113 S377 IS: Never Forget 9/11 Heroes Act
U.S. Senate
2013-02-25
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

		II
		113th CONGRESS
		1st Session
		S. 377
		IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

			February 25, 2013
			Mrs. Gillibrand (for
			 herself and Mr. Schumer) introduced the
			 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
			 Committee on the
			 Budget

		A BILL
		To add the 9/11 Health and Compensation Programs to the
		  list of exempt programs under PAYGO.

		1.Short
			 titleThis Act may be cited as
			 the Never Forget 9/11 Heroes
			 Act.
		2.Amendment to
			 exempt programs
			(a)In
			 generalSection 255(g)(1)(B)
			 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C.
			 905(g)(1)(B)) is amended by—
				(1)inserting after the item relating to
			 Retirement Pay and Medical Benefits for Commissioned Officers, Public Health
			 Service the following:

						September
				11th Victim Compensation Fund
				(15–0340–0–1–754).
						;
				and
				(2)inserting after
			 the item relating to the Voluntary Separation Incentive Fund the
			 following:

						World Trade
				Center Health Program Fund
				(75–0946–0–1–551).
						.
				(b)Fiscal year
			 2014If the amendment made by subsection (a) takes effect after
			 the date the President has issued the final sequester order for fiscal year
			 2014, the President shall revise the order to account for the amendment and
			 issue a new order.


115 HRES 611 IH: Recognizing the denial of full voting rights in Congress for veterans and their families who are District of Columbia residents.
U.S. House of Representatives
2017-11-07
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV115th CONGRESS1st SessionH. RES. 611IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESNovember 7, 2017Ms. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
			 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedRESOLUTIONRecognizing the denial of full voting rights in Congress for veterans and their families who are
			 District of Columbia residents.

 Whereas, on November 11th, our Nation observes Veterans Day, a Federal holiday commemorating the men and women who served and sacrificed for their country;
 Whereas the service and sacrifice of all American veterans must be recognized; Whereas the service of approximately 30,000 residents of the District of Columbia in the armed forces is unparalleled because they served without full voting rights in Congress;
 Whereas residents of the District of Columbia fought to create the United States, fighting for the Revolutionary War slogan of no taxation without representation, and have served in every war fought by the United States since;
 Whereas 635 District of Columbia residents were casualties of World War I, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 3 different States during the War;
 Whereas 3,575 District of Columbia residents were casualties of World War II, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 4 different States during the War;
 Whereas 547 District of Columbia residents were casualties of the Korean War, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 8 different States during the War;
 Whereas 243 District of Columbia residents were casualties of the Vietnam War, a casualty figure greater than that observed by 10 different States during the War;
 Whereas almost 200,000 District of Columbia residents have served in the military since World War I;
 Whereas residents of the District of Columbia, including active duty service members, National Guard members, reservists, and veterans, continue to be denied full voting rights in the House of Representatives and the Senate; and
 Whereas H.R. 1291, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, would grant full and equal voting rights as well as democratic control over local affairs to the District of Columbia by making it the 51st State: Now, therefore, be it

 That the House of Representatives recognizes the service of all District of Columbia veterans, condemns the denial of voting rights in Congress and full home rule for veterans and their families who are District of Columbia residents, and calls for statehood for the District of Columbia.


I
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4052
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 6, 2009
Mr. Kind (for himself, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Herger, Mr. Melancon, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Tanner) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make certain disaster relief provisions permanent.

