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Bill· HRH.R. 4008 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2012
Cavernous Angioma CARE Center Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Cavernous Angioma Clinical Care, Awareness, Research, and Education Center of Excellence at a university health sciences research and clinical center in the southwest United States to: (1) provide basic, translational, and clinical research with respect to new diagnostic, prevention, and novel treatment methodology for individuals with cavernous angioma; and (2) serve as a model for, and provide support to, medical schools and research institutions. Requires the Director of the Center to: (1) ensure that the Center provides community-, family-, and patient-centered culturally sensitive care; (2) encourage and coordinate opportunities for individuals to participate in clinical research studies that will advance medical research and care; and (3) develop the Center as a model and training facility for other facilities throughout the United States that are engaged in research regarding, and care for individuals with, cavernous angioma.
Bill· HRH.R. 3988 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2012
Generic Drug and Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), beginning FY2013, to assess and collect the following fees related to generic drugs: (1) a one-time backlog fee for abbreviated new drug applications pending on October 1, 2012; (2) a drug master file fee; (3) an abbreviated new drug application and prior approval supplement filing fee, as well as an additional fee for active pharmaceutical ingredient information not included by reference to Type II active pharmaceutical ingredient drug master file; and (4) a generic drug facility fee and active pharmaceutical ingredient facility fee. Provides that submission of an application for a positron emission tomography drug or active pharmaceutical ingredient for a positron emission tomography drug shall not require the payment of any fee. Sets forth provisions relating to fee amounts and due dates. Terminates the above provisions on October 1, 2017. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the progress of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in achieving specified safety, access, and transparency goals with respect to generic drugs. Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary, beginning FY2013, to assess and collect the following fees related to biosimilar biological products: (1) biosimilar program development fees, encompassing an initial biosimilar biological development fee, an annual biosimilar biological product development fee, and a reactivation fee; (2) a biosimilar biological product application and supplement fee; (3) a biosimilar biological product establishment fee; and (4) a biosimilar biological product fee. Waives the above fees for the first biosimilar biological product application of a small business. Terminates the above provisions on October 1, 2017. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the progress of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in achieving specified goals with respect to biosimilar biological products.
Bill· HRH.R. 3982 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2012
Religious Liberty Protection Act of 2012 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from implementing or enforcing any provision of the interim final rule published on July 19, 2010, related to the coverage of preventive health services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or any amendment to such rule insofar as such provision or amendment require any individual or entity to provide coverage of sterilization or contraceptive services to which the individual or entity is opposed on the basis of religious belief. Amends PPACA to declare that a health plan shall not be considered to have failed to provide essential health benefits, to fail to be a qualified health plan, or to fail to fulfill any other requirements on the basis that the plan does not provide or pay for coverage of sterilization or contraceptive services because: (1) providing or paying for such coverage is contrary to the religious or moral beliefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan; or (2) such coverage, in the case of individual coverage, is contrary to the religious or moral beliefs of the purchaser or beneficiary of the coverage.
Bill· HRH.R. 3975 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2012
Amends the Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act to authorize appropriations through FY2017 for grants for demonstration projects to promote pediatric device development. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow an exception to the prohibition against selling a device that is designed to treat or diagnose a disease or condition which affects fewer than 4,000 individuals in the United States and that is exempt from the effectiveness requirements of such Act for an amount that exceeds the costs of research and development, fabrication, and distribution of the device where the request for such exemption is submitted on or before October 1, 2017 (currently, October 1, 2012). Requires the proposed rule issued by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) entitled "Medical Devices; Pediatric Uses of Devices; Requirement for Submission of Information on Pediatric Subpopulations That Suffer From a Disease or Condition That a Device Is Intended to Treat, Diagnose, or Cure" to take effect on January 1, 2013, unless such Commissioner issues the final rule before such date.
