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Bill· HRH.R. 5122 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Railroad Hours of Service Employees Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 to consider that a railroad employee, subject to hours of service under federal law, meets the hours of service eligibility requirement under FMLA if: (1) the employee has worked for or been paid for at least 60% of the applicable total guarantee, or the equivalent, for the previous 12-month period, by the employer with respect to whom FMLA leave is requested; and (2) the employee has worked for or been paid by that employer for at least 504 hours (not counting personal commute time or time spent on vacation leave or medical or sick leave) during such period. Defines "applicable guarantee" for an employee, as established in the applicable collective bargaining agreement or, if none exists, in the employer's policies as: (1) the minimum number of hours for which an employer has agreed to schedule a nonreserve status employee for any given period; and (2) the number of hours for which an employer has agreed to pay a reserve status employee for any given period.
Bill· SS. 2611 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Helping Unaccompanied Minors and Alleviating National Emergency Act or the HUMANE Act - Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to declare that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence shall be: (1) placed in removal proceedings, (2) eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and (3) provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply only to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate agreements regarding the repatriation of children with Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and any other appropriate foreign country. (Currently such agreements are to be negotiated between the United States and countries contiguous to the United States.) Requires a UAC to be placed within seven days of initial screening in a proceeding to expedite due process and screening. Prohibits a UAC to be removed from U.S. custody during preliminary proceedings until repatriation or unless placed in removal proceedings. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a proceeding to expedite due process and screening for UACs. Requires an immigration judge to: conduct a proceeding to inspect and determine the status of a UAC who is an applicant for U.S. admission not later than 7 days after initial screening, determine within 72 hours of the proceeding's conclusion whether a UAC is likely to be admissible (or eligible for relief from removal) or is lawfully present in the United States, and place a UAC in further proceedings if such conditions have been met or order a UAC removed from the United States without further hearing or review unless there is a claim of asylum or a credible fear of persecution. States that: if a UAC intends to make a claim of asylum or fear of persecution he or she shall be referred to an asylum officer who shall determine in an interview whether there is a credible fear of persecution; if there is no credible fear of persecution a UAC shall be ordered removed without further hearing or review; and a UAC shall be held in protective Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody pending a final determination of credible fear of persecution, or removal. Sets forth due process protections for UACs, including protective HHS custody. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ) to hire or reassign up to 40 immigration judges to conduct expedited inspection and screening of UACs. Prohibits the Secretary of HHS from placing a UAC in the custody of an individual who has been convicted of a sex offense or a crime involving a severe form of trafficking in persons. Requires related biometric criminal background checks. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for: (1) gaining and maintaining situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas along the U.S. southern and northern borders within two years, and (2) gaining and maintaining operational control along the southwest border of the United States not later than five years. Requires the Secretary to submit a related implementation plan to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Requires the Secretary of DHS to implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at and between ports of entry and in the maritime environment. Prohibits the Secretary of DHS from conducting any study relating to the imposition of a border crossing fee for pedestrians or passenger vehicles at land ports of entry along the U.S. southern and northern borders. Directs the Secretary of DHS to: (1) upgrade technological assets and equipment and physical and tactical infrastructure on the southern border, and (2) increase the number of trained active-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on the southern border. Authorizes funds under this Act to be expended, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of HHS, for the governor of a state to order any units or personnel of the state's National Guard to perform specified operations on the southern border. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance law enforcement preparedness, humanitarian responses, and operational readiness along the southern border through Operation Stonegarden.
Bill· HRH.R. 5114 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Helping Unaccompanied Minors and Alleviating National Emergency Act or the HUMANE Act - Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to declare that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence shall be: (1) placed in removal proceedings, (2) eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and (3) provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply only to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate agreements regarding the repatriation of children with Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and any other appropriate foreign country. (Currently such agreements are to be negotiated between the United States and countries contiguous to the United States.) Requires a UAC to be placed within seven days of initial screening in a proceeding to expedite due process and screening. Prohibits a UAC to be removed from U.S. custody during preliminary proceedings until repatriation or unless placed in removal proceedings. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a proceeding to expedite due process and screening for UACs. Requires an immigration judge to: conduct a proceeding to inspect and determine the status of a UAC who is an applicant for U.S. admission not later than 7 days after initial screening, determine within 72 hours of the proceeding's conclusion whether a UAC is likely to be admissible (or eligible for relief from removal) or is lawfully present in the United States, and place a UAC in further proceedings if such conditions have been met or order a UAC removed from the United States without further hearing or review unless there is a claim of asylum or a credible fear of persecution. States that: if a UAC intends to make a claim of asylum or fear of persecution he or she shall be referred to an asylum officer who shall determine in an interview whether there is a credible fear of persecution; if there is no credible fear of persecution a UAC shall be ordered removed without further hearing or review; and a UAC shall be held in protective Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody pending a final determination of credible fear of persecution, or removal. Sets forth due process protections for UACs, including protective HHS custody. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ) to hire or reassign up to 40 immigration judges to conduct expedited inspection and screening of UACs. Prohibits the Secretary of HHS from placing a UAC in the custody of an individual who has been convicted of a sex offense or a crime involving a severe form of trafficking in persons. Requires related biometric criminal background checks. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy for: (1) gaining and maintaining situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas along the U.S. southern and northern borders within two years, and (2) gaining and maintaining operational control along the southwest border of the United States not later than five years. Requires the Secretary to submit a related implementation plan to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Requires the Secretary of DHS to implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at and between ports of entry and in the maritime environment. Prohibits the Secretary of DHS from conducting any study relating to the imposition of a border crossing fee for pedestrians or passenger vehicles at land ports of entry along the U.S. southern and northern borders. Directs the Secretary of DHS to: (1) upgrade technological assets and equipment and physical and tactical infrastructure on the southern border, and (2) increase the number of trained active-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on the southern border. Authorizes funds under this Act to be expended, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of HHS, for the governor of a state to order any units or personnel of the state's National Guard to perform specified operations on the southern border. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance law enforcement preparedness, humanitarian responses, and operational readiness along the southern border through Operation Stonegarden.
Bill· HRH.R. 5101 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the National Freight Network Trust Fund, from which expenditures shall be made to fund awards under the National Freight Network Grant Program. Appropriates to the Fund amounts equivalent to 5% of the import duties imposed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. Establishes such Program in the Department of Transportation (DOT), under which the Secretary of Transportation shall make grants to states, regional or local transportation organizations, or port authorities to assist projects that improve the performance of the national freight network. Directs the Secretary to evaluate and select projects on a competitive basis by considering their potential to: generate national economic benefits, improve the performance of key corridors and gateways, reduce congestion, improve transportation safety, and enhance the network. Requires the Secretary to update the national freight network every five years.