1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Fair Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2009.
2.Certain disaster relief provisions made permanent
(a)Losses
(1)In generalSection 165(h)(3)(B)(i)(I) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking before January 1, 2010.
(2)Limitation on individual loss per casualtySection 165(h)(1) of such Code is amended by striking ($100 for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2009).
(3)Effective date
(A)In generalThe amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply to disasters declared in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2009.
(B)Increase in casualtyThe amendment made by paragraph (2) shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2009.
(b)Expensing of qualified disaster expenses
(1)In generalSection 198A(b)(2)(A) of such Code is amended by striking occurring before January 1, 2010.
(2)Effective dateThe amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply to amounts paid or incurred after December 31, 2010, in connection with disasters declared after such date.
(c)Net operating losses attributable to Federally declared disasters
(1)In generalSection 172(j)(1)(A)(i)(I) of such Code is amended by striking occurring before January 1, 2010.
(2)Effective dateThe amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply to losses arising in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2009, in connection with disasters declared after such date.
(d)Waiver of certain mortgage revenue bond requirements following federally declared disasters
(1)In generalSection 143(k)(12) of such Code is amended—
(A)in subparagraph (A)(i) by striking occurring before January 1, 2010, and
(B)in subparagraph (B)(i) by striking occurring before January 1, 2010,.
(2)Effective dateThe amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply to disasters occurring after December 31, 2009.
(e)Special depreciation allowance for qualified disaster property
(1)In generalSection 168(n)(2)(A)(ii)(I) of such Code is amended by striking occurring before January 1, 2010.
(2)Effective dateThe amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2009, with respect disasters declared after such date.


115 S1504 IS: Put Trafficking Victims First Act of 2017
U.S. Senate
2017-06-29
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

II115th CONGRESS1st SessionS. 1504IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESJune 29, 2017Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself and Mr. Rubio) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryA BILLTo direct the Attorney General to study issues relating to human trafficking, and for other
			 purposes.

 1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Put Trafficking Victims First Act of 2017. 2.Report on safe harbor lawsNot later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime, shall issue a report to be posted on a publicly available website that includes—
 (1)the impact of State safe harbor laws and associated services on the re-victimization of victims of trafficking (as such term is defined in section 103(15) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(15))), the recovery of victims, victim outcomes, and prosecutions of traffickers; and
 (2)best practices and recommendations on the development and implementation of effective State safe harbor laws that promote full recovery of victims of trafficking and do not interfere with prosecutions of traffickers.
			3.Training for prosecutions of traffickers and support for State services for victims of trafficking
 (a)In generalSection 107(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended to read as follows:

