Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
2023-2024 Session2021-2022 Session2019-2020 Session2017-2018 Session2015-2016 Session2013-2014 Session
Title: Sandy Hook Elementary School Violence Reduction Act
Description: Sandy Hook Elementary School Violence Reduction Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate with respect to congressional attention to gun violence, including concerning: support for efforts of the President; promotion of common sense proposals for preventing gun violence; assistance to law enforcement officers for combatting violent crime, protecting communities, and protecting themselves; safe and successful learning conditions for children attending school; tools for identifying individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others; keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals and individuals not lawfully authorized to possess them; information-sharing to facilitate early identification of threats to public safety; promoting preparedness; training for educational professionals, health providers, and others to recognize indicators of the potential for violent behavior; the connection between violent media and violent behavior; the collection, study, and publication of relevant research; and access to mental health services, with a focus on children and young adults.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S44)
Last Action Date: January 22, 2013
Title: A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress regarding conditions for the United States becoming a signatory to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, or to any similar agreement on the arms trade.
Description: Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should not sign the Arms Trade Treaty, and that, if he transmits the Treaty with his signature to the Senate, the Senate should not ratify it; and (2) until the Treaty has been signed by the President, received the advice and consent of the Senate, and has been the subject of implementing legislation by Congress, no federal funds should be appropriated or authorized to implement the Treaty, or any similar agreement, or to conduct activities relevant to the Treaty, or any similar agreement.
Last Action: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1793-1794)
Last Action Date: March 13, 2013
Title: An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2014, revising the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal year 2013, and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2015 through 2023.
Description: Sets forth the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2013, including the appropriate budgetary levels for FY2015-FY2023. Title I: Recommended Levels and Amounts - (Sec. 101) Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2013-FY2023 with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) new budget authority, (3) budget outlays, (4) deficits, (5) public debt, and (6) debt held by the public. (Sec. 102) Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority, outlays, and administrative expenses for the Social Security Administration (SSA), including the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, U.S. Postal Service discretionary administrative expenses, and specified major functional categories for FY2013-FY2023. Title II: Reconciliation - (Sec. 201) Sets forth reconciliation instructions for the Senate Committee on Finance. Title III: Reserve Funds - (Sec. 301) Authorizes certain deficit-neutral reserve funds: to replace sequestration, promote employment and job growth, assist working families and children, invest in clean energy and preserve the environment, improve federal benefit processing, promote manufacturing in the United States, improve health outcomes and lower costs for children in Medicaid, and to improve federal workforce development, job training, and reemployment programs; and for early childhood education, tax relief, investment in America's infrastructure, America's servicemembers and veterans, higher education, health care, investments in our nation's counties and schools, a farm bill, investments in water infrastructure and resources, pension reform, housing finance reform, national security, overseas contingency operations, terrorism risk insurance, postal reform, government reform and efficiency, legislation to improve voter registration and the voting experience in federal elections, improving federal forest management, financial transparency, and for the minimum wage. (Sec. 306) Authorizes a certain reserve fund for tax reform. (Sec. 321) Establishes certain deficit-reduction reserve funds: (1) for government reform and efficiency; (2) to promote corporate tax fairness; (3) for elimination or modification of congressionally mandated reports from federal agencies; (4) for no budget, no Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pay; (5) for postal reform; and (6) for eminent domain abuse prevention. (Sec. 332) Authorizes certain deficit-neutral reserve funds for repeal of the medical device tax, equal pay for equal work, women's access to health care, promotion of investment and job growth in U.S. manufacturing, oil and gas production, and refining sectors, for families of America's servicemembers and veterans, disabled veterans and their survivors, hardrock mining reform, state and local law enforcement, full funding of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Bioshield Special Reserve Fund, export promotion, the prohibition on funding of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), investments in air traffic control services, and for achieving full auditability of the financial statements of the Department of Defense (DOD) by 2017. Authorizes funds to: prohibit Medicare vouchers, require state-wide budget neutrality in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor, allow states to enforce state and local use tax laws, define full-time employee, advance legislation relating to labeling genetically engineered fish, establish a biennial budget and appropriations process, repeal or reduce the estate tax, end "Too Big to Fail" subsidies or funding advantage for Wall Street mega-banks (over $500 billion in total assets), authorize children eligible for health care under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to retain such eligibility until age 26, establish a national network for manufacturing innovation, ensure that any carbon emissions standards must be cost effective based on the best available science and benefit low-income and middle class families, address the eligibility criteria for certain unlawful immigrant individuals with respect to certain health insurance plans, ensure no financial institution is above the law regardless of size, and help homeowners and small business mitigate against flood loss. (Sec. 355) Authorizes certain deficit-neutral reserve funds to: repeal the Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account restrictions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), broaden the impact of the sequester (including allowing Members of Congress to donate a portion of their salaries to charity or to the Department of the Treasury during sequestration), ensure the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) collaborates with western states to prevent the listing of the Sage-Grouse, increase the capacity of agencies to ensure effective contract management and contract oversight, address prescription drug abuse in the United States, support rural schools and districts, strengthen enforcement of free trade agreement provisions relating to textile and apparel articles, assist low-income seniors, ensure that domestic energy sources can meet emissions rules, increase funding for the inland waterways system, continue sanctions with respect to Iran, prevent restrictions to public access to fishing downstream of dams owned by the Corps of Engineers, address the disproportionate regulatory burdens on community banks, authorize per diem payments for services to dependents of homeless veterans under VA administered laws, support programs related to DOD nuclear missions and the National Nuclear Security Administration, phase-in any changes to individual or corporate tax systems, increase aid for tribal education programs, expedite U.S. exports, support the reauthorization of the payments-in-lieu-of-taxes program at levels roughly equivalent to property tax revenues lost due to the presence of federal land, ensure that the United States will not negotiate or support treaties that violate Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, increase funding for federal investments in biomedical research, and uphold Second Amendment rights and prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations (U.N.) Arms Trade Treaty. (Sec. 369) Authorizes a certain reserve fund to end offshore tax abuses by large corporations. Title IV: Budget Process - Subtitle A: Budget Enforcement - (Sec. 401) Makes it out of order to consider in the Senate any legislation that would cause the discretionary spending limits in this resolution to be exceeded, except by a supermajority waiver. Specifies such discretionary spending limits in the Senate for FY2013-FY2014. Provides for adjustments to budgetary aggregates and allocations for: designated emergency requirements, continuing disability reviews, health care fraud and abuse control, disaster relief, and adjustments for overseas contingency operations. (Sec. 402) Makes it out of order to consider in the Senate any legislation that would require advanced appropriations, except by a supermajority waiver, other than for: up to $28.852 billion in new budget authority in FY2015-FY2016 for programs, projects, activities, or accounts identified in the joint explanatory statement of managers accompanying this budget resolution; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the Medical Services, Medical Support and Compliance, and Medical Facilities accounts of the Veterans Health Administration. (Sec. 403) Authorizes adjustments in committee allocations and all other budgetary aggregates, allocations, levels, and limits contained in this budget resolution for sequestration or sequestration replacement purposes. (Sec. 404) Makes it out of order to consider in the Senate any appropriations legislation, amendment, motion, or conference report that includes any provision that constitutes changes in certain mandatory programs affecting the Crime Victims Fund, except by a supermajority waiver. (Sec. 405) Subjects to the supermajority (3/5) waiver requirements of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 a point of order against consideration of certain legislation by Congress: reported by a committee unless the committee has published an OMB statement on the direct costs of federal mandates beforehand, and that would increase the direct costs of federal intergovernmental mandates by an amount causing specified thresholds to be exceeded. (Sec. 406) Prohibits budget resolutions or any other legislation that increases guarantee fees of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) from being scored for the level of budget authority, outlays, or revenues (in order to offset any deficit increase) contained in such legislation. Subtitle B: Other Provisions - (Sec. 411) Requires Senate committees to: review programs and tax expenditures in their jurisdictions to identify waste, fraud, and abuse or duplication, and to increase the use of performance data to inform committee work; review the matters for congressional consideration identified on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High Risk list report and the annual report to reduce program duplication; and make recommendations to the Senate Budget Committee to improve governmental performance in their annual views and estimates reports. (Sec. 412) Requires the joint explanatory statement accompanying the conference report on any budget resolution in the Senate to include in its committee allocations to the Committees on Appropriations amounts for the discretionary administrative expenses of the SSA and of the Postal Service. (Sec. 416) Requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), with the assistance of the Joint Committee on Taxation, to prepare, as a supplement to the cost estimate for legislation affecting revenues, an estimate of the revenue changes in connection with certain legislative provisions that incorporates the macroeconomic effects of the policy being analyzed. Applies this requirement to any legislative provision: which proposes a change to law that the CBO determines, pursuant to a conventional fiscal estimate, has a revenue impact exceeding $5 billion in any fiscal year; or for which the chair or ranking member of either congressional budget committee has requested such estimate. Title V: Other Matters - (Sec. 501) Requires CBO, when it releases its annual Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook, to: report changes in direct spending and revenue associated with PPACA and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, including the net impact on deficit, both with on-budget and off-budget effects; and analyze the budgetary effects of 30%, 50%, and 100% of Americans losing employer-sponsored health insurance and accessing coverage through federal or state exchanges. (Sec. 503) Requires, when CBO submits its report to Congress on the President's annual budget for a fiscal year, the report to contain: an estimate of the pro rata cost to taxpayers who will file individual income tax returns for taxable years ending during such fiscal year of any deficit that would result from the budget, and an analysis of the budgetary effects of such cost. (Sec. 504) Expresses the sense of the Senate on making available for lease, sale, or transfer any underutilized property and facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as their potential use.
Last Action: Conference held.
Last Action Date: November 13, 2013
Title: Gun Show Background Check Act of 2013
Description: Gun Show Background Check Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require registration of gun show promoters and to set forth the responsibilities of promoters, licensees, and other transferors. Provides that if any part of a firearm transaction takes place at a gun show, each licensed importer, manufacturer, and dealer who transfers one or more firearms to a person who is not licensed shall, within 10 days after the transfer, submit a report of the transfer to the Attorney General. Sets forth penalties for violations. Grants the Attorney General authority to enter the place of business of any gun show promoter and any place where a gun show is held, during business hours and without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, for purposes of examining records and the inventory of licensees conducting business to determine compliance with this Act. Increases penalties for: (1) serious record-keeping violations by licensees, and (2) violations of criminal background check requirements.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: January 22, 2013
Title: Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act of 2013
Description: Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit: (1) the transfer or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, except for such a device lawfully possessed within the United States on or before the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) the importation or bringing into the United States of such a device. Exempts: (1) the transfer or possession of such a device by a federal, state, or local agency or law enforcement officer; (2) certain transfers to licensees under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954; (3) possession of such a device transferred to an individual upon retirement from a law enforcement agency if such individual is not otherwise prohibited from receiving ammunition; and (4) the manufacture, transfer, or possession of such a device by a licensed manufacturer or importer for authorized testing or experimentation purposes. Sets penalties for violations. Subjects devices used or involved in knowing violation of such Act to seizure and forfeiture. Requires a large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after this Act's enactment to be identified by a serial number and the date it was manufactured.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: January 22, 2013
Title: Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013
Description: Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit (or revoke such license or permit) if the Attorney General: (1) determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be engaged in terrorism or has provided material support or resources for terrorism; and (2) has a reasonable belief that the transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism. Allows any individual whose firearms or explosives license application has been denied to bring legal action to challenge the denial. Extends the prohibition against the sale or distribution of firearms or explosives to include individuals whom the Attorney General has determined to be engaged in terrorist activities. Imposes criminal penalties on individuals engaged in terrorist activities who smuggle or knowingly bring firearms into the United States. Authorizes the Attorney General to withhold information in firearms and explosives license denial revocation lawsuits and from employers if the Attorney General determines that the disclosure of such information would likely compromise national security.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: January 22, 2013
Title: Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013
Description: Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to require the licensing of ammunition dealers. Prohibits any person except a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) selling ammunition, with an exception for a sale of ammunition to a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer; or (2) engaging in the business of importing or manufacturing ammunition, or in the course of such business, from shipping, transporting, or receiving ammunition. Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) transferring ammunition to a person without verifying the person's identity by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of such person; or (2) selling or delivering any ammunition (currently, any armor-piercing ammunition) to any person unless the licensee notes in his records the person's name, age, and place of residence, if the person is an individual, or the person's identity and principal and local places of business, if the person is a business entity. Applies prohibitions applicable to the shipping or transport of firearms, and record-keeping requirements applicable to the importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms, to ammunition. Requires each licensee to: (1) prepare a report of multiple sales or other dispositions whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an unlicensed person at one time or during any five consecutive business days; and (2) forward such report to the specified office and to the department of state police, the state law enforcement agency, or the local law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the sale took place by the close of business on the day the multiple sale occurs.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: January 22, 2013
Title: Authorization for Use of Force Against the Organization Called the Islamic State
Description: Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the Organization Called the Islamic State - Authorizes the President to use appropriate force against the threat posed by the organization called the Islamic State (IS), formally known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as any successor organization. States that this resolution is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization pursuant to section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution. Directs the President to report to Congress setting forth: (1) U.S. strategy to defeat IS or any successor organization; and (2) every 90 days thereafter, a description and assessment of such strategy's implementation.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Last Action Date: September 8, 2014
Title: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013