Bill· SS. 2592 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
North Atlantic Energy Security Act - Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to permit the use of rights of way for natural gas pipelines through public lands, forest, and other reservations of the United States, and specified national parks in California. Defines "gas gathering line and associated field compression unit" as: (1) a pipeline installed to transport natural gas production associated with one or more wells drilled and completed to produce crude oil; and (2) if necessary, a compressor to raise the pressure of that transported natural gas to higher pressures suitable to enable the gas to flow into pipelines and other facilities. Excludes from such definition any pipeline or compression unit installed to transport natural gas from a processing plant to a common carrier pipeline or facility. Excludes from federal lands, for purposes of gas gathering line and associated field compression units, any unit of the National Park System, any unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, or a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Cites conditions under which issuance of a sundry notice or right-of-way for a gas gathering line and associated field compression unit located on federal or Indian land and servicing an oil well shall be deemed an action categorically excluded for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). (A "categorical exclusion" is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required.) Declares such categorical exclusion inapplicable if the governor of the state or the Indian tribe with jurisdiction requests in writing that it be waived. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary to study permissible actions or proposed changes to federal law which would expedite permitting for natural gas gathering lines and associated field compression units on federal or Indian land to transport natural gas associated with crude oil production, on any land, to a processing plant or a common carrier pipeline for delivery to markets. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to direct the appropriate agency head to issue a sundry notice or right-of-way for a gas gathering line and associated field compression unit located on federal or public lands within specified deadlines. Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to make a public interest determination and issue an order for an application for the exportation of natural gas to a foreign country through a particular liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal within a specified deadline. Requires an expedited application and approval process for applications to export natural gas to: (1) Ukraine, (2) a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or (3) Japan. Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to require the Secretary to: (1) decide, within 30 days after receipt, whether to issue or deny an application for a permit to drill; and (2) collect a single $6,500 permit processing fee per application at the time the final permitting decision is made. Instructs the Secretary to establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in every Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office with responsibility for permitting energy projects on federal land. Prescribes procedures for judicial review of claims regarding agency action affecting certain energy projects on federal land. BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based bidding methods. Requires each individual Internet-based lease sale to conclude within seven days after initiation of the sale. Directs the Secretary to analyze the first 10 such lease sales, including estimates of: (1) increases or decreases in such lease sales, compared to sales conducted by oral bidding; and (2) the total cost or savings to the Department of the Interior as a result of such sales, compared to sales conducted by oral bidding. Requires the report to evaluate the demonstrated or expected effectiveness of different structures for lease sales which may provide an opportunity to better maximize bidder participation, ensure the highest return to the federal taxpayers, minimize opportunities for fraud or collusion, and ensure the security and integrity of the leasing process.
Bill· SS. 2594 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Designates the railroad station located at 2955 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly known as 30th Street Station, as the "William H. Gray 30th Street Station." Bars the use of federal funds to modify signage at the station or for related activities necessitated by its redesignation.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 499 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Congratulates the American Motorcyclist Association on its 90th Anniversary.
Bill· SS. 2573 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2014
Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Infrastructure Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures, to: (1) increase the rate of such credit from 30% to 50% for hydrogen-related alternative fuel vehicles, (2) eliminate the dollar limitation on such credit for hydrogen-related vehicles, (3) allow such credit for off-highway motor vehicles designed for carrying or towing loads, and (4) extend such credit through 2016 for property related to hydrogen. Increases the 30% energy tax credit for investment in fuel cell property to: (1) 40% for fuel cell property used in a combined heat and power system having an energy efficiency percentage of at least 60% but less than 70%, and (2) 50% for fuel cell property having an energy efficiency percentage of 70% or more. Increases the maximum dollar amount of the energy tax credit for investment in qualified fuel cell property.
Law· HRH.R. 5021 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 - Continues from October 1, 2014, through May 31, 2015, and authorizes appropriations through that period for, specified federal-aid highway programs under: the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Technical Corrections Act of 2008, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), and other specified law. Subjects funding for such programs generally to the same manner of distribution, administration, limitation, and availability for obligation, but at a specified pro rata of the total amount, as funds authorized for appropriation out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for such programs and activities for FY2014. Amends MAP-21 to authorize appropriations out of the general fund of the Treasury for the Tribal High Priority Projects program for the same period. Prescribes an obligation ceiling of $26,800,569,863 for federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for the same period. Authorizes appropriations from the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) for administrative expenses of the federal-aid highway program for the same period. Extends for the same period the authorization of appropriations for specified National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety programs (including administrative expenses) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) programs. Requires a specified amount of the total amount apportioned to states for highway safety programs for a cooperative program to research and evaluate priority highway safety countermeasures for the same period. Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to continue, for the same period, the authorized distribution of funds for coastal wetlands, recreational boating safety, projects under the Clean Vessel Act of 19921, boating infrastructure projects, and the National Outreach and Communications Program. Extends the apportionment of nonurbanized (rural) area formula grants for competitive grants and formula grants for public transportation on Indian reservations for the same period. Extends the apportionment of urbanized area formula grants for passenger ferry projects for the same period. Extends for the same period the authorization of appropriations from the HTF Mass Transit Account for: (1) formula grants for public transportation; (2) research, development demonstration, and deployment projects; (3) the transit cooperative research program; (4) technical assistance and standards development grants; (5) human resources and training grants; (6) capital investment grants; and (7) administration expenses. Allocates, for the same period, certain amounts to states and territories for formula bus and bus facilities grants. Authorizes appropriations for the same period for hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation safety projects. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make certain expenditures from the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund for the same period. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through May 31, 2015, the authority for expenditures from: (1) the HTF Highway and Mass Transit Accounts, (2) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and (3) the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund. Makes appropriations out of the Treasury to the HTF Highway and Mass Transit Accounts. Makes appropriations out of the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund and transfers them to the HTF Highway Account. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to revise the applicable percentages for determining minimum funding standards for single-employer defined benefit pension plans (funding stabilization). Exempts plans providing accelerated benefit distributions from the application of such standards. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend, through September 30, 2024, certain customs user fees for the processing of merchandise entered or released into the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 5025 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Alisa's Law of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to withhold specified graduated percentages of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds for FY2015-FY2017 if the state has not enacted and is not enforcing a law requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device for a minimum of 180 days on each motor vehicle operated by an individual convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence. Defines "driving while intoxicated" and "driving under the influence" as driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while having a blood alcohol concentration greater than or equal to the lesser of: (1) the blood alcohol concentration limit of the state in which the individual is driving, or (2) 0.08%. Requires an ignition interlock device to: (1) require a driver to provide a breath sample before the motor vehicle starts, and (2) prevent a motor vehicle from starting if the alcohol concentration of the driver is above the legal limit.
Bill· SS. 2563 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Improving Driver Safety Act of 2014 - Revises distracted driving incentive grant program eligibility requirements to require the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to award such grants to states that include distracted driving issues as part of their driver's license examination. Authorizes the Secretary to use up to 50% of amounts available for grants to states that: (1) in FY2015 have a basic text messaging statute for drivers of all ages, make violation of the statute a primary offense, and participate in the Secretary's annual distracted driving law enforcement mobilization; and (2) in FY2016 meet the aforementioned requirements, impose increased fines for repeat violations, and have a statute that prohibits a driver younger than 18 from using a personal wireless communications device while driving. Authorizes states to use grant funds for: (1) enforcement of distracted driving laws, and (2) highway safety program projects. Directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to report to Congress on any legal and technical barriers to capturing data on the prevalence of wireless communications devices while driving, including recommendations on how to address those barriers.
