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Bill· HRH.R. 3061 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Youth Corps Act of 2013 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to eligible public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations to carry out Youth Corps programs that utilize the Youth Corps model to provide eligible youth age 16 through 24 with education and work readiness training to enable them to find employment in the economy of the 21st century, and instill in them a sense of civic engagement and environmental stewardship. Defines "Youth Corps model" as a youth education and training program for which an eligible entity provides eligible youth, among other things, with stipended or paid work experience and basic and technical skills training leading to: (1) enrollment in postsecondary education or training, (2) attainment of an industry-recognized certification or credential, (3) meaningful employment in the economy of the 21st century, or (4) military service.
Bill· HRH.R. 3047 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow a borrower of a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program to modify the interest rate on such a loan so that its interest rate is equal to the interest rate it would bear if first disbursed at the time of modification. Fixes that interest rate for the life of the loan, unless the borrower elects to modify it again.
Bill· HRH.R. 3028 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Career and Technical Education Equity Act - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to revise hold harmless requirements for the allotment of career and technical education assistance grants to states. Prohibits a state from receiving an allotment for a fiscal year that is less than 90% of the allotment the state received for the preceding fiscal year. (Currently, no state may receive an allotment less than the one it received for FY1998.)
Bill· HRH.R. 3063 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Healthy Fisheries through Better Science Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to develop and publish at least triennially in the Federal Register (on the same schedule as the fisheries research strategic plan) a plan to conduct stock assessments for all stocks of fish for which a fishery management plan is in effect. Defines "stock assessment" as an evaluation of the past, present, and future status of a stock of fish, including: (1) a range of life history characteristics, including the stock's geographical boundaries, age, growth, natural mortality, sexual maturity and reproduction, feeding habits, and habitat preferences; and (2) fishing for the stock. Requires the plan to: (1) establish schedules for conducting initial stock assessments and updating previously conducted assessments; and (2) identify data and analysis, especially concerning recreational fishing, that would reduce uncertainty in and improve the accuracy of future stock assessments, including whether such data and analysis could be provided by nongovernmental sources, such as fishermen, fishing communities, universities, and research institutions. Provides for waivers of stock assessment requirements when the Secretary determines that the assessment is not necessary and justifies such determination in the Federal Register notice. Directs the Secretary to develop and publish in the Federal Register guidelines to incorporate data, analysis, and stock assessments from nongovernmental sources into fisheries management decisions and to establish a registry of information providers. Requires the Secretary and Regional Fishery Management Councils to use such information as the best scientific information available in fisheries management decisions, unless otherwise determined by the science and statistical committee of such Councils. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress regarding each fishery governed by a fishery management plan to: (1) identify the goals and methods of the applicable programs governing monitoring and enforcement of fishing subject to such plan; (2) certify which methods are most cost-effective; and (3) explain why such most-cost-effective methods are not required, if applicable. Prohibits the Secretary from collecting certain fishing permit fees and North Pacific Council fisheries research plan implementation fees before identifying the costs that will be recovered by such fee.
Bill· HRH.R. 3054 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Directs the Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish and administer a health and education grant program (Global Autism Assistance Program) to: (1) support activities by nongovernmental organizations and other service providers, including advocacy groups, focused on autism in developing countries; and (2) establish a "teach the teachers" program to train health and education professionals working with autistic children in developing countries.
Bill· HRH.R. 3041 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
IRS Health Records Privacy Act of 2013 - Prohibits any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from inspecting protected health information of any individual (defined as individually identifiable health information transmitted by or maintained in electronic or other form or medium, except for information contained in certain education and employment records) except to the extent that such health information directly relates to a criminal violation of the internal revenue laws. Provides for civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to notify any individual whose protected health information has been inspected in violation of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3029 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
College Savings Enhancement Act of 2013 - Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise specified regulations so as to include: (1) qualified prepaid tuition programs under the definition of a qualified institutional buyer (with respect to private resales of securities to institutions), and (2) as accredited investors any qualified prepaid tuition programs whose total assets exceed $5 million (with respect to Regulation D, governing the limited offer and sale of securities without registration under the Securities Act of 1933). Defines, for purposes of such revisions, a "qualified prepaid tuition program" as a qualified tuition program (under which a person may purchase tuition credits or certificates on behalf of a designated beneficiary which entitle the beneficiary to the waiver or payment of the beneficiary's qualified higher education expenses), which is established and maintained by a state or state agency or instrumentality that satisfies certain other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.
Bill· HRH.R. 2989 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Latin America Military Training Review Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army to suspend operation of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Institute). Suspends the authority of the Secretary of Defense to operate such an education and training facility until submission of a report containing the results of an investigation in response to violations of human rights to which training at such Institute contributed. Establishes: (1) a joint congressional task force to assess appropriate education and training for DOD to provide to military personnel of Latin American nations, and (2) a commission to investigate activities of the United States Army School of the Americas and its successor institution, the Institute.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 333 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that no bill or resolution shall pass that continues appropriations in the event of a lapse in appropriations or increases the borrowing authority relating to the public debt limit unless it contains a provision prohibiting the expenditure of any federal funds to implement or enforce any provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 331 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Expresses support for the designation of National Innovation in Education Day to recognize the advances that the nation's schools have made incorporating both creative teaching methods and technology into the classroom. Recognizes: (1) the importance of creative teaching methods as a means of engaging students in their education and inspiring more students to pursue higher education; (2) that technological advancements within the classroom prepare students for a more information-driven market, thus closing the gap between education and the workforce by allowing students to obtain the skills necessary for employment in competitive science and technology fields in the United States; and (3) the achievements of outstanding educators who have exemplified innovative teaching methods.
Bill· SS. 1483 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2013 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to replace provisions establishing the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research with provisions establishing a Federal Oil Spill Research Committee for the same purpose. Requires the Committee to: (1) submit to Congress within 180 days and update every five years a report on the state of oil discharge prevention and response capabilities; (2) establish an oil pollution research and development program that provides for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods that are effective in preventing, detecting, responding to, mitigating, and restoring damage from oil discharges and that protect the environment; and (3) submit a plan for the implementation of such program to Congress within 180 days after submitting such report. Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to: (1) designate a Chairperson from among committee members, and (2) manage a program of competitive grants to universities or research institutions for conducting such program. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require vessel and facility response plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil or a hazardous substance to: (1) be updated at least every five years and resubmitted for approval upon each update; (2) require the use of the best available technology and methods to contain and remove a worst-case discharge and to mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of such a discharge; and (3) include investments in research relating to oil discharges, risk assessment, and development of technologies for oil discharge response and prevention. Requires: (1) the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish a program for the formal evaluation and validation of oil pollution containment and removal methods and technologies, and (2) each technology and method validated to be included in the comprehensive list of discharge removal resources maintained through the Coast Guard's National Response Unit.
Bill· SS. 1475 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
National Nurse Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service as the National Nurse for Public Health within the Office of the Surgeon General. Includes among the duties of such position providing leadership and coordination of Public Health Service nursing professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and other agencies of the Public Health Service, conducting outreach and education, and providing guidance and leadership for activities that will increase public safety and emergency preparedness. Requires the National Nurse for Public Health to: (1) participate in identification of national health priorities, (2) encourage volunteerism of nurses and strengthen the relationship between government agencies and health-related national organizations, and (3) promote the dissemination of evidence-based practice in educating the public on health promotion and disease prevention activities.
Bill· SS. 1458 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2013 - Establishes the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program for the appointment of individuals who are graduates of accredited law schools to serve as Congressional Clerks in the Senate or House of Representatives. Requires the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Committee on House Administration to each select at least six individuals for a one-year term to serve as employees in their respective chambers. Specifies eligibility criteria for a Congressional Clerk, including that the selected candidate be a graduate of such a law school as of the starting date of his or her clerkship. Requires the Committees to ensure that Congressional Clerks selected under this Act are apportioned equally between majority and minority party offices. Entitles each clerk selected to the same compensation as, and comparable benefits to, an individual who holds the position of a judicial clerkship for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia within three months of graduating from law school.
