United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the American people and Congress do not support the use of the U.S. Armed Forces in, or directed at, Syria; and (2) there are not overriding imminent U.S. national security interests at stake and Congress will not fund any military action taken in contradiction to this joint resolution. Prohibits the use of funds available to any U.S. government department or agency for the use of force in, or directed at, Syria by the U.S. Armed Forces unless a subsequent Act of Congress specifically authorizes such use of force or there is an attack or imminent attack on the United States, its territories or possessions, or the U.S. Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Surveillance Order Reporting Act of 2013 - Permits each electronic service provider to report information to the public about requests and demands for information made by any government entity under a surveillance law and exempts such provider from liability with respect to that report even if the provider would otherwise be prohibited by a surveillance law from reporting that information. Allows the provider to report such information not more often than quarterly and only to the extent that the report reveals estimates of the number of such demands and requests made, the number the service provider complied with, and the numbers of users and/or accounts for which information was demanded, requested, or provided. Permits any estimate disclosed to be: (1) an overall estimate or broken down by categories of, or provisions of, authorizing surveillance laws; and (2) expressed in no greater detail than in a range of 100, rounded to the nearest 100s. Defines "surveillance law" to include the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 and specified sections of the National Security Act of 1947, the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the federal criminal code (dealing with counterintelligence access to telephone toll and transactional records).
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Adoption Information Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require family planning service projects or programs, as a condition of receiving certain grants or contracts, to assure the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) that they will provide each person who inquires about their services with a pamphlet containing a comprehensive list of adoption centers in their state. Directs the Secretary to prepare, annually update, and distribute such pamphlets to such projects or programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
National Guardsmen and Reservists Parity for Patriots Act - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to back-date to September 11, 2001, the period of active duty or performed active service, in support of a contingency operation or in other emergency situations, for which members of Ready Reserve components of the armed forces shall receive credit in determining eligibility for early receipt of non-regular service retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Delays for one year the effective date of any provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or of any health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2011 that were scheduled to take effect on or after January 1, 2014. Suspends for one year, beginning January 1, 2014, any tax or tax increase imposed by such provisions if the tax or increase takes effect before that date.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2013
No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to exclude from creditable wages and self-employment income any wages earned for services by aliens performed in the United States, and self-employment income derived from a trade or business conducted in the United States, while the alien was not authorized to be so employed or to perform a function or service in such a trade or business.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2013
Defund Obamacare Act of 2013 - Prohibits any federal funds from being made available to carry out the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Prohibits any entitlement to benefits under such provisions from remaining in effect on and after the date of the enactment of this Act. Prohibits any payments from being awarded, owed, or made to any state, district, or territory under any such provision. Rescinds any unobligated balances available under such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2013
Save American Workers Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to redefine "full-time employee," for purposes of the mandate requiring employers to provide health care coverage for their employees, as an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week (currently, at least 30 hours of service a week).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2013
Stop Targeting Our Politics IRS Act or the STOP IRS Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 to expand existing grounds for termination of the employment of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee to include performing, delaying, or failing to perform (or threatening to perform, delay, or fail to perform) any official action (including any audit) with respect to a taxpayer for purpose of extracting personal gain or benefit or for a political purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2013
War Powers Protection Act of 2013 - Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds made available to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense (DOD), or any other U.S. agency or entity involved in intelligence activities for the purpose of, or in a manner which would have the effect of, supporting military or paramilitary operations in Syria, except after a formal declaration of war. Directs the Secretary of State to report every 90 days on assistance provided to groups, organizations, movements, and individuals in Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Terminates from employment any federal employee who: (1) refuses to answer questions in a congressional hearing after being granted immunity; (2) in a congressional hearing, refuses to answer questions specifically, directly, and narrowly relating to his or her official duties, without being required to waive immunity with respect to the use of answers or the fruits thereof in a criminal prosecution; or (3) is found, by three-fourths of the congressional body to which testimony is given, to have willfully or knowingly given false testimony in a congressional hearing.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President is prohibited under the Constitution from the offensive use of the U.S. Armed Forces in Syria without prior express authorization by an Act of Congress or without a prior express appropriation of funds for that purpose by an Act of Congress; and (2) the President's defiance of those constitutional limitations on his authority to initiate war would constitute an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.
