Defence

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015 AND THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM

United States · United States Senate · 26 February 2014

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND SUICIDE, AND ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF VICTIMS OF SEXUAL TRAUMA

United States · United States Senate · 26 February 2014

TIME Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2014

Timely Information Management Enforcement Act or the TIME Act - Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide covered beneficiaries and providers participating in the TRICARE program with written notice explaining changes to any program benefits. Requires such notification through both mail and electronic means by the earlier of: (1) the date that would afford such individuals adequate time to understand and respond to the change, and (2) 90 days before the change becomes effective.

Greater Opportunities for Small Business Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2014

Greater Opportunities for Small Business Act of 2014 - Amends the Small Business Act to require subcontracting plans for certain contracts with federal agencies exceeding a specified amount to include a minimum percentage goal of at least 40% for the utilization of small businesses as subcontractors. Increases from 23% to 25% the minimum government-wide percentage goal for participation by small businesses in the total value of all procurement contracts awarded as prime contracts for each fiscal year. Repeals a requirement under which first tier subcontracts (contracts in which a subcontractor has a subcontract directly with the prime contractor) awarded to small businesses by management and operating contractors sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) are considered toward the annually established agency and government-wide goals for procurement contracts awarded. Delays the effective date of the 40% goal until the Small Business Administration (SBA) has promulgated any regulations necessary, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation has been revised, to implement specified provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 concerning the standards for determining whether a prime contractor has attained small business subcontracting percentage goals.

To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify that the estate of a deceased veteran may receive certain accrued benefits upon the death of the veteran, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2014

Provides for the payment of certain accrued benefits to the estate of a deceased veteran upon the veteran's death. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay to the estate of Shelton Hickerson, formerly of Indianapolis, Indiana, the amount that the Secretary awarded to Hickerson upon his death but that was not payable to any survivor, or to the estate, of Hickerson.

American Heroes COLA Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2014

American Heroes COLA Act of 2014 - 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.

Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 26 February 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.

ITIN Reform Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014

ITIN Reform Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to issue an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) to an individual only if such individual: (1) submits an application for an ITIN in person at an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taxpayer assistance center with required documentation, or (2) submits an application in person outside of the United States to an IRS employee or a designee of the Secretary at a U.S. diplomatic mission or consular post with required documentation. Exempts from this requirement military spouses or dependents, and nonresident aliens claiming tax treaty benefits. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury for Tax Administration to audit, on a biennial basis, the IRS program for issuance of ITINs pursuant to this Act and report to Congress on such audit.

Solutions to Long-Term Unemployment Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014

Solutions to Long-Term Unemployment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of full-time employee, for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage, any individual who is a long-term unemployed individual. Defines "long-term unemployed individual" as an individual who: (1) begins employment after enactment of this Act, and (2) has been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer. Exempts from the payment of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI), hospital insurance, and railroad retirement taxes any employers who employ long-term unemployed individuals for specified period. Makes appropriations to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund in amounts equal to the reduction in revenues by reason of this exemption. Authorizes the Secretary to issue employment relocation loans of up to $10,000 to long-term unemployed individuals to enable them to relocate to a residence: (1) more than 50 miles away from their initial residence in order to allow them to begin a new job; or (2) in a state or metropolitan area that is not the location of their initial residence, and that has an unemployment rate two or more percentage points less than the unemployment rate of the state or metropolitan area of their initial residence. Authorizes the Secretary to forgive any remaining amount of interest and principal due on a loan in any case where the individual's new job is eliminated within the first year of employment through no fault of the individual. Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act or SKILLS Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for: (1) WIA title I, workforce investment systems for job training and employment services; and (2) WIA title II, adult education and family literacy education programs. Revises requirements to: (1) eliminate representatives of labor organizations from state workforce investment boards, and (2) specify that representatives of business on a board represent large and small businesses each of which has immediate and long-term employment opportunities in an in-demand industry or other occupation important to the state economy. Requires a state board to assist the state governor by developing: (1) policies and programs that support a comprehensive statewide workforce development system, and (2) a statewide workforce and labor market information system. Revises requirements for: (1) a state workforce development plan; (2) local workforce investment areas, boards, and plans; (3) one-stop delivery systems; and (4) the allotment of federal funds among states for employment and training activities. Eliminates specific funding for adult and dislocated worker employment and training. Specifies state use of federal funds to set up a Workforce Investment Fund. Revises requirements for: (1) within state allocations of funds; and (2) the use of funds for state and local employment and training activities, including statewide rapid response, individuals with barriers to employment grants, and adults with barriers to employment grants. Converts the national emergency grants program into a national dislocated worker grants program. Authorizes the Secretary to award national dislocated worker grants to spouses of active duty members of the Armed Forces or full-time duty members of the National Guard (or members who recently separated from such duties) and are in need of employment and training assistance to obtain or retain employment. Requires the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor to be the principal agency to administer WIA title I workforce investment systems for job training and employment services. Prohibits the use of funds for lobbying (with specified exceptions) and political activities (including voter registration activities). Adult Education and Family Literacy Education Act - Revises requirements for the state unified plan for adult education and literacy programs. Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to eliminate the U.S. Employment Service. Replaces the nationwide employment statistics system, which the Secretary is required to oversee, with a nationwide workforce and labor market information system. Repeals the Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970 and specified other laws. Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require employment and training services to eligible members of households participating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program be provided through the statewide workforce development system, including the one-stop delivery system. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) with respect to employment and training services for refugees, and the Second Chance Act of 2007 as well as the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with respect to such services through the statewide workforce investment system for federal, state, and local prisoner reentry programs. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA73) to: (1) redesignate the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration the Director, and (2) require an eligible state to use a certain percentage of the federal share of the cost of vocational rehabilitation services to award grants to pay for the federal share of the cost of carrying out collaborative programs, create practical job and career readiness and training programs, and provide job placements and career advancement. Repeals the authority of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the Department of Education to make grants and contracts for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers; (2) recreational programs for such individuals; and (3) in-service training of vocational rehabilitation personnel. Repeals title VI (Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities) of the RA73. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for vocational rehabilitation services under the RA73. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on whether, before receiving workforce investment system training services, adults and dislocated workers have first exhausted funds received through the Federal Pell Grant program under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress a determination of the amount of administrative costs savings at the federal and state levels as a result of workforce investment system programs repealed or consolidated under this Act. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to decrease from $492.356 billion to $482.356 billion the nondefense discretionary spending limit for FY2014.

ITIN Reform Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2014

ITIN Reform Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to issue an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) to an individual only if such individual: (1) submits an application for an ITIN in person at an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taxpayer assistance center with required documentation, or (2) submits an application in person outside of the United States to an IRS employee or a designee of the Secretary at a U.S. diplomatic mission or consular post with required documentation. Exempts from such requirements: (1) the spouse, or the dependents, without a social security number of a taxpayer who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, and (2) nonresident aliens claiming tax treaty benefits. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury for Tax Administration to audit, on a biennial basis, the IRS program for issuance of ITINs pursuant to this Act and report to Congress on such audit.

