United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013 or the PAST Act - Amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe regulatory requirements for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to license, train, assign, and oversee persons who are to be hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions and are qualified to detect and diagnose sore horses or otherwise inspect horses at such events. (The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness.) Prohibits issuing a license to any person unless such person is free from conflicts of interest. Requires the Secretary, in issuing such licenses, to give a preference to persons who are licensed or accredited veterinarians. Replaces the current horse inspector appointment process under which the management of a horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction appoints inspectors with a new process requiring the Secretary to assign USDA-licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire such inspectors. Requires the Secretary to publish on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's website information on violations of such Act. Directs the Secretary to disqualify a horse the Secretary determines is sore for specified minimum time periods that increase after the first, second, and third instance. Prohibits a person in any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction from: (1) showing or exhibiting any horse that is sore; (2) entering any horse that is sore for the purpose of showing or exhibiting the horse; (3) selling, auctioning, or offering for sale any horse that is sore; (4) causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, auctioning, or offering for sale the horse; and (5) allowing any such activity with respect to a horse that is sore by the owner of that horse. Expands a list of activities designated as unlawful conduct under such Act to include a prohibition on showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse with: (1) an action device; or (2) a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, hoof band, or other device or material if it is constructed to artificially alter the gait of such horses and is not strictly protective or therapeutic. Defines "action device" as any boot, collar, chain, roller, or other device that encircles or is placed upon the lower extremity of the leg of a horse in a manner that it can: (1) rotate around the leg or slide up and down the leg, so as to cause friction; or (2) strike the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint, or pastern of the horse. Excludes from such term soft rubber or soft leather bell boots or quarter boots that are used as protective devices. Increases the maximum criminal penalties and maximum civil liability penalties for certain HPA violations. Expands the categories of activities the Secretary may disqualify a violator of such Act from participating in to include: (1) transporting or arranging for the transportation of a horse to or from a show, exhibition, sale, or auction; (2) personally giving instructions to an exhibitor; or (3) being knowingly present in a warm-up area, inspection area, or other area that spectators are not permitted. Permits the Secretary to permanently disqualify a person with at least three violations after notice and an opportunity for a hearing.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to specify that an unlawful employment practice is established when the complaining party demonstrates that age or participation in investigations, proceedings, or litigation under such Act was a motivating factor for any practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice (thereby allowing what are commonly known as "mixed motive" claims). Permits a complaining party to rely on any type or form of admissible evidence, which need only be sufficient for a reasonable trier of fact to find that an unlawful practice occurred. Declares that a complaining party shall not be required to demonstrate that age or retaliation was the sole cause of a practice (thereby rejecting the Supreme Court decision in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc. , which requires a complainant to prove that age was the "but-for" cause for the employer's decision). Authorizes the court, on a claim in which an individual demonstrates that age was a motivating factor for any employment practice and in which a respondent demonstrates that the same action would have been taken in the absence of the impermissible motivating factor, to grant declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees and costs directly attributable only to the pursuit of a claim. Prohibits the court in such an instance from awarding damages or issuing an order requiring any admission, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, or payment. Applies the same standard of proof to other employment discrimination and retaliation claims, including claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and similar laws concerning federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Housing Assistance for Veterans Act of 2013 or HAVEN Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations that primarily serve veterans or low-income individuals. Requires such grants to be used to rehabilitate and modify the primary residence of disabled or low-income veterans (at a specified limited or no cost to such veterans). Limits grant amounts to $1 million per organization. Requires the Secretary to direct the oversight of grant fund use. Requires a minimum of 50% matching funds by participating organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection to exclude insurers from bank capital rules. Declares that a company is "primarily engaged in the business of insurance" if: (1) the annual gross revenues derived by it and all of its subsidiaries from the business of insurance represent at least 2/3 of its consolidated annual gross revenues, or (2) the consolidated assets of the company and its subsidiaries relating to the business of insurance represent at least 2/3 of its consolidated assets. Exempts from minimum leverage capital requirements and minimum risk-based capital requirements any depository institution holding company that: (1) is primarily engaged in the business of insurance; (2) is an insurance underwriting company at the holding company level and was in existence on July 21, 2010; or (3) any nonbank financial company supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System that, together with its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in the business of insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2013 or CLEAR Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to exempt from its rules regarding management assessment of internal controls the following institutions which, as of the end of the preceding fiscal year, had total consolidated assets of $1 billion or less (adjusted annually according to a certain formula): (1) a bank holding company, (2) a savings and loan holding company, or (3) an insured depository institution. Declares the "Small Bank Holding Company Statement" of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) applicable to a financial institution that: (1) is otherwise subject to that policy statement, and (2) has consolidated assets of less than $5 billion. Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to exempt from requirements governing escrow or impound accounts affecting certain consumer credit transactions any loans secured by a first lien on the principal dwelling of a consumer, if such loans are held by an insured depository institution having assets of $10 billion or less. Includes as a qualified mortgage, with respect to the presumption that a qualified residential mortgage loan meets certain minimum standards, any mortgage loan originated and retained in portfolio for at least three years by a depository institution having less than $10 billion in total assets. Requires the CFPB (which currently is merely authorized) to provide by regulation that a "qualified mortgage" includes a balloon loan extended by an insured depository institution that: (1) originates and retains balloon loans in portfolio for at least three years, and (2) together with its affiliates has less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
New Philadelphia, Illinois, Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the New Philadelphia archaeological site and the land surrounding it in Illinois (the study area). Requires the Secretary to evaluate the national significance of the study area and to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
