zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize FY2015-FY2016 appropriations for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for grants to domestic treatment centers for the costs of services provided in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs; and (2) the President for grants to foreign treatment centers and programs for activities designed to treat victims for the physical and psychological effects of torture.

Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress annually regarding: (1) Foreign Service officer training about torture victims, and (2) the percentage and number of torture victims who are approved for refugee entry into the United States.

Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide support for indigenous foreign treatment centers and programs for torture victims in order to increase such centers' capacities to train other local health care providers.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
End Modern-Day Slavery Act - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to develop a comprehensive action plan to combat human trafficking.

Date: 2014-07-09
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement a program to: (1) train relevant Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other DHS personnel on how to effectively deter, detect, and disrupt human trafficking and interdict suspected perpetrators during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities; and (2) ensure that such personnel regularly receive current information on matters related to the detection of human trafficking.

Permits training to be conducted through in-class or virtual learning capabilities. Requires such training to include:

 methods for identifying suspected victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, methods for approaching a suspected victim in a manner that is sensitive to the victim and not likely to alert a perpetrator, training that is most appropriate for a particular location or environment, and a post-training evaluation of trainees. Directs the Secretary: (1) to reassess the training program annually; (2) within one year after enactment of this Act, to certify to the appropriate congressional committees that all such personnel have successfully completed the required training; and (3) to report annually on the overall effectiveness of the training program and on the number of human trafficking cases reported by DHS personnel and the number confirmed.

Authorizes the Secretary, upon request, to provide training curricula to assist any state, local, or tribal government or private organization in establishing its program.

Date: 2014-07-15
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Emergency management
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2014 - Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to conduct a review that: (1) surveys federal and state activities to deter individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to prevent children from becoming trafficking victims; (2) surveys academic literature on deterring individuals from committing trafficking offenses, preventing children from becoming trafficking victims, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; and (3) identifies best practices and strategies to deter such actions.

Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding: (1) federal and state law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States, and (2) information on each relevant federal grant program.

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize grants for programs that provide housing assistance to victims of trafficking.

Date: 2014-07-17
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Transparency in Reporting to Protect American Workers and Prevent Human Trafficking Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise and expand the data reporting requirements to cover all nonimmigrant employees.

 Requires that such information be available on a public website.

Date: 2014-07-24
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Immigration
Securing the Assistance of Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 (SAVE Act) - Prohibits funds made available to carry out the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 from being used in contravention of provisions of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 related to the eligibility of human trafficking victims to receive services and benefits under certain federal or state programs, such as the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).

 

 

Date: 2014-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to eliminate the consumptive demand exception to the prohibition on the importation of goods made with convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor.

Date: 2014-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
China Human Rights Protection Act of 2014 - Directs the President to submit to Congress a list (with updates) of individuals responsible for, or complicit in, the commission of:

 serious and ongoing violations of human rights against nationals of China or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in China; and gross violations of human rights against nationals of China or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in China, or who have benefitted materially or financially from such actions. Requires the President to impose: (1) U.S. entry and financial sanctions on listed individuals, and (2) additional sanctions on individuals listed for two and three years.

States that entry, financial, and U.S. program benefits sanctions shall not apply if necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations or other applicable international obligations. Requires congressional notification.

Authorizes the President to terminate sanctions against an individual under specified circumstances.

Sets forth related penalty requirements.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the refusal of a nonimmigrant I-visa (foreign media representative) to aliens who are executives at a state-controlled media organization from China if any U.S. media personnel were expelled, had visas denied, or faced intimidation or violence working in China during the prior fiscal year.

Directs the President to order the revocation, delay, or refusal of a sufficient number of visas already issued to executives of state-controlled media organizations from China in proportion to the expulsions, visa delays or denials, and intimidation experienced by personnel from U.S. journalist or media organizations in the previous 12 months.

Expresses the sense of Congress that:

 restrictions on the activities of U.S. journalists and media personnel in China and the censorship and blockage of news media websites damages the competitiveness of U.S. media corporations and should be considered a trade restriction and an unfair competitive advantage benefitting Chinese government-controlled media organizations; and the U.S. government should link to any bilateral investment treaty currently being negotiated language that guarantees fair treatment of journalists, a reciprocal number of journalist visas, and free and unfettered operation of news websites in China.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act of 2014 - Requires the Administrator of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to award one medical or nursing school a grant to develop best practices for health care professionals to recognize and respond appropriately to victims of severe forms of human trafficking.