Bill· SS. 2077 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2012
Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Aging to: (1) ensure that all programs funded under such Act include appropriate training in elder abuse prevention and the provision of services that address elder justice and exploitation, and (2) update periodically the need for and benefit of such training related to prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation (including financial exploitation) of older adults. Makes it a duty and function of the Administration on Aging to: (1) establish priority information and assistance services for older individuals; (2) ensure full collaboration between all governmental information and assistance systems that serve older individuals; and (3) develop a National Eldercare Locator Service, with a nationwide toll free number. Directs the Assistant Secretary, by grant or contract with a national nonprofit entity, to establish a National Adult Protective Services Resources Center to improve the capacity of state and local adult protective services programs to: (1) respond effectively to abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults, including home care consumers and residents of long-term care facilities; and (2) coordinate with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Requires each area plan to provide that the area agency on aging: (1) increases public awareness of elder abuse and financial exploitation, and removes barriers to elder abuse education, prevention, investigation, and treatment; (2) coordinates elder justice activities of the area agency on aging, community health centers, other public agencies, and nonprofit private organizations; (3) develops standardized, coordinated, and reporting protocols with respect to elder abuse; and (4) reports instances of elder abuse. Directs the Assistant Secretary to make grants to states under approved state plans for elder abuse and neglect screening. Requires a state operating a nutrition project to encourage individuals who distribute nutrition services to distribute information on diabetes, elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and the annual Medicare wellness exam. Requires a state, an area agency on aging, a nonprofit organization, or a tribal organization that receives a grant for an older individuals' protection from violence project to use it to research and replicate successful models of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation prevention and training. Directs the Assistant Secretary to award grants and enter into contracts with eligible organizations to carry out projects to engage volunteers over 50 years of age in providing support and information to older adults (and their families or caretakers) who have experienced or are at risk of elder abuse. Allows a state to use funds under the National Family Caregiver Support Program to support the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
Bill· HRH.R. 3897 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2012
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any guideline or regulation issued relating to the coverage of preventive health services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or any other provision of PPACA to: (1) require any individual or entity to offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or related education or counseling, to which that individual or entity is opposed on the basis of religious belief; or (2) require any individual or entity opposed by reason of religious belief to provide coverage of a contraceptive or sterilization service or to engage in government-mandated speech regarding such a service. Declares that nothing in PPACA and no regulations or guidelines issued under PPACA shall be construed to authorize the imposition of a sanction or otherwise disadvantage an individual or entity on the basis of a religiously based decision made by that individual or entity to not offer, provide, or purchase coverage or a contraceptive or sterilization service, or to engage in a government-mandated speech regarding such service.
Bill· HRH.R. 3895 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2012
Protect VA Healthcare Act of 2012 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to exclude veterans' medical care accounts from the maximum 2% permissible reduction in budget authority pursuant to a sequestration order.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 538 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2012
Expresses support for the designation of National Cancer Prevention Day.
Bill· SS. 2069 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2012
Spending Reductions through Innovations in Therapies Agenda Act of 2012 or the SPRINT Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Spending Reductions through Innovations in Therapies Program (SPRINT Program) to support development of therapies to reduce spending by federal health care programs for high-cost chronic conditions. Requires the Program to: (1) accelerate advanced research and development of such therapies, and (2) encourage innovation in technologies that may assist such research to reduce the time and cost of therapy development. Requires the Secretary to select the high-cost chronic conditions that shall be the focus of the Program from conditions among the top 10 leading causes of death designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that have: (1) the highest current and projected cost to federal health care programs and high long-term care costs; (2) a likelihood of impairing the ability of an individual to carry out activities of daily living, which can result in the individual becoming dependent on caregivers; (3) a death rate that has increased and is projected to increase significantly in future years; and (4) a lack of existing therapies to prevent, control, or cure the condition or delay cognitive decline. Sets forth the duties of the Secretary, including to: (1) partner with certain nonprofit strategic investment entities, (2) reduce the time and cost barriers between laboratory discoveries and clinical trials for therapies used to treat high-cost chronic conditions, and (3) facilitate innovative and expedited review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the therapies developed. Establishes a SPRINT Award Program, under which the Secretary may award contracts or grants to public, nonprofit, early stage companies or growth companies to support advanced research and the development of therapies. Sets forth matching fund requirements. Requires the Secretary to evaluate projects funded.