War Crimes Accountability Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2014

War Crimes Accountability Act of 2014 - Directs the President to submit a report to Congress for each of FY2015-FY2019 that identifies each country that is failing to: (1) cooperate with relevant jurisdictions in extraditing or deporting war crimes suspects or Nazi war criminals to the appropriate jurisdiction; (2) enforce arrest warrants issued by an international tribunal against war crimes suspects; (3) accept Nazi war criminals deported from the United States; or (4) effectively prosecute war crimes suspects or Nazi war criminals within such country's jurisdiction, including Nazi war criminals who resided in the United States and were deported from or extradited by the United States or left the United States voluntarily. Prohibits the President from issuing a letter of offer to sell defense articles under the Arms Export Control Act for $7 million or more to a country so identified. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if in the U.S. national security interest.

Expressing the sense of Congress that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers.

United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2014

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers, and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.

SCRA Rights Protection Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2014

SCRA Rights Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow the use of arbitration to resolve a controversy that arises under a contract with a servicemember (or with a servicemember and spouse jointly) that provides for arbitration, only if all parties to the controversy consent in writing to arbitration after the controversy arises. Allows a servicemember's waiver of any of such Act's rights and protections to be effective only if it is made after a specific dispute has arisen and the dispute is identified in the waiver. Allows a representative of members of an aggrieved class, or a member of such class, to bring a private civil action for a violation of any rights or protections under such Act.

State Marriage Defense Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2014

State Marriage Defense Act of 2014 - Prohibits, for purposes of determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of U.S. administrative bureaus and agencies, as applied with respect to individuals domiciled in a state or in any other territory or possession of the United States: (1) the term "marriage" from including any relationship that the state, territory, or possession does not recognize as a marriage; and (2) the term "spouse" from including an individual who is a party to a relationship that is not recognized as a marriage by that state, territory, or possession.

[H.A.S.C. No. 113-78] UNITED STATES SECURITY POLICY AND DEFENSE POSTURE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

United States · United States House of Representatives · 11 February 2014

GI Education Benefit Fairness Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

GI Education Benefit Fairness Act of 2014 - Expands the definition of "children," for purposes of provisions allowing members or former members of the uniformed services who served on active duty for specified periods beginning on or after September 11, 2001, to transfer their entitlement to educational assistance, to mean an unmarried person who: (1) is placed in the legal custody of a member or former member by court order for at least 12 consecutive months, (2) has not attained the age of 21, (3) has not attained the age of 23 and is enrolled in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher learning, (4) is incapable of self support due to a mental or physical incapacity that occurred while such person was a dependent of the member or former member, (5) is dependent on the member or former member for over one-half of his or her support, (6) resides with the member or former member unless separated due to military service or institutionalization for a disability or incapacitation, and (7) is not a dependent of a member or former member under any other provision defining dependent.

Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) remove any employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from a Senior Executive Service position upon determining such individual's performance warrants removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or appoint the individual to a General Schedule position at any grade that the Secretary deems appropriate. Requires: (1) the Secretary to notify the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs committees within 30 days after removing such an individual, and (2) such removal to be done in the same manner as the removal of a professional staff member employed by a Member of Congress.

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should leave no member of the Armed Forces unaccounted for during the drawdown of forces in Afghanistan.

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Expresses the Senate's belief that the United States: (1) should undertake every reasonable effort to find and repatriate members of the Armed Forces who are missing and to repatriate members who are captured; (2) has a responsibility to keep the promises made to members of the Armed Forces who risk their lives on behalf of the people of the United States; and (3) while continuing to transition leadership roles in combat operations in Afghanistan to the people of Afghanistan, must continue fulfilling the promises made to members in a missing status or captured as a result of service in Afghanistan. Expresses support for the U.S. Soldier's Creed and the Warrior Ethos, which state that "I will never leave a fallen comrade."

Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) remove any individual from the Senior Executive Service upon determining that such individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from federal service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any grade the Secretary deems appropriate. Requires: (1) the Secretary to notify the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs committees within 30 days after removing such an individual, and (2) such removal to be done in the same manner as the removal of a professional staff member employed by a Member of Congress. .

Veterans Benefits Administration Information Technology Improvement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Veterans Benefits Administration Information Technology Improvement Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make such changes and improvements to the information technology system of the Veterans Benefits Administration to ensure that: (1) all original and supplemental claims for veterans educational assistance are adjudicated electronically, and (2) rules-based processing is used to make decisions with respect to such claims with little human intervention. Requires the Secretary to reduce redundancy and inefficiencies in the use of information technology to process claims for rehabilitation programs by: (1) ensuring that payments of subsistence allowance for veterans participating in a rehabilitation program are processed and paid out of only one corporate information technology system, and (2) enhancing the information technology system supporting veterans participating in such a program to support more accurate accounting of services and outcomes.

Improving Veterans' Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Improving Veterans' Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), when calculating the rate of veterans determined to be rehabilitated to the point of employability, to divide the number of veterans who participated in VA vocational rehabilitation programs whom the Secretary determines to have been so rehabilitated by the total number of veterans who: (1) participated in such programs during that fiscal year, and (2) were entitled to participate in such programs during such fiscal year but who did not complete a program. Allows a course of education and training to be pursued by a veteran as part of a rehabilitation program only if the course is approved under VA vocational rehabilitation requirements. Makes veterans enrolled in a VA vocational rehabilitation program eligible for VA specially adapted housing, when appropriate. Authorizes the Secretary to prioritize VA vocational rehabilitation services based on need upon consideration of disability ratings, the severity of employment handicaps, qualification for a program of independent living, income, and other factors determined appropriate.

WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2014 - Title I: A National Biodefense Enterprise - Requires the President to assign a member of the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense to: (1) serve as the President's principal advisor regarding coordination of federal biodefense policy; (2) identify inefficiencies in existing biodefense activities and the actions necessary to overcome them; (3) lead the development of a coordinated National Biodefense Plan, a coordinated National Biosurveillance Strategy, and a coordinated national research and development strategy and implementation plan for microbial forensics; (4) oversee, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the development of a comprehensive cross-cutting biodefense budget analysis to inform prioritization of resources and ensure that biodefense challenges are adequately addressed; and (5) conduct ongoing oversight and evaluation of implementation of federal biodefense activities by relevant government agencies. Directs the Special Assistant to submit to the President and update as necessary a National Biodefense Plan that: defines the scope and purpose of a national biodefense capability; identifies biological risks to the nation and activities and tasks to be performed to address them; defines organizational roles, responsibilities, and coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities with respect to such activities and tasks; defines research and development needs for improving the capacity for threat awareness and prevention, protection, response, and recovery; identifies biodefense assets, interdependencies, and capability gaps; provides goals and performance measures; identifies resource and investment needs; integrates and supports the strategies outlined in Presidential Policy Directives 2 and 8 and Homeland Security Presidential Directives 5, 9, 10, 18, and 21, the National Biosurveillance Strategy, and the National Medical Countermeasure Dispensing Strategy; is consistent with the National Response Framework; incorporates input from federal, state, local, and tribal stakeholders; and provides planning guidance to biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders. Directs the Special Assistant to publish and update every four years a National Biosurveillance Strategy that: identifies the purpose and scope of a nationally integrated biosurveillance capability; establishes objectives and performance measures to guide the development of such capability; defines and prioritizes costs, benefits, and resource and investment needs, with particular attention to leveraging existing resources; delineates federal, state, local, tribal, and private roles and responsibilities; and describes how the Strategy is integrated with related national strategies. Requires the Special Assistant to publish an implementation plan for such Strategy that includes a plan for: (1) advancing situational awareness of biological threats; (2) fostering information sharing among national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders to identify potential threats, reduce vulnerabilities, and improve collective response to and investigations of suspected biological attacks; and (3) enhancing the capability of the federal government to rapidly identify, characterize, localize, and track a biological event of national concern by integrating and analyzing data relating to human health, animal, plant, food, and environmental monitoring systems. Requires the Special Assistant concurrent with the submission of the President's annual budget to Congress, a comprehensive cross-cutting biodefense budget analysis that delineates and integrates the biodefense expenditure requests for the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, Defense (DOD), Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS), Homeland Security (DHS), Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs (VA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Title II: Intelligence Matters - Requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to develop and implement: (1) a National Intelligence Strategy for Countering the Threat from Weapons of Mass Destruction that is designed to improve U.S. capabilities to collect, analyze, and disseminate intelligence related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD); and (2) a plan to implement such Strategy. Requires such Strategy to: (1) identify and address core capabilities needed for successful intelligence collection on WMD; (2) include methods for the recruitment, training, and retention of a workforce with expertise in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence related to all types of WMD and science and technology related to WMD, as well as expertise in science and technology relating to risks posed by WMD; and (3) include methods for information sharing and collaboration with non-federal national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders. Requires the implementation plan to include: (1) actions necessary to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the sharing of intelligence on WMD throughout the Intelligence Community and with other federal partners; (2) methods to disseminate intelligence products to national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders in classified and unclassified formats to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of information sharing; and (3) actions necessary to provide open-source intelligence relating to WMD to appropriate governmental authorities and private entities. Requires the DNI to develop and implement: (1) a National Intelligence Strategy for Countering Biological Threats that is integrated into the National Intelligence Strategy for Countering the Threat from Weapons of Mass Destruction, and (2) a plan for implementing such Strategy. Requires such Strategy to: identify and address target capabilities needed for successful intelligence collection on biological threats; include a plan for establishing in the Intelligence Community a cadre of collectors and analysts that are familiar with biological threats, biological science, and biotechnology; include a plan for defining the functions, capabilities, and gaps in that Community's workforce with respect to assessing the biological threat; include methods for collaboration with non-Intelligence Community technical experts within and outside of the federal government, in particular with state and local biodefense stakeholders; include a plan for defining, integrating, focusing, and enhancing existing capabilities in the Intelligence Community dedicated to current and strategic biological threats; and include a plan for ensuring the prioritization and sustained commitment of intelligence personnel and resources to address biological threats. Requires the implementation plan to: (1) include actions necessary to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the sharing of intelligence through the Intelligence Community on biological weapons and organisms that could be used for biological terrorism; (2) address strategic and tactical human intelligence, measurement and signature intelligence, technical intelligence, medical intelligence, and open-source intelligence activities necessary to implement the Strategy; and (3) include a schedule for regularly evaluating the efforts of the Intelligence Community and progress on understanding and countering biological threats. Title III: Homeland Security Matters - Amends the HSA to require DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis to: conduct intelligence and information sharing activities consistent with the National Intelligence Strategy for Countering the Threat from Weapons of Mass Destruction under this Act and the National Intelligence Strategy for Countering Biological Threats; support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of terrorist actors, their claims, and their plans to conduct attacks against the nation involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials; support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of global infectious disease, public health, food, agricultural, and veterinary issues; support homeland security-focused risk analysis and risk assessments of such hazards by providing relevant quantitative and non-quantitative threat information; leverage existing and emerging homeland security capabilities and structures, including fusion centers, to enhance prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts with respect to a terrorist attack; share information and provide tailored analytical support on such threats to state, local, and tribal authorities, as well as other national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders; and coordinate with other relevant DHS components, others in the Intelligence Community, and federal, state, local, and tribal authorities on optimal information sharing mechanisms. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the intelligence and information sharing activities described above and of all relevant entities within DHS to counter the threat from WMD, and (2) DHS's activities in accordance with relevant intelligence strategies. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to produce and periodically update: (1) a terrorism risk assessment of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats; and (2) an integrated terrorism risk assessment that assesses all of those threats and compares their relative risks. Directs the Secretary to: (1) convene an interagency task force of relevant subject matter experts to assess and provide recommendations on the adequacy of proposed methodology to be used for such assessments; (2) conduct sensitivity analysis on each assessment to identify and prioritize research activities to close knowledge gaps; (3) consider the evolving threat from an intelligent adversary; (4) share the risk assessments with federal, state, local, and tribal officials with appropriate security clearances and a need for the information in the classified version; and (5) make available an unclassified version for government officials involved in prevention and preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events. Requires the Export Enforcement Coordination Center to be maintained in DHS, with capability for coordinating the export enforcement activities. Directs the Center to: (1) enhance federal coordination for law enforcement counter proliferation investigations; (2) address licensing inquiries, reviews, requests, checks, and verifications; and (3) conduct outreach and provide training to the export trade community. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) develop a communications plan designed to provide information to the public related to preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks; and (2) develop and disseminate, through an alerts and warnings system, pre-scripted messages and message templates for state, local, and tribal authorities to quickly disseminate critical information to the public in anticipation of, during, or in the immediate aftermath of such an attack, to be included in DHS's lessons learned information sharing system. Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that homeland security information concerning terrorist threats is provided to state, local, and tribal authorities and the public; and (2) establish a process to optimize opportunities for qualified heads of state, local, and tribal government entities to obtain security clearances so that they may receive classified threat information. Directs the Secretary to prepare unclassified threat bulletins that include guidance to the public for preventing and responding to acts of terrorism arising from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, which shall be made available on the Internet website of DHS and other publicly accessible Internet websites, communication systems, and information networks. Directs the Secretary, using information provided by the terrorism risk assessments and material threat assessments and determinations under the Project BioShield Act of 2004, to: (1) provide to state, local, and trial authorities written guidance on communicating terrorism-related threats and risks to the public; and (2) articulate the governmental rationale for identifying particular communities as being at heightened risk of exploitation. Directs the FEMA Administrator, to assist government authorities in improving and promoting individual and community preparedness and collective response to terrorist attacks by: (1) developing and disseminating guidance and checklists of recommended actions for individual and community prevention and preparedness efforts, (2) providing information and training materials in support of individual and community preparedness efforts, and (3) conducting individual and community preparedness outreach efforts. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to detect a biological attack or event that poses a high risk to homeland security, including by: deploying detection capabilities to high risk areas to indicate the presence of biological agents; considering multiple deployment strategies, including surge capability; providing information to participating laboratories and programs for use in monitoring public health, and biological material or other data from those detectors to participating laboratories and programs for testing and evaluation; regularly communicating with, and providing information about the presence of biological agents to, federal, state, and local agencies responsible for public health, law enforcement, and emergency services in a manner that ensures transparency; providing advanced planning tools, concepts of operations, standard operating procedures, and training exercises for collective response to and recovery from biological attacks; and providing technical assistance to jurisdictions hosting the program to improve their ability to respond to a detected pathogen. Directs the Secretary: (1) to require the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to assess whether the development of technological screening capabilities for biological agents, pandemic influenza, and other infectious diseases should be undertaken by the Directorate of Science and Technology to support entry and exit screening at ports of entry and for other homeland security purposes; and (2) if the Under Secretary's determination is affirmative, to initiate development of safe and effective methods to rapidly screen incoming persons at ports of entry. Authorizes the Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to carry out a program to: (1) establish near-term minimum performance metrics to support public safety actionable activities to evaluate the effectiveness of detection technology for high-priority biological agents and toxins and high-priority chemical agents; (2) establish a process for voluntary testing and evaluation of technology by an accredited laboratory to demonstrate conformance to consensus standards, or performance metrics if standards do not exist, for the effective detection of high-priority biological agents and toxins and high-priority chemical agents; and (3) make available to federal agencies, state, territorial, local, and tribal entities, and the private sector, with permission from the detection technology manufacturer, the results of detection system testing and evaluation. Requires the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to: (1) establish and maintain a multilayered system of detection technologies, programs, and guidelines designed to enhance the nation's ability to detect and prevent a radiological or nuclear attack in high-risk U.S. cities; and (2) develop a surge capability for radiological and nuclear detection systems that can be deployed within the United States rapidly in response to actionable intelligence or warnings. Requires such programs to be integrated into the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture and inform architecture studies, technology gaps, and research activities of the Office. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop for police, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management, and medical and public health personnel voluntary guidance for responding to a release of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear material; (2) make such guidance available to state, local, and tribal authorities, including primary and secondary schools and other educational institutions, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and the public; and (3) review the experiences of other countries and the expertise of academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations and to consider the unique needs of children and other vulnerable populations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) acquire, use, and disseminate the best available integrated plume models (i.e., assessments of the location and prediction of the spread of agents following a chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological attack or event that integrate protective action guidance) to enable rapid response activities following such an attack or event; and (2) carry out a program for system assessment and validation of emergency response equipment at DHS, to be known as the SAVER Program. Authorizes federal agencies, in carrying out functions to counter biological terrorism, to enter into contracts with laboratories that comprise the Laboratory Response Network for Biological Terrorism and other federally networked laboratories for the provision of laboratory testing services. Authorizes in DHS a bioforensics analysis center to provide definitive bioforensics analysis in support of the executive agencies with primary responsibilities for preventing, deterring, responding to, attributing, and recovering from biological attacks. Directs the Secretary to conduct a Metropolitan Medical Response System Program that shall assist state and local governments in preparing for and responding to public health and mass casualty incidents resulting from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other man-made disasters. Allows a grant under such Program to be used to support the integration of emergency management, health, and medical systems into a coordinated response to mass casualty incidents caused by any hazard. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct tailored risk assessments to inform prioritization of national recovery activities for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents, to be updated as necessary. Directs the Secretary to develop and issue guidance for clean-up and restoration of indoor and outdoor areas, including subways and other mass transportation facilities, that have been exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop exercises to facilitate recovery from a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear incident and to foster collective response to terrorism; and (2) provide lessons learned reports to designated representatives of state, local, and tribal jurisdictions and private sector entities that participate in National Level Exercises of DHS. Directs the FEMA Administrator, the DHS Chief Medical Officer, and the National Metropolitan Medical Response System Working Group to conduct a review of the Metropolitan Medical Response System Program and report the results of the review to specified congressional committees. Directs the President to establish the Federal Experts Security Advisory Panel to make technical and substantive recommendations on biological agent and toxin security. Requires the Panel to deliver to the Secretaries of Agriculture, HHS, and DHS recommendations concerning: the designation as highest risk of that subset of biological agents and toxins that presents the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy; the development of a set of minimum risk-based prescriptive laboratory security performance standards based on the risk at the lowest level, allowing for enhancements as risk increases; the establishment of appropriate standards and practices to improve vetting and monitoring, and ensure reliability, of personnel with access to highest risk biological agents and toxins at facilities registered under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA); the establishment of appropriate practices for physical security and cyber security for facilities that possess highest risk biological agents or toxins; standards for training of laboratory personnel in security measures; other emerging policy issues relevant to the security of biological agents and toxins; and adequacy of information sharing protocols with biodefense and biosecurity stakeholders. Directs the Secretaries, after the date of receipt of such recommendations, to promulgate rules under the PHSA establishing security standards and procedures that are specific to highest risk biological agents and toxins. Requires the heads of specified government entities to: (1) develop and implement a plan for the coordination of biological agents and toxins security oversight for facilities in which the entity supports biological agent or toxin laboratory activities, that articulates a mechanism for coordinated inspections of and harmonized administrative practices for facilities registered under the PHSA and that ensures consistent and timely identification and resolution of biological agents and toxins security and compliance issues; and (2) coordinate or consolidate laboratory inspections and ensure that such inspections are conducted using a common set of inspection procedures across such entities to minimize the administrative burden on laboratories. Directs the Secretaries of HHS and Agriculture to: (1) develop a process for sharing information pertaining to biological agents and toxins with agencies that support biological agent or toxin laboratory activities; and (2) share relevant information pertaining to biological agents and toxins with each other and with appropriate state, local, and tribal government authorities. Expresses the sense of Congress that the field of synthetic biology has the potential to facilitate enormous gains in fundamental discovery, public health, and biotechnological applications, but it also presents inherent dual-use homeland security risks that must be managed. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology: (1) every two years, to undertake a risk assessment of the dual-use and other risks associated with synthetic biology; and (2) to develop and provide to all agencies that fund life sciences research, guidance on compliance with U.S. laws, arms control agreement, and agency policies for research, development, or acquisition projects in the life sciences. Authorizes the Under Secretary to conduct research into the risks and ways to mitigate such risks of synthetic biology, including: (1) determining the current capability of synthetic nucleic acid providers to effectively differentiate a legitimate customer from a potential terrorist or other malicious actor, and to effectively screen orders for sequences of homeland security concern; and (2) making recommendations regarding screening, software, protocols, and other remaining capability gaps uncovered by such assessment. Amends HSA to require the dissemination of information analyzed by DHS to state, local, tribal, and private entities with responsibilities relating to homeland security to assist in preventing, deterring, or responding to acts of terrorism. Title IV: Public Health Matters - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) coordination among federal agencies involved in activities relating to researching, developing, and acquiring medical countermeasures still needs improvement; and (2) aggressive action should be taken by HHS, DHS, and the DOD to foster greater coordination with respect to such activities. Amends the PHSA to direct the Secretary of HHS, in coordination with the Secretaries of DHS and Agriculture, and other appropriate federal agencies, to develop, implement, and periodically update a National Medical Countermeasure Dispensing Strategy to enhance preparedness and collective response to a terrorist attack on humans or animals with any chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material, that delineates federal, state, and local responsibilities. Directs the HHS Secretary, in coordination with the Secretaries of DHS and Agriculture, to: (1) review the adequacy of domestic vaccination and antimicrobial dispensing policy, guidance, and information provided to the public in light of any known terrorist risk of a biological attack or other phenomena that may have serious health consequences for the United States, including wide-scale fatalities or infectious disease outbreaks including those associated with the avian flu; and (2) report to specified congressional committees on the review and any recommendations relating to the availability of domestic vaccine and antimicrobials for disbursing to the public and voluntary immunization by first responders. Directs the HHS Secretary to: (1) make available to state, local, and tribal first responders surplus vaccines and antimicrobials, and vaccines and antimicrobials with short shelf lives from the strategic national stockpile of drugs, vaccines and other biological products, medical devices, and other supplies; (2) establish any necessary logistical and tracking systems to facilitate making such vaccines and antimicrobials available; and (3) distribute disclosures regarding associated risks to end users. Amends the PHSA to require the HHS Secretary, on an ongoing basis, to: (1) establish criteria for the issuance of a material threat determination, and (2) review and reassess determinations of whether agents continue to present a material threat against the U.S. population sufficient to affect national security and homeland security. Amends the PHSA to direct the Attorney General, in identifying whether an individual is within a category of individuals reasonably suspected by any federal law enforcement or intelligence agency of knowing involvement with an organization that engages in domestic or international terrorism or with any other organization that engages in intentional crimes of violence, to consult with the Secretaries of DHS, Defense, and State. Title V: Foreign Relations Matters - Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) support efforts of other countries to effectively implement legislation criminalizing the development or use of biological weapons or acts of bioterrorism; (2) engage other countries and international nongovernmental entities to establish common standards for actions relevant to preventing acts of bioterrorism and the illicit use of life sciences; (3) support the efforts of other countries to enhance biosecurity and safety practices at laboratories and other facilities with materials that could be used in biological weapons or in an act of bioterrorism; (4) promote the development and adoption of international guidance for the safety and security of high-risk pathogens and toxins; and (5) promote information sharing relating to threats and best practices between the intelligence community, federal law enforcement, and international law enforcement and security officials. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) support efforts in other countries and regions to develop mechanisms and capabilities for reporting to U.N. organizations validated data on biological attacks or other phenomena that may have serious health consequences for the United States; (2) engage other federal and nongovernmental entities and other countries to advance awareness and understanding of the risk posed by information derived from the life sciences that has the potential for misuse to cause harm; (3) advance recommendations on how best to address such risk; (4) engage such entities and countries to promote greater awareness and understanding of the global availability of and access to life science technologies and materials; and (5) promote the development and use of mechanisms for reporting, preserving, and sharing data on federal programs and investments in international scientific, agricultural, medical, and public health collaborations in support of efforts to enhance global biosecurity. Directs the Secretary of State to convene and lead an interagency task force to examine: (1) the state of global biopreparedness for a major biological event, (2) necessary components of a global biopreparedness architecture that would advance international health security, (3) best practices for preparedness based on lessons learned from domestic efforts to address such issues and that may be applicable internationally, (4) activities undertaken through the National Intelligence Strategy for Countering Biological Threats and the International Health Regulations 2005, and (5) the utility of working through existing international forums as a mechanism for distributing this information to the international community. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) promote confidence in effective implementation of and compliance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction by promoting transparency with respect to legitimate activities and pursuing compliance diplomatically to address concerns; (2) promote universal membership in the Convention; (3) develop an action plan for increasing international adherence to the Convention; and (4) ensure that U.S. participation in Convention meetings is broadly inclusive of representatives of relevant federal departments and agencies.