Bill· SS. 2559 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2014 - Revises early warning reporting requirements for manufacturers of motor vehicles regarding possible defects of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations establishing categories of information that must be made available to the public. Requires the public disclosure of possible defects of motor vehicles or related equipment reported to the Secretary by motor vehicle manufacturers (Early Warning data). Directs the Secretary to: (1) take specified actions to improve public accessibility to information on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) vehicle safety databases, and (2) promulgate rules requiring the senior senior official for safety for a corporation to be responsible for requests for information in NHTSA safety or compliance investigations. Requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of the Inspector General to study NHTSA use of Early Warning data. Prohibits certain vehicle safety officials, for the two-year period after termination of NHTSA employment, from knowingly making any communication to or appearance before NHTSA on behalf of a manufacturer subject to NHTSA regulation in connection with any matter involving vehicle safety on which such person seeks official action by a NHTSA officer or employee. Prohibits a motor vehicle manufacturer or any other person subject to federal motor vehicle safety regulation from employing NHTSA employees for the two-year period following the employee's termination of employment with NHTSA. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of such prohibition. Establishes the Vehicle Safety Fund to meet U.S. obligations in carrying out NHTSA vehicle safety programs. Requires the Secretary to assess and collect, for deposit in the Fund, a vehicle safety user fee from the manufacturer for each motor vehicle certified compliant with applicable motor vehicle safety standards. Increases civil penalties for persons who violate federal motor vehicle safety requirements. Eliminates the maximum civil penalty for a related series of daily violations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) notify manufacturers of motor vehicles or replacement equipment whose defect or noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards presents an imminent hazard of serious injury or death; and (2) order such manufacturers to notify immediately the owners, purchasers, and dealers of the vehicle or equipment of such hazard, and to remedy the defect or noncompliance. Prohibits a dealer from selling or leasing a used passenger motor vehicle unless: (1) the dealer clearly and conspicuously notifies the purchaser or lessee in writing of any unremedied defects or noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards, and (2) the purchaser or lessee acknowledges in writing receipt of such notification.
Bill· SS. 2534 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2015 for: the Offices of the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Under Secretary for Management, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Information Officer, and the Inspector General; intelligence analysis and operations coordination activities; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for civilian aviation security services, surface transportation security activities, intelligence and vetting activities, and transportation security support; the Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration functions; the U.S. Secret Service; the National Protection and Programs Directorate, including for the Federal Protective Service and the Office of Biometric Identity Management; the Office of Health Affairs; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for the U.S. Fire Administration; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), including for the E-Verify program; the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; science and technology research; and the Domestic Nuclear Detention Office. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act: to amend the oath of allegiance required under the Immigration and Nationality Act; to prevent an individual not in the business of importing a prescription drug from importing a prescription drug that complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act from Canada for personal use; for planning, testing, piloting, or developing a national identification card; to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer or release to or within the United States Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who is or was held on or after June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the Department of Defense (DOD); or by a federal law enforcement officer to facilitate the transfer of an operable firearm to an agent of a drug cartel unless U.S. law enforcement personnel continuously monitor or control the firearm at all times. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any new border crossing fee on individuals crossing the southern or northern U.S. borders at a land port of entry or from conducting any study relating to imposition of such a fee.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 493 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Designates July 11, 2014, as Collector Car Appreciation Day. Recognizes that the collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 490 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, connecting the communities of Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.
Bill· HRH.R. 4992 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Refueling Assistance Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to study motor vehicle refueling assistance to qualified individuals with disabilities. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress the study results and any recommendations for imposing feasible and cost-effective requirements on gas stations to improve motor vehicle refueling assistance for such individuals. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a civil penalty on persons who knowingly violate any regulations issued under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4985 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Stop Corporate Expatriation and Invest in America's Infrastructure Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities. Authorizes additional appropriations to the Highway Account and Mass Transit Account in the Highway Trust Fund.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 650 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Congratulates the American Motorcyclist Association on its 90th Anniversary.
Law· SS. 2519 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center Act of 2014 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize an operations center in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out the responsibilities of the DHS Under Secretary responsible for overseeing critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and related DHS programs with respect to security and resilience. Specifies activities that may be carried out, including: (1) federal civilian information sharing; (2) sharing of cybersecurity threat, vulnerability, impact, and incident information and analysis by and among federal, state, and local government entities and private sector entities; and (3) providing technical assistance and recommendations to federal and non-federal entities. Requires the operations center to be composed of: (1) representatives of federal agencies, including civilian and law enforcement agencies and elements of the intelligence community; and (2) state and local governments and other non-federal entities, including private sector owners and operators of critical information systems. Provides the Under Secretary with discretion as to whether governmental or private entities are included in the operations center or are provided assistance or information.
Bill· SS. 2524 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
Pathways to Prosperity Act of 2014 - Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to replace specified minimum measures of student attainment in the core indicators of performance for career and technical education students at the secondary level with a measure of the median earnings of students employed during the second quarter after completing a career and technical education program of study in the state. Requires the national research center, established under the Act, to engage in evaluation and technical assistance activities that will assist in: (1) collecting information on the industry-recognized credentials awarded to participants in career and technical education programs, and (2) developing the necessary infrastructure to support the state and local reporting of specified related information. Makes it a responsibility of the state agency involved to establish statewide credit transfer agreements aligned to approved career and technical education programs of study. Requires each local plan for career and technical education programs to describe how the eligible recipient of assistance will partner with business and industry to: (1) identify opportunities for experiential and work-based learning opportunities either in-person or virtually, (2) ensure the career and technical education programs of study are responsive to community and employment demands and meet other specified criteria, and (3) ensure funding under the Act is spent in a coordinated manner with other local resources. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the purpose of grants for demonstration projects of innovative practices to require the projects to show the most promise of enabling the children served to meet rigorous, state-identified college and career readiness standards that address both certain academic content and certain career and technical education content.
Bill· SS. 2522 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
Designates: (1) the segment of Interstate Route 35 between milepost 133 at Forest Lake, Minnesota, and milepost 259 at Duluth, Minnesota, as the "James L. Oberstar Memorial Highway"; and (2) the segment of U.S. Route 61 between milepost 0 at Duluth, Minnesota, and milepost 150 at Grand Portage, Minnesota, as the "James L. Oberstar National Scenic Byway."
Bill· HRH.R. 4945 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
Repairing Our Aging Roads Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue Transportation Bonds in the aggregate of up to $2 billion to each state for transportation infrastructure projects. Establishes in the Treasury 50 separate State Transportation Trust Funds consisting of amounts derived from the sale and issuance of Transportation Bonds to construct or improve state transportation infrastructure. Requires an offsetting reduction, equal to the dollar amount of bonds issued, in any discretionary account in any appropriation Act.
Bill· SS. 2512 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014
Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund Act - Repeals the Davis-Bacon Act (which requires that the locally prevailing wage rate be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics working under federally-financed or federally-assisted contracts for construction, alteration, and repair of public buildings or public works). Establishes in the Treasury an Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the Fund regularly amounts equal to the savings achieved through this repeal from the capital budgets of each affected federal agency. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to compile a prioritized list of emergency interstate bridge projects on the federal-aid highway system meeting specified criteria (e.g., the bridge is deemed functionally obsolete). Authorizes the obligation of Fund amounts for such projects.
