United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2013
Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior, before December 31, 2017, from issuing or approving any proposed or final regulation under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 that would: (1) adversely impact employment in coal mines in the United States; (2) cause a reduction in revenue received by the federal government or any state, tribal, or local government, by reducing through regulation the quantity of coal in the United States that is available for mining; (3) reduce the quantity of coal available for domestic consumption or for export; (4) designate any area as unsuitable for surface coal mining and reclamation operations; (5) expose the United States to liability for taking the value of privately owned coal through regulation; or (6) cause further time delays to permitting or increase costs.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Sensible Environmental Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state from requiring a permit under CWA for a discharge from a point source into navigable waters of: (1) a pesticide authorized for sale, distribution, or use under FIFRA; or (2) the residue of the pesticide, resulting from the application of the pesticide. Excepts: (1) a discharge resulting from the application of a pesticide in violation of a provision of FIFRA relevant to protecting water quality if the discharge would not have occurred without the violation or if the amount of pesticide or pesticide residue in the discharge is greater than would have occurred without the violation; (2) stormwater discharges regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); and (3) discharges of manufacturing or industrial effluent, treatment works effluent, and discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. Directs the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the status of intra-agency coordination between the Office of Water and the Office of Pesticide Programs of EPA regarding streamlining information collection, standards of review, and data use relating to water quality impacts from the registration and use of pesticides; (2) an analysis of the effectiveness of current regulatory actions relating to pesticide registration and use aimed at protecting water quality; and (3) recommendations on how FIFRA can be modified to better protect water quality and human health.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Dependable Air Service Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that flight delays and cancellations do not result from furloughs of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees that are implemented as a result of any rescission, sequestration, or reduction of federal funding for FY2013. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to prevent such delays and cancellations, to: (1) use amounts available for FAA operations for FY2013; or (2) increase the amount available for FAA operations for FY2013 by an amount necessary to ensure that flight delays and cancellations do not result from the furloughs, as well as reduce amounts available for other Department of Transportation (DOT) programs for FY2013 by an amount equal to the increase in funding for FAA operations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Commends employees of the Senate Post Office, employees of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, members of the Capitol Police, and members of the Capitol Hill community for their courage, professionalism, and dedication to serving the public in response to the biochemical attack against the Senate on April 16, 2013. Recognizes the congressional leadership and employees, the Capitol Police, and the Office of the Attending Physician for establishing effective screening methods and response plans that prevented injury and death within the U.S. Capitol Complex. Requests that the President recognize the courage and professionalism of the employees of the Senate Post Office, employees of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, members of the Capitol Police, and members of the Capitol Hill community for their steadfast service to the public in defiance of those who seek to disrupt the constitutional duties of the legislative branch.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Temporary Duty Suspension Process Act of 2013 - Directs the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to establish a process in which it will: (1) review each article in which a temporary duty suspension or reduction has been recommended at its own initiative or pursuant to a petition, and (2) submit a draft bill to the appropriate congressional committees containing each duty suspension or reduction that meets certain requirements. Requires the USITC to report to Congress on: (1) recommendations with respect to sectors of the U.S. economy that could benefit from duty suspensions or reductions without causing harm to other domestic interests, and (2) the feasibility of suspending or reducing duties on a sectoral basis rather than on individual articles.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Requires 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 gold medal to the First Special Service Force (a joint American-Canadian volunteer unit), collectively, in recognition of their World War II service. Requires the awarded medal to be given to the First Special Service Force Association in Helena, Montana, for display or temporary loan for display elsewhere, including at Fort William Henry Harrison in Helena. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates with proceeds deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund. Declares that medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of specified coins and currency provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Joins the Secretary of Defense in honoring the children of members of the Armed Forces and recognizes that those children also share in the burden of protecting the United States. Urges the people of the United States to join with the military community in observing the National Month of the Military Child (observed annually in April) with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor, support, and thank military children.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2013
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Rehabilitation Counselors Appreciation Day. Commends rehabilitation counselors and professional organizations assisting those who require rehabilitation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2013
Condemns the senseless attack in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday, April 15, 2013. Honors the medical personnel, first responders, and citizen heroes who aided the injured and the community. Commits to providing all necessary resources to law enforcement officials who are investigating the terrorist attacks and to bringing those responsible to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2013
