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Bill· SS. 1660 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2013
Sportsmen's and Public Outdoor Recreation Traditions Act or the SPORT Act - Title I: Regulatory Reforms - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt from sequestration the following budget accounts: Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, Sport Fish Restoration, and Wildlife Restoration. Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components. Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state. Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of BLM to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training. Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to permit the taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over land that: (1) is not a baited area; and (2) contains a standing crop (including an aquatic crop), standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation, flooded harvested cropland, or an area on which seed or grain has been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural practice. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a one-year period. Allows an applicable land management agency to deny access to a film crew if: (1) there is a likelihood of resource damage that cannot be mitigated, (2) there would be an unreasonable disruption of the public use and enjoyment of the site, (3) the activity poses public health or safety risks, and (4) the filming includes the use of models or props that are not part of the land's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities. Title II: Improving Access - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure, from amounts requested for the Land and Water Conservation Fund per fiscal year, that not less than the greater of 1.5% of the requested amounts or $10 million be made available for certain projects identified on an annual priority list to be developed pursuant to this Act. Requires projects identified on such a list to secure, through rights-of-way or the acquisition of lands or interests from willing sellers, recreational public access to existing federal public lands that have significantly restricted access to hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes. Amends the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) to revoke provisions that terminate: (1) the authority provided under such Act, and (2) the Federal Land Disposal Account. Makes the FLTFA inapplicable to land eligible for sale under specified public land laws. Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act. Requires each head of a federal public land management agency (the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management [BLM]), to annually make available to the public on its website a report that includes: (1) a list of the land more than 640 acres in size under its jurisdiction on which the public is allowed to hunt, fish, or use such land for other recreational purposes and to which there is no public access or egress or to which such access or egress to the land's legal boundaries is significantly restricted; (2) a list of locations and acreage on such land that the agency head determines have significant potential for use for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes; and (3) a plan to provide such access and egress that is consistent with the travel management plan in effect. Requires each agency head to make available to the public on the agency's website, and thereafter revise, a list of roads or trails that provide the primary public access and egress to the legal boundaries of contiguous parcels of land equal to more than 640 acres in size under the agency's jurisdiction on which the public is allowed to hunt, fish, or use such lands for other recreational purposes. Title III: Habitat Conservation - Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2017 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects. Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) who are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2014-FY2019. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies; and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use). Amends the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 to require the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp to be made available to the public for an additional four years. Amends the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations to carry out such Act.
Bill· SS. 1639 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2013
Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act of 2013 - Amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to direct the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to study and identify any potential threats to privacy protections posed by the integration of unmanned aircraft (drone) systems into the national airspace system, including any potential violations of privacy principles. Directs the Secretary to establish certain procedures to allow for civil operation in the national airspace system of small drone systems that do not meet expedited operational authorization requirements. Requires such procedures to ensure that the integration of drone systems into the national airspace system is done in compliance with privacy principles. Prohibits the Secretary from approving, issuing, or awarding any certificate, license, or other grant of authority to operate a drone system in the national airspace system unless the application for it includes a data collection statement, meeting certain requirements, that provides reasonable assurance that the applicant will operate the drone system in accordance with privacy principles. Applies the same privacy principles requirement to any drone system to be operated by a law enforcement agency or a law enforcement agency contractor or subcontractor, except that the application for it shall include a data minimization statement, meeting certain requirements, instead of a data collection statement. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to make any approved certificate, license, or other grant of authority, plus other specified information, available in a searchable format on the public FAA website. Prohibits a governmental entity from using a drone system, or requesting information or data collected by another entity through use of a drone system, for protective activities, or for law enforcement or intelligence purposes, except pursuant to a warrant issued using the procedures described in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (or, in the case of a state court, issued using state warrant procedures) by a court of competent jurisdiction, or as permitted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Makes an exception to this prohibition in exigent circumstances when a law enforcement entity reasonably believes there is: (1) an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury; or (2) a high risk of a terrorist attack by a specific individual or organization, according to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS). Makes it unlawful to operate a drone system in a manner that is not in accordance with the terms of a data collection statement or in a manner violating any portion of the final rule for the procedures for civil operation of small drone systems required by this Act. Grants enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Authorizes a state to bring a civil action on behalf of state residents in state or U.S. district court for injunctive relief against violations of this Act or related regulations if the state attorney general has reason to believe that an interest of state residents has been or is threatened or adversely affected by a prohibited act or practice. Creates a private right of action in state or U.S. district court for persons injured by a prohibited act. Allows a suit against a governmental entity. Requires the FAA to revoke the certificate, license, or other grant of authority to operate a drone system operated in a prohibited manner. Declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to apply to model aircraft flown strictly for hobby or recreational purposes and meeting certain other criteria.
Bill· SS. 1638 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2013
Cybersecurity Public Awareness Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit an annual report that: (1) summarizes major cyber incidents involving networks of executive agencies, except for the Department of Defense (DOD); (2) provides aggregate statistics on the number of breaches of networks of executive agencies, the volume of data exfiltrated, and the estimated cost of remedying the breaches; and (3) discusses the risk of cyber sabotage. Requires similar reports by the DOD Secretary to address incidents against DOD and military departments. Directs the Attorney General and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to submit reports and annual updates describing investigations and prosecutions by the Department of Justice (DOJ) relating to cyber instrusions, computer or network compromise, or other forms of illegal hacking. Requires such reports to identify the resources devoted to the enforcement, investigation, and prosecution of such activities and to discuss legal impediments to prosecutions. Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to submit annually, for three years, a report: (1) assessing the reporting of cyber risk or cyber incidents in financial statements by issuers of securities; and (2) evaluating SEC actions, including staff guidance. Directs the DHS Secretary to: (1) submit annual reports describing policies and procedures through which federal agencies, upon request, assist in defending a private sector entity's information networks against cyber threats that could result in loss of life or significant harm to the national economy or national security; (2) submit annually, for three years, a report describing vulnerabilities to, and the prevalence of, cyber threats in specified critical infrastructure sectors and the degree to which cooperative activities with DOD-developed private partners have been employed in each sector; (3) contract with the National Research Council or another federally funded research and development corporation for reports on the opportunities for development of new technologies or approaches to enhance the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure entities; and (4) submit annual reports on impediments to public awareness of common cyber security threats. Directs the Attorney General, in coordination with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, to submit a report on: (1) whether federal courts have granted timely relief in matters relating to botnets and other cybercrime and threats; and (2) recommended changes to the rules of civil or criminal procedure, the resources, capabilities, and specialization of courts to which such cases may be assigned, and federal civil and criminal laws.
Bill· SS. 1625 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2013 - Revises regulations that require motor carriers to conduct preemployment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators for controlled substances or alcohol. Allows motor carriers to use hair testing as an acceptable alternative to urinalysis for detecting use of controlled substances by an operator, but only for preemployment testing and random testing (but the latter only if the motor carrier tested the operator at preemployment using the same method). Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to develop requirements for laboratories and testing procedures for controlled substances that include mandatory guidelines that establish, among other things, laboratory protocols and cut-off levels for hair testing to detect the use of such substances. Allows any motor carrier that demonstrates it has consistently carried out a generally applicable hair testing program during the most recent one-year period to apply to the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for exemption from mandatory urinalysis testing.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 278 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Designates October 2013 as School Bus Safety Month.
Bill· HRH.R. 3410 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Critical Infrastructure Protection Act or CIPA - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Assistant Secretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate to: (1) include in national planning scenarios the threat of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events; and (2) conduct a campaign to proactively educate owners and operators of critical infrastructure, emergency planners, and emergency responders at all levels of government of the threat of EMP events. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct research and development to mitigate the consequences of EMP events, including: (1) an objective scientific analysis of the risks to critical infrastructures from a range of EMP events; (2) determination of the critical national security assets and vital civic utilities and infrastructures that are at risk from EMP events; (3) an evaluation of emergency planning and response technologies that would address the findings and recommendations of experts, including those of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack; (4) an analysis of available technology options to improve the resiliency of critical infrastructure to EMP; and (5) the restoration and recovery capabilities of critical infrastructure under differing levels of damage and disruption from various EMP events. Includes among the responsibilities of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) relating to intelligence and analysis and infrastructure protection to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees: (1) a comprehensive plan to protect and prepare the critical infrastructure of the American homeland against EMP events, including from acts of terrorism; and (2) biennial updates of such plan.
Bill· HRH.R. 3413 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
True Understanding of the Economy and Safety Act or TRUE Safety Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO), after the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports to Congress on an hours of service field study, to assess the methodology followed by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) in carrying out the efficacy of the restart rule ("Hours of Service of Drivers") published on December 27, 2011, which applies to operators of commercial motor vehicles of property subject to maximum DOT driving time requirements. Requires the assessment to evaluate the extent to which that methodology meets the requirements of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) that: (1) the data collected is representative of the drivers subject to the restart rule, (2) the methodology is statistically valid, and (3) the study followed the FMCSA plan for the "Scheduling and Fatigue Recovery Project." Directs GAO to assess the Regulatory Impact Analysis that accompanied the final 2011 restart rule. Nullifies the 2011 restart rule until six months after the study report required by this Act has been submitted to Congress. Prohibits the Secretary from applying the restart rule if the conclusions of the field study completed pursuant to MAP-21 do not support or concur with the conclusions of the laboratory study on which the rule was based.
Bill· HRH.R. 3403 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2013
Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to modify regulations that require motor carriers to conduct preemployment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators for controlled substances or alcohol. Allows a motor carrier to use hair testing as a method for detecting use of controlled substances by an operator, but only for preemployment testing and random testing (but the latter only if the motor carrier tested the operator at preemployment using the same method). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing of operators for use of controlled substances. Directs the Secretary to develop procedures to allow a motor carrier during the rulemaking process to apply for an exemption from current requirements to allow use of hair testing of operators for controlled substances instead of other methods of preemployment and random testing.
Bill· HRH.R. 3363 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2013
Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a final rule to advance the safety and continued development of small airplanes by reorganizing the certification requirements to streamline the approval of safety advancements. Requires the final rule to meet certain consensus-based standards and FAA Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking Committee objectives, including: (1) establishment of a regulatory regime for small airplane safety; (2) the establishment of broad, outcome-driven objectives that will spur small plane innovation and technology adoption; (3) the replacement of current, prescriptive requirements under Part 23 with performance-based regulations; and (4) the use of FAA-accepted consensus standards to clarify how Part 23 safety objectives may be met using specific small plane safety designs and technologies.
Bill· HRH.R. 3301 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2013
North American Energy Infrastructure Act - Prohibits any person from constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the United States for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico without obtaining approval under this Act. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, with respect to oil pipelines, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with respect to natural gas pipelines, or the Secretary of Energy (DOE), with respect to electric transmission facilities, to approve a request for approval of construction, connection, operation, or maintenance unless it is not in U.S. national security interests. Declares that such an approval shall not be construed to constitute a major federal action for purposes of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Makes conforming amendments to the Natural Gas Act and the Federal Power Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3283 (113th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2013
Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2013 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to modernize and implement the national integrated public alert and warning system, including by: (1) establishing or adapting common alerting and warning protocols, standards, terminology, and operating procedures; (2) including the capability to adapt the dissemination of information and the content of communications on the basis of geographic location, risks, or personal user preferences and the capability to alert, warn, and provide the equivalent amount of information to individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs; (3) ensuring the conduct of training, tests, and exercises for the system that are incorporated into other training and exercise programs of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); (4) ensuring that ongoing training, integrated into the National Incident Management System, for receiving and disseminating public alert and warning system messages utilizing advanced technologies is provided to state, local, tribal, and other homeland security stakeholders; (5) ensuring that the system uses the National Terrorism Advisory System; (6) conducting periodic nationwide tests of the system at least once every three years; and (7) consulting, coordinating, and cooperating with other federal agencies and with state, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and other key stakeholders to leverage existing alert and warning capabilities. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the system: (1) incorporates redundant and diverse modes to disseminate warning messages to reach the greatest number of individuals; (2) can be adapted to incorporate future technologies; (3) is resilient, secure, and can withstand acts of terrorism and other external attacks; (4) promotes state, local, tribal, and regional partnerships to enhance coordination; (5) is designed to provide alerts that are accessible to the largest portion of the affected population feasible and to improve the ability of remote areas and areas with underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure to receive alerts; and (6) includes mechanisms to ensure the protection of individual privacy. Directs the Secretary to establish the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Advisory Committee, which shall submit annual recommendations for the continuation and improvement of such system. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to permit the use of homeland security grant funds to improve public alert and warning capabilities.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 90 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2013
Federal Aviation Administration Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 - Makes appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6), for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by such Act under the heading "Department of Transportation--Federal Aviation Administration." Requires the rate of operations to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: (1) the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), and (2) the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Makes appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under this joint resolution available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) December 15, 2013. Requires implementation of this joint resolution so that only the most limited funding action be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Authorizes amounts made available for civilian personnel compensation and benefits to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses. Expresses the sense of Congress that this joint resolution may also be referred to as the Flight Safety Act.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 87 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2013
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 - Makes appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6), for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by such Act under the heading "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration--Operations and Research." Requires the rate of operations for each such account to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: (1) the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), and (2) the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Makes appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under this joint resolution available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) December 15, 2013. Requires implementation of this joint resolution so that only the most limited funding action be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Authorizes amounts made available for civilian personnel compensation and benefits to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses.
