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Bill· HRH.R. 4726 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Innovation in Surface Transportation Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with state transportation departments, to establish an innovation in surface transportation program. Requires states to make competitive grants for innovative surface transportation projects to eligible entities, including local governments, regional transportation authorities, transit agencies, tribal governments, private providers of public transportation, nonprofit transportation organizations, port authorities, joint power authorities, and local rail authorities. Requires each state to establish an innovation in surface transportation selection panel to formulate criteria for selecting projects. Requires a state to reserve certain percentages of federal funds apportioned for the national highway performance, the highway safety improvement, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement, surface transportation, and transportation alternatives programs in order to fund related projects under state innovative surface transportation grants.
Bill· HRH.R. 4733 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 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) 50% for fuel cell property used in a combined heat and power system having an energy efficiency percentage of 70% or more, and (2) 40% for fuel cell property having an energy efficiency percentage of at least 60% but less than 70%.
Bill· SS. 2380 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2014
Freight Priorities Act - Declares the policy, objectives, and goals of the United States for improving the efficiency, operation, and security of the national freight network by leveraging investments and promoting partnerships that accomplish specified results. Requires metropolitan planning organizations to involve public port authorities in metropolitan freight transportation planning. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish: (1) measures to assess the performance of a multimodal freight network in accordance with the national freight strategic plan, and (2) a pilot program for up to five urbanized areas to develop and deploy one or more pilot measures and targets to improve multimodal freight movement in densely populated and congested urban areas. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and support a national cooperative freight transportation research program, and (2) offer to enter into an agreement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council of the National Academies to support and carry out administrative and management activities relating to governance of the research program. Requires the National Academies to select an advisory committee consisting of a representative cross-section of freight stakeholders, which shall recommend a national research agenda for the program.
Bill· HRH.R. 4699 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2014
Indian Country Economic Revitalization Act of 2014 - Amends the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Commerce, within one year of this Act's enactment and every three years thereafter, to submit a report and recommendations for promoting the sustained growth of the economies of Indian tribes and lands. Requires each report to include: data on Indian business development and employment during the preceding 3-year period, except for the first report which is to include data from the preceding 10 years; an assessment of existing structural advantages and barriers to the economic development of Indian tribes and lands; an analysis of Indian access to adequate infrastructure, affordable energy, educational opportunities, and investment capital; and recommendations on legislation to strengthen the economies of Indian tribes and lands in areas that include regulatory, tax, and trust reform. Directs the Secretary to consider appropriate information contained in previous studies and reports in conducting this Act's studies.
Bill· SS. 2365 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Requires a rail carrier to have a storage plan, meeting specified requirements and approved by the Surface Transportation Board, for any of its rail cars that it stores for three or more years, and continues to store, on tracks (except rail yard or storage yard tracks) that pass through a commercial- or residential-zoned area that were designed or previously used for through transportation of trains.
Bill· SS. 2359 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2014 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that residents of rural and frontier communities should have access to affordable, quality health care. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; extension of the temporary increase in payments to certain rural hospitals (Medicare hold harmless provision); the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; Medicare wage index reclassifications for certain hospitals; Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospitals in certain rural areas; elimination of the isolation test for the cost-based ambulance reimbursement for critical access hospitals; the capital infrastructure revolving loan program; the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas; extension of the 1.00 floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment to payments for physician services; permission for physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services or hospice care; Medicare home health care planning; rural health clinics; a temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area; extension of increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services; and coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to provide for the extension of the payment for the technical component of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to encourage and facilitate the adoption of provisions allowing for multistate practitioner practice across state lines. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage and payment, on a reasonable cost basis, to anesthesia services furnished by a physician anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) in such hospitals. Establishes the floor at 1.00 on the practice expense geographic index for services furnished during a specified period in certain rural areas outside of frontier states under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Revises the standard for designation of sole community hospitals. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, as amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, to include standby and on-call time costs for CRNAs in determination of the reasonable costs incurred by a hospital or critical access hospital for CRNA services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to states for operation of offices of rural health. Repeals the Medicare 96-hour physician certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services. Directs the Secretary to continue to apply through 2014 a certain enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals.
Bill· HRH.R. 4687 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Pipeline Inspection Enforcement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to require the person purchasing or operating a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility to inspect it to confirm the pipeline's status as active or abandoned. Directs the Secretary to require also, by regulation, that the regulatory authority responsible for inspections of the facility ensure that such an inspection is conducted. Applies this inspection requirement with respect to newly listed abandoned pipelines as well.
Bill· HRH.R. 4689 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Requires a rail carrier to have a storage plan, meeting specified requirements and approved by the Surface Transportation Board, for any of its rail cars that it stores for three or more years, and continues to store, on tracks (except rail yard or storage yard tracks) that pass through a commercial- or residential-zoned area that were designed or previously used for through transportation of trains.
Bill· SS. 2345 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2014
Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013 [ sic ] - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from state volume caps tax-exempt facility bonds for sewage and water supply facilities.
Bill· HRH.R. 4668 (113th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2014
Point Spencer Coast Guard and Public-Private Sector Infrastructure Development Facilitation and Land Conveyance Act - Designates certain land at Point Spencer in Alaska (a parcel of land on which a decommissioned long range radio navigation station was located) to be: (1) retained by the Coast Guard; (2) conveyed to, or leased by, the state of Alaska; and (3) conveyed to the Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) (a corporation authorized to represent and manage land and resources from the settlement of aboriginal claims of indigenous Alaska Natives in the Bering Strait region). Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to retain an easement authorizing public aircraft to use all existing and future airstrips, runways, and taxiways on a specified tract of such land at no cost. Defines "public aircraft" as any aircraft owned by, operated by, or chartered by the United States or by a contractor of the United States for the performance of a federal contract on or from Point Spencer. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) conveyed lands that are leased back to the Coast Guard upon the Secretary's request, (2) airspace easements, and (3) rights-of-way on roads to and from airstrips. Requires the United States to retain the authority to enforce archaeological and historic preservation laws on certain land. Directs the Secretary, the state of Alaska, and the BSNC to develop a joint management plan for the use and management of the lands retained, conveyed, or leased under this Act.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 443 (113th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2014
Recognizes May 3-11, 2014, as National Travel and Tourism Week.