Description: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) to add or expand definitions of several terms used in such Act, including : (1) "culturally specific services" to mean community-based services that offer culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities; (2) "personally identifying information or personal information" with respect to a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; (3) "underserved populations" as populations that face barriers in accessing and using victim services because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity; and (4) "youth" to mean a person who is 11 to 24 years old. Modifies or expands grant conditions under such Act, including requirements relating to: (1) nondisclosure of personally identifying information or other client information, (2) information sharing between grantees and subgrantees, (3) civil rights and nondiscrimination, (4) audit requirements for grants, and (5) nonprofit organizations. Requires the Office on Violence Against Women of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a biennial conferral process with state and tribal coalitions, technical assistance providers, and other key stakeholders on the administration of grants and related matters. Requires the Attorney General to authorize in writing expenditures for DOJ conferences that exceed $20,000. (Sec. 4) Makes specified provisions of this Act effective at the beginning of the fiscal year following the enactment of this Act. Title I: Enhancing Judicial and Law Enforcement Tools to Combat Violence Against Women - (Sec. 101) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants to combat violent crime against women (STOP grants). Expands the purposes for which STOP grants may be used to include training of law enforcement personnel and prosecutors, addressing backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits, and providing protections for male victims of sexual assault crimes. Revises the application process for STOP grants. Requires states receiving funds under the STOP grant program to develop and submit to the Attorney General implementation plans for using grant funds. (Sec. 102) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the grant program to encourage governmental entities to implement policies, training programs, and best practices for recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of domestic violence and violent sex crimes. Requires such entities to use grant funds for: (1) training programs with respect to domestic violence and sexual assaults against women; (2) developing best practices for responding to domestic violence and sexual assault crimes; (3) developing, implementing, or enhancing sexual assault nurse examiner programs and Sexual Assault Response Teams; (4) providing human immunodeficiency virus testing programs; and (5) identifying and inventorying backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits. Requires not less than 25% of grant funding to be used for projects that address sexual assault. Authorizes appropriations for such grant program for FY2014-FY2018, and requires the allotment of not less than 5% of such funding for Indian tribal governments. (Sec. 103) Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to expand the availability of competent pro bono legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018. (Sec. 104) Revises the grant programs for supporting families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to such families and to train court personnel in assisting such families. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018. (Sec. 105) Extends through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the training of probation and parole officers to manage sex offenders, and (2) the Court-Appointed Special Advocate program. (Sec. 107) Amends the federal criminal code with respect to the crime of stalking to prohibit the use of any interactive computer or electronic communication service to stalk victims. (Sec. 108) Revises and reauthorizes through FY2018 the grant program for outreach strategies targeted at adult or youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations. (Sec. 109) Eliminates the requirement that recipients of grants to combat violent sex crimes against women include linguistically specific services in administering such grants. Title II: Improving Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking - (Sec. 201) Amends VAWA to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants to: (1) assist states, Indian tribes, and U.S. territories to establish, maintain, and expand rape crisis centers and other nongovernmental or tribal programs to assist victims of sexual assault; and (2) assist victims of domestic violence and other sexual assault crimes in rural areas. (Sec. 203) Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants to end violence against women with disabilities. (Sec. 204) Amends VAWA to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for the grant program to end elder abuse, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, exploitation, and neglect, and to provide training for law enforcement agencies to better serve victims of abuse in later life (i.e., individuals who are 50 years of age or older). Directs the Attorney General in awarding grants to end elder abuse to give priority to proposals for serving culturally specific and underserved populations. Title III: Services, Protection, and Justice for Young Victims of Violence - (Sec. 301) Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) include territorial or tribal sexual assault coalitions in the grant program for rape prevention and education, and (2) authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers. Establishes a minimum allocation of grant funding for states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and each U.S. Territory. (Sec. 302) Amends VAWA to replace certain grant programs for the protection of young victims of violent crimes with a program requiring the Attorney General, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Secretary of Education, to award grants to enhance the safety of youth and children who are victims of, or exposed to, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and to prevent future violence. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018. (Sec. 303) Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to expand the grant program for combating violent crimes on college campuses by providing for educational materials to address prevention and intervention in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking and to develop or adapt population specific strategies for victims of domestic violence and violent sex crimes for underserved populations on campus. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018. (Sec. 304) Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand requirements for the disclosure of campus security policy and crime statistics by institutions of higher education to require education programs to: (1) promote the awareness of rape and other violent sex crimes, (2) require disclosure of disciplinary proceedings involving rape and other violent sex crimes and the standard of evidence that will govern such proceedings, and (3) establish procedures for the protection of the rights of accusers and the accused in disciplinary proceedings and the confidentiality of crime victims. Title IV: Violence Reduction Practices - (Sec. 401) Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to academic institutions and organizations to support research that examines best practices for reducing and preventing violence against women and children. Reduces the amount of such funding by 50% of the level for FY2007-FY2011. (Sec. 402) Amends VAWA to authorize the Attorney General, in consultation with the HHS Secretary and the Secretary of Education, to award grants to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by taking a comprehensive approach that focuses on youth, children exposed to violence, and men as leaders and influencers of social norms (SMART Prevention grants). Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018. Repeals grant programs for: (1) training home visitation service providers, (2) engaging men and youth in preventing domestic violence and violent sex crimes, and (3) increasing public awareness of issues regarding domestic violence against pregnant women. Title V: Strengthening the Healthcare System's Response to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking - (Sec. 501) Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise, and consolidate grant programs that address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by developing or enhancing and implementing: (1) interdisciplinary training for health professionals, public health staff, and allied health professionals; (2) education programs for health profession students to prevent and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (3) comprehensive statewide strategies to improve the response of clinics, public health facilities, hospitals, and other health settings to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Permits grant funds to be used for the development, expansion, and implementation of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Requires grant recipients to: (1) provide patients with advance notice about any circumstances under which information may be disclosed, such as mandatory reporting laws; and (2) give patients the option to receive information and referrals without affirmatively disclosing abuse. Requires the HHS Secretary to give preference to grant applicants based on the strength of their evaluation strategies, with priority given to outcome-based evaluations. Revises requirements for training and education grants to require that grantees be: (1) a nonprofit organization with a history of effective work in the field of training health professionals with an understanding of, and clinical skills pertinent to, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and lifetime exposure to violence and abuse; (2) an accredited school of allopathic or osteopathic medicine, psychology, nursing, dentistry, social work, or allied health; (3) a health care provider membership or professional organization or a health care system; or (4) a state, tribal, territorial, or local entity (currently, grantees must be a school of allopathic or osteopathic medicine). Requires grantees to represent a team of entities that include at least one of each of: (1) an accredited school of allopathic or osteopathic medicine, psychology, nursing, dentistry, social work, or other health field; (2) a health care facility or system; and (3) a government or nonprofit entity with a history of effective work in the fields of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. Revises the training and education grant program to remove the matching requirement. Revises the public health response grant program to remove requirements that: (1) a grant award cannot exceed two years, and (2) funds must be distributed equally between state and local programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants or enter into contracts to provide technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and operation of any program, activity, or service carried out under this Title. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make publicly available materials developed by grantees under this Title, including materials on training, best practices, and research and evaluation; and (2) publish a biennial report on the distribution of funds under this Title and the programs and activities supported by such funds. Makes the grant program on research of effective interventions in the health care setting permissible, rather than required. Authorizes the Secretary to use not more than 20% of funds available under this Title for research and evaluation of: (1) grants awarded under this Title; and (2) other training for health professionals and effective interventions in the health care setting that prevent domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual assault across the lifespan, prevent the health effects of such violence, and improve the safety and health of individuals who are currently being victimized. Allows research grant funds to be used to research the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult experience with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and adult health outcomes, including how to reduce or prevent the impact of adverse childhood experiences through the health care setting. Eliminates provisions permitting research grant funds to be used for: (1) research and testing of best messages and strategies to mobilize public and health care provider action concerning the prevention of domestic, dating, or sexual violence; or (2) measuring the comparative effectiveness and outcomes of efforts to reduce violence and increase womens' safety. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018. Repeals grant programs for : (1) research on effective interventions in the health care setting that prevent domestic violence and violent sex crimes; and (2) interdisciplinary training and education programs for medical personnel on domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence. Title VI: Safe Homes for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking - (Sec. 601) Amends VAWA with respect to housing rights of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Prohibits denial or termination of housing assistance on the basis of being such a victim under specified federal housing programs (covered programs), including the low-income housing tax credit program, if the applicant or tenant otherwise qualifies for admission, assistance, participation, or occupancy under such programs. Prohibits denial of assistance, tenancy, or occupancy rights to assisted housing based solely on certain criminal activity directly related to domestic violence engaged in by a member of the individual's household or by any guest or other person under the individual's control, if the tenant or an affiliated individual is the victim or threatened victim. Defines "affiliated individual" as: (1) a spouse, parent, brother, sister, or child of that individual, or someone to whom such individual stands in loco parentis; or (2) any other individual, tenant, or lawful occupant living in the individual's household. Allows a public housing agency (PHA) or an owner or manager of assisted housing to bifurcate a housing lease in order to evict, remove, or terminate assistance to any tenant or lawful occupant who engages in criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking against an affiliated individual or other individual, without evicting or otherwise penalizing a victim of such criminal activity who is also a tenant or lawful occupant. Requires specified accommodation of any tenants remaining after the eviction of the sole tenant eligible to receive assistance under a covered housing program. Authorizes a PHA or an owner or manager of assisted housing to: (1) require certified documentation from any applicant claiming protection under this Act, or (2) deny or terminate any assistance if such documentation is not produced. Requires each executive department carrying out a covered housing program to adopt a model emergency transfer plan, meeting specified criteria, for PHAs and owners or managers of assisted housing to use in allowing tenants who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to transfer to another available and safe dwelling unit of assisted housing. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish policies and procedures under which a victim requesting such a transfer may receive section 8 (voucher program) assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937. Makes conforming amendments to the United States Housing Act of 1937. (Sec. 602) Revises eligibility requirements for transitional housing assistance grants for child victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to specify that any victims are eligible. Authorizes the use of such grants for support services designed to enable a minor, an adult, or a dependent to secure employment, including employment counseling, occupational training, job retention counseling, and counseling concerning re-entry into the workforce. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such grants, but at decreased levels, for FY2014-FY2018. (Sec. 603) Extends the authorization of appropriations, but also at decreased levels, for FY2014-FY2018 for: (1) collaborative grants to increase the long-term stability of victims, and (2) grants to combat violence against women in public and assisted housing. Title VII: Economic Security for Victims of Violence - (Sec. 701) Amends VAWA to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for the grant program to establish and operate a national resource center on workplace responses to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence. Title VIII: Protection of Battered Immigrants - (Sec. 801) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to expand the definition of nonimmigrant U-visa (aliens who are victims of certain crimes) to include victims of stalking. (Sec. 802) Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to report annually to the Judiciary Committees of Congress on the number of aliens: (1) applying for and granted or not granted nonimmigrant status based upon being victims of trafficking or other criminal activities such as domestic violence or sexual exploitation, and (2) granted continued U.S. presence. Requires such report to include a description of actions being taken to reduce the adjudication and processing time for U visas. (Sec. 803) Makes a child of an alien who was a self-petitioner under VAWA who filed a pending or approved petition for classification or application for adjustment of status or other benefit eligible for lawful permanent resident status under such alien's petition. (Sec. 804) Excludes from the public charge bar to admission an alien who is: (1) a VAWA self-petitioner, (2) a U-visa applicant, or (3) a battered spouse or child. (Sec. 805) Amends INA to: (1) provide that an unmarried alien who seeks to accompany or follow to join a parent granted U-visa status who was under 21 years of age on the date on which the parent petitioned for such status shall continue to be classified as a child if the alien attains 21 years of age after the parent's petition was filed but while it was pending, (2) extend the conditions under which the waiver of the two-year waiting period for a permanent resident status application may be granted to a battered alien spouse, and (3) expand the scope of criminal-related information that must be disclosed by a U.S. citizen petitioning for a nonimmigrant K-visa (alien fiancee or fiance) (Sec. 808) Requires the Attorney General, not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, to report to Congress: (1) the name of the Department of Justice (DOJ) component responsible for investigating and prosecuting violations of the International Marriage Broker Act of 2005, and (2) a description of DOJ policies and procedures for consultation with the Secretaries of DHS and State in investigating and prosecuting such violations. Amends the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 to require DHS to: (1) conduct a background check of the National Crime Information Center's Protection Order Database on each K-visa petitioner, and (2) include any appropriate information in the criminal background information provided to the alien fiance/fiancee. Prohibits an international marriage broker from providing any individual or entity with information about an individual under the age of 18. Requires a broker to obtain a valid copy of each foreign national client's birth certificate or other official proof of age document. Establishes criminal penalties for specified broker violations. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on the impact of this section on the K-visa process. (Sec. 809) Amends the the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 to permit U- and T-visa (victims of human trafficking) holders in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to count their time physically present in the Commonwealth toward the three-year continuous U.S. presence required for adjustment to permanent resident status. (Sec. 810) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to authorize the DHS Secretary (in addition to the Attorney General) to disclose information relating to aliens who are victims of domestic violence to law enforcement officials for law enforcement purposes in a manner that protects the confidentiality of such information. Authorizes the Attorney General and the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to disclose such information to national security officials to be used solely for a national security purpose. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State to provide guidance to officers and employees of their respective departments regarding such disclosures of information. Title IX: Safety for Indian Women - (Sec. 901) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include sex trafficking as a target of the grants to Indian tribal governments to combat violent crime against Indian women. Allows such grants to be used to: (1) address the needs of youth who are victims of, or exposed to, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or stalking; and (2) develop and promote best practices for responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking. (Sec. 902) Allows tribal coalition grants to be used to develop and promote state, local, and tribal legislation and policies that enhance best practices for responding to violent crimes against Indian women. Requires the Attorney General to award such grants annually to each tribal coalition that meets certain criteria under VAWA, is recognized by the Office on Violence Against Women, and serves Indian tribes. Requires that tribal coalition grants also be provided to organizations that propose to incorporate and operate a tribal coalition in areas where Indian tribes are located but no tribal coalition exists. Prohibits more than 10% of the tribal coalition grant funds appropriated for each of FY2014-FY2018 from being made available to such organizations. (Sec. 903) Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to include the Secretary of the Interior, in addition to the Secretary of HHS and the Attorney General, as a participant in consultations with Indian tribes regarding the administration of tribal funds and programs, enhancement of Indian women's safety, and federal response to violent crimes against Indian women. Directs the Attorney General to submit an annual report to Congress on recommendations made by Indian tribes during consultations. (Sec. 904) Gives Indian tribes jurisdiction over domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protective orders that occur on their lands. Makes that jurisdiction concurrent with federal and state jurisdiction. Requires Indian tribes prosecuting crimes of violence to: (1) prove that a defendant has requisite ties to the Indian tribe; (2) provide defendants the right to an impartial jury trial; and (3) notify defendants of their rights, including the right to file a writ of habeas corpus in federal court. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to Indian tribes to assist them in exercising such jurisdiction, providing indigent defendants with free legal counsel, and securing the rights of victims of domestic and dating violence crimes. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for such grant program, and to provide participating Indian tribes with training, technical assistance, data collection, and an evaluation of their criminal justice systems. (Sec. 905) Grants courts of an Indian tribe full civil jurisdiction to issue and enforce protection orders in matters arising anywhere in the Indian country of the Indian tribe or otherwise within the authority of the tribe. (Sec. 906) Amends the federal criminal code to include sexual abuse crimes under the 20-year criminal penalty for assault. Imposes enhanced criminal penalties on individuals who: (1) commit an assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a spouse, intimate partner, or a dating partner who has not attained age 16; and (2) assault a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner by strangling, suffocating, or attempting to strangle or suffocate. Makes federal felony assault penalties and enhanced penalties for prior domestic violence or stalking offenses applicable to Indians and Indian tribes. (Sec. 907) Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the National Institute of Justice to include women in Alaska Native Villages and sex trafficking in its study of violence against Indian women. Reauthorizes appropriations for the study for FY2014-FY2015. Reauthorizes appropriations for the national tribal sex offender registry and the tribal protection order registry for FY2014-FY2018. (Sec. 908) Makes Indian tribes' criminal jurisdiction over domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders that occur on their lands effective two years after this Act's enactment. Allows Indian tribes to exercise such jurisdiction prior to the two-year effective date under a pilot program. (Sec. 909) Extends by one year the reporting deadline of the Indian Law and Order Commission. Directs the Attorney General to report to Congress on whether the Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission should be continued. (Sec. 910) Makes provisions of this Title relating to tribal jurisdiction over domestic violence crimes and the issuance and enforcement of protection orders applicable, in Alaska, only to the Indian country of the Metlakatla Indian Community, Annette Island Reserve. Provides that the existing jurisdiction and authority of each Alaskan Indian tribe shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be limited or diminished by this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act limits or diminishes the jurisdiction of the state of Alaska or any of its subdivisions or Indian tribes. Title X: Safer Act - Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act of 2013 or the SAFER Act of 2013 - (Sec. 1002) Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to make Debbie Smith grants under such Act to states or local governments to: (1) conduct audits of samples of sexual assault evidence that are awaiting testing, provided such governments submit an audit plan that includes a good-faith estimate of the number of such samples; and (2) ensure that the collection and processing of DNA evidence by law enforcement agencies from crimes is carried out in an appropriate and timely manner and in accordance with specified protocols and practices. Requires not less than 5% but not more than 7% of Debbie Smith grant funds distributed in FY2014-FY2017 to be awarded for such purposes if sufficient applications to justify such amounts are received by the Attorney General, provided such awards do not decrease funds for other distribution requirements. Authorizes the Attorney General to award a grant to a state or local government for auditing sexual assault evidence backlogs only if the recipient submits a plan for performing the audit of samples and includes a good-faith estimate of the number of such samples. Sets forth provisions regarding grant conditions and circumstances under which the Attorney General may grant an extension of the initial deadline. Requires grant recipients to report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) every 60 days, including on the cumulative total number of samples of sexual assault evidence that have been submitted to a laboratory for DNA or other forensic analyses. Requires the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to: (1) develop and publish a description of protocols and practices for the accurate, timely, and effective collection and processing of DNA evidence, which shall address appropriate steps in the investigation of cases that might involve DNA evidence; and (2) make available technical assistance and training to support states and local governments in adopting and implementing such protocols and practices. (Sec. 1003) Requires the Attorney General to submit to Congress an annual report on: (1) grants awarded to states and local governments, (2) the number of deadline extensions granted by the Attorney General, and (3) the processing status of the samples of sexual assault evidence identified in Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reports. (Sec. 1004) Requires, for each fiscal year through FY2018, that not less than 75% of Debbie Smith grant amounts be awarded to carry out for inclusion in the Combined DNA Index System DNA analyses of samples collected under applicable legal authority and of samples collected from crime scenes and to increase the capacity of state or local government laboratories to carry out DNA analyses. (Sec. 1005) Makes all grants awarded by DOJ that are authorized under this Act subject to specified oversight and accountability requirements. Requires the DOJ Inspector General to conduct audits of grant recipients to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Makes a grant recipient found to have an unresolved audit finding ineligible to receive grants under this Act for two fiscal years. Directs the Attorney General to give priority in awarding grants to eligible entities that, during the three fiscal years before submitting a grant application, did not have an unresolved audit finding showing a violation in the terms or conditions of a DOJ grant program. Prohibits the Attorney General from awarding a grant to a nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying tax on certain unrelated business income. Requires each nonprofit organization awarded a grant that uses the procedures prescribed in regulations to create a rebuttable presumption of reasonableness for the compensation of its officers, directors, trustees, and key employees, to disclose to the Attorney General in the grant application the process for determining such compensation. Limits the sum that may be used by the Attorney General for salaries and administrative expenses of DOJ to 7.5% of amounts authorized to be appropriated under this Act, unless otherwise explicitly provided in authorizing legislation. Prohibits amounts authorized to be appropriated to DOJ under this Act from being used by the Attorney General or by any individual or organization awarded discretionary funds through a cooperative agreement under this Act to host or support any expenditure for conferences that uses more than $20,000 in DOJ funds without prior written authorization from specified individuals. Prohibits amounts authorized to be appropriated under this Act from being utilized by any grant recipient to lobby any government representative regarding the award of grant funding. Directs the Attorney General to require a grant recipient that violates such provision to repay the grant and to prohibit the recipient from receiving another grant under this Act for five years. (Sec. 1006) Sunsets specified provisions of this Act regarding Debbie Smith grants for auditing sexual assault evidence backlogs on December 31, 2018. Title XI: Other Matters - (Sec. 1101) Amends the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act to allow a prisoner in federal custody to bring a suit against the United States for a mental or emotional injury if such injury resulted from the commission of a sexual act (currently, requires a prior showing of a physical injury). Amends the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 to direct the DHS Secretary to publish a final rule adopting national standards for the detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of rapes and sexual assaults in detention facilities against aliens detained for a violation of U.S. immigration law. Requires the HHS Secretary to publish a similar final rule for the protection of unaccompanied alien children in custodial facilities. (Sec. 1102) Amends the Communications Act of 1934, with respect to obscene or harassing telephone calls, to: (1) remove the intent to annoy requirement in the definition of such crime; and (2) include any specific person as an intended victim of such crime (currently, any person at the called number or who receives the communication). (Sec. 1103) Amends VAWA to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for the grant programs for: (1) improving and implementing processes for entering data on stalking and domestic violence into crime information databases, and (2) appointing victim/witness counselors for the prosecution of sex crimes and domestic violence crimes. (Sec. 1105) Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for child abuse and neglect technical assistance and training programs for judicial personnel and attorneys practicing in juvenile and family courts. Title XII: Trafficking Victims Protection - Subtitle A: Combating International Trafficking in Persons - (Sec. 1201) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require that: (1) each Department of State regional bureau annually submit a list of goals for combating trafficking in persons for each country in its geographic area of responsibility, and (2) host governments be informed of and consulted regarding the goals and objectives for their particular country. (Sec. 1202) Requires the Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to build U.S. government-private entity partnerships to ensure that: (1) U.S. citizens do not use any item, product, or material produced or extracted with the labor of victims of severe forms of trafficking; and (2) such entities do not contribute to trafficking in persons involving sexual exploitation. Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) establish a fund to assist foreign governments meet urgent trafficking prevention needs, protect victims, and prosecute trafficking offenders; (2) provide assistance for each country with a high prevalence of trafficking that enters into a child protection compact with the United States; and (3) suspend or terminate assistance to countries that are engaged in activities that are contrary to U.S. security interests. (Sec. 1203) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to: (1) require the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to make reasonable efforts to enable agencies to publicize the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline on their websites, and (2) require an annual congressional briefing on Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to promote international international cooperation regarding victim protection and assistance. (Sec. 1204) Revises Department of State standards for measuring efforts to eliminate human trafficking and reporting requirements on the status of severe forms of trafficking in persons. (Sec. 1206) Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require that a video about U.S. legal rights and resources be developed and shown in embassies and consulates with the greatest concentrations of aliens applying for employment- or education-based nonimmigrant visas. (Sec. 1207) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary to establish a strategy: (1) to prevent child marriage, (2) to promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage in developing countries, and (3) that addresses the needs of girls younger than 18 years of age in developing countries. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the annual State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices to include reporting on child marriage. (Sec. 1208) Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to prohibit the provision of peacekeeping operation funds to countries that use child soldiers. Waives such prohibition for programs to professionalize military or security forces or to demobilize and reintegrate child soldiers. Subtitle B: Combating Trafficking of Persons in the United States - Part I: Penalties Against Traffickers and Other Crimes - (Sec. 1211) Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to include labor contract fraud under the scope of such Act. Amends the federal criminal code to subject a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien who resides overseas and engages in illicit sexual conduct, including sex trafficking, with a person under 18 years old to a fine and/or imprisonment. Subjects a person to fine and/or imprisonment for the knowing destruction, concealment, removal, confiscation, or possession of certain immigration documents. (Sec. 1212) Extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for a person to bring a civil action for an injury received while a minor that was caused by specified sexual- or forced labor-related violations of federal criminal law. Part II: Ensuring Availability of Possible Witnesses and Informants - (Sec. 1221) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) make eligible for a nonimmigrant T visa (trafficking victims cooperating with law enforcement) adult or minor children of certain derivative family members of a T visa alien if such children face a danger of retaliation in their home country by the traffickers, and (2) make an alien who was the victim of foreign labor contracting fraud eligible for a nonimmigrant U visa (victims of certain crimes). Part III: Ensuring Interagency Coordination and Expanded Reporting - (Sec. 1231) Revises certain trafficking-related reporting requirements for the Attorney General and the Secretary of Labor. (Sec. 1233) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of State to provide the Department of Labor with information relating to child labor and forced labor in the production of goods in violation of international standards. (Sec. 1235) Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress regarding the use of foreign labor contractors. (Sec. 1236) Requires all recipients of grants awarded by the Attorney General under this Title to be subject to accountability provisions, including audits, disclosure of compensation of key employees, limitations on conference expenditures, and annual compliance certifications by the Attorney General. Part IV: Enhancing State and Local Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons - (Sec. 1241) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make renewable one-year block grants to four eligible state or local government entities in different regions of the United States to combat sex trafficking of minors. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014 -FY2017. Terminates the block grant program four years after enactment of this Act. (Sec. 1242) Authorizes appropriations through FY2017 for grants for local law enforcement investigations and prosecutions of trafficking and commercial sex act violations. Directs GAO to evaluate the grant program. (Sec. 1243) Includes in the model state criminal provisions protections for persons under 18 years old who have been arrested for engaging in commercial sex acts. Subtitle C: Authorization of Appropriations - (Sec. 1251) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations through FY2017 for: (1) the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, (2) the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, (3) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, (4) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for trafficking victim assistance, (5) the Secretary of State to combat trafficking, (6) the Attorney General for trafficking victim assistance in the United States, (7) the President for foreign victim trafficking assistance and to foreign countries to meet minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, (8) the Secretary of Labor for trafficking victim assistance in the United States, and (9) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) for trafficking investigations by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Sec. 1252) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize appropriations through FY2017 for annual conferences conducted by the Attorney General to address severe forms to trafficking in persons and commercial sex acts that occur within the United States. Subtitle D: Unaccompanied Alien Children - (Sec. 1261) Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to direct: (1) the DHS Secretary, with respect to individuals who reach the age of 18 and are transferred to DHS, to consider placement in the least restrictive setting available, including alternative detention programs; and (2) the HHS Secretary to appoint child advocates at 3 new immigration detention sites to advocate for trafficking victims and vulnerable unaccompanied alien children and report to the Judiciary Committees of Congress on such child advocate program. Authorizes appropriations through FY2017 for the HHS child advocacy programs. Directs GAO to conduct studies of the effectiveness of: (1) the HHS child advocate program, and (2) DHS border screening of unaccompanied alien children to determine whether they are trafficking victims. (Sec. 1263) Makes a child granted U visa status eligible for resettlement assistance for refugee children.
Last Action: Became Public Law No: 113-4.
Last Action Date: March 7, 2013
Title: Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013
Description: Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 - (Sec. 3) Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person, other than a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, collector, or dealer (licensed dealer), from knowingly purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce (including through receipt on consignment or by way of pledge or pawn as security for payment) a firearm from a licensed dealer, or from any person who is not a licensed dealer, for another individual, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such individual meets specified criteria disqualifying such individual from possessing a firearm. Sets forth an enhanced penalty for such a violation committed knowing or with reasonable cause to believe that any firearm involved will be used to commit a crime of violence. Specifies exceptions for purchases for certain bona fide gifts or for a bona fide winner of an organized raffle, contest, or auction. Prohibits: (1) transferring two or more firearms to, or receiving two or more firearms from, a person in interstate or foreign commerce knowing or with the reasonable belief that such transfer, possession, or receipt would violate a federal law punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year; or (2) attempting or conspiring to commit such conduct. Authorizes an enhanced penalty for someone who organizes or supervises such conduct. Subjects: (1) property derived from or used to commit such an offense to forfeiture, and (2) a person who derives profits from such an offense to a fine equal to twice such profits. Includes such offenses: (1) among offenses for which wiretapping may be authorized, (2) within the definition of "racketeering activity," and (3) within the definition of "specified unlawful activity" for purposes of money laundering violations. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to: (1) ensure that persons convicted of offenses involving straw purchases of firearms and firearms trafficking are subject to increased penalties; and (2) reflect congressional intent that a person convicted of such offense who is affiliated with a gang, cartel, or organized crime ring should be subject to higher penalties. (Sec. 4) Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the purchaser intends: (1) to sell or otherwise dispose of it to a person in a category of individuals excluded from firearms possession, (2) to sell or otherwise dispose of it in furtherance of a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense, or (3) to export it in violation of law. (Sec. 5) Increases the maximum term of imprisonment for violating prohibitions against: (1) selling firearms or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person is disqualified from possessing such firearms or ammunition; (2) any such disqualified person transporting or possessing any firearm or ammunition in interstate or foreign commerce or receiving any firearm or ammunition that has been has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce; (3) receiving or transferring a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to commit a crime of violence, a drug trafficking crime, or other specified crimes under the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, or the Immigration and Nationality Act; or (4) smuggling into or out of the United States a firearm or ammunition with intent to engage in or promote conduct that is punishable under the Controlled Substances Act, the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act, or maritime drug law enforcement provisions or that constitutes a crime of violence. (Sec. 8) Prohibits the Department of Justice (DOJ) and any of its law enforcement coordinate agencies from conducting any operation where a federal firearms licensee is directed or encouraged to sell firearms to an individual if DOJ or a coordinate agency knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such individual is purchasing such firearms on behalf of another for an illegal purpose, unless the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, or the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division approves the operation in writing and determines that the agency has prepared an operational plan to prevent firearms from being transferred to third parties without law enforcement taking reasonable steps to lawfully interdict those firearms.