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 · 17 June 2013
Limiting Internet and Blanket Electronic Review of Telecommunications and Email Act or the LIBERT-E Act - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) (as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act) to require the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in applications for court orders requiring the production of tangible things (commonly referred to as business records, including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, to include a statement of specific and articulable facts showing reasonable grounds to believe that such things are relevant and material to an authorized investigation. (Currently, a general statement of facts must only show that the tangible things are relevant to an authorized investigation.) Requires that the items sought pertain only to an individual that is the subject of such investigation. Removes a list of production items currently designated as presumptively relevant. Requires a judge approving the release of such tangible things to enter orders directing the applicant to notify each person required to produce items of the right to challenge the legality of a production or nondisclosure order as well as the procedures for filing a petition for such a challenge. Removes a requirement that a judge considering a petition to modify or set aside a nondisclosure order treat as conclusive a certification by the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, an Assistant Attorney General, or the FBI Director that disclosure may endanger national security or interfere with diplomatic relations. Directs the Attorney General to make available to all Members of Congress information currently provided to House and Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, including the number of persons targeted for FISA orders, the number of times the Attorney General has authorized such information to be used in a criminal proceeding, and copies of applications, pleadings, orders, and decisions in matters before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. Requires unclassified summaries of significant decisions, orders, or opinions of such Courts to be made available to the public. Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and inspectors general of each element of the intelligence community authorized to acquire information pursuant to specified FISA orders to jointly report to Congress on the impact of such acquisitions on the privacy interests of U.S. persons. Requires the DOJ Inspector General to make such report available to the public, with any redactions limited to those necessary to protect properly classified information. Requires assessments and reviews regarding guidelines for targeting certain persons located outside the United States and minimization procedures to be submitted in unclassified form, with a classified annex permitted.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2013 - Prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property (i.e., cell phones) for five years after the enactment of this Act. Defines "new discriminatory tax" as a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate, unless such tax was imposed and actually enforced prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Amends the federal judicial code to grant jurisdiction to federal district courts to grant injunctive and other appropriate relief to prevent, restrain, or terminate any acts in violation of this Act. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a study of the impact of state and local taxes on mobile services, providers, or property on the costs consumers pay for mobile services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2013
Aged Distilled Spirits Competitiveness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from determination of the production period for distilled spirits any period allocated to the natural aging process for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2013
Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the federal criminal code distinguishing firearms used or suitable for sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes from firearms used generally.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2013
Charitable Pension Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Pension Protection Act of 2006, as amended by the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010, to allow the sponsor of a multiple-employer defined benefit pension plan to elect for a plan to cease to be treated as an eligible charity plan for plan years beginning after December 31, 2013. Permits revocation of such an election, however, only with the consent of the Secretary of the Treasury. Allows a plan sponsor also to elect to apply specified requirements with respect to the shortfall amortization base in minimum funding standards for such plans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2013 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "abatement" any renovation, remodeling, or other activity: (1) the primary purpose of which is to repair, restore, or remodel target housing, public buildings constructed before 1978, or commercial buildings; and (2) that incidentally results in a reduction or elimination of lead-based paint hazards. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), no later than one year prior to proposing any renovation and remodeling regulation, to study the extent to which persons engaged in such activities: (1) are exposed to lead, and (2) disturb lead and create a lead-based paint hazard. Exempts from any such regulation an emergency renovation that is carried out in response to an event that is an act of God as defined by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), that presents a risk to the public health or safety, or that threatens to cause significant damage to equipment or property if not attended to immediately. Prohibits such a regulation from requiring post-abatement clearance testing. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations to permit an owner of a residential dwelling that is target housing, who resides in such dwelling, to authorize a contractor to forego compliance with such a regulation if the owner submits a certification stating that: (1) the renovation or remodeling project is to be carried out at such dwelling, (2) no pregnant woman or child under the age of six resides or will reside in such housing, and (3) the owner acknowledges that such contractor will be exempt from the requirements of such regulation. Prohibits the Administrator from holding a contractor responsible for a misrepresentation made by the owner of such dwelling unless the contractor has actual knowledge of such a misrepresentation. Requires the Administrator to: (1) recognize a qualifying test kit for use under such Act, and (2) suspend enforcement of any regulation relating to renovation and remodeling of target housing and commercial buildings constructed after January 1, 1960, and public buildings constructed between January 1, 1960, and January 1, 1978, until a specified period after the Administrator recognizes such a test kit.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2013
Respecting the Institution of Congress Act - Denies retirement benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to a Member of Congress, former Member, former President, or former Vice President who is convicted of any crime that is a felony under federal or state law (currently, limited to specified felonies under federal law).