Requires the grantee to: (1) develop methods or materials to train health care professionals on best practices, (2) make a subgrant to one entity in each of the 10 administrative regions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a pilot program to test the best practices and training, and (3) analyze the results of the pilot programs and determine which best practices are evidence-based.

Directs HHS to disseminate evidence-based best practices on their website and to health care profession schools.

Date: 2014-09-08
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Health
Voices of Human Trafficking Act of 2014 - Establishes the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, which shall provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President's Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Directs the Council to: (1) meet at least annually or at the request of the Group to review federal, state, and local government policy and programs intended to combat human trafficking, (2) formulate assessments and recommendations to ensure that U.S. policy and programming efforts conform to best practices in the field of human trafficking prevention, (3) meet with the Group at least annually to formally present the Council's findings and recommendations, and (4) submit annual reports to the Task Force.

Sunsets this Act on September 30, 2020.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) No Social Security for Nazis Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to consider the following individuals to be removed under the Immigration and Nationality Act and so to have their OASDI benefits terminated: an individual with respect to whom an order admitting the individual to citizenship has been revoked and set aside where such action is based on conduct relating to participation in Nazi persecution, concealment of a material fact about such conduct, or willful misrepresentation about such conduct; and an individual who, pursuant to a settlement agreement with the Attorney General (AG), has admitted to such conduct and has lost status as a U.S. national by renouncing that status. Requires such individuals to have been considered removed under such Act as of the date of the revocation, setting aside, or renunciation.

Prohibits such individuals from receiving other Social Security benefits based on the wages and self-employment income of any other individual.

Prohibits the payment to such individuals also of any benefits under SSA tile XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI).

Requires the AG or the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to notify the Commissioner of Social Security of such revocations, setting asides, and renunciations of nationality.

Date: 2014-11-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Social welfare
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to extend through FY2015 the authorization for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Date: 2014-12-09
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
American Anti-Torture Act of 2014 - Amends the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 to prohibit any person in the custody or control of the United States (under current law, persons under the custody or control of the Department of Defense [DOD] or under detention in a DOD facility) from being subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations.

Makes such prohibition inapplicable with respect to any person in the custody or control of the United States (under current law, DOD) pursuant to a U.S. criminal or immigration law.

Date: 2014-12-09
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2014 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include violations of religious freedom by non-state actors in the annual Department of State report to Congress on international religious freedom.

Requires the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings on specified Department and U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports concerning the status of religious freedom.

Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require Foreign Service officers to receive training about the religious demography, status of religious freedom, and U.S. strategies for advancing religious freedom in their country of posting.

Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) transmit to specified congressional committees certain lists of persons imprisoned, detained, or placed under house arrest; and (2) report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to promote the goals of religious freedom and religious engagement.

Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress after the date on which the President designates countries as a country of particular concern for religious freedom on the lack of the President's designation of Pakistan and and any other countries recommended for such designation by the Commission.

Directs the President to take specified actions in response to violations of religious freedom by non-state actors.

Authorizes certain funds for democracy programs to be used to implement innovative uses of the Internet and other electronic methods to support freedom of religion or belief abroad.

Date: 2014-12-11
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Establishes the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, which shall provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President's Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Directs the Council to: (1) meet at least annually or at the request of the Group to review federal government policy and programs intended to combat human trafficking, (2) formulate assessments and recommendations to ensure that U.S. policy and programming efforts conform to best practices in the field of human trafficking prevention, (3) meet with the Group at least annually to formally present the Council's findings and recommendations, and (4) submit annual reports to the Task Force.

Sunsets this Act on September 30, 2020.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Prohibits any direct U.S. assistance to the government of Pakistan unless the President certifies to Congress that: (1) Dr. Shakil Afridi has been released from prison in Pakistan and any criminal charges brought against Dr. Afridi, including treason, have been dropped; and (2) Dr. Afridi has been allowed to leave Pakistan, if such departure is necessary to ensure his freedom.

Date: 2013-01-28
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Human Trafficking Reporting Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons among "part 1 violent crimes" required to be reported by states for the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of Bureau of Justice Assistance Grants and Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants.

Date: 2013-02-28
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on July 10, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Authorizes the President to appoint a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia within the Department of State. Requires the Special Envoy to have the rank of ambassador.

