United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to redefine "private flood insurance" to include a policy issued by an insurance company that is eligible as a nonadmitted insurer to provide insurance in the state or jurisdiction where the property to be insured is located.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 - Revises a variety of existing programs to expand access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. Reauthorizes the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Gives the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to permit states to issue temporary electronic duck stamps (federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl). Exempts components of firearms and ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its components (such as lead sinkers) from regulations of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Increases the proportion of funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act that states may use for public target ranges. Requires the Secretary to issue permits for the importation of polar bear parts taken in sports hunts in Canada before May 15, 2008 (when the species was listed as threatened). Revises standards for determining what a baited area is for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds. Directs federal public land management officials to facilitate hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal public land. Makes land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Forest Service open for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close the lands. Allocates funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for priority projects that secure public access to federal public lands that have significantly restricted access for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
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
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to appoint licensed hearing aid specialists in the Veterans Health Administration. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report on: (1) timely access of veterans to hearing health services through the VA, and (2) contracting policies of the VA with respect to providing hearing health services to veterans in non-VA facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Amends the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize appropriations, for FY2015-FY2019, for a grant program to ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Nurses for Under-Resourced Schools Everywhere Act or the NURSE Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive matching demonstration grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in which the student-to-school nurse ratio in each of their public elementary and secondary schools is 750 or more students to every school nurse to pay a specified federal share of the cost of reducing such ratio. Gives grant priority to high-need LEAs that demonstrate: (1) the greatest need for new or additional nursing services for their students, or (2) that they do not have a school nurse in any of their schools. Defines a "high-need LEA" as an LEA for which not fewer than 10,000 or not less than 20% of the children served are from families with incomes below the poverty line.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
National Commission on the Future of the Army Act of 2014 - Prohibits the use of funds made available for FY2015 for the Army to: (1) reduce Army personnel below the authorized fiscal year end strengths of 450,000 for active duty personnel of the Army, 345,000 for the Army National Guard, and 195,000 for the Army Reserve; or (2) divest, retire, or transfer any AH-64 Apache aircraft assigned to units of the Army National Guard as of January 15, 2014, or to reduce related personnel below the levels of such personnel as of September 30, 2014. Directs the Secretary of the Army to ensure the continuing readiness of the AH-64 Apache aircraft and crews during FY2015. Permits the use of such funds, after the Commission established by this Act submits its interim report, to prepare for the transfer of not more than 72 AH-64 Apache aircraft from the Army National Guard to the regular Army if the Secretary of Defense (DOD) certifies that such a transfer would not: (1) degrade the strategic depth or regeneration capacities of the Army, (2) degrade the Army National Guard in its role as the combat reserve of the Army, and (3) occur before October 1, 2014. Establishes the National Commission on the Future of the Army, which shall: (1) undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of the Army and policy assumptions related to its size and force mixture in order to make recommendations on how the structure should be modified to best fulfill mission requirements in a manner consistent with available resources, and (2) submit a final report to the President and the congressional defense committees by February 1, 2016. Directs the Commission to study and submit an interim report on the feasibility and advisability of a partial transfer of Army National Guard AH-64 Apache aircraft from the Army National Guard to the regular Army.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Peace Corps Equity Act of 2014 - Amends the Peace Corps Act to subject abortion service coverage by the Peace Corps for volunteers to the same limitations that apply to Peace Corps employees regarding coverage of abortion services. States that such restriction shall not be construed to limit medical evacuation coverage.
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
Small Business Access to Capital Act of 2014 - Amends the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 to extend for an additional eight fiscal years the State Small Business Credit Initiative to assist participating states to give collateral support and other innovative credit access and guarantee initiatives for small businesses and manufacturers. Prescribes allocations of federal funds to participating states. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to award, on a competitive basis, up to a total of $1 billion in two tranches, according to specified criteria, to participating states and consortiums of participating states for use: (1) for making federal contributions to, or for the account of, an approved state program; and (2) as collateral for a qualifying loan or swap funding facility.