Law· HRH.R. 4926 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
Designates: (1) the segment of Interstate Route 35 between milepost 133 at Forest Lake, Minnesota, and milepost 259 at Duluth, Minnesota, as the "James L. Oberstar Memorial Highway"; and (2) the segment of U.S. Route 61 between milepost 0 at Duluth, Minnesota, and milepost 150 at Grand Portage, Minnesota, as the "James L. Oberstar National Scenic Byway."
Bill· HRH.R. 4925 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
TIFIA 2.0 Act - Amends the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) to revise the Department of Transportation (DOT) TIFIA program of direct loans, loan guarantees, and credit for surface transportation projects. Establishes in the Treasury a TIFIA Revolving Fund. Requires the set-aside of up to 10% of Fund amounts for rural infrastructure projects (as similarly required in current funding law). Directs the Secretary of Transportation to transfer from the Fund to the general fund of the Treasury amounts equal to moneys deposited in the Fund as a result of the repayment of principal and interest on direct loans for transportation infrastructure projects before enactment of this Act. Revises project eligibility requirements.
Bill· HRH.R. 4899 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014
Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to implement a leasing program that includes at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources, with an emphasis on offering the most geologically prospective parts of the planning area. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to Congress a new proposed oil and gas leasing program for the 5-year period from July 15, 2015, to July 15, 2021; and (2) approve a final oil and gas leasing program by July 15, 2016. Prohibits construction of this Act as authorizing the issuance of a lease under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to any person designated for the imposition of sanctions pursuant to specified law. Directs the Secretary to conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 on the OCS offshore Virginia within one year after the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to conduct a lease sale within two years after enactment of this Act for certain areas off the coast of South Carolina. Directs the Secretary to offer for sale by December 31, 2015, leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara/Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area. Retains the authority of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) with the approval of the President, to designate national defense areas on the OCS. Establishes in the Department of the Interior: (1) an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals; (2) an Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety; (3) an Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management; (4) a Bureau of Ocean Energy; (5) an Ocean Energy Safety Service; and (6) an Office of Natural Resources Revenue. Abolishes the Minerals Management Service. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a National Offshore Energy Health and Safety Academy, and (2) an Outer Continental Shelf Energy Safety Advisory Board. Establishes in the Treasury the Ocean Energy Enforcement Fund as depository for non-refundable fees collected from the operators of facilities subject to inspection. Prohibits the Bureau of Ocean Energy and the Ocean Energy Safety Service from developing, proposing, finalizing, administering, or implementing any limitation on activities under their jurisdictions as a result of the coastal and marine spatial planning component of the National Ocean Policy developed under Executive Order 13547. Redefines the OCS to include all submerged lands lying within the U.S. exclusive economic zone and the Continental Shelf adjacent to any U.S. territory. Directs the Secretary to promulgate rules regarding the revenue streams contemplated by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, including the timing and methods of disbursements of certain funds under such Act. Increases, for FY2024-FY2055, the maximum amount of qualified OCS revenues distributed to Gulf producing states. Prescribes requirements for judicial review of any action or decision by a federal official regarding the issuance of an energy lease under this Act. Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act - Directs the Secretary, when practicable, to encourage the use of U.S. workers and equipment manufactured in the U.S. in all construction related to mineral resource development under this Act. Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) to direct the Secretary to decide whether to issue a permit to drill within 30 days after receiving a permit application, with specified allowable deadline extensions. Deems a permit application approved if the Secretary has not made a decision by 60 days after its receipt. Prescribes requirements for denial and resubmission of an application. Requires the Secretary to collect a single $6,500 permit processing fee per application at the time the decision is made whether to issue a permit. Directs the Secretary to collect a $5,000 documentation fee to accompany each protest for a lease, right of way, or application for permit to drill. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in every Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office with responsibility for permitting energy projects on federal land, and (2) enter into a related memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers. Requires the Secretary to provide matching funding of 50% for joint projects with states to conduct oil and gas resource assessments on federal lands with significant oil and gas potential. Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary, in conducting lease sales under the MLA, to offer for sale at least 25% of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Shields such acreage from protest and the test of extraordinary circumstances. Amends the MLA to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) withdrawing any covered energy project without finding a violation of lease terms by the lessee; (2) delaying indefinitely issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights of way for activities under a lease; or (3) cancelling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel. Requires federal land managers to follow existing resource management plans and continue to lease actively in areas designated as open when resource management plans are being amended or revised, until such time as a new record of decision is signed. Declares without force or effect BLM Instruction Memorandum 2010-117 (which establishes a process to ensure orderly, effective, timely, and environmentally responsible leasing of oil and gas resources on federal lands). Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act or the PIONEERS Act - Deems the final regulations regarding oil shale management published by the BLM on November 18, 2008, to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law, including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Directs the Secretary to implement those regulations, including the oil shale leasing program they authorize, without any other administrative action necessary. Directs the Secretary to hold a lease sale, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, that offers an additional ten parcels for lease for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources under the terms offered in the solicitation of bids published on January 15, 2009. Requires the Secretary, by January 1, 2016, to hold at least five separate commercial lease sales, in multiple lease blocs, in areas of at least 25,000 acres, which: (1) have been nominated through public comment, and (2) are considered to have the most potential for oil shale development. Planning for American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the MLA to direct the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) with regard to lands administered by the Forest Service, to publish every four years a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy to direct federal land energy development and department resource allocation in order to promote the energy and national security of the United States in accordance with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mission to promote the multiple use of federal lands. Requires the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources from such lands. Expresses the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of the Strategy. Grants the relevant Secretary all necessary authority to make determinations regarding which additional federal lands available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs will be available to meet the production objectives established by the strategies. National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) in Alaska to include at least one lease sale annually in those areas most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2014-2024. Directs the Secretary to ensure permits according to a specified time line for all surface development activities, including pipelines and roads construction, to: (1) develop and bring into production areas within the NPR that are subject to oil and gas leases, and (2) transport oil and gas from and through the NPR to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska. Requires the Secretary to ensure that any federal permitting agency shall issue construction permits for transportation of oil and natural gas under existing federal oil and gas leases with drilling permits within 60 days after enactment of this Act. Requires approval of drilling permits under new federal oil and gas leases within six months after submission of a permit request to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to issue: (1) a new proposed integrated activity plan from among the non-adopted alternatives in the NPR Alaska Integrated Activity Plan Record of Decision dated February 21, 2013, and (2) an environmental impact statement under NEPA for issuance of oil and gas leases in the NPR-Alaska to promote efficient and maximum development of oil and natural gas resources of such reserve. Nullifies the February 21, 2013, Record of Decision, including its integrated activity plan and environmental impact statement. Prescribes requirements for the new proposed integrated activity plan. Requires the Secretary to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including all conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas. Directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the state of Alaska and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, to conduct and complete a resource assessment within 24 months after enactment of this Act. BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the MLA to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based live bidding methods. Requires each individual Internet-based lease sale to conclude within seven days. Directs the Secretary to analyze the first ten such lease sales and evaluate the effectiveness of different structures for lease sales.