Bill· SS. 2068 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2012
Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative cost calculations for purposes of calculating the medical-loss ratio of a health insurance plan. Defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under the laws of the particular state to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
Bill· SS. 2067 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2012
Safe, Efficient, and Transparent Medical Device Approval Act or the SET Device Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), within 120 days of enactment of this Act, to establish the schedule for the promulgation of a regulation requiring premarket approval for a medical device that the Secretary requires to remain in class III. Directs the Secretary, within 18 months, to: (1) issue a final regulation for each device that the Secretary requires to remain in class III, and (2) establish the required special controls for each device that is classified into class II pursuant to a determination revising such devise's classification. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to permit a person to: (1) submit a request for initial classification of a device that has not previously been classified under such Act if the person declares that there is no legally marketed device upon which to base a substantial equivalence determination; and (2) recommend to the Secretary a classification for the device and include in the request an initial draft proposal for applicable special and general controls that are necessary to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Permits the Secretary to decline to undertake a classification request if the Secretary identifies a legally marketed device that could provide a reasonable basis for review of substantial equivalence or if the Secretary determines that the device submitted is not of low-moderate risk.
Bill· HRH.R. 3887 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2012
Retiree Health Coverage Protection Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to increase from $5 billion to $10 billion the amount appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the temporary reinsurance program to reimburse participating employment-based group health benefits plans for a portion of the cost of providing health insurance coverage to early retirees (and their eligible spouses and dependents) between establishment of the program and January 1, 2014.
Bill· HRH.R. 3891 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2012
Spending Reductions through Innovations in Therapies Agenda Act of 2012 or the SPRINT Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Spending Reductions through Innovations in Therapies Program (SPRINT Program) to support development of therapies to reduce spending by federal health care programs for high-cost chronic conditions. Requires the Program to: (1) accelerate advanced research and development of such therapies, and (2) encourage innovation in technologies that may assist such research to reduce the time and cost of therapy development. Requires the Secretary to select the high-cost chronic conditions that shall be the focus of the Program from conditions among the top 10 leading causes of death designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that have: (1) the highest current and projected cost to federal health care programs and high long-term care costs; (2) a likelihood of impairing the ability of an individual to carry out activities of daily living, which can result in the individual becoming dependent on caregivers; (3) a death rate that has increased and is projected to increase significantly in future years; and (4) a lack of existing therapies to prevent, control, or cure the condition or delay cognitive decline. Sets forth the duties of the Secretary, including to: (1) partner with certain nonprofit strategic investment entities, (2) reduce the time and cost barriers between laboratory discoveries and clinical trials for therapies used to treat high-cost chronic conditions, and (3) facilitate innovative and expedited review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the therapies developed. Establishes a SPRINT Award Program, under which the Secretary may award contracts or grants to public, nonprofit, early stage companies or growth companies to support advanced research and the development of therapies. Sets forth matching fund requirements. Requires the Secretary to evaluate projects funded.
Bill· HRH.R. 3884 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2012
Emergency Medic Transition Act of 2012 or the EMT Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program of awarding grants to states to assist veterans who received and completed military emergency medical training while serving in the United States Armed Forces to become, upon their discharge or release from active duty service, state-licensed or certified emergency medical technicians. Allows such funds to be used to: (1) provide such veterans required course work and training (that takes into account, and is not duplicative of, medical course work and training already received) to satisfy emergency medical services personnel certification requirements in the civilian sector; (2) provide reimbursement for costs associated with such course work and training and with applying for licensure or certification; (3) expedite the licensing or certification process; and (4) enter into an agreement with an educational institution to provide course work and training under this Act. Requires a state, to be eligible for a grant under this Act, to demonstrate that it has a shortage of emergency medical technicians. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) study the barriers experienced by such veterans seeking to become licensed or certified in a state as civilian health professionals; and (2) report on the results of such study, including recommendations on whether the program under this Act should be expanded to assist veterans seeking to become licensed or certified in a state as health providers other than emergency medical technicians.