Bill· HRH.R. 15 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2013
Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act - States that passage of this Act recognizes that the primary tenets of its success depend on securing U.S. sovereignty and establishing a coherent and just system for integrating those who seek to join American society. States that the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) border security goal is to gain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas and operational control along the Southwest border of the United States. Establishes a Southern Border Security Commission if border security goals have not been achieved within five years. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHA) to: (1) implement metrics to measure security effectiveness at and between ports of entry and in the maritime environment, (2) submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for gaining situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas and operational control along the Southwest border of the United States, and (3) submit to Congress a plan to implement a biometric exit capability at ports of entry under the US-VISIT program. Prohibits the Secretary from processing applications for registered provisional immigrant status (RPI) until the Secretary has submitted to Congress the notice of commencement of implementation of the Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy and the Southern Border Fencing Strategy. Prohibits the Secretary from adjusting RPI aliens to lawful permanent resident status until the Secretary certifies to the President and Congress that: (1) the Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy is operational, (2) the Southern Border Fencing Strategy has been implemented, (3) a mandatory employment verification system to be used by all employers has been implemented, and (4) the mandatory electronic exit data system is in use at U.S. air and sea ports of entry. Directs the Secretary to implement: (1) a Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy for achieving and maintaining effective control between and at the ports of entry in all border sectors along the Southern border, and (2) a Southern Border Fencing Strategy to identify where fencing and technology should be deployed along the Southern border. Establishes in the Treasury: (1) the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Trust Fund, and (2) the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Startup Account. Title I: Border Security - Increases the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and CBP Air and Marine unmanned aircraft systems crew, marine agent, and personnel. Authorizes the transfer of officers and agents from the Northern border to the Southern border. Authorizes permanent funding for the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Establishes a program to recruit Armed Forces reservists and former members of the Armed Forces to serve in CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Authorizes the governor of a state, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense (DOD), to order National Guard units or personnel to perform operations in the Southwest border region to assist CBP in securing the southern border. Increases funding for additional attorneys, support staff, interpreters, pre-trial services, and U.S. marshals in order to increase the number of border crossing prosecutions in the Tucson sector of the Southwest border region. Directs the Secretary to enhance border infrastructure by: (1) constructing additional Border Patrol stations in the Southwest border region, (2) upgrading and establishing additional Border Patrol operating bases, and (3) establishing a grant program with the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to construct transportation improvements at international border crossings. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance law enforcement and operational readiness along the U.S. borders through Operation Stonegarden. Directs the President to appoint additional district judges for Arizona, California, and Texas. Increases the fee for filing a civil action in U.S. district court to $360. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) or the Secretary of the Interior to provide CBP personnel with security-related access to federal lands in the Southwest border region in Arizona. Requires CBP to deploy additional mobile, video, and portable surveillance systems, and unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in the Southwest border region. Establishes a grant program to improve emergency communications in the Southwest border region. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ) to reimburse state, county, tribal, and municipal governments for costs associated with the prosecution and pre-trial detention of federally initiated criminal cases declined by local offices of the United States Attorneys. Authorizes appropriations for the state criminal alien assistance program (SCAAP). Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide training for CBP officers, U.S. Border Patrol officers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, U.S. Air and Marine Division agents, and agriculture specialists stationed within 100 miles of any U.S. land or marine border, or at any U.S. port of entry; (2) provide training for border community liaison officers; and (3) establish CBP child custody guidelines. Establishes the Department of Homeland Security Border Oversight Task Force. Terminates the Task Force 60 days after submission of a required report. Establishes within DHS an Ombudsman for Immigration Related Concerns. Directs the Secretary to consider safety and family concerns in any action related to the repatriation or prosecution of individuals apprehended for immigration violations. Prohibits the Secretary from establishing border crossing fees for individuals at land ports of entry along the Southern and Northern borders. Human Trafficking Reporting Act of 2013 - Includes severe forms of trafficking in persons among "part 1 violent crimes" required to be reported by states for the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for purposes of Bureau of Justice Assistance Grants and Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants. Directs the Secretary to certify to Congress every six months that DHS has only deported or otherwise removed a migrant from the United States through an entry or exit point on the Southern border during daylight hours. Revises restrictions on payment of senior executives' compensation under contracts relating to border security. Title II: Immigrant Visas - Subtitle A: Registration and Adjustment of Registered Provisional Immigrants - Authorizes the Secretary, after conducting the required national security and law enforcement clearances, to grant RPI status to an alien unlawfully in the United States who: (1) meets specified eligibility requirements, (2) applies before the end of the application period, (3) has paid the required fee and penalty if applicable, and (4) has been physically present in the United States since December 31, 2011, and maintains such presence until RPI status has been granted. Establishes a processing fee for persons 16 years or older. Sets forth bars to eligibility based upon criminal convictions, terrorist activity, and grounds for excludability. Provides derivative RPI status to a qualifying spouse or child of an RPI alien. Authorizes a dependent spouse or child to apply for RPI status if the legal relationship between such person and the RPI alien ended due to death, divorce, or domestic violence. Grants RPI status for an initial six-year period, which may be extended under specified conditions. Permits an RPI alien to work and travel outside the United States under specified conditions. Enumerates the grounds under which the Secretary may revoke RPI status. Makes an RPI alien ineligible for any federal means-tested benefit, and considers such person to be a noncitizen for certain other federal benefits. Authorizes an RPI alien to: (1) be issued a Social Security number, and (2) enlist in the Armed Forces. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust the status of an RPI alien to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if such person meets specified eligibility requirements. Prohibits an RPI alien from applying for lawful permanent resident status until the Secretary of State certifies that immigrant visas have become available for all approved petitions filed before the date of enactment of this Act. Establishes a processing fee. States that an RPI alien may only adjust status under the merit-based system provided for by this Act. States that a lawful permanent resident who was lawfully present in the United States and eligible for work authorization for not less than 10 years before becoming a lawful permanent resident may be naturalized in three years upon compliance with specified requirements. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2013 or DREAM Act 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary to adjust the status of an RPI alien to that of a lawful permanent resident if the person demonstrates that he or she: (1) has been in RPI status for at least five years; (2) was younger than age 16 when he or she entered the United States; (3) has earned a high school diploma or obtained a general education development certificate in the United States; (4) has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education or has completed at least two years in a program for a bachelor's or higher degree in the United States, or has served in the Uniformed Services for at least four years and, if discharged, received an honorable discharge; and (5) has provided a list of each secondary school attended in the United States. Prohibits the Secretary from adjusting the status of an RPI alien to lawful permanent resident status unless the person: (1) satisfies citizenship requirements, (2) submits appropriate biometric and biographic data, and (3) undergoes security and law enforcement background checks. Repeals the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Sets forth RPI program requirements regarding: (1) prohibited and required disclosures, (2) employer protections, (3) audits and information evaluation, (4) administrative review, (5) privacy and civil liberties, (6) judicial review, and (7) federal education benefits. Sets forth prohibitions on federal agency use or publishing of information furnished in a lawful status application pursuant to the DREAM ACT or the RPI programs. Establishes a criminal penalty for a person who knowingly misuses or publishes or permits the improper use of RPI application information. Establishes within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services a program to award grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to assist RPI applicants. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act regarding: (1) state termination of parental rights, (2) children separated from parents and caregivers, and (3) proof of authorization to work in the United States for purposes of OASDI insured status. Extends authority to waive the termination of annuity payments for re-employed Foreign Service annuitants. Establishes a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands-only lawful permanent resident status for certain long-term Commonwealth legal residents. Authorizes such aliens to receive an immigrant visa or to adjust to lawful permanent (U.S.) resident status. Subtitle B: Agricultural Worker Program - Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2013 - Confers "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) has performed specified periods of U.S. agricultural employment or is a qualifying alien's spouse or child, (2) applied for such status during the application period, and (3) is not ineligible under the grounds applicable to RPI aliens. Sets forth protections for aliens apprehended before or during the application period, or in removal proceedings. Permits qualified nonimmigrants who have participated in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program to apply from outside the United States. Prohibits the Secretary from granting blue card status unless the individual submits eligibility-related security and law enforcement biometric and biographic data. States that blue card status expires eight years after the date on which final blue card regulations are published. Establishes a processing fee for persons 16 years or old. Enumerates grounds under which the Secretary may revoke blue card status. Makes a blue card alien ineligible for any federal means-tested benefit. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust to RPI the status of an alien who has been granted blue card status if the alien is unable to fulfill the agricultural service requirement. Directs the Secretary to adjust a blue card alien (and spouse and children) to permanent resident status if the alien has fulfilled specified periods of agricultural employment. Requires payment of: (1) a $400 fine, and (2) any federal tax liability. Establishes criminal penalties for false application statements. Authorizes a blue card alien to correct certain social security records. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to create: (1) a W-3 nonimmigrant visa for an alien to perform agricultural services who has a written contract that specifies the wages, benefits, and working conditions of such full-time employment with a designated agricultural employer for a specified period of time; and (2) a W-4 nonimmigrant visa for an alien to perform agricultural services who has a full-time employment offer from a designated agricultural employer for such employment. Establishes the nonimmigrant agricultural (W-3 and W-4 visa) worker program. Establishes a program limit for the first five years which may be adjusted annually based upon demand and economic factors. Provides for a three-year period of admission with specified extension periods. Provides for worker portability. Prohibits derivative status for the spouses and children of program aliens. Excludes W-3 and W-4 workers from need-based federal financial assistance programs. Directs the Secretary to monitor program workers through E-Verify and an electronic monitoring system. Establishes a cut-off date for petitioning for H-2A temporary agricultural workers that is one year after the effective date of the regulations implementing the agricultural worker program under this Act. Subjects specified benefits programs to quarterly fraud investigations. Subtitle C: Future Immigration - Establishes a merit-based and points immigrant admissions system. Provides for: (1) 120,000 admissions per fiscal year, annual increases based upon specified admissions and employment conditions, and a maximum admissions cap of 250,000; (2) recapture of unused visas; and (3) lawful permanent resident status for such entrants. Provides that: (1) for FY2015-FY2017 the worldwide level of merit-based immigrant visas shall be available for skilled workers, professionals, and certain other workers; and (2) for subsequent fiscal years preference will be given to tier 1 and tier 2 aliens based upon a point allocation system. Awards tier 1 and tier 2 points to applicants for specified criteria. Establishes a $1,500 visa fee in addition to any application processing fee. Makes specified employment- and family-based applicants and long-term workers eligible for merit-based immigrant visas. Repeals the diversity immigrant program as of October 1, 2014. Permits aliens selected for FY2013 or FY2014 to retain program eligibility. Sets forth worldwide levels of employment- and family-based immigrants. Includes the spouse or minor child of a lawful permanent resident alien in the definition of "immediate family." Eliminates the per-country limit for employment-based immigrants and increases the per-country limit for family-based immigrants. Revises family-based immigrant visa allocations for: (1) unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, (2) married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (requires that they be under 31 years old at time of filing), and (3) unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. lawful permanent residents. Eliminates the visa category for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. Exempts certain aliens from numerical limitations. Includes a community adversely affected by a recommendation of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission as a targeted employment area for purposes of certain employment creation visa set-asides. Revises nonimmigrant V-visa (spouses and children of lawful permanent residents coming to the United States to wait for completion of the immigrant visa process) requirements. Makes fiances of lawful permanent residents eligible for a nonimmigrant K-visa (fiance or fiancee). Redefines "child" for purposes of titles I and II of INA to include a stepchild under 21 years old. Permits children under 18 years old to be adopted. Provides specified relief for orphans and spouses. Authorizes an immigration judge to terminate removal proceedings. Revises waiver of inadmissibility requirements, including waiving inadmissibility for certain persons who entered the United States before age 16 who have earned a degree from a U.S. institution of higher education. Considers a lawful permanent resident alien (and spouse or child) who is a doctor or health care worker residing in an eligible country and working in such capacity to be physically present and residing in the United States for naturalization purposes. Extends the Iraqi special immigrant visa program and the Afghan special immigrant visa program. Makes the special immigrant non-minister religious worker and the EB-5 regional center programs permanent. Provides discretionary special immigrant status for the surviving spouse or child of a U.S. government employee killed abroad in the line of duty who had performed faithful service for at least 15 years. Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act - Exempts from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas the sons and daughters of a U.S. citizen and a parent who was a Filipino World War II veteran who was naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 or other specified federal law. Subtitle D: Conrad State 30 and Physician Access - Makes permanent the J-1 visa waiver program (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas). Excludes from numerical immigration limitations any alien physicians who have completed national interest waiver requirements by working in a health care shortage area (including alien physicians who completed such service before enactment of this Act and their spouse and children). Sets forth specified employment protections and contract requirements for alien physicians working in underserved areas. Increases the number of alien physicians that may be allocated to a state. Provides for: (1) additional increases or decreases based upon demand, and (2) up to three visa waivers per fiscal year per state for physicians in academic medical centers. Subtitle E: Integration - Renames the DHS Office of Citizenship as the Office of Citizenship and New Americans. Revises Office functions. Establishes a Task Force on New Americans which shall establish a coordinated federal program and policy response to immigrant integration issues. Authorizes the Secretary, through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to: (1) establish the United States Citizenship Foundation to expand citizenship preparation programs, and (2) award grants to eligible nonprofit organizations for immigration integration programs. Establishes a pilot program of grants to states, local governments, or other qualifying entities to carry out immigrant integration programs, or to establish New Immigrant Councils to carry out such programs. Waives with respect to naturalization: (1) English language and civics requirements for persons over age 65 who have lived in the United States for at least 5 years as lawful permanent residents, and (2) the English language requirement for persons over age 60 who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years as lawful permanent residents. Prohibits the Secretary, before October 1, 2020, from requiring an applicant or petitioner for permanent residence or citizenship to use an electronic method to file an application or access a customer account. Makes certain battered aliens eligible for housing assistance. Amends the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, regarding naturalization of an alien child adopted by a U.S. citizen, to: (1) apply its requirements to any individual who satisfies requirements for naturalization, regardless of the date on which they were satisfied; (2) permit one parent to satisfy the preadoption visitation requirement; (3) grant automatic citizenship to a child in the legal custody of the citizen parent pursuant to a lawful admission; and (4) provide for the naturalization of adopted children who lack legal status or physical presence in the United States. Applies these amendments to any child adopted by a U.S. citizen regardless of the date of the adoption. Title III: Interior Enforcement - Subtitle A: Employment Verification System - Prohibits an employer from: (1) hiring, recruiting, or referring for a fee any alien who is not authorized to work in the United States; (2) failing to comply with E-Verify or document requirements; or (2) continuing to employ an unauthorized alien. Provides a good faith defense for an employer who has complied with document and E-Verify requirements. Sets forth: (1) employer and employee document requirements, and (2) employer penalties and civil rights protections. Sets forth E-Verify participation deadlines for federal agencies and departments, federal contractors, employers, agricultural laborers, tribal employers, and all other employers. Sets forth E-Verify program requirements. Declares that failure to participate in E-Verify shall constitute a civil violation. States that E-Verify remains in effect during the period of transition as provided for by this Act. Requires that within five years all Social Security cards issued shall be fraud-, tamper-, wear-, and identity theft-resistant. Makes specified forms of Social Security fraud punishable by fine, up to five years' imprisonment, or both. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security (SSA) to establish a secure method to check specified employee data against SSA data in order to confirm identity and employment eligibility. Prohibits the release of tax return information except as authorized by the Internal Revenue Code. Makes it an unfair immigration-related employment practice, with specified exceptions, for a person, entity, or employment agency to discriminate based upon an individual's national origin or citizenship status with respect to hiring, firing, or verifying employment eligibility. Establishes within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services the Office of the Small Business and Employee Advocate to assist small businesses and individuals comply with alien employment requirements. Subtitle B: Protecting United States Workers - Expands the U-visa (crime victims) category to include aliens who have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse or harm, or who would suffer extreme hardship upon removal, as a result of having been a victim of the following covered violations: (1) certain workplace abuses, (2) slavery or trafficking in persons, or (3) deprivation of due process or constitutional rights. Subtitle C: Other Provisions - Establishes in the Treasury the Interior Enforcement Account. Establishes: (1) a mandatory exit data system that shall include data collection from machine-readable visas, passports, and other travel and entry documents for all aliens exiting the United States from air and sea ports of entry; (2) a mandatory biometric exit data system at the 10 U.S. airports that support the highest volume of international air travel; and (3) a mandatory biometric exit data system at the Core 30 international airports in the United States. Directs the Secretary to implement an interoperable electronic data system to access database information from federal law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community for purposes of visa issuance, admissibility, or deportability. Requires an appropriate official of each commercial aircraft or vessel departing from the United States to any port or place outside the United States to ensure transmission to CBP of identity-theft resistant departure manifest information covering alien passengers, crew, and non-crew. Prohibits, with national security and specific suspect exceptions, federal law enforcement officers from using race or ethnicity in making routine law enforcement decisions. Increases penalties for cultivating or manufacturing controlled substances on federal property. Provides additional penalties under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for: (1) the use of hazardous substances on federal land, and (2) the use or possession of firearms in connection with drug offenses on federal land. Subtitle D: Asylum and Refugee Provisions - Eliminates the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. Permits reopening a claim denied because of failure to file within one year. Authorizes the spouse or child of a refugee or asylee to bring his or her accompanying or joining child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. Terminates the waiver of specified visa requirements for certain aliens who were born and reside in Vietnam and who were fathered by a U.S. citizen. Authorizes the President to designate refugee groups. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to designate specific groups of individuals as stateless persons, and (2) the Secretary or the Attorney General to provide conditional lawful status to a qualifying stateless person and adjust such person to lawful permanent resident status after one year. Sets forth protections for stateless persons in the United States. Increases the number of annual U-visas. Provides employment authorization for nonimmigrant U-visa and T-visa (trafficking victim) aliens whose applications are pending. Prohibits an alien from being admitted as a refugee or asylee until such person's identity has been checked against all appropriate databases. Tibetan Refugee Assistance Act of 2013 - Makes 5,000 immigrant visas available in FY2014-FY2016 for individuals born in Tibet who have been continuously residing in India or Nepal. Terminates the refugee or asylee status of an alien who: (1) without good cause returns to the alien's country of nationality or, in the case of an alien having no nationality, returns to the country in which the alien last habitually resided; and (2) applied for such status because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Makes such provision inapplicable to an alien eligible for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status pursuant to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. Subtitle E: Shortage of Immigration Court Resources for Removal Proceedings - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) increase the number of immigration court judges, support staff, and Immigration Board of Appeals staff attorneys; and (2) appoint counsel in certain removal proceedings involving an unaccompanied child, an individual with a serious mental disability, or a particularly vulnerable individual. Establishes within the Executive Office for Immigration Review an Office of Legal Access Programs to educate aliens regarding administrative procedures and legal rights. Subtitle F: Prevention of Trafficking in Persons and Abuses Involving Workers Recruited Abroad - Requires any person who engages in foreign labor contracting to disclose in writing in English and in the primary language of the worker being recruited specified information, including the identity of the employer and the recruiter, worker protections, and a signed copy of the work contract. Prohibits any person who engages in foreign labor contracting from discriminating in hiring. Prohibits certain recruitment fees. Requires a foreign labor contractor to register with the Secretary of Labor. Establishes a registration fee. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) maintain a list of all foreign labor contractors registered and a list of all foreign labor contractors whose registration has been revoked, and (2) establish a process for complaint investigation. Sets forth administrative and civil action enforcement requirements. Child Trafficking Victims Protection Act - Directs the Secretary to require the appropriate training of all personnel who come into contact with unaccompanied alien children. Sets forth child protection requirements. Directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a best practices program to ensure the safe repatriation and reintegration of unaccompanied alien children into their country of nationality or of last habitual residence. Subtitle G: Interior Enforcement - Makes an alien who has been convicted of an offense for which an element was active and knowing participation in a criminal street gang inadmissible and deportable. Makes an alien: (1) inadmissible who is physically outside the United States and since the age of 18 knowingly participated in a criminal street gang, or (2) who is at least 18 years old ineligible for RPI status for criminal street gang activities. Makes an alien who has been convicted three or more times for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated inadmissible and deportable. Revises the definition of "aggravated felony" regarding the evidentiary determination of minority in instances of murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor. Revises criminal penalty and related affirmative defense requirements regarding illegal entry and reentry. Increases monetary penalties for owners and operators of vessels and aircraft regarding stowaways and execution of removal orders. Amends the federal criminal code to revise and increase criminal penalties for passport, visa, and immigration fraud. Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action to enjoin any fraudulent immigration service provider from continuing to provide services that substantially interfere with the administration of the immigration laws or from continuing to willfully misrepresent such provider's legal authority to provide representation. Makes an alien convicted of a passport or visa violation under the federal criminal code inadmissible and removable. Makes certain aliens inadmissible who: (1) refuse to comply with a lawful request for biometric information; or (2) have been convicted of a crime of domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, or are in violation of a domestic protection order. Prohibits an individual acting for financial gain from directing or participating in an effort to bring or attempt to bring five or more persons unlawfully into the United States. Establishes and increases monetary and/or prison penalties for such actions. Makes it a crime to transmit to another person the location, movement, or activities of law enforcement agents while intending to further an immigration-related crime. Prohibits the carrying or use of a firearm in an alien smuggling crime. Eliminates the provision permitting a U.S. national to renounce his or her citizenship during wartime. Authorizes special agents of the Department and the Foreign Service to investigate illegal passport or visa issuance or use, identity theft, document fraud, human trafficking, peonage, and federal offenses committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to use secure alternatives programs to maintain custody over detained aliens, except for terrorist aliens. Sets forth detention facility oversight requirements. Revises bond hearing and notice to appear requirements. Limits the use of solitary confinement, prohibiting it for persons younger than age 18. Directs the Secretary of State to prohibit visas to persons of a country whose government denies or unreasonably delays accepting back their citizens, subjects, nationals, or residents. Makes inadmissible an alien who has committed acts of torture, extrajudicial killings, war crimes, or systematic attacks on civilians. Subtitle H: Protection of Children Affected by Immigration Enforcement - Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act or HELP Separated Children Act - Sets forth apprehension procedures for DHS and cooperating entity immigration enforcement-related activities. Requires DHS detention centers to provide for access to children, child welfare agencies, courts, and consular officials. Title IV: Reforms to Nonimmigrant Visa Programs - Subtitle A: Employment-based Nonimmigrant Visas - Establishes: (1) a nonimmigrant H-1B visa (specialty occupation) cap of 115,000 for the fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act, and (2) a minimum of 115,000 visas and a maximum of 180,000 visas in subsequent years based upon market conditions. Sets forth fiscal year cap increases and decreases. Limits the exemption from H-1B numerical limitations to STEM occupations and increases the annual STEM allocation to 25,000. Authorizes an H-1B or L-visa (intra-company transferee) spouse to work if he or she is the national of a country that permits reciprocal employment. Provides deference to prior H-1B or L-visa adjudications involving the same employer and nonimmigrant absent material error, changed circumstances, or new information adversely affecting eligibility. Provides a 60-day lawful status period for an H-1B alien whose employment is terminated. Authorizes: (1) visa revalidation within the United States for specified nonimmigrant visa categories, and (2) waiver of consular interviews for low-risk applicants. Establishes in the Treasury the STEM Education and Training Account. Requires employers to submit a $1,000 fee along with an application for a certification. Sets aside specified amounts for: (1) a low-income STEM scholarship program, (2) K-12 STEM education, and (3) STEM capacity building at minority-serving institutions. Authorizes grants to eligible entities for American Dream Accounts for a group of low-income students. Requires an employer (except for nonprofit research institutions and nonprofit educational institutions) filing a petition to hire H-1B or L-visa aliens to pay a fee of: (1) $1,250 for each petition filed by any employer with not more than 25 full-time U.S. employees, and (2) $2,500 for each petition filed by any employer with more than 25 such employees. Subtitle B: H-1B Visa Fraud and Abuse Protections - Revises H-1B requirements for employer applications and application reviews. Revises requirements regarding (H-1C visa) nonimmigrant nurses in health professional shortage areas to: (1) permit a one-time three-year extension of admission, (2) reduce the maximum number of visas per fiscal year, and (3) authorize such a nonimmigrant to accept new employment as a registered nurse at any H-1C-qualifying facility. Prohibits an employer (other than an educational or research employer) that employs 50 or more employees in the United States from hiring additional H-1B or L-visa employees if the number of such employees exceeds specified limits. Revises H-1B employer complaint requirements. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish an H-1B recruitment website. Establishes: (1) specified filing fees for H-1B-dependent employers, and (2) a fee for premium processing of employment-based immigrant petitions. Revises portability requirements for beneficiaries of immigrant petitions. Subtitle C: L Visa Fraud and Abuse Protections - Prohibits outplacement of L-1 visa workers (employees of an international company with offices in the United States and abroad) by certain employers. Authorizes and enumerates the requirements for: (1) outplacement of L-visa nonimmigrants, including payment of a $500 fee; and (2) 12-month approvals of new office L-visa petitions. Sets forth L-visa filing fee requirements for certain employers. Authorizes the Secretary to initiate complaints against L-visa employers. Sets forth related penalty requirements. Requires DHS to report to Congress regarding the use of L-visa blanket petitions. Subtitle D: Other Nonimmigrant Visas - Authorizes dual intent for F-1 visa foreign students, including students who commute from Canada or Mexico to study in the United States. Revises the nonimmigrant E-visa (treaty trader) category to: (1) include aliens seeking to enter the United States pursuant to a bilateral investment treaty or a free trade agreement, (2) establish an E-4 visa for specialty occupation workers (other than from Chile, Singapore, or Australia) to enter the United States pursuant to a free trade agreement, (3) establish an E-5 visa for specialty occupation workers who are nationals of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and (4) establish an E-6 visa for qualifying workers who are nationals of certain sub-Saharan African or Caribbean Basin countries. Includes in the nonimmigrant E-3 visa category certain nationals of Ireland coming to the United States under a treaty of commerce to perform specialty occupation services. Extends portability to certain nonimmigrant O-1 visa holders (extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry). Permits specified nonimmigrant aliens granted employment authorization to continue employment with the same employer while an extension of stay application is adjudicated. Eliminates the 12-month attendance limit for elementary and secondary foreign students. Requires employers/sponsors to pay a $500 fee for each J-1 visa (cultural exchange visitor) alien admitted under the summer work travel program. Includes in the J-1 visa category persons coming to the United States to perform work involving a specialized knowledge or skill that requires proficiency in a language spoken in countries of which fewer than 5,000 nationals were lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the previous year. Establishes a $100 nonimmigrant F-1 (foreign student) visa fee. Directs the Secretary of State to develop a pilot program for processing B-visas (business or tourist visitors) using secure remote videoconferencing technology to conduct applicant interviews. Grants the Secretary of State access to all terrorism records and databases maintained by any U.S. agency or department in order to determine whether an applicant for admission poses a security threat. Authorizes the head of an agency or department to withhold such access if necessary to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of information that identifies intelligence or sensitive law enforcement sources, methods, or activities. Requires every alien applying for U.S. admission to submit to biographic and biometric screening to determine whether the alien is listed in any U.S. terrorist watch list or database. Prohibits, with specified exceptions, the entry of a listed person. Requires that notice of a revoked visa be immediately provided to the relevant consular officers, law enforcement, terrorist screening databases, and DHS port inspectors. Defines "abused derivative alien" as the spouse or child accompanying or joining a principal alien who has been subjected to the principal alien's battery or extreme cruelty. Directs the Secretary to grant or extend the admission status of an abused derivative alien for the longer of the same period for which the principal alien was admitted, or three years. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust the status of an abused derivative alien to that of a lawful permanent resident. Considers an alien crewman to have departed from Hawaii, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands after leaving its territorial waters without regard to whether the alien arrives in a foreign state before returning to Hawaii, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Makes citizens of the Compact of Free Association States (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau) lawfully residing in the United States eligible for Medicaid. Subtitle E: JOLT Act - Jobs Originated through Launching Travel Act of 2013 or JOLT Act of 2013 - Establishes a pilot fee-based premium processing service to expedite visa interview appointments. Authorizes the admission into the United States of a qualifying Canadian citizen over age 55 and spouse (who is not required to be over age 55) for a period not to exceed 240 days in any 365-day period who maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay. Prohibits U.S. employment. Establishes a nonimmigrant Y-visa for: (1) an alien who invests (and maintains) at least $500,000 in U.S. residential real estate, of which at least $250,000 must be for a U.S. primary residence where such person will reside for more than 180 days per year; and (2) such alien's accompanying or joining spouse and children. Requires a Y-visa alien to: (1) be at least 55 years old, (2) have purchased a qualifying residence, (3) not need public assistance, (4) possess health insurance, (5) live in the United States for more than 180 days per year, and (6) pay a $1,000 fee. Limits U.S. employment. Directs the Secretary to make available each month data for the previous two years regarding visa appointment availability for each visa processing post to allow applicants to identify periods when wait times may be shorter. Revises the visa waiver program to authorize the Secretary (in lieu of the Attorney General) to designate any country as a program country if it provides machine-readable passports and the visa refusal rate and overstay rate for nationals of that country were both not more than 3% in the previous fiscal year. Directs: (1) the Comptroller General (GAO) to review the Secretary's methods of tracking entering and exiting aliens and detecting overstays, and (2) the Secretary to evaluate the security risks of aliens entering the United States without an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization verification. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary, in conducting evaluations of visa waiver countries, should prioritize reviews of countries in which such review is necessary or desirable. Makes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (PRC) eligible for program country designation. Authorizes the inclusion in registered traveler programs of individuals who meet security requirements and are employed and sponsored by an international organization which maintains a strong working relationship with the United States. Prohibits enrollment of an individual who is a citizen of a state sponsor of terror. Requires U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to: (1) conduct nonimmigrant visa application interviews expeditiously, consistent with national security and resource allocation considerations; and (2) explore expanding visa processing capacity in China and Brazil. Establishes a $5 B-visa fee. Subtitle F: Reforms to the H-2B Visa Program - Exempts returning workers from the nonimmigrant H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural services) annual numerical limitations through FY2018. Sets forth H-2B employer requirements, including payment of a $500 labor certification application fee. Authorizes the temporary nonimmigrant admission of: (1) multinational executives, managers, and multinational company employees coming for work-related purposes; and (2) certain relief workers coming in response to a federal or state declared disaster. Authorizes a B-visa alien to accept certain honorarium payments and associated incidental expenses. Establishes a temporary nonimmigrant Z-visa for certain aliens coming to perform health and safety-related maintenance or repairs for common carriers on equipment or machinery manufactured outside of the United States. Establishes a $500 fee for each such alien. American Jobs in American Forests Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Labor, as a component of the H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) labor certification process for forestry employment, to take specified actions to recruit U.S. workers before hiring H-2B workers. Subtitle G: W Nonimmigrant Visas - Establishes the Bureau of Immigration and Labor Market Research which shall devise a methodology to: (1) determine the annual change to the nonimmigrant W-visa cap and use such methodology to set such caps, and and (2) designate shortage occupations by job zone. Establishes: (1) a nonimmigrant W-1 visa for an alien having a foreign residence who is coming to the United States to perform services or labor for a registered employer in a registered position, and (2) a nonimmigrant W-2 visa for such alien's accompanying or joining spouse or children. Provides that: (1) a certified alien may be granted W-visa status for an initial three-year period, with additional three-year extensions which may be made while in the United States; and (2) a W-visa alien must leave the United States if unemployed for more than 60 consecutive days. Requires an employer to pay a registered employer application fee. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) employer eligibility, registration, U.S. worker recruitment requirements,and related requirements; (2) W-visa nonimmigrant protections; (3) eligible and ineligible occupations; (4) fees; (5) enforcement; and (6) annual admission limits. Subtitle H: Investing in New Venture, Entrepreneurial Startups, and Technologies - Establishes a nonimmigrant X-visa for a qualified entrepreneur: (1) who has secured at least $100,000 in investments from an accredited investor, venture capitalist, or government entity for such alien's U.S. business; or (2) whose U.S. business has created at least three qualified jobs during the previous two years and has generated at least $250,000 in annual revenue in the United States. Provides for an initial three-year period of authorized admission with specified extension periods. Establishes a $1,000 X-visa fee. Establishes an EB-6 immigrant investor visa (capped at 10,000 per year) for qualifying entrepreneur aliens (including aliens with advanced STEM degrees) living in the United States whose U.S. business has met specified job creation, revenue, and/or venture capital or investment requirements. Makes the EB-5 visa (alien investor) regional center program permanent. Authorizes a commercial enterprise affiliated with a regional center to file a preapproval petition. Authorizes a related premium processing (and fee) option. Authorizes termination of a previously approved regional center if persons in positions of authority have been involved in criminal, trafficking, espionage, or terrorist activity. Requires regional center compliance with securities laws. Terminates the status of an alien (and the alien's spouse and children) with conditional permanent resident status who is an employee of a federal national security, science and technology laboratory, center, or agency if the Secretary determines within one year of granting such status that: (1) the qualifying employment was intended as a means to evade U.S. immigration laws; (2) the alien has not completed, or is not likely to complete, the 12-month employment requirement; or (3) the alien was not meeting status requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to require an employment-based immigrant to pay an additional fee for a petition that includes the alien's spouse and child or children. Exempts spouses and children of EB-5 employment-based immigrants from EB-5 admissions limits. Increases the fiscal year EB-5 set-aside for qualified immigrants who invest in a new commercial enterprise which is investing capital and will create employment in a targeted employment area (TEA). Designates TEAs for a five-year renewable period. Authorizes concurrent filing of EB-5 petitions and applications for status adjustment to conditional lawful permanent resident Subtitle I: Student and Exchange Visitor Programs - Student Visa Integrity Act - Subjects to fine and a 15-year prison term an owner, official, employee, or agent of an educational institution who commits fraud or misuse of visas, permits, and other immigration documents in connection with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Requires academic institutions (other than seminaries or other religious institutions) to be accredited for F-visa purposes if: (1) the institution is not already required to be accredited, and (2) an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education is able to provide such accreditation. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a monetary fine and suspend authority to issue a Form I-20 with regard to an institution that fails to comply with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) reporting requirements. Authorizes the Secretary, upon reasonable suspicion that an owner of, or a designated school official at, an approved institution of higher education, another educational institution, or a designated exchange visitor program, has committed SEVP-related fraud, to suspend: (1) SEVP certification, and (2) such official's or such school's SEVIS access. Disqualifies permanently an owner or school official who is convicted of SEVP-related fraud from filing future petitions and from having an ownership interest or a management role in any U.S. educational institution that enrolls nonimmigrant alien students or nonimmigrant alien vocational students. Prohibits an individual from serving as a designated school official or from being granted SEVIS access unless the individual: (1) is a U.S. national or a lawful permanent resident alien who, during the most recent three-year period, has undergone a specified background check; and (2) has completed SEVP and SEVIS training. Authorizes the Secretary to collect a fee for each such security check. Prohibits any U.S. flight school from accessing SEVIS or issuing a Form I-20 to an alien seeking a student or vocational student visa if the flight school has not been certified to the satisfaction of the Secretary and by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Requires: (1) an accrediting agency, at the time it is required to notify the Secretary of Education and the appropriate state licensing agency of the final denial, withdrawal, suspension, or termination of an institution's accreditation, to notify the Secretary of such determination; and (2) the Secretary to withdraw the school from SEVP and prohibit the school from accessing SEVIS. Directs the Secretary to implement both phases of the second generation Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS II) within two years.
