Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dairy Farmer Viability Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the farm-retail price spread (the difference between
        farm and retail values) for dairy products has doubled since
        the early 1980's;
            (2) the price of raw milk sent to the market by dairy
        producers has fallen to levels received in 1978; and
            (3) the number of family-sized dairy operations has
        decreased by almost 75 percent in the last 2 decades, with some
        States losing nearly 10 percent of their dairy farmers in
        recent months.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known
as the ``Dairy Farmer Viability Commission'' (referred to in this Act
as the ``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Commission shall be composed of 15
        members appointed by the Secretary.
            (2) Prohibition on federal government employment.--A member
        of the Commission appointed under paragraph (1) shall not be an
        employee or former employee of the Federal Government.
            (3) Date of appointments.--The appointment of a member of
        the Commission shall be made as soon as practicable after the
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Term; Vacancies.--
            (1) Term.--A member shall be appointed for the life of the
        Commission.
            (2) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission--
                    (A) shall not affect the powers of the Commission;
                and
                    (B) shall be filled in the same manner as the
                original appointment was made.
    (d) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which all members of the Commission have been appointed, the Commission
shall hold the initial meeting of the Commission.
    (e) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the
Chairperson.
    (f) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall
constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.
    (g) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The Commission shall select
a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the members of the
Commission.

SEC. 4. DUTIES.

    (a) Study.--The Commission shall conduct a study on matters
relating to improving the viability of dairy farming.
    (b) Recommendations.--The Commission shall develop recommendations
to improve the viability of dairy farming after considering, with
respect to dairy industry--
            (1) farm prices;
            (2) competition;
            (3) leverage;
            (4) stability; and
            (5) concentration in the marketplace.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Commission shall submit to the President and Congress a
report that contains--
            (1) a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of
        the Commission; and
            (2) the recommendations of the Commission for such
        legislation and administrative actions as the Commission
        considers appropriate.

SEC. 5. POWERS.

    (a) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit and act
at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such
evidence as the Commission considers advisable to carry out this Act.
    (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission may secure directly from a
        Federal agency such information as the Commission considers
necessary to carry out this Act.
            (2) Provision of information.--On request of the
        Chairperson of the Commission, the head of the agency shall
        provide the information to the Commission.
    (c) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United States
mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other
agencies of the Federal Government.
    (d) Gifts.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or
donations of services or property.

SEC. 6. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.

    (a) Compensation of Members.--A member of the Commission shall be
compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate
of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under
section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including
travel time) during which the member is engaged in the performance of
the duties of the Commission.
    (b) Travel Expenses.--A member of the Commission shall be allowed
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates
authorized for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of chapter
57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from the home or regular
place of business of the member in the performance of the duties of the
Commission.
    (c) Staff.--
            (1) In general.--The Chairperson of the Commission may,
        without regard to the civil service laws (including
        regulations), appoint and terminate an executive director and
        such other additional personnel as are necessary to enable the
        Commission to perform the duties of the Commission.
            (2) Confirmation of executive director.--The employment of
        an executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the
        Commission.
            (3) Compensation.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
                (B), the Chairperson of the Commission may fix the
                compensation of the executive director and other
                personnel without regard to the provisions of chapter
                51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United
                States Code, relating to classification of positions
                and General Schedule pay rates.
                    (B) Maximum rate of pay.--The rate of pay for the
                executive director and other personnel shall not exceed
                the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule
                under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.
    (d) Detail of Federal Government Employees.--
            (1) In general.--An employee of the Federal Government may
        be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement.
            (2) Civil service status.--The detail of the employee shall
        be without interruption or loss of civil service status or
        privilege.
    (e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The
Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and intermittent
services in accordance with section 3109(b) of title 5, United States
Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily equivalent
of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive
Schedule under section 5316 of that title.

SEC. 7. FUNDING.

    The Secretary of Agriculture shall provide to the Commission for
each fiscal year such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act, to
be derived by transfer of a proportionate amount of funds for
administrative expenses from each other account for which funds are
made available to the Department of Agriculture for administrative
expenses for the fiscal year.

SEC. 8. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.

    The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the
Commission submits the report of the Commission under section 4(c).