Bill· SS. 2057 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 3859 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that residents of rural and frontier communities should have access to affordable, quality health care. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals, (2) extension of the temporary increase in payments to certain rural hospitals (Medicare hold harmless provision), (3) the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals, (4) Medicare wage index reclassifications for certain hospitals, (5) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospitals in certain rural areas, (6) elimination of the isolation test for the cost-based ambulance reimbursement for critical access hospitals, (7) the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas, (8) extension of the 1.00 floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment to payments for physician services, (9) Medicare home health care planning, (10) rural health clinics, (11) a temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area, and (12) extension of increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to provide for the extension of the payment for the technical component of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to encourage and facilitate the adoption of provisions allowing for multi state practitioner practice across state lines. Extends Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage and payment, on a reasonable cost basis, to anesthesia services furnished by a physician anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in such hospitals. Establishes the floor at 1.00 on the practice expense geographic index for services furnished during a specified period in certain rural areas outside of frontier states under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Revises the standard for designation of sole community hospitals. Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to states for operation of offices of rural health. Requires the proportion of members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) who represent the interests of health care providers and Medicare beneficiaries located in rural areas to be no less than the proportion of the total number of Medicare beneficiaries who reside in rural areas.
Bill· HRH.R. 3839 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Drug Shortage Prevention Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) define the term "critical drug" based on the medical necessity and vulnerability to shortage of a drug or biological product; (2) establish, make publicly available, and update semiannually a list identifying each critical drug and its manufacturers; (3) promptly remove from such list any drug or biological product that no longer meets such definition; and (4) establish, make publicly available, and update monthly a list identifying each critical drug that is in a critical drug shortage in the United States, the severity of and reason for the shortage, alternate therapies and regions particularly affected, and an estimated date by which the necessary quantities of the drug will begin reaching providers. Allows manufacturers to request removal of a drug from such lists on the basis that it doesn't meet the definition of "critical drug" or is not in a critical drug shortage. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a proactive system for giving notice to the public concerning modifications to the critical drug shortage list, (2) establish a system for giving notice of any imminent critical drug shortage to critical drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors and manufacturers of alternative therapies, (3) notify the Attorney General of any critical drug shortage, (4) study the feasibility of creating a national contingency plan addressing critical drug shortages, (5) expedite the review of applications for approval of critical drugs and requests by sponsors of such drugs to approve manufacturing process changes or alternate suppliers of active ingredients, and (6) improve the process for regulating critical drugs. Express the sense of Congress that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should increase the number of personnel responsible for identifying and addressing critical drug shortages. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to direct the Attorney General to increase a quota as appropriate for a drug listed in a critical drug shortage that is or contains a controlled substance.
Bill· HRH.R. 3847 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Safety Of Untested and New Devices Act of 2012 or the SOUND Devices Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require a medical device company seeking approval of a new device based on a determination of substantial equivalence to a predicate device to inform the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) if any predicate lineage products have harmed device recipients and to explain how the current device avoids past flaws. Prohibits finding a new device substantially equivalent to a predicate device if the predicate has been removed from the market by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) or determined to be misbranded or adulterated by judicial order. Permits the FDA to reject a claim of substantial equivalency for a device whose predicate has been corrected or removed from the market by its sponsor. Requires the Secretary to maintain an up-to-date database for purposes of determining whether devices are eligible for use as a predicate device. Requires each manufacturer's corrective action or removal of device report to contain the root cause of each defect leading to the corrective action or removal. Requires a manufacturer's report for devices in the same lineage as devices that have been subject to corrections or removals and requires such report to explain why the subsequent device does not share the flaws of its predecessor device. Requires the Secretary to conduct a review of all covered devices to identify any such devices with respect to which a predicate device, or any device in the full device lineage, has been corrected or removed from the market pursuant to a Class I or Class II recall.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 531 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Recognizes the 40th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971. Reaffirms that support for cancer research continues to be a national priority.
