establish indicators to measure the success of this Act's grant programs. Requires this Act's grantees to: (1) develop, and submit for the Secretary's approval, quantifiable benchmarks for evaluating their grant activities; and (2) provide the Secretary with an annual report on their progress toward those benchmarks.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such gold medal and to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the gold and bronze medals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 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 · 22 May 2013
Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish the Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools, composed of certain government officials, educators, and education policy experts. Requires the Commission to: (1) examine the effect government regulations have on elementary and secondary education; (2) recommend ways to align and improve those regulations to improve performance and innovation in education; and (3) recommend ways to improve and align assessment systems to provide reliable and meaningful information to parents, teachers, and students to improve student achievement, teacher performance, and innovation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Free Flow of Information Act of 2013 - Prohibits a federal entity (an entity or employee of the judicial or executive branch or an administrative agency of the federal government with the power to issue a subpoena or other compulsory process), in any proceeding or in connection with any issue arising under federal law, from compelling a covered person to disclose protected information, unless a federal court in the jurisdiction where the compulsory process has been or would be issued determines, after providing notice and an opportunity for the covered person to be heard, that all reasonable alternative sources have been exhausted and that separate specified conditions have been met depending on whether the matter is a criminal investigation or prosecution. Defines a "covered person" as a person (including a supervisor, employer, parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate of such person) who: with the primary intent to investigate events and procure material in order to disseminate to the public news or information concerning matters of public interest, regularly gathers, prepares, collects, photographs, records, writes, edits, reports, or publishes on such matters by conducting interviews, making direct observations of events, or collecting, reviewing, or analyzing original writings, statements, transcripts, photographs, recordings, tapes, data, or other information; has such intent at the inception of the process of gathering the news or information sought; and obtains such news or information to disseminate by print, broadcasting, mechanical, photographic, electronic, or other means. Excludes from the definition of covered person foreign powers and their agents, members or affiliates of foreign terrorist organizations, specially designated global terrorists, and other organizations and people who are reasonably likely to commit, attempt, or provide support for terrorism. Defines "protected information" as: information identifying a source who provided information under a promise or agreement of confidentiality made by a covered person as part of engaging in journalism; or any records, contents of a communication, documents, or information that a covered person obtained or created as part of engaging in journalism and upon a promise or agreement of confidentiality. Requires, in a criminal investigation or prosecution, a determination by the court that: if the party seeking to compel disclosure is the federal government, based on public information or information obtained from a source other than the covered person, there are reasonable grounds to believe a crime has occurred; based on such public or source information, the protected information is essential to the investigation or prosecution or to the defense against the prosecution; the Attorney General certifies that the decision to request compelled disclosure was consistent with federal regulations, if compelled disclosure is sought by a member of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in circumstances governed by regulations specifying DOJ policy with respect to the news media; and the covered person has not established by clear and convincing evidence that disclosure would be contrary to public interest, including the interest in gathering and disseminating information or news as well as maintaining the free flow of information and the public interest in compelling disclosure, including the extent of any harm to national security. Requires, in matters other than criminal investigations or prosecutions, based on public information or information obtained from a source other than the covered person, that: the protected information sought is essential to the resolution of the matter, and the party seeking to compel disclosure establishes that the interest in compelling disclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in gathering and disseminating the information or news at issue and maintaining the free flow of information. Exempts from such requirements: information or items obtained as the result of the eyewitness observations of, or obtained during the course of, alleged criminal conduct by the covered person (provided that the alleged criminal conduct is not the act of communicating the actual documents or information at issue), including any physical evidence or visual or audio recording of the conduct; protected information that is reasonably necessary to stop, prevent, or mitigate a specific case of death, kidnapping, substantial bodily harm, certain offenses against minors, or the incapacitation or destruction of critical infrastructure; and protected information sought by the federal government in a criminal matter under specified circumstances to prevent, mitigate, or identify the perpetrator of an act of terrorism or other acts reasonably likely to cause significant and articulable harm to national security. Sets forth special requirements with respect to criminal investigations or prosecutions of an allegedly unlawful disclosure