Last Action: By Senator Leahy from Committee on the Judiciary filed written report under authority of the order of the Senate of 03/23/2013. Report No. 113-9. Additional and Minority views filed.
Last Action Date: April 5, 2013
Title: Common Sense Concealed Firearms Permit Act of 2013
Description: Common Sense Concealed Firearms Permit Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to direct each state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms to establish a process through which a resident must obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Requires a state to: (1) ensure that a local law enforcement agency participates in the process; and (2) require that an applicant be a legal resident of the United States, be not less than 21 years of age, demonstrate good cause for requesting the permit, and demonstrate that he or she is worthy of the public trust to carry a concealed firearm in public. Requires any such process that allows an agency other than a law enforcement agency to issue such permits to require: (1) a local law enforcement agency to submit to the agency responsible a written report that describes whether the applicant meets the state's standards to carry a concealed firearm, and (2) the agency responsible to maintain such report in the applicant's file.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: January 24, 2013
Title: Assault Weapons Ban of 2013
Description: Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 - (Sec. 3) Amends the federal criminal code to ban the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon, including: a semiautomatic rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and has any one of the following characteristics: (1) a pistol grip; (2) a forward grip; (3) a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; (4) a grenade or rocket launcher; (5) a barrel shroud; or (6) a threaded barrel; a semiautomatic rifle or pistol with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds; a semiautomatic pistol that can accept a detachable magazine and has any one of the following characteristics: (1) a threaded barrel, (2) a second pistol grip, (3) a barrel shroud, (4) the capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip, or (5) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; a semiautomatic shotgun that has any one of the following characteristics: (1) a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; (2) a pistol grip; (3) a fixed magazine that can accept more than five rounds; (4) the ability to accept a detachable magazine; (5) a forward grip; or (6) a grenade or rocket launcher; a shotgun with a revolving cylinder; firearms that are specifically listed as prohibited by this Act and copies, duplicates, variants, or altered facsimiles with the capability of any such weapon; all belt-fed semiautomatic firearms; any combination of parts from which any such prohibited firearm can be assembled; and the frame or receiver of a prohibited rifle or shotgun. Excludes from such ban any semiautomatic assault weapon that: (1) is lawfully possessed on the date of enactment of this Act (grandfathered weapon); (2) is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (3) has been rendered permanently inoperable; (4) is an antique firearm; or (5) is used for law enforcement or security purposes or for testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General. Identifies, by make and model, firearms that are specifically exempted from the ban imposed by this Act. Requires the Attorney General to establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any semiautomatic assault weapon which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime under federal or state law. Makes it unlawful to: (1) import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a large capacity ammunition feeding device (generally, a device that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition); or (2) store or keep any grandfathered semiautomatic weapon that may become accessible by an individual who is prohibited from receiving or possessing such a weapon. Requires identification markings (i.e., serial number and the date of manufacture) on semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Provides for the seizure and forfeiture of prohibited large capacity ammunition feeding devices. (Sec. 5) Makes it unlawful for an unlicensed individual to transfer a grandfathered semiautomatic weapon to another unlicensed individual, unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer: (1) has first taken custody of the weapon for the purpose of complying with existing national instant criminal background check requirements; and (2) upon taking custody, complies with all firearms requirements as if the licensee were transferring the weapon from the licensee's inventory to the unlicensed transferee. Sets forth an exception for the temporary transfer of possession in a licensed target facility or established range for the purpose of participating in target shooting. Requires implementing regulations to set a maximum fee that licensees may charge for services provided, but prohibits such regulations from imposing recordkeeping requirements on any unlicensed transferor or from requiring licensees to facilitate such transfers. (Sec. 6) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow the use of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to pay compensation to individuals who surrender semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices under a buy-back program. (Sec. 7) Requires: (1) the Attorney General to instruct the Director of the National Institutes of Justice to conduct a peer-reviewed factual study of incidents of mass shootings in the United States, and (2) the Director to report the findings of such study to Congress within one year. Requires the Director to examine the impact upon perpetrators of specified factors, including childhood abuse or neglect, exposure to criminal acts or bullying, mental illness, school supportiveness, the availability of firearms and of weapons information, depictions of violence in video games and the media, and poverty or other socioeconomic factors.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 27.
Last Action Date: March 14, 2013
Title: Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act
Description: Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Last Action Date: January 29, 2013
Title: Ammunition Background Check Act of 2013
Description: Ammunition Background Check Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a licensed firearms dealer from transferring ammunition to any other person who is not licensed unless: (1) the licensee contacts the national instant criminal background check system, (2) the system has provided the licensee with a unique identification number or three business days have elapsed and the system has not notified the licensee that receipt of a firearm by such person is prohibited, and (3) the licensee has verified the the transferee's identity by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of the transferee. Sets forth exceptions. Requires the system, if receipt of ammunition by the transferee is not prohibited, to: (1) assign a unique identification number to the transfer; (2) provide the licensee with the number; and (3) destroy all records of the system with respect to the transfer, other than the identifying number and the date it was assigned, within three days after notifying the licensee that the transaction may proceed. Requires the licensee to include the unique identification number in the record of the transfer of ammunition. Prohibits an unlicensed transferor from knowingly transferring ammunition to an unlicensed transferee without obtaining a background check conducted by a licensed dealer. Sets forth requirements for a licensed dealer who agrees to assist in such transfer. Authorizes the Attorney General to fine, and to suspend or revoke the license of, a firearms dealer, or to fine an unlicensed transferor, who knowingly transfers ammunition without complying with this Act if the national instant background check system was operating and had access to information that receipt of ammunition by the transferee was prohibited. Amends the federal criminal code to apply to ammunition: (1) recordkeeping requirements currently applicable only to the sale by federal licensees of armor-piercing ammunition; (2) prohibitions against interstate firearms sales or firearms sales that are contrary to state law; and (3) recordkeeping requirements applicable to importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms. Requires each licensee to report: (1) multiple sales or other dispositions at one time or during any five consecutive business days of a large quantity of ammunition (based on the Attorney General's determination of the quantity that indicates an intent to engage in criminal activity) to an unlicensed person, and (2) the theft or loss of a significant quantity of ammunition (to be defined by the Attorney General). Includes a Teflon-coated bullet within the definition of "armor-piercing bullet," defines "incendiary ammunition" (bullets having a specialized capability to ignite upon impact), and subjects incendiary ammunition to requirements and prohibitions applicable to armor piercing ammunition. Prohibits the possession or transfer of armor piercing ammunition. Exempts the possession of such ammunition lawfully possessed under federal law on the date of enactment of this Act.
Last Action: Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights. Hearings held.
Last Action Date: February 12, 2013
Title: Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013
Description: Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) transferring two or more firearms to, or receiving two or more firearms from, a person in interstate or foreign commerce knowing or with the reasonable belief that such transfer, possession, or receipt of a firearm would violate a federal, state, or local law punishable by a prison term of more than one year; (2) making false statements regarding an actual buyer to a licensed firearm importer, dealer, or manufacturer relating to the purchase, receipt, or acquisition of two or more firearms that have moved in or affected interstate or foreign commerce; (3) directing, promoting, or facilitating such conduct; or (4) conspiring to commit such conduct. Authorizes an enhanced penalty for someone who organizes or supervises such conduct. Makes exceptions for a firearm that is lawfully acquired: (1) to be given to another person not prohibited from possessing it under federal or state law as a gift; or (2) by a court-appointed trustee, receiver, or conservator on behalf of an estate or creditor, to carry out a bequest, or in an acquisition by intestate succession. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of offenses under this Act.
Last Action: Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights. Hearings held.
Last Action Date: February 12, 2013
Title: No Firearms for Foreign Felons Act of 2013
Description: No Firearms for Foreign Felons Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to prevent any individual convicted of a felony or crime of domestic violence in a foreign court from possessing a firearm in the United States.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: February 7, 2013
Title: Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013
Description: Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 - Title I: Ensuring That All Individuals Who Should Be Prohibited From Buying A Gun Are Listed In The National Instant Criminal Background Check System - (Sec. 101) Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NICS Act) to eliminate from the records concerning persons who are prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm about which a state must submit estimates to the Attorney General for purposes of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System: (1) a record that identifies a person for whom an indictment has been returned for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year or who is a fugitive from justice and for which a record of final disposition is not available; and (2) a record that identifies a person who is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance. Directs the Attorney General to establish the applicable time period for the occurrence of events (currently, within the prior 20 years) in pertinent records. Replaces provisions requiring that a specified percentage of grants to states and Indian tribal governments for establishing, planning, or improving identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations be used to maintain a relief from disabilities program with provisions authorizing states to use such grants for such a program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for such grants and eliminates allocation restrictions based on the percentage of records states provide. (Sec. 102) Revises the periods during which the Attorney General may withhold Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds from states that do not provide specified percentages of required records. Eliminates the Attorney General's authority to waive such withholding if a state provides evidence it is making a reasonable effort to comply. Requires the Attorney General to publish and made available on a publicly accessible website an annual report that ranks states by the ratio of number of records submitted by each state under the NICS Act to the estimated total number of available records of the state. (Sec. 103) Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act) to include federal courts as federal agencies from which the Attorney General is authorized to secure information on persons prohibited from receiving a firearm. Title II: Requiring a Background Check for Every Firearm Sale - (Sec. 202) Amends the Brady Act to prohibit any person who does not hold a federal firearms license from transferring a firearm to any other unlicensed person unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer: (1) has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of complying with national instant criminal background check requirements; and (2) upon taking possession, complies with all firearms requirements as if transferring the firearm from the licensee's inventory to the unlicensed transferee. Specifies exceptions, including for: (1) bona fide gifts between immediate family members; (2) a transfer from a decedent's estate; (3) a transfer of possession between unlicensed persons in the transferor's home for less than seven days; and (4) certain temporary transfers without the transfer of title in connection with lawful hunting or sporting purposes at a shooting range, at a shooting competition, or while hunting, fishing, or trapping during hunting season. Authorizes the Attorney General to implement this section with regulations that shall include provisions: (1) setting a maximum fee that may be charged by licensees for services provided, and (2) requiring a transaction record of any transfer that occurs between an unlicensed transferor and unlicensed transferee. (Sec. 203) Makes it unlawful for any person who lawfully possesses or owns a firearm that has been shipped transported, or possessed in interstate or foreign commerce to fail to report the theft or loss of the firearm to the Attorney General and the appropriate local authorities within 24 hours of discovering it.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 25.
Last Action Date: March 12, 2013
Title: Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013
Description: Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person, other than a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, collector, or dealer (licensed dealer), from knowingly purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce (including through receipt on consignment or by way of pledge or pawn as security for payment) a firearm from a licensed dealer, or from any person who is not a licensed dealer, for another individual, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such individual meets specified criteria disqualifying such individual from possessing a firearm. Sets forth an enhanced penalty for such a violation committed knowing or with reasonable cause to believe that any firearm involved will be used to commit a crime of violence. Specifies exceptions for purchases for certain bona fide gifts or for a bona fide winner of an organized raffle, contest, or auction. Prohibits: (1) transferring two or more firearms to, or receiving two or more firearms from, a person in interstate or foreign commerce knowing or with the reasonable belief that such transfer, possession, or receipt would violate a federal law punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year; or (2) attempting or conspiring to commit such conduct. Authorizes an enhanced penalty for someone who organizes or supervises such conduct. Subjects: (1) property derived from or used to commit such an offense to forfeiture, and (2) a person who derives profits from such an offense to a fine equal to twice such profits. Includes such offenses: (1) among offenses for which wiretapping may be authorized, (2) within the definition of "racketeering activity," and (3) within the definition of "specified unlawful activity" for purposes of money laundering violations. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to: (1) ensure that persons convicted of offenses involving straw purchases of firearms and firearms trafficking are subject to increased penalties; and (2) reflect congressional intent that a person convicted of such offense who is affiliated with a gang, cartel, or organized crime ring should be subject to higher penalties. Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the purchaser intends: (1) to sell or otherwise dispose of it to a person in a category of individuals excluded from firearms possession, (2) to sell or otherwise dispose of it in furtherance of a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense, or (3) to export it in violation of law. Increases the maximum term of imprisonment for violating prohibitions against: (1) selling firearms or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person is disqualified from possessing such firearms or ammunition; (2) any such disqualified person transporting or possessing any firearm or ammunition in interstate or foreign commerce or receiving any firearm or ammunition that has been has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce; (3) receiving or transferring a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to commit a crime of violence, a drug trafficking crime, or other specified crimes under the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, or the Immigration and Nationality Act; or (4) smuggling into or out of the United States a firearm or ammunition with intent to engage in or promote conduct that is punishable under the Controlled Substances Act, the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act, or maritime drug law enforcement provisions or that constitutes a crime of violence.
Last Action: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1286-1287)
Last Action Date: March 11, 2013
Title: NICS Reporting Improvement Act of 2013
Description: NICS Reporting Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends federal firearms provisions to define a person who has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or who has been committed to a psychiatric hospital as a person who is the subject of an order or finding issued by a court, board, commission, or other adjudicative body (after a hearing of which the person received actual notice and at which the person had an opportunity to participate with counsel) that found that the person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, mental impairment, or mental illness: (1) was an imminent danger to himself or others, (2) was guilty but mentally ill in a criminal case, (3) was not guilty in a criminal case by reason of insanity or mental disease or defect, (4) was incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case, (5) was not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, (6) required involuntary inpatient treatment by a psychiatric hospital, (7) required involuntary outpatient treatment by a psychiatric hospital based on a finding that the person was an imminent danger to himself or others, or (8) required involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital for any reason, including drug use. Excludes: (1) a person who is in a psychiatric hospital for observation or due to a voluntary admission, and (2) an order or finding that has expired, that has been set aside or expunged, or that is no longer applicable. Defines "psychiatric hospital" to include a mental health facility, mental hospital, sanitarium, psychiatric facility, and any other facility that provides diagnoses by licensed professionals of mental retardation or mental illness, including a psychiatric ward in a general hospital. Prohibits: (1) the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person has been adjudicated mentally incompetent (currently, mental defective) or has been committed to a psychiatric hospital (currently, to any mental institution); and (2) the shipment, transport, or possession in interstate or foreign commerce of a firearm or ammunition by, or the receipt of a firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in such commerce by, any such person. Makes conforming amendments to the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: March 6, 2013
Title: A resolution calling on the Government of Burma to develop a non-discriminatory and comprehensive solution that addresses Rakhine State's needs for peace, security, harmony, and development under equitable and just application of the rule of law, and for other purposes.