Bill· SS. 2043 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2012
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any guideline or regulation issued relating to the coverage of preventive health services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or any other provision of PPACA to: (1) require any individual or entity to offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or related education or counseling, to which that individual or entity is opposed on the basis of religious belief; or (2) require any individual or entity opposed by reason of religious belief to provide coverage of a contraceptive or sterilization service or to engage in government-mandated speech regarding such a service. Declares that nothing in PPACA and no regulations or guidelines issued under PPACA shall be construed to authorize the imposition of a sanction or otherwise disadvantage an individual or entity on the basis of a religiously based decision made by that individual or entity to not offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or to engage in a government-mandated speech regarding such service.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 530 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2012
Honors Northwest Kidney Centers on its semicentennial. Recognizes the Centers as the largest community-based, nonprofit dialysis provider in the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 3831 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2012
Medicare Hospice Care Access Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to recognize attending physician assistants as attending physicians to serve hospice patients.
Bill· HRH.R. 3827 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2012
Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Internal Revenue Code, and rescinds all unobligated funds, that provide for the establishment and funding of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to identify priorities for, and establish, update, and carry out, a national comparative outcomes research project agenda, as well as that provide for the dissemination of the research findings published by the Institute and other government-funded research that are relevant to comparative clinical effectiveness research. Rescinds all remaining unobligated balances available to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for purposes of comparative effectiveness research. Requires the total amount rescinded by this Act to be deposited in the Treasury to pay down the national debt.
Bill· HRH.R. 3805 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require abortion providers, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, to perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting, display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them, and provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable. Prohibits construing this Act to require a woman to view the images or penalizing the provider or the woman if she declines to look at the images. Exempts an abortion provider if the abortion is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. Requires the provider to include in the woman's medical file a truthful and accurate certification of the specific medical circumstances that support such determination. Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action in federal court against any abortion provider who knowingly violates this Act. Prescribes penalties. Directs the Attorney General to notify the appropriate state medical licensing authority of penalties assessed. Authorizes a woman upon whom an abortion has been performed in violation of this Act to commence a civil action against the provider for actual and punitive damages.
Bill· HRH.R. 3782 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2012
Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act or OPEN Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to establish a violation for operating or maintaining an Internet site dedicated to infringing activity (ISDIA). Defines ISDIA as an Internet site that is accessed through a nondomestic domain name, conducts business directed to U.S. residents, has only limited purpose or use other than engaging in infringing activity, and whose owner or operator primarily uses the site to: (1) willfully commit specified criminal copyright offenses or circumvent technological measures controlling access to protected work, or (2) use counterfeit trademarks in a manner punishable under specified provisions of the Lanham Act. Defines a “nondomestic domain name” as a domain name for which the domain name registry that issued the domain name and operates the relevant top level domain, the domain name registrar for the domain name, and the owner and the operator of the Internet site associated with the domain name, are not located in the United States. Sets forth procedures under which the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is: (1) authorized to investigate alleged violations of this Act on its own initiative, or (2) required to investigate any such alleged violation upon receiving a complaint by the owner of a copyright or trademark that is the subject of the infringing activity. Directs the USITC to terminate, or not initiate, an investigation with respect to a complaint if it has reason to believe, based on information before the USITC, that the domain name associated with the Internet site is not a nondomestic domain name. Requires that such matters be referred to the Attorney General (AG) for further proceedings as the AG determines appropriate. Directs the USITC to terminate, or not initiate, an investigation with respect to a domain name if the operator of the Internet site associated with the domain name provides in a legal notice on the site: (1) contact information of a person authorized to receive service of process, and (2) consent to jurisdiction and venue of the U.S. district courts and acceptance of service of process from the AG with respect to specified criminal copyright and trafficking in counterfeit goods or services offenses and violations. Conditions such termination or non-initiation on the operator also accepting service and waiving objections to jurisdiction in the event of the filing of a civil action in the appropriate U.S. district court based on copyright infringement, circumvention of copyright protection systems, or the use or reproduction of counterfeit registered marks in commerce. Requires complainants to identify any financial transaction provider or Internet advertising service that may be required to take specified measures upon receiving a copy of a USITC