of properly classified information. Directs federal courts to give appropriate deference to a specific factual showing submitted by the head of any executive branch agency concerned. Sets forth procedures with respect to information sought from electronic communications service providers. Provides for judicial review, submissions under seal, and expedited appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), with respect to charges that allege an offense triable by court-martial (with certain exclusions) for which the maximum punishment includes confinement for more than one year, to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to require the Secretaries of the military departments to provide for the determination of whether to try such charges by general or special court-martial to be made by a commissioned officer of grade O-6 or higher with significant experience in such trials and who is outside the chain of command of the accused. Provides that a determination not to proceed to trial shall not preclude a commanding officer from either referring such charges for trial by summary court-martial or imposing non-judicial punishment. Requires Rule 306 (relating to policy on initial disposition of offenses) of the Manual for Courts-Martial to be amended to strike the character and military service of the accused from factors to be considered by the disposition authority. Revises the list of officers authorized to convene general and special courts-martial to include those in grade O-6 or higher assigned such responsibility by their department chief of staff (with the same prohibition against an officer in the same chain of command as the accused). Requires each chief of staff to establish an office which shall convene general and special courts-martial and detail judges and members. Requires a military judge to call a general or special court-martial trial into session within 90 days of the determination of its necessity. Requires a convening authority (the official acting on the sentence of a court-martial), when taking any action other than approving a sentence, to prepare a written justification of such action which shall be made part of the record of the court-martial. Prohibits a convening authority from: (1) dismissing or setting aside a finding of guilty, or (2) reducing a finding of guilty to a finding of guilty to a lesser included offense. Requires a commanding officer who receives a report of a sexual-related offense involving a member in such officer's chain of command to act immediately upon such report by way of referral to the appropriate criminal investigative office or service. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to require an independent panel established by the DOD Secretary to monitor and assess the implementation and efficacy of this Act and its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2013 or the BEER Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $18 to $9 (the pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer; and (2) further reduce the rate of such tax on brewers who produce not more than 2 million barrels of beer during the calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Drug Supply Chain Security Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish requirements to facilitate the tracing of drug products through the pharmaceutical supply distribution chain. Provides requirements of standards for the exchange of transaction documentation, to be established by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to establish processes to: (1) provide waivers of requirements, including for undue economic hardship or emergency medical reasons; (2) provide exceptions to requirements relating to product identifiers if a product is packaged without sufficient space to bear the information; and (3) determine other products or transactions that should be exempt from the requirements of this section. Permits certain requirements of this Act applicable to manufacturers, repackagers, wholesale distributors, third-party logistics providers, and dispensers to be enforced without further regulations or guidance from the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to finalize guidance within two years specifying whether and under what circumstances a product that is not labeled with a product identifier, and that is in the pharmaceutical distribution supply chain when applicable requirements go into effect, shall be exempted from such requirements. Exempts products that entered the pharmaceutical distribution supply chain before the date that is one year after enactment of this Act from requirements related to transaction documentation. Requires drug manufacturers to provide transaction documentation before, or at the time of, each transfer of ownership of a product or transfer of possession to a third-party logistics provider for subsequent transfer of ownership. Requires a wholesale distributor, dispenser, or repackager to provide to the subsequent purchaser transaction documentation for the product. Prohibits a wholesale distributor, dispenser, or repackager from accepting ownership of a product unless the previous owner before, or at the time of, the transaction provides such transaction documentation. Prohibits a third-party logistics provider from accepting possession of a product unless such documentation is provided. Requires the manufacturer, wholesale distributor, dispenser, repackager, or third-party logistics provider to maintain the transaction documentation for each transaction (or, for a third-party logistics provider, each transfer of possession) for at least six years. Requires a manufacturer, wholesale distributor, dispenser, repackager, or third-party logistics provider, in the event of a recall or for the purpose of investigating a suspect product or an illegitimate product, to provide within 24 hours (or, for a dispenser, within two business days), or in such other reasonable time as determined by the Secretary, the applicable transaction documentation upon request by the Secretary or other appropriate federal or state official. Requires a manufacturer within four years (for repackagers, within five years) to affix or imprint a product identifier to each package and homogenous case of a product