Description: Calls on the government of Burma to: develop a non-discriminatory and comprehensive solution that addresses Rakhine State's needs for peace and development under equitable application of the rule of law; end all forms of persecution and discrimination of the Rohingya people, and ensure respect for internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Burma; respect the Rohingya's right to self-identification, redraft the Citizenship Law of 1982 so that it conforms to internationally recognized legal standards, and include both Rakhine and Rohingya leaders and community members in the redrafting process; support an international and independent investigation into the violence that has occurred in Rakhine State and prosecute the perpetrators consistent with due process; and conform to international norms on the provision of unrestricted humanitarian access by international organizations. Welcomes Burma's announcement that Medecins Sans Frontieres has been invited back to work in Rakhine State. Calls on the regional governments to protect the rights of Rohingya asylum seekers and refugees, as well as to respect the international legal principle of non-refoulement. Calls on the U.S. government and the international community to call on the government of Burma to end the persecution of the Rohingya population and to protect the fundamental rights of all ethnic and religious minority groups in Burma.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 615.
Last Action Date: December 4, 2014
Title: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for reconciliation in Indonesia and disclosure by the United States Government of events surrounding the mass killings during 1965-66.
Description: Condemns the mass murder in Indonesia in 1965-1966. Expresses concern about the lack of accountability enjoyed by those who carried out crimes during this period. Urges political leaders in Indonesia to consider a truth, justice, and reconciliation commission to address alleged crimes against humanity and other human rights violations related to such mass killing. Calls on the Department of State, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and others involved in developing and implementing policy towards Indonesia during such period to establish an interagency working group to: (1) locate and make available to the public all classified records and documents related to such mass killings, and (2) report to Congress.
Last Action: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6541-6542)
Last Action Date: December 10, 2014
Title: Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013
Description: Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 - Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NICS Act), the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, and the federal criminal code to require background checks for all firearm sales, prohibit straw purchases of firearms, and expand the school safety grant program. Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 - Amends the NICS Act to eliminate from the records concerning persons who are prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm, about which a state must submit estimates to the Attorney General for purposes of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System: (1) a record that identifies a person for whom an indictment has been returned for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year or who is a fugitive from justice and for which a record of final disposition is not available; and (2) a record that identifies a person who is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance. Directs the Attorney General to establish the applicable time period for the occurrence of events which would disqualify a person from possessing a firearm (currently, within the prior 20 years) in pertinent records. Replaces provisions requiring that a specified percentage of grants to states and Indian tribal governments for establishing, planning, or improving identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations be used to maintain a relief from disabilities program with provisions authorizing states to use such grants for such a program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for such grants and eliminates allocation restrictions based on the percentage of records states provide. Revises the periods during which the Attorney General may withhold Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds from states that do not provide specified percentages of required records. Eliminates the Attorney General's authority to waive such withholding if a state provides evidence it is making a reasonable effort to comply. Requires the Attorney General to publish and make available on a publicly accessible website an annual report that ranks states by the ratio of the number of records submitted by each state under the NICS Act to the estimated total number of available records of the state. Amends the Brady Act to include federal courts as federal agencies from which the Attorney General is authorized to secure information on persons prohibited from receiving a firearm. Amends the Brady Act to prohibit any person who does not hold a federal firearms license from transferring a firearm to any other unlicensed person unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer: (1) has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of complying with national instant criminal background check requirements; and (2) upon taking possession, complies with all firearms requirements as if transferring the firearm from the licensee's inventory to the unlicensed transferee. Specifies exceptions, including for: (1) bona fide gifts between immediate family members; (2) a transfer from a decedent's estate; (3) a transfer of possession between unlicensed persons in the transferor's home for less than seven days; and (4) certain temporary transfers without the transfer of title in connection with lawful hunting or sporting purposes at a shooting range, at a shooting competition, or while hunting, fishing, or trapping during hunting season. Authorizes the Attorney General to implement this section with regulations that shall include provisions: (1) setting a maximum fee that may be charged by licensees for services provided, and (2) requiring a transaction record of any transfer that occurs between an unlicensed transferor and unlicensed transferee. Makes it unlawful for any person who lawfully possesses or owns a firearm that has been shipped, transported, or possessed in interstate or foreign commerce to fail to report the theft or loss of the firearm to the Attorney General and the appropriate local authorities within 24 hours of discovery. Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person, other than a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, collector, or dealer (licensed dealer), from knowingly purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce (including through receipt on consignment or by way of pledge or pawn as security for payment) a firearm from a licensed dealer, or from any person who is not a licensed dealer, for another individual, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such individual meets specified criteria disqualifying such individual from possessing a firearm. Sets forth an enhanced penalty for such a violation committed knowing or with reasonable cause to believe that any firearm involved will be used to commit a crime of violence. Specifies exceptions for purchases for certain bona fide gifts or for a bona fide winner of an organized raffle, contest, or auction. Prohibits: (1) transferring two or more firearms to, or receiving two or more firearms from, a person in interstate or foreign commerce knowing or with the reasonable belief that such transfer, possession, or receipt would violate a federal law punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year; or (2) attempting or conspiring to commit such conduct. Authorizes an enhanced penalty for someone who organizes or supervises such conduct. Subjects: (1) property derived from or used to commit such an offense to forfeiture, and (2) a person who derives profits from such an offense to a fine equal to twice such profits. Includes firearm trafficking offenses: (1) among offenses for which wiretapping may be authorized, (2) within the definition of "racketeering activity," and (3) within the definition of "specified unlawful activity" for purposes of money laundering violations. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to: (1) ensure that persons convicted of offenses involving straw purchases of firearms and firearms trafficking are subject to increased penalties; and (2) reflect congressional intent that a person convicted of such offense who is affiliated with a gang, cartel, or organized crime ring should be subject to higher penalties. Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the purchaser intends to: (1) sell or otherwise dispose of it to a person in a category of individuals excluded from firearms possession, (2) sell or otherwise dispose of it in furtherance of a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense, or (3) export it in violation of law. Increases the maximum terms of imprisonment for violating prohibitions against: selling firearms or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person is disqualified from possessing such firearms or ammunition; any such disqualified person transporting or possessing any firearm or ammunition in interstate or foreign commerce or receiving any firearm or ammunition that has been has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce; receiving or transferring a firearm or ammunition knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to commit a crime of violence, a drug trafficking crime, or other specified crimes under the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, or the Immigration and Nationality Act; or smuggling into or out of the United States a firearm or ammunition with intent to engage in or promote conduct that is punishable under the Controlled Substances Act, the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act, or maritime drug law enforcement provisions or that constitutes a crime of violence. Prohibits the Department of Justice (DOJ) and any of its law enforcement coordinate agencies from conducting any operation where a federal firearms licensee is directed or encouraged to sell firearms to an individual if DOJ or a coordinate agency knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such individual is purchasing such firearms on behalf of another for an illegal purpose, unless the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, or the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division approves the operation in writing and determines that the agency has prepared an operational plan to prevent firearms from being transferred to third parties without law enforcement taking reasonable steps to lawfully interdict those firearms. School and Campus Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize school security grants by the DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to be used for the installation of surveillance equipment and the establishment of hotlines or tiplines for the reporting of potentially dangerous students and situations. Requires a grant application to be accompanied by a report that is signed by the heads of each law enforcement agency and school district with jurisdiction over the schools where the safety improvements will be implemented and that demonstrates that each proposed use of the grant funds will be: (1) an effective means for improving school safety, (2) consistent with a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence, and (3) individualized to the needs of each school. Requires the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Secretary of Education to establish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate a set of advisory school safety guidelines. Authorizes appropriations for such grant program for FY2014-FY2023. Center to Advance, Monitor, and Preserve University Security Safety Act of 2013 or CAMPUS Safety Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to: (1) establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety; and (2) make subawards to institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations to assist the Center in carrying out its assigned functions, including providing education and training for public safety personnel of institutions of higher education, identifying and disseminating information, policies, and best practices relevant to campus public safety, and promoting cooperation among public safety and emergency management personnel of institutions of higher education and their collaborative partners.
Last Action: S.AMDT.730 Amendment SA 730, under the order of 4/16/13, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 95 - 2. Record Vote Number: 105.
Last Action Date: April 18, 2013
Title: High-Capacity Ammunition Magazine Ban of 2013
Description: High-Capacity Ammunition Magazine Ban of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Defines a "large capacity ammunition feeding device" to: (1) mean a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that has an overall capacity of, or that can be readily changed to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition; and (2) exclude an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. Provides exemptions for: (1) devices lawfully possessed before this Act's enactment; (2) federal, state, and local agencies and law enforcement officers; (3) licensees under the Atomic Energy Act for on-site security, off-site training, and transportation of nuclear materials; and (4) authorized testing or experimentation by a licensed firearms manufacturer or importer. Requires a device manufactured after this Act's enactment to be identified by a serial number and the date it was manufactured conspicuously engraved or cast on the device. Sets penalties for violations. Subjects devices used or involved in knowing violation of such Act to seizure and forfeiture. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants for buy-back programs for surrendered large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Last Action: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 36.
Last Action Date: April 10, 2013
Title: Disarm Criminals and Protect Communities Act
Description: Disarm Criminals and Protect Communities Act - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) the Felon and Fugitive Firearm Task Force to strengthen DOJ efforts to investigate and prosecute cases of convicted felons and fugitives who illegally attempt to purchase a firearm. Requires the Task Force to provide direction for and recommendations to the Attorney General regarding such investigation and prosecution, including with respect to: (1) the allocation of DOJ resources; (2) enhancing cooperation among federal agencies and entities and among federal, state, and local authorities; (3) changes in rules, regulations, or policy to improve effectiveness; and (4) improvements through changes in rules, regulations, or policy. Makes specified sums in the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund available for: (1) the investigation and prosecution of cases of convicted felons and fugitives who illegally attempt to purchase a firearm, and (2) the Task Force.
Last Action: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 39.
Last Action Date: April 16, 2013
Title: Firearm Straw Purchasing and Trafficking Prevention Act
Description: Firearm Straw Purchasing and Trafficking Prevention Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit purchasing or otherwise obtaining a firearm that has been shipped, transported, or received in interstate or foreign commerce for or on behalf of any other person who the purchaser knows: (1) is prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm; (2) intends to use, carry, possess, sell, or otherwise dispose of the firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, a drug trafficking crime, or a federal crime of terrorism; (3) intends to engage in conduct that would constitute such a crime if the conduct occurred in the United States; or (4) is not a resident of any state and is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States. Prohibits willfully procuring another to engage in such conduct. Prohibits: (1) shipping, transporting, transferring, or otherwise disposing of two or more firearms to another person in or otherwise affecting interstate or foreign commerce knowing that the use, carrying, or possession of a firearm by the transferee is prohibited or would constitute a crime of violence, a drug trafficking crime, or a federal crime of terrorism; (2) receiving two or more firearms in or otherwise affecting interstate or foreign commerce if the recipient either knows such receipt is prohibited or intends to use the firearm in furtherance of such a crime; or (3) attempting or conspiring to commit such conduct. Sets penalties for violations, including enhanced penalties for acting in concert with another person as an organizer, leader, supervisor, or manager in such a transfer or receipt of firearms. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to: (1) review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to ensure that persons convicted of such offenses and other offenses applicable to the straw purchases and trafficking of firearms are subject to increased penalties in comparison to those currently provided; (2) consider an appropriate amendment to reflect the intent of Congress that straw purchasers without significant criminal histories receive sentences that are sufficient to deter participation in such activities; and (3) review and amend its guidelines and policy statements to reflect the intent of Congress that a person convicted of such an offense who is affiliated with a gang, cartel, organized crime ring, or other such enterprise should be subject to higher penalties than an otherwise unaffiliated individual. Increases the maximum penalty for making false statements or representations with respect to firearms. Expands the scope of prohibitions against transferring a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime to cover receiving or transferring a firearm or ammunition, attempting or conspiring to do so, and transferring a firearm or ammunition knowing that it will be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism or a crime under the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Increases the maximum term of imprisonment for such violations and for smuggling a firearm or ammunition into or out of the United States with intent to engage in or promote prohibited conduct.
Last Action: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 40.
Last Action Date: April 16, 2013
Title: Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Act
Description: Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Act - Designates specified land in Carson National Forest in New Mexico, which shall be known as the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness, as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Releases any federal land within the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Study Area administered by the Forest Service that is not designated as wilderness by this Act from further review for designation as wilderness. Modifies the boundary of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness in New Mexico as specified on the map entitled "Columbine-Hondo, Wheeler Peak Wilderness." Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey to the town of Red River in New Mexico, one or more parcels of federal land in Taos County, New Mexico, identified as Parcels, 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the map entitled "Town of Red River Town Site Act Proposal" (the Red River Conveyance Map). Directs the Secretary to convey to the village of Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico the National Forest System land identified as parcel 1 on the map entitled "Village of Taos Ski Valley Town Site Act Proposal." Authorizes the conveyance of certain National Forest System land in New Mexico involving Parcels 5 and 6 as identified on the Red River Conveyance Map.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 631.
Last Action Date: December 10, 2014
Title: Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2014
Description: Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2013 - Designates specified federal lands in San Juan National Forest in Colorado as: (1) the Hermosa Creek Watershed and Protection Area, and (2) the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a management plan for the long-term protection and management of the Special Management Area. Designates specified land within the Protection Area as the Hermosa Creek Wilderness. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, upon the expiration of a specified permit, to convey to La Plata County, Colorado, identified land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Tres Rios District in Colorado. Requires such land to be used only for public purposes consistent with the uses allowed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. Requires the County to: (1) pay all survey costs and other administrative costs necessary for preparing and completing patents for, and transfers of title to, such land; and (2) agree in writing to pay administrative costs associated with such conveyance, including the costs of environmental, wildlife, cultural, or historical resources studies. Releases the West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area in San Juan County, Colorado, from further study for designation as wilderness.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 632.