Basel III Commonsense Approach for Small Entities Act or Basel III CASE Act - Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, before issuing any final rule in relation to proposals they have issued for the International Basel III agreement on general risk-based capital requirements, to conduct an empirical study that includes: (1) a quantitative analysis of the rule's impact on the U.S. financial services sector, specifically community, mid-size, and regional financial institutions; and (2) a determination of the long-term impact of the rule, including changes to the current risk weight framework. Allows any financial institution to provide information for the study voluntarily upon agency request, but prohibits agencies from requiring it. Requires the study to be made available to the public for notice and comment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2013
Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act - Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 to require a federal financial institutions regulatory agency to make a final examination report to a financial institution within 60 days of the later of: (1) the exit interview for an examination of the institution, or (2) the provision of additional information by the institution relating to the examination. Sets a deadline for the exit interview if a financial institution is not subject to a resident examiner program. Sets forth examination standards for financial institutions. Prohibits federal financial institutions regulatory agencies from requiring a well capitalized financial institution to raise additional capital in lieu of an action prohibited by the examination standards. Establishes in the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council an Office of Examination Ombudsman. Grants a financial institution the right to appeal a material supervisory determination contained in a final report of examination. Requires the Ombudsman to determine the merits of the appeal on the record, after an opportunity for a hearing before an independent administrative law judge. Declares the decision by the Ombudsman on an appeal to: (1) be the final agency action, and (2) bind the agency whose supervisory determination was the subject of the appeal and the financial institution making the appeal. Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require: (1) the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an independent intra-agency appellate process in connection with the regulatory appeals process; and (2) appropriate safeguards to protect an insured depository institution or insured credit union from retaliation by the CFPB, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board, or any other federal banking agency for exercising its rights.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2013
Essential Services Act of 2013 - Requires executive agency heads to exempt essential employees from furloughs required by sequestration. Defines "essential employee" as an employee that performs work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property. Allows agencies to transfer their budgetary resources to carry out this Act, but only to maintain essential employees.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2013
Municipal Advisors Relief Act of 2013 - Excludes from the identity of municipal advisor (subject to registration requirements) any person appointed to or volunteering on a board, commission, committee, or similar function of a municipal entity. Exempts also from registration requirements any banks, including agencies or branches of a foreign bank.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2013
Troop Talent Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretaries of the military departments, to the maximum extent practicable, to make information on civilian credentialing opportunities available to members of the Armed Forces (members) beginning with, and at every stage of, their training for military occupational specialities, in order to permit such members to: (1) evaluate the extent to which such training correlates with skills and training required for various civilian certifications and licenses, and (2) assess the suitability of such training for obtaining and pursuing such certifications and licenses. Requires the information made available to: (1) be consistent with the Transition Goals Plans Success program, and (2) include information on the civilian occupational equivalents of military occupational specialties. Requires such Secretaries to make available to civilian credentialing agencies specified information on the content of military training provided to members. Allows members or veterans to use educational assistance provided through the Department of Defense (DOD) or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in pursuit of a civilian certification or license only if the successful completion of a curriculum fully qualifies such student to take the appropriate examination and be certified or licensed to meet any other academic conditions required for entry into that occupation or profession. Requires the military occupational specialties designated for a military skills to civilian credentialing pilot program under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to include those specialties relating to the military information technology workforce. Directs the VA Secretary to reestablish the Professional Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee (under current law, terminated on December 31, 2006). Provides additional Committee duties, including the development of: (1) guidance for audits of licensure and certification programs in order to ensure high-quality education to members and veterans, and (2) a plan to improve outreach to members and veterans on the importance of licensing and certification and the availability of educational benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2013