Bill· SS. 1563 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2013
Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2013 - Amends the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act, with respect to the installation of renewable fuel pumps and tanks, to revise the ethanol content requirements for renewable fuel to mean any fuel which is at least 10% ethanol by volume. Requires automobile manufacturers to ensure that at least 50% of 2015 and 2016 model year automobiles and light duty trucks manufactured for sale in the United States are dual fueled. Increases the minimum to 90% for 2017 and subsequent model years. (Excludes automobiles and light duty trucks that operate only on electricity.) Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to make grants to eligible facilities to pay the federal share of: (1) installing blender pump fuel infrastructure, including infrastructure necessary for the direct retail sale of ethanol fuel blends (including E-85 fuel); and (2) providing subgrants to direct retailers of such fuels for the installation of such infrastructure. Prohibits a major fuel distributor (any person that owns a refinery or that directly markets the output of a refinery through at least 50 retail fueling stations) from being eligible for such grants or subgrants. Amends the Clean Air Act to revise the renewable fuel program to require the Secretary to promulgate regulations to ensure that each major fuel distributor that sells or introduces gasoline into commerce in the United States through majority-owned stations or branded stations installs one or more blender pumps that dispense E-85 fuel and ethanol fuel blends at: (1) an overall percentage of such stations increasing from 10% in 2016 to 50% in 2022, and (2) a specified minimum percentage of such stations in each state. Allows such distributors to earn credits if they exceed such percentages and to sell such credits to other distributors, except for use to fulfill the state distribution requirement. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to make renewable fuel pipelines eligible for loan guarantees for projects that avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued. Amends the temporary program for rapid deployment of renewable energy and electric power transmission projects to make eligible for loan guarantees projects for the installation of sufficient infrastructure to allow for the cost-effective deployment of clean energy technologies appropriate to each region of the United States.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 69 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2013
Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2014. Appropriates amounts for continuing projects or activities that were conducted in FY2013 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division A of P.L. 113-6); the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6); the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013 (division C of P.L. 113-6); the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2013 (division D of P.L. 113-6); the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of P.L. 113-6); and the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6). Requires the rate for operations for each account to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: any provision of division G of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); and the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by: (1) the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (P.L. 112-175); or (2) the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Bars the use of Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations or funds made available or authority granted in this joint resolution for: (1) the new production of items not funded for production in FY2013 or prior years; (2) the increase in production rates above those sustained with FY2013 funds; (3) the initiation, resumption, or continuation of specified projects, activities, or operations for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during FY2013; or (4) the initiation of multi-year procurements utilizing advance procurement funding for economic order quantity procurement unless specifically appropriated later. Provides funding under this joint resolution until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in it; (2) enactment of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) December 15, 2013. Declares that this joint resolution shall be implemented so that only the most limited funding action permitted shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Continues funding through December 15, 2013, at the FY2013 level, for entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in FY2013 appropriations Acts, as well as for activities under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Authorizes amounts made available under this joint resolution for civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each department and agency to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable FY2013 appropriations Act. Prohibits use of this authority until after the department or agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses. Continues designation of each amount incorporated by reference in this joint resolution that was previously designated by Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism or for disaster relief, respectively. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 certain requirements and prohibitions of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, namely: the requirement that the head of any executive branch department, agency, board, commission, or office funded by this or any other appropriations Act report annually to the Inspector General (IG) (or senior ethics official for any federal entity without an IG) regarding the costs and contracting procedures related to each conference held by any such entity during FY2014 for which the cost to the federal government was more than $100,000; the requirement that the head of any federal entity, within 15 days of any conference it held for which the cost was over $20,000, notify the IG or the senior ethics official of the date, location, and number of employees attending such conference; the prohibition against the use of federal grants or contracts by an executive branch agency to defray the costs of such a conference not directly and programmatically related to the purpose for which the grant or contract was awarded, such as a conference held in connection with planning, training, assessment, review, or other routine purposes related to a project funded by the grant or contract; and the prohibition against the use of federal funds for travel and conference activities that are not in compliance with OMB Memorandum M-12-12 dated May 11, 2012. Amends the Food for Peace Act to extend through December 15, 2013, authority for agreements to finance sales or to provide other assistance. Allows amounts made available for the "Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction" to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. Continues through the earlier of December 15, 2013, or the enactment of an authorization of FY2014 appropriations for Department of Defense (DOD) military activities, the DOD Secretary's authority to provide logistic support, supplies, and services for foreign forces, including the national military forces of Uganda, participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army. Extends through December 15, 2013, specified federal law relating to Appalachian regional development. Authorizes the District of Columbia to expend local funds for certain programs and activities. Provides funding for "The Judiciary--Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services--Defender Services" at a specified rate for operations. Continues through December 15, 2013, the requirement that the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for the security of chemical facilities. Continues through December 15, 2013, the authority of the United States Secret Service to use appropriated funds and proceeds from undercover investigative operations for specified purposes. Continues through December 15, 2013, the DHS Secretary's authority to carry out a pilot program for: (1) basic, applied, and advanced research and development projects for response to existing or emerging terrorist threats; and (2) defense prototype projects. Requires any amounts made available pursuant to this joint resolution for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of DHS for salaries and expenses and for Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of DHS for salaries and expenses to be obligated at a rate for necessary operations to respectively sustain: the staffing levels of CBP Officers, equivalent to the staffing levels achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with specified requirements of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); border security operations, including sustaining the operation of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems; and the staffing levels of ICE agents, equivalent to the staffing levels achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with specified requirements of P.L. 113-6. Requires the DHS Secretary to notify congressional appropriations committees on each use of such authority. Appropriates additional funding for FY2014 for wildland fire management programs of the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, to remain available until expended for urgent wildland fire suppression activities. Continues through December 15, 2013, the authority of the Forest Service: to enter into up to 28 contracts with private persons (of which Region One of the Forest Service shall have authority to enter into 9) to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests that meet local and rural community needs; and to apply the value of timber or other forest products removed as an offset against the cost of services received under a contract. Extends through December 15, 2013, activities authorized by part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) in the manner authorized for FY2013. Makes appropriations for such purpose. Excludes from this extension, however, activities otherwise authorized for: (1) the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs in the Treasury; and (2) funding of certain TANF research, evaluations, national studies, and demonstrations. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 certain authority granted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (CAA-2012) to: (1) collect and retain up to $2.499 million (currently, only retain up to $1.499 million) from fees collected for approval and certification of equipment, materials, and explosives for use in mines; and (2) use the funds for such activities. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 the treatment of funds for low-income home energy assistance payments for FY2012 under the CAA-2012 which requires that all but a specified portion of such funds be allocated as though the total appropriation for such payments for FY2012 was less than $1.975 billion. Provides funding for "Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--Administration for Children and Families--Refugee and Entrant Assistance" at a specified rate for operations. Allows obligation of such amounts up to a rate for operations necessary to maintain program operations at the FY2013 level to accommodate increased demand. Authorizes, during the period covered by this joint resolution, any unobligated amounts available in the "Nonrecurring expenses fund" established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to be transferred to the HHS Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for an additional amount for FY2014, to remain available until expended, for expenses necessary: to support advanced research and development pursuant to the Public Health Service Act, and other administrative expenses of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency; for procuring security countermeasures; or to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases, including activities such as the development and purchase of vaccine, antivirals, necessary medical supplies, diagnostics, and other surveillance tools. Allows products purchased with amounts made available by this joint resolution for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to be, at the discretion of the HHS Secretary, deposited in the Strategic National Stockpile. Provides funding for "Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)--Departmental Administration--General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration" at a specified rate for operations. Amends PPACA to extend the requirement for participation in an American Health Benefit Exchange (a state health insurance exchange created by PPACA) to the President, Vice-President, executive branch political appointees, and employees of congressional committees and leadership offices of Congress (currently, this requirement applies to Members of Congress and congressional staff). Prohibits any government contribution to or subsidy for the health insurance coverage of such officials and employees. Continues through December 15, 2013, the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 to waive or alter certain project-based assistance requirements for owners of certain properties assisted under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, the National Housing Act, or section 8 (voucher program) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (Makes such owners, under specified conditions, eligible for conversion of tenant-based vouchers to project-based vouchers.) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, until December 15, 2014, to issue obligations to pay principal and interest on obligations of the United States held by the public or by the Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Disability Insurance Trust Fund, in the event that the debt of the United States reaches the statutory limit. Prohibits the issuance of obligations to pay compensation for Members of Congress. Requires the Secretary to submit a weekly report to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee on the principal and interest that is due or accrued and any obligations issued by the Secretary.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 67 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2013
Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2014. Appropriates amounts for continuing projects or activities which were conducted in FY2013 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division A of P.L. 113-6); the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6); the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013 (division C of P.L. 113-6); the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2013 (division D of P.L. 113-6); the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of P.L. 113-6); and the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6). Requires the rate for operations for each account to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: any provision of division G of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); and the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by: (1) the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (P.L. 112-175); or (2) the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Bars the use of Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations or funds made available or authority granted in this joint resolution for: (1) the new production of items not funded for production in FY2013 or prior years; (2) the increase in production rates above those sustained with FY2013 funds; (3) the initiation, resumption, or continuation of specified projects, activities, or operations for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during FY2013; or (4) the initiation of multi-year procurements utilizing advance procurement funding for economic order quantity procurement unless specifically appropriated later. Provides funding under this joint resolution until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in it; (2) enactment of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) October 7, 2013. Declares that this joint resolution shall be implemented so that only the most limited funding action permitted shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Continues funding through October 7, 2013, at the FY2013 level, for entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in FY2013 appropriations Acts, as well as for activities under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Authorizes amounts made available under this joint resolution for civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each department and agency to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable FY2013 appropriations Act. Prohibits use of this authority until after the department or agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses. Continues designation of each amount incorporated by reference in this joint resolution that was previously designated by Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism or for disaster relief, respectively. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 certain requirements and prohibitions of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, namely: the requirement that the head of any executive branch department, agency, board, commission, or office funded by this or any other appropriations Act report annually to the Inspector General (IG) (or senior ethics official for any federal entity without an IG) regarding the costs and contracting procedures related to each conference held by any such entity during FY2014 for which the cost to the federal government was more than $100,000; the requirement that the head of any federal entity, within 15 days of any conference it held for which the cost was over $20,000, notify the IG or the senior ethics official of the date, location, and number of employees attending such conference; the prohibition against the use of federal grants or contracts by an executive branch agency to defray the costs of such a conference not directly and programmatically related to the purpose for which the grant or contract was awarded, such as a conference held in connection with planning, training, assessment, review, or other routine purposes related to a project funded by the grant or contract; and the prohibition against the use of federal funds for travel and conference activities that are not in compliance with OMB Memorandum M-12-12 dated May 11, 2012. Amends the Food for Peace Act to extend through October 7, 2013, authority for agreements to finance sales or to provide other assistance. Allows amounts made available for the "Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction" to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. Continues through the earlier of October 7, 2013, or the enactment of an authorization of FY2014 appropriations for Department of Defense (DOD) military activities, the DOD Secretary's authority to provide logistic support, supplies, and services for foreign forces, including the national military forces of Uganda, participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army. Extends through October 7, 2013, specified federal law relating to Appalachian regional development. Authorizes the District of Columbia to expend local funds for certain programs and activities. Provides funding for "The Judiciary--Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services--Defender Services" at a specified rate for operations. Continues through October 7, 2013, the requirement that the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for the security of chemical facilities. Continues through October 7, 2013, the authority of the United States Secret Service to use appropriated funds and proceeds from undercover investigative operations for specified purposes. Continues through October 7, 2013, the DHS Secretary's authority to carry out a pilot program for: (1) basic, applied, and advanced research and development projects for response to existing or emerging terrorist threats; and (2) defense prototype projects. Requires any amounts made available pursuant to this joint resolution for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of DHS for salaries and expenses and for Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of DHS for salaries and expenses to be obligated at a rate for necessary operations to respectively sustain: the staffing levels of CBP Officers, equivalent to the staffing levels achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with specified requirements of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); border security operations, including sustaining the operation of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems; and the staffing levels of ICE agents, equivalent to the staffing levels achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with specified requirements of P.L. 113-6. Requires the DHS Secretary to notify congressional appropriations committees on each use of such authority. Appropriates additional funding for FY2014 for wildland fire management programs of the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, to remain available until expended for urgent wildland fire suppression activities. Continues through October 7, 2013, the authority of the Forest Service: to enter into up to 28 contracts with private persons (of which Region One of the Forest Service shall have authority to enter into 9) to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests that meet local and rural community needs; and to apply the value of timber or other forest products removed as an offset against the cost of services received under a contract. Extends through October 7, 2013, activities authorized by part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) in the manner authorized for FY2013. Makes appropriations for such purpose. Excludes from this extension, however, activities otherwise authorized for: (1) the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs in the Treasury; and (2) funding of certain TANF research, evaluations, national studies, and demonstrations. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 certain authority granted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (CAA-2012) to: (1) collect and retain up to $2.499 million (currently, only retain up to $1.499 million) from fees collected for approval and certification of equipment, materials, and explosives for use in mines; and (2) use the funds for such activities. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 the treatment of funds for low-income home energy assistance payments for FY2012 under the CAA-2012 which requires that all but a specified portion of such funds be allocated as though the total appropriation for such payments for FY2012 was less than $1.975 billion. Provides funding for "Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--Administration for Children and Families--Refugee and Entrant Assistance" at a specified rate for operations. Allows obligation of such amounts up to a rate for operations necessary to maintain program operations at the FY2013 level to accommodate increased demand. Authorizes, during the period covered by this joint resolution, any unobligated amounts available in the "Nonrecurring expenses fund" established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to be transferred to the HHS Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for an additional amount for FY2014, to remain available until expended, for expenses necessary: to support advanced research and development pursuant to the Public Health Service Act, and other administrative expenses of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency; for procuring security countermeasures; or to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases, including activities such as the development and purchase of vaccine, antivirals, necessary medical supplies, diagnostics, and other surveillance tools. Allows products purchased with amounts made available by this joint resolution for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to be, at the discretion of the HHS Secretary, deposited in the Strategic National Stockpile. Provides funding for "Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)--Departmental Administration--General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration" at a specified rate for operations. Continues through October 7, 2013, the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 to waive or alter certain project-based assistance requirements for owners of certain properties assisted under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, the National Housing Act, or section 8 (voucher program) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (Makes such owners, under specified conditions, eligible for conversion of tenant-based vouchers to project-based vouchers.) Requires any concurrent resolution considered for passage by the House of Representatives or the Senate to state after its resolving clause: "Congress affirms that it makes sense for the United States Government to rush ahead with $1,300,000,000,000 in new entitlement spending under the Affordable Care Act even though our Nation is in the middle of a debt crisis and Social Security and Medicare are on the brink of bankruptcy."