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2013
Telephone Records Protection Act - Repeals a provision of the federal criminal code requiring a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service to disclose to a governmental entity local and long distance telephone connection records, or records of session times and durations, of a subscriber to or customer of such service when such entity uses an administrative subpoena authorized by a federal or state statute or federal or state grand jury or trial subpoena.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Amends federal shipping law to extend through October 31, 2028, the exemption of certain vessels from the requirement that U.S. passenger vessels having berth or stateroom accommodations for at least 50 passengers be constructed of fire-retardant materials in order to be granted a certificate of inspection. Continues to apply this exemption only to vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, which operate only within the Boundary Line (the dividing point between inland waters and high seas).
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to ensure that each beneficiary other than an active-duty beneficiary who is enrolled in TRICARE Prime (a DOD managed health care program), as of September 30, 2013, may make a one-time election to continue such enrollment, notwithstanding that an existing TRICARE contract does not allow for such enrollment based on the location in which the beneficiary resides. Allows the beneficiary to continue in such enrollment while residing in the same ZIP Code in which the beneficiary resided at the time of election. Allows such a beneficiary to elect, at any time, to instead enroll in TRICARE Standard.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2013
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act - Prohibits the expenditure of funds authorized or appropriated by federal law or funds in any trust fund to which funds are authorized or appropriated by federal law (federal funds) for any abortion. (Currently, federal funds cannot be used for abortion services, except in cases involving rape, incest, or life endangerment.) Prohibits federal funds from being used for any health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion. (Thus making permanent existing federal policies.) Prohibits the inclusion of abortion in any health care service furnished by a federal or District of Columbia health care facility or by any physician or other individual employed by the federal government or the District. Excludes an abortion from such prohibitions if: (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest; or (2) the woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, as certified by a physician. Applies such prohibitions to District of Columbia funds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disqualify, for purposes of the tax deduction for medical expenses, any amounts paid for an abortion. Excludes from the definition of "qualified health plan" after December 31, 2013, for purposes of the refundable tax credit for premium assistance for such plans, any plan that includes coverage for abortion. Excludes from the definitions of "qualified health plan" and "health insurance coverage," for purposes of the tax credit for small employer health insurance expenses, any health plan or benefit that includes coverage for abortions. Includes any reimbursements or distributions to pay for an abortion in the gross income of participants in flexible spending arrangements under a tax-exempt cafeteria plan, Archer Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), and health savings accounts (HSAs). Exempts from the application of such tax provisions: (1) abortions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or in cases where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would, as certified by a physician, endanger her life if an abortion were not performed; and (2) the treatment of any infection, injury, disease, or disorder that was caused by or exacerbated by the performance of an abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Federal Repeal of Expensive Exchanges Act or the FREE Act - Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) providing for: (1) a health insurance premium assistance tax credit and advance payments for credit amounts, (2) reductions in out-of-pocket health care expenses for certain low income taxpayers (cost-sharing) and advance payments of cost-sharing amounts, (3) the individual mandate to purchase health care coverage under PPACA, and (4) the employer mandate to provide health care coverage to employees under PPACA and the reporting requirements with respect to such mandate.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2013
Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $18 to $9 (the pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer; and (2) further reduce the rate of such tax on brewers who produce not more than 2 million barrels of beer during the calendar year.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2013
Unlocking Technology Act of 2013 - Amends the prohibition under federal copyright law on the circumvention of a technological measure that controls access to a copyright-protected work to require that such prohibition apply only to circumventions carried out in order to infringe or facilitate infringement of a protected work. Declares that it shall not be a violation to: (1) circumvent a technological measure if the purpose is to engage in a use that is not an infringement of federal copyright law; or (2) use, manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part primarily designed or produced to facilitate noninfringing uses of protected works by circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to such work, unless the intent is to infringe or facilitate infringement of a copyright. Declares that it is not an infringement to copy or adapt the software or firmware of a user-purchased mobile communications device for the