Gas Accessibility and Stabilization Act of 2013 - Amends the Clean Air Act to revise procedures for waiver by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of a control or prohibition regarding the use of a fuel or fuel additive by: (1) allowing waiver if the Administrator determines that extreme and unusual fuel or fuel additive supply circumstances are the result of a problem with distribution or delivery equipment necessary for the transportation or delivery of such fuel or additives, (2) allowing extension of a waiver for more than 20 days if it is determined that the waiver conditions will exist beyond 20 days, and (3) deeming a request for a waiver that is not approved or denied within 3 days to be approved for the period requested. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to modify a fuel system requirements harmonization study to: (1) include consideration of biofuels, (2) add consideration of the projected effects of EPA Tier III requirements on air quality and motor fuel prices, and (3) extend to June 1, 2014, the date for submission to Congress of a report on the results of the study.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2013
Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to cooperative and small employer charity pension plans (CSEC plans), to: (1) define such plans as defined benefit plans maintained by multiple employers, all of whom are tax-exempt charitable organizations; (2) exempt CSEC plans from existing funding standards and allow such plans to establish minimum funding standards and special rules with respect to the valuation of plan assets, required contributions, and liquidity requirements; (3) require specified notices to CSEC plan participants on the effect of CSEC plan rules on plan funding and on total contributions made by participating employers; (4) allow pension plan sponsors to elect out of treatment of their plans as a CSEC plan in plan years beginning after December 31, 2013; (4) establish a flat premium level for insurance coverage of CSEC plans; and (5) require the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to make sponsors of existing CSEC plans aware of the changes to ERISA made by this Act and the assistance available through the Participant and Plan Sponsor Advocate established by ERISA.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2013
No Child Left Inside Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships to support the implementation of state environmental literacy plans that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Includes in the eligible partnerships a local educational agency (LEA) and at least one institution of higher education, another LEA, an elementary or secondary school, or a government or nonprofit entity experienced in environmental literacy. Requires use of the subgrants for one or more of the following activities: providing targeted, job-embedded professional development that improves teachers' environmental content knowledge and pedagogical skills; establishing and operating environmental education summer workshops or institutes for teachers; developing or redesigning more rigorous environmental education curricula; designing programs that prepare teachers to provide environmental education mentoring and training to other teachers in their school; establishing and operating programs to bring teachers and students into contact with working professionals in environmental fields; creating initiatives that incorporate environmental education within teacher training programs or accreditation standards; and promoting the integration of outdoor environmental education lessons into the regular school curriculum and schedule. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to eligible partnerships for one or more of the following activities: developing and implementing state curriculum frameworks for environmental education that meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards for environmental education, replicating or disseminating information about proven and tested model environmental education programs, and developing and implementing new approaches to advancing environmental education and the adoption and use of environmental education content standards. Amends part B (Mathematics and Science Partnerships) of title II of the ESEA to: (1) include nonprofit environmental education organizations and government science, environmental, or natural resource management agencies among the entities eligible to participate in part B partnerships; and (2) allow the use of part B funds to train teachers to use environmental education to enhance student understanding of science and mathematics. Amends part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers) of title IV of the ESEA to include environmental literacy activities among the before and after school activities that such program funds at community learning centers. Directs the Secretary to: request all federal departments and agencies to provide information on any environmental literacy assistance program that they operate, sponsor, or support; make that information searchable and accessible through the Department of Education's website and cross-referenced with the United States Green Ribbon School application information; coordinate environmental literacy activities between the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Commerce; and appoint an advisory panel of stakeholders to advise and support interagency environmental literacy planning and assessment activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2013
Government Transformation Act of 2013 - Establishes the Government Transformation Commission as an independent commission. Directs the Commission to: make specific and actionable recommendations to congressional committees for legislative changes, including opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce government costs, proposals to reduce government expenditures and indebtedness and improve personnel management, and proposals to make the federal government more economical, efficient, and effective; make recommendations to the President for the elimination, consolidation, or improvement of federal programs and for reinvestment and opportunities for innovation in federal agencies; provide advice and recommendations to federal agencies to make programs more economical, efficient, and effective, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to improve and report on agency performance plans, and to Congress, OMB, and federal agencies on the design and implementation of significant new federal programs; provide a mechanism whereby federal employees, citizens, and other interested parties can offer ideas and recommendations for reviewing and improving federal programs; conduct research into best organization practices and government reform efforts and provide a repository for such information; develop and maintain criteria and a schedule for assessing federal agencies and programs; assess program evaluations; maintain the privacy and security of any data used by the Commission; and support requests made under the Freedom of Information Act. Requires the Commission to make interim and annual reports on its activities to the President and Congress. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of legislation to implement recommendations of the Commission. Terminates the Commission seven years after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2013
Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish guidelines for the establishment of measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for U.S. foreign assistance. Requires: (1) each appropriate federal department or agency to begin using such guidelines within one year after their establishment, and (2) the President to submit a related report to Congress within 18 months. Directs the President to require the Secretary of State to revise the Department of State's Internet website, ForeignAssistance.gov, to make publicly available comprehensive and accessible information on U.S. foreign assistance programs on a country-by-country and program-by program basis. Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress shall take into account certain Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports required by this Act when making decisions regarding the appropriation of funds for each department or agency that administers U.S. foreign assistance. Authorizes a department or agency to use up to 5% of its foreign development assistance funds for activities under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2013