Bill· HRH.R. 3202 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2013
Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to Congress and the Comptroller General (GAO) a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the transportation security card program at enhancing security or reducing security risks for maritime facilities and vessels. Directs the Secretary to issue a corrective action plan based on the assessment that responds to the findings of a cost-benefit analysis of the program and enhances security or reduces security risk for such facilities and vessels. Directs the Comptroller General, within 120 days after the Secretary issues the corrective action plan, to: (1) review the extent to which the submissions implement certain recommendations issued by the Comptroller General, and (2) inform Congress as to the responsiveness of the submission. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing a final rule requiring the use of transportation security card readers until: (1) the Comptroller General informs Congress that the submission is substantially responsive to the GAO recommendations, and (2) the Secretary issues an updated list of transportation security card readers that are compatible with active transportation security cards.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 66 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2013
Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2014. Appropriates amounts for continuing projects or activities that were conducted in FY2013 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division A of P.L. 113-6); the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division B of P.L. 113-6); the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013 (division C of P.L. 113-6); the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2013 (division D of P.L. 113-6); the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (division E of P.L. 113-6); and the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6). Requires the rate for operations for each account to be calculated to reflect the full amount of any reduction required in FY2013 pursuant to: any provision of division G of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); and the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by: (1) the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (P.L. 112-175); or (2) the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-2). Bars the use of Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations or funds made available or authority granted in this joint resolution for: (1) the new production of items not funded for production in FY2013 or prior years; (2) the increase in production rates above those sustained with FY2013 funds; (3) the initiation, resumption, or continuation of specified projects, activities, or operations for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during FY2013; or (4) the initiation of multi-year procurements utilizing advance procurement funding for economic order quantity procurement unless specifically appropriated later. Provides funding under this joint resolution until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in it, (2) enactment of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) December 15, 2013. Declares that this joint resolution shall be implemented so that only the most limited funding action permitted shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Continues funding through December 15, 2013, at the FY2013 level, for entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in FY2013 appropriations Acts, as well as for activities under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Authorizes amounts made available under this joint resolution for civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each department and agency to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs, consistent with the applicable FY2013 appropriations Act. Prohibits use of this authority until after the department or agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses. Continues designation of each amount incorporated by reference in this joint resolution that was previously designated by Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism or for disaster relief, respectively. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 certain requirements and prohibitions of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, namely: the requirement that the head of any executive branch department, agency, board, commission, or office funded by this or any other appropriations Act report annually to the Inspector General (IG) (or senior ethics official for any federal entity without an IG) regarding the costs and contracting procedures related to each conference held by any such entity during FY2014 for which the cost to the federal government was more than $100,000; the requirement that the head of any federal entity, within 15 days of any conference it held for which the cost was over $20,000, notify the IG or the senior ethics official of the date, location, and number of employees attending such conference; the prohibition against the use of federal grants or contracts by an executive branch agency to defray the costs of such a conference not directly and programmatically related to the purpose for which the grant or contract was awarded, such as a conference held in connection with planning, training, assessment, review, or other routine purposes related to a project funded by the grant or contract; and the prohibition against the use of federal funds for travel and conference activities that are not in compliance with OMB Memorandum M-12-12 dated May 11, 2012. Delays until 2015 the implementation of provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Public Health Service Act relating to: (1) basic health programs for low-income individuals not eligible for Medicaid, (2) the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP Exchange), and (3) limitations on cost-sharing under group health plans. Amends the Food for Peace Act to extend through December 15, 2013, authority for agreements to finance sales or to provide other assistance. Allows amounts made available for the "Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction" to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. Continues through the earlier of December 15, 2013, or the enactment of an authorization of FY2014 appropriations for Department of Defense (DOD) military activities, the DOD Secretary's authority to provide logistic support, supplies, and services for foreign forces, including the national military forces of Uganda, participating in operations to mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army. Delays until December 31, 2014, the implementation of PPACA and title I and subtitle B of title II of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, except for provisions of those Acts relating to the children's health insurance program under the Social Security Act, pre-existing conditions exclusions, and dependent care coverage for individuals up to 26 years of age. Extends through December 15, 2013, specified federal law relating to Appalachian regional development. Authorizes the District of Columbia to expend local funds for certain programs and activities. Provides funding for "The Judiciary--Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services--Defender Services" at a specified rate for operations. Continues through December 15, 2013, the requirement that the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for the security of chemical facilities. Continues through December 15, 2013, the authority of the United States Secret Service to use appropriated funds and proceeds from undercover investigative operations for specified purposes. Delays until 2015: (1) the employer mandate to provide health care coverage for employees under PPACA, and (2) PPACA reporting requirements for employers and insurance providers. Continues through December 15, 2013, the DHS Secretary's authority to carry out a pilot program for: (1) basic, applied, and advanced research and development projects for response to existing or emerging terrorist threats; and (2) defense prototype projects. Requires any amounts made available pursuant to this joint resolution for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of DHS for salaries and expenses and for Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of DHS for salaries and expenses to be obligated at a rate for necessary operations to respectively sustain: the staffing levels of CBP Officers, equivalent to the staffing levels achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with specified requirements of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6); border security operations, including sustaining the operation of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems; and the staffing levels of ICE agents, equivalent to the staffing levels achieved on September 30, 2013, and comply with specified requirements of P.L. 113-6. Requires the DHS Secretary to notify congressional appropriations committees on each use of such authority. Appropriates additional funding for FY2014 for wildland fire management programs of the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, to remain available until expended for urgent wildland fire suppression activities. Continues through December 15, 2013, the authority of the Forest Service to: enter into up to 28 contracts with private persons (of which Region One of the Forest Service shall have authority to enter into 9) to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests that meet local and rural community needs; and apply the value of timber or other forest products removed as an offset against the cost of services received under a contract. Extends through December 15, 2013, activities authorized by part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) in the manner authorized for FY2013. Makes appropriations for such purpose. Excludes from this extension, however, activities otherwise authorized for: (1) the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs in the Treasury; and (2) funding of certain TANF research, evaluations, national studies, and demonstrations. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 certain authority granted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (CAA-2012) to: (1) collect and retain up to $2.499 million (currently, only retain up to $1.499 million) from fees collected for approval and certification of equipment, materials, and explosives for use in mines; and (2) use the funds for such activities. Applies to funds made available under this joint resolution for FY2014 the treatment of funds for low-income home energy assistance payments for FY2012 under the CAA-2012 which requires that all but a specified portion of such funds be allocated as though the total appropriation for such payments for FY2012 was less than $1.975 billion. Provides funding for "Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--Administration for Children and Families--Refugee and Entrant Assistance" at a specified rate for operations. Allows obligation of such amounts up to a rate for operations necessary to maintain program operations at the FY2013 level to accommodate increased demand. Authorizes, during the period covered by this joint resolution, any unobligated amounts available in the "Nonrecurring expenses fund" established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to be transferred to the HHS Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for an additional amount for FY2014, to remain available until expended, for expenses necessary: to support advanced research and development pursuant to the Public Health Service Act, and other administrative expenses of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency; for procuring security countermeasures; or to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases, including activities such as the development and purchase of vaccine, antivirals, necessary medical supplies, diagnostics, and other surveillance tools. Allows products purchased with amounts made available by this joint resolution for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to be, at the discretion of the HHS Secretary, deposited in the Strategic National Stockpile. Provides funding for "Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)--Departmental Administration--General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration" at a specified rate for operations. Amends PPACA to extend the requirement for participation in an American Health Benefit Exchange (a state health insurance exchange created by PPACA) to the President, Vice-President, executive branch political appointees, and employees of congressional committees and leadership offices of Congress (currently, this requirement applies to Members of Congress and congressional staff). Prohibits any government contribution to or subsidy for the health insurance coverage of such officials and employees. Continues through December 15, 2013, the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 to waive or alter certain project-based assistance requirements for owners of certain properties assisted under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, the National Housing Act, or section 8 (voucher program) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (Makes such owners, under specified conditions, eligible for conversion of tenant-based vouchers to project-based vouchers.) Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, until December 15, 2014, to issue obligations to pay principal and interest on obligations of the United States held by the public or by the Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Disability Insurance Trust Fund, in the event that the debt of the United States reaches the statutory limit. Prohibits the issuance of obligations to pay compensation for Members of Congress. Requires the Secretary to submit a weekly report to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee on the principal and interest that is due or accrued and any obligations issued by the Secretary.
Bill· SS. 1553 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2013
Revises and reauthorizes the state infrastructure bank program for FY2013 and FY2014.
Bill· HRH.R. 3197 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2013
Sportsmen's Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act of 2013 or the SHARE Act of 2013 - Title I: Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act - Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components. Title II: Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act - Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act - Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of BLM to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training. Title III: Public Lands Filming - Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a 12-month period. Title IV: Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act - Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior. Title V: Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act - Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 - Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state. Title VI: Access to Water Resources Development Projects Act - Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Army from promulgating or enforcing any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm at a water resources development project administered by the Chief of Engineers if: (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm, and (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the state in which the project is located. Title VII: Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to establish the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture (USDA) on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, and recreational shooting. (Abolishes the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council.) Title VIII: Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Declares that recreational fishing and hunting are environmentally acceptable and beneficial activities that occur and can be provided on public lands and waters without adverse effects on other uses or users. Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Prohibits actions taken under this Act or actions concerning the National Wildlife Refuge System under the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 from being considered to be a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Prohibits public land management officials from being required to consider the existence or availability of recreational fishing, hunting, or shooting opportunities on adjacent or nearby lands in the planning for or determination of which public lands are open for these activities or in the setting of levels of use for these activities on public lands, unless the combination or coordination of such opportunities would enhance the opportunities available to the public. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to recreational fishing, hunting, or shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, protection of private property rights, or compliance with other law. Requires agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Declares that the provision of opportunities for hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and the conservation of fish and wildlife to provide sustainable use recreational opportunities on designated wilderness areas on federal public lands constitutes the measures necessary to meet the minimum requirements for the administration of such areas. Provides that such declaration does not authorize or facilitate commodity development, use, or extraction, motorized recreational access or use that is not otherwise allowed under the Wilderness Act, or permanent road construction or maintenance within designated wilderness areas. Reaffirms the provisions of the Wilderness Act that stipulate that wilderness purposes are "within and supplemental to" the purposes of the underlying federal land unit. Requires the head of each federal agency, when seeking to carry out fish and wildlife conservation programs and projects or providing fish and wildlife dependent recreation opportunities on designated wilderness areas, to implement these supplemental purposes while not impeding on the underlying conservation purpose. Prohibits such implementation from authorizing or facilitating commodity development, use or extraction, or permanent road construction or use within designated wilderness areas. Requires biennial reports on closures of federal public lands to sport hunting, recreational fishing, or shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 640 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act. Title IX: Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Conservation Act - Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Conservation Act of 2013 - Directs the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to: (1) prepare and adopt a data collection strategy for the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery; and (2) prepare, adopt, and submit to the Secretary of Commerce a fishery management plan providing for the conservation and management of Gulf of Mexico red snapper and describing the standards of compliance for Gulf coastal states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) to use in developing fishery management measures. Permits an increase in the quota of Gulf of Mexico red snapper apportioned to commercial fishing based on stock assessments. Prohibits such plan, for a three-year period, from reducing such quota, except in the event of a reduction in stock prior to the end of such period in which case the quotas apportioned to all fishing sectors shall be reduced to ensure a sustainable harvest. Directs the Secretary to determine whether the plan: (1) includes fishery management measures compatible with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and (2) ensures the long-term sustainability of Gulf of Mexico red snapper. Requires each Gulf coastal state to submit for the Commission's approval appropriate management measures that ensure compliance with the objectives of the fishery management plan. Directs the Secretary, upon receiving the Commission's certification that the management measures of all such states have been approved, to: (1) revoke federal regulations and portions of the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico that conflict with the plan for Gulf of Mexico red snapper, and (2) transfer management of Gulf of Mexico red snapper to such states. Directs the Commission to determine, periodically, whether state enforcement is satisfactory. Requires the Commission to: (1) offer assistance to noncompliant states, and (2) vote on whether to notify the Secretary when a state remains noncompliant. Authorizes the Secretary to close a fishery within federal waters adjacent to a noncompliant state. Directs the Secretary to report biennially to Congress, the governor of each Gulf coastal state, and the Commission regarding the economic impacts for the local, regional, and national economy of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery.
Bill· HRH.R. 3174 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to obligate any funds made available to implement federal-aid highway emergency relief for projects arising from damage caused by severe weather events in 2013, without any limitation on obligations for such projects resulting from a single natural disaster or catastrophic failure in a state.
Bill· HRH.R. 3182 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2013
Safe and Secure Border Infrastructure Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a safe and secure border infrastructure grant program, administered jointly by the Secretary and the Administrator of General Services (GSA), to construct transportation infrastructure improvements at existing and new international border crossings for the safe, secure, and efficient cross-border movement of motor vehicles, non-motor vehicles, cargo, and individuals, including pedestrians. Requires the Secretary to award grants to metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) located along the international border with Canada and Mexico, giving priority to projects that accomplish one or more of the following: (1) improve the safety and security at U.S. facilities, including ports of entry; (2) facilitate safe, secure, and legal trade crossings of motor vehicles, non-motor vehicles, cargo, and individuals, including pedestrians, to alleviate border congestion and reduce the economic effect of border wait times and delays; (3) implement innovative technologies that enhance safety, security, or efficiency at the border; (4) coordinate projects that improve security and systems efficiencies at ports of entry; (5) facilitate economic development strategies with respect to safety and security; and (6) implement congestion relief and air quality management strategies to improve the environment. Specifies allocations of any funds appropriated to carry out this Act.
Bill· SS. 1537 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to implement or enforce a requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders (including obstructive sleep apnea) only if it is adopted pursuant to a rulemaking proceeding. Applies this Act only to a requirement adopted on or after September 1, 2013.
Bill· SS. 1520 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2013
York River Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2013 - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a specified segment of the York River in Maine and any of its associated tributaries for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study the York River to: (1) determine the designation's effect on existing commercial and recreational activities, the construction and operation of energy production and transmission infrastructure, and the authority of state and local governments to manage those activities; and (2) identify any authorities that would authorize or require the Secretary to influence local land use decisions such as zoning, or to place restrictions on non-federal land if designated under this Act, any authorities that the Secretary may use to condemn property, and any private property located in the area studied pursuant to this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3125 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to make a competitive grant to an existing biofuels research center in the United States to conduct pilot-scale research, development, and testing of bio-based fuels for use by the Air Force as aviation fuel for jet aircraft. Permits a recipient to use grant funds to train military and civilian personnel in the new technologies and to conduct a study regarding the economic feasibility of a full-scale bio-based aviation fuel production facility. Directs the Secretary to give preference to a center that: (1) has the capacity and expertise necessary to quickly and efficiently conduct such research, development, and testing; and (2) is located in close proximity to specified raw materials, a military installation with responsibility for military air transportation, and a private or commercial airport with capacity to host a research and pilot production facility. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to transfer to the Secretary of the Air Force a specified amount from the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund to fund such grants.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 56 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2013
Expresses the sense of Congress that the lock and dam located at mile 357.5 on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway should be known and designated as the Donald G. Waldon Lock and Dam.