Returned Exclusively For Unpaid National Debt Act or REFUND Act - Rescinds unwanted amounts, as identified by a state from a projected allocation, from any federal funds required to be allocated by formula among all states that agree to use them for a specified purpose. Prescribes a procedure by which a state legislature may identify a projected federal allocation as unwanted funds. Requires such rescinded amounts to: (1) be deposited by the Secretary of the Treasury in the special fund account entitled "Gifts to Reduce Debt Held by the Public, Bureau of the Public Debt, Treasury"; and (2) be used to reduce the federal debt.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Never Contract With the Enemy Act - States that it shall be the policy of the United States that executive agencies shall not contract with the enemy or with any person or entity that provides funds received under a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement to an enemy of the United States or that otherwise supports those actively opposing the United States or coalition forces in a contingency operation. Authorizes the termination or nullification of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements valued in excess of $20,000 (currently, $100,000) with persons or entities identified as enemies of the United States. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and each senior procurement executive to use available intelligence to identify persons and entities who receive U.S. funds through contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements and who are: (1) providing such funds to an enemy or to a person or entity who is actively supporting an enemy of the United States, or (2) otherwise supporting those who are actively opposing U.S. or coalition forces in a contingency operation. Requires the Secretary and the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to jointly carry out a program for providing information to senior procurement executives and commanders of the geographic combatant commands relating to persons or entities who may be providing funding under contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements to enemies of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Accountability for Veterans Act of 2013 - Requires that, whenever the head of the Department of Defense (DOD), the Social Security Administration, or the National Archives and Records Administration (agency head) receives a request from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) for information necessary to adjudicate a veterans' benefit claim, the agency head shall, within 30 days, either: (1) furnish such information; or (2) submit an explanation for not being able to furnish such information, as well as an estimate of when the agency head will be able to furnish such information. Provides for the continuous resubmission of, and required response to, requests not acted upon within the original or estimated period. Requires the Secretary to notify the appropriate claimant of each request made and explanation and estimate received. Directs the Secretary to: (1) keep records of the information requested and the time it takes to receive responses, and (2) submit semiannually to the congressional veterans committees a summary of such records.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2013
Free File Program Act of 2013 - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File program (free online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services provided by the private sector technology industry to lower income taxpayers).
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Privacy Notice Modernization Act of 2013 - Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to exempt from its annual written privacy policy notice requirement any financial institution which: (1) provides nonpublic personal information only in accordance with specified requirements, (2) has not changed its policies and practices with respect to disclosing nonpublic personal information from those disclosed in the most recent disclosure sent to consumers, and (3) otherwise provides customers access to such most recent disclosure in electronic or other form permitted by specified regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative cost calculations for purposes of calculating the medical-loss ratio of a health insurance plan. Defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under the laws of the particular state to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2013 - Expands the awards program for disclosures by federal employees of fraud, waste, or mismanagement that result in cost savings to the employee's agency to include identification of surplus funds or unnecessary budget authority. Directs that any savings resulting from the identification of such funds or budget authority be deposited in the Treasury and used to reduce a budget deficit or the federal debt. Prohibits the payment of awards to: (1) federal officers who serve in a position at level I of the Executive Schedule; (2) the head of an agency; or (3) a commissioner, board member, or other voting member of an independent establishment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
Congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 192nd anniversary of Greece's independence, and notes the important role that Greece has played in the wider European region and in the community of nations. Supports the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Family Health Care Flexibility Act - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 that: (1) restrict payments from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements for medications to prescription drugs and insulin only (thus allowing payments for over-the-counter medications); and (2) impose a $2,500 limitation on salary reduction contributions to a health flexible spending arrangement under a cafeteria plan.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Jobs and Premium Protection Act - Repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on each entity that provides health insurance for any U.S. health risk based on net premium income.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2013
Recognizes the National Ag Day (March 19, 2013) program for its annual celebration of U.S. agriculture. Honors the researchers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and innovators who support farm families in the United States and help drive the agriculture economy. Celebrates family farmers and ranchers, who are the backbone of U.S. agriculture, and produce the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food supply in the world.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the next triennial International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly to be held in September 2013 in Montreal, Canada; and (2) instruct the U.S. Mission to the ICAO to officially request observer status for Taiwan at the Assembly and other related meetings, activities, and mechanisms, and urge ICAO member states to support Taiwan observer status and participation in the ICAO.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act - Prohibits, in any case arising out of the administration of laws and benefits by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), any person who is mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness from being considered adjudicated as a mental defective for purposes of the right to receive or transport firearms without the order or finding of a judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such person is a danger to himself or herself or others.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2013
