United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women Act or SAVE Native Women Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include sex trafficking as a target of the grants to Indian tribal governments to combat violent crime against Indian women. Allows those grants to be used to: (1) address the needs of youth who are victims of, or exposed to, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or stalking; and (2) develop and promote best practices for responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking. Allows tribal coalition grants to be used to develop and promote state, local, and tribal legislation and policies that enhance best practices for responding to violent crimes against Indian women. Requires the Attorney General to award such grants annually to each tribal coalition that meets certain criteria under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, is recognized by the Office on Violence Against Women, serves Indian tribes, and meets any additional criteria the Attorney General requires. Requires that tribal coalition grants also be provided to organizations that propose to incorporate and operate a tribal coalition in areas where Indian tribes are located but no tribal coalition exists. Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to include the Secretary of the Interior, in addition to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General, as a participant in consultations with Indian tribes regarding the administration of tribal funds and programs, enhancement of Indian women's safety, and federal response to violent crimes against Indian women. Amends the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 to give Indian tribes criminal jurisdiction over domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protective orders that occur on their lands. Makes that jurisdiction concurrent with federal and state jurisdiction. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist Indian tribes in exercising such jurisdiction, providing indigent defendants with free legal counsel, and securing the rights of victims of such crimes. Amends the federal criminal code to give Indian courts civil jurisdiction to issue and enforce protection orders. Excludes Indian courts in Alaska from that jurisdiction, except with respect to the Metlakatla Indian Community, Annette Islands Reserve. Increases the maximum federal penalties for assault convictions. Subjects to specified criminal penalties any individuals who: (1) commit an assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a spouse, intimate partner, or a dating partner; or (2) assault a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner by strangling, suffocating, or attempting to strangle or suffocate. Makes federal felony assault penalties applicable to Indians. Subjects individuals convicted under tribal law of repeat domestic violence or stalking offenses to maximum federal penalty provisions for repeat offenders. Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the National Institute of Justice to include women in Alaska Native Villages, Native Hawaiian women, and sex trafficking in its study of violence against Indian women. Reauthorizes appropriations for the national tribal sex offender registry and the tribal protection order registry. Directs the Attorney General to report to Congress on whether the Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission should be continued. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the grant program to encourage governmental entities to treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious violations of criminal law. Allows those grants to be used to: (1) enforce protection orders across state and tribal lines; (2) develop training programs and best practices for responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; (3) develop, implement, or enhance sexual assault nurse or forensic examiner programs and Sexual Assault Response Teams; (4) implement human immunodeficiency virus testing programs; (5) address backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits; and (6) develop multidisciplinary high-risk teams focused on preventing domestic or dating violence homicides. Requires at least 25% of the grant funds to be used for projects that address sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor collectively the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in recognition of their military service and exemplary record during World War II. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the CAP. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2013
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device: (1) to intentionally kill the unborn child of a woman known to be pregnant; or (2) to intentionally prematurely terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth or of preserving the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the caps on Medicare outpatient rehabilitation physical therapy services and speech-language pathology services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 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 single congressional gold medal in honor of the American Fighter Aces, collectively, in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of the nation's freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Reserve Retirement Deployment Credit Correction Act - Requires the days of active duty or active service used to reduce the minimum age at which a member of the reserves may retire for non-regular (reserve) service to occur in in any two consecutive fiscal years (under current law, in the same fiscal year).