Bill· SS. 2489 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014
American Jobs for American Infrastructure Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to appropriate to the Highway Account and Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund for FY2014-FY2018 amounts necessary to ensure that the balance of each Account for any quarter is not less than specified levels. Declares the sense of Congress that Congress should provide annual inflation increases for the Federal Lands Access Program, the Federal Lands Transportation Program, and the Tribal Transportation Program in the next Surface Transportation reauthorization. Establishes in the Treasury a Reclamation Water Infrastructure Fund, to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior and used for: (1) rural water projects; (2) deferred maintenance of certain Indian irrigation projects; and (3) construction, planning, and design of projects to settle Indian reserved water rights. Establishes in the Treasury an Energy Upgrade and Retrofit Infrastructure Fund, to be administered by the Secretary of Energy (DOE) and used to: (1) support novel and innovative technologies to capture or prevent carbon dioxide emissions, as well as enable the beneficial use and long-term storage of carbon dioxide; and (2) fund certain commercial-scale, coal-fired electric generation units. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make a special rule to prohibit income deductions allocated to deferred foreign income from offsetting U.S. source income. Requires foreign-related deductions to be allocated to currently-taxed foreign income in the same proportion which currently-taxed foreign income bears to the sum of currently-taxed foreign income and deferred foreign income. Revises rules related to inverted domestic corporations (which used to be incorporated in the United States, or used to be a partnership in the United States, but now are incorporated in a foreign country, or are subsidiaries whose parent corporations are incorporated in a foreign country). Treats as an inverted domestic corporation, for income tax purposes, any foreign corporation (entity) which after May 8, 2014, completes the direct or indirect acquisition of substantially all of the properties or assets of a domestic corporation, and after the acquisition either: (1) more than 50% (currently, in different specified circumstances, 60% or 80%) of the entity's stock is held by former shareholders of the domestic corporation by reason of holding stock in that domestic corporation; or (2) the management and control of the expanded affiliated group which includes the entity occurs, directly or indirectly, primarily within the United States, and the expanded affiliated group has significant domestic business activities. Applies similar rules to an entity's acquisition of a domestic partnership. Dedicates to deficit reduction $1 billion of any increase in revenue to the Treasury by reason of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4889 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014
Clean and Efficient Public Safety Vehicles Act of 2014 - Revises requirements for the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement (CMAQ) program. Prescribes a special rule to require a state to obligate 5% of its apportionment of CMAQ program funds for projects to deploy cost-effective technologies that reduce emissions of pollutants from public safety vehicles, including firefighting vehicles, ambulances, law enforcement vehicles, and other emergency response vehicles. Declares that such projects shall not be limited to using technology developed or recommended by the SmartWay program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or any successor program.
Bill· SS. 2478 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014
Short Line Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to award grants to private or nonprofit organizations involved in, or affiliated with, transportation by regional (Class II) railroads and shortline (Class III) railroads for research, development, evaluation, and training efforts to enhance rail safety practices and safety culture.
Bill· HRH.R. 4869 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2014
Department of Energy Research and Development Act of 2014 - Enabling Innovation for Science, Technology, and Energy in America Act of 2014 or the EINSTEIN Act - Authorizes and modified Department of Energy (DOE) programs related to science, basic research, and applied energy research and development. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2015 for these purposes. Directs the DOE Office of Science to carry out research programs related to: basic energy sciences, including materials sciences and engineering, chemical sciences, physical biosciences, and geosciences; advanced scientific computing; high energy physics; biological and environmental research; fusion energy; and nuclear physics. Requires the Office of Science to carry out a program to improve the safety, efficiency, and mission readiness of infrastructure at its laboratories. Directs the Secretary of Energy to make public specified details related to cost-share waivers, technology transfer agreements, and financial awards. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to set forth policies related to technology transfer activities. Requires the Secretary to review all DOE science and technology activities and develop a plan to improve collaboration and coordination in research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities. Directs DOE to carry out nuclear energy research and development, including research related to reactor concepts, small modular reactors, conventional improvements to nuclear power plants, and fuel cycles.
Bill· SS. 2470 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014
New Mexico Drought Relief Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation (Secretary), to carry out a water acquisition program in specified basins in New Mexico, under which the Secretary shall: (1) make acquisitions of water; and (2) take any other actions that the Secretary determines would enhance stream flow to benefit fish and wildlife, water quality, and river ecosystem restoration or enhance stewardship and conservation of working land, water, and watersheds. Authorizes the Secretary, in cooperation with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, to provide funding and technical assistance for the installation of metering and measurement devices and the construction of check structures on irrigation diversions, canals, laterals, ditches, and drains to: (1) ensure the conservation and efficient use of water within the District by reducing actual consumptive use or not increasing the use of water, and (2) improve the measurement and allocation of water acquired through the water acquisition program. Requires the Secretary to provide for development of a comprehensive plan for the San Acacia reach to plan, design, construct, and prioritize projects that balance river maintenance, water availability, use, and delivery, and ecosystem benefits. Requires the Secretary of the Army to continue for five years the temporary deviation in the operation of Cochiti Lake and Jemez Canyon Dam that was initiated in 2009 to evaluate the benefits of a potential permanent reauthorization of the reservoirs. Requires the Secretaries to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to study water and reservoir management and operation issues along the Rio Grande. Authorizes financial assistance to be made available for eligible water projects to help New Mexico and other Western states address drought-related impacts to water supplies or any other immediate water-related crisis or conflict. Amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (OPLMA) to: (1) authorize the use of water management improvement grants to assist applicants in planning for or addressing the impacts of drought, (2) authorize the Commissioner of Reclamation to waive any cost-share requirements to address emergency drought situations and to prioritize projects based on drought relief benefits, and (3) authorize appropriations for such grants. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, and (2) Rio Grande Pueblos infrastructure grants under OPLMA. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to allocate certain financial assistance made available under the Food Security Act of 1985 (FSA) to establish special conservation initiatives to assist producers in implementing eligible activities on agricultural land in the western states for: (1) mitigating the effects of drought; (2) improving water quality and quantity; (3) restoring, enhancing, and preserving fish and wildlife habitat; and (4) promoting innovative and collaborative conservation tools and approaches. Amends the FSA to provide that areas eligible for designation as conservation priority areas shall include areas with actual and significant water quantity impacts related to agricultural production activities.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 625 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014
Honors the centennial anniversary of the founding of Greyhound Lines, Inc., of Dallas, Texas.
Law· HRH.R. 4838 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Designates the railroad station located at 2955 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly known as 30th Street Station, as the "William H. Gray III 30th Street Station."