Output: Dairy Farmer Viability Act - Establishes the Dairy Farmer Viability Commission which shall study and report on matters affecting the viability of dairy farming.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water System Adaptation Partnerships
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. WATER SYSTEM ADAPTATION PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) Grants.--Beginning in fiscal year 2010, the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency shall make grants to water systems
to assist in planning, designing, constructing, implementing, or
maintaining any program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement--
            (1) to conserve water or increase water use efficiency;
            (2) to carry out water metering to measure water efficiency
        effectiveness of a water efficiency program;
            (3) to preserve or improve water quality;
            (4) to enhance water management by increasing source water
        preservation and protection, or natural or engineered green
        infrastructure in the management, conveyance, or treatment of
        water, wastewater, or stormwater;
            (5) to increase energy efficiency or the use and generation
        of renewable energy in the management, conveyance, or treatment
        of water, wastewater, or stormwater;
            (6) to support the adoption and use of advanced water
        treatment, water supply management, or water demand management
        technologies or processes (such as those used in water reuse
        and recycling or adaptive conservation pricing) that maintain
        or increase water supply or improve water quality;
            (7) to complete studies or assessments to project how
        climate change may impact the future operations and
        sustainability of the water system; or
            (8) to carry out any other activity or project to address
        any ongoing or forecasted, based on the best available research
        and data, climate-related impact on the water quality or
        quantity of a region of the United States that increases the
        resiliency of a water system to the impacts of climate change.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant from the
Administrator under subsection (a), the owner or operator of a water
system shall--
            (1) submit to the Administrator an application that
        includes a proposal of the program, strategy, or infrastructure
        improvement to be planned, designed, constructed, implemented,
        or maintained by the water system;
            (2) cite the best available research or data that
        describes--
                    (A) the risk to the system's water resources or
                infrastructure as a result of ongoing or forecasted
                changes to the hydrological system brought about by
                factors arising from global climate change; and
                    (B) how the proposed program, strategy, or
                infrastructure improvement would perform under the
                anticipated climate conditions;
            (3) explain how the proposed program, strategy, or
        infrastructure improvement is expected to increase the water
        system's resiliency to these risks or reduce the water system's
        direct or indirect greenhouse gas emissions; and
            (4) demonstrate the consistency of the program, strategy,
        or infrastructure improvement with an applicable climate
        adaptation plan completed and adopted by a State.
    (c) Competitive Process.--Each calendar year, the Administrator
shall conduct a competitive process to select and fund applications
under this section. In carrying out the process, the Administrator
shall--
            (1) give priority to applications that--
                    (A) are submitted by water systems that are, based
                on the best available research and data, at the
                greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant
                climate-related negative impacts on water quality or
                quantity;
                    (B) will impact the largest numbers of water users;
                and
                    (C) will provide the greatest benefit per dollar
                expended;
            (2) solicit applications from water systems that are--
                    (A) located in all regions of the United States;
                and
                    (B) facing varying risks as a result of climate
                change; and
            (3) provide for solicitation and consideration of public
        input in the development of criteria used in evaluating
        applications.
    (d) Cost Sharing.--
            (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any
        program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement that is the
        subject of a grant awarded by the Administrator to a water
        system under subsection (a) shall not exceed, in a single
        calendar year, 50 percent of the cost of the program, strategy,
        or infrastructure improvement.
            (2) Calculation of non-federal share.--In calculating the
        non-Federal share of the cost of a program, strategy, or
        infrastructure improvement proposed by a water system through
        an application submitted by the water system under subsection
        (b), the Administrator shall--
                    (A) include the value of any in-kind services that
                substantially contributes toward the completion of the
                program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement, as
                determined by the Administrator; and
                    (B) not include any other amount that the water
                system receives from a Federal agency.
    (e) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall promulgate final regulations to carry out this
section.
    (f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall submit to
the Congress a report on progress in implementing this section,
including information on project applications received and funded
annually.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of
        the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) The term ``water system'' means a community water
        system as defined in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water
        Act (42 U.S.C. 300f), a treatment works as defined in section
        212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
        1292), a municipal separate storm sewer system (as defined by
        the Administrator), or a combined sewer system as defined in
        402(q) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
        1342(q)).
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary.

Output:
Water System Adaptation Partnerships Act of 2009 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to water systems to assist in planning, designing, constructing, implementing, or maintaining any program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement to: (1) conserve water or increase water use efficiency; (2) carry out water metering to measure water efficiency effectiveness of a water efficiency program; (3) preserve or improve water quality; (4) enhance water management by increasing source water preservation and protection, or natural or engineered green infrastructure, in the management, conveyance, or treatment of water, wastewater, or stormwater; (5) increase energy efficiency or the use and generation of renewable energy in the management, conveyance, or treatment of water, wastewater, or stormwater; (6) support the adoption and use of advanced water treatment, water supply management, or water demand management technologies or processes that maintain or increase water supply or improve water quality; (7) complete studies or assessments to project how climate change may impact the future operations and sustainability of the water system; or (8) carry out any other activity or project to address any ongoing or forecasted climate-related impact on the water quality or quantity of a region of the United States that increases the resiliency of a water system to the impacts of climate change.

Sets forth grant application requirements. Requires the Administrator to conduct a competitive process to select and fund applications, giving priority to applications that: (1) are submitted by water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant climate-related negative impacts; (2) will impact the largest numbers of water users; and (3) will provide the greatest benefit per dollar expended. Limits the federal share to 50% of the cost.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Health Empowerment Zone Act of
2003''.

SEC. 2. HEALTH EMPOWERMENT ZONES.