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2013
Opposes the International Olympic Committee's (IOC's) decision to eliminate wrestling from the Summer Olympic Games beginning in 2020. Thanks the United States Olympic Committee for its continued support of wrestling and encourages it to work actively to reverse the IOC's decision. Urges the IOC to reinstate wrestling as a core sport of the Games.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2013 or the ABLE Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses. Defines "qualified disability expenses" to include expenses for education, including higher education expenses, a primary residence, transportation, obtaining and maintaining employment, health and wellness, and other personal support expenses. Treats a qualified ABLE program and an ABLE account in the same manner as a qualified tuition program for income tax purposes (i.e., allowing a tax exemption for such program and an exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to a contributor to or a beneficiary of a program account). Defines "qualified ABLE program" as a program established and maintained by a state agency under which a person may make contributions to an ABLE account established to pay for qualified disability expenses. Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources attributable to an ABLE account.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS). Authorizes the issuance of coins under this Act only for a one-year period, beginning on January 1, 2016. Requires all sales of coins minted under this Act to include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar clad coin. Requires all of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins to be paid to the National Park Foundation for projects and programs to help preserve and protect resources under the stewardship of the NPS and to promote public enjoyment and appreciation of those resources. Prohibits the surcharges paid to the Foundation from being used for land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to add provisions concerning cyber threat intelligence and information sharing. Defines "cyber threat intelligence" as intelligence in the possession of an element of the intelligence community directly pertaining to: (1) a vulnerability of a system or network of a government or private entity; (2) a threat to the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of such a system or network or any information stored on, processed on, or transiting such a system or network; (3) efforts to deny access to or degrade, disrupt, or destroy such a system or network; or (4) efforts to gain unauthorized access to such a system or network, including for the purpose of exfiltrating information. Excludes intelligence pertaining to efforts to gain unauthorized access to such a system or network that solely involve violations of consumer terms of service or consumer licensing agreements and do not otherwise constitute unauthorized access. Requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to: (1) establish procedures to allow intelligence community elements to share cyber threat intelligence with private-sector entities and utilities, and (2) encourage the sharing of such intelligence. Requires the procedures established to ensure that such intelligence is only: (1) shared with certified entities or a person with an appropriate security clearance, (2) shared consistent with the need to protect U.S. national security, and (3) used in a manner that protects such intelligence from unauthorized disclosure. Provides for guidelines for the granting of security clearance approvals to certified entities or officers or employees of such entities. Prohibits a certified entity receiving such intelligence from further disclosing the information to any entity other than another certified entity or a federal agency authorized to receive such intelligence. Authorizes a cybersecurity provider (a non-governmental entity that provides goods or services intended to be used for cybersecurity purposes), with the express consent of a protected entity (an entity that contracts with a cybersecurity provider), to: (1) use cybersecurity systems to identify and obtain cyber threat information in order to protect the rights and property of the protected entity; and (2) share cyber threat information with any other entity designated by the protected entity, including the federal government. Provides similar cybersecurity system use and threat information sharing authority to self-protected entities (an entity that provides goods or services for cybersecurity purposes to itself). Requires the head of a federal agency receiving cyber threat information to provide such information to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and allows such agency head to request the Center to provide such information to another federal agency. Sets forth requirements with respect to the use and protection of shared information, including prohibiting the use of such information to gain a competitive advantage and, if shared with the federal government, exempts such information from public disclosure. Prohibits a civil or criminal cause of action against a protected entity, a self-protected entity, or a cybersecurity provider acting in good faith under the above circumstances. Allows the federal government to use shared cyber threat information: (1) for cybersecurity purposes to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, availability, or safeguarding of a system or network; (2) for the investigation of cybersecurity crimes; (3) for the protection of individuals from the danger of death or serious bodily harm and the prosecution of crimes involving such dangers (including the protection of minors from child pornography, sexual exploitation, kidnapping, and trafficking); or (4) to protect U.S. national security. Prohibits the federal government from affirmatively searching such information for any other purpose. Provides for the protection of sensitive personal documents such as library records, firearms sales records, educational records, tax returns, and medical records. Requires a federal agency receiving information that is not cyber threat information to so notify the entity or provider of such information. Prohibits federal agencies from retaining shared information for any unauthorized use. Outlines federal government liability for violations of restrictions on the disclosure, use, and protection of voluntarily shared information.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2013
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 · 6 February 2013
American Heroes COLA Act - Requires that, whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall increase by the same percentage the amounts payable as veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2013, 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 · 6 February 2013