 (ii)5 percent for training and technical assistance, to be provided in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including with respect to—
 (I)increasing capacity and expertise on security for and protection of service providers from intimidation or retaliation for their activities;
 (II)“investigating, prosecuting, and preventing human trafficking through a trauma-informed and victim-centered approach that provides services and protections for victims of trafficking;
 (III)facilitating the provision of evidence-based, trauma-informed care and mental health services to victims of trafficking;
 (IV)ensuring that all victims of trafficking, including United States citizens, lawful permanent residents, and foreign nationals, are eligible for services;
 (V)ensuring that law enforcement officers and prosecutors make every attempt to determine whether an individual’s participation in human trafficking is free from force, fraud, or coercion of any means before arresting them for, or charging them with, an offense;
 (VI)effectively prosecuting traffickers and individuals who patronize or solicit children for sex, and facilitating access for child victims of trafficking to the same type of court procedures and legal protections accessible to child victims of sexual assault, rape, child sexual abuse, or incest, and clarifying the right of child victims of trafficking to not be treated as criminals as a result of their victimization; and
 (VII)encouraging States to identify the locations of victims of trafficking and serve those victims, including through efforts that utilize internet outreach, through methods informed by survivors of human trafficking, and by offering help and services that are responsive to victims’ needs in their communities; and.
 (b)Effective dateThe amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2017. 4.Working to develop methodologies to assess prevalence of human trafficking (a)Working group (1)In generalNot later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of Justice, in consultation with the Director of the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, shall establish an expert working group, which shall include survivors of human trafficking, experts on sex and labor trafficking, representatives from organizations collecting data on human trafficking, and law enforcement officers. The working group shall, utilizing, to the extent practicable, existing efforts of agencies, task forces, States, cities, research institutions, and organizations—
 (A)identify the methodological and practical barriers hampering data collection on sex and labor trafficking;
 (B)identify the information that should be collected, and how that information should be collected; and
 (C)recommend practices that could be standardized as replicable best practices to promote better data comparison, aggregation, and analysis.
 (2)Pilot testingNot later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of Justice shall implement a series of pilot studies to test promising methodologies studied under paragraph (1).
				(b)Report
 (1)In generalNot later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of Justice, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, shall submit to Congress a report, which includes—
 (A)the efforts made in developing robust, comprehensive methodologies to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking at the national and regional levels;
 (B)best practices for determining the trends of human trafficking in the United States; (C)evaluations of the effectiveness of current policies and procedures to address the needs of victims of trafficking, including appropriate housing and services from trained trauma-informed care service providers; and
 (D)an analysis of the varying characteristics of victims of trafficking in different regions, including age, gender, race or ethnicity, involvement in the child welfare system, involvement in the juvenile or criminal justice system, the number of foster care placements, the number of congregate care placements, and whether an individual is a victim of sex trafficking or labor trafficking, and recommendations for how to address the unique vulnerabilities of different victims.
 (2)Availability of reportThe report required under paragraph (1) shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department of Justice.
 (3)Input from relevant partiesIn developing the report under paragraph (1), the Director shall seek input from the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, victims of trafficking, human trafficking survivor advocates, service providers for victims of sex and labor trafficking, and the President’s Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking.
 (c)SurveyNot later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of Justice, in coordination with Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, and private organizations, including victim service providers and expert researchers, shall develop and execute a survey of survivors seeking and receiving services through a model agreed upon by service providers for victims of trafficking, government entities, and research experts to better understand where and how victims of trafficking are accessing services, how they are referred to services, including referrals by first responders, how assessment tools work to identify victims of trafficking, and to help estimate the prevalence of human trafficking and victim identification in the United States. Survey results shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department of Justice.
 (d)No additional fundsNo additional funds are authorized to carry out this section. 5.Report on prosecutors seeking mandatory restitution in trafficking casesNot later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, shall submit to Congress a report on efforts to increase mandatory restitution orders and use of asset forfeiture to provide restitution to victims of trafficking that shall be posted on a publicly available website, which shall include the following:
 (1)Information on the Department of Justice’s training programs on mandatory restitution and the use of asset forfeiture to provide restitution to victims of trafficking, and recommendations of necessary additional training to ensure mandatory restitution is ordered in all relevant human trafficking cases.
 (2)An assessment of obstacles that continue to prevent Federal prosecutors and Federal courts from ordering restitution.
 (3)An assessment of whether the asset forfeiture provisions in the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–22; 129 Stat. 227) and the amendments made by that Act have helped increase requests to transfer forfeited proceeds for restitution, including how many requests have been made and how many of those requests have been approved, and whether United States Attorneys offices are properly informed about requesting transfers.
 (4)An assessment of how establishing trauma-informed, victim-centered investigative and prosecutorial procedures can help improve mandatory restitution orders, including by encouraging victims of trafficking to cooperate in criminal cases, equipping victims of trafficking with proper assistance during criminal proceedings, and helping victims of trafficking secure mandatory restitution.
 (5)The annual number and percentage of Federal cases related to human trafficking, separating sex trafficking and labor trafficking, during the period beginning on June 1, 2015, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, in which restitution was ordered, and the amount of restitution ordered in each case.
 (6)Data on the participation and non-participation of victims of trafficking in criminal proceedings, data on the participation and nonparticipation of victims of trafficking in witness protection programs and services, and recommendations for encouraging the participation of victims of trafficking in such proceedings.
 6.Sense of Congress encouraging States to adopt protections for victims of traffickingCongress recognizes and applauds the State legislative bodies that have taken tremendous steps to adopt protections and services for victims of trafficking. Congress encourages States to do the following:
 (1)Uphold the basic rights and dignity of human trafficking survivors. (2)Adopt a survivor-centered approach to addressing human trafficking that ensures the safety, confidentiality, and well-being of victims of trafficking, while recognizing symptoms of trauma and coping mechanisms that may impact victims’ interactions with law enforcement officers, the justice system, and service providers.
 (3)Implement screening mechanisms for all children entering child welfare services, the juvenile justice system, or the criminal justice system to identify child victims of trafficking and connect them with appropriate services, including appropriate housing and services from trained trauma-informed care service providers, and to try to identify foreign nationals who may be victims of trafficking.
 (4)Ensure that child victims of trafficking are provided with a range of protections, including access to child welfare services, trauma-informed programming, and the same legal rights afforded to other children who experience sexual abuse, rape, or incest, including ensuring that—
 (A)criminals who exploit child victims of sex trafficking, including offenders who purchase, solicit, or obtain a child for purposes of engaging in a commercial sex act, face serious penalties and sentences under sex trafficking laws, and are not given lesser sentences; and
 (B)child victims of trafficking are never referred to as child prostitutes or underage sex workers in law or official documents and proceedings. (5)Develop a 24-hour emergency response plan to provide victims trafficking with immediate protection and support when they are first identified, which may include physically moving victims of trafficking to a place of safety, attending to the immediate medical and emotional needs of survivors, assessing whether survivors are under risk for harm, retaliation, or intimidation, and directly connecting survivors with victim advocates, housing, and service providers.
 (6)Adopt protections for victims of trafficking that include the right— (A)to be treated as a victim of crime and afforded justice, respect, and dignity;
 (B)to protection if the victim’s safety is at risk or if there is danger of harm, retaliation, or recapture by the trafficker;
 (C)to comprehensive trauma-informed, long-term, culturally competent care and healing services oriented toward emotional, psychological, and family healing;
 (D)to evidence-based screening and assessment tools, treatment plans, and therapy to address traumatic stress and associated mental health symptoms;
 (E)to safe and effective emergency and long-term housing; education, vocational, and job assistance and training; mentoring programs; language assistance; drug and substance abuse services; and legal services;
 (F)for child sex trafficking victims to be treated as children in need of child protective services and to be served through the child welfare system, where appropriate, in place of the juvenile justice system;
 (G)for all victims of trafficking, including United States citizens, lawful permanent residents, and foreign nationals, to be eligible for services;
 (H)to have convictions and adjudications related to prostitution and nonviolent offenses vacated and such records cleared and expunged if offenses were committed as a direct result of the victim being trafficked, and protection for foreign nationals from being removed, being determined to be inadmissible, or losing any immigration benefit because of such conviction or arrests;
 (I)to the same type of court procedures and legal protections accessible to victims of sexual assault, rape, child sexual abuse, or incest, including the right to not be treated as a criminal; and
 (J)to retain all rights regardless of whether the crime has been reported to law enforcement authorities.