Bill· SS. 2322 (113th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2014
MAP-21 Reauthorization Act - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2015-FY2020 for: (1) certain core federal-aid highway programs, and (2) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrative expenses. Prescribes obligation ceilings for certain federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs. Makes eligible for the national highway performance program any projects for replacement or rehabilitation of bridges on federal-aid highways. Extends through FY2020 funding for highway use tax evasion projects. Prescribes requirements to allow a state to bundle two or more similar projects for the replacement or repair of structurally deficient bridge projects. Requires each contractor and subcontractor who contracts for a bridge construction, replacement, or repair project to be certified as meeting certain eligibility requirements. Revises formulae for certain allocations of funds to states for construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities. Makes certain funds available for the National Ferry Database. Revises congestion mitigation and air quality improvement (CMAQ) program requirements. Requires states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to use PM2.5 priority funding on the most cost-effective CMAQ projects and programs proven to reduce directly emitted fine particulate matter. Revises national freight program requirements. Requires a state to obligate its apportionment of national freight program funds for projects to improve the movement of freight on the national highway freight network. Requires states that have not met or made significant progress toward meeting certain state performance targets for freight movement on the network to submit to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), biennially, a freight performance improvement plan. Amends MAP-21 to revise requirements for state freight plans. Requires a state to develop a comprehensive 10-year freight plan, updated every 5 years. Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program for projects of national and regional significance. Revises and makes permanent the reservation of transportation enhancements program funds apportioned to a state for surface transportation alternatives, recreational trails program, and safe routes to school program projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a research and innovation program to explore alternative transportation revenue mechanisms that preserve a user fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the HTF, and (2) establish a Surface Transportation Revenue Alternatives Advisory Council. Extends through FY2020 the availability of a specified amount of FHWA administrative funds for: (1) certain safety-related activities, and (2) operation of certain safety-related clearinghouses. Directs the Secretary to issue guidance on working with state departments of transportation that request assistance from Federal Highway Administration division offices to: (1) review principal arterials within a state that were added to the National Highway System as of October 1, 2012, and (2) identify any functional classification changes needed to rural and urban principal arterials. Directs the Secretary to establish a competitive grant program for best practices that promote progress, innovation, and efficiency for surface transportation programs within state transportation departments and MPOs. Directs the Secretary to compile, update regularly, and make available on the DOT website data on amounts made available under this Act for each fiscal for federal-aid projects. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on Federal Highway Administration administrative expenses funded from the HTF during the three most recently completed fiscal years. Prescribes procedures for accelerating the project delivery decisionmaking process with respect to environmental review of projects. Revises requirements for application of categorical exclusions for multimodal projects. (A "categorical exclusion" under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 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.) Revises and reauthorizes the state infrastructure bank program for FY2015-FY2020. Amends the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) to authorize the Secretary to set-aside up to 10% of TIFIA program funds to provide credit assistance (loans) for the capitalization of state infrastructure banks.
Bill· HRH.R. 4642 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Boating Occupancy and Teaching Safety Act or the BOATS Act - Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to: (1) establish maximum passenger capacity and maximum weight capacity standards for recreational vessels, and (2) require manufacturers and operators of passenger vessels to permanently display in a legible manner that is clearly visible, including on each flying bridge of the vessel, to vessel passengers such maximum capacity requirements and a notice of the need to balance vessel weight to avoid capsizing. Defines "flying bridge" to mean an open deck above the main navigating bridge of a recreational vessel. Amends federal shipping law to revise state recreational boating safety program requirements. Allows a state to contract with a local government or private entity to provide boating safety education services under a state recreational boating safety program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund available for expenditures to carry out the purposes of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (as in effect upon enactment of this Act).
Bill· HRH.R. 4638 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Designates Union Station, located at 405 [ sic ] Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC, as the "Harry S. Truman Union Station."
Bill· HRH.R. 4623 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to implement the policy set forth in the notice of proposed policy entitled "Proposal To Consider the Impact of One Engine Inoperative Procedures in Obstruction Evaluation Aeronautical Studies" published by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on April 28, 2014, only if the policy is adopted pursuant to notice and comment rulemaking.
Bill· SS. 2308 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Designates Union Station, located at 40 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC, as the "Harry S. Truman Union Station."
Bill· HRH.R. 4610 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Leading and Expediting Aerotropolis Development Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish an aerotropolis grant program to assist in the development of aerotropolis transportation systems (i.e., planned and coordinated multimodal freight and passenger transportation networks that provide efficient, sustainable, and intermodal connectivity to a defined region of economic significance centered around a major airport). Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to assist in planning, design, environmental review, or land acquisition activities for one or more specified kinds of projects to benefit such systems.
Bill· HRH.R. 4609 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Aerotropolis Act of 2014 - Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to extend the eligibility for projects of national and regional significance under the surface transportation grant program to certain aerotropolis transportation system projects. Defines "aerotropolis transportation system" as a planned and coordinated multimodal freight and passenger transportation network that provides efficient, sustainable, and intermodal connectivity to a defined region of economic significance centered around a major airport.
Bill· HRH.R. 4595 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
School Bus Safety Act - Kadyn's Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to withhold 10% of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds if the state has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that imposes specified first offense and second offense civil and criminal penalties for motorists found guilty of illegally passing a stopped school bus. Grants for Motion-Activated Detection System on School Buses Act - Authorizes the Secretary to provide grants to states to equip school buses with motion-activated detection systems. Directs the Secretary to withhold 10% of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds if the state has not enacted a law that requires the employer to conduct background checks before hiring school bus drivers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states to develop a school bus seat belt demonstration program to purchase type 1 school buses (weighing more than 10,000 pounds) equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts or equip such existing buses with such belts. Directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study the effects of illegal passing of school buses, including a pilot program demonstrating the effectiveness of additional technologies and equipment on the buses.
Bill· HRH.R. 4601 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2014
Deficit Reduction for Infrastructure, Value, and Efficiency Now Act of 2014 or the DRIVE Now Act of 2014 - Appropriates additional funding for the Highway Account in the Highway Trust Fund. Requires the Federal Chief Information Officer (defined as the Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government in the Office of Management and Budget [OMB]) to: (1) develop and implement the Federal Data Center Optimization Initiative to optimize the usage and efficiency of federal data centers, and (2) submit a plan to Congress for the implementation of the Initiative Sets forth permissible methods for agencies to consolidate data centers and achieve maximum server utilization and energy efficiency. Requires agencies to track their costs and savings resulting from implementation of the Initiative and to report annually to the Federal Chief Information Officer on such implementation. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to examine methods for calculating savings from the Initiative and to report findings and make recommendations to the Federal Chief Information Officer and to Congress. Requires the Federal Chief Information Officer to report annually to relevant congressional committees assessing agency progress in carrying out the Initiative. Directs the OMB Director to issue recommendations for reducing or consolidating the number of federal data centers by at least 40% not later than September 30, 2018, and by at least 80% not later than September 30, 2023. Repeals a provision of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 establishing an inspection and grading program for catfish and other species of farm-raised fish or shellfish effective on the date of enactment of such Act. Directs the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to submit a report to Congress that lists each bank account held by the federal government that has had a zero balance for 180 days, with recommendations as to which accounts should be immediately closed. Requires the closure of any accounts recommended for closure within 7 days after the submission of such report.