Bill· SS. 1439 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Care Planning Act of 2013 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to cover advanced illness planning and coordination services furnished to an eligible individual with progressive illness, including Alzheimer's disease, by a hospice or other provider through an interdisciplinary team. Amends SSA title XI with respect to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and its selection for Phase I testing of innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce Medicare and Medicaid expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care. Adds a model for payments to providers that furnish advanced illness care coordination services to eligible individuals who are entitled to, or enrolled for, benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), but not enrolled under Medicare part C (Medicare+Choice). Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in awarding grants, contracts, or agreements under provisions for quality measure development, to give priority to the development of quality measures that allow the assessment of various specified factors including the effectiveness, patient-centeredness (and, where relevant, family caregiver-centeredness), and accuracy of care plans, including documentation of individual goals, preferences, and values. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to require inclusion of information on advanced care planning materials in the "Medicare and You Handbook." Directs the Secretary to establish a Care Planning Advisory Board. Revises requirements for the use under Medicare and Medicaid of advanced directives, portable treatment orders, and other treatment directions from an individual or legally authorized representative. Amends the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 with respect to advanced directives. Establishes additional requirements under Medicare for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospice programs with respect to completion before discharge of care plan documentation. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to certain entities to: (1) develop online training modules, decision support tools, and instructional materials for individuals, family caregivers, and health care providers; (2) establish a website and telephone hotline to disseminate such resources and any materials designed by the HHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for faith communities; and (3) conduct a national public education campaign to raise public awareness of advance care planning and advanced illness care. Directs the Secretary to study state and regional activities with respect to storing completed advance directives and portable treatment orders. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the provisions of, and amendments made by, this Act, including the quality associated with them.
Bill· HRH.R. 2966 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
PLUS Loan Accessibility Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to suspend the provision making individuals with an adverse credit history ineligible for Federal Direct PLUS Loans until the Secretary of Education implements final rules on the proposed rules for federal student aid programs developed by a specified negotiated rulemaking committee. (PLUS Loans are provided to graduate or professional students or the parents of dependent undergraduate students.)
Bill· HRH.R. 2963 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Dollars to the Classroom Act - Requires at least 95% of any federal funds made available to a state by the Secretary of Education for elementary or secondary education to be used: (1) for academic and classroom or classroom-related purposes, or (2) at the elementary or secondary school level.
Bill· HRH.R. 2961 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act or Christopher's Law - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require lenders of private education loans to: describe clearly and conspicuously, in writing, the cosigners' obligations regarding such loans, including the effect a borrower's or cosigner's death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity would have on such obligations; require the borrower to designate an individual to have the legal authority to act on behalf of the borrower in the event of the borrower's death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity; and ensure that the borrower, and any cosigner, receives comprehensive information on the loan's terms and conditions and the borrower's responsibilities with respect to such loan. Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to publish a model form for describing a cosigner's obligations regarding private education loans. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require institutions of higher education to provide borrowers of federal education loans information at their entrance counseling on: the effect their death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity would have on their federal and private education loans; any repayment, refinance, deferment, forbearance, or forgiveness opportunities available to the borrower, or cosigner, in the event of either individual's death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity; and the effect their death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity would have on their obligations and any cosigner's obligations with respect to the loan. Requires students applying for federal education loans to designate an individual who is to have the legal authority to act on their behalf with respect to such a loan in the event of their death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity.
Bill· HRH.R. 2973 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Act of 2013 - Directs the President to: (1) establish the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Commission, in cooperation with the governors of the states included in the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin (New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut), to coordinate activities being undertaken by the states, advisory committees, local governments, institutions of higher education, and nongovernmental organizations to address environmental, economic, and cultural issues associated with the management and use of resources in the Hudson-Mohawk Watershed; and (2) designate the Secretary of the Interior to serve as a member of the Commission and as coordinator of participation of relevant federal agencies in the Commission's activities. Requires the Commission to: (1) develop and implement plans, policies, and projects relating to the Basin's water resources; (2) adopt and promote uniform and coordinated policies for management and conservation of such resources; (3) coordinate and direct the development, implementation, operation, and financing of water resources projects consistent with its plans and policies; and (4) develop and adopt a comprehensive plan for the development and use of such resources, which shall address all projects and facilities required for development, conservation, use, management, and control of the Basin's water resources to meet present and future needs. Directs the Commission to adopt a water resources program on an annual basis, based upon the comprehensive plan, that identifies specific projects and facilities to be undertaken during the immediate five-year period in each of the Basin's five sub-basins.
Bill· HRH.R. 2964 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Savings for Working Families Act of 2013 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 2943 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Schoolchildren's Health Protection Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the provision of federal education funding to state or local educational agencies that: (1) provide, or permit the provision of, postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception on the premises of elementary or secondary schools; or (2) contract with a school-based health center to provide students with health services, unless the center agrees to deny students postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception pursuant to the contract.
Bill· HRH.R. 2933 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Helping Military Children Succeed in Schools Act - Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to include in their annual state report cards, by the 2015-2016 school year, information on: (1) the number of their military-connected students, and (2) how those students performed in comparison to all their other students on the assessments of student progress toward state academic achievement standards.
Bill· HRH.R. 2930 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Transition-to-Success Mentoring Act - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to reauthorize appropriations under part H (School Dropout Prevention). Establishes a transition-to-success mentoring program under part H of the ESEA requiring the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between LEAs and community-based nonprofit organizations to establish, expand, or provide technical support to school-based mentoring programs to assist at-risk students in transitioning from middle to high school. Requires grantees to assign to each at-risk student in his or her middle school a success coach who: creates a plan of success for the student; enters into an agreement with the student's parents regarding their role in implementing such plan; meets with the student at least once a month to assess and assist the student's progress; meets at least once a month with the student and the student's parents, teachers, or counselors to evaluate the student's progress and revise or establish new goals for the next academic year; and serves as the student's advocate between the student's parents and teachers. Authorizes the use of grant funds to: (1) train success coaches, (2) cover the cost of any materials they use under the mentoring program, and (3) hire staff to perform or support program objectives.
Bill· HRH.R. 2920 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Financial Literacy for Students Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states to: (1) integrate financial literacy education into each of their public elementary and secondary schools that are eligible for school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA, and (2) train their secondary school financial literacy or entrepreneurship teachers to teach financial literacy in core academic subjects. Prohibits states from using over 20% of their grant funds to train those teachers, develop curricula, and evaluate the impact of financial literacy or personal finance education.
Bill· HRH.R. 2910 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Act of 2013 - Considers as a banned hazardous product under the Consumer Product Safety Act any firearm receiver casting or firearm receiver blank (do-it-yourself assault weapon) that: (1) at the point of sale does not meet the definition of a firearm under the federal criminal code; and (2) after purchase can be completed by the consumer to the point at which such casting or blank functions as a firearm frame or receiver for a semiautomatic assault weapon or machine gun. Makes it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, manufacture for sale, or import into the United States for sale, to a consumer an assault weapon parts kit or machine gun parts kit. Makes it unlawful to market or advertise any of these weapons for sale on any medium of electronic communications, including over the Internet. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct or support research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of serious mental illness. Authorizes additional appropriations for National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayments in order to ensure an adequate supply of behavioral and mental health professionals. Reauthorizes the mental and behavioral health education and training program of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Renames mental illness awareness training grants as mental health awareness grants. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to award grants under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to eligible entities for the development of curricula for continuing education and training to health care professionals on identifying, referring, and treating individuals with serious mental illness. Revises the program to assist local communities in developing ways to assist children in dealing with violence. Requires the Secretary to assist local communities and schools in implementing a comprehensive mental health program to assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. Replaces the mandate for youth interagency research, training, and technical assistance centers to one for a single suicide prevention technical assistance center addressing the prevention of suicide among all ages, particularly among groups at high risk for suicide. Reauthorizes and revises the programs for: (1) youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies, and (2) mental health and substance abuse disorder services. Directs the Secretary, acting through the SAMHSA and HRSA Administrators, to award grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to eligible entities for the provision of coordinated and integrated mental health services and primary health care. Requires programs receiving grants to address the problems of persons who experience violence related stress to provide for continued operation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI), including an NCTSI coordinating center. Directs the Secretary to provide information to priority mental health need grantees regarding evidence-based practices for the prevention and treatment of geriatric mental health disorders and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study: (1) the availability of inpatient beds for treatment of mental health disorders; (2) its impact on access to, and the quality of, mental health services; and (3) the impact on individuals with serious mental illness and on states of the exclusion from medical assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act of payment for care or services for certain patients in an institution for mental diseases. Increases requirements for certain annual reports and audits by states of recipients of block grants for: (1) Community Mental Health Services, and(2) prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Declares that the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 shall be construed, in the case of a group health plan or health insurance coverage that provides both medical and surgical benefits and mental health and substance use disorder benefits, to ensure full parity of such benefits, including: (1) at all levels of medically appropriate treatment, and (2) with respect to applicable medical management techniques. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to eligible entities for planning, establishing, coordinating, and evaluating a nationwide public education campaign designed to: (1) promote public awareness and understanding of mental health disorders, including serious mental illness; and (2) reduce the stigma associated with mental health disorders. Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to research the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries from gun violence. Prohibits construction of this mandate, however, as authorizing advocacy or promotion of gun control. Requires the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, to improve the National Violent Death Reporting System, particularly through the voluntary participation of additional states. Declares that none of the authorities provided to the Secretary under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act shall be construed to prohibit a physician or other health care provider from: (1) asking a patient about the ownership, possession, use, or storage of a firearm or ammunition in the patient's home; (2) speaking to a patient about gun safety; or (3) reporting to the authorities a patient's threat of violence.