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 · 28 April 2014
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2014, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2014
Northern Cheyenne Lands Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to take approximately 1,567 acres of land in Montana depicted on the map entitled "Northern Cheyenne Lands Act - Fee-to-Trust Lands" and dated March 26, 2014, into trust for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. Requires: (1) Great Northern Properties to convey to the Tribe its coal and iron ore mineral interests underlying the land on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation generally depicted on the map entitled "Northern Cheyenne Land Act - Coal Tracts" and dated February 27, 2014, and (2) the Secretary to convey to Great Northern Properties all of U.S. coal mineral interests underlying the land generally depicted as "Bull Mountains" and "East Fork" on the map entitled "Northern Cheyenne Federal Tracts" and dated February 27, 2014. Conditions those conveyances on the Secretary receiving a notice from the Tribe that: (1) it has a revenue sharing agreement with Great Northern Properties regarding future development of the Northern Cheyenne Federal Tracts, and (2) Great Northern Properties has agreed to convey those coal and iron ore mineral interests to the Tribe. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the deed for those federal coal mineral interests includes a covenant, running with the land, that precludes surface mining of the coal: (1) absent the written consent of the surface owner, and (2) except as determined to be acceptable for further consideration for leasing in a specified Bureau of Land Management (BLM) document. Requires the coal and iron ore mineral interests conveyed to the Tribe under this Act to be held, upon the Tribe's request, in trust for the Tribe. Prohibits Montana from taxing the mineral interests this Act conveys to the Tribe. Requires that, in return for this Act's mineral conveyances: the Tribe must waive all of its claims relating to the failure of the United States to acquire those private coal and iron ore mineral interests in trust for the Tribe as part of its Reservation as directed by Congress in 1900, and Great Northern Properties must waive any claim against the United States relating to the value of the coal mineral interests it receives under this Act. Requires the Northern Cheyenne Trust Fund (Fund) to be transferred to the Tribe and deposited into the Tribe's Permanent Fund. Requires the Tribe, in return for such transfer, to waive all of its claims arising from U.S. management of the Fund.
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 · 7 April 2014
Military Mental Health Review Board Improvement Act - Requires any medical advisory opinion issued to a civilian board for the correction of a military record, with respect to a current or former member of the Armed Forces diagnosed while serving in the Armed Forces as experiencing a mental health disorder, to include the opinion of a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist if the request for the correction of the records concerned relates to a mental health disorder. Requires any physician on a board for review of a discharge or dismissal of certain former members of the Armed Forces, who after deployment were diagnosed as experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury, or as having a mental health disorder, to have training on mental health issues connected with PTSD or traumatic brain injury (as applicable), or special training on mental health disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to revise the requirement of a 48-hour notification of a campaign contribution of $1,000 or more to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and certain other officials by the principal campaign committee of a candidate for federal office. Applies this requirement, with certain additions, but for reporting exclusively to the FEC, to any political committee regarding cumulative contributions of $1,000 or more from any contributor during a calendar year. (Currently, a candidate's principal campaign committee is required to give a written 48-hour notification to the Secretary of the Senate or the FEC, and the Secretary of State, as appropriate, after the receipt of any contribution of $1,000 or more by any authorized committee of such candidate after the 20th day, but more than 48 hours before, any election.) Treats any amount transferred by a joint fundraising committee established by a candidate's authorized committee to any other authorized committee of that candidate as a contribution by the joint fundraising committee to such authorized committee (and thus subject to the 48-hour notification requirement). Requires Senate candidates to file designations, statements, and reports directly with the FEC (instead of via the Secretary of the Senate, as currently required).
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2014
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2014
Amends the Indian Reorganization Act to apply the Act to all federally recognized Indian tribes, regardless of when any tribe became recognized. (This effectively overrules the Supreme Court's decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, which held that the Secretary of the Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the Act was enacted.) Ratifies and confirms any action taken by the Secretary pursuant to such Act for any Indian tribe that was federally recognized on the date of that action.