Last Action Date: December 10, 2014
Title: Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act
Description: Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act - Amends the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 to: (1) delay the repeal date of such Act for 10 years, and (2) extend the prohibitions against undetectable firearms in such Act to specified firearm receivers and ammunition magazines. Prohibits the manufacture, importation, sale, shipment, delivery, possession, transfer, or receipt of any receiver for a rifle or handgun, or of any ammunition magazine, that: (1) is manufactured by a person who is not a licensed manufacturer, (2) is not as detectable as the Receiver Security Exemplar or the Magazine Security Exemplar by walk-through metal detectors, or (3) does not generate an image that accurately depicts the shape of a receiver or an ammunition magazine when subjected to inspection by airport x-ray machines. Defines "Receiver Security Exemplar" and "Magazine Security Exemplar" as objects fabricated at the direction of the Attorney General that are: (1) constructed, respectively, of 3.7 ounces of material type 17-4 PH stainless steel in a shape resembling the lower receiver for a rifle or handgun, or of 1 ounce of material type 17-4 PH stainless steel in a shape resembling an ammunition magazine; and (2) suitable for testing and calibrating metal detectors. Directs the Attorney General to promulgate regulations to permit the manufacture, importation, sale, shipment, delivery, possession, transfer, or receipt of receivers or magazines that were previously prohibited but that become as detectable as their respective Exemplars in view of advances in weapons detection technology.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: June 12, 2013
Title: Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act
Description: Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act - Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Last Action Date: June 20, 2013
Title: Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2013
Description: Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2013 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to revise the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner and any other person similarly situated to a spouse who is protected by the domestic or family violence laws of the state or tribal jurisdiction in which the injury occurred or where the victim resides; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include the use or attempted use of physical force or a deadly weapon by a current or former intimate partner. Prohibits: (1) the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such person has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking; and (2) the shipment or possession of a firearm or ammunition in interstate or foreign commerce, or the receipt of a firearm or ammunition that has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce, by an individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking.
Last Action: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
Last Action Date: July 30, 2014
Title: Sportsmen's Act
Description: Sportsmen's Act - Title I: Recreational Shooting - Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to permit individuals carrying bows and crossbows to traverse the National Park System if the traverse is: (1) for the sole purpose of hunting on adjacent land, and (2) the most direct means of access to such adjacent land. Prohibits the Secretary of the Army from promulgating or enforcing any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm at a water resources development project administered by the Chief of Engineers if: (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm, and (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the state in which the project is located. Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of BLM to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training. Title II: Duck Stamps - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 to exempt an authorized taking of migratory birds and collection of their eggs by indigenous inhabitants of Alaska from the prohibition on taking under the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act. Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state. Title III: Reauthorizations - Amends the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) to reauthorize, until 15 years after this Act's enactment, the program for the completion of appraisals and satisfaction of other legal requirements for the sale or exchange of public land identified for disposal under approved land use plans under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Requires 30% (currently all) of the gross proceeds of the sale or exchange of public land under such Act to be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account and 70% of such proceeds to be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury and used for federal budget deficit reduction. Makes the FLTFA inapplicable to land eligible for sale under specified public land laws. Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2017 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects. Title IV: Miscellaneous - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a one-year period. Allows an applicable land management agency to deny access to a film crew if: (1) there is a likelihood of resource damage that cannot be mitigated, (2) there would be an unreasonable disruption of the public use and enjoyment of the site, (3) the activity poses public health or safety risks, and (4) the filming includes the use of models or props that are not part of the land's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities.
Last Action: Introduced in the Senate. Read twice. Ordered Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 143.
Last Action Date: July 18, 2013
Title: Crime Gun Tracing Act of 2013
Description: Crime Gun Tracing Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General, in awarding public safety and community policing (COPS ON THE BEAT) grants, to give preferential consideration to an applicant that has reported all firearms recovered during the previous 12 months at a crime scene or during the course of a criminal investigation to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), or to a state agency that reports such firearms to the Bureau, for the purpose of tracing. Requires each application for a COPS grant to specify: (1) whether the applicant recovered any firearms at a crime scene or during the course of a criminal investigation during the 12 months before the submission of the application; (2) the number of such firearms recovered; (3) the number of such firearms reported to the Bureau, or to a state agency that reports such firearms to the Bureau, for tracing; and (4) the reason why any such firearms were not so reported.
Last Action: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5962)
Last Action Date: July 25, 2013
Title: Smarter Sentencing Act of 2014
Description: Smarter Sentencing Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Amends the federal criminal code to direct the court to impose a sentence for specified controlled substance offenses without regard to any statutory minimum sentence if the court finds that the defendant: (1) does not have more than two criminal history points; (2) has no prior convictions for any offense that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against another; and (3) has not been convicted of a specified firearm offense, sex offense, federal crime of terrorism, or racketeering offense or of conspiring to use and invest illicit drug profits. (Sec. 3) Authorizes a court that imposed a sentence for a crack cocaine possession or trafficking offense committed before August 3, 2010, on motion of the defendant, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, the attorney for the government, or the court, to impose a reduced sentence as if provisions of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 were in effect at the time such offense was committed, provided such sentence was not previously imposed or reduced under such Act or such a motion wasn't previously denied. (Sec. 4) Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, possessing, importing, or exporting specified controlled substances. (Sec. 5) Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of such an offense under the CSA and CSIEA to ensure consistency with this Act and to consider specified factors, including: (1) its mandate to formulate guidelines to minimize the likelihood that the federal prison population will exceed federal prison capacity; (2) fiscal implications of changes; (3) relevant public safety concerns; (4) the intent of Congress that severe sentences for violent, repeat, and serious drug traffickers who present public safety risks remain in place; and (5) the need to reduce and prevent racial disparities in sentencing. Requires the Commission to: (1) promulgate such guidelines, policy statements, or amendments by no later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and (2) make such conforming amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines as necessary to achieve consistency with other guideline provisions and applicable law. (Sec. 6) Requires the Attorney General to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on how the reduced expenditures on federal corrections and cost savings resulting from this Act will be used to help reduce overcrowding in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, increase investment in law enforcement and crime prevention, and reduce recidivism. (Sec. 7) Directs the Attorney General to submit a report listing all criminal statutory offenses and including for each offense: (1) a list of the elements of the offense, (2) the potential criminal penalty for the offense, (3) the number of prosecutions for the offense brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in each of the 15 years preceding this Act's enactment, and (4) the mens rea requirement for the offense. Requires the head of each of specified federal agencies to submit a report listing all criminal regulatory offenses enforceable by such agency and including for each offense: (1) the potential criminal penalty, (2) the number of violations referred to DOJ for prosecution in each of the 15 years preceding this Act's enactment, and (3) the mens rea requirement. Requires the Attorney General and each agency head to establish a publicly accessible index of each such offense and make the index available and freely accessible on DOJ's and the agency's websites. (Sec. 8) Amends the federal criminal code to establish a five-year minimum term of imprisonment for aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor or ward, and sexual abuse-related offenses resulting in death. (Sec. 9) Provides for enhanced penalties for interstate domestic violence if a victim dies, if the victim is permanently disfigured or suffers a life threatening bodily injury, if serious bodily injury to the victim results, or if the offender uses a dangerous weapon during the offense. (Sec. 10) Amends the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act to establish a five-year minimum term of imprisonment for certain unlawful acts involving: (1) the provision of defense articles or defense services to a state sponsor of terrorism, a foreign terrorist organization, or person on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury for an activity relating to support for international terrorism or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; or (2) the exportation of goods or services to any person in connection with a program of a foreign country or foreign person to develop weapons of mass destruction. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to establish a five-year minimum term of imprisonment for a criminal violation of such Act that involves the export of defense articles or defense services to: (1) a state sponsor of terrorism, (2) a foreign terrorist organization, (3) a person on the Office of Foreign Assets Control list, or (4) any person in connection with a program of a foreign country or foreign person to develop weapons of mass destruction. Amends a federal criminal code prohibition against the smuggling of goods from the United States to establish a five-year minimum term of imprisonment if the merchandise, article, or object smuggled: (1) is a defense article and was exported or sent to a state sponsor of terrorism, a foreign terrorist organization, or person on the Office of Foreign Assets Control list; or (2) was exported or sent to any person in connection with a program of a foreign country or foreign person to develop weapons of mass destruction.
Last Action: Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights. Hearings held.
Last Action Date: December 9, 2014
Title: Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act
Description: Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Last Action Date: September 17, 2013
Title: SPORT Act
Description: Sportsmen's and Public Outdoor Recreation Traditions Act or the SPORT Act - Title I: Regulatory Reforms - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt from sequestration the following budget accounts: Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, Sport Fish Restoration, and Wildlife Restoration. Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components. Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state. Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of BLM to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training. Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to permit the taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over land that: (1) is not a baited area; and (2) contains a standing crop (including an aquatic crop), standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation, flooded harvested cropland, or an area on which seed or grain has been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural practice. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a one-year period. Allows an applicable land management agency to deny access to a film crew if: (1) there is a likelihood of resource damage that cannot be mitigated, (2) there would be an unreasonable disruption of the public use and enjoyment of the site, (3) the activity poses public health or safety risks, and (4) the filming includes the use of models or props that are not part of the land's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities. Title II: Improving Access - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure, from amounts requested for the Land and Water Conservation Fund per fiscal year, that not less than the greater of 1.5% of the requested amounts or $10 million be made available for certain projects identified on an annual priority list to be developed pursuant to this Act. Requires projects identified on such a list to secure, through rights-of-way or the acquisition of lands or interests from willing sellers, recreational public access to existing federal public lands that have significantly restricted access to hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes. Amends the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) to revoke provisions that terminate: (1) the authority provided under such Act, and (2) the Federal Land Disposal Account. Makes the FLTFA inapplicable to land eligible for sale under specified public land laws. Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act. Requires each head of a federal public land management agency (the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management [BLM]), to annually make available to the public on its website a report that includes: (1) a list of the land more than 640 acres in size under its jurisdiction on which the public is allowed to hunt, fish, or use such land for other recreational purposes and to which there is no public access or egress or to which such access or egress to the land's legal boundaries is significantly restricted; (2) a list of locations and acreage on such land that the agency head determines have significant potential for use for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes; and (3) a plan to provide such access and egress that is consistent with the travel management plan in effect. Requires each agency head to make available to the public on the agency's website, and thereafter revise, a list of roads or trails that provide the primary public access and egress to the legal boundaries of contiguous parcels of land equal to more than 640 acres in size under the agency's jurisdiction on which the public is allowed to hunt, fish, or use such lands for other recreational purposes. Title III: Habitat Conservation - Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2017 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects. Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) who are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2014-FY2019. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies; and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use). Amends the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 to require the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp to be made available to the public for an additional four years. Amends the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations to carry out such Act.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Last Action Date: November 6, 2013
Title: Undetectable Firearms Reauthorization Act of 2013
Description: Undetectable Firearms Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Extends the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 for one year (the Act prohibits the manufacture or possession of firearms that are not detectable by the types of x-ray machines commonly used at airports).
Last Action: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 252.