Bill· HRH.R. 4576 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations to ensure that all controlling locomotives operated at speeds exceeding 25 miles mph, regardless of when the locomotive is placed in service for the first time, are equipped with a functioning alerter. Directs the Secretary to require all railroad carriers to establish and implement a fatigue management plan that identifies and evaluates any fatigue related railroad safety hazards on its system and to determine the degree of risk associated with each hazard. Directs the Secretary biannually to require any railroad carrier implementing a positive train control system to report to the Secretary on the progress of the implementation. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations to require that on-track safety programs include requiring implementation of redundant signal protection, such as shunting, for maintenance-of-way work crews who depend on a train dispatcher to provide signal protection. Instructs the Secretary to ensure that railroad carriers provide railroad employees with predictable and defined work and rest schedules.
Bill· SS. 2290 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2014
Real Transparency in Airfares Act of 2014 - Sets at $55,000, or $2,500 for an individual or small business, the maximum civil penalty assessed on a person for an unfair or deceptive practice relating to unfair methods of competition in air transportation, the sale of air transportation, or specified regulations relating to price advertising and opt-out requirements.
Bill· SS. 2287 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2014
Carbon Capture and Sequestration Deployment Act of 2014 - Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a cooperative industry-government research and development program to demonstrate innovative technologies to capture, prevent, or store carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from carbon-based fuels or to enable the beneficial use of CO2. Requires DOE to conduct an annual assessment of existing programs supporting carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology until that technology is available in commerce. (CCS is a three-step process: the capture, transport, and underground injection and geologic sequestration of CO2.) Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for CO2 sequestration, to: (1) impose limitations on the allocation of credit amounts for carbon capture projects, including a 10-year limitation on CO2 capture at a qualified facility (defined as an industrial facility which captures not less than 500,000 metric tons of CO2 in a taxable year); (2) require the Secretary of the Treasury to establish procedures for allocating the national limitation on such credit to projects for placing carbon capture equipment (i.e., equipment to capture and pressurize qualified CO2) in service at qualified facilities and for certifying projects for which an allocation has been made; and (3) identify as eligible for such credit the taxpayer who captures and disposes of the qualified CO2. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to authorize DOE to make loan guarantees to: (1) construct or retrofit coal- or petroleum coke-fired industrial facilities or electric generation facilities to utilize CCS technology, and (2) construct pipelines for the transport of CO2 to sequestration sites or to sites where the C02 will be used for hydrocarbon recovery. Expands the qualifying advanced coal project investment tax credit to include an additional amount for the costs of constructing and retrofitting such facilities.
Bill· SS. 2284 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Pedestrian Safety Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to issue a final rule that: (1) establishes standards for the hood and bumper areas of motor vehicles, including passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less, in order to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities suffered by pedestrians who are struck by such vehicles; and (2) considers the protection of vulnerable pedestrian populations, including children and older adults. Allows a federal share of up to 100% for any projects for pedestrian hybrid beacons and roadway improvements that provide separation between pedestrians and motor vehicles, including pedestrian sidewalks and crossing islands. Declares that highway safety improvement projects include one or more projects for safety public awareness campaigns.
Bill· SS. 2275 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Transit-Oriented Development Infrastructure Financing Act - Amends the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) to make eligible for TIFIA funding any projects to improve or construct public infrastructure located within walking distance of and accessible to a fixed guideway transit facility, passenger rail station, intercity bus station, or intermodal facility, including transportation, public utility, and certain capital projects, and related infrastructure.
Bill· HRH.R. 4550 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2014
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (SAA, 2008) to extend emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) payments for eligible individuals to weeks of employment ending on or before June 1, 2014. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until May 31, 2014, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and November 30, 2014, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2013, to May 31, 2014, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the SAA, 2008 to appropriate funds out of the employment security administration account through the first five months of FY2015 to assist states in providing reemployment and eligibility assessment activities. Requires the provision of such activities to an individual, at a minimum, within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-1 EUC benefits, and if applicable, again within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-3 EUC benefits. Requires the Secretary of Labor to determine appropriate time periods. Specifies the purposes of the activities, namely to: better link the unemployed with the overall workforce system by bringing individuals receiving unemployment insurance benefits in for personalized assessments and referrals to reemployment services; and provide them with early access to specific strategies that can help get them back into the workforce faster, including through: (1) the development of a reemployment plan, (2) provision of access to relevant labor market information, (3) provision of access to information about industry-recognized credentials that are regionally relevant or nationally portable, (4) provision of referrals to reemployment services and training, and (5) an assessment of the individual's on-going eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through May 31, 2014, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits. Makes a change in application of a certain requirement (nonreduction rule) to a state that has entered a federal-state EUC agreement, under which the federal government would reimburse the state's unemployment compensation agency making EUC payments to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular unemployment compensation under state or federal law and meet specified other criteria. (Under the nonreduction rule such an agreement does not apply with respect to a state whose method for computing regular unemployment compensation under state law has been modified to make the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010, less than what would have been paid before June 2, 2010.) Declares that the nonreduction rule shall not apply to a state which has enacted a law before December 1, 2013, that, upon taking effect, would violate the nonreduction rule. Allows a state whose agreement was terminated, however, to enter into a subsequent federal-state EUC agreement on or after enactment of this Act if, taking into account this inapplicability of the nonreduction rule, it would otherwise meet the requirements for an EUC agreement. (Thus allows such a subsequent EUC agreement to permit payment of less than the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010.) Prohibits the use of federal funds to: (1) make payments of unemployment compensation to any individual whose adjusted gross income in the preceding year was at least $1 million, or (2) determine whether or not this prohibition applies to an individual. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) study the use of work suitability requirements to strengthen them to ensure that unemployment insurance benefits are being provided to individuals who are actively looking for work and truly want to return to the labor force; and (2) brief Congress on the ongoing study, including preliminary recommendations for appropriate legislation and administrative action. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 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 ERISA, with respect to pension insurance premiums paid by a designated payor (i.e., the contributing sponsor or plan administrator for a single employer pension plan and the plan administrator for the multiemployer plan) to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Allows a designated payor to elect to prepay, during any plan year, the applicable PBGC flat dollar insurance premium due for up to five consecutive subsequent plan years specified in the election. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend through FY2024 the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to collect customs user fees for the processing of certain merchandise. Amends the IRC to provide that a bona fide volunteer providing firefighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, or ambulance services to a state or local government or tax-exempt organization shall not be counted in determining the number of full-time employees of an employer for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Excludes services rendered as a bona fide volunteer to any governmental entity and any tax-exempt organization (specified employer) from the determination of the number of full-time employees of an employer for purposes of such mandate. Defines "bona fide volunteer" as an employee whose only compensation from a specified employer is in the form of: (1) reimbursement for (or reasonable allowance for) reasonable expenses incurred in the performances of volunteer services; or (2) reasonable benefits and nominal fees, customarily paid in connection with the performance of volunteer services. Amends the IRC to allow states, for a 120-day period beginning on enactment of this Act, to implement an employment assistance voucher program, in lieu of paying unemployment compensation directly to employees, under which an eligible individual is issued an employment assistance voucher and is hired by a participating employer who receives a subsidy from the state for the wages paid to the employee. Defines an "eligible employee" as an individual who has been unemployed for at least six months, who is eligible for unemployment compensation, and who is likely to exhaust such compensation. Amends MAP-21 to revise the requirement that 10% of the award of contracts for federal-aid highway, federal public transportation, and highway safety research and development programs be set-aside for small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires the set-aside to include veteran-owned small business concerns. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish: (1) a voluntary America Star Program under which manufacturers may have products certified as meeting the standards of labels that indicate to consumers the extent to which the products are manufactured in the United States; and (2) such America Star labels, including the content of the labels and the standards that a product shall meet in order to bear a particular label. Requires the labels to be consistent with public perceptions of the meaning of descriptions of the extent to which a product is manufactured in the United States. Requires the Secretary, after receiving an application, to certify a product as meeting a label's standards, notify the manufacturer, conduct monitoring and compliance review to ensure that a product continues to meet such standards, notify a manufacturer of any corrective action needed, and withdraw certification of a product if such action is not taken. Provides for an expedited appeals procedure for actions that adversely affect a person. Prohibits a person from placing an America Star label on a product, using such label in marketing such product, or in any other way representing that such product meets the standards of such label unless a certification by the Secretary is in effect. Bars the Secretary from certifying the product for a five-year period after determining that a manufacturer has violated the purposes of the Program. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to redefine "accelerated filer" with respect to issuers of securities required to meet accelerated deadlines for filing their Form 10-Q quarterly reports. Requires the SEC to include among accelerated filers any issuers of securities that have: (1) annual revenues in excess of $100 million, and (2) an aggregated worldwide market value between $250 million and $700 million of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates. Establishes the American Infrastructure Fund (AIF) as a wholly-owned government corporation to provide bond guarantees and make loans to state and local governments and non-profit infrastructure providers for transportation, energy, water, communications, or educational facility infrastructure projects (Qualified Infrastructure Projects [QIPs]). Requires AIF also to make equity investments in QIPs such entities sponsor. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, acting through the AIF, to issue American Infrastructure Bonds with an aggregate face value of $50 billion. Requires proceeds from the sale of the bonds to be deposited into the AIF. Amends the IRC to allow U.S. corporations to exclude from gross income qualified cash dividend amounts received during a taxable year from a foreign-controlled corporation equal to the face value of qualified infrastructure bonds the corporation has purchased. Prohibits allowance of a foreign tax credit to the excluded portion of any dividend received by a U.S. corporation. Prohibits also the allowance of a deduction for expenses related to that excludable portion. Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of border crossing facilities for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Bill· SS. 2273 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2014
Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2014 - Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to authorize agencies to enter into energy savings performance contracts to reduce the costs of fuel supply, delivery, or transport for nonbuilding applications. Prohibits payments by agencies to entities that supply, deliver, or transport fuel under such contracts from exceeding the amounts that the agencies would have paid entities without the contracts. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to: (1) carry out research to improve military vehicle technology to increase fuel economy or reduce fuel consumption of military vehicles used in combat; and (2) establish an online, centralized repository for all Department of Defense (DOD) operational energy-related research and development efforts. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish: (1) a DOD executive agent for warrior power to align and advance efforts to measure and manage the development and evaluation of man-portable tactical power generation systems to power tactical communications equipment, weapons systems, and other troop equipment; and (2) a program to foster secure and reliable sources of energy for military installations, including incorporation of advanced energy metering, renewable energy, energy storage, and redundant power systems. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Defense Alternative Fuel Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to support installing, operating, and maintaining alternative fuel dispensing stations for use by DOD's alternative fueled vehicles and other infrastructure necessary to fuel the vehicles.
Bill· HRH.R. 4536 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2014
Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2014 - Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to authorize agencies to enter into energy savings performance contracts to reduce the costs of fuel supply, delivery, or transport for nonbuilding applications. Prohibits payments by agencies to entities that supply, deliver, or transport fuel under such contracts from exceeding the amounts that the agencies would have paid entities without the contracts. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to: (1) carry out research to improve military vehicle technology to increase fuel economy or reduce fuel consumption of military vehicles used in combat; and (2) establish an online, centralized repository for all Department of Defense (DOD) operational energy-related research and development efforts. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish: (1) a DOD executive agent for warrior power to align and advance efforts to measure and manage the development and evaluation of man-portable tactical power generation systems to power tactical communications equipment, weapons systems, and other troop equipment; and (2) a program to foster secure and reliable sources of energy for military installations, including incorporation of advanced energy metering, renewable energy, energy storage, and redundant power systems. Establishes in the Treasury the Department of Defense Alternative Fuel Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to support installing, operating, and maintaining alternative fuel dispensing stations for use by DOD's alternative fueled vehicles and other infrastructure necessary to fuel the vehicles.
Bill· HRH.R. 4528 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2014
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to the congressional defense committees a report and a detailed briefing on DOD policies for procuring and inspecting armored vehicles for transporting civilian employees through hostile or potentially hostile territory.
Bill· HRH.R. 4523 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2014
44 to 69 Act of 2014 - Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to include Texas State Highway 44 from United States Route 59 at Freer, Texas, to Texas State Highway 358 as part of the high priority Lower Rio Grande Valley Corridor of the National Highway System in Texas.
Bill· HRH.R. 4520 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Aircraft Positioning Modernization Act - Amends the Code of Federal Regulations with respect to flight data recorders to require that the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate information be periodically transmitted to a receiving facility at a time frequency of 30 minutes.