    (a) Health Empowerment Zone Programs.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human
        Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health
        Resources and Services Administration and the Director of the
        Office of Minority Health, and in cooperation with the Director
        of the Office of Community Services and the Director of the
        National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities--
                    (A) shall designate health empowerment zones in
                accordance with paragraph (2); and
                    (B) shall make grants in accordance with paragraph
                (3).
            (2) Designation of health empowerment zones.--The Secretary
        may designate a community as a health empowerment zone if--
                    (A) a community partnership seeking a grant under
                this section requests that the community be designated
                as a health empowerment zone; and
                    (B) the community partnership demonstrates, to the
                Secretary's satisfaction, that the community is a
                community of color that experiences disproportionate
                disparities in health status and health care.
            (3) Grants.--The Secretary shall make grants to community
        partnerships of private and public entities to establish health
        empowerment zone programs.
            (4) Use of funds.--Grants under this section shall be used
        for the establishment of a health empowerment zone program to
        assist individuals, businesses, schools, minority health
        associations, nonprofit organizations, community-based
        organizations, hospitals, health care clinics, and foundations
        in a health empowerment zone that are seeking--
                    (A) to effectively access Federal programs to
                improve the health or environment of 1 or more minority
                individuals in the community and eliminate racial and
                ethnic disparities in health status and health care;
                and
                    (B) to coordinate the efforts of governmental and
                private entities regarding the elimination of racial
                and ethnic disparities in health status and health
                care.
            (5) Establishment in territory or possession.--The
        Secretary shall make at least 1 grant under this section to a
        community partnership for a health empowerment zone program in
        a health empowerment zone that is located in a territory or
        possession of the United States.
            (6) Application.--To seek the designation of a community as
        a health empowerment zone and to obtain a grant under this
        section, a community partnership shall submit to the Secretary
        an application in such form and in such manner as the Secretary
        may require. An application under this paragraph shall--
                    (A) demonstrate that the community to be served is
                a community of color that experiences disproportionate
                disparities in health status and health care;
                    (B) set forth a strategic plan for the proposed
                health empowerment zone program, by--
                            (i) describing the coordinated health,
                        economic, human, community, and physical
                        development plan and related activities
                        proposed for the community involved;
                            (ii) describing the inclusion of the
                        community involved as a full partner in the
                        process of developing, implementing,
                        monitoring, and evaluating the strategic plan
                        and the extent to which local institutions and
                        organizations have contributed to the planning
                        process;
                            (iii) identifying the projected amount of
                        Federal, State, local, and private resources
                        that will be available in the area and the
                        private and public community partnerships to be
                        used (including any participation by or
                        cooperation with universities, colleges,
                        foundations, nonprofit organizations, medical
                        centers, hospitals, health clinics, school
                        districts, or other private and public
                        entities);
                            (iv) identifying the funding requested
                        under any Federal program in support of the
                        proposed health, economic, human, community,
                        and physical development, and related
                        activities;
                            (v) identifying baselines, methods, health
                        outcomes, and benchmarks for measuring the
                        success of carrying out the strategic plan;
                            (vi) demonstrating the ability to
                        effectively reach and service the targeted
                        underserved minority community populations in a
                        culturally appropriate and linguistically
                        responsive manner;
                            (vii) demonstrating a capacity and
                        infrastructure to provide long-term community
                        response that is culturally appropriate and
                        linguistically responsive to a community of
                        color that experiences disproportionate
                        disparities in health status and health care;
                        and
                            (viii) identifying the individuals who have
                        agreed to serve as members of a health
                        empowerment zone coordinating committee for the
                        community involved; and
                    (C) include such other information as the Secretary
                may require.
            (7) Preference.--In awarding grants under this subsection,
        the Secretary shall give preference to proposals from
        indigenous community entities that have an expertise in
        providing culturally appropriate and linguistically responsive
        services to communities of color that experience
        disproportionate disparities in health status and health care.
    (b) Federal Assistance for Health Empowerment Zone Grant
Programs.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Secretary of
Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall each--
            (1) where appropriate, provide entity-specific technical
        assistance and evidence-based strategies to communities of
        color that experience disproportionate disparities in health
        status and health care to further the purposes of a health
        empowerment zone program described in subsection (a)(5);
            (2) identify all programs administered by the Department of
        Health and Human Services, the Small Business Administration,
        the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the
        Department of Labor, and the Department of Housing and Urban
        Development, respectively, that may be used to further the
        purposes of a health empowerment zone program described in
        subsection (a)(5); and
            (3) in administering any program identified under paragraph
        (2), give priority to any individual or entity located in a
        community served by a health empowerment zone program under
        subsection (a) if such priority would further the purposes of
        the health empowerment zone program described in subsection
        (a)(5).
    (c) Health Empowerment Zone Coordinating Committee.--
            (1) Establishment.--For each health empowerment zone
        program established with a grant under subsection (a), the
        Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of
        Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health Resources
        and Services Administration, shall establish a health
        empowerment zone coordinating committee.
            (2) Duties.--Each coordinating committee established, in
        coordination with the Director of the Office of Minority Health
        and the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