Last Action Date: December 9, 2013
Title: Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2014
Description: Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2014 - Defines "sensitive personally identifiable information" to include: (1) specified combinations of data elements in electronic or digital form, such as an individual's name, home address or telephone number, mother's maiden name, and date of birth; (2) a non-truncated social security number, driver's license number, passport number, or government-issued unique identification number; (3) unique biometric data; (4) a unique account identifier; and (5) any security code, access code, password, or secure code that could be used to generate such codes or passwords. Title I: Enhancing Punishment for Identity Theft and Other Violations of Data Privacy and Security - Amends the federal criminal code to make fraud in connection with the unauthorized access of personally identifiable information (in electronic or digital form) a predicate for instituting a prosecution for racketeering. Imposes a prison term of up to five years and/or a fine on any individual who has knowledge of and intentionally and willfully conceals a security breach and such breach results in economic harm of $1,000 or more to any individual. Grants the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) authority to investigate criminal concealments of security breaches. Increases penalties for fraud and related activity, and imposes criminal penalties for attempts and conspiracies to commit fraud and related activity, in connection with computers. Expands the prohibition against trafficking in passwords to include trafficking through any means by which a protected computer may be accessed without authorization. Modifies criminal and civil forfeiture provisions, including requiring certain civil forfeiture seizures and forfeitures to be performed by persons designated for that purpose by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Attorney General (DOJ). Prohibits civil actions involving unauthorized use of a protected computer if a violation of a contractual obligation or agreement constitutes the sole basis for determining that access to the computer is unauthorized. Directs the Attorney General to report the number of criminal cases that involve: (1) unauthorized access to a nongovernmental computer, and (2) conduct in which the sole basis for such a determination was that the defendant violated a contractual obligation or agreement with a service provider or employer. Prohibits, during and in relation to a felony violation of provisions regarding fraud and related activity in connection with computers, intentionally causing or attempting to cause damage to a critical infrastructure computer if such damage results or would have resulted in the substantial impairment of the operation of that computer or associated critical infrastructure. Excludes from the definition of "exceeds authorized access" for purposes of the prohibition against fraudulent use of computers, access in violation of a contractual obligation or agreement with an Internet service provider, Internet website, or nongovernment employer, if such violation constitutes the sole basis for determining that access to a protected computer is unauthorized. Title II: Privacy and Security of Personally Identifiable Information - Subjects a business entity engaging in interstate commerce that involves collecting, accessing, transmitting, using, storing, or disposing of sensitive information in electronic or digital form on 10,000 or more U.S. persons to the requirements for the data privacy and security program established by this title. Excepts: (1) financial institutions subject to the data security requirements and standards under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act; (2) specified entities subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); (3) service providers for any electronic communication by a third-party to the extent that such provider is exclusively engaged in the transmission, routing, or temporary, intermediate, or transient storage of that communication; and (4) public records not otherwise subject to a confidentiality or nondisclosure requirement. Deems a business entity to be in compliance with such requirements if the entity complies with or provides protection equal to industry standards or standards widely accepted as an effective industry practice that are applicable to the type of sensitive information involved in the ordinary course of business. Requires a business entity subject to this title to: (1) comply with specified safeguards identified by the FTC in a rulemaking process for the protection of sensitive personally identifiable information; and (2) implement a comprehensive personal data privacy and security program that includes administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the size and complexity of the entity and the nature and scope of its activities. Requires such program to be designed to: (1) ensure the privacy, security, and confidentiality of sensitive information; (2) protect against any anticipated vulnerabilities; and (3) protect against unauthorized access to use of such information that could create a significant risk of harm or fraud to any individual. Requires such a business entity to: (1) identify reasonably foreseeable vulnerabilities that could result in unauthorized access, disclosure, use, or alteration of sensitive information or systems containing such information; (2) assess the likelihood of and potential damage from unauthorized access to, or disclosure, use, or alteration of, sensitive information; (3) assess the sufficiency of its policies, technologies, and safeguards to control and minimize risks from unauthorized access, disclosure, use, or alteration of sensitive information; (4) assess the vulnerability of sensitive information during destruction and disposal of such information; (5) design its personal data privacy and security program to control risks; (6) adopt measures commensurate with the sensitivity of the data as well as the size, complexity, and scope of activities of the entity that control access to systems and facilities containing sensitive information; (7) establish a plan and procedures for minimizing the amount of sensitive information maintained; and (8) take steps to ensure appropriate employee training and regular testing of key controls, systems, and procedures of the entity's personal data privacy and security program. Prescribes penalties for violations of such requirements. Allows an injunction against a business entity to stop continuing violations of the requirements of this subtitle. Grants authority to the FTC to enforce such requirements. Authorizes state attorneys general and law enforcement agencies to bring civil actions to protect state residents against business entities that are violating such requirements. Preempts state laws relating to administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for the protection of personal information. Requires any agency or business entity engaged in interstate commerce that uses, accesses, transmits, stores, disposes of, or collects sensitive personally identifiable information to notify any U.S. resident whose information has been accessed or acquired without unreasonable delay after the discovery of a security breach. Excepts: (1) financial institutions subject to the data security requirements and standards under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and (2) specified entities subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Allows exemptions if: (1) the Secret Service or the FBI determines that notification of the security breach could be expected to reveal sensitive sources and methods or similarly impede the government's ability to conduct law enforcement investigations, or (2) the FBI determines that notification of the breach could be expected to damage national security. Provides that an agency or business entity shall be exempt from notice requirements if: (1) a risk assessment concludes that there is no significant risk that a security breach has resulted in, or will result in, identity theft, economic loss or harm, or physical harm to the individuals whose sensitive information was subject to the breach; (2) without unreasonable delay but not later than 45 days after the discovery of the breach, the agency or entity notifies the FTC of the results of the risk assessment and its decision to invoke the exemption; and (3) the FTC does not indicate, within 10 business days from receipt of the decision, that notice should be given. Provides that a business entity will be exempt from notice requirements if it utilizes or participates in a security program that: (1) effectively blocks the use of the sensitive information to initiate unauthorized financial transactions before they are charged to the individual's account, and (2) provides for notice to affected individuals after a security breach that has resulted in fraud or unauthorized transactions. Provides for individual notice by mail, telephone, and e-mail of a security breach and for notice to major media outlets serving a state or jurisdiction if a security breach involves more than 5,000 individuals. Specifies the required content of a security breach notification. Requires an agency or business entity that is required to provide notification of a breach involving more than 5,000 individuals to also provide notification to credit reporting agencies. Directs the DHS Secretary to designate a federal entity to receive the notices. Requires business entities and federal agencies to report data security breaches to the designated entity if the breach involves: (1) more than 5,000 individuals, (2) a database that contains information about more than 500,000 individuals, (3) a federal government database, or (4) individuals known to be federal employees or contractors involved in national security or law enforcement. Requires the designated agency to report information it receives about security breaches to the Secret Service, FBI, and FTC for civil law enforcement purposes as promptly as possible, but either 72 hours before notice of a breach is required to be provided to an individual or not later than 10 days after the breach is discovered, whichever occurs first. Authorizes the Attorney General and the FTC to bring civil and administrative actions against business entities for violations of this subtitle and to seek injunctive relief or civil penalties. Authorizes state attorneys general or state or local law enforcement agencies to bring a civil action on behalf of state residents who have been threatened or adversely affected by a business entity violating provisions of this title and to obtain injunctive relief or civil penalties. Requires a state attorney general bringing a civil action to provide written notice to the Attorney General who may then move to stay the action, move to consolidate all pending actions, intervene, and file petitions for appeal. Directs the FTC to report on the number and nature of the security breaches described in notices filed by business entities invoking the risk assessment exemption and their response to such notices. Directs the Secret Service and FBI to report on the number and nature of security breaches subject to the national security and law enforcement exemptions. Title III: Compliance with Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act - Provides that the budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S134-142)
Last Action Date: January 8, 2014
Title: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2014
Description: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, who is entitled and not prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence or who is carrying a valid state license or permit to carry a concealed weapon, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document, to carry a concealed handgun (which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any state in accordance with the restrictions of that state. Provides that in a state that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms by individual license or permit holders, an individual carrying a concealed handgun under this Act shall be permitted to carry it according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or permit issued by such state.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: January 9, 2014
Title: Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014
Description: Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 - Title I: Regulatory Reforms - Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state. Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of BLM to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 to exempt an authorized taking of migratory birds and collection of their eggs by indigenous inhabitants of Alaska from the prohibition on taking under the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act. Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior. Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to permit the taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over land that: (1) is not a baited area; and (2) contains a standing crop (including an aquatic crop), standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation, flooded harvested cropland, or an area on which seed or grain has been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural practice or is land on which a crop during the current or immediately preceding crop year was not harvestable due to a natural disaster that is declared a major disaster by the President in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Requires a federal public land management official, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise the authority of the official under law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public land for hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates hunting, recreational fishing, and recreational shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service land, excluding land on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such land for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows agencies to: (1) lease or permit use of federal public land for recreational shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific land for recreational shooting activities. Excepts from such use or designation land including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, land designated as a wilderness study area or administratively classified as wilderness eligible or suitable, and primitive or semiprimitive areas. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to hunting, recreational fishing, or recreational shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 1280 or more contiguous acres of federal public land or water to hunting or recreational fishing or related activities. Instructs federal public land agencies to consult with the advisory councils specified in Executive Orders 12962 (relating to recreational fisheries) and 13443 (relating to the facilitation of hunting heritage and wildlife conservation) in carrying out this Act. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal land and waterways administered by the Secretary for a one-year period. Allows an applicable land management agency to deny access to a film crew if: (1) there is a likelihood of resource damage that cannot be mitigated, (2) there would be an unreasonable disruption of the public use and enjoyment of the site, (3) the activity poses public health or safety risks, and (4) the filming includes the use of models or props that are not part of the land's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities. Title II: Habitat Conservation - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure, from amounts requested for the Land and Water Conservation Fund per fiscal year, that not less than the greater of 1.5% of the requested amounts or $10 million be made available for certain projects identified on an annual priority list to be developed pursuant to this Act. Requires projects identified on such a list to secure, through rights-of-way or the acquisition of lands or interests from willing sellers, recreational public access to existing federal public lands that have significantly restricted access to hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes. Amends the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) to revoke provisions that terminate: (1) the authority provided under such Act, and (2) the Federal Land Disposal Account. Makes the FLTFA inapplicable to land eligible for sale under specified public land laws. Transfers to the Treasury for budget deficit reduction, for each of FY2014-FY2023, $1 million of the amounts deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account. Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2019 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects. Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) who are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2014-FY2019. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies; and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use).
Last Action: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 304.
Last Action Date: February 6, 2014
Title: Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2014
Description: Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make one-year grants to qualified entities (states or local governments, organizations, or institutions of higher education) to develop technology for personalized handguns (a handgun that is manufactured to enable only the authorized user to fire it). Provides that a recipient shall use at least 70% of the grant amount to develop technology for personalized handguns and may use not more than 20% to develop technology for retrofitted personalized handguns and not more than 10% for administrative costs. Prohibits any person: (1) beginning two years after enactment of this Act, from manufacturing in the United States a handgun that is not a personalized handgun; or (2) beginning three years after enactment of this Act, from distributing in commerce any handgun that is not a personalized handgun or a retrofitted personalized handgun. Exempts antique firearms and firearms distributed or sold to the Department of Defense (DOD). Provides for the enforcement of such prohibitions by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and by the states. Requires a handgun manufacturer, upon request of the owner of a handgun manufactured in the United States that is not a personalized handgun or a retrofitted personalized handgun, to retrofit the handgun and return it to the owner within a reasonable period of time as established by the CPSC. Makes the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund available to the Attorney General for payments to reimburse handgun manufacturers for the costs of retrofitting handguns. Amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to exclude from the definition of "qualified product" any handgun manufactured after two years after enactment of this Act that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Last Action Date: February 27, 2014
Title: Gun-Owner Registration Information Protection Act
Description: Gun-Owner Registration Information Protection Act - Prohibits any federal agency from supporting (by funding or other means) the establishment or maintenance by a state or political subdivision of any listing of firearms lawfully possessed or owned by private persons, or of persons who lawfully possess or own firearms, except in the case of firearms that have been reported as lost or stolen.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Last Action Date: March 11, 2014
Title: Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014
Description: Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 - Revises a variety of existing programs to expand access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. Reauthorizes the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Gives the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to permit states to issue temporary electronic duck stamps (federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl). Exempts components of firearms and ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its components (such as lead sinkers) from regulations of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Increases the proportion of funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act that states may use for public target ranges. Requires the Secretary to issue permits for the importation of polar bear parts taken in sports hunts in Canada before May 15, 2008 (when the species was listed as threatened). Revises standards for determining what a baited area is for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds. Directs federal public land management officials to facilitate hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal public land. Makes land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Forest Service open for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close the lands. Allocates funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for priority projects that secure public access to federal public lands that have significantly restricted access for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
Last Action: Cloture on the bill not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 41 - 56. Record Vote Number: 220. (consideration: CR S4377-4378; text: CR S4377)
Last Action Date: July 10, 2014
Title: A bill to authorize the appropriation of funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for conducting or supporting research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.
Description: Authorizes appropriations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for each of FY2015-FY2020 to conduct or support research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention under the Public Health Service Act.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Last Action Date: May 21, 2014
Title: Pause for Safety Act of 2014
Description: Pause for Safety Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to to assist states in carrying out state legislation that: (1) authorizes family members or close associates of an individual to apply for, and state courts or magistrates to issue, gun violence prevention orders (prohibiting a named individual from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving firearms because such individual poses a significant threat of personal injury to the individual or others) and gun violence prevention warrants (directing a law enforcement officer to temporarily seize any firearm in the possession of such individual); and (2) requires each law enforcement agency of the state to comply with a procedure that requires a law enforcement officer, in conjunction with performing a wellness check (a visit to an individual's residence to assess whether the individual poses a danger to the individual or others due to a mental, behavioral, or physical condition), to check whether the individual is listed on any of the firearm and ammunition databases of the state or jurisdiction in which the individual resides. Requires: (1) a court issuing such an order and warrant to hold a hearing within 14 days to determine whether the individual who is the subject of the order may own, purchase, possess, or receive firearms and whether any seized firearms should be returned; (2) the state or petitioner to establish probable cause that the individual poses a significant risk of personal injury to the individual or others by owning or possessing the firearm; (3) the individual to be prohibited from possessing a firearm for up to one year if he or she is found to pose a significant threat; and (4) the firearm to be returned if the court finds that the state has not met the required standard of proof. Authorizes a law enforcement agency to seek renewal of an order if it has probable cause to believe the individual continues to pose a threat. Amends the federal criminal court to prohibit: (1) the sale or disposition of a firearm or ammunition to anyone subject to such an order; and (2) any person subject to such an order from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving any firearms.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: June 5, 2014
Title: Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act
Description: Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act - Amends federal firearms provisions to expand the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, by a dating partner or former dating partner against the victim. Prohibits the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, or the the possession or receipt of a firearm by, a person subject to a court order, or an ex parte order, that restrains such person from: (1) harassing, stalking, threatening, or engaging in other conduct that would put an individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury, including an order issued at the request of an employer on behalf of its employee or at the request of an institution of higher education on behalf of its student; or (2) intimidating or dissuading a witness from testifying in court.
