United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. government should: (1) use all lawful tools to bring Warren Weinstein, who was abducted in Pakistan in 2011 and currently held captive by al-Qaeda, home to his family; (2) make the return of all U.S. citizens held captive abroad a top priority; and (3) keep Congress apprised of its actions to achieve such goals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments received by a student under a comprehensive work-learning-service program operated by a work college.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014
Hospital Readmissions Program Accuracy and Accountability Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in determining a hospital's excess readmission ratio for purposes of making payments for discharges starting in FY2016, to risk adjust readmissions to account for patient socioeconomic status.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014
Children in Families First Act of 2014 - Establishes within the Department of State the Office of Vulnerable Children and Family Security which shall: (1) support the implementation in foreign countries of child welfare laws and policies; and (2) address the gap in U.S. diplomacy, policy, and operations with respect to promoting appropriate, protective, and permanent family care for children living without families. States that the Office shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large who shall: (1) serve as a primary advisor to the Secretary of State and the President in all matters related to vulnerable children and family security in foreign countries; and (2) represent the United States in matters relevant to international child welfare, family preservation and reunification, and provision of permanent, safe parental care through kinship and domestic and intercountry adoption. Amends the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to carry out the functions prescribed by the Convention regarding the accreditation of U.S. adoption services providers. Establishes databases for internationally adopted children and adoption service providers. Transfers from the Secretary of State to the Field Operations Directorate of USCIS specified adoption-related functions, including accreditation of agencies and approval of persons to provide adoption services and oversight of provider investigations. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, through USCIS, to: (1) be responsible for processing and case-specific decision making on all intercountry adoption cases, (2) ensure that all intercountry adoption suitability and eligibility determinations of prospective adoptive parents are made in compliance with the Hague Adoption Convention, (3) ensure that all non-Convention adoption cases undergo specified preprocessing, and (4) be responsible for all case processing steps in Convention and non-Convention adoption petitions on behalf of children whom U.S. parents propose to immigrate to the United States. Establishes within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Center of Excellence on Children in Adversity. Authorizes the President to provide assistance for programs in developing countries for nutrition, education, care, and protection of children. Requires: (1) the President to establish a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. aid to children in adversity, and (2) USAID to carry out a priority country demonstration program implementing the (December 2012) Action Plan for Children in Adversity over a period of five years in at least six countries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the transfers of detainees Khairullah Khairkhwa, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Mohammed Fazl, Noorullah Noori, and Mohammed Nabi Omari from U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar on May 31, 2014, violated the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. Declares that Congress should: (1) investigate the actions taken by President Obama and his administration that led to the unlawful transfer of such detainees, and (2) determine the impact of such transfers on the common defense of the United States and measures that should be taken to mitigate any negative consequences.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2014 or the Autism CARES Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate an official to oversee national autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, services, and support activities. Directs the official to implement such activities taking into account the strategic plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (the Interagency Committee) and ensure that duplication of activities by federal agencies is minimized. Extends through FY2019: (1) the developmental disabilities surveillance and research program; (2) the autism education, early detection, and intervention program; and (3) the Interagency Committee. Includes support for regional centers of excellence in ASD and other developmental disabilities epidemiology as a purpose of grants or cooperative agreements. Requires information and education activities to be culturally competent. Allows a lead agency coordinating activities at the state level to include respite care for caregivers. Allows the use of research centers or networks for the provision of training in respite care and for research to determine practices for interventions to improve the health of individuals with ASD. Revises responsibilities of the Interagency Committee concerning: inclusion of school- and community-based interventions in the Committee summary of advances, monitoring of ASD research and federal services and support activities, recommendations to the Director of the National Institutes of Health regarding the strategic plan, recommendations regarding the process by which public feedback can be better integrated into ASD decisions, strategic plan updates and recommendations to minimize duplication, and reports to the President and Congress. Revises Interagency Committee membership requirements to specify additional federal agencies that might be represented and to modify the non-federal membership. Modifies requirements for reports by the Secretary on ASD activities. Adds a requirement for a report to Congress concerning young adults with ASD and the challenges related to the transition from existing school-based services to those available during adulthood. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the developmental disabilities surveillance and research program, the education, early detection, and intervention program, and the Interagency Committee for FY2015-FY2019.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 - Title I: Improvement of Scheduling System for Health Care Appointments - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract for an independent assessment of: the process at each VA medical facility for scheduling appointments for veterans; the staffing level and productivity of each VA medical facility; the organization, processes, and tools used by the VA to support clinical documentation and the subsequent coding of inpatient services; the VA's purchasing, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and medical devices; and the VA's performance in paying amounts owed to third parties and collecting amounts it is owed. Directs the Secretary: (1) through a technology task force, to review the VA's needs regarding its system and software for scheduling veterans' medical appointments; and (2) to implement task force recommendations the Secretary considers feasible, advisable, and cost-effective. Title II: Training and Hiring of Health Care Staff - Requires the Inspector General of the VA to annually determine the five health care occupations for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary, upon a determination by the Inspector General that there is such a staffing shortage regarding a particular health care occupation, to recruit and directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to serve in that particular occupation for the VA. Directs the Secretary, under the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance program, to give scholarship priority to applicants pursuing education or training towards a career in a health care occupation that represents one of the five largest staffing shortages in the VA. Requires the Secretary to submit a biennial report to Congress, until 2024, assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility. Directs the Secretary to establish a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities. Terminates the program after two years. Requires the Secretary, thereafter, to provide health care management training materials to specified VA employees upon the commencement of their employment. Makes specified appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that remain unobligated at the end of FY2014 and FY2015 available to the Secretary to hire additional health care providers for the VHA, particularly in VA medical facilities and areas experiencing the greatest shortages. Title III: Improvement of Access to Care from Non-Department of Veterans Affairs Providers - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with specified non-VA facilities if the veterans: have been unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within the VHA's wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services and such veterans opt for non-VA care or services; reside more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility; or reside in a state without a VA medical facility that provides hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care and such veterans reside more than 20 miles from such a facility. Provides for such care through contracts with any health care provider participating in the Medicare program, any federally-qualified health center, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Directs the Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services at non-VA facilities: (1) when they enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) when they attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within the VHA's wait time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with non-VA facilities two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Requires the Secretary to transfer the authority to pay for health care through non-VA facilities from the VA's Veterans Integrated Service Networks and medical centers to the VHA's Chief Business Office. Directs the Secretary to conduct outreach to each Indian medical facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization through a contract or compact with the IHS to raise awareness of the ability of such facilities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to enter into agreements with the VA for reimbursement for providing veterans with health care at such facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish performance metrics for assessing the performance of the VA and IHS under a memorandum of understanding to increase access to, and the quality and coordination of, health care services. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the reimbursement of direct care services provided to veterans with Native Hawaiian health care systems that are in receipt of funds from grants awarded, or contracts entered into, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Title IV: Health Care Administrative Matters - Directs the Secretary to improve veterans' access to telemedicine and other health care through the use of VA mobile vet centers by establishing standardized requirements for the operation of such centers. Includes among those requirements: (1) the number of days each center is expected to travel each year, (2) the number of locations each center is expected to visit each year, (3) the number of appointments each center is expected to conduct each year, and (4) the method and timing of notification given by each center to individuals in the area to which such center is traveling. Requires each mobile vet center to have the capability to provide telemedicine services. Establishes an Independent Commission on Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Projects to review the VA's current construction and maintenance projects and medical facility leasing program to identify any problems the VA experienced in carrying out such projects and program. Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to examine veterans' access to VA health care and strategically examine how best to organize the VHA, locate health care resources, and deliver health care to veterans over the next 10 to 20 years. Directs the President to require the Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of the VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdictions. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the performance goals of any VISN or VA medical center employee any goal that might disincentivize the payment of VA amounts to provide health care through a non-VA provider. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, the VA's wait time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through the HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, (2) the VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative, and (3) the VA's verification of the credentials and licenses of health care providers furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans in non-VA facilities. Requires the Secretary to implement a plan to address the Comptroller General's findings and recommendations. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with non-VA facilities; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures to another VA employee. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any appropriate grade for which the individual is qualified. Gives an individual seven days to appeal such a removal or transfer to the Merit Systems Protection Board (Board). Requires the Board to conduct an expedited review process that results in a final decision on such an appeal within 21 days after it was submitted. Title V: Health Care Related to Sexual Trauma - Expands eligibility for counseling and treatment for sexual trauma to veterans who were on inactive duty training when they experienced sexual assault or harassment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such counseling and treatment to active-duty members of the Armed Forces who experienced sexual assault or harassment while serving on active duty or active or inactive duty training. (Under current law, such services are provided only to veterans.) Prohibits such a member from being required to obtain a referral before receiving such services. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the treatment and services available from the VA for male veterans who experience military sexual trauma compared to such treatment and services available to female veterans who experience such trauma. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to submit reports to Congress on the transition of military sexual abuse treatment from the DOD to the VA. Title VI: Major Medical Facility Leases - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain major medical facility leases at specified locations for up to specified amounts. Directs the Secretary, in exercising the authority to enter into such leases, to record as the full cost of the contractual obligation at the time a contract is executed either: (1) the amount of total payments under the full lease term, or (2) the first-year payments plus the specified cancellation costs if the lease is terminated before its full term. Requires the funding prospectus of a proposed lease to include a detailed analysis of how the lease is expected to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 and the Anti-Deficiency Act, including an analysis of: (1) the classification of the lease as a lease-purchase, capital lease, or operating lease; (2) the obligation of budgetary resources associated with the lease; and (3) the methodology used in determining the asset cost, fair market value, and cancellation costs of the lease. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before entering into a lease, to submit to Congress: (1) notice of the intention to enter into, and a detailed summary of, such lease; (2) a description and analysis of any differences between the lease prospectus submitted and the proposed lease; and (3) a scoring analysis demonstrating that the proposed lease fully complies with OMB Circular A-11. Requires the Secretary, no more than 30 days after entering into a lease, to report any material differences between the proposed lease and the lease entered. Title VII: Veterans Benefits Matters - Expands the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include surviving spouses (currently, children) of service members who die in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires a surviving spouse entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage. Directs the Secretary to disapprove, for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs, courses of education provided by a public educational institution of higher education (IHE) that charges veterans living in the state higher tuition and fees than it charges in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence. Makes this provision applicable to: (1) veterans who were discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service less than three years before their date of enrollment in the applicable course, (2) family members eligible for such assistance due to their relationship to such veterans, and (3) courses that commence on or after July 1, 2015. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a public IHE's course on the grounds that the IHE conditions a veteran's receipt of in-state tuition rates on such veteran: (1) demonstrating an intent, by means other than physical presence, to establish residency in the state; or (2) satisfying other requirements not related to the establishment of residency. Title VIII: Appropriation and Emergency Designations - Authorizes and appropriates such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for FY2014-FY2016. Treats such funding as emergency funding that is not subject to pay-as-you-go spending constraints.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2014
Veterans Choice Act of 2014 - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with Medicare providers if the veterans: (1) have been unable to schedule an appointment at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility within the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA's) wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services, and (2) opt for care or services from such providers. Directs the VA Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services from Medicare providers when they: (1) enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within VHA's wait-time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with Medicare providers two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdiction. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, VA's wait-time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, and (2) VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with Medicare providers; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, to another VA employee false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA's Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or appoint the individual to a General Schedule position at any grade the Secretary determines to be appropriate. Requires such removals to be performed in the same manner as removals of professional staff of Members of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2014