Exchange Sunset Act of 2013 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make inapplicable provisions concerning Health Benefit Exchanges if one or more Exchanges fail to accept applications for enrollment in qualified health plans beginning on October 1, 2013. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the requirement that individuals maintain minimum essential coverage upon such a determination by the Secretary of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2013
Congratulates Coach George Ireland and the 1963 Loyola University Chicago men's basketball championship team on their induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Honors the 50th anniversary of such championship and the athletic and civil rights achievements of the team. Honors the 1963 Mississippi State University men's basketball team for their bravery and sportsmanship in rejecting racism and aiding in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and the southeastern United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to: (1) redesignate the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking as the Bureau to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and (2) provide for an Assistant Secretary to head the Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to include as a purpose of such Act to achieve the goals established in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan (Action Plan), the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (Strategy), and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 (Agreement) through: (1) improved organization and definition of mission on the part of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (2) the funding of grants, contracts, and interagency agreements for protection, restoration, and pollution control in the Great Lakes area; and (3) improved accountability. Expands the duties of the Great Lakes National Program Office to include coordinating with the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force (Task Force), established by this Act. Requires the Administrator of EPA to establish the Great Lakes Advisory Board to provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator on matters pertaining to Great Lakes restoration and protection. Finds that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (Initiative), which commenced in 2010, is designed to: (1) identify programs and projects that are strategically selected to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem and to implement the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy; (2) be based on the work of the Task Force; and (3) represent the government's commitment to significantly advancing Great Lakes protection and restoration. Requires the Initiative to prioritize work done by non-federal partners using funding made available for the Great Lakes for priority areas for each fiscal year, such as: (1) the remediation of toxic substances and areas of concern, (2) the prevention and control of invasive species and their impacts, (3) the protection and restoration of near-shore health and the prevention and mitigation of nonpoint source pollution, and (4) habitat and wildlife protection and restoration. Requires that: (1) Initiative funds be used to strategically implement federal projects and projects carried out in coordination with states, Indian tribes, municipalities, institutions of higher education, and other organizations; and (2) Initiative projects be carried out on multiple levels, including local, Great Lakes-wide, and Great Lakes basin-wide. Prohibits funding made available to implement the Initiative from being used for any water infrastructure activity (other than a green infrastructure project that improves habitat and other ecosystem functions in the Great Lakes) that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Requires federal agencies to: (1) maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities, and (2) identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative. Authorizes appropriations for the Initiative for FY2014-FY2018. Establishes the Task Force to: collaborate with Canada, provinces of Canada, and binational bodies involved in the Great Lakes region regarding policies, strategies, projects, and priorities for the Great Lakes System; coordinate the development of federal policies, strategies, projects, and priorities for addressing the restoration and protection of the System consistent with the Agreement, the Strategy, and the Action Plan; assist in the appropriate management of the System; develop goals for the System that focus on outcomes such as cleaner water, improved public health, sustainable fisheries, and biodiversity and ensure that federal policies, strategies, projects, and priorities support measurable results and are consistent with the Strategy and Action Plan; exchange information regarding policies, strategies, projects, and activities of the agencies represented on the Task Force relating to the System, the Strategy, the Agreement, and the Action Plan; coordinate government action associated with the System; seek input from nongovernmental organizations, states, and local and tribal governments; ensure coordinated scientific and other research associated with the System; provide assistance and support to agencies represented on the Task Force in activities relating to the System; establish annual priorities with respect to Great Lakes protection and restoration, consistent with priorities for the Strategy and the Agreement; review and update such Strategy and Action Plan every five years in coordination with specified entities; and report on what actions have and have not been implemented with respect to the recommendations made by the Board and the Great Lakes' mayors, the governors, and tribal leaders. Requires the Administrator to submit to Congress annually a comprehensive report on the overall health of the Great Lakes, including a description of the achievements in implementing the Agreement, a list of the Initiative's accomplishments, and recommendations for streamlining work of advisory and coordinating committees. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit to Congress, annually, a financial report certified by each agency that has budget authority for Great Lakes restoration activities that contains: (1) an interagency budget crosscut report, (2) a detailed accounting of all funds received and obligated by all federal agencies and state agencies using federal funds for Great Lakes restoration activities during the current and previous fiscal years, (3) a budget for the proposed projects to be carried out in the subsequent fiscal year, and (4) a listing of projects to be undertaken in the subsequent fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern in the Great Lakes, and (2) the Great Lakes Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable William Dodd Hathaway, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns June 26, 2013, it stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Hathaway.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2013 - Establishes the Federal Mortgage Insurance Corporation (FMIC) as an independent agency of the federal government to: (1) develop standard form credit risk-sharing mechanisms, products, structures, contracts, or other security agreements that require private market holders of a covered security insured under this Act to assume the first loss position with respect to losses incurred on such securities; (2) provide insurance on any covered security for which any private market holders have assumed the first loss position with respect to losses; (3) establish a Mortgage Insurance Fund; and (4) oversee and supervise the common securitization platform developed by a business entity announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and established by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises [GSEs]). Authorizes the FMIC to provide insurance to any covered security regardless of whether it has satisfied credit-risk sharing requirements if unusual and exigent circumstances have created, or threatened to create, an anomalous lack of mortgage credit availability within the housing markets that could materially and severely disrupt the functioning of the housing finance system. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to exempt covered securities insured by FMIC from Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation in general and from credit risk retention requirements in particular. Directs the FMIC to develop, adopt, and publish standards for its approval of: (1) private mortgage insurers to provide private mortgage insurance on eligible mortgages; (2) servicers to administer eligible mortgages; (3) issuers to issue covered securities, including the Federal Home Loan Bank System; and (4) bond guarantors to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on FMIC-insured securities collateralized by eligible mortgages. Directs the FMIC to establish an FMIC Mutual Securitization Company to: (1) develop, securitize, sell, and otherwise meet the issuing needs of credit unions, community and mid-size banks, and non-depository mortgage originators with respect to covered securities; and (2) purchase from its member participants for cash, on a single loan basis, eligible mortgage loans to securitize in a covered security. Directs the FMIC to: (1) require that approved issuers grant to private market investors seeking to take the first loss position in a covered security access to all documents relating to eligible mortgage loans collateralizing that covered security; and (2) establish the timing, frequency, and manner in which such access and disclosures are made. Prescribes requirements for: (1) investor immunity, (2) uniform securitization agreements, (3) a uniform mortgage database, and (4) electronic registration of eligible mortgages. Establishes within the FMIC an Office of Underwriting, an Office of Securitization, and an Office of Federal Home Loan Bank Supervision. Transfers to the FMIC all the powers, personnel, and property and facilities of the FHFA, which is hereby abolished. Directs the FMIC to charge an insurance fee according to a specified formula. Amends the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 to revise requirements for allocations from the Housing Trust Fund for homeownership and rental programs. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, to ensure that grant amounts allocated to covered grantees, allocated by them to eligible recipients, or allocated by recipients to individuals are used for the benefit of only lawful permanent residents and citizens of the United States in carrying out the activities of the Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund. Prohibits the use of such grant amounts for specified political activities. Repeals GSE charters and prescribes requirements for the wind down of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Transfers, without cost, to the FMIC all functions, activities, infrastructure, property, platforms, or any other object or service of a GSE relating to the maintenance and operation of a GSE's multifamily guarantee business. Requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on full privatization of the secondary mortgage market.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2013
Preserving Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study whether there should be an increase in the prospective payment rate for inpatient rehabilitation services that would otherwise be made to a rehabilitation innovation center to cover additional costs incurred in: (1) furnishing items and services to individuals conducting research, and (2) providing medical training. Requires the study also to specify the amount of such an increase if the Secretary determines that it is recommended.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the employer mandate to provide health care coverage, to: (1) modify the formula for calculating the number of full-time employees employed by an applicable large employer subject to the mandate; and (2) define a "full-time employee" as an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours per week (currently, 30 hours).
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include information on the coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity in the "Medicare and You Handbook." Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and implement a plan to coordinate the efforts of all HHS officers and agencies to treat, reduce, and prevent obesity and overweight in the adult population. Authorizes the Secretary, in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, to cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by: (1) a physician who is not a qualified primary care physician; (2) an evidence-based, community-based HHS-certified lifestyle counseling program; or (3) any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, a clinical psychologist, and a registered dietitian or nutrition professional) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner in an office setting, a hospital outpatient department, or another HHS-specified setting. Authorizes the Secretary to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for being overweight for individuals with one or more comorbidities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Death Tax Repeal Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption. Provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2013
Honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses during National Small Business Week beginning June 17, 2013. Applauds the efforts and achievements of small business owners and their employees. Recognizes the work of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its resource partners in providing assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Recognizes the importance of ensuring that: (1) guaranteed loans, including microloans and venture capital, are made available to all qualified small businesses; (2) management assistance programs delivered by SBA resource partners are recognized for providing invaluable counseling services to entrepreneurs; (3) SBA small business disaster assistance is provided in a timely and efficient manner; (4) affordable Internet access is available to all people in the United States so that small businesses can utilize such access; (5) regulatory relief is provided to small businesses through the reduction of duplicative or unnecessary regulatory requirements; and (6) leveling the playing field for small business contracting opportunities remains a primary focus.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal in honor of the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, in recognition of its pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and many acts of valor in the face of adversity. Requires the medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian shall make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the 65th Infantry Regiment, including locations in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2013
Representation Fairness Restoration Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to revise requirements for determination by the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) of an appropriate bargaining unit before an election of collective bargaining representation. (In effect reverses the NLRB's August 26, 2011, decision in Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation of Mobile and its June 22, 2011, rulemaking regarding proposed changes to procedures involving the election of collective bargaining representation.) Replaces the current restriction in the meaning of collective bargaining unit to employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision. Requires the NLRB, instead, to determine a unit as appropriate for collective bargaining if it consists of employees that share a sufficient community of interest. Specifies factors the NLRB must consider when making such determinations. Prohibits exclusion of employees from the unit unless the group's interests are sufficiently distinct from those of other employees to warrant the establishment of a separate unit.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
State Ethics Law Protection Act of 2013 - Considers a state transportation department not to have violated federal contract requirements for the construction of a federal-aid highway project solely because the state in which the department is located, or a local government within that state, has in effect a law or order that limits the amount of money an individual or entity doing business with a state or local agency with respect to such a project may contribute to a political party, campaign, or elected official (pay to play).