(Sec. 3) Requires the Special Envoy to: (1) promote the right of religious freedom of religious minorities in the countries of the Near East and South Central Asia, denounce the violation of such right, and recommend appropriate U.S government responses to such violations; (2) monitor and combat acts of religious intolerance and incitement targeted against such religious minorities; (3) ensure that the needs of such religious minority communities are addressed, including economic and security needs directly tied to religious-based discrimination and persecution; (4) work with foreign governments of such countries to address inherently discriminatory laws; and (5) coordinate and assist in the preparation of specified reports required by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

(Sec. 4) Authorizes the Special Envoy, subject to direction by the President and the Secretary of State, to represent the United States in matters and cases relevant to religious freedom in: (1) contacts with foreign governments, intergovernmental organizations, and specialized agencies of the United Nations (U.N.), the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, and other international organizations; and (2) multilateral conferences and meetings relevant to religious freedom.

(Sec. 5) Provides for the Special Envoy to consult, as appropriate, with domestic and international nongovernmental organizations and multilateral organizations and institutions.

(Sec. 6) Terminates this Act on October 1, 2019.

(Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide specified amounts to the Special Envoy from amounts appropriated for FY2015-FY2019.

Date: 2013-03-22
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Iran Sanctions Loophole Elimination Act of 2013 - Amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 to direct the President to prohibit the opening, and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining, in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that is a person described in this Act.

Describes such person as a person that on or after May 9, 2013, knowingly: (1) conducted or facilitated a significant transaction involving the currency of a country other than the country in which the person is operating with, for, or on behalf of the Central Bank of Iran or another Iranian financial institution designated by the Secretary of the Treasury for the imposition of sanctions, or a person that is involved in the energy, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors of Iran; or (2) transferred funds for, or held funds on behalf of, a person described in the previous paragraph in relation to a transaction without regard to the currency of such funds.

Authorizes the President to impose sanctions pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act with respect to any other person.

Authorizes the President to waive the provisions of this Act with respect to a person for up to 180 days (and authorizes renewal of such waiver for additional periods of up to 180 days) for reasons of U.S. national security. Requires congressional notification at least seven days prior to a waiver or waiver renewal.

Date: 2013-05-08
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act - Directs the President to: (1) impose financial and immigration/entry sanctions on listed nationals of Vietnam who are complicit in human rights abuses committed against nationals of Vietnam or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Vietnam; and (2) submit to Congress a publicly available list of individuals determined to be complicit in such human rights abuses.

Authorizes the President to waive sanctions to comply with international agreements or if in the U.S. national interest.

Terminates sanctions if the President certifies to Congress that the government of Vietnam has: (1) released all political prisoners; (2) ceased its practices of violence, detention, and abuse of citizens of Vietnam engaging in peaceful political activity; and (3) conducted a transparent investigation into the killings, arrest, and abuse of such political activists and prosecuted those responsible.

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S.-Vietnam relationship cannot progress while the government of Vietnam's human rights record continues to deteriorate, and (2) the Secretary of State should designate Vietnam as a country of particular concern with respect to religious freedom.

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Targeted Strike Oversight Reform Act of 2013 - Requires the head of an element of the intelligence community to notify the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) upon determining that a U.S. person is engaged in acts of international terrorism against the United States such that the government is considering the legality or use of targeted lethal force against that person.

Requires the DNI: (1) within 15 days thereafter, to complete an independent alternative analysis of the information relied on to support such determination; (2) to notify the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IG) and the congressional intelligence committees of the receipt of such notification; and (3) to notify such committees of the person's identity and the results of the independent analysis.

Directs the IG to annually review, and report to the DNI and such committees on, any notifications received and the compliance of each element of the intelligence community with all appropriate policies and procedures related to the use of targeted lethal force against a U.S. person.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Holocaust Rail Justice Act - Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944, and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity.

Declares that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action, and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002.

Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the status of access to wartime records and archives concerning the wartime activities of any such railroad that engaged in the deportation of such persons to Nazi concentration camps.

Date: 2013-07-30
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Law
Directs the Secretary of State to offer a reward of not more than $5 million to individuals who furnish information: (1) regarding the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission at Benghazi, Libya, that began on September 11, 2012; or (2) leading to the capture of an individual who committed, conspired or attempted to commit, or aided in the commission of such attacks.