Bill· HRH.R. 4834 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act or the GROW AMERICA Act - Prescribes requirements for environmental reviews with respect to state and federal agency engagement, obstruction of navigation, historic sites, categorical exclusion of multimodal projects from environmental review, and creation in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) of an Interagency Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center. Directs the Secretary to establish a multimodal freight incentive grant program and a National Freight Infrastructure Program. Redesignates the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as the National Highway System and the National Freight Network. Requires the federal long-range transportation plan to include a transportation system resilience assessment. Prescribes criteria for high performing metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) representing urbanized areas with populations of over 200,000. Removes the congestion management process from the transportation planning process for MPOs. Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program for up to 10 MPOs to improve multimodal connectivity and increase connections for disadvantaged Americans and neighborhoods with limited transportation options. Revises requirements with respect to congestion mitigation and air quality improvement, including electric vehicle charging stations and commercial motor vehicle anti-idling facilities in rest areas along the Interstate System. Establishes in the DOT: (1) a discretionary TIGER Infrastructure Grant Program for various transportation projects; and (2) a discretionary FAST Grant Program to reform the way surface transportation investments and decisions are made, implemented, and funded to achieve national transportation outcomes. Revises requirements for the funding of railroad rehabilitation and improvement financing, the state infrastructure bank program, toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries. Reauthorizes the federal-aid highway and related programs through FY2018, including revised obligation limitation and apportionment requirements. Directs the Secretary to: establish a nationally significant federal lands and tribal projects program to fund construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of nationally significant federal lands and tribal transportation projects; carry out a broadband infrastructure deployment initiative; create a program to make critical and immediate improvements to infrastructure and highway safety; and; create and maintain datasets and data analysis tools to assist MPOs, states, and the DOT in carrying out performance management analyses. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2014 - Revises requirements for formula grants for enhanced mobility and for public transportation on Indian reservations, workforce development programs, and the public transportation safety program. Requires recipients of transportation assistance to meet certain standards for hiring locally. Reauthorizations specified public transportation assistance programs through FY2018. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to state and local governmental entities for bus rapid transit projects. Authorizes appropriations for specified highway safety programs through FY2018, and revises related requirements. Revises criteria for state graduated driver licensing incentive grants. Adds a 24-7 sobriety program to criteria for state repeat offender and open container laws. Authorizes specified amounts of grant funds to states for distracted driving enforcement. Authorizes appropriations for specified motor vehicle safety programs through FY2018, and increases penalties for safety violations. Revises specified requirements for commercial motor vehicle and commercial driver safety. Requires disqualification to operate a commercial motor vehicle for anyone who fails to pay an assessed civil penalty for a motor vehicle safety violation. Revises certain medical and registration requirements for commercial motor vehicle operators. Revises requirements for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. Directs the Secretary to administer a High Priority Program, an innovative technology deployment grant program, and a Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators Grant Program. Authorizes the Secretary to establish: (1) a motor carrier safety facility working capital fund, and (2) a financial assistance program for commercial driver's license program implementation. Directs the Secretary to maintain for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration a motor carrier safety advisory committee. Revises requirements for the Unified Carrier Registration System plan. Repeals the authorization for self-insurance by motor carriers. Prescribes notice requirements relating to decisions that electronic logging devices fail to comply with standards. Authorizes the Secretary to issue regulations: (1) governing contractors that exercise control over motor carrier operations; and (2) requiring motor vehicle employers to track and compensate employees for on-duty, not-driving time. Authorizes the Secretary, with respect to unsafe conditions or practices in the transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat transportation), to order necessary: (1) operational controls, restrictions, and prohibitions without prior notice or an opportunity for a hearing; and (2) removal, remediation, or disposal of hazardous materials causing unreasonable risk of death, personal injury, or significant harm to the property or the environment. Authorizes the Secretary to collect reasonable fees for the administration of the special permits and approvals programs for deposit into a Hazardous Materials Approvals and Permits Fund. Revises requirements for planning and training grants under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986. Reauthorizes the program for regulating hazmat transportation through FY2018. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through FY2020 specified highway-related taxes as well as requirements for expenditures from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund. Replaces the Highway Trust Fund with a Transportation Trust Fund, and authorizes appropriations to it through FY2018. Directs the Sectary to establish and support a National Cooperative Freight Transportation Research Program and a Priority Multimodal Research Program. Revises the competitive selection process for the university transportation centers consortia program. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to create datasets and data analysis tools for intermodal transportation data. Establishes in the BTS a National Transportation Library. Authorizes the BTS Director to establish a Port Performance Statistics Program to provide nationally consistent measures of performance of the nation's maritime ports. Revises requirements for the intelligent transportation system (ITS) program. Prescribes requirements for the use of funds to develop ITS infrastructure, equipment, and systems. Rail for America Act - Directs the Secretary to facilitate by financial assistance the establishment of a National High-Performance Rail System of integrated passenger and freight rail services, including a Current Passenger Rail Service Program and a Rail Service Improvement Program. Authorizes appropriations through FY2018 for the System and for the planning, development, construction, and implementation of rail corridors and related infrastructure improvements. Requires Amtrak to submit to the Secretary draft 5-year business line plans and draft 5-year capital asset plans. Authorizes the Secretary to establish Regional Rail Development Authorities, including a Regional Committee, to facilitate the development of multi-state high-performance rail services, and to coordinate these investments with other rail, transit, highway, and aviation system services. Prescribes requirements for the standardization of passenger equipment and level-entry boarding platforms. Directs the Secretary to: evaluate the shared-use of right-of-way by passenger and freight rail systems and the operational, institutional, and legal structures that would best support improvements to both of these systems; and conduct a nationwide disparity and availability study to establish the availability and utilization of small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in publicly funded railroad projects. Requires the Secretary to complete a National Rail Development Plan meeting certain criteria, and facilitate development of Regional Rail Development Plans. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations or issue orders to require host railroads for joint operations that occur within a small geographic area to develop unified rules governing all operations within that area. Revises or prescribes requirements relating to positive train control, hours of service, maximum employee duty hours, safety appliances, locomotive inspections, noise emission standards, and damaged track inspection equipment. Authorizes federal agency heads to construct, install, operate, and maintain electric charging infrastructure for official agency vehicles.
Bill· SS. 2457 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014
Highway Runoff Management Act - Requires each state to develop for approval a state highway stormwater management program consisting of management measures to prevent, reduce, or control highway runoff from federal-aid highway projects. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to publish guidance to assist states in the establishment of such measures.
Bill· HRH.R. 4826 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014
School Modernization and Revitalization Through Jobs Act, the SMART Jobs Act, or the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among states on the basis of the relative portion of school improvement funds provided to local educational agencies (LEAs) in each state under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Reserves 1% of the grant funds for assistance to outlying areas and Indian schools. Requires states to reallocate such grant funds to LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of school improvement funds received by LEAs in the state for the previous fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LEAs that serve areas in which the President, during the preceding 10 fiscal years, has determined that a major disaster exists for the construction, modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among such LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of infrastructure damage inflicted on public school facilities in such areas. Requires the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded under this Act to have been produced in this country, subject to specified exceptions.
Bill· HRH.R. 4829 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014
Route to Opportunity And Development Act of 2014 or the ROAD Act of 2014 - Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, as amended, to revise the high priority Raleigh-Norfolk Corridor of the National Highway System between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia, to include Rocky Mount, Williamston, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Law· SS. 2444 (113th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2014
Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016 - Authorizes FY2015-FY2016 appropriations for the Coast Guard. Authorizes: (1) specified levels of end-of-year strength for active duty personnel and military training student loads; (2) leasing of submerged lands and tidelands under the control of the Coast Guard for periods longer than five years; (3) the establishment of an Interagency Arctic Maritime Domain Awareness Committee; and (4) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to construct or lease hangar, berthing, and messing facilities in the Arctic Region and Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands operating area. Requires the Coast Guard to be the sole supplier of icebreaking services to federal agencies, unless the Coast Guard is unable to provide the services. Amends policies related to Coast Guard personnel and their families, including retirement, employment, debt cancelation, child care, education, orders to return to active duty for emergencies, medical care reimbursements, and housing. Increases specified fines and penalties. Requires the Secretary to provide prompt notice of casualties to state and tribal governments. Applies the Coast Guard's drug testing reporting requirements to applicants for federal employment. Establishes a Support of Seafarers Fund. Requires the Secretary to publish a final rule implementing the proposed rule "Vessel Requirements for Notices of Arrival and Departure, and Automatic Identification System." Amends provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) related to area contingency plans for the discharge of oil and hazardous substances Sets forth provisions concerning the Coast Guard's response to oil spills.