Bill· SS. 1513 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2013
High Technology Jobs Preservation Act of 2013 - Amends the Helium Act to require that all proceeds received by the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) from the sale or disposition of helium on federal land from sale or auction be credited to the Helium Production Fund (established in this Act). Requires the Secretary to impose a fee, credited to the Fund, that accurately reflects the economic value of helium storage, withdrawal, or transportation services. Revises requirements for the sale of crude helium, now in four phases. Devotes the fourth phase to disposal of assets as excess property, including all facilities, equipment, and other real and personal property held by the United States in the Federal Helium System. Makes the Helium Production Fund available for specified purposes, including capital investments in upgrades and maintenance of the Federal Helium System. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary arrange with the National Academy of Sciences to study whether disposal of helium reserves will have a substantial adverse effect on scientific, technical, biomedical, or national security interests. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to: (1) undertake a national helium gas resource assessment; and (2) submit to certain congressional committees assessments of global and domestic demand for helium, including an inventory of diverse uses of helium. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to support research, development, commercial application, and conservation programs to: (1) expand domestic production of low-Btu gas and helium resources, (2) separate and capture helium from natural gas streams, and (3) reduce the venting of helium and helium-bearing low-Btu gas during natural gas operations. Requires DOE to support or carry out directly research programs to develop: (1) advanced membrane technology used in the separation of low-Btu gases, and (2) helium separation technology. Requires also a DOE industrial helium research program to develop: (1) low-cost technologies and technology systems for recycling, reprocessing, and reusing helium for all medical, scientific, industrial, commercial, aerospace, and other uses of helium in the United States, including federal uses; and (2) industrial gathering technologies to capture helium from other chemical processing, including ammonia processing. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with DOE on any assessment or research regarding extraction and refinement of the isotope helium-3 from crude helium and other potential sources. Authorizes the Secretary to study the feasibility of: (1) establishing a facility to separate the isotope helium-3 from crude helium, and (2) exploring other potential sources of the isotope helium-3. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on a federal agency acquisition strategy. Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act of 2000 to extend through FY2013: (1) certain federal payments to states and counties containing federal land to fund schools and roads (including certain payments to eligible counties in California), (2) authority to conduct special projects on federal land, (3) authority to reserve and use county funds, and (4) the authorization of appropriations for the Act. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to make specified amounts available to DOE for FY2014 and FY2018 to remediate, reclaim, and close abandoned oil and gas wells on current or former National Petroleum Reserve land. Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to make certain funds available for FY2018 to the Secretary to pay the federal funding share of challenge cost-share agreements for deferred maintenance projects and to correct deficiencies in National Park Service infrastructure. Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 relating to the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to: (1) waive the limitation on the total annual payments to a state or Indian tribe certified as having completed coal reclamation for FY2014, but (2) restrict to a specified amount the total FY2014 payment to any certified state or Indian tribe. Fixes at 4% the royalty rate on the quantity of gross value of the output of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to market from federal land in the 2-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reduce by a certain amount the amount authorized to be appropriated for grants for production of advanced biofuels that has not been appropriated as of the date of enactment of this Act.
Bill· SS. 1509 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2013
Maritime Goods Movement Act for the 21st Century - Directs the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to impose a Maritime Goods Movement User Fee of 0.125% on all commercial cargo (except a U.S. export) that: (1) is unloaded from or loaded on a commercial vessel at a U.S. port, or (2) enters a U.S. point of entry. Prescribes a special rule prohibiting the imposition of such fee on: (1) cargo (except crude oil with respect to Alaska) loaded on a vessel in a mainland U.S. port and transported for use or consumption in Alaska, Hawaii, or any U.S. possession; (2) cargo loaded on a vessel in Alaska, Hawaii, or any U.S. possession and transported for use or consumption in the U.S. mainland, Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. possession; (3) the unloading of such cargo in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. possession, or U.S. mainland, respectively; or (4) cargo loaded on a vessel in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. possession and unloaded in the state or U.S. possession in which loaded, or passengers transported on U.S.-flag vessels operating solely within Alaskan or Hawaiian waters and adjacent international waters. Prohibits imposition of such fee on: (1) on the United States or any U.S. agency, or (2) a nonprofit organization or cooperative for cargo intended for use in humanitarian or development assistance overseas. Makes available up to $10 million of fees collected during any fiscal year for administrative expenses of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Makes certain fee allocations for: (1) harbor maintenance programs; (2) low-use ports; and (3) super donor ports to carry out projects or activities under a competitive grant for maritime improvement projects for movement of goods, as well as for other specified maritime improvement projects for movement of international maritime cargo. Defines "super donor port" as a port for which average expenditures in the 5 previous fiscal years: (1) from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, for fiscal years beginning before enactment of this Act, are less than 10% percent of the total average amount of harbor maintenance taxes collected through landings at the port in such fiscal years; or (2) from the amounts collected for the Maritime Goods Movement User Fee, for fiscal years starting after enactment of this Act, are less than 10% of the total average amount of such fees collected through landings at the port. Establishes a Competitive Grant Program for Goods Movement. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the harbor maintenance tax. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent application of requirements that locally prevailing wages (Davis-Bacon Act) be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics working on harbor maintenance improvement projects.
Bill· SS. 1508 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2013
Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2013 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to provide grants to owners or operators of water systems for programs or projects to increase the resiliency or adaptability of the systems to any ongoing or forecasted changes to the hydrologic conditions of a U.S. region, and (2) give priority to owners or operators of water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant negative impacts due to changing hydrologic conditions. Requires the Administrator to ensure that the list of grant applications funded includes a substantial number that propose to utilize innovative approaches that meet at least one of these goals: (1) promote more efficient water use, water conservation, water reuse, or recycling; (2) use decentralized, low-impact development technologies and nonstructural approaches, including practices that use, enhance, or mimic the natural hydrological cycle or protect natural flows; (3) reduce stormwater runoff or flooding by protecting or enhancing natural ecosystem functions; (4) modify, upgrade, enhance, or replace existing water system infrastructure in response to changing hydrologic conditions; (5) improve water quality or quantity for agricultural and municipal uses, including through salinity reduction; and (6) provide multiple benefits, including to water supply enhancement or demand reduction, water quality protection or improvement, increased flood protection, and ecosystem protection or improvement.
Bill· SS. 1504 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Increases from 15% to 25% the amount a state is required to set-aside, from funds apportioned for the highway bridge program for FY2009, for off-system bridge replacement and rehabilitation activities for FY2013 and each subsequent fiscal year. (An "off-system bridge" is a highway bridge not located on a federal-aid highway.)
Law· HRH.R. 3095 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2013
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to implement or enforce a requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders (including obstructive sleep apnea) only if it is adopted pursuant to a rulemaking proceeding. Applies this Act only to a requirement adopted on or after September 1, 2013.
Bill· SS. 1496 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Public Transportation Accountability Act - Prohibits a public transportation agency that receives federal funds from providing annual compensation (i.e., salary and amounts paid under a severance agreement) to the chief executive officer or any other office or employee of such agency in an amount that exceeds the annual compensation of the President of the United States ($400,000 base salary).
Bill· SS. 1495 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2013 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue an order to require: (1) the installation of secondary barriers, other than the cockpit door, to prevent access to the flight deck of each commercial aircraft; (2) such barriers on an aircraft with a cockpit door to remain locked while the aircraft is in flight and the cockpit door separating the flight deck and the passenger area is open; and (3) such barriers on an aircraft without a cockpit door to remain locked as determined by the pilot in command.
Law· HRH.R. 3080 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 - Title I: Program Reforms and Streamlining - Revises requirements for feasibility studies under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 to: (1) limit the duration of any feasibility study to 3 years; (2) limit the cost of any such study to $3 million; and (3) require personnel of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to conduct concurrent reviews of feasibility studies (currently, sequential reviews are permitted). Requires the Secretary of the Army, not later than 90 days after the initiation of a feasibility study, to initiate federally-mandated reviews, including environmental reviews. Amends the WRDA of 2000 to authorize the Secretary to accept and expend funds contributed by a public utility company to expedite the evaluation of a permit for a water resources project or activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army. Amends the WRDA of 2007 to designate the Corps as the federal lead agency in the environmental review process (i.e., preparation of an environmental impact statement, environmental assessment, categorical exclusion, or other document under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [NEPA]) for a water resources project study. Requires the Corps to: (1) facilitate the expeditious resolution of the environmental review process and complete documents required by NEPA, (2) conduct concurrent environmental reviews, and (3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation in and comment on the environmental review process for a project. Repeals requirements for: (1) a reconnaissance study by the Corps prior to initiating a feasibility study, and (2) review of the cost effectiveness of the design of each water resources project that has a total cost in excess of $10 million. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for the review of section 14 applications. Defines a "section 14 application" as an application for the temporary occupation or use of a public work or the alteration or permanent occupation or use of a public work. Authorizes a non-federal interest (i.e., a sponsor for a water resources project, including federally-recognized Indian tribes and nonprofit entities) to: (1) provide funds to the Corps to carry out feasibility studies and to carry out authorized federal water resources development projects, and (2) make contributions to the operation and maintenance of the inland navigation facilities. Extends the authority of the Secretary to carry out water-related planning activities and studies in Indian country in FY2014-FY2023. Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program to evaluate the cost effectiveness and project delivery efficiency of allowing non-federal interests to carry out at least 15 authorized water resources development projects for coastal harbor improvement, channel improvement, inland navigation, flood damage reduction, and hurricane and storm damage reduction. Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on feasibility studies under this Act and on proposed modifications to an authorized water resources development project or feasibility study. Requires the President, as part of the President's annual budget submission to Congress, to identify and recommend Corps construction projects for which Congress should provide funding at the full level authorized for such projects. Requires the Corps, as part of such budget process, to report on the prioritization of federal action for the next fiscal year to mitigate for fish and wildlife losses due to Corps water resources projects in the Missouri River Basin. Directs the Secretary to make specific project recommendations relating to flood and storm damage reduction activities under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a locally preferred plan that provides a higher level of flood protection and is funded by non-federal interests; (2) evaluate alternatives to ensure safety of affected communities and the resiliency of water resources development projects to future flooding and storm events; and (3) establish procedures for providing the public and governmental entities, including Indian tribes, with timely information regarding expected water levels and preparedness actions. Amends the WRDA of 1974 to authorize the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states to encourage state programs for levee safety. Requires the Secretary to establish federal guidelines relating to levee safety. Requires the Secretary to: (1) undertake a comprehensive review of Corps policy on vegetation management for levees, and (2) report on the use of electronic commerce in federal procurement. Amends the WRDA of 1992 to require the Secretary to consider the beneficial use of dredged material in a manner that contributes to the maintenance of sediment resources in the nearby costal system. Directs the Secretary to encourage: (1) advanced modeling technologies, including 3-dimensional digital modeling, for activities related to water resources development projects and studies; (2) corrosion prevention activities at water resources development projects; and (3) the use of durable, resilient, and sustainable material and practices in carrying out Corps activities. Requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the management practices, priorities, and authorized purposes at Corps reservoirs in arid regions. Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should consider a water resources development bill not less than once every Congress. Title II: Navigation Improvements - Subtitle A: Ports - Authorizes the Secretary, for any fiscal year in which specified target appropriations are met, to use up to 5% of the total amount made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for eligible operations and maintenance costs described in the WRDA of 1986 for that fiscal year for expanded uses of such Trust Fund. Amends the WRDA of 1986 to direct the Secretary to: (1) assess the operation and maintenance needs of harbors used for commercial navigation and fishing and other purposes; (2) make expenditures to pay for operation and maintenance costs of the harbors, based on an equitable allocation of funds among all such harbors, regardless of the size or tonnage throughput of the harbor; (3) allocate, in each of FY2015-2016, not less than 10% of the total amount of the expenditures to pay for operation and maintenance costs of emerging harbors (those that transit less than 1 million tons of commerce annually); and (4) manage and allocate funding for all individually authorized projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single, comprehensive system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a non-federal interest to maintain a navigation project for a harbor or inland harbor (federally authorized harbor) in accordance with the WRDA of 1986. Amends the WRDA of 2007 to direct the Secretary to consolidate deep draft navigation expertise within the Corps into a deep draft navigation planning center of expertise. Authorizes the Secretary, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to reopen the Cape Arundel Disposal Site in Maine as an alternative dredged material disposal site. Subtitle B: Inland Waterways - Directs the Secretary, for certain projects for navigation infrastructure of the inland and intracoastal waterways, to utilize certified project managers, utilize risk-based cost estimates, evaluate early contractor involvement acquisition procedures, review the use of fully funded contracts or continuing contracts, identify best management practices to speed project delivery, and develop a portfolio of standard design for inland navigation locks. Directs the Secretary to develop and submit a 20-year investment strategy for making capital investments on the inland and intracoastal waterways. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to prepare a report on the efficiency of collecting the fuel tax for the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. Directs the Secretary to study methods of financing the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, including issuance of tax-exempt bonds and imposing user fees, and to consider the feasibility of fees and revenues from alternative sources. Directs the Secretary to conduct an inland waterways stakeholder roundtable to provide for a review and evaluation of alternative approaches to: (1) address the financial needs of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and (2) support the water infrastructure needs of the Inland Waterways System. Requires 25% of the cost of construction for the Olmsted Project (a navigation project for Locks 52 and 53 on the Lower Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky) to be paid from amounts appropriated from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. Expresses the sense of Congress that the appropriation for the Project should not be less than $150 million for each fiscal year until construction of the Project is completed. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress an annual financial plan for any inland waterways project that has an estimated total cost of $500 million or more. Directs the Secretary, at least 90 days before carrying out a proposed modification to the operation of a lock at a project for navigation on the inland waterways, to: (1) provide notice of the proposed modification in the Federal Register, and (2) accept public comments on the proposed modification. Directs the Secretary to assess the operation and maintenance needs of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Directs the Secretary to study and report on the impact of closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minnesota on the economy and the environment. Provides for the closure of such facility if the annual average tonnage moving through it during the preceding 5 years was not more than 1.5 million tons. Authorizes the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to: (1) design and construct one or more hydroelectric generating facilities at the W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River, Oklahoma; and (2) market the electricity generated from any such facility. Title III: Deauthorizations and Backlog Prevention - Directs the Secretary to submit to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and publish in the Federal Register, a report that lists each authorized water resources development project, or separable element of a project, authorized for construction before November 8, 2007: (1) for which construction was not initiated before the enactment of this Act or for which no funds were obligated for construction of the project during the 5-year period ending on July 1, 2013; and (2) that has an estimated cost to complete of at least $12 billion. Directs the Secretary to conduct an assessment of all properties under the control of the Corps of Engineers and develop an inventory of the properties that are not needed for its missions. Provides that a water resources development project, or separable element of such project, shall not be authorized for construction by this Act after the last day of the seven-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act unless during that period funds have been obligated for construction of such project. Deauthorizes projects for flood protection, navigation, shoreline protection, and other improvement at specified locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, and Wisconsin. Provides for land conveyances in Oklahoma and Washington. Title IV: Water Resources Infrastructure - Authorizes specified final feasibility studies for water resources development and conservation and other purposes, including regarding: (1) navigation in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia; (2) flood risk management in Kansas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Kentucky; (3) hurricane and storm damage risk reduction in North Carolina and California; (4) hurricane and storm damage risk reduction and environmental restoration in Mississippi; and (5) environmental restoration in Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Modifies projects for: (1) navigation at Miami Harbor, Miami-Dade County, Florida, and at the Lower Ohio River, Illinois and Kentucky; and (2) flood control at Little Calumet River Basin (Cady Marsh Ditch), Indiana.