Advice and Consent Restoration Act - Prohibits a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member from receiving a salary unless that member has been appointed: (1) by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, or (2) by the President to fill a vacancy during a recess of the Senate. Prohibits an unconstitutional quorum of the NLRB from convening or taking any agency action until a final judgment is entered in all cases pending before a federal court challenging the constitutionality of the purported appointment of NLRB members.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Expedited LNG for American Allies Act of 2013 - Amends the Natural Gas Act to deem consistent with the public interest an expedited application and approval process without modification or delay for the exportation of natural gas to a foreign country that is: (1) a nation with which there is in effect a free trade agreement requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas (as under existing law); (2) a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); (3) Japan, as long as the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan remains in effect; and (4) any other foreign country if the Secretary of State determines that such exportation promotes U.S. national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Healthcare Tax Relief and Mandate Repeal Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) terminate the requirement, added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), that individuals maintain minimum essential health insurance coverage for themselves and dependents; and (2) repeal provisions added by PPACA requiring certain employers who have a workforce of 50 or more full-time employees to provide health insurance coverage for their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2013
Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act - Makes an employee of a land management agency who served under a time-limited appointment in the competitive service eligible to compete for a permanent appointment in the agency if the original appointment was competitive, totaled a period of at least 24 months, and the employee's performance was satisfactory. Requires such an employee's appointment to a full-time position, if such a position is offered and the employee agrees to such employment, if the original position stated that there was the potential for the position to become permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2013
National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial Act - Authorizes the National Desert Storm Memorial Association to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate and honor those who, as members of the Armed Forces, served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield. Prohibits the use of federal funds to pay any expense to establish the commemorative work.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2013
Free File Program Act of 2013 - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to continue to implement and operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File program (free online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services provided by the private sector technology industry to lower income taxpayers).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2013
Focusing the Fed on the Currency of the United States Act of 2013, or FFOCUS Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the joint mandate on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee to make maximum employment one of the goals of their duty to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the U.S. economy's long run potential to increase production.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2013
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2013 - Imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex, gender, color or race of the child, or the race of a parent; (2) use force or the threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion; (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion; or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. Requires such violations or attempted violations to result in fines under the federal criminal code, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. Authorizes civil actions, for verifiable money damages for injuries and punitive damages, by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of an abortion performed or attempted through any of the above violations; and (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion. Authorizes, to prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further abortions in violation of this Act, injunctive relief to be obtained by: (1) the women upon whom such an abortion is performed or attempted, (2) a maternal grandparent of the unborn child if the woman is an unemancipated minor, (3) the father of such an unborn child, or (4) the Attorney General (DOJ). Deems a violation of this Act to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Violators of title VI lose federal funding.) Requires a medical or mental health professional to report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. Imposes criminal penalties for a failure to so report. Prohibits a woman having such an abortion from being prosecuted or held civilly liable. Directs courts to make such orders as necessary to protect the anonymity of any woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted if she does not give her written consent to such disclosure. Requires, in the absence of such a woman's written consent, that any party, other than a public official, who brings an action under this Act do so under a pseudonym. Defines "abortion" as the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child, unless the act is intended to: (1) save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, (2) remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion, or (3) remove an ectopic pregnancy.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2013
Government Neutrality in Contracting Act - Directs the head of any federal agency that awards or obligates funds for any construction contract, or that awards grants, provides financial assistance, or enters into cooperative agreements for construction projects, to ensure that bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents do not: (1) require or prohibit a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor from entering into, or adhering to, agreements with a labor organization, with respect to that construction project or another related construction project; or (2) otherwise discriminate against or give preference to such a party because it did or did not become a signatory or otherwise adhere to such an agreement. Allows exemptions to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve national security. Allows additional exemptions for certain projects. Directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement this Act with respect to the applicable federal contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Indian Trust Asset Reform Act - Reaffirms the federal government's fiduciary responsibilities to Indians. States that: (1) the most exacting common law fiduciary standards governing private trustees also govern the federal government when it manages Indian Trust Assets, and (2) those