Encourages a continuous national dialogue on efforts to combat prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction and supports a holistic approach to addressing such abuse. Recognizes the commitment of law enforcement, first responder, and health personnel and other entities and organizations to addressing prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction. Supports the goals of drug take-back efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its law enforcement partners and encourages the expansion of such efforts. Designates the week of October 27-November 2, 2014, as National Drug Take-Back Week and the month of October 2014 as National Prescription Opioid and Heroin Abuse Awareness Month. Encourages media organizations to raise awareness of prescription opioid and heroin use, particularly among youth.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2014
Designates June 2014 as National Aphasia Awareness Month. Expresses support for efforts to increase awareness of aphasia (a communication impairment caused by brain damage) and make the voices of people with aphasia heard. Acknowledges that aphasia deserves more attention and study to find new solutions for people experiencing aphasia and their caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for trauma care programs through FY2019. Requires that not more than 50% of amounts remaining for a fiscal year after FY2014 (after allocation for administrative purposes or for improvement of emergency medical services in rural areas) be allocated for competitive grants to support pilot projects for emergency care and trauma systems. Requires the inclusion of standards and requirements of the American Burn Association in trauma care modifications of a state plan for providing emergency medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Recognizes the significance of May 2014 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States. Recognizes that the Asian American and Pacific Islander community enhances the rich diversity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Recognizes May 2014 as Jewish American Heritage Month. Expresses appreciation for the contributions made to the United States by the survivors of the Holocaust. Encourages the people of the United States to learn about the efforts and achievements of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States in the years following World War II. Expresses admiration for the more than 100,000 Holocaust survivors living in the United States who continue to bear witness to their personal stories.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2014
Accurate Budgeting Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Joint Committee on Taxation to prepare for each major revenue bill or resolution, reported by specified congressional tax committees or considered on the floor of either chamber, as a supplement to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimates, a macroeconomic impact analysis of the budgetary effects of the legislation for: (1) the 10-fiscal year period beginning with the first fiscal year for which such estimate was prepared, and (2) each of the next three 10-fiscal year periods. Defines "major revenue bill or resolution" as a bill, resolution, or conference report for which either: the sum of the positive changes in revenues resulting from such measure (not including the impact of any timing shifts for the due date for estimated corporate income tax payments) for any fiscal year in the period for which a CBO cost estimate is prepared, or the absolute value of the sum of the negative changes in revenues resulting from such measure, is greater than 0.25% of the current projected U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for that fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2014
Condemns the charge of apostasy and death sentence of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag and calls for the release of her and her son. Encourages U.S. efforts to support religious freedom in Sudan, including by requiring before normalizing relations or lifting sanctions that Sudan abide by international standards of religious freedom. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to end religious discrimination and to pursue policies that guarantee the basic human rights of all individuals. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue their support for initiatives worldwide that support religious freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2014
Russian Weapons Embargo Act of 2014 - Prohibits the head of any executive agency from entering into a contract, subcontract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, or make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan agreement to Rosoboronexport, any subsidiary or affiliate of it, or any entity that has a business relationship with Rosoboronexport regarding the design, manufacture, or sale of military equipment. Requires the head of each executive agency to terminate any such arrangement. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if : (1) Rosoboronexport has ceased the transfer of military equipment to, and the maintenance of existing military equipment for, the government of Syria; (2) the armed forces of the Russian Federation have withdrawn from Crimea (other than forces present on certain military bases); and (3) agents of the Russian Federation are not taking measures to destabilize the control of the government of Ukraine over eastern Ukraine. Authorizes the President to reprogram Economic Support Fund assistance or security assistance for the government of any country that enters into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, or makes a grant or loan to Rosoboronexport or any subsidiary or affiliate of it in an amount up to or equal to the total amount of each such arrangement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2014
National Discovery Trails Act of 2014 - Amends the National Trails System Act to establish national discovery trails which shall be extended, continuous interstate trails located so as to provide for outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities. Authorizes the designation of such trails on federal lands and, with the consent of the owner, on non-federal lands. Designates as a national discovery trail the 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail which shall extend from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, splitting into northern and southern routes at Cincinnati, Ohio, and rejoining at Denver, Colorado. Sets forth requirements for designation of a trail as a national discovery trail. Requires the appropriate Secretary for each national discovery trail to: (1) administer the trail in cooperation with a competent trailwide volunteer-based organization; and (2) submit a comprehensive plan for the protection, management, development, and use of such trail.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2014
Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014 - Declares that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) prevent Hezbollah's global logistics and financial network from operating in order to curtail funding of its domestic and international activities; and (2) utilize diplomatic, legislative, and executive avenues to combat Hezbollah's criminal activities in order to block that organization's ability to fund its global terrorist activities. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit, or impose strict conditions on, the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly: (1) facilitates the activities of Hezbollah or any of its agents or affiliates whose property or property interests are blocked pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; (2) facilitates the activities of a person acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by such institution; (3) engages in money laundering to carry out such activity; or (4) facilitates a significant transaction or transactions or provides significant financial services to carry out such activity. Directs the Secretary to prescribe reporting, information sharing, and due diligence requirements for domestic financial institutions that maintain a correspondent account or payable-through account in the United States for a foreign financial institution. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirements if in U.S. national security interests, and with congressional notification. Directs the Secretary to identify to Congress every 180 days each foreign central bank that carries out an activity prohibited under this Act. Sets forth penalty requirements for specified violations under this Act. Directs the President to report to Congress regarding: (1) satellite, broadcast, Internet, or other providers that knowingly carry al-Manar TV or its affiliates; and (2) countries in which Hezbollah maintains important portions of its global logistics networks, and an assessment of whether a country is taking adequate measures to disrupt Hezbollah's networks within that country. Directs the President to designate Hezbollah as: (1) a significant foreign narcotics trafficker if Hezbollah meets the criteria set forth under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, and (2) a significant transnational criminal organization if Hezbollah meets the criteria set forth under Executive Order 13581. Directs the President to report to Congress which of these criteria the President determines that Hezbollah has not met, if it does not. Declares that nothing in this Act shall apply to authorized U.S. intelligence activities. States that any requirement of this Act shall cease to be in effect 30 days after the President certifies to Congress that Hezbollah: (1) is no longer designated as a foreign terrorist organization, and (2) is no longer listed in the Annex to Executive Order 13224 (blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit or support terrorism).