sole purpose of enabling the device to connect to a wireless communications network if: (1) the copying or adapting is initiated by, or with the consent of, the owner of that device or the owner's agent; (2) the owner or agent is in legal possession of the device; and (3) the owner has the consent of, or an agreement with, the authorized operator of such wireless communications network to make use of its network. (Thus allowing the "unlocking" of mobile devices without requiring an owner to obtain the consent of the initial carrier network before switching to a new carrier.) Directs the President to ensure that applicable bilateral and multilateral trade agreements are modified to be consistent with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to advance the safety and continued development of small airplanes by reorganizing the certification requirements to streamline the approval of safety advancements. Requires the Administrator to issue a final rule meeting certain consensus-based standards and FAA Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee objectives, including to: (1) create a regulatory regime for small airplane safety; (2) set broad, outcome-driven objectives that will spur small plane innovation and technology adoption; (3) replace current, prescriptive requirements contained in FAA rules with performance-based regulations; and (4) use FAA-accepted consensus standards to clarify how Part 23 safety objectives may be met by specific small plane safety designs and technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Email Privacy Act - Amends the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 to prohibit a provider of remote computing service or electronic communication service to the public from knowingly divulging to any governmental entity the contents of any communication that is in electronic storage or otherwise maintained by the provider. Revises provisions under which the government may require, pursuant to a warrant, the disclosure by such a provider of the contents of such communications. Eliminates the different requirements applicable under current law depending on whether such communications were stored for fewer than, or more than, 180 days. Requires a law enforcement agency, within 10 days after receiving the contents of a customer's communication, or a governmental entity, within 3 days, to provide the customer a copy of the warrant and a notice that such information was requested by, and supplied to, the government entity. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the authority of a governmental entity to use an administrative or civil discovery subpoena to: (1) require an originator or recipient of an electronic communication to disclose the contents of such communication to the governmental entity; or (2) require an entity that provides electronic communication services to employees or agents of the entity to disclose the contents of an electronic communication to or from such employee or agent to a governmental entity if the communication is held, stored, or maintained on an electronic communications system owned or operated by the entity. Authorizes a governmental entity that is: (1) seeking a warrant for the contents of communications to include in the application a request for an order delaying the notification required for up to 180 days, in the case of a law enforcement agency, or up to 90 days, in the case of any other governmental entity; and (2) obtaining the contents of a communication, or information or records, to apply to a court for an order directing a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service to which a warrant, order, subpoena, or other directive is directed not to notify any other person of the existence of the directive for up to 180 days, in the case of of a law enforcement agency, or up to 90 days, in the case of any other governmental entity. Provides for extensions. Requires service providers, after such extension, to provide the government three business days' notice of their intent to inform a customer or subscriber that the provider has disclosed the individual's electronic communications information to the government. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress by September 30, 2015, regarding the disclosure by electronic communication service providers of customer communications and records, including an analysis and evaluation of such disclosure under provisions: (1) as in effect before the enactment of this Act, and (2) as amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2013
Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) from providing grants or funds to a state, county, town, or township, Indian tribe, municipal, or other local government for use in any program to check helmet usage or create checkpoints for a motorcycle driver or passenger. Repeals the authority of the Secretary to make grants to states that have a law which makes it unlawful for any individual on an operating motorcycle to be without a motorcycle helmet. Revises grant eligibility requirements to eliminate the requirement that states achieve a certain rate of compliance with such law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act of 2013 - Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to revise the exclusion from the meaning of "mortgage originator" of any employee of a retailer of manufactured homes who does not for compensation or gain take residential mortgage loan applications, for compensation or gain offer or negotiate terms of a residential mortgage loan, or advise a consumer on loan terms (including rates, fees, and other costs). Excludes from the meaning of "mortgage originator," instead, any retailer of manufactured or modular homes or its employees unless the retailer or its employees receive compensation or gain for engaging in certain activities in excess of any compensation or gain received in a comparable cash transaction. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to revise the definition of "high cost mortgage."