Bill· HRH.R. 2903 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
National Collegiate Athletics Accountability Act or the NCAA Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require schools that have an intercollegiate athletic program and are participating in title IV programs to abstain from membership in a nonprofit athletic association unless the association: requires annual baseline concussion testing of student athletes on the active roster of teams participating in contact/collision or limited-contact/impact sports before they participate in any contact drills or activities; holds remedies for violations of its policies in abeyance until the schools and student athletes subject to those remedies have been afforded certain due process procedures; requires athletically-related student aid provided to student athletes who play contact/collision sports to be guaranteed for the duration of their attendance at the school, up to four years, and irrevocable for reasons related to skill or injury; and does not prevent schools from paying stipends to student athletes. Makes title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 inapplicable to any activity carried out by an institution of higher education to guarantee the continuance of student aid for student athletes in compliance with such membership requirements. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or visual impairment under any education program that receives federal funds.)
Bill· HRH.R. 2900 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Offering Patients True Individualized Options Now Act of 2013 or OPTION Act of 2013 - Repeals Title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (relating to health insurance and health coverage expansion) and any amendments to it made by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Restores provisions of law amended or repealed by such provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to health savings accounts (HSAs) to: (1) eliminate the high deductible health plan coverage requirement for HSA participants, (2) increase to $10,000 the maximum dollar amount of the tax deduction for payments to an HSA, and (3) permit Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) eligible individuals to contribute to an HSA. Allows an HSA rollover to a Medicare Advantage Medical Savings Account (MSA). Repeals the additional tax on HSA distributions not used for qualified medical expenses. Eliminates the 10% floor and the 2% miscellaneous itemized deduction floor on itemized medical expense deductions, and the prescribed drug limitation on certain tax benefits for medical expenses. Allows physicians a tax credit for providing charity care and anyone a tax credit for contributions or gifts for medical care for the indigent. Extends continuation coverage under COBRA (health insurance continuation benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985). Excludes from gross income HSA distributions for charitable purposes. Amends title II (Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a procedure to enroll a Medicare Part A beneficiary in the Medicare Reform Premium Assistance Program (established by this Act) to buy private health insurance. Directs the Secretary to begin phasing out, over ten years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Administrator of such Centers and eventually transfer their duties and responsibilities to an office and official within the Department of the Treasury. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) to allow certified medical professionals to assess the nature and extent of an emergency room patient's illness or injury to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists (triage). Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the sale and purchase of individual and group health insurance policies across state lines. Sets forth requirements for and restrictions on such policies. State Health Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends SSA titles XIX (Medicaid) and XIX (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP) to repeal and replace these programs with a program of block grants to states for health care services to indigent individuals. Requires states receiving such block grants to pay for health-care-related items and services provided to a citizen, legal resident, or an alien not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law, if: (1) such health-care-related items and services are necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition, (2) the individual meets all necessary eligibility requirements for health-care-related items and services under the block grant program except for any immigration status requirement, and (3) such items and services are not related to an organ transplant procedure.
Bill· HRH.R. 2917 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Financial Security Credit Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income-based tax credit equal to the lesser of $500 or 50% of the total amount deposited or contributed into designated savings products in a taxable year. Defines "designated savings products" as a qualified retirement plan, a qualified tuition plan, a Coverdell education savings account, a U.S. savings bond, a certificate of deposit with a duration of at least 8 months, a savings account, or other savings product considered appropriate by the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to notify individual taxpayers who may qualify for a savings product tax credit that they have the option of an electronic direct deposit of any portion of their tax refund into a designated savings product.
Bill· SS. 1416 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Black Lung Health Improvements Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to transfer to the Secretary of Labor from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) (formerly known as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare [HEW]) the duty to establish a schedule reducing the average concentration of respirable dust in the mine atmosphere during each shift to which each miner is exposed below the levels established under that Act to a level of exposure which will prevent new incidences and further development of respiratory disease in any person. Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue a final regulation lowering a miner's permissible exposure level to respirable dust (including coal and silica dust) through environmental and engineering controls, as well as update sampling and testing procedures; and (2) reexamine once every five years the incidence of pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) in miners and, unless black lung disease declines, update the regulation. Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to require a mine operator to deliver within 14 days a complete copy of the examining physician's report to any miner required to submit to a medical examination regarding his or her respiratory or pulmonary condition. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on any barriers to health care faced by people with black lung disease. Directs the Secretary to review forms for obtaining workers' compensation benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Program to determine any paperwork barriers to receiving and processing black lung benefit claims as well as the feasibility of reducing such forms. Amends the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 to direct the Secretary to award competitive Brookwood-Saga Mine Safety Grants to entities for research and outreach to prevent and treat black lung disease. Directs the Secretary to establish an attorneys' fee payment program to pay attorneys' fees of up to $4,500 to prevailing parties on a qualifying black lung benefit claim. Directs the Secretary to make black lung benefit payments to a miner's widow and children in respect of survivors' benefits: (1) for claims filed after January 1, 2005, that are pending on or after March 23, 2010, where the miner is found entitled to receive benefits at the time of his death as a result of a lifetime claim; and (2) where the miner is found entitled to receive benefits at the time of his death as a result of a lifetime claim filed before January 1, 1982.
Bill· SS. 1412 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2013 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Textile and Trade Agreements (TTA) division of the Office of International Trade within CBP should ensure that seizures, detentions, special operations, and Textile Product Verification Teams (TPVTs) remain the primary focus of their efforts to enforce U.S. customs laws with respect to imports of textile or apparel articles, particularly as they relate to enforcement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and other free trade agreements and trade preference programs to prevent transshipments and origin fraud. Requires the seizure and forfeiture of an imported textile or apparel article for which a trade preference has been claimed in cases where the importer: (1) has either misdescribed, not verified the article's country of origin, or used accompanying false documentation; or (2) provides false information as to his or her address or does not meet certain documentation or informational requirements upon entry of an article. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), the CBP Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of articles due to violations of the U.S. customs laws to pay for expenses directly related to special operations, TPVTs, and other enforcement actions, including expenses related to training and education of certain specialists who participate in the enforcement of such laws. Authorizes the use of such amounts also to pay for a reward of the lesser of at least 20% of that amount, value of property forfeited, or $20,000 to any person who furnishes information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of articles due to violations enforced by the Secretary, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Commissioner to ensure specified staffing of the Textile Enforcement Branch, the Textile Policy Branch, and the Quota Branch of TTA. Requires the Commissioner to certify, with respect to the 15 largest U.S. ports of entry for textile or apparel articles, that a certain number of Import Specialists are trained in preventing textile or apparel importer fraud, trade preference verification, classification, and undervaluation. Requires the Commissioner also to increase the number of dedicated textile and import specialists at such ports by 25%. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury (who is now merely authorized) to publish in the Federal Register: (1) the names of persons located outside of the U.S. customs territories against whom the CBP has issued a penalty claim for violating U.S. customs laws, including for violations of quotas, duties, or trade preferences; and (2) a list of high-risk countries involved in the transshipment of textile or apparel products. Requires the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic verification system for tracking textile or apparel articles imported or exported under the CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, or any other free trade agreement to which the United States is a party to ensure compliance with such agreements. Directs the Commissioner to establish a new textile and apparel importer program that requires the CBP to adjust bond amounts for new importers of textile and apparel goods based on the level of assessed risk. Requires the Commissioner to establish a nonresident importer declaration program for the import of textile or apparel articles. Directs the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Supplier Registry pilot program.