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 · 27 March 2014
Distillery Excise Tax Reform Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on distilled spirits to $2.70 per proof gallon (currently, $13.50 per proof gallon) on the first 100,000 gallons produced by a distilled spirits producer during the calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2014
Native American Children's Safety Act - Amends the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (Act) to prohibit any foster care placement over which an Indian tribe has exclusive jurisdiction from being ordered until the tribal social services agency: (1) completes an investigation of the character of each covered individual who resides in the household or is employed at the institution in which the foster care placement will be made, and (2) concludes that each of those individuals meets the standards of character the tribe is required to establish. Defines a "covered individual" as an adult and any other individual the tribe determines is subject to such character investigation. Requires the tribal social services agency, as part of those investigations, to: (1) perform criminal records checks, including fingerprint-based checks of national crime information databases; (2) check any child abuse and neglect registry maintained by the state in which the individual resides; and (3) request any other state in which the individual resided during the preceding five years to allow the agency to check its registry. Prohibits a foster care placement from being ordered if the investigation reveals that the covered individual: (1) has been found guilty by a federal, state, or tribal court of a felony involving child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, a crime against a child, violence, or drugs; or (2) is listed on a child abuse and neglect registry in the state where the individual resides or resided within the preceding five years. Excepts emergency foster care placements from such requirements. Requires each Indian tribe to establish procedures to recertify homes or institutions in which foster care placements are made. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to promulgate a regulation establishing: (1) procedures for investigating the character of any covered individual who resides in the home or is employed at the institution in which the child is placed after the investigations that preceded that placement occurred, (2) self-reporting requirements for foster care homes or institutions that have knowledge that a covered individual residing on their premises would fail the character investigation, (3) procedures and guidelines for emergency foster care placements, and (4) procedures for certifying compliance with the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2014
Supports the designation of the week of May 4-May 10, 2014, as Public Service Recognition Week. Commends government employees for their contributions and their dedication to and spirit for public service. Honors government employees who have given their lives in service to their country. Calls upon a new generation to consider a career in public service as an honorable profession. Encourages efforts to promote public service careers at all levels of government.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2014
Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2014 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide Indian tribes with technical assistance in planning their energy resource development programs. Makes intertribal organizations eligible for Department of Energy (DOE) Indian energy education planning and management assistance program grants. Allows such grants to be used to increase tribal capacity to manage energy development and efficiency programs. Makes tribal energy development organizations eligible for DOE energy development loan guarantees. Allows leases and business agreements that pool, unitize, or communitize a tribe's energy resources with other energy resources. Requires an energy-related tribal lease, business agreement, or grant of a right-of-way made without the Secretary's approval to: (1) comply with a tribal energy resource agreement between the tribe and the Secretary, or (2) have been entered into with a tribal energy development organization that the Secretary has certified pursuant to a specified process. Alters the process and conditions for the Secretary's approval of tribal energy resource agreements. Makes such agreements effective, if consistent with federal law, until rescinded by the Secretary or by the tribe. Alters the process for determining whether an interested party has a valid claim to be suffering an adverse environmental impact due to a tribe's noncompliance with such agreement. Requires the Secretary to make available to a tribe, upon its request, the amount the Secretary would have had to expend to carry out an activity that the tribe is now carrying out pursuant to a tribal energy resource agreement. Directs the Secretary of Energy to collaborate with the Directors of the National Laboratories in making the full array of DOE technical and scientific resources available for tribal energy activities and projects. Amends the Federal Power Act to include Indian tribes, along with states and municipalities, as having preference for the receipt of preliminary hydroelectric licenses. Amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary to enter into agreements with Indian tribes for the conduct of demonstration projects to promote biomass energy production on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing them with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands. Directs the Secretary, or the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to Forest Service land, to enter into an agreement with Alaska Native corporations to carry out demonstration projects that promote biomass energy production on Alaska Native corporation forest land and in nearby communities by providing the corporations with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide home weatherization grants directly to Indian tribes if a tribe requests a direct grant and the Secretary of Energy determines that the Indian beneficiaries would not be better served by providing the grant to their state. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allow the Secretary of the Interior, an affected Indian tribe, or a certified third-party appraiser under contract with the Indian tribe to appraise Indian mineral or energy resources involved in a transaction requiring the Secretary's approval. Sets forth the process by which the Secretary is to review and accept or reject such an appraisal prepared by or for an Indian tribe. Amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize the Navajo Nation to enter into commercial or agricultural leases of up to 99 years on their restricted lands without the Secretary's approval, provided they are executed under tribal regulations approved by the Secretary. Allows the Navajo Nation to enter into mineral resource leases on its restricted lands without the Secretary's approval if such leases are executed under approved tribal regulations and do not exceed 25 years, though such leases may include a renewal option for one additional term not exceeding 25 years. Allows such leases for oil and gas to be for terms of up to 10 years, plus any additional period the Navajo Nation determines to be appropriate if oil or gas is being produced in a paying quantity.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2014
Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2014 - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to eliminate a provision of such Act that requires referral of allegations of misconduct involving Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys, investigators, or law enforcement personnel to the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility (thus allowing the DOJ Inspector General to investigate such allegations).