Date: 2013-11-07
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2013 - Requires each state, within three years, to have in effect legislation that: (1) treats a minor who has engaged or attempted to engage in a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, (2) discourages the charging or prosecution of such an individual for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense, and (3) encourages the diversion of such individual to child protection services. Authorizes the Attorney General to withhold specified Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds from a state that fails to comply with such requirement.

Increases the amount a victim of peonage, slavery, or trafficking in persons may recover in a civil action against the perpetrator to treble damages. Directs the Attorney General to establish a process to collect and analyze data relating to the issuance and enforcement of mandatory restitution orders with respect to such offenses.

 Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants annually for a national communication system to assist victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons in communicating with service providers.

Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to include victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons among those eligible for the Job Corps.

Directs the Attorney General to implement and maintain a National Strategy for Combating Human Trafficking that includes: (1) integrated federal, state, local, and tribal efforts to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases; (2) case coordination within the Department of Justice (DOJ); and (3) interagency coordination regarding the prevention, investigation, and apprehension of individuals targeting and exploiting adults and children for human trafficking.

Amends the VTVPA to require the Attorney General's annual report on agency activities under such Act to include information on: (1) data relating to the issuance and enforcement of mandatory restitution orders with respect to peonage, slavery, and trafficking in persons; and (2) the number of sex and labor trafficking investigations that were opened by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Labor, or the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center or that were reported to the United States attorneys, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in DOJ's Civil Rights Division, and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in DOJ's Criminal Division.

Amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to modify the definition of "tier III sex offender" to include a sex offender whose offense is: (1) punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, and (2) comparable to or more severe than sex trafficking committed against a minor or an attempt or conspiracy to commit such offense against a minor.

Date: 2013-11-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose an additional penalty of $5,000 on any person or entity convicted of crimes relating to: (1) peonage, slavery, and trafficking in persons; (2) sexual abuse; (3) sexual exploitation and other abuse of children; (4) transportation for illegal sexual activity; or (5) human smuggling in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Domestic Trafficking Victims' Fund into which such penalties shall be deposited and which shall be used in FY2015-FY2019 to award grants or enhance victims' programming under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, and the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990. Allots funds to provide services for child pornography victims.

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a determination, based on credible evidence, that a covered individual (i.e., a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident) has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking.

Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize the Attorney General to award block grants to develop, improve, or expand comprehensive domestic child trafficking deterrence programs to rescue and restore the lives of trafficking victims, while investigating and prosecuting offenses involving child trafficking.

Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to include human trafficking and the production of child pornography within the definition of child abuse for purposes of such Act.

Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) increase restitution for victims of human trafficking; (2) set forth provisions for combating aggravated human trafficking racketeering; (3) allow state and local prosecutors to obtain wiretap warrants in state courts for investigations into human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and child pornography production; (4) increase penalties for offenses involving enticement into slavery, sex trafficking of children, child exploitation, and repeat sex offenders; and (5) revise the definition of the crime of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct to facilitate prosecutions of such crime.

Directs the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Innocence Lost National Initiative engage in activities, programs, or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of law enforcement personnel in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex.

Requires the Attorney General to audit grants awarded under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. Imposes limits on the use of Department of Justice (DOJ) funds for DOJ conferences involving more than $20,000.

Date: 2013-11-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act - Authorizes the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against any foreign person (or entity) who:

 is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in any foreign country seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials, or to obtain, exercise, or promote human rights and freedoms; acted as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign person in such activities; is a government official responsible for, or complicit in, ordering or otherwise directing acts of significant corruption or the facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of corruption to foreign jurisdictions; or has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities. Prescribes related penalties.

Authorizes the President, with regard to such sanctions, to: (1) waive their application, with prior congressional notification, if in U.S. national security interests; and (2) terminate them under specified conditions.

 States that sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters, or other applicable international obligations of the United States.

Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition.

Date: 2014-01-15
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2014 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) implementation of the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP) is paramount in improving the lives of women around the world and increasing global stability and prosperity, (2) Congress is committed to advancing NAP principles, and (3) the President should ensure NAP's implementation and coordinate with the international community to reaffirm global commitments to implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.

States that it is U.S. policy to implement NAP.

 Directs the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) integrate gender goals into diplomatic and development efforts, and into agency guidance and contracting; (2) include gender in strategic and budget planning processes; and (3) review existing U.S. policies and programs on women and girls in foreign countries from a gender perspective.