Last Action: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
Last Action Date: July 30, 2014
Title: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015
Description: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2015. Title I: Departmental Management and Operations - Makes appropriations for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security and executive management, (2) the Office of the Under Secretary for Management, (3) the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, (4) the Office of the Chief Information Officer, (5) intelligence analysis and operations coordination activities, and (6) the Office of the Inspector General. Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations - Makes appropriations for: (1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology; (2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including to reimburse other federal agencies for the costs associated with the care, maintenance, and repatriation of smuggled aliens unlawfully present in the United States, to identify and remove from the United States aliens convicted of a crime once they are judged deportable, and for detention and removal operations, including transportation of unaccompanied minor aliens; (3) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for civil aviation security services (including explosives detection systems), surface transportation security activities, the development and implementation of intelligence and vetting activities, and transportation security support; (4) U.S. Coast Guard; and (5) U.S. Secret Service. Requires: (1) the Border Patrol to maintain an active duty presence of not less than 21,370 full-time equivalent agents protecting U.S. borders in FY2015; (2) ICE funding to maintain a level of not less than 34,000 detention beds through September 30, 2015; and (3) the TSA Administrator to submit a semiannual report updating information on a strategy to increase the number of air passengers eligible for expedited screening. Title III: Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery - Makes appropriations for FY2015 for: (1) the National Protection and Programs Directorate, including for the Federal Protective Service (FPS) and the Office of Biometric Identity Management; (2) the Office of Health Affairs, including for BioWatch operations; and (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for grants for state and local programs (including the Urban Area Security Initiative), firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the U.S. Fire Administration, disaster relief, the flood hazard mapping and risk analysis program, the National Flood Insurance Fund, the predisaster mitigation grant program, and the emergency food and shelter program. Requires the revenues and collections of security fees credited to the account of FPS to be available until expended for necessary expenses related to the protection of federally owned and leased buildings and for the operations of FPS, provided that the Secretary of DHS and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall certify in writing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, not later than 60 days after this Act's enactment, that FPS operations will be fully funded in FY2015 through revenues and collection of security fees. Requires the Director of FPS to include with the submission of the President's FY2016 budget a strategic human capital plan that aligns fee collections to personnel requirements based on a current threat assessment. Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services - Makes appropriations for FY2015 for: (1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), including for the E-Verify program; (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC); (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; and (4) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act for grants for immigrant integration to provide services to aliens who have not been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Title V: General Provisions - (Sec. 501) Sets forth limitations and prohibitions on the availability, use, reprogramming, or transfer of funds for specified programs and activities under this Act. (Sec. 512) Prohibits the use of funds available in this Act to amend the oath of allegiance required under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). (Sec. 521) Prohibits the use of funds by CIS to grant an immigration benefit unless the results of required background checks have been received and do not preclude granting the benefit. (Sec. 524) Prohibits the use of funds provided in this or any other Act to approve a waiver of the navigation and vessel-inspection laws for the transportation of crude oil distributed from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Secretary of DHS takes adequate measures to ensure the use of U.S. flag vessels. (Sec. 525) Prohibits the use of funds for CBP to prevent an individual from importing a prescription drug from Canada if: (1) such individual is not in the business of importing a prescription drug; and (2) such drug complies with specified provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and is not a controlled substance or a biological product. Makes this section applicable only to individuals transporting on their person a personal-use quantity of the prescription drug, not exceeding a 90-day supply. (Sec. 526) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act: (1) to reduce the Coast Guard's Operations Systems Center mission or its government-employed or contract staff levels; (2) for planning, testing, piloting, or developing a national identification card; (3) to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions, of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, or 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 (4) to employ unauthorized aliens. (Sec. 536) Requires any company that collects or retains personal information directly from any individual who participates in TSA's Registered Traveler or successor program to safeguard and dispose of such information in accordance with specified requirements. (Sec. 546) Requires the DHS Secretary to ensure enforcement of immigration laws. (Sec. 547) Requires a specified amount of the funds made available for the Federal Network Security Program to be used to deploy federal systems technology to improve the information security of agency information systems, including to assist and support government-wide and agency-specific efforts to provide adequate, risk-based, and cost-effective cybersecurity. (Sec. 549) Prohibits funds made available under this Act from being used: (1) by a federal law enforcement officer to facilitate the transfer of an operable firearm to an individual if the officer knows or suspects that the individual is an agent of a drug cartel unless U.S. law enforcement personnel continuously monitor or control the firearm at all times, or (2) to implement the National Preparedness Grant Program unless explicitly authorized by Congress. (Sec. 551) Authorizes the Secretary to accept donations of real and personal property (including monetary donations) and nonpersonal services from private parties and state and local governments for purposes of constructing, altering, operating, or maintaining, or equipping a new or existing land port of entry facility. (Sec. 552) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act to pay for the travel to or attendance of more than 50 employees of a single component of DHS, who are stationed in the United States, at a single international conference unless the Deputy Secretary or a designee determines that such attendance is in the national interest and notifies the Senate and House Appropriations Committees within at least 10 days of that determination and its basis. (Sec. 554) Prohibits the use of funds made available in this Act for new CBP air preclearance agreements entering into force after February 1, 2014 (with an exception for countries with preclearance facilities in service prior to 2013), unless: (1) the Secretary has certified that air preclearance operations at the airport provide a homeland or national security benefit, (2) U.S. passenger air carriers are not precluded from operating at existing preclearance locations, and (3) a U.S. passenger air carrier is operating at all airports contemplated for establishment of new air preclearance operations. (Sec. 556) 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 the imposition of a border crossing fee. (Sec. 559) Amends: (1) the Department of Justice Appropriations Act of 2002 to increase from $7 to $9 the fee charged by the Attorney General for the immigration inspection of each passenger arriving at a U.S. port of entry, or for the preinspection of a passenger in a place outside of the United States prior to such arrival, aboard a commercial aircraft or commercial vessel; and (2) the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 to increase from $3 to $5 the amount charged by the Attorney General per individual for the immigration inspection or pre-inspection of each commercial vessel passenger, with an exception for designated ports of entry passengers arriving by ferry or by Great Lakes and connecting waterways when operating on a regular schedule. Requires the additional funds generated to be used solely for the hiring or sustainment of CBP officers at air and sea ports of entry. (Sec. 563) Prohibits the use of funds by ICE to establish a National License Plate Recognition database. (Sec. 566) Directs OMB and DHS to ensure the congressional budget justifications accompanying the President's budget proposal for DHS include estimates of the number of unaccompanied alien children anticipated to be apprehended in the budget year and the number of agent or officer hours required to process, manage, and care for such children. (Sec. 567) Deems Gerardo Ismael Hernandez, a Transportation Security Officer employed by TSA who was killed in the line of duty on November 1, 2013, at the Los Angeles International Airport, to have been a public safety officer for purposes of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. (Sec. 568) Revises the visa waiver program under the INA to authorize the Secretary (in lieu of the Attorney General) to designate any country as a program country if such country provides machine-readable passports and the visa refusal rate and overstay rate for nationals of that country were both not more than 3% in the previous fiscal year. Revises probationary and termination provisions. Provides for the consultative role of the Secretary of State. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to conduct a review of the methods used by the Secretary to: (1) track aliens entering and exiting the United States, and (2) detect any such alien who stays longer than such alien's period of authorized admission. Directs the Secretary to submit: (1) an evaluation of the security risks of aliens who enter the United States without an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization verification, and (2) a description of any improvements needed to minimize the number of aliens who enter the United States without such verification. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary, in the process of conducting evaluations of countries participating in the visa waiver program, to prioritize the reviews of countries in which circumstances indicate that such a review is necessary or desirable. (Sec. 569) Rescinds specified funds: (1) from certain DHS accounts and programs; (2) from unobligated balances made available in the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund; (3) transferred to DHS when it was created in 2003 for CBP for salaries and expenses, the Coast Guard for acquisition, construction, and improvements, and FEMA for the Office of Domestic Preparedness and the National Predisaster Mitigation Fund; and (4) from unobligated balances made available to FEMA for the Disaster Relief Fund. (Sec. 573) Authorizes the President, during FY2015, to provide hazard mitigation assistance for an area affected by a major disaster (under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act) to any area in which fire management assistance was provided.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 443.
Last Action Date: June 26, 2014
Title: Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2014
Description: Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2014 or the REDEEM Act - Amends the federal criminal code to provide a process for the sealing or expungement of records relating to nonviolent or juvenile offenses. Requires a court considering a petition to seal a nonviolent offense to balance factors including the harm of the protected information to the ability of the petitioner to secure and maintain employment. Sets forth limitations on involuntary room confinements at juvenile detention facilities. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) to remove offenses relating to possession or use of a controlled substance from the categories of drug offenses that result in the convicted individual being ineligible for assistance under: (1) a state program funded with temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) grants under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; or (2) the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) or any state program carried out under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Prohibits the denial of such assistance and benefits if the convicted individual: (1) committed an offense related to a substance abuse disorder, (2) participates in a substance abuse treatment program, and (3) complies with all court-imposed obligations. Includes employment services among the categories of federal benefits that are not to be denied under PRWORA. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow the Attorney General, in awarding public safety and community policing grants, to give preferential consideration to an applicant in a state with laws similar to this Act.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: July 8, 2014
Title: National Heritage Area Authorization Act of 2014
Description: Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area in the state of Washington. Designates the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust as the local coordinating entity for the Heritage Area. Requires the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to prepare and submit a management plan for the Heritage Area.
Last Action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 640.
Last Action Date: December 10, 2014
Title: Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2014
Description: Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to assist eligible states in carrying out policies, procedures, protocols, laws, or regulations relating to the possession or transfer of firearms or ammunition that: impose restrictions and penalties substantially similar to or more comprehensive than those applicable to possession by or transfer to persons subject to a court order for stalking-related offenses against an intimate partner or child or persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; require the seizure or surrender of all firearms and ammunition from an individual convicted of any crime for which any such restrictions or penalties apply or against whom a court has issued a protection order; require state and local courts to consider, at the initial appearance before a magistrate of any individual arrested for any crime for which such restrictions or penalties apply, if the individual possesses a firearm or ammunition that has been or is likely to be used to threaten, harass, or harm the victim or the victim's child or otherwise pose a danger to them and to issue a protection order prohibitting the possession of any firearm or ammunition and require the surrender or seizure of any firearm or ammunition possessed; give state and local law enforcement the authority to seize a firearm or ammunition when responding to specified domestic violence situations, if there is probable cause to believe such firearm or ammunition is contraband or illegally in the possession of the suspected offender and is likely to be used to threaten, harass, menace, or harm, or to otherwise pose a danger to, the victim or the victim's child; and provide for the safe return of any seized or surrendered firearm or ammunition when such restrictions and penalties no longer apply.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: July 29, 2014
Title: Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2014
Description: Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2014
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Last Action Date: July 31, 2014
Title: Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014
Description: Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 - (Sec. 3) States that it is U.S. policy to assist the government of Ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to deter the government of the Russian Federation from further destabilizing and invading Ukraine and other independent countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. (Sec. 4) Directs the President to impose three or more specified sanctions against: Rosoboronexport; an entity owned by the government of the Russian Federation or controlled by its nationals that transfers or brokers the transfer to, or knowingly manufactures or sells defense articles transferred to, Syria or into the territory of a specified country without its government's consent; or a person (individual or entity) that knowingly sponsors or provides financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, such an entity. Defines "specified country" as Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, or any other country of significant concern for purposes of this Act, such as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the Central Asia republics. Directs the President to impose three or more specified sanctions against a person that knowingly makes a significant investment in a special Russian crude oil project. Authorizes the President, through the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce or the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury, to impose additional licensing requirements or other restrictions on the export of items for Russia's energy sector, including equipment used for tertiary oil recovery. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions on Gazprom if it is withholding significant natural gas supplies from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, or further withholds significant natural gas supplies from countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, or Moldova. Sets forth sanctions against a foreign person, including executive officers of an entity, relating to: Export-Import Bank of the United States assistance, executive agency procurement, arms and dual-use item exports, U.S. property transactions, banking transactions, investing in or purchasing equity or debt instruments, and U.S. entry prohibition or visa revocation. Excludes import sanctions from the authority to block and prohibit U.S. property transactions. Sets forth the conditions under which the President shall not be required to apply or maintain the sanctions with respect to: procurement of defense articles or services; products, technology, or services provided under contracts entered into before the date on which the President publishes in the Federal Register the name of a sanctioned person; spare or component parts essential to U.S. products or production, or to the servicing and maintenance of U.S. products; information and technology essential to U.S. products or production; or food, medicine, medical devices, or agricultural commodities. Authorizes the President to waive the application of sanctions, or waive sanctions for a specific transaction, for purposes of U.S. national security, and with congressional notification. Applies specified penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to violations of this section. Terminates sanctions under this section upon the President's certification to Congress that the Russian Federation has ceased directing, supporting, or financing significant acts intended to undermine the peace, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine, including through an agreement between the appropriate parties. States that such termination date shall not apply to defense article transfers into Syria or related sanctions. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the President to impose a prohibition on the opening, and a prohibition or the imposition of strict conditions on the maintaining, in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly: engages in significant transactions involving sanctioned persons; or with respect to the Ukrainian crisis, facilitated a significant financial transaction on behalf of any Russian person included on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Authorizes the President to waive the application of sanctions against a foreign financial institution for purposes of U.S. national security, and with congressional notification. Applies specified penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to violations of this section. Terminates sanctions under this section upon the President's certification to Congress that the Russian Federation has ceased directing, supporting, or financing significant acts intended to undermine the peace, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine, including through an agreement between the appropriate parties. (Sec. 6) Authorizes: the President to provide Ukraine with defense articles, services, and training in order to counter offensive weapons and reestablish its sovereignty and territorial integrity; and FY2015-FY2017 appropriations. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to submit a plan to Congress to meet the need for protection of and assistance for internally displaced persons in Ukraine. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at United Nations (U.N.) voluntary agencies to support assistance for internally displaced persons in Ukraine. Urges the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to assist Ukrainian defense sector entities reorient exports from Russian Federation customers to alternative markets in the Ukrainian defense sector that have already significantly reduced exports to and cooperation with Russian defense sector entities. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to work with Ukrainian officials to develop an emergency energy assistance plan to help Ukraine address the potentially severe heating fuel and electricity shortages facing Ukraine in 2014 and 2015. Directs the Secretary to work with Ukrainian officials to increase energy security by helping Ukraine reduce its dependence on natural gas imported from the Russian Federation. Authorizes FY2016-FY2018 appropriations for such activities. Directs: the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to prioritize support for investments to increase energy efficiency, develop domestic oil and natural gas reserves, and develop renewable energy sources in Ukraine; and the President to use U.S. influence to encourage the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and other international financial institutions to invest in and stimulate private investment in such projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) strengthen democratic civil society in Ukraine, (2) support independent media outlets, and (3) counter government corruption and improve accountability. Authorizes FY2016 appropriations for such activities. (Sec. 8) Directs the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors to submit to Congress a plan for increasing and maintaining through FY2017 the quantity of Russian-language broadcasting into the countries of the former Soviet Union in order to counter Russian Federation propaganda. Requires such plan to prioritize broadcasting into Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova by the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Authorizes FY2016-FY2018 appropriations for the Broadcasting Board of Governors for such activities. (Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary to: (1) improve and strengthen democratic institutions and political and civil society organizations in the Russian Federation, and (2) expand uncensored Internet and independent media access. Authorizes FY2016-FY2018 appropriations for such activities. (Sec. 10) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) hold the Russian Federation accountable for being in violation of its obligations under the The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty; and (2) demand that the Russian Federation verifiably eliminate the military systems that constitute such violation. (Sec. 11) States that nothing in this Act shall be construed as an authorization for the use of military force.
Last Action: Held at the desk.
Last Action Date: December 11, 2014
Title: Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014
Description: 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, for purposes 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 specify that prohibitions with respect to persons committed to a mental institution apply to persons committed on an involuntary inpatient or involuntary outpatient basis. 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 officers the authority to seize firearms or ammunition from an individual pursuant to a warrant, if there is probable cause to believe the individual 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 procedures 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.
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last Action Date: September 18, 2014
Title: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act
Description: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Last Action Date: September 18, 2014
Title: Higher Education Affordability Act
Description: Higher Education Affordability Act
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Last Action Date: November 20, 2014