order with respect to an ISDIA. Directs the USITC to submit ISDIA violation determinations to the President along with any order issued pursuant to the determination. Requires that the determination and order shall cease to have force or effect if the President disapproves of the determination for policy reasons and notifies the USITC. Authorizes the USITC to: (1) issue a cease and desist order against an Internet site (and its owner and operator) determined to be an ISDIA operated or maintained in violation of this Act, and (2) permit complainants to serve a copy of the order on financial transaction providers and Internet advertising services supplying services to the site. Requires, upon receiving a copy of such an order and subject to specified limitations: (1) a financial transaction provider to take reasonable measures designed to prevent or prohibit the completion of payment transactions by the provider that involve customers located in the United States and the ISDIA, and (2) an Internet advertising service to take technically feasible measures intended to cease serving advertisements to the ISDIA in situations in which the service would directly share revenues generated by the advertisements with the ISDIA operator. Provides immunity from liability and civil suits to financial transaction providers and Internet advertising services for certain actions designed to comply with such an order. Allows the AG to bring an action for injunctive relief against: (1) any person subject to such a cease and desist order, or (2) a financial transaction provider or Internet advertising service on which an order is served that knowingly and willfully fails to comply with the order. Permits a defendant to establish an affirmative defense by showing that it does not have the technical means to comply without incurring an unreasonable economic burden or that the order is inconsistent with this Act. Authorizes a financial transaction provider or Internet advertising service, acting in good faith and based on credible evidence, to cease or refuse to provide services to an Internet site the provider or service determines to be an Internet site that endangers the public health. Defines an “Internet site that endangers the public health” as an Internet site that is primarily designed or operated for the purpose of, has only limited purpose or use other than, or is marketed by its operator or another person acting in concert with that operator for use in offering, selling, dispensing, or distributing any prescription medication, and does so regularly without a valid prescription. Authorizes the USITC to appoint hearing officers for specified proceedings. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), if the Commissioner responsible for U.S. Customs and Border Protection suspects that imported merchandise violates provisions of the Lanham Act prohibiting the importation of goods bearing infringing marks or names, to share with the holder of the trademark suspected of being infringed for purposes of determining whether such a violation is occurring: (1) information about the merchandise, packaging, or labels; or (2) unredacted samples or photographs of such items. Authorizes the Secretary to notify the appropriate copyright owner if the Commissioner seizes merchandise suspected of being imported into the United States in violation of federal copyright laws prohibiting persons from manufacturing, importing, offering to the public, providing, or otherwise trafficking products or services that circumvent: (1) a technological measure that controls access to a protected work, or (2) protection afforded by a technological measure that protects a right of a copyright owner. Directs the USITC to prescribe regulatory: (1) procedures for receiving information from the public about ISDIAs, and (2) guidance to rights holders on initiating investigations under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3790 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2012
Improving Cancer Treatment Education Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to provide for Medicare coverage of comprehensive cancer patient treatment education services. Expresses the sense of Congress wih respect to continued support by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the area of symptom management and the role of nurses in providing those interventions. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the NIH Director to expand, intensify, and coordinate programs for the conduct and support of research with respect to: (1) improving the treatment and management of symptoms and side effects associated with cancer and cancer treatment, and (2) evaluating the role of nursing interventions in the amelioration of such symptoms and side effects.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 510 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2012
Honors: (1) those who lost their lives due to the tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010; and (2) the sacrifice of the men and women of the government of Haiti, the U.S. government, the United Nations (U.N.), and the international community for their response to the calamity. Expresses solidarity with the people of Haiti as they work to rebuild their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and country. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to support long-term Haitian reconstruction. Supports the Administration's efforts to prevent the spread of cholera, treat persons who contract the disease, provide technical assistance to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, and improve water, sanitation, and health systems. Urges the President and the international community to: (1) focus assistance on Haiti's public sector capacity to provide basic services, (2) develop and improve communications and participatory mechanisms to more substantially involve Haitian civil society at all stages of the cholera and post-earthquake responses, and (3) give priority to programs that protect vulnerable populations. Urges the President to: (1) make necessary resources available to U.S. and U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private volunteer organizations, and regional institutions; (2) assess long-term needs for investing in public health and building water and sanitation infrastructure, particularly in relation to the cholera epidemic; (3) lead humanitarian and development efforts with the government of Haiti, the Haitian Diaspora, and international actors; and (4) work with Haitian authorities and private landowners to prevent the forced eviction of internally displaced person communities.