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion within the District of Columbia except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater. Makes an exception where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such exception only in the manner which provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman than would other available methods. Prescribes penalties for violations. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act, but authorizes such a woman or the father or maternal grandparent of the unborn child to obtain appropriate relief through a civil action. Provides for injunctive relief to prevent violations. Sets forth specified privacy protections in court proceedings for the woman upon whom an abortion has been performed. Requires any physician who performs an abortion within the District to report it to the Department of Health of the District of Columbia, which shall issue annual public reports.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2013
Social Security Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the government pension offset requirement applicable to and reducing husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and divorced mother's and divorced father's insurance benefits with respect to federal, state, or local government employees who receive a government pension and did not pay Social Security taxes during their years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years. Repeals also the windfall elimination requirement with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount under which OASDI retirement or disability benefits are reduced if the individual receives a federal, state, or local government pension, did not pay Social Security taxes during the years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2013 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a market pricing program for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) as a replacement for the competitive acquisition program, which is terminated as of December 31, 2013. Terminates contracts awarded before enactment of this Act on July 1, 2013. Prescribes requirements for transitional payments for items and services, including payments for diabetic supplies and off-the-shelf orthotics, in areas designated for rounds 1 and 2 of the erstwhile phase-in of the competitive acquistion program, as well as during the initial two-year period of the market pricing program. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct market-priced auctions in eligible auction areas throughout the United States for the furnishing of market priced items and services, (2) establish an auction design through a specified process and meeting certain requirements, and (3) ensure that the first auction will be conducted for all eligible auction areas not later than 14 months after contracting with an auction expert. Directs the Secretary to: (1) select a combination of two categories of items and services for each auction, (2) establish a lead product for each product category, (3) establish for each market priced item and service a clearing price equal to the highest cost bid that will meet capacity targets in the market area, (4) award a contract to any entity in an auction's eligible market area whose bid is at or below the clearing price, and (5) monitor the performance of suppliers that are awarded a contract to ensure their compliance with certain requirements. Requires the Secretary, through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, to contract with an auction expert and a market monitor to assist in the design, development, implementation, and functioning of the auction. Requires the market monitor, on an ongoing basis, also to monitor suppliers and the effects of the market pricing program. Rescinds unobligated balances of all discretionary appropriations for each fiscal year (except those for accounts, programs, projects and activities operated by the Department of Defense [DOD] or the Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]) in an amount necessary to make this Act budget neutral for such fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a federal court to impose a sentence below a statutory minimum if necessary to avoid violating federal provisions prescribing factors courts must consider in imposing a sentence. Requires the court to give the parties notice of its intent to impose a lower sentence and to state in writing the factors requiring such a sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2013
Cutting Costly Codes Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from implementing, administering, or enforcing specified regulations insofar as they would replace International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 with ICD-10 as a standard for code sets for appropriate data elements for financial and administrative transactions involving the electronic exchange of health information. (The ICD is a health care classification system of diagnostic codes for classifying diseases.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2013
Census Reform Act of 2013 - Repeals various census programs of the Department of Commerce, including: (1) the collection and publication of agricultural statistics; (2) the census of manufactures, mineral industries, and other businesses; (3) the mid-decade census, and (4) the census of governments. Repeals the authority of the Secretary of Commerce to conduct any surveys, sampling, or questionnaires other than those necessary to conduct the decennial census of population. Repeals the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997. Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from carrying out any activities required to be conducted in 2013 under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2013 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit a veterinarian who is registered to manufacture or distribute controlled substances from being required to have a separate registration in order to transport and dispense controlled substances in the usual course of veterinary practice at a site other than such veterinarian's principal place of business or professional practice, as long as the dispensing site is located in a state where the veterinarian is licensed to practice.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that provisions of such Act related to marihuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with state laws relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, or delivery of marihuana.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Trust Returned to the United States Taxpayer Act or the TRUST Act - Denies retirement benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to a Member of Congress who is convicted of any crime that is a felony under federal or state law (currently, limited to specified felonies under federal law).