standards are not limited to the express terms of statutes and regulations. Indian Trust Asset Management Demonstration Project Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish an eight-year Indian trust asset management demonstration project that allows Indian tribes to propose, for the Secretary's approval, Indian trust asset management plans. Allows participating Indian tribes that contract or compact trust management functions or activities under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to develop and carry out trust asset management systems, practices, and procedures that differ from the Secretary's. Requires each plan to: (1) be consistent with all tribal laws and all federal treaties, statutes, executive orders, and court decisions applicable to the trust assets and their management; (2) establish procedures for nonbinding mediation or resolution of any plan-related disputes between the Indian tribe and the federal government; (3) include an annual evaluation by the Indian tribe and affected federal agencies of the plan's implementation; and (4) identify any federal regulations that the plan will supersede. Prohibits the approval of any plan that does not: (1) protect trust assets from loss, waste, and unlawful alienation; and (2) promote the interests of the trust asset's beneficial owner. Establishes, in the Department of the Interior, an Under Secretary for Indian Affairs who is to report directly to the Secretary and assume the functions of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs and the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians. Requires the Office of the Under Secretary to carry out additional duties relating to the management of Indian trust assets and resources through an Office of Trust Reform Implementation and Oversight. Requires the Under Secretary to give a hiring preference to Indians.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for purposes of the educational assistance programs administered by the Secretary, to disapprove courses of education provided by public institutions of higher education that do not charge tuition and fees for veterans at the same rate that is charged for in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
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 commemorate the lives of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley (children who lost their lives in the September 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, an incident recognized as a catalyst for the civil rights movement). Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals, with amounts received from the sale to be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2013
Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013 - Repeals sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care (PPACA) (and restores provisions of law amended by such sections) related to the establishment of an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop and submit detailed proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending to the President for Congress to consider.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial to include, in regards to the Korean War: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed in such action; (2) the number of members who were wounded, missing, or prisoners; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations (U.N.) Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act or the FUELS Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in implementing the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule with respect to any farm, to require certification of compliance with such rule by: (1) a professional engineer for a farm with an individual tank with an aboveground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons, an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of at least 42,000 gallons, or a history that includes a spill, as determined by the Administrator; or (2) the owner or operator of the farm (via self-certification) for a farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons but less than 42,000 gallons and no history of spills. Directs the Administrator to exempt from all requirements of such rule any farm with an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of 10,000 gallons or less and no history of spills. Excludes from the aggregate storage capacity of a farm all containers on separate parcels that have a capacity that is less than 1,320 gallons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of two gold medals to the First Special Service Force (a joint American-Canadian volunteer unit), collectively, in recognition of their World War II service. Directs one such gold medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution and the other to the First Special Service Force Association in Helena, Montana. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates with proceeds deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund. Declares that medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of specified coins and currency provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the public on a website, as soon as practicable but within 30 days after a payment under this Act is tendered, the following information with regard to any payment made by the United States under a judgment, award, or compromise settlement with respect to a claim against the United States, unless the disclosure of such information is otherwise prohibited by law or court order: the name of the specific federal agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment; the name of the plaintiff or claimant and counsel; the amount paid representing principal liability, and any amounts paid representing any ancillary liability, including attorney fees, costs, and interest; a brief description of the facts that gave rise to the claim; a copy of the original or amended complaint or written claim, and any written answer given by the federal government to it; a copy of the final action by a court regarding the claim (whether by decree, approval of settlement, or otherwise), or of the settlement agreement in any action not involving a court; and the name of the agency that submitted the claim.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Regulatory Sunset and Review Act of 2013 - Requires federal agencies to review their covered rules and modify, consolidate, or terminate such rules on a periodic basis. Defines "covered rule" to include a significant rule that is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or any other rule designated by an agency for sunset review. Allows a person adversely affected by a rule that is not a significant rule to submit a petition for sunset review of such rule. Provides for sunset review of a rule upon the request of a congressional committee or a majority of the members of such committee. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) conduct an inventory of existing rules and deadlines for their sunset review; (2) prioritize rules for sunset review based on specified criteria, including the cost of the rule and the burden of reviewing it; (3) group related rules for simultaneous review; (4) provide guidance to agencies for conducting sunset reviews; and (5) provide feedback to agencies on sunset reviews and results. Requires a new significant rule to be reviewed: (1) within three years after taking effect, or (2) within seven years after taking effect if the rule is issued pursuant to negotiated rulemaking procedures or if compliance with the rule requires substantial capital investment. Requires each federal agency to designate a Regulatory Review Officer with responsibility for implementation of this Act. Provides for judicial review of a denial or delay in granting or denying a petition for sunset review of a rule.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2013