intended to be introduced in a transaction into commerce. Requires a manufacturer and repackager to maintain product identifier information for at least six years from the date of transaction. Allows a wholesale distributor, dispenser, repackager, or third-party logistics provider to engage in transactions involving a product, or accept possession of a product, only if the product has a product identifier. Sets the effective date of this requirement for repackagers at five years after enactment, with later effective dates for the other entities. Requires the trading partners of a manufacturer, wholesale distributor, dispenser, repackager, or third-party logistics provider to be authorized trading partners (i.e., properly registered or licensed by the state). Requires a manufacturer, wholesale distributor, dispenser, repackager, or third-party logistics provider to have systems in place to: (1) quarantine a suspect product; (2) promptly conduct an investigation to determine whether the product is an illegitimate product or, for a third-party logistics provider, notify the owner of the need to conduct such an investigation; and (3) for manufacturers, beginning four years after enactment, verify the product at the package level, including the standardized numerical identifier. Requires entities to maintain records of such activities for six years. Requires a manufacturer, wholesale distributor, dispenser, or repackager, upon a determination that a product in its possession or control is an illegitimate product, to: (1) quarantine the product (except that this does not apply to dispensers), (2) remove the product from the pharmaceutical distribution supply chain, (3) take reasonable and appropriate steps to assist a trading partner to remove such product from the supply chain, (4) retain a sample of the product for further physical examination or laboratory analysis, and (5) notify the Secretary and all immediate trading partners within 24 hours. Requires a third-party logistics provider, upon such a determination, to promptly notify the owner of the need to remove the product from the pharmaceutical distribution supply chain, promptly transfer possession of the product to the owner, and notify the Secretary within 24 hours. Requires a manufacturer to notify the Secretary and immediate trading partners within 24 hours if the manufacturer has reason to believe that there is a high risk that a product in the trading partner’s possession is an illegitimate product. Requires a manufacturer or repackager to respond within 24 hours or in other reasonable time as determined by the Secretary after receiving a verification request from an authorized repackager, wholesale distributor, or dispenser whether the product identifier corresponds to the product identifier it affixed or imprinted. Requires the manufacturer, wholesale distributor, or repackager to verify the product identifier of a returned product that it intends to further distribute. Allows the wholesale distributor to accept a returned product from a dispenser and distribute it without the transaction history for the next six years. Permits a wholesale distributor, beginning six years after enactment, to accept a returned product from a dispenser only if the wholesale distributor can associate the returned product with the transaction information and transaction statement associated with that product. Allows a dispenser or repackager to return a product to the trading partner from which the dispenser purchased the product without providing the transaction documentation. Authorizes a dispenser to enter into an agreement under which a third party confidentially maintains transaction documentation on the dispenser's behalf. Exempts a wholesale distributor that does not physically handle or store products from the provisions of this Act, except the notification requirements related to illegitimate products, provided the transaction documentation is given to the dispenser by the manufacturer, repackager, or other wholesale distributor that distributes the product. Establishes package level requirements for the interoperable, electronic tracing of products that shall go into effect 10 years after enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to provide alternative methods of compliance with such requirements, including establishing a time line for compliance by small businesses. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with a consulting firm to conduct a technology and software assessment that looks at the feasibility of dispensers conducting interoperable, electronic tracing of products at the package level. Sets forth guidance documents to be issued by the Secretary related to suspect and illegitimate products, secure tracing at the package level, and the interoperable standards necessary to enhance the security of the pharmaceutical distribution supply chain. Requires the Secretary to establish pilot projects to explore and evaluate methods to enhance the safety and security of the pharmaceutical distribution supply chain. Requires wholesale distributors operating in a state without licensure requirements to be licensed by the Secretary. Requires wholesale distributors to be licensed by the state into which the drug is distributed if the state requires it. Establishes annual reporting requirements for wholesale distributors. Requires the Secretary to establish a database of licensed wholesale distributors. Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees for licensure. Requires third-party logistics providers to obtain a license from the Secretary, but not a license as a wholesale distributor if the entity never assumes an ownership interest in the products it handles. Requires the Secretary to establish minimum standards, terms, and conditions for the state or federal licensing of wholesale distributors. Lists the requirements for such minimum standards. Prohibits a third-party logistics provider in any state from conducting activities unless each facility of the provider is: (1) licensed by the state from which the drug is distributed by the provider and the state into which the drug is distributed, or (2) licensed by the Secretary if the state has not established a licensure requirement. Establishes annual reporting requirements for the facilities of a third-party logistics provider. Authorizes the Secretary to assess licensure fees. Requires the Secretary to establish minimum requirements for the licensure of third-party logistics providers. Preempts state or local government requirements for tracing products through the distribution system which are inconsistent with, more stringent than, or in addition to, any requirements under this Act, or which are inconsistent with any waiver, exception, exemption, or restriction under this Act. Prohibits any state or or local government from establishing or continuing any standards, requirements, or regulations with respect to the licensing of wholesale prescription drug distributors or third-party logistics providers that are less stringent than the standards under this Act. Prohibits a state from regulating a third-party logistics providers as a wholesale distributor. Deems a drug to be misbranded if it does not contain a product identifier as required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology items designed and configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, and functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) designate complex rehabilitation technology items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics), and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a Healthcare Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) coding subset that uses specified HCPCS codes for CRT items. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment (DME), if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Growth to Excellence Act of 2013 - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to measure student progress toward academic achievement standards using adaptive assessments that are computerized, aligned with grade-level academic content standards, and measure student growth above and below grade level. Allows states, upon the Secretary of Education's approval, to adopt an alternative accountability model requiring their local educational agencies and public elementary and secondary schools to achieve adequate student growth toward college and career readiness standards. Requires such states to: (1) adopt college and career ready academic content standards; (2) adopt college and career ready assessments that measure annual student growth in mathematics and reading or the language arts; (3) measure secondary school graduation rates; (4) assess at least two additional indicators of students' college or career readiness; and (5) provide a comprehensive system of accountability for schools that do not meet annual progress targets, which shall categorize schools based on student performance, include supports and consequences based on such categorization, and provide incentives for schools that consistently exceed such targets. Requires an alternative accountability model to establish annual progress targets for each school that: (1) aim to reduce by half, in less than six years, the difference between the percentage of students (overall and in specified student subgroups) at the top performing schools who meet the college and career readiness standards or make adequate student growth, and the percentage of such students at each school that is not a top performing school; or (2) are calculated in another manner, but result in ambitious and achievable targets for students overall and in specified student subgroups. Requires annual progress targets for secondary schools that aim to reduce by half, in less than six years, the difference between the percentage of students who graduate and 90%. Describes what shall be considered adequate student growth toward college and career readiness standards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2013
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in the case of an overpayment of educational assistance under the post-9/11 educational assistance program, to deduct the appropriate amount from the last payment(s) to which the individual is entitled. Allows for the charging and collection of appropriate interest on such overpayment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Combating Military Sexual Assault Act of 2013 - Directs each military department Secretary to implement a program providing a Special Victims' Counsel (Counsel) to a victim of a sexual assault committed by a member of the Armed Forces (member). Outlines Counsel qualifications and duties, including providing advice and assistance in connection with criminal and civil legal matters related to the assault. Allows a member or member dependent who is a victim of an assault by another member to receive Counsel assistance. Requires such victim to be informed of the availability of such assistance at the time the victim originally seeks assistance from a sexual response coordinator or sexual assault victim advocate, a military criminal investigator, a victim/witness liaison, a trial counsel, health care providers, or any other personnel designated by the Secretary concerned. Makes such assistance available regardless of whether the victim elects unrestricted or restricted (confidential) reporting of the incident. Provides additional duties of the Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office within the Department of Defense (DOD), including: (1) providing guidance and assistance for the military departments in addressing matters relating to sexual assault prevention and response, (2) acting as liaison between DOD and other federal and state agencies on sexual assault prevention and response programs, and (3) overseeing development of program guidance and joint planning objectives in support of such program. Requires the Director to also collect and maintain data of the military departments concerning sexual assault prevention and response. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to provide for disposition and other requirements in connection with charges of rape or sexual assault, and to provide for victims' rights under such actions (including the right to a Counsel). Adds new provisions to the UCMJ concerning the commission of a sexual act upon, or abusive sexual contact with, a member by a military instructor. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to require the National Guard of each state and territory to ensure that a sexual assault response coordinator is available at all times to its members.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage. Defines "medical health care" to mean voluntary health treatment by or supervised by a medical doctor that would be covered under minimum essential coverage that: (1) includes voluntary acute care treatment at hospital emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, or similar facilities; and (2) excludes treatment not administered or supervised by a medical doctor, physical examinations or treatment required by law or third parties, and vaccinations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2013