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2014
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Harlan Mathews, a former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on May 13, 2014, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Mathews.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
International Violence Against Women Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy. Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to develop or update annually for six years a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of USAID to provide assistance to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls internationally.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Expanding Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act - Revises subpart 1 (Charter School Programs) of part B (Public Charter Schools) of title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including by subsuming subpart 2 (Credit Enhancement Initiatives to Assist Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation) under subpart 1. Replaces the current charter school grant program with a program awarding competitive grants to state entities (state educational agencies, state charter school boards, Governors, or charter school support organizations) and, through such grantees, competitive subgrants to charter school developers to open new charter schools and expand and replicate high-quality charter schools. Requires grantees to use at least 7% of the grant funds to: (1) provide technical assistance to subgrantees and authorized public chartering agencies, and (2) work with those agencies to improve the charter school authorization process. Permits the Secretary of Education to waive certain statutory or regulatory requirements if the waiver is requested by a grant applicant and promotes the purpose of the Charter School program without tampering with what is definitionally required of charter schools. Requires the Secretary to award at least three credit enhancement grants to public entities, private nonprofit entities, or consortia of such entities that have the highest-quality applications. (Currently, the Secretary is required to award at least three grants, including at least one to a public entity, one to a private nonprofit entity, and one to a consortium of such entities, provided an application from each merits approval.) Revises the per-pupil facilities aid program (under which the Secretary makes competitive matching grants to states to provide per-pupil financing to charter schools) to allow states to: (1) partner with organizations to provide up to 50% of the state share of funding for the program; and (2) receive more than one program grant, so long as the amount of the grant funds provided to charter schools increases with each successive grant. Directs the Secretary to conduct national activities that include: providing state entities with technical assistance in awarding subgrants to charter school developers; disseminating best practices regarding public charter schools; evaluating the charter school program's impact, including its impact on student achievement; awarding competitive grants directly to charter school developers in states that have not applied for or received a charter school grant to open, replicate, and expand charter schools; and awarding competitive grants to charter management organizations or nonprofit organizations that oversee and coordinate a group of such organizations to expand and replicate high-quality charter schools. Requires states and local educational agencies to ensure that a student's records are transferred as quickly as possible to a charter school or another public school when the student transfers from one such school to the other. Allows charter schools to serve prekindergarten or postsecondary school students. Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2020.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Afghan Allies Protection Extension Act - Amends the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to extend: (1) the Afghan special immigrant visa program through FY2015, and (2) unused visa carryover authority through December 31, 2016. Expands the scope of a principal alien's qualifying employment to include employment by or on behalf of: (1) an organization associated with the U.S. mission in Afghanistan that has received U.S. funding through an official and documented contract, grant, or cooperative agreement; or (2) a media or nongovernmental organization headquartered in the United States. Revises family member requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to expand the definition of "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of provisions governing mandatory restitution of victims of offenses involving sexual exploitation and other abuse of children to include medical services, physical and occupational therapy or rehabilitation, and lost income for the victim's lifetime, as well as any losses suffered by the victim from any sexual act or conduct in preparation for or during the production of child pornography depicting the victim involved in the offense. Sets forth guidelines for determining restitution where the victim of of a specified child pornography offense was harmed by one defendant (requiring restitution for not less than the full amount of the victim's losses) or by more than one defendant (requiring restitution for not more than the full amount of the victim's losses and not less than specified minimum amounts for certain offenses). Requires joint and several liability where there are multiple defendants and allows each defendant who is ordered to pay restitution and who has made full payment to the victim equal to or exceeding the specified minimum amount to recover contribution from any other defendant ordered to pay. Sets forth contribution claim procedures. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress within one year after enactment of this Act on any progress of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in obtaining restitution for victims of such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Congratulates the students, families, teachers, and administrators of charter schools across the United States for their ongoing contributions to education, for their impressive strides in closing the academic achievement gap in U.S. schools, and for improving and strengthening the public school system. Expresses support for the ideals and goals of the 15th annual National Charter Schools Week (May 4-May 10, 2014).