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2014
Public Safety and Economic Security Communications Act of 2014 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require an intermediate provider that offers the capability to transmit certain voice communications and signaling information from one destination to another, and that charges a rate to any other entity (including an affiliated entity) for the transmission, to: (1) register with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and (2) comply with service quality standards to be established by the FCC. Defines "intermediate provider" as any entity that: (1) carries or processes traffic that is generated from the placement of a call from a connection using a North American Numbering Plan resource or a call placed to a connection using such a numbering resource, and (2) does not itself originate or terminate such traffic in the context of the carriage or processing. Prohibits certain long-distance voice service providers (including local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, commercial mobile radio services, interconnected voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] services, and certain non-interconnected VoIP services) from using an intermediate provider to transmit voice communications and signals unless the intermediate provider is so registered. Directs the FCC, in promulgating rules for such standards, to: (1) ensure the integrity of the transmission of voice communications to all customers in the United States, (2) prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such voice communications, and (3) make a registry of intermediate providers publicly available on the FCC website.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2014
Smart Savings Act - Makes the default investment in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) an age-appropriate target date asset allocation portfolio (L Fund), instead of the Government Securities Investment Fund (G Fund), if no election has been made for the investment of available funds. Retains the Government Securities Investment Fund as the default fund for members of the uniformed services. Requires TSP participants whose default fund is an age-appropriate L Fund to sign a risk acknowledgement before beginning TSP contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2014
General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2014 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise FAA medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as a pilot of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under federal law if the flight meets certain criteria and the individual: (1) possesses a valid state driver's license, (2) complies with applicable medical requirements associated with that license, (3) is transporting five or fewer passengers, and (4) is operating under visual flight rules. Defines "covered aircraft" as an aircraft that: (1) is not authorized under federal law to carry more than six occupants, and (2) has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2014
Yellowstone Community Education Fairness Act - Ratifies and approves all payments made to the school districts serving Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming between the beginning of FY1976 and the enactment of this Act as reimbursement for educational facilities furnished by those districts to certain students who are dependents of persons engaged in the administration, operation, and maintenance of the Park and living at or near it.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2014
Veterans Health Care Access Received Closer to Home Act of 2014 - Expresses the sense of Congress in support of veteran-centric health care coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and community providers, as well as cost-effective VA purchase of veterans' care from the private sector. Amends the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 to reauthorize a VA pilot program of contract care authority within specified Veterans Integrated Service Networks for the health care needs of veterans in highly rural areas who are enrolled in the VA annual patient enrollment system. Requires: (1) that medical appointments for veterans, under the pilot program, occur during the 30-day period beginning on the date that is 15 days after the appointment is requested, and (2) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that eligible veterans are informed of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2014
21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act - Revises or adds provisions concerning the submission of veterans' claims for benefits administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including by: modifying the Transition Assistance Program to enable online participation; adding a requirement to encourage claimants to use appropriate forms; requiring specified communications to users of the eBenefits website; extending through FY2020 VA authority for the retroactive dating of awards upon the filing of fully developed claims; requiring claim decisions to explain the benefits of filing claim appeals within 180 days; requiring the use of a specified VA form in regional offices for filing notices of disagreement with claim decisions; and requiring hearings before the Board of Veterans' Appeals to be conducted, as the Board considers appropriate or, upon request by an appellant, as the appellant considers appropriate, in person or through picture and voice transmission by electronic or other