		IIA
		Calendar No. 240
		112th CONGRESS
		1st Session
		S. J. RES. 30
		IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

			November 30, 2011
			Mr. Reid introduced the
			 following joint resolution; which was read the first time

			December 1, 2011
			Read the second time and placed on the
			 calendar

		JOINT RESOLUTION
		Extending the cooling-off period under
		  section 10 of the Railway Labor Act with respect to the dispute referred to in
		  Executive Order No. 13586 of October 6, 2011.

		Whereas the labor dispute between numerous rail carriers
			 that are common carriers by rail in interstate commerce, and certain of their
			 employees represented by labor organizations, threatens to interrupt essential
			 freight rail services of the United States;
		Whereas it is essential to the national interest that
			 essential freight rail services be maintained;
		Whereas Congress finds that emergency measures are
			 essential to maintaining the security and continuity of freight rail
			 services;
		Whereas the President, by Executive Order 13586 of October
			 6, 2011, and pursuant to the provisions of section 10 of the Railway Labor Act
			 (45 U.S.C. 160), created Presidential Emergency Board 243 to investigate the
			 dispute and report findings;
		Whereas the recommendations of the Emergency Board 243
			 issued on November 5, 2011, have been exhausted and have not resulted in
			 settlement of the dispute;
		Whereas Congress, under the Commerce Clause of the
			 Constitution, has the authority and responsibility to ensure the uninterrupted
			 operation of essential freight rail services; and
		Whereas Congress has in the past enacted legislation for
			 such purposes: Now, therefore, be it

		1.Extension of cooling-off
			 periodWith respect to the
			 dispute referred to in Executive Order No. 13586 of October 6, 2011, the time
			 period described in the third paragraph of section 10 of the Railway Labor Act
			 (45 U.S.C. 160) shall be extended until 12:01 a.m. on February 8, 2012, so that
			 no change, except by agreement, shall be made by the rail carriers represented
			 by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee or by the employees of such
			 carriers represented by labor organizations that are a party to such dispute,
			 in the conditions out of which the dispute arose as such conditions existed
			 prior to 12:01 a.m. on December 6, 2011.

		December 1, 2011
		Read the second time and placed on the
		  calendar