Establishes in the House of Representatives a select Committee to investigate and report to the House on: any intelligence known to the United States relating to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012; any requests for additional security, or actions taken by federal agencies to improve security at the consulate before the attack; a definitive timeline of it; how the relevant agencies and the executive branch responded to it and whether appropriate congressional notifications were made; any improper conduct by officials relating to the attack; recommendations on what steps Congress and the President should take to prevent future attacks; and any other relevant issues relating to the attack or the response to it.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Stolen Valor Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to rewrite provisions relating to fraudulent claims about military service to subject to a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both an individual who, with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit, fraudulently holds himself or herself out to be a recipient of: a Congressional Medal of Honor, a distinguished-service cross, a Navy cross, an Air Force cross, a silver star, a Purple Heart, a Combat Infantryman's Badge, a Combat Action Badge, a Combat Medical Badge, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Combat Action Medal, or any replacement or duplicate medal for such medal as authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Retired Pay Restoration Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Amends the Indian Reorganization Act to make it applicable 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.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Returned Exclusively For Unpaid National Debt Act or REFUND Act - Rescinds unwanted amounts, as identified by a state from a projected allocation, from any federal funds required to be allocated by formula among all states that agree to use them for a specified purpose. Prescribes a procedure by which a state legislature may identify a projected federal allocation as unwanted funds. Requires such rescinded amounts to: (1) be deposited by the Secretary of the Treasury in the special fund account entitled "Gifts to Reduce Debt Held by the Public, Bureau of the Public Debt, Treasury"; and (2) be used to reduce the federal debt.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2013
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns. Abolishes the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer all amounts remaining in the Fund after enactment of this Act to the general fund of the Treasury to reduce the deficit. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to terminate the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the EAC Standards Board, and the EAC Board of Advisors. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to perform EAC functions with respect to certain existing contracts and agreements during the transition period for winding up EAC affairs. Transfers specified election administration functions of the EAC to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Replaces the Standards Board and the Board of Advisors with a Guidelines Review Board to review voluntary voting system guidelines proposed by the Technical Guidelines Development Committee. Sets forth special requirements relating to the transfer of certain EAC authorities to the FEC with respect to development of such guidelines. Transfers to the FEC the EAC Office of Voting System Testing and Certification. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) study the procedures used to adopt and modify the voluntary voting system guidelines applicable to the administration of elections for federal office, and (2) develop recommendations on methods to improve such procedures. Requires the FEC to: (1) study the procedures for the testing, certification, decertification, and recertification of voting system hardware and software used in federal elections; and (2) develop a recommendation on the entity best suited to oversee and carry out such procedures. Requires the recommendations in both studies to take into account the needs of persons affected by such guidelines, including state and local election officials, voters with disabilities, absent military and overseas voters, and the manufacturers of voting systems.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2013
Veterans Timely Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that the standard for access to care for a veteran seeking hospital care and medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is 30 days from the date the veteran contacts the VA. Directs the Secretary to periodically review the performance of VA medical facilities in meeting such standard. Requires quarterly reports from the Secretary to the congressional veterans' committees on the VA's experience with respect to appointment waiting times.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2013
Stop the Coin Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from minting or issuing any coins, including proof platinum coins, having a nominal, or face, value exceeding $200.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Service (HHS) from providing any federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of such assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion. Excludes an abortion where: (1) the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or an act of incest; or (2) a physician certifies that the woman suffered from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy. Excludes hospitals from such requirement so long as the hospital does not provide funds to any non-hospital entity that performs an abortion. Requires the Secretary to annually provide Congress: (1) information on grantees who performed abortions under the exceptions, and (2) a list of entities to which grant funds are made available.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2013
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide transportation on scheduled and unscheduled military flights within the United States and on scheduled overseas flights on a space-available basis for veterans with a service-connected, permanent disability rated as total.
![Official portrait of Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001053_200.jpg)