Bill· SS. 1409 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Better Education and Skills Training for America's Workforce Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) the qualified training expenses of job trainees who have been unemployed for at least 90 days before enrolling in a training program, that are paid by U.S.-based employers; and (2) investment in a qualified job training partnership between a private business and an institution of higher education or a labor organization. Defines "qualifying training expenses" as an eligible trainee's qualified tuition costs, which may include costs for books and enrollment in a training program at an institution of higher education that may include a single course, multiple courses, or a combination of work training and study and that is reasonably necessary for employment. Terminates the credit for qualified training expenses of job trainees after December 31, 2016. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a Qualified Job Training Partnership program to consider and award certifications for qualified investments eligible for credits to qualified job training partnerships. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to individuals who make an investment in a qualified job training partnership, in lieu of a tax credit.
Bill· SS. 1408 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Communities United with Religious leaders for the Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act of 2013 or CURE Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, to make grants to eligible health entities (i.e., a public health agency, a health center, including a center operated by an Indian tribe or organization, a community-based organization, or a faith-based organization) for: (1) HIV/AIDS education and outreach activities, (2) HIV/AIDS prevention and access to treatment, and (3) HIV/AIDS testing activities. Grants priority to grant applications that serve one or more minority groups (i.e., American Indians [including Alaska Natives, Eskimos, and Aleuts], Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics) with a specified HIV occurrence rate. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to make grants to eligible health entities to provide HIV testing, counseling, and referral for medical treatment to youth who are members of minority groups, are not more than age 18, are HIV positive or at risk for HIV/AIDS, including young men of racial minorities who have sex with men, and are engaged in substance abuse. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to eligible health entities for public health intervention and prevention activities with respect to one or more minority groups, including: (1) rapid HIV testing, (2) measures and activities to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and minimize its symptoms, (3) outreach activities targeting both females and males, and (4) referrals to health and mental health resources and health organizations. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to: (1) expand and intensify HIV/AIDS prevention and education activities for minority groups, and (2) implement a national media outreach campaign that urges sexually active individuals who are members of minority groups to be tested for and know their HIV/AIDS status. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, to make grants to public or private organizations with one or more published studies on behaviors to study behavioral factors that lead to increased HIV/AIDS prevalence in minority groups.
Bill· SS. 1407 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Computer Science Education and Jobs Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to define "computer science" as the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including the study of computing principles, computer hardware, software design, computer applications, and the impact of computers on society. Makes computer science a core academic subject. Includes computer science teachers in professional development activities. Requires the Secretary of Education to give a priority in awarding advanced placement incentive program grants to entities focused on expanding access to advanced placement computer science programs. Requires state plans for school improvement to describe how the state will consider including computer science in its academic standards, accountability system, and assessments. Requires computer science teachers to be highly qualified by the end of the 2015-2016 school year. Includes computer science in the program awarding grants to partnerships between states, institutions of higher education (IHEs), and high-need local educational agencies to: (1) train and recruit mathematics and science teachers, and (2) develop more rigorous science and mathematics curricula. Authorizes the Secretary to award five-year grants to IHEs to: (1) develop courses that prepare undergraduate students to teach elementary and secondary school computer science, and (2) develop and fund teacher mentoring programs to support new computer science teachers. Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to include informatics and computer science majors and professionals in the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (the Program recruits and prepares science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors and professionals to become mathematics and science teachers).
Bill· SS. 1401 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Domestic Energy and Jobs Act - Gasoline Regulations Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish the Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee to analyze and report on the cumulative impacts of certain covered rules and actions under the Clean Air Act. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing specified rules until at least six months after the Committee submits its final report. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator to waive temporarily a control or prohibition governing the use of a regulated fuel or fuel additive following a determination that unusual and extreme fuel additive supply circumstances are the result of a problem with distribution or delivery equipment necessary for the transportation or delivery of fuel or fuel additives, and (2) grant a presumptive approval to a request for a waiver if the Administrator does not approve or deny such request within three days after its receipt. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Administrator and the Secretary of Energy to include biofuels in their joint Fuel System Requirements Harmonization Study, as well as an assessment of the effect of such requirements upon achievement of the renewable fuel standard. Planning for American Energy Act of 2013 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to publish every four years a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy. Requires the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources from federal onshore lands. Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2013 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary, in conducting lease sales, to offer for sale at least 25% of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Shields such acreage from review and the test of extraordinary circumstances. Makes such acreage eligible for certain categorical exclusions under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in connection with review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). (A categorical exclusion is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which, as a consequence, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required.) Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) withdrawing approval of any covered energy project involving a lease issued under the Act without finding a violation by the lessee of lease terms; (2) delaying indefinitely issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights-of-way for activities under a lease; or (3) cancelling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel. Declares without force or effect Bureau of Land Management Instruction Memorandum 2010-117. Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2013 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise requirements for the issuance of permits to drill in energy projects on federal lands. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to extend the initial 30-day permit application review period for up to 2 periods of 15 days each, if the Secretary has given written notice of the delay to the applicant. Deems a permit application approved if the Secretary has made no decision on it 60 days after its receipt. Directs the Secretary to collect a single $6,500 permit processing fee per application from each applicant at the time the decision is made whether or not to issue a permit. Requires that 50% of fees collected as annual wind energy and solar energy right-of-way authorization fees be retained by the Secretary for specified uses. Requires the Secretary to collect a $5,000 documentation fee to accompany each appeal of an action on a lease, right-of-way, or application for permit to drill. Requires the Secretary to establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in each BLM Field office with responsibility for issuing permits energy projects on federal land. Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a finding of extraordinary circumstances related to a categorical exclusion in administering the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with respect to review under NEPA. National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require that the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) in Alaska include at least one lease sale annually in those NPR areas most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year during 2013-2023. Directs the Secretary to facilitate and ensure, according to a specified timeline, permits for all surface development activities (including pipelines and road construction). Instructs the Secretary to approve, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, and after public comment and consultation with the state of Alaska, right-of-way corridors for the construction of two separate additional bridges and pipeline rights-of-way to facilitate oil and gas development in the NPR. Requires the Secretary, through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas. Declares without force or effect with respect to this title the designation by EPA of the Colville River Delta as an Aquatic Resource of National Importance. BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based bidding methods. Advancing Offshore Wind Production Act - Exempts projects determined by the Secretary to be an offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project from environmental impact statement requirements under NEPA. Defines an "offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project" as a project administered by the Department of the Interior and carried out on or in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to test or monitor weather (including wind, tidal, current, and solar energy) using towers, buoys, or other temporary ocean infrastructure and that meets specified other requirements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that any applicant seeking to conduct an offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project on the OCS obtain a permit and right of way for the project; and (2) decide whether to issue such a permit and right of way within 30 days after receiving an application. Directs the Secretary, acting through the USGS, to publish in the Federal Register a draft methodology for determining which minerals qualify as critical minerals, based upon an assessment of whether they are subject to potential supply restrictions and important in use. Directs the President to coordinate federal agency actions to facilitate development and production of domestic resources to meet national critical minerals needs. Directs the Secretary to conduct a specified national assessment of critical minerals. Establishes within the Department of the Interior the Critical Minerals Working Group. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to conduct research and development to promote the efficient production, use, recycling of, and alternatives to critical minerals. Requires the Secretary of Labor to assess the domestic availability of technically trained personnel necessary for critical mineral enterprises. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and of Labor to arrange jointly with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to coordinate with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on a study to design an interdisciplinary program on critical minerals that will support the critical mineral supply chain. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the NSF to conduct jointly a competitive program of four-year grants to institutions of higher education to implement programs addressing integrated critical mineral education, training, innovation, and workforce development. Directs the Secretary of State to promote international cooperation with U.S. allies regarding critical mineral supply chain issues. Repeals the National Critical Materials Act of 1984. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from transferring to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement any responsibility or authority to perform any function performed on the day before enactment of this Act under the solid minerals leasing program of the Department of the Interior. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to: (1) reduce from FY2055 to FY2025 the time period during which the maximum amount of distributed qualified OCS shelf revenues available for distribution to certain states remains $500 million, and (2) increase to $750 million the maximum amount of distributed qualified OCS revenues for each of FY2026-FY2055. Directs the Secretary to carry out Lease Sale 220 off the coast of Virginia within the proposed OCS oil and gas leasing program for the 2012-2017 period. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to work jointly to: (1) preserve the ability of the Armed Forces to maintain an optimum state of readiness through their continued use of OCS energy resources; and (2) allow effective exploration, development, and production of U.S. oil, gas, and renewable energy resources. Prohibits any exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas off the coast of Virginia that would conflict with any military operation agreed upon in a certain Memorandum. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior, before December 31, 2013, from issuing a regulation modifying the final rule entitled "Excess Spoil, Coal Mine Waste, and Buffers for Perennial and Intermittent Streams" (dated December 12, 2008).