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009: (1) was a "bill for raising revenue" as those words were intended to be understood in article I, section 7, clause 1 of the Constitution; and (2) did not originate in the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2013
Medicaid Expansion Repeal and State Flexibility Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to eliminate: (1) the increased federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for medical assistance for newly eligible mandatory individuals, (2) related equitable Medicaid support for certain states, (3) maintenance of effort requirements pending full operation of a state healthcare insurance exchange, and (4) minimum essential coverage according to PPACA for Medicaid benchmark benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2013
Local School Board Governance and Flexibility Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the responsibility for education resides with the states and the local educational agencies (LEAs) to which they have delegated authority; and (2) the Secretary of Education should only issue those regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements that are specifically needed to implement federal legislation and are within LEAs' educational, operational, and financial capacity. Prohibits the Secretary, unless specifically authorized by federal law, from issuing regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements pertaining to states or LEAs that: conflict with the authority of LEAs delegated to them by their state; result in additional costs to LEAs for reporting, grant administration, and general operations that are not fully covered by the federal government; conflict with the authority of LEAs to determine how to engage or act upon community participation and advice; impose requirements on LEAs that would adversely affect their authority to function as legislative, executive, or quasi-judicial agencies; conflict with states' authority to determine the appropriate governance structure of their LEAs, or their LEAs' authority to determine how schools are governed or managed; establish LEA reporting requirements that duplicate existing federal requirements or are issued without first conducting a fiscal impact statement; or place conditions or requirements on grants to states or LEAs that do not directly relate to, or support the intent of, the grants or legislation authorizing the grants. Directs the Secretary during each fiscal year to provide LEAs and the major national education organizations at least 60 days to provide written comments regarding the local impact of implementing federal regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements for any applicable program or activity of the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to review existing LEA reporting requirements to identify and eliminate those that are duplicative. Prohibits the Secretary from promulgating federal regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements pertaining to states or LEAs without first: requesting data and recommendations from LEAs and the major national education organizations regarding the educational, financial, and operational costs involved in implementing them; verifying that LEAs will have the financial resources and technical assistance they may need to successfully implement the requirements; giving LEAs and national educational organizations at least 60 days' notice to respond to such requirements before they are issued, except in certain emergencies; and giving LEAs maximum flexibility in implementing the requirements. Provides that if an LEA or major national education organization provides the Secretary with a written statement demonstrating that a regulation, rule, guidance material, grant condition, or other requirement does not meet the substantive or procedural requirements of this Act, the Secretary must review the merits of the statement, issue a written response within 60 days, and post that response on the Department of Education's website.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2013
Flexibility to Farm Act - Permits the chief executive of a state to exempt farmers in the state from a requirement of a covered federal environmental law by determining that such requirement is unduly burdensome. Requires the chief executive to solicit and accept public comments for at least 90 days before finalizing any such determination. Defines "covered federal environmental law" to mean the Clean Air Act insofar as it applies to emissions of air pollutants other than those resulting from the combustion of fossil fuel and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act).
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 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 · 19 March 2013
Life, Liberty, and Justice for All Americans Act - Prohibits the President from using lethal military force against a U.S. citizen located in the United States. Provides an exception if the President determines that: (1) the individual poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to another individual, and (2) using such force will prevent or minimize such death or injury. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow the killing of a U.S. citizen without due process of law.
![Official portrait of Rep. Massie, Thomas [R-KY-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001184_200.jpg)