Bill· HRH.R. 3083 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2013
Idaho Safe and Efficient Vehicle Act of 2013 - Prohibits application of federal weight limitations to a longer combination vehicle operating on a segment of the Interstate System in Idaho if it: (1) has a gross vehicle weight of 129,000 pounds or less; (2) complies with certain single axle, tandem axle, and bridge formula weight limits; and (3) is authorized to operate on that segment under Idaho law.
Bill· HRH.R. 3069 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2013
Shield Our Streets Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Attorney General to carry out a program, through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, to award grants to assist eligible local law enforcement agencies with hiring and training new law enforcement officers and with rehiring career law enforcement officers who have been laid off as a result of budget reductions. Defines an "eligible" local law enforcement agency as one that has jurisdiction over all or part of a county or other unit of local government that has a violent crime rate at or above the national average and that has had budget reductions during the most recent five-year period (elevated need locality). Authorizes the Attorney General to carry out a program to award grants to units of local government that have jurisdiction over all or part of an elevated need locality to enhance public safety in such jurisdictions, including by: (1) purchasing public safety equipment, (2) funding public safety programs, (3) making infrastructure improvements, (4) purchasing and installing lights to deter crime, (5) funding activities related to crime labs, and (6) funding public defender programs. Authorizes such grants to nonprofit organizations that operate in elevated need localities to carry out programs designed to reduce crime in such areas.
Bill· HRH.R. 3032 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Executive Cyberspace Coordination Act of 2013 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the National Office for Cyberspace to serve as the principal office for coordinating issues relating to cyberspace. Establishes within such Office the Federal Cybersecurity Practice Board to be responsible for developing and updating information security policies and procedures. Requires the Director of the National Office for Cyberspace to: (1) oversee information security policies and practices, (2) establish a national program to instruct students in cybersecurity education and computer literacy, (3) review federal agency budgets relating to the protection of information infrastructures, and (4) ensure the operation of a central federal information security incident center. Requires each federal agency to perform an annual independent audit of its information security programs and practices and submit the results of such audit to the Director. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, on the basis of proposed standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to promulgate information security standards pertaining to federal information systems. Prohibits any agency from entering into a contract, an order under a contract, or an interagency agreement for information technology without including requirements for effective information security that supports the operations and assets of that agency. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to require each agency to conduct an initial vulnerability assessment for any major information system. Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the Office of the Federal Chief Technology Officer. Includes among the duties of such Officer: (1) advising the President and agency officials on information technology infrastructures, strategy, and use; (2) leading an interagency effort to ensure the use of best-in-class technologies; (3) promoting technological innovation in the federal government; (4) establishing public-private sector partnership initiatives; and (5) gathering information on significant developments and trends in information technology. Grants the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) primary authority for the protection of the critical information infrastructure, as defined by this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3048 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Maximize Our Highways Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to study the economically beneficial uses of rights-of-way associated with federal-aid highways, including: (1) the identification of economically beneficial activities that may be carried out to ensure those rights-of-way are used in the most economically beneficial manner; and (2) an analysis of the costs and benefits of, barriers to, and revenue generated by carrying out such activities.
Bill· HRH.R. 3040 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Safe Freight Act - Prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Railroad Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.
Bill· HRH.R. 3004 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2013
Reducing Waste and Increasing Efficiency in Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury to work with the head of each agency participating in the International Trade Data System (ITDS) and the Interagency Steering Committee to ensure that each such agency, among other duties, develops and maintains the necessary information technology infrastructure to support the operation of the ITDS, submit all data to the ITDS electronically, and arrange to share information between each agency and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agency.
Bill· SS. 1463 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Captive Primate Safety Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to add nonhuman primates to the definition of "prohibited wildlife species" for purposes of the prohibition against the sale or purchase of such species in interstate or foreign commerce. Makes it unlawful for a person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase a live animal of any prohibited wildlife species in interstate or foreign commerce (i.e., for pet trade purposes). Modifies exceptions to such prohibition, including by making it inapplicable to a person who is: (1) a licensed and inspected person who does not allow direct contact between the public and prohibited wildlife species, and (2) transporting a single primate of the genus Cebus that was obtained from and trained by a charitable organization to assist a permanently disabled individual with a severe mobility impairment. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act.
Bill· SS. 1419 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act of 2013 - Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to redefine "marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy" as energy (currently electrical energy) from: (1) waves, tides, and currents in oceans, estuaries, and tidal areas; (2) free flowing water in rivers, lakes, and streams; (3) free flowing water in man-made channels; and (4) differentials in ocean temperature (ocean thermal energy conversion). Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in addition to current consulting requirements, to consult with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in carrying out the program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application to expand marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy production. Expands such program, including by: (1) adding as a purpose the support of in-water testing and demonstration of marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies; (2) incorporating technology development assistance to improve the components, processes, and systems used for power generation from such resources; (3) establishing critical testing infrastructure; (4) increasing the reliability and survivability of such technologies; and (5) supporting in-water technology development with international partners. Extends the authorization of funding for such program through FY2017. Amends the Federal Power Act to authorize FERC to issue a pilot license: (1) to construct, operate, and maintain a hydrokinetic pilot project that meets the criteria listed in this Act; and (2) for such a project located in the ocean if the project covers a surface area of not more than one square nautical mile. Authorizes FERC to grant a pilot license for a project that covers a larger surface area for good cause.
Bill· SS. 1447 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
New Mexico Native American Water Settlements Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act to include among the uses of the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund the reconstruction, replacement, rehabilitation, or repair of water or wastewater infrastructure. Eliminates fiscal year limits on the mandatory appropriation of funds for: (1) the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund, and (2) grants to eligible non-Pueblo entities for mutual-benefit projects. Amends the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act to eliminate fiscal year limits on the mandatory appropriation of funds for: (1) the planning, design, and construction of a regional water system and the conduct of environmental compliance activities; and (2) the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos' Fund. Amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize appropriations for the planning and design of conjunctive use wells in the San Juan River Basin, Little Colorado River Basin, and Rio Grande Basin in New Mexico. (Currently, funds are authorized for the construction or rehabilitation and operation and maintenance of those wells.) Alters the percentages of funds authorized for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, conjunctive use wells, and San Juan River Irrigation Projects that may be made available for: (1) the survey, recovery, protection, preservation, and display of archaeological resources in the area of a Project facility or conjunctive use well; and (2) purchasing land and constructing and maintaining facilities to mitigate the loss of, and improve conditions for the propagation of, fish and wildlife.
Bill· SS. 1448 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation Equitable Compensation Act - Establishes the Spokane Tribe of Indians Recovery Trust Fund (Fund). Requires payments from the Fund to the Spokane Business Council in compensation for the use of tribal lands for the generation of hydropower from the Grand Coulee Dam. Requires the Council to prepare a plan for the use of those payments to promote: (1) economic development; (2) infrastructure development; (3) educational, health, recreational, and social welfare objectives of the Tribe and its members; or (4) any combination of those activities. Directs the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration to make specified settlement payments to the Tribe. Allows payments made to the Council or Tribe to be used or invested by the Council in the same manner and for the same purposes as other Spokane Tribal governmental funds. Provides that the deposit of amounts in the Fund extinguishes all monetary claims that the Tribe may have against the United States to a fair share of the annual hydropower revenues generated by the Grand Coulee Dam project for the past and continued use of the Tribe's land to produce hydropower at Grand Coulee Dam.
Bill· SS. 1429 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 - Appropriates funds for FY2014 for the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military, reserve, and National Guard personnel; (2) operation and maintenance (O&M), including for the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, environmental restoration, overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Account, and the DOD Acquisition Workforce Development Fund; (3) procurement, including for aircraft, missile, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and purchases under the Defense Production Act of 1950; (4) research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E); (5) Defense Working Capital Funds and the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; (7) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (8) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (9) the Office of the Inspector General; (10) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund; (11) the Intelligence Community Management Account; and (12) overseas contingency operations, including for military, reserve, and National Guard personnel, O&M, the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund, the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, procurement, RDT&E, Defense Working Capital Funds, the Defense Health Program, drug interdiction and counter-drug activities, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund, and the Office of the Inspector General. Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. Rescinds specified funds from various accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts.
Bill· SS. 1462 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Railroad Safety and Positive Train Control Extension Act - Revises the railroad safety risk reduction program. Extends from December 31, 2015, to December 31, 2020, the deadline for submission to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) by each Class I railroad carrier and each entity providing regularly scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation of a plan for implementing a positive train control (PTC) system on certain of its tracks. Authorizes the Secretary to extend the implementation deadline, upon application, in one-year increments, if specified circumstances exist. Directs the Secretary to revise federal regulations requiring a Class II or III railroad (including a tourist or excursion railroad) to equip its locomotives with an onboard PTC system to operate in PTC territory. Extends for five years the time for such railroad to meet the deadline for equipping its locomotives with a PTC system.
Bill· SS. 1450 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a 5% excise tax on persons providing a covered passenger cruise. Defines "covered passenger cruise" as a voyage of a commercial passenger cruise vessel that extends over one or more nights and during which passengers embark and disembark the vessel in the United States. Defines "passenger cruise vessel" as any passenger vessel having berth or stateroom accommodations for at least 250 passengers and that is used in the business of carrying passengers for hire. Establishes in the Treasury the Intermodal Infrastructure Trust Fund to be funded by the per passenger excise tax. Allows expenditures from such Fund for specified transportation improvements.
Bill· SS. 1435 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Clean Ports Act of 2013 - Declares that federal preemption of state and local law relating to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier of property shall not apply to the authority of a state, local government, or the political authority of two or more states to adopt requirements for motor carriers providing services at port facilities that are reasonably related to the reduction of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, the improvement of highway safety, or the efficient use of such port facilities, provided adoption or enforcement of such requirements does not conflict with federal law. Declares that nothing in this Act shall limit the rights reserved to any state or political subdivision of such state under the Clean Air Act.
Bill· SS. 1430 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2013
Idaho Wilderness Water Resources Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a special use authorization to the owners of a water storage, transport, or diversion facility located on National Forest System land in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho for continued operation and reconstruction of such facility if it is determined that: (1) the facility was in existence on the date on which it was designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (2) the facility has been in continuous use to deliver water for beneficial use on the owner's non-federal land since the date of designation; (3) the owner holds a valid water right for use of the water on such land under Idaho state law, with a priority date that predates such date; and (4) it is not practicable or feasible to relocate the facility to land outside of the wilderness and continue the beneficial use of water on the non-federal land. Sets forth specified terms and conditions regarding the issuance of a special use authorization under this Act.