Directs the heads of federal departments and agencies to ensure that NAP's tenets are incorporated into all programs related to: (1) conflict prevention, (2) humanitarian and disaster response, (3) conflict mediation, (4) peacekeeping, (5) post-conflict reconstruction, (6) institution building, and (7) democracy promotion.

Urges the Secretary to promote the inclusion of women in coordination and consultation with international partners.

Directs the Secretary, the Administrator, the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and representatives of other federal agencies to implement NAP and ensure relevant personnel training.

Directs the Secretary to facilitate the efforts of partner governments to improve women's participation in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace-building, transitional processes, and decision making institutions in conflict-affected environments.

Directs the Secretary and the Administrator to establish guidelines for overseas U.S. personnel to consult with specified stakeholders regarding U.S. efforts to: (1) prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and (2) enhance the success of mediation and negotiation processes by ensuring women's meaningful participation.

Date: 2014-01-16
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2014 - States that Congress: (1) condemns the ongoing violence, use of chemical weapons, targeting of civilian populations, and systematic gross human rights violations carried out by government of Syria and pro-government forces under the direction of President Bashar al-Assad, as well as abuses committed by extremist groups and other combatants involved in the civil war in Syria; (2) supports the people of Syria seeking democratic change; (3) urges all parties to the conflict to halt attacks on civilians; (4) calls on the President to support efforts in Syria and on the part of the international community to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict; and (5) calls for a United Nations (U.N.) Security Council investigation into gross violations of human rights and war crimes committed during the Syrian conflict.

Direct the Secretary of State to report to Congress regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria.

Date: 2014-04-03
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include the desecration of cemeteries among the forms of violations of the right to religious freedom in many countries around the world.

Date: 2014-06-11
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish in the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Peoples who shall: (1) direct U.S. government efforts regarding human rights abuses against the LGBT community internationally and the advancement of human rights for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender) people in U.S. foreign policy, and (2) represent the United States internationally in bilateral and multilateral engagement on these matters.

Directs the Special Envoy to develop or update annually for six years a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against LGBT people.

Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide assistance to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against LGBT people.

Date: 2014-06-12
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Human Smuggling Prevention Act of 2014 - Prohibits an individual acting for financial gain from directing or participating in an effort to bring or attempt to bring five or more persons unlawfully into the United States.

Establishes monetary and/or prison penalties for such actions. Prescribes increased penalties for actions that: (1) result in death or serious bodily injury; (2) place a life in jeopardy; or (3) involve bribery of a government official, robbery, sexual abuse, or 10 or more persons.

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) implement a strategy to deter and interdict human smuggling across the international land and maritime borders of the United States, and (2) submit an annual list to Congress of high traffic areas of human smuggling.

Makes it a crime to: (1) transmit to another person the location, movement, or activities of law enforcement agents with the intent to further a federal crime relating to immigration, customs, controlled substances, agriculture, monetary instruments, or other border controls; and (2) destroy, alter, or damage any physical or electronic device used by the federal government to control the border or any port of entry.

Prohibits the carrying or use of a firearm in an alien smuggling crime.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
End Trafficking Act of 2014 - Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 or the SAVE Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the advertising of commercial sex acts with children or with others who are coerced to engage in such acts.

Child Trafficking Victims Protection Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to award grants to state and local governments for court-based programs that involve: (1) continuing judicial supervision over offenders who are younger than 18, have been trafficked, and are not violent offenders; and (2) integrated administration of other sanctions and services, including housing, education, health care, counseling, and job placement.

Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on: (1) the effectiveness and impact of such grants, (2) any service gap between trafficking victims who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and foreign nationals residing in the United States and federal agency progress in addressing that gap, (3) efficiencies that could be achieved by consolidating federal grant programs for trafficking survivors, and (4) legislative and regulatory options to ensure adequate criminal justice policies to combat sex trafficking of minors.

Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to expand the definitions of: (1) "child abuse and neglect" to include any act or failure to act that results in commercial sexual exploitation, and (2) "sex abuse" to include the use of a child's engagement in sexually explicit conduct for commercial purposes.

Directs the Attorney General to: (1) report on deficiencies that exist in the services available to child victims of human trafficking in the United States, (2) make available a database on resources and services for trafficking survivors, and (3) give priority for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grants to states and local governments that have adopted demand reduction strategies designed to combat minor sex trafficking.

Prescribes increased penalties for fraud in foreign labor contracting if the offense results in sexual abuse or trafficking of a foreign national younger than age 21.