Bill· HRH.R. 2897 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Access to Complete Education Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to promote and strengthen as an integral part of the curriculum one or more of the subjects of music and arts, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, history, geography, and physical education and health. Gives priority to LEAs that have the greatest numbers or percentages of children from families below the poverty line. Requires grantees to coordinate, to the extent practicable, their programs to promote or strengthen education in such subjects with opportunities provided by public or private cultural entities, including museums, education associations, libraries, and theaters.
Bill· HRH.R. 2895 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Student Loan Accessibility Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013, to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2014. Amends the federal criminal code to provide that a prisoner who is serving a term of imprisonment of more than one year, other than a term of life imprisonment, shall receive credit in addition to the time actually served at a rate of 84 days per year of sentence imposed if the Bureau of Prisons determines that the prisoner has displayed exemplary compliance with institutional disciplinary regulations. Prohibits the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from implementing the Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program. Requires any unobligated funds for that program to be expeditiously returned to the U.S. Treasury.
Bill· HRH.R. 2881 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Support Educators and Reinvest in Valuable Education Act or the SERVE Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase, from $5,000 to $17,500, the amount of loan forgiveness available under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs to highly qualified teachers who have been employed at a low income school in the same local educational agency (LEA) for five consecutive complete school years. Requires those low income schools to be schools: (1) at which more than 30% of the students are impoverished, and (2) located within the school district of an LEA that is eligible for school improvement funds under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Excepts PLUS loans under the FFEL and DL programs that are provided to the parents of dependent undergraduate students from that loan forgiveness program. Includes consolidation loans in that loan forgiveness program, but only to the extent they are used to repay eligible FFELs or DLs.
Bill· HRH.R. 2880 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Directs the Secretary of Education to use any excess revenue generated by the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program during a fiscal year to carry out the Federal Pell Grant program in the next fiscal year.
Bill· HRH.R. 2878 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Keep Teachers Teaching Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive, renewable grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), states, and partnerships of LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of innovative teacher retention programs that include: (1) professional development; (2) teacher mentoring; (3) advanced certification or credentialing; (4) research, travel, or fellowship opportunities; and (5) pairing teachers with research or industry professionals. Requires the Secretary to: (1) identify the most promising teacher retention strategies, and (2) make information about those strategies publicly available and easily accessible to states and LEAs.
Bill· HRH.R. 2893 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Communities United with Religious leaders for the Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act of 2013 or CURE Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, to make grants to eligible health entities (i.e., a public health agency, a health center, including a center operated by an Indian tribe or organization, a community-based organization, or a faith-based organization) for: (1) HIV/AIDS education and outreach activities, (2) HIV/AIDS prevention and access to treatment, and (3) HIV/AIDS testing activities. Grants priority to grant applications that serve one or more minority groups (i.e., American Indians [including Alaska Natives, Eskimos, and Aleuts], Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics) with a specified HIV occurrence rate. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to make grants to eligible health entities to provide HIV testing, counseling, and referral for medical treatment to youth who are members of minority groups, are not more than age 18, are HIV positive or at risk for HIV/AIDS, including young men of racial minorities who have sex with men, and are engaged in substance abuse. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to eligible health entities for public health intervention and prevention activities with respect to one or more minority groups, including: (1) rapid HIV testing, (2) measures and activities to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and minimize its symptoms, (3) outreach activities targeting both females and males, and (4) referrals to health and mental health resources and health organizations. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to: (1) expand and intensify HIV/AIDS prevention and education activities for minority groups, and (2) implement a national media outreach campaign that urges sexually active individuals who are members of minority groups to be tested for and know their HIV/AIDS status. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, to make grants to public or private organizations with one or more published studies on behaviors to study behavioral factors that lead to increased HIV/AIDS prevalence in minority groups.
Bill· HRH.R. 2889 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Local Jobs for America Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor, to provide for the allotment of funds to states, local government units, and community-based organizations to save and create local jobs through the retention, restoration, or expansion of services needed by local communities. Makes appropriations for this program. Prohibits the hiring of an individual for a position funded under this Act if: (1) it results in the layoff or partial displacement of an existing employee of a unit or organization, or (2) such individual will perform the same or substantially similar work that was performed by the previous employee of the unit or organization. Makes appropriations to: (1) the Department of Education for an Education Jobs Fund, (2) the Department of Justice for community oriented policing services, (3) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for firefighter assistance grants, and (4) the Department of Labor for ETA for on-the-job training and employment services.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 322 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2013
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 367) to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that major rules of the executive branch shall have no force or effect unless a joint resolution of approval is enacted into law; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2009) to prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from enforcing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010; providing for proceedings during the period from August 3, 2013, through September 6, 2013; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2879) to provide limitations on bonuses for Federal employees during sequestration, to provide for investigative leave requirements for members of the Senior Executive Service, to establish certain procedures for conducting in-person or telephonic interactions by Executive branch employees with individuals.
Bill· SS. 1400 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Adult Education and Economic Growth Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1988 to revise requirements for statewide and local workforce investment systems to include adult education activities. Replaces statewide and local workforce investment systems with adult education and workforce investment systems. Revises member composition of: (1) state workforce investment boards to include the lead state agency officials with particular responsibility for implementing adult education and literacy activities; and (2) youth councils established by local workforce investment boards to include representatives of adult education. Revises requirements for five-year state and local worker investment plans. Authorizes the use of funds for: (1) statewide and local youth activities to provide opportunities for multiple career pathways for eligible youth, and (2) training services for local adult and dislocated workers to include integrated education and training and career pathway services. Requires the Secretary of Labor to carry out specified employment and training demonstration and pilot projects. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) to include among adult education and literacy services programs activities to assist adults with limited English proficiency to improve their English and mathematical skills, acquire an understanding of the American system of government and responsibilities of citizenship, and, where necessary, obtain knowledge and skills to transition to postsecondary education, job training, and employment in family-sustaining jobs. Revises requirements for the allocation and reservation of AEFLA funds. Revises state distribution requirements with respect to grants and contracts to eligible providers of activities for adult education and literacy and corrections education of institutionalized individuals. Expands an eligible agency's use of funds for corrections education and education for other institutionalized individuals to include academic programs for: (1) integrated education and training and sequential education and training programs, (2) career pathways, (3) dual enrollment, and (4) preparation for postsecondary education and training. Replaces the National Institute for Literacy with the National Center for Adult Education, Literacy, and Workplace Skills (Center). Requires national leadership activities to include activities to improve workplace skills programs nationwide. Requires the Secretary of Education to allocate grants to states for integrated English literacy and civics education programs. Requires the Secretary of Education to award grants to assist states in developing a 21st century delivery system for adult education, literacy, and workplace skills services as well as adults in developing digital literacy skills. Requires the Center to establish the National Adult Learning and Technology Resource Clearinghouse. Requires the Secretary of Education to direct the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research to establish a national research and development center for adult education, literacy, and workplace skills. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer educational assistance program credit for 50% of the qualified educational assistance expenses (up to $5,250) paid per taxable year on behalf of an employee.