means. Revises or adds provisions concerning the practices of VA regional offices, including by: requiring the Comptroller General to complete an audit of Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) regional offices, requiring the VA Secretary to complete a study on service-connected disabilities that worsen with age, extending the authority for the performance of medical disability examinations by contract physicians, requiring the Secretary to develop and implement a plan to establish a uniform mail processing and scanning system throughout the regional offices, requiring the VA Inspector General to conduct a review of the practices of regional offices regarding the use of suspense dates during the disability claim assessment process, requiring the Secretary to submit semiannual reports on progress in implementing the Veterans Benefits Management System, requiring the Secretary to submit an annual report on VBA capacity to process benefits claims, requiring the Secretary to include in each Monday Morning Workload Report the number of claims for benefits that have been received by a regional office and that are pending a decision, and requiring the Secretary to make the VA reports entitled "Appeals Pending" and "Appeals Workload By Station" available to the public on a VA website. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Commissioner of Social Security, and the Archivist of the United States to appoint individuals to act as liaisons with the VA to expedite the timely provision to the VA Secretary of information required to process veterans benefits claims. Requires the DOD and VA Secretaries to jointly submit a report that sets forth a time line with milestones for achieving interoperability between DOD's and VA's electronic health records systems.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2014
Preventing Conflicts of Interest with Contractors Act - Prohibits the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from awarding a contract to an entity to conduct quality review processes for background investigation fieldwork services or background investigation support services that are being conducted by such entity as of the date of the contract.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2014
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the 96-hour physician certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under which a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2014
Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 - Title I: Regulatory Reforms - Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state. Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of BLM to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 to exempt an authorized taking of migratory birds and collection of their eggs by indigenous inhabitants of Alaska from the prohibition on taking under the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act. Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior. Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to permit the taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over land that: (1) is not a baited area; and (2) contains a standing crop (including an aquatic crop), standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation, flooded harvested cropland, or an area on which seed or grain has been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural practice or is land on which a crop during the current or immediately preceding crop year was not harvestable due to a natural disaster that is declared a major disaster by the President in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a one-year period. Allows an applicable land management agency to deny access to a film crew if: (1) there is a likelihood of resource damage that cannot be mitigated, (2) there would be an unreasonable disruption of the public use and enjoyment of the site, (3) the activity poses public health or safety risks, and (4) the filming includes the use of models or props that are not part of the land's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities. Title II: Habitat Conservation - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure, from amounts requested for the Land and Water Conservation Fund per fiscal year, that not less than the greater of 1.5% of the requested amounts or $10 million be made available for certain projects identified on an annual priority list to be developed pursuant to this Act. Requires projects identified on such a list to secure, through rights-of-way or the acquisition of lands or interests from willing sellers, recreational public access to existing federal public lands that have significantly restricted access to hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes. Amends the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) to revoke provisions that terminate: (1) the authority provided under such Act, and (2) the Federal Land Disposal Account. Makes the FLTFA inapplicable to land eligible for sale under specified public land laws. Transfers to the Treasury for budget deficit reduction, for each of FY2014-FY2023, $1 million of the amounts deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account. Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2019 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects. Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) who are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2014-FY2019. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies; and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use).