        Administration, shall provide technical assistance and
        evidence-based strategies to the grant recipient involved,
        including providing guidance on research, strategies, health
        outcomes, program goals, management, implementation,
        monitoring, assessment, and evaluation processes.
            (3) Membership.--
                    (A) Appointment.--The Director of the Office of
                Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health
                Resources and Services Administration, in consultation
                with the respective grant recipient, shall appoint the
                members of each coordinating committee.
                    (B) Composition.--The Director of the Office of
                Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health
                Resources and Services Administration shall ensure that
                each coordinating committee--
                            (i) has not more than 20 members;
                            (ii) includes individuals from communities
                        of color that experience disproportionate
                        disparities in health status and health care;
                            (iii) includes community leaders and
                        leaders of community-based organizations;
                            (iv) includes representatives of academia
                        and lay and professional organizations and
                        associations including those having expertise
                        in medicine, technical, social and behavioral
                        science, health policy, advocacy, cultural and
                        linguistic competency, research management, and
                        organization; and
                            (v) represents a reasonable cross-section
                        of knowledge, views, and application of
                        expertise on societal, ethical, behavioral,
                        educational, policy, legal, cultural,
                        linguistic, and workforce issues related to
                        eliminating disparities in health and health
                        care.
                    (C) Qualifications.--The Director of the Office of
                Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health
                Resources and Services Administration shall ensure that
                the members of each coordinating committee meet the
                following:
                            (i) No member is employed by the Federal
                        Government.
                            (ii) Each member has appropriate
                        experience, including experience in the areas
                        of community development, cultural and
                        linguistic competency, reducing and eliminating
                        racial and ethnic disparities in health and
                        health care, or minority health.
                            (iii) A majority of the members reside in
                        the health empowerment zone involved.
                    (D) Selection.--In selecting individuals to serve
                on a coordinating committee, the Director of the Office
                of Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health
                Resources and Services Administration shall give due
                consideration to the recommendations of the Congress,
                industry leaders, the scientific community (including
                the Institute of Medicine), academia, community based
                nonprofit organizations, minority health and related
                organizations, the education community, State and local
                governments, and other appropriate organizations.
                    (E) Chairperson.--The Director of the Office of
                Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health
                Resources and Services Administration, in consultation
                with the members of the coordinating committee
                involved, shall designate a chairperson of the
                coordinating committee, who shall serve for a term of 3
                years and who may be reappointed at the expiration of
                each such term.
                    (F) Terms.--Each member of a coordinating committee
                shall be appointed for a term of 1 to 3 years in
                overlapping staggered terms, as determined by the
                Director of the Office of Minority Health and the
                Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
                Administration at the time of appointment, and may be
                reappointed at the expiration of each such term.
                    (G) Vacancies.--A vacancy on a coordinating
                committee shall be filled in the same manner in which
                the original appointment was made.
                    (H) Compensation.--The members of a coordinating
                committee shall serve without pay.
                    (I) Travel expenses.--Each member of a coordinating
                committee shall receive travel expenses, including per
                diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with
                applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57
                of title 5, United States Code.
            (4) Staff; experts and consultants.--
                    (A) Staff.--The chairperson of a coordinating
                committee may appoint and fix the pay of additional
                personnel as the chairperson considers appropriate.
                    (B) Experts and consultants.--The chairperson of a
                coordinating committee may procure temporary and
                intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5,
                United States Code.
            (5) Meetings.--A coordinating committee shall meet 3 to 5
        times each year, at the call of the coordinating committee's
        chairperson and in consultation with the Director of the Office
        of Minority Health and the Administrator of the Health
        Resources and Services Administration.
            (6) Report.--Each coordinating committee shall transmit to
        the Congress an annual report that, with respect to the health
        empowerment zone program involved, includes the following:
                    (A) A review of the program's effectiveness in
                achieving stated goals and outcomes, and overcoming
                challenges.
                    (B) A review of the program's management and
                coordination of the entities involved.
                    (C) A review of the activities in the program's
                portfolio and components.
                    (D) An identification of policy issues raised by
                the program.
                    (E) An assessment of program's results including
                that of capacity, infrastructure, number of underserved
                minority communities reached and retained in the effort
                in a defined time frame.
                    (F) Recommendations for new program goals, research
                areas, enhanced approaches, community partnerships,
                coordination and management mechanisms, and projects to
                be established to achieve the program's stated goals,
                to improve outcomes, assessments, monitoring, and
                evaluation.
                    (G) A review of the degree of minority entities
                participation in the program, and an identification of
                a strategy to increase such participation.
                    (H) Any other reviews or recommendations determined
                to be appropriate by the coordinating committee.
    (d) Report.--The Director of the Office of Minority Health and the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration shall
submit a joint annual report to the appropriate committees of the
Congress on the results of the implementation of programs under this
section.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Coordinating committee.--The term ``coordinating
        committee'' means a health empowerment zone coordinating
        committee established under this section.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of Health and Human Services.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for fiscal year
2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2005
through 2010.