Bill· HRH.R. 4802 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2014
Airport Security Enhancement Act of 2014 - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) conduct outreach to all U.S. airports at which the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) performs, or oversees the implementation and performance of, security measures; and (2) give necessary technical assistance to verify that such airports have in place individualized working plans for responding to security incidents inside the airport perimeter, including active shooters, acts of terrorism, and incidents that target passenger-screening checkpoints. Requires the Assistant Secretary to: (1) identify best practices that exist across airports for security incident planning, management, and training; and (2) establish a mechanism through which to share those best practices with other airport operators nationwide. Requires the Assistant Secretary also to: (1) certify annually to specified congressional committees that all screening personnel have participated in practical training exercises for active shooter scenarios, and (2) analyze for those same committees how TSA can use cost savings achieved through efficiencies to increase over the next five fiscal years the funding available for checkpoint screening law enforcement support reimbursable agreements.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 467 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2014
Recognizes May 28, 2014, as the official centennial of Fishermen's Terminal in the Port of Seattle. Praises the Terminal's contributions to the welfare of individuals, the fishing industry, the Port, Washington, and the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 4799 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2014
Clean Air Fairness Act of 2014 - Amends the Clean Air Act to revise provisions concerning implementation plans for national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from promulgating a federal implementation plan for a state related to national ambient air quality standards until the EPA: (1) promulgates a final rule identifying the emission reductions necessary to meet interstate transport of air emissions requirements, and (2) provides states at least two years to revise their state implementation plans (SIPs). (A federal implementation plan is created due to the failure of an SIP to contain adequate provisions prohibiting emissions activity which will contribute significantly to nonattainment in, or interfere with maintenance by, another state with any national ambient air quality standard.) Prohibits a state from being subjected to penalties for an inadequate SIP until these conditions are met. Prohibits the EPA from promulgating, implementing, or enforcing a federal implementation plan due to the failure of an SIP to comply with the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule unless the EPA: (1) takes into consideration the Supreme Court's decision in Environmental Protection Agency et al. v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P., et al. , (2) publishes a final notice indicating the EPA's intent to enforce the rule , and (3) provides states with at least two years from the publication date to revise their SIPs. Prohibits a state from being subject to penalties for the failure of a SIP to comply with the rule until these conditions are met.
Bill· HRH.R. 4783 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014 - Title I: Strengthening and Improving Intervention Efforts - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program to award grants to states, political subdivisions, or nonprofit private entities for the expansion of mental health crisis assistance programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. Requires a comprehensive school mental health program funded under this Act to assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. Makes only a partnership between a local educational agency and at least one community program or agency that is involved in mental health eligible for such funding. Sets forth assurances required for eligibility, including that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with at least one relevant community-based entity that clearly states how school-employed mental health professionals will be utilized and the responsibilities of each partner; (2) the program will include training of all school personnel, family members of children with mental health disorders, and concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. Requires grantees to comply with the health information privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating grant program activities, including: (1) the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) the development of measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, to include student and family measures and local educational measures. Amends the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 to: (1) expand the assistance provided under such Act, and (2) reauthorize appropriations for FY2015-FY2019. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to establish or expand: (1) veterans treatment court programs, which involve collaboration among criminal justice, veterans, and mental health and substance abuse agencies to provide qualified veterans (preliminarily qualified offenders who were discharged from the armed forces under conditions other than dishonorable) with intensive judicial supervision and case management, treatment services, alternatives to incarceration, and other appropriate services, including housing, transportation, job training, education, and assistance in obtaining benefits; (2) peer to peer services or programs to assist such veterans in obtaining treatment, recovery, stabilization, or rehabilitation; (3) practices that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, transitional, and other appropriate services to such veterans who have been incarcerated; and (4) training programs to teach criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections, mental health, and substance abuse personnel how to identify and respond to incidents involving such veterans. Revises the definition of "preliminarily qualified offender" to include, in the case of a veterans treatment court program, an adult or juvenile accused of an offense who has been diagnosed with, or manifests obvious signs of, mental illness or a substance abuse disorder or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder. Removes a requirement that the adult or juvenile be accused of a nonviolent offense. Requires preliminarily qualified offenders to be unanimously approved for participation in a collaboration program by, when appropriate, the relevant prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, probation or corrections official, judge, and representative from the relevant mental health agency. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to enhance the capabilities of a correctional facility to: (1) identify and screen for mentally ill inmates; (2) plan and provide assessments of the clinical, medical, and social needs of inmates and appropriate treatment and services that address mental health and substance abuse needs; (3) develop, implement, and enhance post-release transition plans that coordinate services and public benefits, the availability of mental health care and substance abuse treatment services, alternatives to solitary confinement and segregated housing, and mental health screening and treatment for inmates placed in solitary confinement or segregated housing; and (4) train employees in identifying and responding to incidents involving inmates with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) award not more than six grants per year to applicants for the purpose of reducing the use of public services by mentally ill individuals who consume a significantly disproportionate quantity of public resources, and (2) make grants to provide support for programs that teach law enforcement personnel how to identify and respond to incidents involving persons with such disorders. Directs the Attorney General to give priority in awarding grants for adult or juvenile collaboration programs to applications that: (1) propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism, and (2) use validated assessment tools to target preliminarily qualified offenders with a moderate or high risk of recidivism and a need for treatment and services. Title II: Improving Mental Health Research - Directs the Secretary to expand research on self-directed and other-directed violence associated with mental illness. Title III: Understanding the Epidemic of Gun Violence - Requires the Secretary to expand: (1) the National Violent Death Reporting System to all 50 states, and (2) research and grants of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address gun violence. Authorizes FY2015-FY2019 appropriations for CDC research and grants. Title IV: Mental Health and Access to Firearms - Amends federal criminal code prohibitions on the sale, purchase, transport, or possession of firearms or ammunition to: (1) specify that prohibitions with respect to persons committed to a mental institution apply to persons committed on an involuntary inpatient or involuntary outpatient basis, and (2) expand the prohibitions to persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking. Expands the definition of: (1) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include offenses by children, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, or dating partners; and (2) "intimate partner" to include such individuals as well as parents and guardians. (Thus, adds such individuals to the categories of persons that may be prohibited from possessing or receiving guns under domestic violence laws.) Authorizes the Attorney General to reserve not more than 5% of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds for grants to states that: (1) give state and local law enforcement the authority to seize firearms or ammunition from an individual pursuant to a warrant, where there is probable cause to believe the individual possessing such firearms or ammunition poses an elevated risk of harm to himself or herself or to another individual; or (2) temporarily prohibit an individual involuntarily hospitalized for mental illness on an emergency basis from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Directs the Attorney General to establish a system for the prompt notification of state and local enforcement agencies when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) notifies a licensed dealer that an individual attempting to obtain a firearm is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal or state law. Title V: Restoration - Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to set forth requirements for persons adjudicated to have a mental disorder or committed to a mental institution to apply for relief (restoration of firearm ownership rights) after one year by submitting an opinion of a psychiatrist or licensed clinical psychologist in order to seek a determination by the adjudicating agency that the person no longer manifests the symptoms that elevate the risk of harm. Title VI: Submission of Mental Health Records to National Instant Criminal Background Check System - Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to report annually to Congress regarding the number of persons reported by each state to NICS who are prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm based on a conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Reauthorizes the national criminal history improvement program for FY2015-FY2018. Requires the Attorney General to establish a four-year implementation plan for each state or Indian tribal government desiring a grant to improve the automation and transmittal to federal and state repositories of: (1) mental health records and criminal history dispositions, (2) records relevant to determining whether a person has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, (3) court orders, and (4) mental health adjudications or commitments. Requires each federal agency in possession of records relevant to a determination of whether a person is disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm under specified circumstances to make such records, updated at least quarterly, available to the Attorney General for use in NICS background checks. Directs HHS, under HIPAA, to allow states to make information concerning persons adjudicated as a mental defective or those committed to mental institutions available for NICS.