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2014
Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014 - Amends federal veterans provisions to revise or add provisions concerning medical services and other benefits provided to veterans and/or their dependents through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) relating to the following areas: survivor and dependent matters, including benefits for children of certain veterans born with spina bifida; education matters, including the approval of courses for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs; the expansion and extension of certain health care benefits, including immunizations, chiropractic care, treatment for traumatic brain injury, and wellness promotion; health care administration, including extension of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program, and complementary and alternative medicine; mental health care, including an education program and peer support program for family members and caregivers of veterans with mental health disorders; dental care eligibility and expansion, including a program of education to promote dental health in veterans; health care related to sexual trauma, including appropriate counseling and treatment and a screening mechanism to detect incidents of domestic abuse; reproductive treatment and services, including fertility counseling as well as adoption assistance for severely wounded veterans; major medical facility leases; veterans' employment training and related services; veterans' employment, including within the federal government and as first responders; career transition services; employment and reemployment rights of members of the Armed Forces after active duty service; small business matters, including contracting and subcontracting participation goals with federal departments and agencies; administrative matters, including regional support centers for Veterans Integrated Service Networks; the revision of claims based on military sexual trauma as well as claims for dependency and indemnity compensation; jurisdictional matters, including with respect to the Board of Veterans' Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; the revision of certain rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, including protections with respect to the expiration of professional licenses, a prohibition on the denial of credit or the termination of residential leases due to military service, and the temporary protection of surviving spouses under mortgage foreclosures; and outreach and miscellaneous matters, including: (1) repeal of the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62, and (2) the accounting for discretionary accounts designated for overseas contingency operations/global war on terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2014
Amends the East Bench Irrigation District Water Contract Extension Act to permit the Secretary of the Interior to extend the contract for water services between the United States and the East Bench Irrigation District until the earlier of: (1) that date that is 10 years (currently, 4 years) after the date on which the contract would have expired if such Act had not been enacted, or (2) the date on which a new long-term contract is executed by the parties to the contract.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools and private or tribal nonprofit organizations to develop and maintain, or improve and expand, programs that support the use by schools, from the prekindergarten through postsecondary level, of Native American languages as their primary language of instruction. Requires grant applicants to present the Secretary with specified assurances and demonstrations that the schools they will support have the capacity to provide education primarily through a Native American language. Requires grantees to: support Native American language education and development; develop or refine instructional curricula for the schools they support, including distinctive teaching materials and activities; fund training opportunities for school staff that strengthen the overall language and academic goals of their schools; and engage in other activities that promote Native American language education and development.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to continue to apply through calendar year 2014 the enforcement instruction on physician supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals, as extended in November 2012 for calendar year 2013 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (The instruction directs Medicare contractors not to evaluate or enforce such requirements until the policy on supervision of such services could be revisited.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014 - Amends federal veterans provisions to revise or add provisions concerning medical services and other benefits provided to veterans and/or their dependents through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) relating to the following areas: survivor and dependent matters, including benefits for children of certain veterans born with spina bifida; education matters, including the approval of courses for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs; the expansion and extension of certain health care benefits, including immunizations, chiropractic care, treatment for traumatic brain injury, and wellness promotion; health care administration, including extension of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program; complementary and alternative medicine; mental health care, including an education program and peer support program for family members and caregivers of veterans with mental health disorders; dental care eligibility and expansion, including a program of education to promote dental health in veterans; health care related to sexual trauma, including appropriate counseling and treatment and a screening mechanism to detect incidents of domestic abuse; reproductive treatment and services, including fertility counseling as well as adoption assistance for severely wounded veterans; major medical facility leases; veterans' employment training and related services; veterans' employment, including within the federal government and as first responders; career transition services; employment and reemployment rights of members of the Armed Forces after active duty service; small business matters, including contracting and subcontracting participation goals with federal departments and agencies; administrative matters, including regional support centers for Veterans Integrated Service Networks; the revision of claims based on military sexual trauma as well as claims for dependency and indemnity compensation; jurisdictional matters, including with respect to the Board of Veterans' Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; and outreach and miscellaneous matters, including repeal of the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Oversight Workforce Improvement Act of 2014 - Exempts from requirements relating to the authority of federal agencies to collect information for investigations: (1) information collected during any evaluation by the Federal Accountability and Spending Transparency Board; and (2) information collected during any audit, investigation, evaluation, or other review conducted by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency or any Office of the Inspector General, including any office of Special Inspector General. Exempts from document disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) information relating to the information security program or practices of a federal agency if disclosure could reasonably be expected to lead to, or result in, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of such information program or the information such program controls, processes, stores, or transmits. Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to: (1) establish classification and pay standards for the Inspectors General of each federal agency; (2) set forth procedures for considering allegations of wrongdoing against the Special Counsel and Deputy Special Counsel (officials appointed to investigate prohibited personal practices and government waste and abuse); and (3) include within the membership of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Community and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (currently, the Inspectors General of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA).