VA Timely Mammogram Results Act of 2013

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

VA Timely Mammogram Results Act of 2013 [ sic ] - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: (1) to establish standards with respect to the timeliness of reporting and providing to patients the results of mammograms performed at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility; and (2) in establishing such standards, to take into consideration the best practices of the private sector.

Servicemembers Opportunity Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Servicemembers Opportunity Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow any appropriate indicator of military service, including a certified letter from a commanding officer or information from the Defense Manpower Database Center, as proof of service for purposes of interest rate limitations provided to servicemembers under such Act.

First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a congressional gold medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medal at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such medals.

To prohibit the Central Intelligence Agency from using an unmanned aerial vehicle to carry out a weapons strike or other deliberately lethal action and to transfer the authority to conduct such strikes or lethal action to the Department of Defense.

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2014

Prohibits any officer or employee of, or contractor or detailee to, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from using an unmanned aerial vehicle to carry out a weapons strike or other lethal action. Requires the President to transfer all authority to use such a vehicle to conduct such strikes or lethal action to the Department of Defense (DOD).

Robert O. Work, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Defense, vice Ashton B. Carter, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 10 February 2014

Rural Veterans Improvement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2014

Rural Veterans Improvement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide mental health care to veterans who have a mental health issue resulting from a health condition incurred or aggravated in the line of duty and who live in a rural area or highly rural area through shared health facilities or by contracting with or providing payments to mental health care providers that are not otherwise affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) if the Secretary makes specified determinations related to the lack of accessibility to or availability of recommended or requested care from the VA. Requires the Secretary to report on the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine used by the VA in treating veterans with mental health conditions resulting from a health condition that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) award grants of up to $100,000 to state veterans agencies, veterans service organizations, and/or tribal organizations to provide transportation to and from medical centers to veterans in rural and highly rural areas who would otherwise be eligible for reimbursement for or payment of travel expenses by the VA; and (2) carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing a housing allowance to health care providers of the VA who accept assignment at rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinics. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to train health care professionals for assignment at community-based outpatient clinics that predominantly serve veterans who live in rural and highly rural areas. Requires the VA Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to jointly establish a program to encourage an individual who serves in the Armed Forces with a military occupational specialty relating to the provision of health care to seek employment with the Veterans Health Administration when the individual is discharged or released from service or is contemplating separating from such service. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a periodic assessment of community-based outpatient clinics in rural and highly rural areas to determine whether expansion and improvement of such clinics is feasible or advisable, and (2) report on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site in each area in which the nearest such center or site is more than 300 miles away.

National Rare Earth Cooperative Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2014

National Rare Earth Cooperative Act of 2014 - Establishes the Thorium-Bearing Rare Earth Refinery Cooperative to provide for the domestic processing of thorium-bearing rare earth concentrates as residual unprocessed and unrefined ores. Requires the Cooperative's Board to establish a refinery and a Thorium Storage, Energy, and Industrial Products Corporation to develop uses and markets for thorium, including energy. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to coordinate with other federal agencies to advance and protect: (1) domestic rare earth mining, (2) the refining of rare earth elements, (3) basic rare earth metals production, and (4) the development and commercialization of thorium. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire and maintain a 10% equity stake in the Cooperative in accordance with the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act for the purpose of accessing strategic rare earth materials and eliminating the need to acquire them under such Act.

SCRA Rights Protection Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2014

SCRA Rights Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow the use of arbitration to resolve a controversy that arises under a contract with a servicemember (or with a servicemember and spouse jointly) that provides for arbitration, only if all parties to the controversy consent in writing to arbitration after the controversy arises. Allows a servicemember's waiver of any of such Act's rights and protections to be effective only if it is made after a specific dispute has arisen and the dispute is identified in the waiver. Allows a representative of members of an aggrieved class, or a member of such class, to bring a private civil action for a violation of any rights or protections under such Act.