Authorizes TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities for the import of crude oil and other hydrocarbons at the United States-Canada Border at Phillips County, Montana, in accordance with a certain application filed with the Department of State on May 4, 2012. Declares that no Executive Order, provision of law, or presidential permit shall be required for such facilities. Deems a certain Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Secretary of State and other specified documents to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as well as any other law requiring federal agency consultation or review regarding such cross-border facilities. Keeps in effect any federal permit or authorization issued before the enactment of this Act for the facilities described in this Act and for related facilities in the United States. Restricts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit any federal judicial review over actions and facilities implemented under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Military Sexual Assault Prevention Act of 2013 - Prohibits any person convicted under federal or state law of rape, sexual assault, forcible sodomy, or incest from being commissioned or enlisting in the Armed Forces. Requires administrative separation from the Armed Forces, when not punitively discharged, for any member of the Armed Forces (member) on active duty, and any reserve member in an active status, who is convicted of rape, sexual assault, forcible sodomy, or an attempt thereof (covered offenses). Allows the Secretary of the military department concerned to waive such a separation in the interests of national security on a case-by-case basis. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), with respect to any charge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that alleges any of the covered offenses, to require the military department Secretaries to restrict disposition authority to specified high-command officers authorized to convene special courts-martial under the UCMJ. States as the policy of the United States that any charge regarding the covered offenses should be disposed of by court-martial rather than non-judicial punishment or administrative action. Requires a commanding officer who receives a report of a sexual-related offense involving a member to act upon the report within 24 hours, including by submitting the report to the next higher officer in that chain of command or referring such report to the appropriate office of special investigation. Requires inclusion in a member's personnel service record of a substantiated complaint of a sexual-related offense. Requires commanding officer review of a member's history of substantiated sexual offenses upon a member's transfer to the new command. Requires sexual assault forms and records to be retained for at least 50 years. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to require the Secretary to retain for at least 50 years certain records concerning an incident of sexual assault. (Current law mandates such retention only at the request of a member who files a specified report.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require: (1) biennial (currently annual) budget resolutions, (2) biennial appropriations Acts, and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) determine the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period with a biennial budget process based on such period, and (2) report the findings to the House and Senate Budget Committees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should not sign the Arms Trade Treaty, and that, if he transmits the Treaty with his signature to the Senate, the Senate should not ratify it; and (2) until the Treaty has been signed by the President, received the advice and consent of the Senate, and has been the subject of implementing legislation by Congress, no federal funds should be appropriated or authorized to implement the Treaty, or any similar agreement, or to conduct activities relevant to the Treaty, or any similar agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2013 - Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to repeal the contingent conditions under which the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB) shall not be established. Establishes the NARAB without contingent conditions as an independent nonprofit corporation to prescribe, on a multi-state basis, licensing and insurance producer qualification requirements and conditions. Requires the NARAB, without affecting state regulatory authority, to provide a mechanism for the adoption and multi-state application of requirements and conditions pertaining to: (1) licensing, continuing education, and other qualifications of non-NARAB insurance producers; (2) resident or nonresident insurance producer appointments; (3) supervision and disciplining of such producers; and (4) the setting of licensing fees for insurance producers. Makes any state-licensed insurance producer eligible to join the NARAB, except during a period of license suspension or revocation. Requires an individual insurance producer to undergo a criminal history record check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Requires the NARAB to submit to the FBI identification information obtained from the insurance producer, upon producer request, as well as a request of its own for the criminal history record check. Authorizes the NARAB to: (1) establish membership criteria; and (2) deny membership to an individual state-licensed insurance producer on the basis of the criminal history information obtained, or where the producer has been subject to certain disciplinary action. Prescribes procedures governing a criminal history record check, including the rights of applicants denied membership. Authorizes NARAB to establish membership criteria, including separate classes of membership and membership criteria for business entities; but prohibits it from establishing criteria that unfairly limit the ability of a small insurance producer to become a member of NARAB, including discriminatory membership fees. Authorizes NARAB to establish separate categories of membership for insurance producers and for other persons or entities within each class, based on the types of licensing categories that exist under state laws. Prohibits NARAB from establishing special categories of membership, including distinct membership criteria for members that are depository institutions or for their employees, agents, or affiliates. Prohibits NARAB from adopting any qualification less protective to the public than that contained in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Producer Licensing Model Act. Authorizes the NARAB to deny membership to any state-licensed insurance producer for failure to meet membership criteria. States that NARAB membership authorizes an insurance producer to engage in the business of insurance in any state for any lines of insurance specified in the producer's home state license, including