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Quadrennial Energy Review Act of 2014 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to direct the President to establish an interagency energy coordination council to coordinate the Quadrennial Energy Review to provide an integrated view of national energy objectives and federal energy policy, including maximum practicable alignment of research programs, incentives, regulations, and partnerships. Requires the President to report to Congress on the Quadrennial Energy Review, including an integrated view of short-, intermediate-, and long-term objectives for federal energy policy in the context of economic, environmental, and security priorities. Authorizes the President to prepare and publish interim reports as part of the Quadrennial Energy Review. Directs the Secretary of Energy to provide the Quadrennial Energy Review with an Executive Secretariat who shall make available the necessary analytical, financial, and administrative support for the conduct of each Quadrennial Energy Review .
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2014
Designates the first week of April 2014 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about asbestos exposure, which may be hazardous to their health.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2014
Driver Privacy Act - Declares that any data in an event data recorder required to be installed in a passenger motor vehicle (as provided for under Department of Transportation [DOT] regulations concerning the collection, storage, and retrievability of onboard motor vehicle crash event data) is the property of the owner or lessee of the vehicle in which the recorder is installed, regardless of when the vehicle was manufactured. Prohibits a person, other than the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle, from accessing data recorded or transmitted by such a recorder unless: (1) a court or other judicial or administrative authority authorizes the retrieval of such data subject to admissibility of evidence standards; (2) all owners or lessees consent in writing to such retrieval for any purpose, including vehicle diagnosis, service, or repair; (3) the data is retrieved pursuant to certain authorized investigations or inspections of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) or DOT; (4) the data is retrieved to determine the appropriate emergency medical response to a motor vehicle crash; or (5) the data is retrieved for traffic safety research. Prohibits, when data is retrieved in connection with traffic safety research or an NTSB or DOT investigation or inspection, the disclosure of: (1) personally identifiable information of the vehicle owner or lessee, and (2) the vehicle identification number. Directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), after completing a study and submitting a report to Congress, to promulgate regulations concerning the amount of time event data recorders installed in passenger motor vehicles should capture and record vehicle-related data in conjunction with an event in order to provide sufficient information to investigate the cause of crashes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2014
Repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. Declares that this Act shall not be construed as limiting or prohibiting the President's authority to: (1) provide security for U.S. facilities, military assets, or military or diplomatic personnel located in Iraq; or (2) gather, provide, and share intelligence with the government of Iraq if the President determines it to be in the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2013
Provides that the reduction in the annual adjustment to the retired pay of members of the Armed Forces under the age of 62 shall not apply to the retirement pay of members retired for a physical disability and to retirement pay used to compute benefit plan annuities of survivors of deceased members.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2013
Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act - Amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act to allow the Secretary of the Interior, for each 5-year period beginning in 2014, to set the amount to be collected for each Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp sold under the Act. Limits such amount to $25 for the initial 5-year period and to $30 for the subsequent 5-year period. Requires the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Department of the Interior, or any other agent approved by the Department to collect the amount established for each Stamp sold for a hunting year if the Secretary determines, at any time before February 1 of a calendar year, that all amounts in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund have been obligated for expenditure. Permits the Secretary, in consultation with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, to waive requirements under the Act relating to the prohibition on the taking of migratory waterfowl with respect to certain individuals as determined to be appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2013
American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to the American Fighter Aces, collectively, in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of the nation's freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2013
Honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of former South African President Nelson Mandela. Extends condolences to the members of his family and his fellow citizens. Requests: (1) the Secretary of State to communicate these expressions of honor and condolence to Nelson Mandela's family and to the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, and (2) the President to identify an appropriate and lasting U.S. government program to honor Nelson Mandela's legacy.