A resolution providing for completion of the accelerated transition of United States combat and military and security operations to the Government of Afghanistan.

United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2014

Declares that it is U.S. policy: (1) that, in coordination with the government of Afghanistan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, and other allies in Afghanistan, the President shall complete the accelerated transition of U.S. military and security operations to such government and redeploy U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan by December 31, 2014; and (2) to pursue diplomatic efforts leading to a political settlement and reconciliation of the internal conflict in Afghanistan. Expresses the sense of the Senate that, should the President determine the necessity to maintain U.S. troops in Afghanistan to carry out missions after December 31, 2014, any such presence and missions should be authorized by a separate vote of Congress not later than June 1, 2014.

Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2014

Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 - Authorizes FY2015-FY2016 appropriations for the Coast Guard and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). Authorizes, for each such fiscal year, an end-of-year strength for active duty personnel of 43,000 and specified average military training student loads. Reduces from 7,200 to 6,700 the number of commissioned officers on the active duty promotion list, subject to current exceptions. Sets forth the skills and qualifications necessary for an individual to be assigned as a waterways operations manager or a facility safety and security specialist. Revises authorities under which Coast Guard centers of expertise conduct education, training, and other mission activities. Authorizes such centers to conduct investigations and evaluate intelligence systems and capabilities. Authorizes the Commandant of the Coast Guard to enter into cooperative agreements with federal, public, and private entities, including academic entities. Prohibits the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating from making a determination that a waterway is navigable for purposes of the Coast Guard’s jurisdiction without conducting a rulemaking under appropriate administrative procedures. Modifies the membership and duties of the Board of Visitors to the Coast Guard Academy. Repeals a limitation that prohibits the issuance of more than one medal of honor to any one person. Requires the Commandant, at specified intervals through the President’s submittal of a budget for FY2019, and every four years thereafter, to submit to Congress an integrated major acquisition mission need statement that identifies current and projected gaps in Coast Guard capabilities using mission hour targets. Directs the Secretary to submit an authorization request to Congress for each fiscal year. Requires the Commandant to: (1) establish, and update on an ongoing basis, an inventory of real property, including submerged lands, under Coast Guard control; and (2) make divestiture and consolidation recommendations to Congress every five years. Modifies the limitation on the number of days within a specified period that an organized training unit or member of the Coast Guard Ready Reserve may be ordered, without consent, to serve in active duty for an emergency augmentation of regular forces. Extends through September 30, 2017, the Commandant’s acquisition workforce expedited hiring authority under which acquisition positions may be designated as positions for which there is a shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need. Authorizes the Commandant to decommission the icebreaker Polar Sea if the Secretary does not make a determination regarding whether it is cost-effective to reactivate such icebreaker. Requires the Commandant to submit to Congress: (1) a strategy to meet the Coast Guard's Arctic ice operations needs through September 30, 2050; and (2) unless the Secretary determines that it is cost-effective to reactivate the Polar Sea, a bridging strategy for maintaining the Coast Guard's polar icebreaking services until at least September 30, 2024 (currently, a bridging strategy for maintaining operations until at least September 30, 2022, is required only if the Secretary determines that it is not cost-effective to reactivate the Polar Sea). Allows the Secretary, each fiscal year beginning in FY2015, to enter into multiyear contracts for the procurement of Offshore Patrol Cutters and associated equipment. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress with schedules and plans for decommissioning, maintaining or extending, and commissioning specified categories of cutters. Revises, repeals, and consolidates various reporting requirements. Bars specified federal shipping laws related to maritime liability from: (1) establishing maritime liens on state or federal fishing permits, and (2) authorizing civil actions to enforce maritime liens on such permits. Specifies that a "fishing permit" is governed solely by the state or federal law under which it was issued and shall not be treated as part of a vessel, or as an appurtenance or intangible of a vessel, for any purpose under federal law. Prohibits the Coast Guard from carrying out international ice patrol agreements with other maritime countries unless a specified minimum reimbursement amount is received from such countries for their proportionate share of the expense of maintaining the service. Exempts from such prohibition the use of Coast Guard aircraft to carry out such agreements if the President determines it to be necessary for national security. Reauthorizes through FY2016 appropriations to the Maritime Administration for small shipyard grant programs. Prohibits a claim for damages or expenses relating to personal injury, illness, or death of a seaman who is a citizen of a foreign nation, arising during or from the engagement of the seaman by or for a passenger vessel duly registered under the laws of a foreign nation, from being brought under U.S. laws if: (1) such seaman was not a permanent resident alien of the United States when the claim arose; (2) the injury, illness, or death arose outside U.S territorial waters; and (3) the seaman, at the time the claim arose, had a right to seek compensation under the laws of either the nation in which the vessel was registered or in which the seaman maintained citizenship or residency. Applies the existing cap of 10 times unpaid wages as the maximum penalty payable to each seaman claiming delayed payment of wages on certain foreign, intercoastal, and coastwise passenger vessels. (Current law applies the cap to all claims in a class action suit by seamen.) Permits merchant mariner licenses for masters, mates, engineers, pilots, operators, and radio officers to be issued to applicants with at least three months of qualifying service on vessels of the uniformed services of appropriate tonnage or horsepower within the preceding seven-year period. Sets forth deadlines for the Coast Guard to provide sea service letters to members or former members. Requires the Secretary to maximize the extent to which armed forces service, training, and qualifications are creditable toward meeting merchant mariner licensing requirements and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978. Amends the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships to establish an Abandoned Seafarers Fund from which amounts may be appropriated to the Secretary to pay the necessary support of seafarers who: (1) enter, remain, or are paroled into the United States and are involved in an investigation, reporting, documentation, or adjudication of any matter relating to the administration or enforcement of such Act by the Coast Guard; and (2) were abandoned in the United States and have not applied for asylum under specified provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Provides for the reimbursement of vessel owners or operators who provide necessary support to seafarers paroled into the United States to facilitate such investigations, reporting, documentation, or adjudications. Defines “seafarer” as an alien crewman who is employed or engaged in any capacity on board a vessel subject to such Act. Redefines “high-risk waters,” for purposes of determining when owners or operators of U.S. vessels carrying government-impelled cargo are to be reimbursed for the cost of providing armed on-board safety personnel, as waters: (1) so designated by the Commandant in the appropriate maritime security directive, and (2) in which the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) determines an act of piracy is likely to occur based on documented acts of piracy that occurred in such waters during the 12-month period preceding the applicable voyage. Modifies existing requirements to provide for: (1) uninspected passenger vessels in the U.S. Virgin Islands to carry up to 12 passengers (currently, vessels under a certain weight may only carry up to 6 passengers), (2) classification societies to inspect offshore supply vessels, and (3) certain passenger vessels to be equipped with survival craft. Revises FMC Commissioners' terms of office and sets forth FMC conflict of interest requirements. Commercial Vessel Discharge Reform Act of 2014 - Makes permanent a provision prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or a state with an approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act), from requiring an NPDES permit for a covered vessel (a vessel that is less than 79 feet in length or a fishing vessel) for any discharge: (1) of effluent from properly functioning marine engines; (2) of laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes; or (3) that is incidental to the normal operation of a covered vessel. (Currently, such prohibition ends on December 18, 2014.) Revises licensing restrictions and credential requirements relating to foreign citizens who may be engaged to meet the manning requirement for U.S. purse seine fishing vessels: (1) fishing exclusively for highly migratory species in the treaty area under a fishing license issued pursuant to the 1987 Treaty on Fisheries Between the Governments of Certain Pacific Islands States and the Government of the United States of America, or (2) transiting to or from the treaty area exclusively for such purpose. Removes a provision that limits the vessels permitted to engage such foreign citizens to vessels operating in and out of American Samoa or Guam. Authorizes the Commandant to lease submerged lands and tidelands under the control of the Coast Guard for periods longer than five years. Directs DOT to submit to Congress a national maritime strategy. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress concerning negotiations at the International Maritime Organization regarding the establishment of a draft international code of safety for ships operating in polar waters.