Output:
Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate a community as a health empowerment zone if a participating community partnership: (1) requests such designation; and (2) demonstrates that the community is a community of color experiencing disproportionate disparities in health status and health care.

 Directs the Secretary to make: (1) grants to community partnerships of private and public entities to establish health empowerment zone programs to assist individuals, businesses, schools, minority health associations, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, health care clinics, and foundations in a health empowerment zone that are seeking to improve the health or environment of minority individuals and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status and health care; (2) at least one grant in a health empowerment zone in a U.S. territory or possession; and (3) establish a health empowerment zone coordinating committee for each zone.

Directs the Secretary, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance for such programs.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``International Hydrocephalus
Treatment and Training Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Hydrocephalus, also known as ``water on the brain'', is
        a medical condition in which an abnormal accumulation of
        cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles or cavities of the brain
        causes increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and
        progressive enlargement of the head.
            (2) If left untreated, hydrocephalus leads to physical and
        mental disabilities and eventually death.
            (3) Hydrocephalus is an extremely painful condition that
        most commonly occurs in infants and young children as a result
        of a congenital abnormality (anatomic abnormality, aqueductal
        stenosis, spina bifida or encephalocele), or post-infectious
        hydrocephalus (PIH) caused by infections acquired after birth,
        such as meningitis, that attack the brain.
            (4) PIH is the most common cause of hydrocephalus globally,
        accounting for approximately 60 percent of all cases.
            (5) Three to five out of every 1,000 newborns in developing
        countries are either born with hydrocephalus or acquire it due
        to neonatal infections in the first few months of life.
            (6) It is conservatively estimated that more than 300,000
        children are born with or acquire hydrocephalus in the
        developing world each year.
            (7) Children with hydrocephalus who are not effectively
        treated or who are not treated in the early stages of the
        condition suffer from cognitive deficiencies or physical
        disabilities or both.
            (8) Families of children who have hydrocephalus in
        developing countries rarely know that it is a treatable
        condition, where to go for treatment, or how to care for a
        child suffering from the condition.
            (9) Many children with hydrocephalus in developing
        countries are abandoned, ostracized, or abused due to their
        appearance and physical and mental disabilities.
            (10) Hydrocephalus can be treated, and advances in
        innovative medical procedures such as ETV/CPC have the
        potential to save thousands of lives annually and prevent or
        mitigate physical and mental disabilities in thousands of
        children in developing countries.
            (11) The current standard treatment for hydrocephalus is
        the VP shunt which often requires up to 5 surgical revisions
        before a child reaches adulthood to remedy blockages in the
        shunt and to account for the child's growth. Blockages can be
        expected during the life of the patient and can lead to death,
        particularly in developing countries where access to the
        requisite medical expertise often is not available.
            (12) Due to the need for multiple replacements of a VP
        shunt, this treatment is expensive and creates an increased
        burden on fragile health systems, patients, and families.
            (13) ETV/CPC is a shunt-less surgery for hydrocephalus that
        does not require a VP shunt and has been shown to be
        appropriate in at least two-thirds of the cases of infants with
        hydrocephalus. Of those cases, ETV/CPC is 93 percent effective
        in eliminating hydrocephalus.
            (14) Few hospitals with the expertise and capacity to treat
        hydrocephalus exist in developing countries, and the demand for
        treatment far exceeds the capacity of health systems in those
        countries.
            (15) Neurosurgical care for hydrocephalus in developing
        countries is widely unavailable due to a lack of trained
        neurosurgeons. In East Africa, there is only 1 neurosurgeon per
        10,000,000 people. In many developing countries there are no
        trained neurosurgeons.
            (16) Hundreds of thousands of cases of hydrocephalus in
        children in developing countries could be successfully treated
        if adequate resources are devoted to training surgeons in new
        techniques, such as ETV/CPC, and many future cases could be
        prevented if adequate resources are devoted to research means
        to mitigate the preventable causes of hydrocephalus.
            (17) Adoption of innovative new techniques to treat
        hydrocephalus, such as ETV/CPC, are more cost effective in the
        long term than current treatment methods since only one surgery
        is required in most cases, thus limiting the impact on
        overburdened health systems in developing countries.

SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO TREAT HYDROCEPHALUS AND TRAIN SURGEONS.

    Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151 et. seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the second section 135 (as added by
        section 5(a) of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act
        of 2005 (Public Law 109-121; 119 Stat. 2536)) as section 136;
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 137. ASSISTANCE TO TREAT HYDROCEPHALUS AND TRAIN SURGEONS.

    ``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of assistance authorized by this
section are--
            ``(1) to ensure that life-saving treatment of hydrocephalus
        is an important priority of United States bilateral foreign
        assistance, including through promotion of innovative
        treatments and training of medical practitioners from the
        developing world in the latest treatment protocols and best
        practices for the treatment of hydrocephalus, including--
                    ``(A) surgery and post-surgery care in developing
                countries;
                    ``(B) the creation of a comprehensive hydrocephalus
                training program based in the developing world for
                surgeons and key members of their medical team; and
                    ``(C) the training of medical practitioners based
                in the developing world in ETV/CPC and other
                appropriate treatment protocols; and
            ``(2) to promote research to reduce the incidence of PIH
        epidemiology, pathophysiology, and disease burden, and to
        improve treatment of hydrocephalus.
    ``(b) Authorization.--To carry out the purposes of subsection (a),
the President is authorized to provide assistance to support a network
of trained medical practitioners to treat hydrocephalus in children at
pediatric hospitals and hydrocephalus treatment centers in developing
countries with a high incidence of hydrocephalus.
    ``(c) Activities Supported.--
            ``(1) Comprehensive program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Assistance provided under
                subsection (b) shall, to the maximum extent
                practicable, be used to establish a comprehensive
                program to administer global hydrocephalus treatment
                and training activities utilizing a network of
                pediatric hospitals capable of performing endoscopic
                surgery in developing countries.
                    ``(B) Administration.--The program described in
                subparagraph (A) shall be administered by healthcare
                executives and neurosurgeons with expertise in the
                treatment of hydrocephalus.
                    ``(C) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of
                the administrators described in subparagraph (B) shall
                include--
                            ``(i) developing an appropriate education
                        and training curriculum;
                            ``(ii) establishing quality control
                        standards;
                            ``(iii) instituting safety guidelines and
                        standards; and
                            ``(iv) developing monitoring and evaluation
                        protocols.
            ``(2) Training hospital.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Assistance provided under
                subsection (b) shall, to the maximum extent
                practicable, be used to establish a surgeon training
                program within a pediatric hospital based in a
                developing country with a high incidence of
                hydrocephalus with the goal of training four surgeons
                annually and a total of 20 surgeons over a 5-year
                period to treat hydrocephalus utilizing the ETV/CPC
                technique.
                    ``(B) Timeline.--To the maximum extent practicable,
                the surgeon training program described in subparagraph
                (A) should be operational no later than 1 year after
                the date of enactment of this Act.
                    ``(C) Training admissions criteria.--Candidates for
                the surgeon training program established under
                subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) have a demonstrated commitment to
                        providing medical assistance in the developing
                        world; and
                            ``(ii) certify that the candidate intends
                        to remain and practice medicine in the
                        developing world following completion of the
                        program.
                    ``(D) Training program methodology.--The surgeon
                training program established under subparagraph (A)
                shall--
                            ``(i) be conducted by a neurosurgeon with a
                        minimum of 3 years of full-time operating
                        experience in the developing world;
                            ``(ii) be a hands-on operating room
                        experience in the developing world;
                            ``(iii) utilize a hydrocephalus treatment
                        protocol with an emphasis on ETV/CPC as the
                        preferred treatment when medically appropriate;
                        and
                            ``(iv) require that each trainee complete a
                        minimum of 50 ETV/CPC or ETV procedures and at
                        least 25 VP shunt procedures.
            ``(3) Treatment centers.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Assistance provided under
                subsection (b) shall, to the maximum extent
                practicable, be used to establish at least 20
                hydrocephalus treatment centers located at public and
                private hospital in developing countries with a high
                incidence of hydrocephalus, which shall include
                treatment costs, endoscopy equipment and medical
                supplies necessary to provide ETV/CPC procedures to
                treat hydrocephalus.
                    ``(B) Staffing.--The treatment centers described in
                subparagraph (A) shall be staffed by--
                            ``(i) one or more surgeons who have
                        successfully completed the surgeon training
                        program provided pursuant to paragraph (2); and
                            ``(ii) a patient care administrator.
                    ``(C) Treatment.--The treatment centers described
                in subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) provide surgery to treat
                        hydrocephalus in children;
                            ``(ii) perform at least 50 hydrocephalus
                        surgeries annually including a minimum of 25
                        ETV or ETV/CPC surgeries; and
                            ``(iii) provide post-surgery care and
                        support for the children treated in accordance
                        with clause (i).
            ``(4) Medical records and data.--Assistance provided under
        subsection (b) shall, to the maximum extent practicable,
        include the maintenance of medical records which track patient
        care activities and information about the causes and incidence
        rates of PIH.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) CPC.--The term `CPC' means choroid plexus
        cauterization, a surgical procedure to reduce the production of
        cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
            ``(2) ETV.--The term `ETV' means endoscopic third
        ventriculostomy, a shunt-less surgical procedure in which an
        opening is created in the floor of the third ventricle of the
        brain allowing cerebrospinal fluid to bypass any obstruction
        and flow directly to the basal cisterns.
            ``(3) ETV/CPC.--The term `ETV/CPC' means the shunt-less
        surgical method for treating hydrocephalus through the
        combination of ETV and CPC surgical procedures.
            ``(4) Hydrocephalus.--The term `hydrocephalus' means a
        medical condition in which an abnormal accumulation of
        cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles or cavities of the brain
        causes increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and
        progressive enlargement of the head.
            ``(5) Medical practitioners.--The term `medical
        practitioners' means physicians, nurses and other clinicians.
            ``(6) PIH.--The term `PIH' means post-infectious or
        acquired hydrocephalus which is the onset of hydrocephalus
        after birth due to the affects of an infection, such as
        meningitis, that has attacked the brain.
            ``(7) VP shunt.--The term `VP shunt' means a
        ventriculoperitonea shunt which is a plastic tube that is
        regulated by a valve and surgically placed in a brain ventricle
        that allows the cerebrospinal fluid to flow out of the brain
        through the tube and into the patient's abdomen.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts made
available to carry out this chapter for child survival and maternal
health programs, there are authorized to be appropriated to the
President such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years
2014 through 2018 to carry out this section.''.