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2013
Designates June 2013 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 · 7 June 2013
Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state plans for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that for each child over whom the state has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, the state agency shall: (1) identify and document in agency records each child identified as a victim of sex trafficking, including severe forms of trafficking in certain persons; and (2) report immediately, within 24 hours, any information on missing or abducted children to the law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Requires such plans also to contain a regularly updated description of the specific measures the state agency has taken to protect and provide services to child victims of sex trafficking, including efforts to coordinate with state law enforcement, juvenile justice, and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve that population. Requires the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) to provide comprehensive national information with respect to the aggregate number of children in foster care identified as victims of sex trafficking. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require any law enforcement agency that entered a missing child report into the NCIC to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report received relating to a child reported missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require that the state plan under the Act certifies that the state has in effect and is enforcing a state law, or is operating a statewide program, relating to child abuse and neglect that includes provisions and procedures requiring: (1) identification and assessment of all reports involving child victims of sex trafficking, and (2) training child protective services workers about identifying and providing comprehensive services for such children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress on issues related to identifying, and providing services for, victims of labor trafficking within the child welfare system.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Every Child Ready for College or Career Act of 2013 - Revises and reauthorizes programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Title I: Improving Basic Programs Operated by State and Local Educational Agencies - Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the ESEA to eliminate the requirement that local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools make adequate yearly progress toward state academic content and achievement standards. Requires states to adopt challenging academic content and achievement standards for mathematics, reading or language arts, and science that ensure that all of their public school students graduate from high school fully prepared for postsecondary education or the workforce. Requires states to implement a set of high-quality assessments of student progress toward those standards in mathematics and reading or language arts that: (1) involve multiple measures of student achievement; (2) measure the overall performance of students in each public school and the performance of their poor, minority, disabled, and English learner subgroups; and (3) are used as the primary means of determining the yearly performance of each of their schools. Allows states to adopt alternate academic achievement standards and assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Requires states to annually: (1) identify their public schools that need improvement based on the overall performance of their students, achievement gaps between student subgroups, or graduation rates; and (2) assist their LEAs in developing and implementing appropriate improvement strategies for such schools. Includes among the assistance strategies that LEAs must develop for schools their state has identified as needing improvement: replacing the school's principal; replacing ineffective teachers; giving the school the operational flexibility needed to fully implement a comprehensive strategy to improve student achievement; providing ongoing, high-quality professional development to instructional staff; implementing strategies to recruit, place, and retain effective staff; using data to identify and implement an instructional program that is aligned with state academic standards or to inform and differentiate instruction that meets the needs of individual students; converting a school or closing and reopening the school; closing a school and enrolling it students in higher performing schools; and adopting a new governance structure for the school. Allows LEAs to give students in those schools the option to transfer to another public school in their jurisdiction, provided the option is not prohibited by state law. Eliminates the requirement that all teachers be highly qualified, requiring instead that they meet applicable state certification and licensure requirements. Authorizes states to allocate their part A grants among LEAs on the basis of the number of impoverished children enrolled in each LEA's public schools. Replaces the program under part B (Student Reading Skills Improvement Grants) with a program awarding grants to states to assist them in developing academic assessments and academic content and achievement standards. Repeals: (1) the demonstrations of innovative practices, assessment evaluation, and Close Up Fellowship programs under part E; (2) part F (Comprehensive School Reform); (3) part G (Advanced Placement Programs); and (4) part H (School Dropout Prevention) of title I of the ESEA. Eliminates fiscal maintenance of effort requirements imposed on LEAs receiving funds under part A. Title II: High-Quality Teachers and Principals - Creates a new title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the ESEA consisting of a part A (Fund for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning) and part B (Teacher Incentive Fund). Moves teacher liability and internet safety provisions to title IX of the ESEA. Allocates part A grants to states and, through them, subgrants to LEAs pursuant to a formula that apportions: (1) 20% of the funding to states and LEAs on the basis of their share of students aged 5-17 on the national and state level, respectively; and (2) 80% of such funding on the basis of their share of impoverished students in that age group. Requires states to use 95% of those funds for subgrants to LEAs, with the remainder being used for specified state activities. Lists the projects which the subgrants may fund, including: (1) teacher and principal recruitment, training, and retention efforts; (2) teacher and principal evaluation systems that are based in significant part on student achievement; (3) model instructional programs in the core academic subjects; (4) measures that improve students' access to school library materials, postsecondary level coursework, and extended learning opportunities; and (5) the provision of general liability insurance coverage to teachers. Requires those projects to meet certain principles of effectiveness and undergo a periodic evaluation to assess their progress in providing students with a high-quality education in the core academic subjects that improves student academic achievement. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) provide technical assistance to part A grantees and subgrantees; (2) evaluate part A activities; and (3) award competitive matching grants to institutions of higher education or national educational organizations to provide LEAs with teachers and school leaders from nontraditional routes, professional development activities, and other services and learning opportunities. Directs the Secretary to reserve at least 10% of the funding under title II for the part B program, after reserving funds for certain national activities under part A. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants under part B to states, LEAs, or partnerships between those entities and profit or nonprofit organizations to develop, implement, improve, or expand performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals. Requires priority to be given to grant applicants that focus on teachers and principals serving in high-need schools. Directs the Secretary to arrange for an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of part B programs. Title III: Safe and Healthy Students - Replaces title IV (21st Century Schools) of the ESEA with a new title IV (Safe and Healthy Students) program. Moves the gun-free schools requirement and part C (Environmental Tobacco Smoke) of title IV to title IX (General Provisions) of the ESEA. Allots grants to states and, through them, subgrants to LEAs in amounts that reflect their share of impoverished children aged 5-17 on the national and state level, respectively. Requires states to use 98% of those funds for subgrants to LEAs. Requires the subgrants to be used to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive programs and activities that: (1) improve students' physical and mental health, diet, and physical fitness; (2) prevent and reduce substance abuse, school violence, and bullying; and (3) strengthen parent and community involvement in these efforts. Requires those programs and activities to meet certain principles of effectiveness and undergo a periodic evaluation to assess their progress in improving students' safety, health, and fitness. Title IV: Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools - Repeals part A (Innovative Programs), subpart 3 (Voluntary Public School Choice Programs) of part B (Public Charter Schools), and part D (Fund for the Improvement of Education) of title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs) of the ESEA. Revises the program currently under subpart 1 (Charter School Programs) of part B and subsumes the program currently under subpart 2 (Credit Enhancement Initiatives to Assist Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation) under that revised program. Replaces the current charter school grant program with a program awarding renewable competitive grants to states, authorized public chartering agencies, and LEAs and, through them, renewable subgrants to charter school developers to open new charter schools and expand and replicate high-quality charter schools. Requires such grantees to use 10% of the grant funds to provide technical assistance to subgrantees and authorized public chartering agencies and to work with those agencies to improve the charter school authorization process. Makes authorized public chartering agencies, LEAs, and charter management organizations eligible to receive renewable competitive grants to open new charter schools and expand and replicate high-quality charter schools. 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 certain national activities that include awarding competitive grants directly to charter school developers to open, replicate, and expand charter schools in states that have not received, or are nearing the end of, a grant for that purpose. Allows charter schools to serve prekindergarten or postsecondary school students. Title V: State Innovation and Flexibility - Amends title VI (Flexibility and Accountability) of the ESEA to allow LEAs to transfer up to 100% of their allocations under titles II and IV between the two programs or into the school improvement program under part A of title I. Allows states to do the same with the amounts allotted to them under such programs for state level activities. Amends title IX (General Provisions) of the ESEA to revise the process by which states, LEAs, and Indian tribes obtain waivers of the Act's statutory and regulatory requirements. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing requirements on states, LEAs, or Indian tribes in exchange for the approval of a waiver request. Repeals the requirement that LEAs maintain their education funding at certain levels in order to receive funds under covered ESEA programs. Establishes an approval and disapproval process for state plans and LEA applications under titles II and IV of the ESEA. Title VI: Extensions of Authorizations - Reauthorizes appropriations under the ESEA and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act through FY2018.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Servicemembers and Veterans Prescription Drug Safety Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) and the Attorney General (AG) to jointly carry out a program under which a member of the Armed Forces (member), an individual receiving or entitled to military retired or retainer pay, a dependent-beneficiary of a member, or any person lawfully entitled to dispose of the property of any of such individuals may deliver a personal-use controlled substance (the prescription medication of a deceased individual) for disposal at a facility to be specified by the Secretary and the AG. Requires the Secretary and AG, in implementing the program, to develop appropriate guidelines and procedures to prevent the diversion, misuse, theft, or loss of such delivered substances. Directs the Secretary and the AG to jointly carry out a program under which a veteran, a veteran's spouse or dependent, a person in receipt of medical services at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility, or any person lawfully entitled to dispose of the property of any of such individuals may deliver such a controlled substance for disposal at a specified facility, subject to the same guidelines and procedures with respect to such delivered substances.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2013
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Frank R. Lautenberg, a Senator from New Jersey. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on June 4, 2013, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2013 or the All-STAR Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award renewable competitive grants to certain eligible entities and, through them, subgrants to successful public charter schools to allow such schools to expand or replicate to serve additional students. Lists, as eligible grantees, state and local educational agencies, authorized public chartering agencies, and tax-exempt organizations that have successfully supported the replication and expansion of such schools. Sets forth the attributes that are to give such entities grant priority, including their serving or planning to serve a large percentage of low-income students from: (1) public schools with low-graduation rates; (2) schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the ESEA; or (3) schools identified by alternative accountability standards as priority schools, focus schools, or schools otherwise in need of significant assistance. Authorizes grantees to use up to 25% of a grant to establish a reserve account to assist them in acquiring and developing new facilities for successful public charter schools through: (1) credit enhancement initiatives, (2) the establishment of revolving loan funds, (3) direct spending or financing, or (4) partnerships with community development or other mission-based financial institutions. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent, comprehensive, and scientifically sound evaluation of the effect this Act's initiatives have on student achievement and other areas, as determined by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to deem any person who has received an award from the U.S. Armed Forces for engagement in active combat or active participation in combat to have satisfied specified naturalization requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the face-to-face encounter framework in hospice care. Allows a clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, or other health professional (in addition to a hospice physician or a nurse practitioner, as under current law) to conduct the face-to-face encounter with the individual to determine continued eligibility for hospice care before the first 60-day (currently 180-day) recertification period and each subsequent recertification. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare Hospital Payment Reform demonstration program to test any revisions to the methodology for determining payment rates for routine home care and other hospice care services. Sets at every three years the frequency of surveys of certified hospice programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Growing Education Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act or the GREAT Teachers and Principals Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to: (1) create or approve teacher or principal preparation academies and create or designate authorizers of those academies; (2) support the creation and operation of such academies; and (3) award subgrants to nonprofit entities to establish or expand such academies, measure their effectiveness, or recruit enrollees who have demonstrated strong potential to be effective teachers or principals. Requires each academy to enter into a charter with an authorizer that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the academy and the obligations of the authorizer. Prohibits authorizers from renewing an academy's charter if it fails to produce the minimum number or percentage of effective teachers or principals specified in its charter. Requires each academy to provide: (1) enrollees with a significant portion of their training through clinical preparation that partners them with successful teacher or principal mentors, and (2) certificates of completion only to graduates who demonstrate a track record of success in preparing students for college and careers. Requires state grantees to recognize a certificate of completion from an academy as at least the equivalent of a master's degree in education for the purposes of teacher or principal hiring, retention, compensation, and promotion in the state. Directs the Secretary to enter into an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community Service under which the Corporation approves national service positions for candidates at each teacher or principal preparation academy receiving financial assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such gold medal and to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the gold and bronze medals.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Supports: (1) freedom, human rights, civil liberties, free elections, and rule of law in Iran; and (2) the people of Iran in their peaceful calls for a democratic government. Condemns the widespread human rights violations of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to: (1) hold free and fair elections; (2) end arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of harassment against media professionals, human rights defenders, and opposition figures; (3) lift legislative restrictions on freedom of assembly, association, and expression; (4) allow the Internet to remain free and open; and (5) allow international election monitors to be present for the June 14, 2013, election. Urges the President, the Secretary of State, and other world leaders to: (1) support the universal rights and freedoms of the people of Iran, (2) support policies that preserve open access to the Internet in Iran, and (3) condemn elections that are not free and fair and do not meet international standards.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish a working group made up of representatives from various Institutes and Centers within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to update and streamline NIH rehabilitation research priorities, and (2) enter into interagency agreements relating to the coordination of rehabilitation research conducted by agencies outside of HHS. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility of implementing the changes proposed in the Blue Ribbon Panel Recommendations on Rehabilitation Research.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Return to Work Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Job Accommodation Network, to promote awareness and assistance among employers to enable survivors of stroke to return to work.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a process which subjects to a single, combined maximum annual limit, applied incrementally, the number of additional documentation requests made to a hospital by Medicare administrative contractors, recovery audit contractors, or Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program contractors pursuant to prepayment and postpayment audits requiring a hospital to submit a medical record for audit purposes. Directs the Secretary also to establish a distinct additional documentation request limit, computed according to a specified formula, for each hospital claim type for each hospital for a 45-day period in a year. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the Medicare Integrity Program and use of recovery audit contractors. Requires the Secretary to ensure that recovery audit contracts include certain mandatory terms and conditions pertaining to: (1) penalties for certain compliance failures, (2) penalties for overturned appeals, (3) postpayment and prepayment audits, and (4) guidelines for prepayment review. Directs the Secretary to publish on the Internet website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services information on recovery audit contractor performance regarding: (1) audit rates, denials, and appeals outcomes; and (2) independent performance evaluations. Deems to be an original claim for Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) payment a resubmitted hospital claim for Medicare part A payment for inpatient hospital services which a recovery audit contractor determines: (1) were not medically necessary and reasonable based on the site of service, but (2) would be medically necessary and reasonable in an outpatient setting of the hospital. Requires payment to be made for such a resubmitted claim for all furnished items and services for which payment may be made under Medicare part B. Deems to be a reopened claim, for purposes of a hospital's ability to resubmit a claim for Medicare payment in timely fashion, any claim that is the subject of an audit by a recovery audit contractor or a Medicare administrative contractor. Requires contracts for a recovery audit contractor to require that a physician review each denial of a claim for medical necessity made by an employee of the contractor who is not a physician. Subjects to administrative and judicial review the Secretary's compliance with guidelines for reopening and revising benefit determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 350,000 $1 silver coins, and 300,000 half-dollar clad coins to commemorate the centennial of the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the 100 years of Boys Town, one of the largest nonprofit child care agencies in the United States. Permits issuance of such coins only between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2013
Comprehensive Student Loan Protection Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to set the interest rate on Direct Loans, for any 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, at the bond equivalent rate of 10-year Treasury bills auctioned at the final auction held prior to such June 1, plus 3%. Makes: (1) that formula applicable to Direct Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2013, and (2) the rate set on such loans applicable for the life of the loans. Requires any savings to the federal government that result from this Act's amendment to be used for deficit reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2013
Iran Export Embargo Act - Amends the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 to direct the President to prohibit all transactions in property and property interests of a person (as defined in this Act) if such property and property interests are in the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. individual. Directs the President to prohibit the opening, and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining, in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that has knowingly conducted or facilitated a significant transaction with respect to the importation, sale, or transfer of goods or services from Iran on behalf of a described person. Directs the President to impose sanctions pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act with respect to an individual that knowingly: (1) imports, purchases, or transfers goods or services from a described person; and (2) provides underwriting services or insurance or reinsurance to a described person. Describes a "person" as: (1) the state and the government of Iran, or any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of such government, including the Central Bank of Iran; (2) any person owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, such government; or (3) any other person determined by the President to be described in clauses (1) or (2).