Save our Military Shopping Benefits Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2014

Save our Military Shopping Benefits Act - Prohibits, until January 1, 2017, the Secretary of Defense (DOD) from: (1) closing any commissary or exchange store located within the United States, or (2) developing or implementing any plan that would result in the closure of all commissaries in the United States as part of a cost-saving effort. Defines "close" to include any action that has the effect of: (1) reducing the operating hours or size of a commissary or exchange store below FY2014 levels, or (2) changing the location of such a store. Excepts a change in the size or location of such a store if the Secretary determines that the change is required for upgrading or modifying an existing structure for safety or health reasons.

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into enhanced-use leases for certain buildings of the Department of Veterans Affairs at the West Los Angeles Medical Center, California.

United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2014

Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an enhanced-use lease for buildings 205 and 208 of the West Los Angeles Medical Center, California, for the provision of long-term therapeutic housing for homeless veterans who require assisted living or other similar forms of care. Exempts such buildings from a provision authorizing the Secretary to transfer property under an enhanced-use lease to the lessee. Requires the Secretary to: (1) review such lease at least once during each two-year period in which it is in effect, including by assessing the leasing party and determining whether such lease should continue; and (2) submit a report.

TRICARE Moms Improvement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2014

TRICARE Moms Improvement Act of 2014 - Requires the contracts entered into by the Secretary of Defense (DOD) for medical care for military dependents (e.g., TRICARE) to provide for breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling as appropriate during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Veterans Care Financial Protection Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2014

Veterans Care Financial Protection Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) work with federal agencies, states, and such experts as the Secretary considers appropriate to develop and implement federal and state standards that protect individuals who are eligible for increased pension for a non-service-connected disability or death or for service on the basis of need for regular aid and attendance from dishonest, predatory, or otherwise unlawful practices; and (2) submit such standards to specified congressional committees not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Requires the Comptroller General: (1) within one year after enactment of this Act, to report standards that would be effective in protecting such individuals if the Secretary fails to submit such standards within such 180 days; and (2) not later than 540 days after enactment of this Act, to complete a study on standards implemented under this Act and report the findings to such committees.

A bill to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into enhanced-use leases for certain buildings of the Department of Veterans Affairs at the West Los Angeles Medical Center, California, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2014

Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an enhanced-use lease for buildings 205 and 208 of the West Los Angeles Medical Center, California, for the provision of long-term therapeutic housing for homeless veterans who require assisted living or other similar forms of care. Exempts such buildings from a provision authorizing the Secretary to transfer property under an enhanced-use lease to the lessee. Requires the Secretary to: (1) review such lease at least once during each two-year period in which it is in effect, including by assessing the leasing party and determining whether such lease should continue; and (2) submit a report.

Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014

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.

Veterans Health Care Access Received Closer to Home Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 3 February 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. 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.

Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015

United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2014

Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a bona fide volunteer providing firefighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, or ambulance services to a state or local government or a tax-exempt organization shall not be counted in determining the number of full-time employees of an employer for purposes of the employer mandate to provide health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Michael J. McCord, of Ohio, to be Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), vice Robert F. Hale.

United States · United States Senate · 30 January 2014

Brian P. McKeon, of New York, to be a Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, vice Kathleen H. Hicks, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 30 January 2014

Christine E. Wormuth, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, vice James N. Miller, Jr., resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 30 January 2014

Honor Our Promise Act

United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2014

Honor Our Promise Act - Repeals 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. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers who are claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to include the name and taxpayer identification number (e.g., social security number) of their qualifying child on their tax returns.

To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the TRICARE Program for adult children of members and former members of the uniformed services, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2014

Amends the definition of a "dependent" who is eligible for enrollment under the TRICARE Program of members and former members of the Armed Forces (members) to include a child or custodial dependent who is under age 26 (currently, under age 21). Allows for the continuation until age 26 of dependent medical and dental contract coverage when a member dies while on active duty for a period of more than 30 days. Expresses the sense of Congress that any increase in expenditures of funds by reason of the enactment of this Act should be fully offset by reducing expenditures of funds for U.S. foreign assistance programs other than programs for Israel.

Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2014

Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act - Title I: Central Valley Project Water Reliability - Amends the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) to include among the Act's purposes: (1) to ensure that water dedicated to fish and wildlife purposes is replaced and provided to Central Valley Project (CVP) water contractors by December 31, 2018, at the lowest cost reasonably achievable, and (2) to facilitate and expedite water transfers in accordance with that Act. Redefines "anadromous fish" for purposes of such Act. Defines "reasonable flows" as water flows capable of being maintained taking into account competing consumptive uses of water and economic, environmental, and social factors. Eliminates existing limitations on the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to enter into any new contracts for water supply from the CVP. Directs the Secretary to renew any existing long-term repayment or water service contract, upon request of the contractor, that provides for the delivery of water from the CVP for a period of 40 years (the current contractual term is 25 years). Requires new or renewed contracts to include a provision that requires the Secretary to charge only for water actually delivered. Directs the Secretary to take all necessary actions to facilitate and expedite CVP water transfers in accordance with such Act or any other provision of federal reclamation law and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Grants the Secretary discretion to modify CVP operations to provide reasonable water flows of suitable quality, quantity, and timing to protect all life stages of anadromous fish. Repeals a requirement that not less than 67% of all funds made available to the Restoration Fund under CVPIA be authorized to be appropriated to carry out habitat restoration, improvement, and acquisition provisions of that Act. Requires the CVP and the California State Water Project (SWP) to be operated pursuant to the water quality standards and operational constraints described in the "Principles for Agreement of the Bay-Delta Standards Between the State of California and the Federal Government," dated December 15, 1994 (Bay-Delta Accord of 1994), without regard to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) or any other law pertaining to the operation of the CVP and the SWP. Prohibits the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce from distinguishing between natural-spawned and hatchery-spawned or otherwise artificially propagated strains of a species in making any determination under ESA that relates to any anadromous fish species that are present in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers or their tributaries and that ascend those rivers and their tributaries to reproduce after maturing in the San Francisco Bay or the Pacific Ocean. Adds the Kettleman City Community Services District as an authorized service area of the CVP. Directs the Secretary to enter into a long-term contract for the delivery of up to 900 acre-feet of CVP water for municipal and industrial use. Directs the Secretary to offer to the Oakdale Irrigation District, the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and the Calaveras County Water District a contract enabling such districts to collectively impound and store a portion of their Stanislaus River water rights in the New Melones Reservoir in accordance with applicable terms of the Warren Act. Establishes a pilot program to remove non-native predatory fish from the Stanislaus River. Directs the Secretary, if the San Luis Reservoir does not fill by the last day of February, to permit any entity with an agricultural water service or repayment contract for the delivery of water from the Delta Division or the San Luis Unit to reschedule into the immediately following contract year (i.e., March 1 through the last day of February) any unused CVP water previously allocated for irrigation purposes. Title II: San Joaquin River Restoration - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to cease any action to implement the Stipulation of Settlement dated September 13, 2006, in the litigation entitled Natural Resources Defense Council, et al. v. Kirk Rodgers, et al., U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Amends the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act to eliminate references to such Stipulation of Settlement and to direct the Secretary, beginning on March 1, 2015, to modify Friant Dam operations to release restoration flows in a manner that improves the fishery in the San Joaquin River between Friant Dam and Gravelly Ford. Directs the Secretary, prior to October 1, 2015, to: (1) identify the impacts associated with the release of such restoration flows; (2) identify measures necessary to mitigate impacts on adjacent and downstream water users, landowners, and agencies as a result of such restoration flows; and (3) implement all such mitigation measures identified before such restoration flows are commenced. Repeals provisions relating to settlement of litigation regarding restoration of the San Joaquin River reintroduction of the California Central Valley Spring Run Chinook salmon into such River. Title III: Repayment Contracts and Acceleration of Repayment of Construction Costs - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, upon request of the contractor, to convert all existing long-term CVP contracts to contracts that require a contractor to pay the remaining balance of construction at a Treasury rate discount. Title IV: Bay-Delta Watershed Water Rights Preservation and Protection - Directs the Secretary of the Interior (notwithstanding the provisions of this Act, federal reclamation law, or the ESA), in the operation of CVP, to: (1) strictly adhere to state water rights law governing water rights priorities by honoring water rights senior to those belonging to CVP, regardless of the source of priority; and (2) strictly adhere to and honor water rights and other priorities that are obtained or that exist under the California Water Code. Requires any action taken by the Secretary or the Secretary of Commerce to protect any species listed under the ESA that affects the diversion of water or involves the release of water from any CVP water storage facility to be applied in a manner that is consistent with water rights priorities established by state law. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce, in implementing the ESA in the Bay-Delta and on the Sacramento River, to apply any limitations on the operation of CVP or to formulate any reasonable prudent alternative associated with CVP's operation in a manner that strictly adheres to and applies water rights priorities for project water and base supply provided for in the Sacramento River settlement contracts. Directs the Secretary, subject to the absolute priority of Sacramento River settlement contractors, to allocate water provided for irrigation purposes to existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed. Directs the Secretary to ensure that there are no redirected adverse water supply or fiscal impacts to those within the Sacramento River or San Joaquin River watershed or to the SWP arising from the Secretary's operation of CVP to meet legal obligations. Title V: Miscellaneous - Declares that: (1) coordinated operations between CVP and SWP, previously requested and consented to by the state of California and the federal government, require assertion of federal supremacy to protect existing water rights throughout the system; (2) these circumstances are unique to California; and (3) nothing in this Act shall serve as precedent in any other state. Declares that this Act shall not affect the Proclamation of State of Emergency and the associated executive order issued on January 17, 2014, by the Governor of California. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to: (1) decrease the length of a segment of the Lower Merced River in California designated as a wild and scenic river; and (2) revise provisions concerning the water surface level of Lake McClure in Mariposa County, California.

PACT Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2014

Preventing Abuse of Cough Treatments Act of 2014 or the PACT Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale or offering for sale of a drug containing dextromethorphan, and not subject to practitioner supervision requirements, to an individual under age 18, except if the sale is made: (1) pursuant to a validly issued prescription; or (2) to an individual who provides proof of being actively enrolled in the military, including a valid military identification card. Imposes civil monetary penalties that escalate upon repeated violation. Deems to be adulterated any unfinished dextromethorphan that is possessed, received, or distributed in violation of this Act. Prohibits a person from: (1) possessing or receiving unfinished dextromethorphan unless the person is registered with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a producer of a drug or device or otherwise registered, licensed, or approved under federal or state law to engage in the practice of pharmacy, pharmaceutical production, or manufacture or distribution of drug ingredients; or (2) distributing unfinished dextromethorphan to any person other than a registered or otherwise authorized person. Excludes from such prohibitions common carriers that possess, receive, or distribute unfinished dextromethorphan for purposes of distributing it between registered, licensed, or approved persons. Imposes additional civil monetary penalties for such possession and distribution violations.

Healing Our Heroes Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2014

Healing Our Heroes Act - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2008 to extend for one year the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pilot program to assess the effectiveness of providing assisted living services to veterans with a traumatic brain injury to enhance the rehabilitation, quality of life, and community integration of such veterans.

Concussion Awareness and Education Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2014

Concussion Awareness and Education Act of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) establish and oversee a national system to accurately determine the incidence of sports-related concussions, and (2) begin implementation of such system within one year of this Act's enactment. Requires the data collected to include: the incidence of sports related concussions in individuals 5 through 21 years of age; demographic information of the injured individuals; pre-existing conditions of the injured individuals; the concussion history of the injured individuals; the use of protective equipment and impact monitoring devices; the qualifications of personnel diagnosing the concussions; and the cause, nature, and extent of the concussive injury. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD), acting in coordination, to conduct or support: (1) research designed to establish metrics and markers of concussion diagnosis, prognosis, and recovery in youth and to inform the creation of guidelines for the management of short- and long-term sequelae of concussion in youth; (2) studies to assess short- and long-term cognitive, emotional, behavioral, neurobiological, and neuropathological consequences of concussions and repetitive head impacts over a life span; and (3) research on age- and sex-related biomechanical determinants of injury risk for concussion in youth. Directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of techniques, rules, and playing, practice, and training standards in reducing concussions and sequelae for sports and physical training at military service academies and for military personnel. Calls for the National Collegiate Athletic Association to undertake a scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of age-appropriate techniques, rules, and playing and practice standards in reducing sports-related concussions and sequelae. Requires: (1) the Director of NIH to maintain a national brain tissue and biological sample repository to collect, archive, and distribute material for research on concussions; (2) such Director and the Secretary of Defense to develop standards, best practices, and guidelines for the rules of play and training, respectively, for sports, athletic, and military training and engagement that are designed to prevent or reduce the incidence of concussions and that include standards for effective protective equipment and recommendations on impact-monitoring systems; and (3) the Director of CDC to develop and disseminate to the public information regarding concussions. Establishes a Concussion Research Commission, which shall study the programs and activities conducted pursuant to this Act and formulate systemic recommendations to increase knowledge about, and change the culture surrounding, concussions.

A bill to repeal section 403 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.

United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2014

Repeals a 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.