Bill· HRH.R. 2864 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Nursing Home Patient Protection and Standards Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require testing programs in skilled nursing facility (SNF) survey and certification techniques to be sufficiently rigorous to ensure that surveyors are adequately prepared to survey and certify SNFs in a consistent and accurate manner. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish requirements: (1) for the qualification and compensation of members of a survey team, and (2) that a state employs an adequate number of individuals as members of survey teams to ensure adequate oversight of SNFs. Requires the Secretary, in addition to the training and testing program, to require that state and federal surveyors regularly complete an adequate number of continuing education courses meeting certain requirements for content and rigor of material. Requires covered individuals to report to the Secretary instances where surveys fail to report or under report an issue in a facility that could impact the safety or quality of care of its residents. Adds whistleblower protections for such individuals. Adds penalties for inappropriately influencing a surveyor. Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory committee on surveys. Requires survey team supervisors to review each conducted survey to ensure that any identified issues affecting quality of care are consistently and appropriately described and rated.
Bill· HRH.R. 2855 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2013
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2014 - Makes FY2014 appropriations for the Department of State (Department) for: (1) administration of foreign affairs and diplomatic and consular programs; (2) the Capital Investment Fund; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) educational and cultural exchange programs; (5) representation allowances; (6) protection of foreign missions and officials; (7) U.S. embassy security, construction, and maintenance; (8) emergencies in the diplomatic and consular service; (9) the repatriation loans program account; (10) the American Institute in Taiwan; (11) the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (12) international organizations, peacekeeping, and commissions; (13) the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico; (14) salaries and expenses; (15) construction of authorized projects; (16) the International Joint Commission, the International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada, and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission; (17) international fisheries commissions; (18) international broadcasting operations and capital improvements; (19) the Asia Foundation; (20) the United States Institute for Peace; (21) the Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund; (22) the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Incorporated; (23) the Israeli Arab Scholarship Program; (24) the East-West Center; (25) the National Endowment for Democracy; (26) the Commission for Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (27) the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; (28) the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (29) the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China; and (30) the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) operating expenses of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the capital investment fund, and the Office of Inspector General; (2) expenses of the President in carrying out certain programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (3) global health and child survival; (4) specified development assistance; (5) international disaster assistance; (6) transition initiatives; (7) development credit authority; (8) the Economic Support Fund; (9) promotion of democracy; (10) the Complex Foreign Crisis Fund; (11) migration and refugee assistance; (12) the Peace Corps; (13) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; (14) the Inter-American Foundation; (15) the African Development Foundation; and (16) the Department of the Treasury for international affairs technical assistance activities. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) international narcotics control and law enforcement, (2) nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, and demining, (3) international peacekeeping operations, (4) international military education and training, and (5) foreign military financing grants. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) the International Development Association, (2) the Asian Development Fund, and (3) the African Development Fund. Sets forth limitations on callable capital subscriptions with respect to: (1) the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (2) the Inter-American Development Bank, (3) the Asian Development Bank, and (4) the African Development Bank. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) the Export-Import Bank of the United States, including the Office of Inspector General and administrative expenses; (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) credit and insurance programs, including administrative expenses, and for the cost of direct and guaranteed loans; and (3) the Trade and Development Agency. Sets forth certain limits and prohibitions on the use of appropriations for specified activities.
Bill· SS. 1372 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2014 - Makes FY2014 appropriations for the Department of State (Department) for: (1) administration of foreign affairs and diplomatic and consular programs; (2) the Capital Investment Fund; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) educational and cultural exchange programs; (5) representation allowances; (6) protection of foreign missions and officials; (7) U.S. embassy security, construction, and maintenance; (8) emergencies in the diplomatic and consular service; (9) the repatriation loans program account; (10) the American Institute in Taiwan; (11) the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (12) international organizations, peacekeeping, and commissions; (13) the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico; (14) salaries and expenses; (15) construction of authorized projects; (16) the International Joint Commission, the International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada, and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission; (17) international fisheries commissions; (18) international broadcasting operations and capital improvements; (19) the Asia Foundation; (20) the United States Institute for Peace; (21) the Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund; (22) the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Incorporated; (23) the Israeli Arab Scholarship Program; (24) the East-West Center; (25) the National Endowment for Democracy; (26) the Commission for Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (27) the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; (28) the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (29) the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China; and (30) the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) operating expenses of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the capital investment fund, and the Office of Inspector General; (2) expenses of the President in carrying out certain programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (3) global health and child survival; (4) specified development assistance; (5) international disaster assistance; (6) transition initiatives; (7) development credit authority; (8) the Economic Support Fund; (9) promotion of democracy; (10) the Complex Foreign Crisis Fund; (11) migration and refugee assistance; (12) the Peace Corps; (13) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; (14) the Inter-American Foundation; (15) the African Development Foundation; and (16) the Department of the Treasury for international affairs technical assistance activities. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) international narcotics control and law enforcement; (2) nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, and demining; (3) international peacekeeping operations; (4) international military education and training; and (5) foreign military financing grants. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) international organizations and programs, (2) the Global Environment Facility, (3) the International Development Association, (4) the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (5) the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, (6) the Inter-American Development Bank, (7) the Asian Development Bank, (8) the Asian Development Fund, (9) the African Development Bank, (10) the African Development Fund, and (11) the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Sets forth limitations on callable capital subscriptions with respect to: (1) the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (2) the Inter-American Development Bank, (3) the Asian Development Bank, and (4) the African Development Bank. Makes FY2014 appropriations for: (1) the Export-Import Bank of the United States, including the Office of Inspector General and administrative expenses; (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) credit and insurance programs, including administrative expenses, and for the cost of direct and guaranteed loans; and (3) the Trade and Development Agency. Sets forth certain limits and prohibitions on the use of appropriations for specified activities.
Bill· SS. 1370 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act - Authorizes the Director of the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to award certain planning, implementation, transitional, and supplemental grants to state pathways partnerships to carry out activities that will create and enhance educational and career pathways for high school students to postsecondary schools (including registered apprenticeship programs) and to 21st century careers, particularly in high skill, high demand industries. Requires the state partnerships to be appointed by state governors and include representatives from educational, business, labor, workforce, and economic development entities in their respective states. Establishes the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to: (1) support the efforts of the state partnerships and regional partnerships (which are to receive competitive implementation subgrants from state partnerships) to offer career pathways of proven effectiveness; (2) design and conduct performance evaluations of career pathways activities; and (3) administer, oversee, and evaluate all career pathways grants.
Bill· SS. 1362 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2013
Child Protection Improvements and Electronic Life and Safety Security Systems Act of 2013 - Amends the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to direct the Attorney General to: (1) establish policies and procedures to streamline the process of obtaining state and national criminal history background checks on covered individuals, and (2) establish a criminal history review program to provide covered entities with reliable and accurate information on the criminal history of a covered individual. Defines "covered entity" as any business or organization that provides, or licenses, certifies, or coordinates individuals or organizations to provide, care, care placement, supervision, treatment, education, training, instruction, or recreation to children. Defines "covered individual" as an individual who: (1) has, seeks to have, or may have unsupervised access to vulnerable populations (i.e., elderly, disabled, and children) served by a covered entity; (2) is employed by or volunteers with, or seeks to be employed by or volunteer with, a covered entity; (3) owns or operates, or seeks to own or operate, a covered entity; or (4) is an employer or employee in the electronic life and safety security systems industry.