Output: International Hydrocephalus Treatment and Training Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance to support a network of trained medical practitioners to treat hydrocephalus in children at pediatric hospitals and hydrocephalus treatment centers in developing countries. Requires such assistance to provide for surgeon training and establishment of at least 20 treatment centers.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Equity for Temporary Workers Act of
1999''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY WORKER RIGHTS.

    (a) Discrimination.-- No employer shall discriminate with respect
to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment against
any temporary employee.
    (b) Benefits.--After a temporary employee works for an employer for
1,000 hours during a 12-month period, whether placed in the employ of
such employer by the employer, by a temporary help agency or staffing
firm, or under a leasing arrangement by a third party, such temporary
employee shall be eligible to receive any benefit offered by the
employer to other permanent employees.

SEC. 3. EQUAL PAY FOR TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.

    (a) General Rule.--An employer having employees subject to section
6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 shall not discriminate,
within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between
employees on the basis of employment status by paying wages to
temporary employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate
at which the employer pays wages to full-time employees in such
establishment for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires
equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under
similar working conditions, except where such payment is made pursuant
to--
            (1) a seniority system;
            (2) a merit system;
            (3) a system that measures earning by quantity or quality
        of production; or
            (4) a differential based on any other factor other than
        employment status.
    (b) Wage Reduction.--An employer who is paying a wage rate
differential in violation of this section shall not, in order to comply
with the provisions of this section, reduce the wage rate of any
employee.
    (c) Labor Organization.--No labor organization, or its agents,
representing the employees of an employer having employees subject to
section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 shall cause or
attempt to cause such an employer to discriminate against an employee
in violation of this section.
    (d) Unpaid Wages.--For purposes of administration and enforcement,
any amounts owing to any employee that have been withheld in violation
of this section shall be deemed to be unpaid minimum wages or unpaid
overtime compensation under section 5.
    (e) Definition.--As used in this section, the term ``labor
organization'' means any organization of any kind, or any agency or
employee representation committee or plan, in which employers
participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of
dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages,
rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions of work.

SEC. 4. LIABILITY TO ALL PERSONS ON WORKSITE.

    Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
(29 U.S.C. 654(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) shall, at the place of employment of the employer,
        furnish to each person at such place a place which is free from
        recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause
        death or serious physical harm to such persons; and''.

SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Civil Action by Employees.--
            (1) Liability.--Any employer who violates section 2 or 3
        shall be liable to any eligible employee affected--
                    (A) for damages equal to--
                            (i) the amount of any wages, salary,
                        employment benefits, or other compensation
                        denied or lost to such employee by reason of
                        the violation;
                            (ii) the interest on the amount described
                        in clause (i) calculated at the prevailing
                        rate; and
                            (iii) an additional amount as liquidated
                        damages equal to the sum of the amount
                        described in clause (i) and the interest
                        described in clause (ii), except that if an
                        employer who has violated section 2 or 3 proves
                        to the satisfaction of the court that the act
                        or omission which violated such section was in
                        good faith and that the employer had reasonable
                        grounds for believing that the act or omission
                        was not a violation of such section, such court
                        may, in the discretion of the court, reduce the
                        amount of the liability to the amount and
                        interest determined under clauses (i) and (ii),
                        respectively; and
                    (B) for such equitable relief as may be
                appropriate, including employment, reinstatement, and
                promotion.
            (2) Right of action.--An action to recover the damages or
        equitable relief prescribed in paragraph (1) may be maintained
        against any employer (including a public agency) in any Federal
        or State court of competent jurisdiction by any one or more
        employees for and in behalf of--
                    (A) the employees; or
                    (B) the employees and other employees similarly
                situated.
            (3) Fees and costs.--The court in such an action shall, in
        addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff, allow a
        reasonable attorney's fee, reasonable expert witness fees, and
        other costs of the action to be paid by the defendant.
            (4) Limitations.--The right provided by paragraph (2) to
        bring an action by or on behalf of any employee shall
        terminate--
                    (A) on the filing of a complaint by the Secretary
                in an action under subsection (d) in which restraint is
                sought of any further delay in the payment of the
                amount described in paragraph (1)(A) to such employee
                by an employer responsible under paragraph (1) for the
                payment; or
                    (B) on the filing of a complaint by the Secretary
                in an action under subsection (b) in which a recovery
                is sought of the damages described in paragraph (1)(A)
                owing to an eligible employee by an employer liable
                under paragraph (1),
        unless the action described in subparagraph (A) or (B) is
        dismissed without prejudice on motion of the Secretary.
    (b) Action by the Secretary.--
            (1) Administrative action.--The Secretary shall receive,
        investigate, and attempt to resolve complaints of violations of
        section 2 or 3 in the same manner that the Secretary receives,
        investigates, and attempts to resolve complaints of violations
        of sections 6 and 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29
        U.S.C. 206 and 207).
            (2) Civil action.--The Secretary may bring an action in any
        court of competent jurisdiction to recover the damages
        described in subsection (a)(1)(A).
            (3) Sums recovered.--Any sums recovered by the Secretary
        pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be held in a special deposit
        account and shall be paid, on order of the Secretary, directly
        to each employee affected. Any such sums not paid to an
        employee because of inability to do so within a period of 3
        years shall be deposited into the Treasury of the United States
        as miscellaneous receipts.
    (c) Limitation.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), an
        action may be brought under this section not later than 2 years
        after the date of the last event constituting the alleged
        violation for which the action is brought.
            (2) Willful violation.--In the case of such action brought
        for a willful violation of section 2 or 3, such action may be
        brought within 3 years of the date of the last event
        constituting the alleged violation for which such action is
        brought.
            (3) Commencement.--In determining when an action is
        commenced by the Secretary under this section for the purposes
        of this subsection, it shall be considered to be commenced on
        the date when the complaint is filed.
    (d) Action for Injunction by Secretary.--The district courts of the
United States shall have jurisdiction, for cause shown, in an action
brought by the Secretary--
            (1) to restrain violations of section 2 or 3, including the
        restraint of any withholding of payment of wages, salary,
        employment benefits, or other compensation, plus interest,
        found by the court to be due to eligible employees; or
            (2) to award such other equitable relief as may be
        appropriate, including employment, reinstatement, and
        promotion.
    (e) Solicitor of Labor.--The Solicitor of Labor may appear for and
represent the Secretary on any litigation brought under this section.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Employee.--The term ``employee'' means any individual
        who performs services for wages, salary, or other reimbursement
        under any contract of hire, written or oral, express or implied
        with an employer. This individual also works for an employer at
        least 1,000 hours per year.
            (2) Employer.--The term ``employer'' means any person
        engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting
        commerce who employs 100 or more employees for each working day
        during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or
        preceding calendar year.
            (3) Permanent employee.--The term ``permanent employee''
        means any individual who is hired for an indefinite period of
        time as an employee and is accorded benefits.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of Labor.
            (5) Temporary agency.--The term ``temporary agency'' means
        any person regularly undertaking with or without compensation
        to procure employees for an employer temporarily or to procure
        for employees opportunities to work for an employer and
        includes an agent of such a person.
            (6) Temporary employee.--The term ``temporary employee''
        means any employee who is not permanent.