Bill· HRH.R. 4790 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Pollinator Protection Act - Authorizes as an eligible project cost for the construction of a federal-aid highway the cost of improving habitat and forage for pollinators (i.e. bees, birds, bats, Monarch butterflies, and other butterflies) on rights-of-way adjacent to such highways. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), in conjunction with willing states, to carry out programs that encourage: (1) integrated vegetation management practices on roadsides and other transportation rights-of-ways, including reduced mowing; (2) the development of habitat and forage for pollinators through planting of native forbs and grasses, including noninvasive, native milkweed species; and (3) research and demonstration projects on economic and environmental benefits and best practices for integrated vegetation management, reduced mowing, and planting of native forbs and grasses for pollinator habitat, forage, and migratory way stations for Monarch butterflies and other migrating pollinators. Authorizes the use of federal funds for the provision of habitat, forage, and migratory way stations for Monarch butterflies, other native pollinators, and honey bees that is related to a federally-funded transportation project.
Bill· HRH.R. 4770 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 2014
Coast Guard Regulation Relief Act of 2014 - Amends federal shipping law to revise requirements for recording of a notice of a claim of a maritime lien. Declares that a notice shall expire three years after it is recorded. (Currently, expires three years after the lien was established.) Authorizes a person to re-record an expired notice if that person submits to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) a declaration that the information in the notice is accurate to the best of the person's knowledge, information, and belief. Extends the re-recorded notice for another three years. Declares that the expiration of a notice may not be construed to have any effect on the validity of a claim of lien.
Bill· SS. 2400 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Field EMS Innovation Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the primary federal agency for emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma care. Establishes the Office of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma (or Office of EMS and Trauma) within HHS. Gives the Office responsibilities related to emergency medical services and authorizes the Secretary of HHS to delegate additional responsibilities related to EMS. Requires the Director of the Office to: (1) implement a national EMS strategy; (2) establish the EQUIP grant program to promote excellence, quality, universal access, innovation, and preparedness in field EMS; and (3) establish the SPIA grant program to improve EMS system performance, integration, and accountability, to ensure preparedness, to enhance oversight and data collection, and to promote standardization of certifications. Defines "field EMS" to mean emergency medical services provided to patients (including transport by ground, air, or otherwise) prior to or outside a medical facility or other clinical setting. Requires the Director to improve medical oversight of field EMS, including by: (1) promoting the development and adoption of national guidelines for medical oversight, and (2) convening a Field EMS Medical Oversight Advisory Committee. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study issues related to emergency medical care in field EMS. Authorizes the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to maintain, improve, and expand the National EMS Information System. Sets forth reporting requirements relating to data collection and electronic health records. Declares that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) shall not be construed to prohibit certain exchanges of information between field EMS practitioners, hospital personnel, state EMS offices, and the National EMS Database. Requires the Secretary to establish guidelines for the exchange of information between field EMS practitioners and hospital personnel. Authorizes the Director of the Office to make grants for the development, availability, and dissemination of field EMS education programs and courses that improve the quality and capability of field EMS personnel. Requires the Director to conduct or support demonstrations projects relating to alternative dispositions of field EMS patients. Amends title XI (General Provisions, Peer Review, and Administrative Simplification) of the Social Security Act to include field EMS as a model for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to conduct research and evaluation relating to field EMS through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Requires the Director of AHRQ to establish a Field EMS Evidence-Based Practice Center. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund, and (2) allow taxpayers to designate a portion of any income tax overpayment and make additional contributions to finance such Fund.
Bill· SS. 2398 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Automaker Accountability Act of 2014 - Revises civil penalties for violation of federal motor vehicle safety requirements, and subjects to them also persons who cause such a violation. Repeals current maximum penalties. Increases civil penalties for violations: (1) from $5,000 to $25,000 per violation; (2) from $10,000 to $100,000, maximum, for the manufacture, sale, introduction into commerce, or importation of a school bus or school bus equipment that does not comply with federal motor vehicle requirements; and (3) from $5,000 to $25,000 per violation per day for a person who fails or refuses to perform an act pursuant to specified inspection, investigation, and record-keeping requirements pertaining to defective or noncompliant motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 461 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Honors James L. Oberstar as a remarkable public servant who served in Congress with extraordinary dedication and purpose. Remembers his accomplished work to improve transportation, infrastructure, and mine safety. Recognizes his indelible legacy left on Minnesota and the United States.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 457 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Designates the week of May 18-May 24, 2014, as National Public Works Week. Recognizes the important contributions of public works professionals to improving U.S. public infrastructure and to the communities they serve.
Bill· HRH.R. 4727 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Prohibits a state from enforcing a law or imposing liability on an entity that hires a motor carrier for the transportation of property or household goods if the liability arises from a personal injury, death, or cargo or fother property damage claim or cause of action related to the negligent selection of that motor carrier under state law or regulation. Specifies as such an entity any person acting as a shipper, as a broker, as a consignee, a freight forwarder, a household goods freight forwarder, a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier, an ocean freight forwarder, or an ocean transportation intermediary. Makes an entity eligible for this waiver of liability only if, before tendering a shipment, but not more than 35 days before the hitred motor carrier picks up a shipment, the entity verifies that the motor carrier at the time of verification: is registered with and authorized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to operate as a motor carrier or household goods motor carrier, has the minimum insurance coverage required by federal regulation, and does not have an unsatisfactory safety rating from FMCSA in force at the time of verification.
Bill· HRH.R. 4738 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Tank Car Safety Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to revise federal regulations regarding DOT-111 tank cars used to move flammable liquids to: (1) improve tank car design standards for new cars to include an outer steel jacket around it and thermal protection, full-height head shields, and high-flow capacity pressure relief valves; and (2) require additional safety upgrades to tank cars built after October 2011 by including installation of such valves and design modifications to prevent bottom outlets from opening in case of accident. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a plan to phase out older-model DOT-111 tank cars that are not retrofitted to meet the new federal requirements.