Law· SS. 1353 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Cybersecurity Act of 2013 - Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to permit the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to facilitate and support the development of a voluntary, industry-led set of standards and procedures to reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure. Requires the Director, in carrying out such activities, to: (1) coordinate continuously with, and incorporate the industry expertise of, relevant private sector personnel and entities, critical infrastructure owners and operators, sector coordinating councils, Information Sharing and Analysis Centers, and other relevant industry organizations; (2) consult with the heads of agencies with national security responsibilities, sector-specific agencies, state and local governments, governments of other nations, and international organizations; (3) identify a prioritized, flexible, repeatable, performance-based, and cost-effective approach, including information security measures and controls, that may be voluntarily adopted by owners and operators of critical infrastructure to help identify, assess, and manage cyber risks; and (4) include methodologies to mitigate impacts on business confidentiality, protect individual privacy and civil liberties, incorporate voluntary consensus standards and industry best practices, align with international standards, and prevent duplication of regulatory processes. Prohibits the Director from prescribing a specific solution or requiring that products or services be designed or manufactured in a particular manner. Prohibits information provided to NIST for purposes of developing cyber risk standards from being used by federal, state, tribal, or local agencies to regulate the activity of any entity. Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop, and update triennially, a federal cybersecurity research and development plan to meet cybersecurity objectives, including how to guarantee individual privacy, verify third-party software and hardware, address insider threats, determine the origin of messages transmitted over the Internet, and protect information stored using cloud computing or transmitted through wireless services. Directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support cybersecurity research and to review cybersecurity test beds. Permits NSF, if it determines that additional test beds are necessary, to award grants to institutions of higher education or research and development nonprofit institutions to establish such additional test beds. Requires OSTP to coordinate with other ongoing federal research initiatives. Amends the Cyber Security Research and Development Act to permit NSF research and development grants for: (1) secure fundamental protocols that are integral to inter-network communications and data exchange; (2) secure software engineering and software assurance; (3) holistic system security to address trusted and untrusted components, reduce vulnerabilities proactively, address insider threats, and support privacy; (4) monitoring, detection, mitigation, and rapid recovery methods; and (5) secure wireless networks, mobile devices, and cloud infrastructure. Directs specified agencies under the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to support research leading to a scientific foundation for the field of cybersecurity. Expands the criteria to be considered by NSF when evaluating grant applications of institutions seeking to establish Centers for Computer and Network Security Research to include the applicant's affiliations with private sector entities and existing federal research programs, experience managing public-private partnerships, and capabilities to conduct interdisciplinary cybersecurity research in a secure environment. Directs the Department of Commerce, NSF, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support competitions and challenges to recruit individuals to perform information infrastructure security duties or to stimulate cybersecurity innovations. Directs NSF to continue the Federal Cyber Scholarship-for-Service program under which recipients agree to work in the cybersecurity mission of a federal, state, local, or tribal agency for a period equal to the length of their scholarship. Requires NSF and DHS to enter arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive study of government, academic, and private-sector education, accreditation, training, and certification programs for the development of professionals in information infrastructure and cybersecurity. Directs NIST to continue coordinating a national cybersecurity awareness and preparedness campaign to increase public awareness and understanding of cybersecurity risks, support education programs, and evaluate workforce needs. Requires NIST to develop a strategic plan to guide federal activities in support of such campaign.
Bill· SS. 1356 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
Workforce Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for: (1) WIA title I (title II under this Act), workforce investment systems for job training and employment services; and (2) WIA title II (title III under this Act), adult education and family literacy education programs. Establishes a new WIA title I, system alignment and innovation. Defines "core programs" to mean: (1) youth workforce investment activities and adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities, (2) adult education and literacy activities, (3) employment services, and (4) vocational rehabilitation services. Revises member composition of state and local workforce development boards to require at least 20% of a board be composed of representatives of the workforce within the state. Requires states to have approved unified state plans with a four-year strategy for the core programs. Allows a state to develop for approval a combined state plan for the core programs and one or more of the programs and activities from a specified list. Revises requirements for local workforce development (currently, investment) areas, boards, and plans. Directs the Secretary of Labor to develop guidelines for qualifications of directors of state and local workforce development (currently, investment) boards. Establishes state and local performance accountability measures for the core programs. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to make competitive awards of: (1) workforce innovation and replication grants to state partnerships or regional entities for innovative strategies and activities to improve the education and employment outcomes for adults and youth and services provided to employers in the workforce system, and (2) youth innovation and replication grants to states or local boards and other specified entities for innovative new strategies and activities to improve education and employment outcomes for eligible youth. Revises requirements for: (1) one-stop delivery systems; (2) the allotment of federal funds among states for youth (including disadvantaged youth) workforce investment activities and statewide workforce investment activities; (3) within state allocations of funds; and (4) the use of funds for state and local employment and training activities, including statewide rapid response. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) the youth workforce investment and the adult and dislocated worker employment and training programs; (2) the Job Corps program; (3) the Native American, migrant and seasonal farm worker, veterans' workforce investment programs; and (4) the Youthbuild program. Converts the national emergency grants program into a national dislocated worker grants program. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award national dislocated worker grants for workers dislocated due to the economy or emergency or disaster, Department of Defense (DOD) or Department of Energy (DOE) employees employed at military installations that are being closed or realigned, DOE individuals employed in nonmanagerial positions at risk for termination due to reductions in defense funding, or active duty members of the Armed Forces or full-time duty members of the National Guard (or members recently separated from such duties) who are in need of employment and training assistance. Adult Education and Family Literacy Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to state agencies for adult education and literacy programs, including corrections education and education for other institutionalized individuals, as well as grants for integrated English literacy and civics education. Prescribes requirements for state administration, plans, and activities, as well as distribution of local funds. Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a program of national leadership activities to enhance the quality and outcomes of adult education and literacy activities and programs nationwide. Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to authorize use of a state's allotment of public employment services funds to provide unemployment insurance claimants and other unemployed individuals with referrals to, and application assistance for, training and education resources and programs, including student assistance under Federal Pell Grants of the Higher Education Act of 1965, educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance, state student higher education assistance, and training and education programs under WIA titles II and III, and title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program of competitive grants to state employment agencies to carry out pilot projects that enhance the professional development and the provision of public employment services by agency staff. Replaces the nationwide employment statistics system, which the Secretary of Labor is required to oversee, with a nationwide workforce and labor market information system. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Workforce Information Advisory Council. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to establish a Disability Employment Services and Supports Administration (DESSA) within the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Services, and Supports of the Department of Labor. Requires DESSA to be the principal agency to administer vocational rehabilitation services programs under titles I, III, and VI of that Act. (Currently, these are administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration [RSA] of the Department of Education.) Reauthorizes appropriations for vocational rehabilitation service grants to states for individuals with disabilities. Revises requirements for: (1) state plans for vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, (2) eligibility for vocational rehabilitation assistance and individualized plans for employment for disabled individuals, (3) monitoring and review of vocational rehabilitation programs, and (4) state allotments for such programs. Requires: (1) states to make certain funds available to designated state units for pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities who are transitioning to employment from education or training, and (2) each local office of a state unit to designate staff to act as Local Pre-Employment Transition Coordinators for student with disabilities. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to each designate a National Pre-Employment Transition Coordinator for Students with Disabilities. Revises American Indian vocational rehabilitation services grant program eligibility requirements to permit grants to be renewed for an additional 5-years, provided certain conditions are met. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the interaction of vocational rehabilitation programs carried out under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 with the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program, including its impact on beneficiaries, community rehabilitation programs, and designated state agencies. Renames: (1) the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR); and (2) the Rehabilitation Research Advisory Council the Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Advisory Council (DILRRAC). Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for the NIDILRR and DILRRAC. Establishes the NIDILRR within the Administration for Community Living of HHS (effectively transferring it to HHS from the Department of Education). Requires the NIDILRR Director to be responsible for: (1) coordinating all federal programs and policies for research on disability, independent living, and rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities; and (2) identifying independent living and rehabilitation programs and policies that promote the independence of such individuals and achievement of long-term independent living and employment goals. Requires competitive grants for youths with significant disabilities to transition from education to employment, particularly to competitive integrated employment. Establishes an annual Commissioner's Scholar Program to recognize individuals with significant disabilities who are successfully completing a postgraduate degree in specified curriculums. Directs the RSA Commissioner to award grants to eligible entities for training and technical centers to promote high-quality employment outcomes for individuals receiving vocational rehabilitation services from designated agencies and American Indian vocational rehabilitation service (AIVRS) grantees. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services grants to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers, (2) recreational programs for individuals with disabilities, (3) the National Council on Disability, (4) the Access Board, and (5) employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Prohibits an entity (including a contractor or subcontractor) from employing an individual with a disability at a wage less than the federal minimum wage (subminimum wage), unless the entity complies with certain Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 wage requirements for handicapped workers and specified other conditions are met. Authorizes appropriations to assist states in developing collaborative programs to provide supported employment services for individuals (including youth) with the most significant disabilities to enable them to achieve supported employment in competitive integrated employment. Establishes within the HHS Administration for Community Living an Independent Living Administration (ILA). Revises requirements for a state plan for state independent living services for individuals with significant disabilities, including through establishment of additional centers for independent living or focused outreach to serve underserved populations. Directs the ILA Director (currently, the RSA Commissioner) to make allotments to states for independent living services to individuals with significant disabilities. Revises the composition and functions of State Independent Living Councils. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) the centers for independent living grant program, and (2) independent living services for older individuals who are blind grant program. Establishes within the Department of Labor an Office of Disability Employment Policy, Services, and Supports. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish an Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor and in coordination with the Commissioners of DESSA, of Social Security, and of the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the heads of other relevant federal agencies, to carry out campaigns to educate employers and the general public on the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities. Transfers all functions of: (1) the RSA Commissioner (other than title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [RA73]) to DESSA, (2) the RSA Commissioner under title VII [independent living services for individuals with disabilities] of RA73 to the ILA, and (3) the NIDRR Director to NIDILRR. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to permit the development of a national database of personally identifiable information on individuals receiving job training and employment services. Prohibits an entity from using funds made available under the Act unless it agrees to comply with Buy American requirements. Repeals: (1) the youth opportunity grants program, (2) the Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission Act, and (3) the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
Bill· HRH.R. 2821 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2013
American Jobs Act of 2013 - Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in such project are produced in the United States (Buy American). Waives such prohibition in cases where: (1) the prohibition would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron, steel, and the relevant manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron, steel, and manufactured goods produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%. Requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at the locally prevailing rates (Davis-Bacon Act). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) restore the making work pay tax credit in 2014, and (2) extend the additional allowance for depreciation (bonus depreciation) for 3 years. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase from $2 million to $5 million through FY2014 the limit on the guarantee for contract surety bonds and on the liability for bonds obtained by fraud or misrepresentation. Directs the Secretaries of Education and the Interior (for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education) to reserve through FY2014 appropriated amounts to provide educational assistance to outlying areas based on their respective needs. Provides for allocations to states and local educational entities for early childhood learning programs in FY2014-FY2015 at specified levels. Directs the Attorney General to carry out a competitive grant program pursuant to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 for the hiring, rehiring, or retention of career law enforcement officers. Makes appropriations to the Community Oriented Policing Stabilization Fund to carry out such program and provides for a transfer to a First Responder Stabilization Fund, from which the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) shall make competitive grants for hiring additional firefighters pursuant to the Federal Fire Prevention Control Act of 1974. Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities and existing facilities at community colleges. Makes specified funds available to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for: (1) grants-in-aid for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects under the airport improvement program (AIP); (2) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation air traffic control system advancements; (3) highway and bridge restoration, repair, and construction projects and for passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure projects; (4) grants for high-speed rail projects, capital investment grants for intercity passenger rail service, and grants to reduce congestion on intercity rail passenger transportation; (5) capital grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); (6) transit capital assistance grants; (7) capital projects for existing fixed guideway system modernization, replacement and repair of buses and bus-related equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities; and (8) discretionary capital investment grants for surface transportation infrastructure. Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development Act - Establishes the American Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation to make direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate transportation, water, or energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $100 million ($25 million for rural infrastructure projects). Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas. Requires the AIFA Chief Lending Officer to establish: (1) an Office of Rural Assistance to provide technical assistance in the development and financing of rural infrastructure projects, and (2) a Center for Excellence to provide such assistance to public sector borrowers in the development and financing of infrastructure projects. Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to audit and investigate the business activities of AIFA. Makes private projects for which no public benefit is created ineligible for financial assistance. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for infrastructure projects. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of AIFA to establish and collect fees sufficient to cover all or a portion of AIFA administrative costs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2014 the exemption from the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for certain tax-exempt private activity bonds. Appropriates funds for assistance to eligible entities, including state and local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations, businesses, or eligible consortia, for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties and for stabilization of affected neighborhoods (Project Rebuild). Allows the use of funds to: (1) establish financing mechanisms for the purchase and redevelopment of such properties; (2) purchase and rehabilitate such properties; (3) establish and operate land banks for them; (4) demolish blighted structures (except public housing); and (5) redevelop abandoned, foreclosed, demolished, or vacant properties. Requires each state to receive at least $20 million of formula funds, all of which shall be used with respect to low and moderate-income individuals and families. Requires each state and local government grantee to establish procedures to create preferences for development of affordable rental housing. Allows a grantee to use up to 10% of a grant to create jobs by establishing and operating a program to maintain eligible neighborhood properties. Supporting Unemployed Workers Act of 2013 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend the emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) program until January 1, 2016. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through December 31, 2015, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2015, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for employees with less than 10 years of service. Permits the use of pre-existing appropriated funds under such Act to cover the cost of additional extended unemployment benefits and the cost of current benefits. Establishes the Reemployment NOW program to facilitate the reemployment of individuals receiving emergency unemployment compensation (EUC claimants). Requires a state to submit for approval by the Secretary of Labor a plan meeting certain minimum requirements in order to be eligible for an allotment of federal funds under such program. Authorizes a state to use its allotted funds to: (1) establish a Bridge to Work program to provide EUC claimants with short-term work experience placements with eligible employers; (2) provide a wage insurance program to pay, for up to two years, an EUC claimant who obtains reemployment up to 50% of the difference between the wages received at the time of work separation and the wages received for reemployment; and (3) provide a program of enhanced reemployment services to EUC claimants, including unemployed individuals who have exhausted their EUC rights. Provides for federal financing of state short-time compensation programs. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) award grants to states that enact such programs; (2) develop model legislative language for use by states in developing, enacting, and implementing such programs; and (3) report to Congress and the President on the implementation of such programs. Allows an increased work opportunity tax credit for long-term unemployed individuals (individuals who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation for six months or more). Pathways Back to Work Act of 2013 - Establishes programs to subsidize employment for unemployed, low-income adults, to provide summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth, and for work-based training. Provides for an initial appropriation of $5 billion, with funds available for obligation by the Secretary of Labor until December 31, 2014, and for expenditure by grantees and subgrantees until September 30, 2015. Subjects activities funded under this Act to federal labor standards and nondiscrimination protections. Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2013 - Makes it an unlawful practice for certain employers to: (1) publish a job advertisement or announcement that includes provisions indicating that an individual's status as unemployed disqualifies the individual for employment or that the employer will not consider or hire an individual for employment based on such status, (2) fail or refuse to consider or hire an individual because of such status, or (3) direct or request that an employment agency take an individual's status into account to disqualify an applicant for consideration for employment or when screening or referring employees. Makes it an unlawful practice for an employment agency to commit similar acts, including to: (1) screen, or fail or refuse to consider or refer, an individual for employment because of the individual's unemployed status; or (2) limit, segregate, or classify any such individual in any manner that would limit access to job information or consideration, screening, or referral for jobs. Makes it unlawful for any employer or employment agency to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) fail or refuse to hire, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an employee because such individual opposed any practice made unlawful by this Act or asserted any right under it. Prescribes enforcement authorities and legal remedies for violations of this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for offsets against decreases in revenue by: (1) limiting tax deductions and other tax exclusions for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return), (2) treating income received by a partner from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income for income tax purposes, and (3) treating all general aviation aircraft (including corporate jets) as seven-year property for depreciation purposes. Repeals, after 2013, certain tax expenditures for the oil and gas industry, including: (1) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells; (2) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenditures; (3) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells; (4) the tax deduction for income from activities relating to oil, natural gas, or any primary product thereof; (5) the exemption from limitations on passive activity losses; and (6) the tax credits for enhanced oil recovery and for producing oil and gas from marginal wells. Increases from two to seven years the period for amortizing geological and geophysical expenditures. Denies the foreign tax credit for amounts paid or accrued by a dual capacity taxpayer to a foreign country or U.S. possession. Defines "dual capacity taxpayer" as a person who is subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and who receives a specific economic benefit from such country or possession. Sets forth a special rule for the treatment of taxes paid on foreign oil and gas income for purposes of the foreign tax credit. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm--Rudman-Hollings Act), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, to repeal its budget goal enforcement requirements (sequestration mandate).