claims adjustments and settlement, risk management, and specified insurance-related consulting activities. Makes NARAB membership equivalent to a nonresident insurance producer license for specified purposes. Retains state regulatory jurisdiction regarding consumer protection and market conduct. Directs the NARAB to establish, as a condition of membership, continuing education requirements comparable to those under the licensing laws of a majority of the states. Requires NARAB to receive and refer any consumer complaints to state insurance regulators. Requires the NARAB to maintain a toll-free number and, as practicable, other alternative means of communication with consumers, such as an Internet webpage. Authorizes the NARAB to establish: (1) a central clearinghouse through which NARAB members may disclose their intent to operate in one or more states and pay their licensing fees, and (2) a database for the collection of regulatory information concerning the activities of insurance producers. Requires the President, by and with the consent of the Senate, to appoint the 13 members of the NARAB Board of Directors from among current or former state insurance commissioners. Requires the NARAB to coordinate with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in order to ease any administrative burdens that fall on NARAB members subject to FINRA regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Regulation Costs to America Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) conduct an annual study of the total costs of federal regulations; and (2) report to Congress on the findings, including an estimate of the total annual costs of federal regulations by agency.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2013
Regulation Costs to Small Business Act - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to: (1) conduct an annual study of the total costs to small businesses of federal regulations, and (2) report each study's results to Congress. Expresses the sense of Congress that no additional funds should be made available to the SBA to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2013
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's or doctoral degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. Requires a grant priority for institutions in partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense (DOD). Provides grant amounts of at least $1 million and up to $1.5 million. Defines as eligible institutions those either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or demonstrating an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if receiving a grant. Requires the Secretary to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic-based research.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2013
Wounded Warrior Research Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award grants to carry out research for the advancement of orthotic and prosthetic clinical care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians who have undergone amputation, traumatic brain injury, and other serious physical injury as a result of combat or military experience. Includes under such research the prevention of amputations, orthotic and prosthetic intervention, and orthotics and prosthetic materials and technology research.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act or the FUELS Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in implementing the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule with respect to any farm, to require certification of compliance with such rule by: (1) a professional engineer for a farm with an individual tank with an aboveground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons, an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of at least 42,000 gallons, or a reportable oil discharge history; or (2) the owner or operator of the farm (via self-certification) for a farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons but less than 42,000 gallons and no reportable oil discharge history of oil. Directs the Administrator to exempt from all requirements of such rule any farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of 10,000 gallons or less and no reportable oil discharge history. Excludes from the aggregate storage capacity of a farm all containers on separate parcels that have a capacity of less than 1,320 gallons.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2013
Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) should encourage other countries, through bilateral, regional, and multilateral fora, to establish commercially meaningful de minimis values for express and postal shipments of articles that are exempt from customs duties and certain entry documentation requirements, as appropriate. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to increase from $200 to $800 for 2014, and to $800 adjusted annually for inflation after 2014, the aggregate retail value in the country of shipment of articles that may be imported duty-free into the United States by one person on one day.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
NICS Reporting Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends federal firearms provisions to define a person who has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or who has been committed to a psychiatric hospital as a person who is the subject of an order or finding issued by a court, board, commission, or other adjudicative body (after a hearing of which the person received actual notice and at which the person had an opportunity to participate with counsel) that found that the person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, mental impairment, or mental illness: (1) was an imminent danger to himself or others, (2) was guilty but mentally ill in a criminal case, (3) was not guilty in a criminal case by reason of insanity or mental disease or defect, (4) was incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case, (5) was not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, (6) required involuntary inpatient treatment by a psychiatric hospital, (7) required involuntary outpatient treatment by a psychiatric hospital based on a finding that the person was an imminent danger to himself or others, or (8) required involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital for any reason, including drug use. Excludes: (1) a person who is in a psychiatric hospital for observation or due to a voluntary admission, and (2) an order or finding that has expired, that has been set aside or expunged, or that is no longer applicable. Defines "psychiatric hospital" to include a mental health facility, mental hospital, sanitarium, psychiatric facility, and any other facility that provides diagnoses by licensed professionals of mental retardation or mental illness, including a psychiatric ward in a general hospital. Prohibits: (1) the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person has been adjudicated mentally incompetent (currently, mental defective) or has been committed to a psychiatric hospital (currently, to any mental institution); and (2) the shipment, transport, or possession in interstate or foreign commerce of a firearm or ammunition by, or the receipt of a firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in such commerce by, any such person. Makes conforming amendments to the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2013