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2013
Responding to Urgent Needs of Survivors of the Holocaust Act or RUSH Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include specifically within its purview older Americans who are Holocaust survivors. Authorizes the Administrator for Community Living to designate, within the Administration for Community Living of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a person with specialized training, background, or experience with issues of Holocaust survivors to implement services for them. Requires a state nutrition project to: (1) ensure that project meals meet the dietary needs of program participants based on religious, cultural, or ethnic requirements; and (2) encourage individuals who distribute nutrition services to engage in conversation with homebound older individuals and to be aware of the warning signs of medical emergencies, injury, or abuse in order to reduce isolation and promote wellbeing. Amends the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 to require the study of nutrition projects to analyze the abilities of service providers to obtain viable contracts for special foods necessary to meet a religious requirement, required dietary need, or ethnic consideration. Authorizes the HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging to make grants to or contract with states, public agencies, private nonprofit agencies, institutions of higher education, and organizations, including tribal organizations, to support programs that provide transportation services and resources to older individuals with the greatest economic or social need.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2013
Affirms that the electoral process in Afghanistan should be determined and led by Afghan actors, with support from the international community. Supports credible, inclusive, and transparent presidential and provincial elections in April 2014. Honors the sacrifice of U.S., coalition, and Afghan service members who have been killed or injured since October 2001 in defense of the democratic rights of the Afghan people. Recognizes: (1) the substantial investment made by U.S. taxpayers in support of Afghanistan, (2) the contributions made by President Hamid Karzai's government to the democratic progress of Afghanistan, and (3) that credible elections will safeguard the legitimacy of the next Afghan government and will help prevent future political violence. Urges the government of Afghanistan to recognize the independence and impartiality of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Urges the IEC to adopt measures to better mitigate fraud, include marginalized groups, and improve electoral transparency. Urges continuing communication between the IEC and the Afghan National Security Forces to provide security for vulnerable areas of the country during the election period. Urges the Secretary of State to condition financial, logistical, and political support for Afghanistan's 2014 elections on the implementation of political and election reforms in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), with respect to charges that allege an offense triable by court-martial (with certain exclusions) for which the maximum punishment includes confinement for more than one year, to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to require the Secretaries of the military departments to provide for the determination of whether to try such charges by general or special court-martial to be made by a commissioned officer of grade O-6 or higher with significant experience in such trials and who is outside the chain of command of the accused. Provides that a determination not to proceed to trial shall not preclude a commanding officer from either referring such charges for trial by summary court-martial or imposing non-judicial punishment. Requires Rule 306 (relating to policy on initial disposition of offenses) of the Manual for Courts-Martial to be amended to strike the character and military service of the accused from factors to be considered by the disposition authority. Revises the list of officers authorized to convene general and special courts-martial to include those in grade O-6 or higher assigned such responsibility by their department chief of staff (with the same prohibition against an officer in the same chain of command as the accused). Requires each chief of staff to establish an office which shall convene general and special courts-martial and detail judges and members. Requires a military judge to call a general or special court-martial trial into session within 90 days of the determination of its necessity. Requires a convening authority (the official acting on the sentence of a court-martial), when taking any action other than approving a sentence, to prepare a written justification of such action which shall be made part of the record of the court-martial. Prohibits a convening authority from: (1) dismissing or setting aside a finding of guilty, or (2) reducing a finding of guilty to a finding of guilty to a lesser included offense. Requires a commanding officer who receives a report of a sexual-related offense involving a member in such officer's chain of command to act immediately upon such report by way of referral to the appropriate criminal investigative office or service. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to require an independent panel established by the DOD Secretary to monitor and assess the implementation and efficacy of this Act and its amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
IRS Accountability Act of 2013 - Amends the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 to prohibit any amounts made available in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 from being appropriated to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for purposes of carrying out such Acts. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) none of the amounts made available in PPACA or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 should be appropriated to the IRS to carry out any provisions of such Acts in FY2014 or thereafter; and (2) no amounts appropriated to the IRS, from whatever source, for FY2014 or thereafter should be used to implement, enforce, or carry out the provisions of such Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a hospital or an emergency department and a physician or physician group of such hospital or emergency department to be an employee of the Public Health Service for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to providing emergency and post-stabilization services on or after January 1, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2013
Family Health Care Accessibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a health professional volunteer providing primary health care to an individual at a community health center to be an employee of the Public Health Service for purposes of any civil action that may arise from providing services to patients. Sets forth conditions for such liability protection, including: (1) the service is provided to the individual at a community health center or through offsite programs or events carried out by such center; and (2) the health care practitioner does not receive any compensation for providing the service, except repayment for reasonable expenses. Considers an entity as sponsoring the health care practitioner if the entity submits an application to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Secretary determines that the health care practitioner is deemed to be an employee of the Public Health Service. Requires the Attorney General to submit to Congress an estimate of the amount of claims (together with related fees and expenses of witnesses) that, by reason of the actions or omissions of health professional volunteers, will be paid pursuant to this Act annually. Requires the Secretary to transfer such estimated amount from the claims fund to the appropriate accounts in the Treasury, subject to the extent of amounts in the fund. Makes this Act effective on October 1, 2013.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000360_200.jpg)