Bill· HRH.R. 4507 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Pedestrian Fatalities Reduction Act of 2014 - Requires any state with a per capita increase in the number of fatalities or serious injuries of pedestrians or users of nonmotorized forms of transportation in the state, or a particular county in the state, during the most recent two-year period to include in its subsequent strategic highway safety plan strategies to address that increase. Requires states to take data on such fatalities and injuries into consideration when updating such plans. Revises any subset the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) establishes of the model inventory of roadway elements (MIRE) for the inventory of roadway safety, and used by state and local departments of transportation to implement their strategic highway safety plans, to include elements that improve safety for pedestrians and users of nonmotorized forms of transportation.
Bill· SS. 2250 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) to revise qualifications requirements for members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Revises requirements for the Corporation's annual report to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to require a description of and rationales for: (1) the Corporation's efforts to focus on specific countries and populations, and (2) its combination of media channels employed in meeting the promotional objectives of its marketing campaign. Directs the Corporation and the Secretary (or their designees) to meet biannually to review procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received by the Corporation from non-federal sources. Reduces from 80% to 75% the percentage of the fair market value of those goods and services the Corporation may receive from non-federal sources each fiscal year, increasing from 20% to 25% the federal matching rate. Includes U.S. territories among the states and the District of Columbia whose benefit the Corporation's international travel promotion plan must ensure. Extends the TPA and the Corporation through FY2020. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend through FY2020 also the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to charge a fee for use of the electronic travel authorization system to determine, in advance, an alien's eligibility to travel to the United States. Amends the TPA to require the Corporation to establish performance metrics to: (1) measure the impact of its marketing efforts, and (2) demonstrate any cost or benefit to the U.S. economy. Requires the Corporation to report to Congress actions it has taken in response to any recommendations the Government Accountability Office (GAO) might make to it. Requires the Corporation to: (1) establish a competitive procurement process, and (2) certify in its annual report to Congress that any contracts it has entered into were in compliance with that process.
Bill· HRH.R. 4477 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Altamont Corridor Rail Improvement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make allocations for capital investment grants for FY2015-FY2024 for any remaining preliminary engineering and final design and construction of the Altamont Corridor Rail Project (California). Allows for the use of any alternative analysis or environmental impact report relating the Project to satisfy Federal Railroad Administration capital assistance requirements for new fixed guideway capital projects.
Bill· HRH.R. 4450 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) to revise qualifications requirements for members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Revises requirements for the Corporation's annual report to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to require a description of and rationales for: (1) the Corporation's efforts to focus on specific countries and populations, and (2) its combination of media channels employed in meeting the promotional objectives of its marketing campaign. Directs the Corporation and the Secretary (or their designees) to meet biannually to review procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received by the Corporation from non-federal sources. Reduces from 80% to 75% the percentage of the fair market value of those goods and services the Corporation may receive from non-federal sources each fiscal year, increasing from 20% to 25% the federal matching rate. Includes U.S. territories among the states and the District of Columbia whose benefit the Corporation's international travel promotion plan must ensure. Extends the TPA and the Corporation through FY2020. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend through FY2020 also the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to charge a fee for use of the electronic travel authorization system to determine, in advance, an alien's eligibility to travel to the United States. Amends the TPA to require the Corporation to establish performance metrics to: (1) measure the impact of its marketing efforts, and (2) demonstrate any cost or benefit to the U.S. economy. Requires the Corporation to report to Congress actions it has taken in response to any recommendations the Government Accountability Office (GAO) might make to it. Requires the Corporation to: (1) establish a competitive procurement process, and (2) certify in its annual report to Congress that any contracts it has entered into were in compliance with that process.
Bill· SS. 2225 (113th)open
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2014
Smart Water Resource Management Conservation and Efficiency Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to establish and carry out a smart water resource management pilot program to award grants to three to five eligible entities (authorities that provide water, wastewater, or water reuse services) to demonstrate novel and innovative technology-based solutions that will: (1) increase the energy and water efficiency of water, wastewater, and water reuse systems; (2) improve such systems to help communities make significant progress in conserving water, saving energy, and reducing costs; and (3) support the implementation of innovative processes and the installation of advanced automated systems that provide real-time data on energy and water. Directs the Secretary, in selecting grant recipients, to consider: energy and cost savings; the novelty of the technology to be used; the degree to which the project integrates next-generation sensors, software, analytics, and management tools; the anticipated cost-effectiveness of the pilot project in terms of energy efficiency savings, water savings or reuse, and infrastructure costs averted; whether the technology can be deployed in a variety of geographic regions and the degree to which the technology can be implemented on a smaller or larger scale; and whether the project will be completed in five years or less. Requires the Secretary to evaluate, annually, each project for which a grant is provided and make best practices identified available to the public.
Bill· SS. 2226 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2014
WaterSense Efficiency, Conservation, and Adaptation Act of 2014 - Establishes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a WaterSense program to identify and promote water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services so as to: reduce water use; reduce the strain on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure; conserve energy used to pump, heat, transport, and treat water; and preserve water resources through the voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communications about, products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services that meet the highest water efficiency and performance criteria. Requires the Administrator of EPA to identify other voluntary approaches to encourage recycling and reuse technologies to improve water efficiency or lower water use and to implement those approaches, if appropriate. Establishes a State Residential Water Efficiency and Conservation Incentives Program to provide financial incentives for consumers to purchase and install products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services labeled under the WaterSense program. Requires the Administrator to make grants to owners or operators of water systems to address, mitigate, and adapt to address any ongoing or forecasted impact of climate change on the water quality or quantity of a U.S. region.
Bill· HRH.R. 4441 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2014
American Pipeline Jobs and Safety Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe minimum safety standards to require gas or hazardous liquid pipelines constructed or replaced after enactment of this Act to be made of steel that: (1) is produced in the United States, and (2) originates from (or in the case of recycled steel is combined with) iron ore and taconite mined and processed in the United States (Buy America requirements). Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirements if certain conditions are met. Requires DOT inspection and testing of intrastate gas pipelines not covered by a state pipeline safety program certification or a state pipeline safety agreement to include direct, pre-installation testing of such pipelines for quality verification.
Bill· HRH.R. 4439 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2014
Establishes for the Federal Railroad Administration a program for disadvantaged business enterprises, that is, small business concerns owned or controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (including women). Requires that at least 10% of federal funds for covered rail projects be expended on disadvantaged business enterprises. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish: (1) a unified certification program that lists disadvantaged business enterprises; (2) minimum uniform criteria for certifying small business concerns; and (3) minimum requirements for covered rail project federal funding recipients to report to the Secretary information on minority-owned and women-owned business awards, commitments, and achievements.