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit judicial review of, or the hearing of any claim arising from, visa or document revocation. (Judicial review is currently permitted in a deportation proceeding if such revocation is the sole ground for deportation.) States that this Act shall: (1) take effect on the date of its enactment; (2) apply to all visas issued before, on, or after such date; and (3) apply to any claim pending on, or filed after, such date.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to transport individuals to and from facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in connection with vocational rehabilitation, counseling, examination, treatment, or care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
English Language Unity Act of 2013- Makes English the official language of the United States. Requires, subject to exceptions and rules of construction, that: (1) official functions of the U.S. government be conducted in English, and (2) all naturalization ceremonies be conducted in English. Establishes a uniform English language rule for naturalization. Makes English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, presumptively consistent with the laws of the United States. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue for public notice and comment a proposed rule for uniform testing of English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include in the definition of "biobased product" forest products that meet biobased content requirements, notwithstanding the market share the product holds, the product's age, or whether the market for the product is new or emerging. Defines "forest product" as a product made from materials derived from the practice of forestry or the management of growing timber, including: (1) pulp, paper, paperboard, pellets, and wood products; and (2) any recycled products derived from forest materials.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 - Declares that Israel is a Major Strategic Partner of the United States. Amends the Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 to extend authority to: (1) make additions to foreign-based defense stockpiles, and (2) transfer certain obsolete or surplus Department of Defense (DOD) items to Israel. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take steps to make Israel eligible for the strategic trade authorization exception to the requirement for a license for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of an item subject to certain export controls. Authorizes the President to carry out U.S.-Israel cooperative activities and to provide assistance for cooperation in the fields of energy, water, homeland security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies. Directs the President to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a joint United States-Israel Cyber Security Center. Includes Israel in the visa waiver program when Israel satisfies such program's inclusion requirements and provides, subject to security concerns, reciprocal travel privileges for U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2013
Financial Regulatory Responsibility Act of 2013 - Prohibits a federal financial regulatory agency from issuing notices of proposed or final rulemakings unless specified analyses have been included in them. Prohibits an agency from publishing a notice of final rulemaking if it determines that the quantified costs are greater than the quantified benefits. Requires an agency to make available on its public website sufficient information about the data, methodologies, and assumptions underlying its analyses so that its analytical results are capable of being substantially reproduced. Requires the chief economist of an agency, within five years after publication in the Federal Register of a notice of final rulemaking, to report to certain congressional committees on the economic impact of the subject regulation, including its direct and indirect costs and benefits. Requires each federal agency to develop, report to certain congressional committees, and post on its public website a plan to modify, streamline, expand, or repeal existing regulations so as to make the agency's regulatory program more effective or less burdensome in achieving its regulatory objectives. Authorizes judicial review for a person adversely affected or aggrieved by a regulation. Establishes the Chief Economists Council to report to certain congressional committees on activities of the financial regulatory agencies. Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to report separately to certain congressional committees their plans for subjecting to the requirements of this Act the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and registered national securities associations on the one hand, and registered futures associations on the other.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2013
Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders applicable to manufacturers of concrete masonry products (concrete). Requires any such order to provide for the establishment of a Concrete Masonry Products Board, which shall carry out a program of promotion, research, and information regarding concrete products. Requires manufacturers and importers to maintain, and make available, specified records. Requires any such order to provide that assessments shall be paid by concrete manufacturers with respect to concrete manufactured and marketed in the United States. Provides assessment rates. Requires at least 50% of the assessments paid by a manufacturer to be used to support research, education, and promotion plans and projects in support of the geographic region of the manufacturer. Directs the Secretary, during the 60-day period preceding the proposed effective date of an order, to conduct a referendum for order approval among the manufacturers required to pay assessments under the order. Outlines referendum procedures. Provides for petition and review of an order, and order enforcement through U.S. district courts. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct appropriate investigations in order to administer this Act (with power of subpoena). Directs the Secretary to suspend or terminate any order or provision that obstructs or does not tend to effectuate the purposes of this Act, or that is not favored by persons voting in a referendum.
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