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2014
Recognizes the historic struggle of the people of Mexico for independence and freedom, which Cinco de Mayo commemorates. Encourages the people of the United States to observe Cinco de Mayo with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Authorizes TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to construct, connect, operate, and maintain the pipeline and cross-border facilities specified in an application filed by TransCanada Corporation to the Department of State on May 4, 2012. Deems the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement regarding the pipeline issued by the Secretary of State in January 2014 to fully satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and any law that requires federal agency consultation or review, including the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Declares any applicable federal permit or authorization issued before enactment of this Act to remain in effect. Restricts any legal challenges regarding a federal agency action and such facilities to judicial review on direct appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Declares that this Act does not alter any federal, state, or local process or condition in effect on the date of enactment of this Act that is necessary to secure access from an owner of private property to construct the pipeline and cross-border facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to Congress a strategic framework for U.S. security assistance and cooperation in Europe and Eurasia. Directs the President to: (1) halt for 180-days all current and planned redeployments of combat forces from Europe other than certain redeployments, and (2) develop a plan to correct any deficiencies in the Armed Forces' ability to respond to contingencies in Europe and Eurasia. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) represents the most successful collective security agreement of the modern era, and (2) a strong NATO is critical to maintaining peace in Europe and Eurasia and ensuring that the Russian Federation plays an appropriate role in the region. Directs the President to: (1) implement a plan for increasing U.S. and NATO support for the armed forces of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, and other NATO member-states; and (2) direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO to seek consideration for permanently basing NATO forces in such countries. Directs the President to submit a plan to Congress for accelerating NATO and European missile defense efforts. Directs the President to establish a United States-German Global and European Security Working Group to focus on areas of mutual concern, including the situation in Ukraine, and increasing political, economic, and military cooperation between the two states. Directs the President to impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions, if Russian armed forces have not withdrawn from Crimea within seven days after enactment of this Act, against: (1) any government official, and any close associate or family member of that official, who is responsible for or otherwise directing violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, or who is responsible for acts of significant corruption in the Russian Federation; (2) any individual who sponsored or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of such acts; (3) any individual or entity with respect to which sanctions were previously imposed relating to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty; (4) any entity owned or controlled by a sanctioned entity that is owned or controlled by a citizen of the Russian Federation; and (5) any senior executive of a sanctioned entity who is a citizen of the Russian Federation. Directs the President to impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions, if Russian armed forces have not withdrawn from the eastern border of Ukraine within seven days after enactment of this Act, or if agents of the Russian Federation do not cease actions to destabilize the control of the government of Ukraine over eastern Ukraine, against: (1) Sberbank, (2) VTB Bank, (3) Vnesheconombank, (4) Gazprombank, (5) Gazprom, (6) Novatek, (7) Rosneft, (8) Rosoboronexport, (9) any entity owned or controlled by such an entity that is owned or controlled by a citizen of the Russian Federation; and (10) any senior executive of such an entity who is a citizen of the Russian Federation. Imposes asset blocking, U.S. exclusion, and foreign financial entity sanctions, if Russian armed forces expand further into, or the government of the Russian Federation annexes, sovereign territory of Ukraine or any other country in Europe or Eurasia, against: (1) any senior Russian official, (2) any entity owned or controlled by a senior Russian official, and (3) any close associate of a senior Russian official who provides significant support or resources to such senior Russian official. Imposes asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions also, in such circumstances, against: (1) any entity organized under the laws of the Russian Federation that is owned or controlled by the government of the Russian Federation, or owned or controlled by a person sanctioned for violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty; (2) any entity that operates in the arms, defense, energy, financial services, metals, or mining sectors of the Russian Federation; and (3) any senior executive of such an entity who is a citizen of the Russian Federation. Sets forth related penalty requirements. States that U.S. exclusion sanctions shall not apply if necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations or other applicable international obligations. Authorizes the President to waive sanctions if in the U.S. national security interests, and with prior congressional notification. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to limit the transfer or export by any U.S. person of oil and gas advanced technology to any person in, or any citizen of, the Russian Federation if: (1) the Russian Federation has not substantially withdrawn its armed forces from the eastern border of Ukraine within 30 days, or (2) agents of the Russian Federation do not end destabilizing measures in eastern Ukraine. Directs the Secretary of State to work with U.S. allies to limit: (1) sales of defense articles and services to the government of the Russian Federation, and (2) cooperation with the government of the Russian Federation on matters related to the production of defense articles and services by Russian entities. Prohibits the President from: (1) entering into any agreement with the government of the Russian Federation regarding the reduction of nuclear forces except with the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) reducing the number of deployed or non-deployed launchers under the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms while Russian armed forces are threatening the territorial integrity or sovereignty of Ukraine or another European or Eurasian state; (3) sharing sensitive U.S. missile defense information with the government of the Russian Federation; and (4) authorizing any Open Skies Treaty overflights of U.S. territory or government facilities by Russian airplanes that employ any surveillance devices beyond those employed before January 1, 2014. Prohibits amounts from being obligated or expended to integrate into any U.S. or NATO common-funded missile defense system any stand-alone radar or missile defense system manufactured, sold, or exported by: (1) a Russian entity, or (2) any person or entity currently sanctioned or designated under U.S. law for missile technology proliferation. Directs the Secretary of State to provide access to appropriate consular resources, including prioritized access for refugee and other immigration or travel status to the United States, for journalists, political and civil society activists, and dissidents in the Russian Federation. Directs the Secretary of State to increase efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and political and civil society organizations in the Russian Federation. Directs DOD to assess the capabilities and needs of the Ukrainian armed forces. Authorizes the President, upon completion of such assessment, to provide specified military assistance to Ukraine. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) provide Ukraine with information about Russian military and intelligence capabilities on Ukraine's eastern border and within Ukraine's territorial borders, including Crimea; and (2) ensure that such intelligence information is protected from further disclosure. Provides major non-NATO ally status for Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova (during the period in which each of such countries meets specified criteria) for purposes of the transfer or possible transfer of defense articles or defense services. Directs the President to increase: (1) U.S. Armed Forces interactions with the armed forces of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia; and (2) U.S and NATO security assistance to such states. Amends the Natural Gas Act to apply the expedited application and approval process for natural gas exports to World Trade Organization members. Urges the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Trade and Development Agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the World Bank Group, and the European Bank for Reconstruction to promote assistance to Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova in order to exploit natural gas and oil reserves and to develop alternative energy sources. Prohibits any federal department or agency from taking any action that recognizes Russian Federation sovereignty over Crimea or otherwise endorses the Russian Federation's illegal annexation of Crimea. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) strengthen democratic institutions, the independent media, and political and civil society organizations in countries of the former Soviet Union; and (2) increase educational and cultural exchanges with countries of the former Soviet Union. Directs the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Voice of America (VOA) to provide Congress with a plan for increasing and maintaining through FY2017 the quantity of U.S.-funded Russian-language broadcasting into countries of the former Soviet Union, with priority for broadcasting into Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Supports the people of Nigeria, especially the parents and families of the girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno state. Condemns Boko Haram for its attacks on civilian targets, including schools, mosques, churches, villages, and agricultural centers. Encourages: (1) the government of Nigeria to strengthen efforts to protect children seeking an education and to hold those who conduct such attacks accountable, and (2) U.S. efforts to assist in such Nigerian actions. Urges timely civilian assistance from the United States and allied African nations to rescue and reintegrate the abducted girls. Recognizes that the empowerment of women is linked to the potential of countries to generate economic growth, sustainable democracy, and inclusive security. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USDA) to continue supporting initiatives that positively impact the ability of women and girls to fully access their human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014 - Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act concerning establishment of minimum leverage and minimum risk-based capital requirements on a consolidated basis for a depository institution holding company or a nonbank financial company supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. States that federal banking agencies shall not be required to subject any person to such minimum capital requirements, to the extent that such person either: (1) acts in its capacity as a regulated insurance entity regulated by a state insurance regulator, or (2) is a regulated foreign subsidiary engaged in the business of insurance (including a regulated foreign affiliate of such subsidiary). Exempts from any requirement to prepare holding company financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles any Board-supervised depository institution holding company or nonbank financial company that is also a person regulated by a state insurance regulator or a regulated foreign subsidiary (or a regulated foreign affiliate) that files its holding company financial statements using only Statutory Accounting Principles in accordance with state law.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Supports the ideals of World Malaria Day, including the target of ending malaria deaths by 2015. Recognizes the importance of reducing malaria to improve child and maternal health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Commends the progress made toward reducing global malaria prevalence and deaths, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Supports public-private partnerships to develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination. Recognizes the goals to combat malaria in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. Supports continued U.S. leadership in bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to combat malaria and to work with developing countries to create long-term strategies to increase ownership over malaria programs. Encourages members of the international community to sustain and scale up their support for efforts to combat malaria.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to extend the Terrorism Insurance Program through December 31, 2021. Decreases the federal share of the compensation for insured losses of an insurer during each Program year after enactment of this Act by 1% until that share equals 80% of that portion of the amount of such insured losses that exceeds the applicable insurer deductible for such Program year. Increases the insurance marketplace aggregate retention amount under such Program (currently $27.5 billion) by $2 billion per calendar year after enactment of this Act until such amount equals $37.5 billion.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) to revise qualifications requirements for members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Revises requirements for the Corporation's annual report to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to require a description of and rationales for: (1) the Corporation's efforts to focus on specific countries and populations, and (2) its combination of media channels employed in meeting the promotional objectives of its marketing campaign. Directs the Corporation and the Secretary (or their designees) to meet biannually to review procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received by the Corporation from non-federal sources. Reduces from 80% to 75% the percentage of the fair market value of those goods and services the Corporation may receive from non-federal sources each fiscal year, increasing from 20% to 25% the federal matching rate. Includes U.S. territories among the states and the District of Columbia whose benefit the Corporation's international travel promotion plan must ensure. Extends the TPA and the Corporation through FY2020. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend through FY2020 also the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to charge a fee for use of the electronic travel authorization system to determine, in advance, an alien's eligibility to travel to the United States. Amends the TPA to require the Corporation to establish performance metrics to: (1) measure the impact of its marketing efforts, and (2) demonstrate any cost or benefit to the U.S. economy. Requires the Corporation to report to Congress actions it has taken in response to any recommendations the Government Accountability Office (GAO) might make to it. Requires the Corporation to: (1) establish a competitive procurement process, and (2) certify in its annual report to Congress that any contracts it has entered into were in compliance with that process.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Health Care Fairness and Stability Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to provide a temporary shift in the scheduled collection of payments for the transitional reinsurance program intended to help stabilize premiums for coverage in the individual health insurance markets from 2014 through 2016. Amends PPACA to delay the collection of reinsurance payments from health insurance issuers and third party administrators of certain self-insured group health plans until January 1, 2018. Amends PPACA to change the formula for determining the amount of contributions collected for payments to health insurance issuers that cover high risk individuals in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Community Bank Preservation Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to require that membership on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve include at least one person with demonstrated experience working in or supervising community banks having less than $10 billion total assets.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act of 2014 - States that it is U.S. policy to not recognize the de jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters. Prohibits: (1) any federal department or agency from taking any action that recognizes or implies recognition of sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters; (2) the Government Printing Office (GPO) from printing any map, document, or other paper indicating Crimea as part of the territory of the Russian Federation; and (3) any federal department or agency from taking any action to facilitate, finance, or guarantee any investment in Crimea that involves any official or entity of the government of the Russian Federation, or any business, bank, or other financial entity whose headquarters or principal place of business is in the Russian Federation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to require the U.S. representatives to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group, and certain other international financial institutions to oppose any loan, loan guarantee, or transfer of funds to Crimea related to activity involving: (1) any official or entity of the government of the Russian Federation, or (2) any financial institution or other entity whose headquarters or principal place of business is in the Russian Federation. States that in any matter before a U.S. court the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall affirm the U.S. policy of not recognizing the de jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters. Prohibits: (1) a foreign vessel arriving from a port in Crimea from entering a U.S. port if it is transporting goods for which export documents are issued or approved by Russian Federation customs authorities; (2) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) from taking any action that implies recognition of the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters; and (3) any U.S. flagged vessel or U.S. certified aircraft or air carrier from taking any action that implies recognition of the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea or its territorial waters. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of any amounts to provide economic support fund assistance, development assistance, or security assistance to the government of any country that has recognized the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2014
Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2014 or the MEPS Act - Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health assessment before such individual enlists, or is commissioned as an officer, in the Armed Forces; and (2) use assessment results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examination. Prohibits such Secretary from considering the results of such assessment in determining the assignment or promotion of a member of the Armed Forces. Requires the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to submit to Congress and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) a report on preliminary mental health assessments of members, including recommendations regarding: (1) establishing such an assessment to bring mental health screenings to parity with physical screenings of members; and (2) the composition of the assessment, best practices, and how to track assessment changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions. Requires the Secretary concerned to provide a comprehensive physical examination and a mental health screening to each member who, after a period of active duty of more than 180 days, is undergoing separation from the Armed Forces and is not otherwise provided such examination or screening in connection with such separation from either DOD or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress an assessment of DOD's capacity to provide each member who is undergoing separation an electronic copy of the member's service treatment record at the time of separation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2014
Subnational Visa Waiver Program Act of 2014 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make a territory or region eligible for designation as a visa waiver program country if it is accorded treatment under a particular U.S. law different from that accorded to the country of which it is a part.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
Money Remittances Improvement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, with respect to compliance with reporting requirements for monetary instrument transactions of financial institutions, to rely upon examinations conducted by a state supervisory agency of a category of financial institution if: (1) the category is required to comply with federal requirements, or (2) the state supervisory agency examines the category for compliance with federal requirements. Instructs the Secretary to consult with state supervisory agencies when issuing rules to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
Expresses the sense of the Senate: (1) in remembrance of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2014; (2) that the President should work toward an Armenian-Turkish relationship that includes Turkey's full acknowledgment of the facts about the Armenian Genocide; and (3) that the President should ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
Affirms that it is U.S. policy to support the Republic of Moldova's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Calls upon the government of the Russian Federation to remove its military forces from the Republic of Moldova. Supports constructive engagement between the government of Moldova and the authorities in Transnistria in order to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Expresses the Senate's belief that a resolution to the Transnistria issue can only be accomplished by ensuring the freedom of the government and the people of Moldova to determine their own future without external pressure. Urges the President to consider increasing security and intelligence cooperation with the government of Moldova. Affirms that stability in Europe is a U.S. priority that can only be achieved if the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all parties is respected.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2014
Consumer Debit Card Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require a financial institution to recredit a consumer's account within 7 days (currently, 10 days) after receiving notice of an error in the manner of an electronic debit transaction. Limits consumer liability for unauthorized use of a debit card to the following circumstances: the debit card is an accepted debit card; the liability does not exceed $50; the issuer has given the consumer a description of a means by which the issuer may be notified of loss or theft of the card; the unauthorized use occurs before the issuer has been notified of that fact or that an unauthorized use may occur as the result of loss, theft, or otherwise; and the issuer has provided a method whereby the card user can be identified as the person authorized to use the card. States that an issuer has been notified when reasonable steps have been taken to give the issuer the pertinent information, whether or not any particular officer, employee, or agent of the issuer does in fact receive that information. Places the the burden of proof upon the issuer to show that: (1) the use was authorized, or (2) the conditions of liability for the unauthorized use of a debit card have been met.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2014
Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 to direct the President to deny U.S. admission to any representative of the United Nations (U.N.) who: (1) has engaged in espionage activities or a terrorist activity against the United States or its allies, and (2) may pose a threat to U.S. national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2014
Hire More Heroes Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an employer, for purposes of determining whether such employer is an applicable large employer and thus required to provide health care coverage to its employees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to exclude employees who have coverage under a health care program administered by the Department of Defense (DOD), including TRICARE, or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2014
Declares that the Senate: (1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Jeremiah Andrew Denton, Jr., former Member of the Senate; (2) honors the legacy and service of the former Senator and retired Rear Admiral for his life of loyalty, duty, integrity, and moral sincerity; (3) extends its deepest condolences and sympathy to his family and friends who have lost an inspiring leader and confidant; (4) honors the dauntless valor of Senator Denton, beloved son of Alabama, for his dedication and life of selfless service to the people of the United States; (5) recognizes that Senator Denton was a champion for humanitarian aid and international assistance programs through his legislative work and initiatives; (6) reiterates his resolute character as a paragon of bravery who lived a life of honor guided by his values and commitment to the defense of the United States; and (7) expresses admiration and profound respect for his legacy as a truly courageous and inspirational leader. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on March 31, 2014, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect for the memory of Senator Denton.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act - Extends from 5 to 15 years the period of eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for veterans who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations after the Persian Gulf War or against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998. Requires the Secretaries of the military departments to provide a process by which a covered individual may challenge the terms or characterization of his or her discharge or separation from the Armed Forces. Defines "covered individual" as any individual who: (1) was discharged or separated from the Armed Forces for a personality disorder; or (2) was discharged or separated from the Armed Forces on a punitive basis, or under other than honorable conditions, and who alleges that the basis for such discharge or separation was a mental health injury or disorder incurred or aggravated by the individual during service in the Armed Forces. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of Veteran Affairs (VA) to: (1) conduct an evaluation of mental health care and suicide prevention programs carried out in DOD and VA; (2) train all providers of health care in such Departments on recognizing the risk of suicide, treating or referring for treatment an individual who is at risk of suicide, and recognizing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder; and (3) ensure that best practices for identifying individuals at risk of suicide and for providing quality mental health care are disseminated to providers of health care in such Departments. Amends the Wounded Warrior Act to require the DOD Secretary and the VA Secretary, in implementing electronic health record systems that provide for the full interoperability of personal health care information between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, to ensure that: (1) a health data authoritative source that can be accessed by multiple providers and that standardizes the input of new medical information is created within 180 days, (2) the ability of patients of both Departments to download their medical records is achieved within 180 days, (3) full interoperability of personal health care information between the Departments is achieved within one year, (4) acceleration of the exchange of real-time data between the Departments is achieved within one year, (5) the upgrade of the graphical user interface to display a joint common graphical user interface is achieved within one year, and (6) current members of the Armed Forces and their dependents may elect to receive an electronic copy of their health care records beginning not later than June 30, 2015. Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the educational loans of individuals who: (1) are licensed or eligible for licensure to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration or are enrolled in the final year of an accredited residency program in psychiatric medicine, and (2) demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the Veterans Health Administration. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study and report on pay disparities among psychiatrists of the Veterans Health Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2014
Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program through FY2019.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2014
Maximizing Spectrum Efficiency and Value Act of 2014 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to establish a Federal Spectrum Reallocation Commission to make recommendations to the President on the reallocation of federal spectrum over a specified time period. Directs each federal agency to include a spectrum utilization plan as part of the budget justification documents submitted to Congress each fiscal year. Requires copies of the plan to be submitted to the Reallocation Commission, the Secretary of Commerce, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress, the Comptroller General (GAO), and the Reallocation Commission a report identifying and recommending for reallocation bands of frequencies that: (1) are allocated primarily for federal government use, (2) are not required for federal government needs, and (3) can feasibly be made available for assignment through a competitive bidding system under the Communications Act of 1934 during the five-year period beginning on the date of submission of the report. Directs the Reallocation Commission to hold public hearings and submit to the President and Congress a review and analysis of the Secretary's recommendations with an explanation and justification of any Reallocation Commission recommendation for federal spectrum reallocation that is different from the Secretary's recommendations. Directs the President to determine whether to approve the Reallocation Commission recommendations and to submit a report on such determination to Congress and the Reallocation Commission. Sets forth a process requiring the Reallocation Commission, if the President disapproves the recommendations, to continue submitting a revised list of recommendations until the President approves it. Terminates the Reallocation Commission 60 days after the President approves the recommendations. Directs the President to submit the approved recommendations to Congress. Directs the head of each federal entity required to relocate spectrum under the approved recommendations to prepare and submit an implementation plan to the President, Congress, the NTIA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and GAO. Directs each such federal entity, after the President submits the approved recommendations to Congress, to: (1) initiate actions required to comply with the recommendations within two years, and (2) complete such actions within five years. Prohibits federal entities from initiating such compliance actions if a joint resolution is enacted that disapproves the recommendations within a specified period. Requires the FCC, within two years after the President submits the approved recommendations to Congress, to commence the auctioning of frequencies that will be made available for assignment of new intitial licenses subject to new service rules or for other purposes. Directs any federal government station operating on electromagnetic spectrum identified in the approved recommendations for the reallocation of federal spectrum, to the maximum extent practicable, to relocate its spectrum use to other frequencies allocated for federal use or to consolidate its spectrum use with other federal government stations in a manner that maximizes the spectrum available for nonfederal use. Authorizes Congress, if a federal entity fails to comply with an OMB-approved relocation deadline, to decrease the amount appropriated to the entity in the following fiscal year by up to one-half of 1%. Sets forth authority for the payment of relocation or sharing costs from the Spectrum Relocation Fund. Requires specified proceeds from the auction of frequencies to be deposited in the Treasury's general fund for the sole purpose of deficit reduction. Prohibits the FCC from: (1) establishing licensing conditions relating to its Report and Order on Preserving the Open Internet and Broadband Industry Practices adopted on December 21, 2010, (2) restricting the number or type of bidders or any specific bidder from participating in a public auction, (3) prescribing the rates or terms of or otherwise conditioning services that may be offered by successful bidders in any such auction, or (4) imposing any additional license requirements or rules on successful bidders once any such auction has been completed.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2014
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (SAA, 2008) to extend emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) payments for eligible individuals to weeks of employment ending on or before June 1, 2014. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until May 31, 2014, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and November 30, 2014, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2013, to May 31, 2014, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the SAA, 2008 to appropriate funds out of the employment security administration account through the first five months of FY2015 to assist states in providing reemployment and eligibility assessment activities. Requires the provision of such activities to an individual, at a minimum, within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-1 EUC benefits, and if applicable, again within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-3 EUC benefits. Requires the Secretary of Labor to determine appropriate time periods. Specifies the purposes of the activities, namely to: better link the unemployed with the overall workforce system by bringing individuals receiving unemployment insurance benefits in for personalized assessments and referrals to reemployment services; and provide them with early access to specific strategies that can help get them back into the workforce faster, including through: (1) the development of a reemployment plan, (2) provision of access to relevant labor market information, (3) provision of access to information about industry-recognized credentials that are regionally relevant or nationally portable, (4) provision of referrals to reemployment services and training, and (5) an assessment of the individual's on-going eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through May 31, 2014, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits. Makes a change in application of a certain requirement (nonreduction rule) to a state that has entered a federal-state EUC agreement, under which the federal government would reimburse the state's unemployment compensation agency making EUC payments to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular unemployment compensation under state or federal law and meet specified other criteria. (Under the nonreduction rule such an agreement does not apply with respect to a state whose method for computing regular unemployment compensation under state law has been modified to make the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010, less than what would have been paid before June 2, 2010.) Declares that the nonreduction rule shall not apply to a state which has enacted a law before December 1, 2013, that, upon taking effect, would violate the nonreduction rule. Allows a state whose agreement was terminated, however, to enter into a subsequent federal-state EUC agreement on or after enactment of this Act if, taking into account this inapplicability of the nonreduction rule, it would otherwise meet the requirements for an EUC agreement. (Thus allows such a subsequent EUC agreement to permit payment of less than the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010.) Prohibits the use of federal funds to: (1) make payments of unemployment compensation to any individual whose adjusted gross income in the preceding year was at least $1 million; or (2) determine whether or not this prohibition applies to them. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to: study the use of work suitability requirements to strengthen them to ensure that unemployment insurance benefits are being provided to individuals who are actively looking for work and truly want to return to the labor force; and brief Congress on the ongoing study, including preliminary recommendations for appropriate legislation and administrative action. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to revise the applicable percentages for determining minimum funding standards for single-employer defined benefit pension plans (funding stabilization). Exempts plans providing accelerated benefit distributions from the application of such standards. Amends ERISA with respect to pension insurance premiums paid by a designated payor to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). (A designated payor is the contributing sponsor or plan administrator for a single-employer plan, and the plan administrator for the multiemployer plan.) Allows a designated payor to elect to prepay, during any plan year, the applicable PBGC flat dollar insurance premium due for up to five consecutive subsequent plan years specified in the election. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend through FY2024 the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to collect customs user fees for the processing of certain merchandise.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000360_200.jpg)