Bill· SS. 2210 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2014
School Food Modernization Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to issue loan guarantees to local educational agencies (LEAs) or school food authorities administering or operating a school lunch program, tribal organizations, or consortia of such entities to finance the construction, remodeling, or expansion of infrastructure or the purchase of durable equipment that will facilitate their provision of healthy meals through the school lunch program. Requires the Secretary to give a preference to applicants that demonstrate a substantial or disproportionate need for food service infrastructure or durable equipment. Prohibits a loan guarantee from covering more than 80% of a loan's principal. Requires the Secretary to establish fees for the loan guarantee program that: (1) are sufficient to cover the federal government's administrative costs in operating the program, and (2) may be based on the risk premium associated with the particular loan or loan guarantee. Directs the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to assist LEAs or school food authorities administering or operating a school lunch program, tribal organizations, or consortia of such entities in purchasing the durable equipment and infrastructure they need to serve healthier meals and improve food safety. Requires the Secretary to give grant priority to applicants that: (1) have identified and are reasonably expected to meet an unmet local or community need, and (2) are located in states that have enacted funding measures to assist them with such purchases. Prohibits such a grant from covering more than 80% of the total cost of the durable equipment and infrastructure. Directs the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to experienced third-party training institutions to provide school food service personnel with the training and technical assistance they need to meet updated school lunch program nutrition standards. Prohibits such a grant from covering more than 80% of the total cost of the training and technical assistance.
Bill· HRH.R. 4368 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2014
Keep Knives Out of Our Skies Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from implementing any change to the prohibited items list of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that would permit passengers to carry small, non-locking knives through passenger screening checkpoints at airports, into sterile areas at airports, or on board passenger aircraft.
Bill· HRH.R. 4370 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2014
Veterans Information Security Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) carry out certain information security activities, (2) ensure that officials and staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) possess specified qualifications in such areas, and (3) coordinate the staffing of related information technology and security offices. Requires the Secretary to ensure that: (1) the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology, the head of the Office of Information Security (OIS), and relevant field staff possess certain levels of information technology education, certifications, and experience; (2) Office of Information and Technology (OIT) staff are assigned to the OIS; and (3) subordinate OIT offices maintain appropriate information security functions. Directs the Secretary to ensure that subordinate OIT offices maintain functions to: (1) integrate the VA's security architecture into the VA's overall enterprise architecture strategy, (2) restrict the development of new data warehouses and data marts holding sensitive personal information of veterans, and (3) reduce the number of data marts holding such personal information. Defines: (1) "data mart" as a subset of a data warehouse that contains information for a specific entity of an organization rather than the entire organization, and (2) "data warehouse" as a collection of data designed to support management decision making that contains a wide variety of data presenting a coherent picture of business conditions for an entire organization at a single point in time and whose development includes systems to extract data from operating systems plus installation of a warehouse database system that provides managers flexible access to the data. Requires the Secretary to safeguard VA network infrastructure, computers, and servers. Directs the Secretary to protect the confidentiality of sensitive personal information of veterans by: (1) providing upgrades or phaseouts of outdated or unsupported operating systems to protect against harmful viruses and malicious software, and (2) securing VA web applications and the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (commonly referred to as the "Vista system," which allows for an integrated inpatient and outpatient electronic health record for patients and provides administrative tools to VA employees). Directs the Secretary to submit certifications to Congress regarding the VA's compliance with information security requirements, including actions required by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Requires the Secretary to submit monthly reports to Congress regarding security vulnerabilities discovered after performing regular scans of VA computers and servers.
Bill· HRH.R. 4364 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 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. Authorizes 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 require a manufacturer in cases where the defect has caused a fatality to provide, and make public, certain additional information in its report to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to give public notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website of all inspections and investigations conducted by the Secretary to enforce a motor vehicle safety requirement or order, or that are related to a motor vehicle accident due to a possible defect. Directs the Secretary to: (1) take specified actions to improve public accessibility to vehicle safety information on NHTSA's website, 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 DOT Office of the Inspector General to study NHTSA use of Early Warning data. Prohibits certain vehicle safety officials, for the one-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. 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. Requires the Secretary to: (1) notify manufacturers of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment whose defect or noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards presents a substantial likelihood of death or serious injury to the public, and (2) expedite proceedings for a decision and issuance of an imminent hazard order. Directs the Secretary to issue procedures for the issuance and enforcement of such orders. Prohibits the Secretary from promulgating motor vehicle safety regulations that address preemption of state tort law without congressional authorization.
Bill· SS. 2170 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
American Energy Renaissance Act of 2014 - Amends the Natural Gas Act regarding natural gas exports to exclude from the expedited application and approval process any nation subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to repeal the authority of the President to restrict exports of coal, petroleum products, natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks, and related materials or equipment. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) to repeal limitations on oil exports. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to repeal limitations on export of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil or gas. Declares without force or effect a specified regulation and the limitation placed upon crude oil exports under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Directs the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce to grant licenses to export crude oil except in certain circumstances. Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to take into account solely domestic environmental impacts when completing an environmental impact statement for either coal export terminals or for coal transportation to such terminals. Prescribes an authorization and approval process for certain energy infrastructure projects pertaining to either an oil or natural gas pipeline, or to an electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the United States with either Canada or Mexico. Amends the Federal Power Act to repeal the prerequisite that, before transmitting electric energy to a foreign country, a person must first obtain authority from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for a certain pipeline application by TransCanada Corporation to the Department of State for the northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline from the Canadian border to the border between the states of South Dakota and Nebraska. Prescribes guidelines for leasing on the OCS. Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015, issued by the Secretary of the Interior, to be the final oil and gas leasing program under the OCSLA for FY2014-FY2019, except with regard to specified lease sales. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a lease sale every 270 days in each OCS planning area for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas leases, and (2) conduct Lease Sale 220 for areas offshore of Virginia. Permits a state, in lieu of being subject to a federal oil and gas leasing system, to elect to control energy development and production on available federal land in accordance with certain state leasing, permitting and regulatory programs prescribed by this Act. Amends the MLA to require the Secretary to offer for sale all nominated acreage not previously made available for lease, unless an individual lease should not be granted. Prescribes guidelines governing leasing certainty for onshore lease sales. Permits the Secretary to extend for up to 2 periods of 15 days each the initial 30-day period after receipt of an application for deciding whether to issue a drilling permit. Deems an application approved if a decision has not been made within 60 days after the application is received. Imposes a $5,000 documentation fee upon each administrative protest concerning a lease, right-of-way, or application for a drill permit. Directs the Secretary to establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in each field office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with responsibility for permitting energy projects on federal land. Considers final regulations governing oil shale management published by BLM on November 18, 2008, to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements. Directs the Secretary to implement them, including the oil shale leasing program, without any other administrative action necessary. Considers the Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement of the Bureau of Land Management (Plan), as in effect on November 17, 2008, to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements. Directs the Secretary to implement, without additional administrative action, the oil shale leasing program and regulations authorized in such Plan. Directs the Secretary to: (1) hold a lease sale offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources, under certain terms; and (2) hold at least five separate commercial lease sales of at least 25,000 acres considered to have the most potential for oil shale development in areas nominated through public comment. Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to conduct a competitive oil and gas leasing program that includes at least one lease sale annually in areas most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) for each of calendar years 2014 through 2023. Directs the Secretary to: (1) facilitate and ensure permits for all surface development activities, including pipeline and road construction; (2) issue an integrated activity plan from among the nonadopted alternatives in the NPRA Integrated Activity Plan Record of Decision, and (3) issue an environmental impact statement for issuance of oil and gas leases in the NPRA. Declares without force or effect the NPRA Integrated Activity Plan Record of Decision, dated February 21, 2013, including the integrated activity plan and environmental impact statement to which it refers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) promulgate regulations to ensure that the Department of the Interior is supporting development of oil and gas leases in the NPRA, and (2) complete a comprehensive assessment of all technically recoverable NPRA fossil fuel resources. Declares that this Act does not authorize issuance of a lease under the MLA to persons designated for the imposition of specified sanctions. Amends the MLA to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based live bidding methods. Directs the Secretary to implement a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain of Alaska. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to repeal the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Deems oil and gas leasing programs and activities authorized by this Act to be in compliance with the purposes of ANWR, so that no further findings or decisions are required to implement this determination. States that the Secretary is neither required to identify nonleasing alternative courses of action nor to analyze their environmental effects. Deems compliance with this Act satisfies all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) governing analysis and consideration of the environmental effects of proposed leasing. Authorizes the Secretary, after consultation with the state of Alaska, the city of Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough, to designate as a Special Area up to 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain. Directs the Secretary to designate the Sadlerochit Spring area as a Special Area. Authorizes the Secretary to exclude any Special Area from leasing. Permits directional (horizontal) drilling in a Special Area. Restricts to the terms of this Act the Secretary's authority to close lands within the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and production. Instructs the Secretary to offer: (1) tracts with the greatest potential for hydrocarbon discovery; (2) at least 50,000 acres for lease within 22 months after enactment of this Act; and (3) at least an additional 50,000 acres at 6-, 12-, and 18-month intervals thereafter. Authorizes the Secretary to grant to the highest responsible qualified bidder in a lease sale, upon payment of a bonus, any lands to be leased on the Coastal Plain. Prescribes a "no significant adverse effect" standard to govern Coastal Plain activities. Directs the Secretary to develop a facility consolidation plan for the exploration, development, production, and transportation of Coastal Plain oil and gas resources. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas produced under leases under this Act, (2) convey to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation the surface estate of specified lands, and (3) convey to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation a certain subsurface estate to which it is entitled pursuant to a specified agreement. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allow either the Secretary, an affected Indian tribe, or a certified third-party appraiser under contract with the Indian tribe to appraise Indian land or trust assets involved in a transaction requiring the Secretary's approval. Deems approved any appraisal conducted by an Indian tribe or by such an appraiser if the Secretary neither approves nor disapproves it within 60 days after it is received. Gives tribes the option of waiving such appraisals if they give the Secretary an unambiguous indication of tribal intent, including an express waiver of any claims they might have against the United States as a consequence of forgoing the appraisal. States that, when sustainability is federally required, any activities or resources conducted or produced pursuant to either a tribal resource management plan or a Secretary-approved integrated resource management plan shall be deemed to be sustainable. Amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize the Navajo Nation to enter into 99-year leases on their restricted lands without the Secretary's approval, if they are executed under tribal regulations approved by the Secretary. Permits the Navajo Nation to enter into mineral resource leases on restricted lands without the Secretary's approval if they are executed under approved tribal regulations not to exceed 25 years. Permits a renewal option for one additional term not exceeding 25 years. Declares inapplicable, except with the express consent of Indian beneficiaries, any rule promulgated by the Secretary regarding hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas development or production on land either held in trust or restricted status for Indians. Grants to the states sole authority to promulgate or enforce requirements for hydraulic fracturing within their boundaries. Subjects federal land upon which hydraulic fracturing is performed to the law of the state in which the land is located. Prohibits award of legal fees to any nongovernmental organization related to an action that: (1) prevents, terminates, or reduces access to or the production of specified enterprises; (2) diminishes the private property value of a property owner; or (3) eliminates or prevents jobs. Prohibits the Secretary from establishing a master leasing plan as part of any guidance the Secretary issues. Declares certain existing master leasing plans without force or effect. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon request of a state or the governing body of an Indian tribe, to enter into a prescribed refinery permitting agreement to streamline the permitting process using a specified systematic, interdisciplinary multimedia approach. Prescribes deadlines for approval or disapproval of consolidated permits for new refineries and for expansion of existing ones. Amends the Clean Air Act to phase out the renewable fuel standard. Repeals greenhouse gas regulation. Redefines air pollutant to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride. Declares that the following acts neither authorize nor require the regulation of climate change or global warming: (1) the Clean Air Act, (2) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, (3) the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, (4) the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and (5) the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Declares void and without force or effect certain proposed EPA rules regarding greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pollution. Requires the Administrator, before proposing or finalizing any regulation, rule, or policy, to analyze it and describe its direct and indirect net and gross impact upon employment in the United States. Establishes the Debt Freedom Fund to pay down the national debt of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 4329 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (the Act) to give the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 60 days to act before the request of an Indian tribe for a waiver of certain local cooperation, housing plan, environmental review, or development cost requirements is deemed approved under the program providing tribes with block grants for affordable and self-determined housing activities. Deems an Indian tribe that is receiving a block grant for an affordable housing project under the Act and one or more other sources of federal funding for such project to have satisfied any environmental review requirements that accompany that funding if the tribe has assumed environmental review responsibilities under the Act and is in compliance with those review requirements. Requires the Secretary to waive environmental review requirements if inadvertent error prevents satisfaction of such requirements and certain other conditions are met. Makes low-income training and employment requirements under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 inapplicable to tribal housing activities under the Act. Allows the use of Indian reserve accounts for affordable housing activities, not just the administration and planning of those activities. Makes maximum rent and homebuyer payment provisions for housing assisted under the Act inapplicable if the grant recipient has a written policy that includes maximum rent and homebuyer payment provisions. Treats rental housing as affordable housing if it is made available only to a current rental family for purchase as a homebuyer or lease-purchase unit and that family was a low-income family at the time of their initial occupancy of the unit. Makes the requirement that housing assisted under the Act remain affordable throughout the remaining life of the property inapplicable to improvements of a privately owned home if the cost of those improvements do not exceed 10% of the maximum total development cost for such home. Requires the owner or manager of rental housing assisted under the Act and one or more other federal funding sources to only use leases that require a lease termination notice period. Allows recipients of funding under the Act to use funding from the Indian Health Service (IHS) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the construction of sanitation facilities for housing construction and renovation projects funded under the Act. Reauthorizes appropriations for the block grant program through FY2018. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize the Secretary to implement a supportive housing and rental assistance program, in conjunction with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for the benefit of Native American veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Amends the Act to extend, from 50 years to 99 years, the limit on the lease of trust or Indian restricted lands for housing purposes. Prohibits such limit from being construed to affect any authority to lease those lands that is conferred pursuant to any law whether enacted before, on, or after the enactment of such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to use such sums as may be necessary from the block grant program's appropriations to assist a national organization to provide training and technical assistance to Indian housing authorities and tribally designated housing entities. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to authorize the Secretary to guarantee Indian housing loans through FY2018. Authorizes appropriations for such guarantees. Sets the maximum aggregate outstanding principal amount for such loans. Amends the American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000 to require the Lands Title Report Commission to be appointed no later than 90 days after this Act's enactment, without the current condition that sums be appropriated for that purpose in advance. Amends the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2008 to prohibit the use of funds under that Act for the benefit of the Cherokee Nation unless the Order issued on September 21, 2011, by the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia remains in effect or there is a settlement agreement which ends litigation among the adverse parties. Amends the Act to establish a demonstration program that requires a participating Indian tribe to select an investor partner and, with that partner, to develop and implement a Secretary-approved plan to address the tribe's housing needs. Requires each participating tribe to obtain assistance from a qualified entity in assessing its housing needs. Makes the block grant amounts that would otherwise have been allocated to a participating tribe under the Act available under the demonstration program to: (1) provide investor partners or other investors with a full return on their investment in the tribe's housing needs, (2) cover a tribe's administrative costs, and (3) cover housing infrastructure costs associated with providing affordable housing for the tribe.
Bill· HRH.R. 4340 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
Safety Through Informed Consumers Act of 2014 - Revises passenger motor vehicle information program requirements. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that passenger motor vehicle crash avoidance information is provided alongside of and in the same format as crashworthiness information each place that the latter is made available to the public.
Bill· HRH.R. 4339 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
Pipeline Revolving Fund and Job Creation Act - Directs the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to offer to enter into agreements to make capitalization grants, including letters of credit, to eligible states for the repair or replacement of natural gas distribution pipelines. Requires grant funds to be deposited into state revolving loan funds to provide loans or loan guarantees to: (1) facilitate compliance with an intended use plan, or (2) repair or replace those pipelines that have been identified as leak-prone. Prohibits the use of funds from loans or loan guarantees made by a state to repair or replace natural gas distribution pipelines unless all of the iron, steel, plastic, and manufactured goods used in the repair or replacement are produced in the United States (Buy America).
Bill· HRH.R. 4338 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
Pipeline Modernization and Consumer Protection Act - Requires each operator of a gas pipeline facility, in accordance with an integrity management program, if applicable, to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment that is leaking or may pose high risk of leaking. Requires each state regulatory authority and each nonregulated gas utility, in complying with such requirements, to: (1) develop prioritized timelines to repair or replace all leaking or high-risk piping or equipment, and (2) require use of best available technology to detect gas leaks. Directs the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to issue non-binding best practices guidelines for identifying and classifying high-risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement. Directs the Administrator and the heads of other applicable federal agencies to work jointly to establish and publish forms that adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting information on the causes of unaccounted-for gas.
Bill· HRH.R. 4336 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2014
Local Road Safety Act of 2014 - Revises requirements for a state strategic highway safety plan. Requires a state transportation department to develop a plan after consultation with, among other things, private sector experts in the field of roadway safety infrastructure. Requires the department, in developing such plan, also to consider, among other things, the results of any strategic highway safety plan developed by a county or local government entity or regional transportation planning organization. Prescribes a special rule requiring states to provide each fiscal year, from their apportionment of highway safety improvement program funds, an amount to county and local transportation agencies necessary to assist them to address significant safety needs, and high fatality segments, of non-state-owned public roads and roads on tribal lands identified in a state strategic highway safety plan.
Bill· SS. 2158 (113th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2014
Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act or the GRID Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with or without notice, hearing, or report, to issue orders for emergency measures to protect the reliability of either the bulk-power system or the defense critical electric infrastructure whenever the President issues a written directive or determination identifying an imminent grid security threat. Requires either the President or the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to notify specified congressional committees promptly whenever the President issues such a directive. Instructs FERC, to the extent practicable in light of the nature of the grid security threat and the urgency for emergency measures, to consult with certain governmental authorities, including in Canada and Mexico, regarding implementation of such emergency measures. Prescribes: (1) implementation procedures; and (2) related cost recovery measures affecting owners, operators, or users of either the bulk-power system or the defense critical electric infrastructure. Directs FERC to require any owner, user, or operator of the bulk-power system in the United States to implement measures necessary to protect the bulk-power system against specified vulnerabilities. Directs FERC to order the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to submit reliability standards requiring owners or operators of large transformers to ensure their adequate availability to restore promptly the reliable operation of the bulk-power system in the event that any such transformer is destroyed or disabled as a result of a reasonably foreseeable physical or other attack or a geomagnetic storm event. Directs the President to designate for FERC the domestic facilities that are: (1) critical to the national defense, and (2) vulnerable to an electric energy supply disruption. Directs FERC to require an owner or operator of defense critical electric infrastructure to implement measures to protect it against any vulnerability that has not been adequately addressed. Directs FERC, before promulgating a rule or issuing such order, to request and consider recommendations from the ERO. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to develop technical expertise in the protection of systems for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric energy against either geomagnetic storms or malicious acts using electronic communications or electromagnetic pulse. Exempts the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Bonneville Power Administration for 11 years from any requirement under this Act pertaining to emergency response measures or measures to address grid security vulnerabilities (except for a requirement addressing a malicious act using electronic communication).