Animal and Public Health Protection Act - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to offer to enter into contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements with eligible laboratories to: (1) detect emerging or existing threats to animal health and support the protection of public health, the environment, and the agricultural economy; (2) provide the capability for standardized test procedures, laboratory biosafety and biosecurity, interconnected electronic data reporting, and emergency preparedness evaluation; and (3) coordinate the development and implementation of national veterinary diagnostic laboratory capabilities. Directs the Secretary to give priority to eligible laboratories at existing federal and state facilities and those at institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2013 - Designates specified federal lands in San Juan National Forest in Colorado as: (1) the Hermosa Creek Watershed and Protection Area, and (2) the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a management plan for the long-term protection and management of the Special Management Area. Designates specified land within the Protection Area as the Hermosa Creek Wilderness. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, upon the expiration of a specified permit, to convey to La Plata County, Colorado, identified land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Tres Rios District in Colorado. Requires such land to be used only for public purposes consistent with the uses allowed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. Requires the County to: (1) pay all survey costs and other administrative costs necessary for preparing and completing patents for, and transfers of title to, such land; and (2) agree in writing to pay administrative costs associated with such conveyance, including the costs of environmental, wildlife, cultural, or historical resources studies. Releases the West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area in San Juan County, Colorado, from further study for designation as wilderness.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation. Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations, and (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces. Declares that this Act does not repeal or modify any federal, state, territorial, or local law creating a special right or preference concerning employment for a veteran. Prohibits this Act from being construed to: (1) prohibit an employer from requiring an employee to adhere to reasonable dress or grooming standards, or (2) require the construction of new or additional facilities. Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from compelling collection or requiring production of statistics from covered entities on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Provides for enforcement, including giving the EEOC, the Librarian of Congress (LOC), the Attorney General (DOJ), and U.S. courts the same enforcement powers as they have under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and other specified laws. Allows actions and proceedings, subject to exception, against the United States and the states.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) grant crime victims the right to be informed of their rights and of services available to them, (2) expand eligibility for post-conviction DNA testing in criminal proceedings other than death penalty cases, and (3) eliminate the waiver of the right to request DNA testing of biological evidence. Amends the Justice for All Act of 2004 to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for grant programs for: the enforcement of crime victims' rights; DNA training and education for law enforcement officers; sexual assault forensic exams; DNA research and development; DNA programs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); identification of missing persons; improving the quality of legal representation for indigent defendants in capital cases; providing incentives to states to establish a reasonable process for resolving claims of actual innocence; and the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Grant Program to help states defray the costs of post-conviction DNA testing. Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to extend through FY2018 grants for notification to crime victims of dates and developments in criminal proceedings. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to extend the authorization of appropriations through FY2018 for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program.. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) extend (until three years after enactment of this Act) the period for compliance by governmental entities with requirements for payment of the full cost of forensic medical exams for victims of sexual assault, and (2) extend (through FY2018) the authorization of appropriations for the Paul Coverdell forensic sciences improvement grant program. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to: (1) establish best practices for evidence retention to focus on the preservation of biological evidence; and (2) assist state, local, and tribal governments in adopting and implementing such best practices. Effective Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require grant applicants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to include in grant applications a comprehensive state-wide plan for the improvement of the administration of the criminal justice system. Makes all grants awarded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under this Act subject to audits beginning in FY2014 to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds by grantees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Permanent Stewardship Contracting Authority Act of 2013 - Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into stewardship contracting projects with private persons or other public or private entities to perform services to achieve land management goals for the national forests and public lands that meet local and rural community needs. States that the land management goals of a project may include: (1) road and trail maintenance or obliteration to restore or maintain water quality; (2) soil productivity, habitat for wildlife and fisheries, or other resource values; (3) setting of prescribed fires to improve the composition, structure, condition, and health of stands or to improve wildlife habitat; (4) removing vegetation or other activities to promote healthy forest stands, reduce fire hazards, or achieve other land management objectives; (5) watershed restoration and maintenance; (6) restoration and maintenance of wildlife and fish; or (7) control of noxious and exotic weeds and reestablishing native plant species. Repeals a section of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 that provides for forest health protection.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
School Principal Recruitment and Training Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a principal recruitment and training grant program awarding renewable, matching grants to states, local educational agencies (LEAs), educational service agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and partnerships of those entities to recruit, prepare, place, and support principals in eligible schools. Defines "eligible schools" as high-need schools, persistently low-achieving schools, achievement gap schools, schools with middle grades that feed students to high schools with low graduation rates, and rural schools served by high-need LEAs. Requires grantees to work with experts and stakeholders to develop, during the first year of a grant, a leadership training program for principals, mentors, and other school leaders that prepares and supports them in leading effective school reform efforts in persistently low-achieving schools. Requires grantees to use the grants, after that first year, to: (1) implement their leadership training program; (2) ensure that their training program is informed, on an ongoing basis, by consultations with experts and stakeholders and by tracking the performance of program graduates; (3) select cohorts of trained or experienced principals to lead school reform efforts in persistently low-achieving schools; (4) support and encourage interaction among principals who have completed the training program; and (5) disseminate information to principals, mentors, and other school leaders engaging in reform efforts in persistently low-achieving schools. Makes grant renewal decisions dependent on the Secretary of Education's evaluation of the extent to which the principals recruited, prepared, placed, or supported by the grantee have improved school-level student outcomes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the activities funded by the grant program; and (2) identify, and disseminate research on, best practices to improve school leadership.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to: (1) make permanent the reduction in the income threshold (from $10,000 to $3,000) for determining the refundable portion of the child tax credit, (2) eliminate the inflation adjustment to such amount, and (3) allow an annual inflation adjustment after 2012 to the $1,000 maximum credit amount and the adjusted gross income threshold amounts used to reduce the allowable amount of such credit. Modifies the earned income tax credit to: (1) make permanent the increase in the rate of such credit for taxpayers with three or more children, (2) increase the credit for taxpayers with no qualifying children, (3) reduce from 25 to 21 the qualifying age for such credit, (4) revise eligibility rules relating to married individuals living apart and qualifying children claimed by another family member, and (5) repeal the denial of such credit for taxpayers with excess investment income.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Stewardship End Result Contracting Project Act - Amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into stewardship contracting projects with private persons or other public or private entities to perform services to achieve land management goals for eligible land that meets local and rural community needs. States that the land management goals of a project may include: (1) road and trail maintenance or obliteration to restore or maintain water quality; (2) soil productivity, habitat for wildlife and fisheries, or other resource values; (3) setting of prescribed fires to improve the composition, structure, condition, and health of stands or to improve wildlife habitat; (4) removing vegetation or other activities to promote healthy forest stands, reduce fire hazards, or achieve other land management objectives; (5) watershed restoration and maintenance; (6) restoration and maintenance of wildlife and fish; or (7) control of noxious and exotic weeds and reestablishing native plant species. Defines "eligible land" to mean land located on National Forest System land or Bureau of Land Management [BLM]) land located west of the 100th meridian. Repeals a section of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 that provides for forest health protection.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Honors the memories of Officer Sean Collier, Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, and Lu Lingzi and conveys prayers for a complete recovery to Officer Richard Donohue, Jr., and all of the other victims injured in the attacks in Boston, Massachusetts, in April 2013. Expresses thanks to the men and women of law enforcement for bringing to justice the people responsible for the bombings that occurred during the running of the 117th Boston Marathon.
![Official portrait of Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001267_200.jpg)