Extends the statute of limitations for civil actions against perpetrators of human trafficking offenses until ten years after the victim reaches age 18.

Date: 2014-07-07
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Girls Count Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) promote programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls, and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, and inheritance rights for women.

Date: 2014-07-10
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to revise presidential requirements, including reporting requirements, with respect to the designation of a country as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.

Date: 2014-07-29
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through September 30, 2016.

Directs the Commission, during an initial election, to elect: (1) as Chair a Commissioner appointed by an elected official of the political party that is not the political party of the President, and (2) as Vice Chair a Commissioner appointed by an elected official of the political party of the President. Sets forth a process for future elections in which the positions of Chair and Vice Chair rotate annually between Commissioners appointed by elected officials of each political party.

Requires the Ambassador at Large to be notified in advance of all Commission meetings. Allows the Ambassador to attend all meetings as a nonvoting member.

Removes authority under which a Commission member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office.

Requires approval by at least six of the nine members of the Commission before: (1) issuance of a statement on behalf of the Commission, or (2) submittal of policy recommendation reports to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. Permits each member to include individual or dissenting views.

Authorizes elected officials to appoint majority and minority staff directors for the Commission, as well as professional staff for the political parties. (Currently, the Commission appoints a single executive director and is served by nonpartisan staff.)

Date: 2014-07-30
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Combating Fraudulent Child Transfers Act - Amends federal criminal law to make it unlawful for a person to obtain custody of an unaccompanied alien child if the person: (1) makes any materially false or fraudulent statement, or knowingly makes or uses any false writing or document; and (2) intends to subject the child to an offense relating to peonage, slavery, or trafficking in persons.

Subjects any person who violates or attempts or conspires to violate such provision to a fine and imprisonment of up to 15 years.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Nazi Social Security Benefits Termination Act of 2014 - Makes any participant in Nazi persecution ineligible for: (1) Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (SSA), and (2) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits under SSA title XVI.

Requires the Attorney General (AG), as soon as practicable after determining that an individual is a participant in Nazi persecution, to notify the Commissioner of Social Security of the individual's identity and residence.

Directs the AG, in cooperation with the Commissioner, to report to Congress specified information regarding such individuals.

Date: 2014-11-13
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Social welfare
Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to sex trafficking of children, to: (1) subject to criminal prosecution buyers, as well as sellers, of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims; (2) provide that in prosecutions of sex trafficking crimes, the government is not required to prove that a sex trafficking defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that a victim was under age 18; (3) equalize the period of supervised release for sex trafficking offenders convicted of conspiracy; (4) expand wiretap authority for investigating crimes related to sex trafficking, including slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor; (5) grant crime victims the right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea agreement or deferred prosecution agreement; and (6) require an appellate court to apply ordinary standards of review in reviewing appeals filed by crime victims.   

Requires the Director of Justice Statistics in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prepare and report annually on: (1) the rates of arrests by state law enforcement officers for sex trafficking crimes involving buyers of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims, and (2) prosecutions and convictions for such crimes in state courts.

Directs the Attorney General to ensure that DOJ anti-human trafficking training programs, including programs for federal, state, or local law enforcement officers, include technical training on effective methods for investigating and prosecuting buyers of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims.

Date: 2014-11-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
No Social Security for Nazis Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to consider the following individuals to be removed under the Immigration and Nationality Act and so to have their OASDI benefits terminated:

 an individual with respect to whom an order admitting the individual to citizenship has been revoked and set aside where such action is based on conduct relating to participation in Nazi persecution, concealment of a material fact about such conduct, or willful misrepresentation about such conduct; and an individual who, pursuant to a settlement agreement with the Attorney General (AG), has admitted to such conduct and has lost status as a U.S. national by renouncing that status. Requires such individuals to have been considered removed under such Act as of the date of the revocation, setting aside, or renunciation.

Prohibits such individuals from receiving other Social Security benefits based on the wages and self-employment income of any other individual.

Prohibits the payment to such individuals also of any benefits under SSA tile XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI).

Requires the AG or the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to notify the Commissioner of Social Security of such revocations, setting asides, and renunciations of nationality.

Date: 2014-11-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Social welfare
Securing the Assistance of Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 (SAVE Act)

 Prohibits funds made available to carry out the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 from being used in contravention of provisions of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 expanding the eligibility of human trafficking victims to receive services and benefits under certain federal or state programs, such as the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Agriculture and food