Output:
Equity for Temporary Workers Act of 1999 - Prohibits employers from discriminating with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment against any temporary employee.
Makes a temporary employee eligible to receive any benefit offered by an employer to other permanent employees after the temporary employee works for the employer for 1,000 hours during a 12-month period, regardless of whether placed by the employer, by a temporary help agency or staffing firm, or under a leasing arrangement by a third party.
Requires equal pay for temporary employees.  Prohibits employers with employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 from discriminating between employees on the basis of employment status by paying wages to temporary employees in the same establishment at a rate less than that at which the employer pays full-time employees for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions.  Exempts from such prohibition any such payments made pursuant to: (1) a seniority system; (2) a merit system; (3) a system that measures earning by quantity or quality of production; or (4) a differential based on any other factor other than employment status.
Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require employers to furnish each employee a place free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Sets forth enforcement provisions with respect to violations of this Act, including civil actions by employees and administrative and injunctive actions by the Secretary of Labor.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Charitable Pension Flexibility Act
of 2013''.

SEC. 2. ELECTION TO CEASE TO BE TREATED AS AN ELIGIBLE CHARITY PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (d) of section 104 of the Pension
Protection Act of 2006, as added by section 202 of the Preservation of
Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of
2010, is amended by--
            (1) striking ``For purposes of'' and inserting ``(1) In
        general.--For purposes of'', and
            (2) adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Election not to be an eligible charity plan.--A plan
        sponsor may elect for a plan to cease to be treated as an
        eligible charity plan for plan years beginning after December
        31, 2013. Such election shall be made at such time and in such
        form and manner as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the
        Treasury. Any such election may be revoked only with the
        consent of the Secretary of the Treasury.
            ``(3) Election to use funding options available to other
        plan sponsors.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A plan sponsor that makes the
                election described in paragraph (2) may also elect for
                a plan to apply the rules described in subparagraphs
                (B), (C), and (D) for plan years beginning after
                December 31, 2013. Such election shall be made at such
                time and in such form and manner as shall be prescribed
                by the Secretary of the Treasury. Any such election may
                be revoked only with the consent of the Secretary of
                the Treasury.
                    ``(B) Applicable shortfall amortization bases.--
                Under the rules described in this subparagraph, for the
                first plan year beginning after December 31, 2013, a
                plan has--
                            ``(i) an 11-year shortfall amortization
                        base,
                            ``(ii) a 12-year shortfall amortization
                        base, and
                            ``(iii) a 7-year shortfall amortization
                        base.
                    ``(C) Determination of installments.--Under the
                rules described in this subparagraph, section
                430(c)(2)(A) and (B) of the Internal Revenue Code of
                1986 and section 303(c)(2)(A) and (B) of the Employee
                Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 shall be
                applied--
                            ``(i) in the case of an 11-year shortfall
                        amortization base, by substituting `11-plan-
                        year period' for `7-plan-year period' wherever
                        it appears, and
                            ``(ii) in the case a 12-year shortfall
                        amortization base, by substituting `12-plan-
                        year period' for `7-plan-year period' wherever
                        it appears.
                    ``(D) Alternate required installments.--Under the
                rules described in this subparagraph, section 430(c)(7)
                of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and section
                303(c)(7) of the Employee Retirement Income Security
                Act of 1974 shall apply to a plan for which an election
                has been made under subparagraph (A). Such provisions
                shall apply in the following manner:
                            ``(i) The first plan year beginning after
                        December 31, 2013, shall be treated as an
                        election year, and no other plan years shall be
                        so treated.
                            ``(ii) All references in section 430(c)(7)
                        of such Code and in section 303(c)(7) of such
                        Act to `February 28, 2010' or `March 1, 2010'
                        shall be treated as references to `February 28,
                        2013' or `March 1, 2013', respectively.
                    ``(E) 11-year shortfall amortization base.--For
                purposes of this paragraph, the 11-year shortfall
                amortization base is an amount, determined for the
                first plan year beginning after December 31, 2013,
                equal to the unamortized principal amount of the
                shortfall amortization base (as defined in section
                430(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and
                section 303(c)(3) of the Employee Retirement Income
                Security Act of 1974) that would have applied to the
                plan for the first plan year beginning after December
                31, 2009, if--
                            ``(i) the plan had never been an eligible
                        charity plan.
                            ``(ii) the plan sponsor had made the
                        election described in section 430(c)(2)(D)(i)
                        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and in
                        section 303(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Employee
                        Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to have
                        section 430(c)(2)(D)(iii) of such Code and
                        section 303(c)(2)(D)(iii) of such Act apply
                        with respect to the shortfall amortization base
                        for the first plan year beginning after
                        December 31, 2009, and
                            ``(iii) no event had occurred under
                        paragraph (6) or (7) of section 430(c) of such
                        Code or paragraph (6) or (7) of section 303(c)
                        of such Act that, as of the first day of the
                        first plan year beginning after December 31,
                        2013, would have modified the shortfall
                        amortization base or the shortfall amortization
                        installments with respect to the first plan
                        year beginning after December 31, 2009.
                    ``(F) 12-year shortfall amortization base.--For
                purposes of this paragraph, the 12-year shortfall
                amortization base is an amount, determined for the
                first plan year beginning after December 31, 2013,
                equal to the unamortized principal amount of the
                shortfall amortization base (as defined in section
                430(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and
                section 303(c)(3) of the Employee Retirement Income
                Security Act of 1974) that would have applied to the
                plan for the first plan beginning after December 31,
                2010, if--
                            ``(i) the plan had never been an eligible
                        charity plan,
                            ``(ii) the plan sponsor had made the
                        election described in section 430(c)(2)(D)(i)
                        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and in
                        section 303(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Employee
                        Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to have
                        section 430(c)(2)(D)(iii) of such Code and
                        section 303(c)(2)(D)(iii) of such Act apply
                        with respect to the shortfall amortization base
                        for the first plan year beginning after
                        December 31, 2010, and
                            ``(iii) no event had occurred under
                        paragraph (6) or (7) of section 430(c) of such
                        Code or paragraph (6) or (7) of section 303(c)
                        of such Act that, as of the first day of the
                        first plan year beginning after December 31,
                        2013, would have modified the shortfall
                        amortization base or the shortfall amortization
                        installments with respect to the first plan
                        year beginning after December 31, 2010.
                    ``(G) 7-year shortfall amortization base.--For
                purposes of this paragraph, the 7-year shortfall
                amortization base is an amount, determined for the
                first plan year beginning after December 31, 2013,
                equal to--
                            ``(i) the shortfall amortization base for
                        the first plan year beginning after December
                        31, 2013, without regard to this paragraph,
                        minus
                            ``(ii) the sum of the 11-year shortfall
                        amortization base and the 12-year shortfall
                        amortization base.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

Output: Charitable Pension Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Pension Protection Act of 2006, as amended by the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010, to allow the sponsor of a multiple-employer defined benefit pension plan to elect for a plan to cease to be treated as an eligible charity plan for plan years beginning after December 31, 2013. Permits revocation of such an election, however, only with the consent of the Secretary of the Treasury.  Allows a plan sponsor also to elect to apply specified requirements with respect to the shortfall amortization base in minimum funding standards for such plans.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Health Care for Veterans of Project
112/Project SHAD Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE TO VETERANS WHO PARTICIPATED IN
              CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL
              WARFARE TESTING.

    Section 1710(e) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following
        new subparagraph:
    ``(E) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), a veteran who participated
in a test conducted by the Department of Defense Deseret Test Center as
part of a program for chemical and biological warfare testing from 1962
through 1973 (including the program designated as `Project Shipboard
Hazard and Defense (SHAD)' and related land-based tests) is eligible
for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care under
subsection (a)(2)(F) for any illness, notwithstanding that there is
insufficient medical evidence to conclude that such illness is
attributable to such testing.''.
            (2) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking out ``paragraph (1)(C)
        or (1)(D)'' and inserting ``subparagraph (C), (D), or (E) of
        paragraph (1)''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph
                (B);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of
                subparagraph (C) and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new
                subparagraph:
            ``(D) in the case of care for a veteran described in
        paragraph (1)(E), after December 31, 2005.''.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT OF HEALTH CARE
              PROFESSIONALS.

    (a) Promotion Standards for Health Care Personnel.--Subsection (c)
of 7403 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking
``Promotions'' and inserting ``Consistent with subsection (a) of
section 7422 of this title, and notwithstanding subsection (b) of that
section, promotions''.
    (b) Promotions for Nurses Who Do Not Have Baccalaureate Degrees.--
Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
    ``(h) In a case in which a registered nurse has accomplished the
performance elements required for promotion to the next grade, the lack
of a baccalaureate degree in nursing shall not be a bar to promotion to
that grade, and in such a case the registered nurse shall not be denied
a promotion on that basis.''.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL PAY FOR SATURDAY TOURS OF DUTY FOR ADDITIONAL HEALTH
              CARE WORKERS IN THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 7454(b) of title 38, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3) Employees appointed under section 7408 of this title shall be
entitled to additional pay on the same basis as provided for nurses in
section 7453(c) of this title.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to pay periods beginning on or after the date of the
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. COVERAGE OF EMPLOYEES OF VETERANS' CANTEEN SERVICE UNDER
              ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAWS.

    (a) Coverage.--Paragraph (5) of section 7802 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by inserting before the semicolon a period and
the following: ``An employee appointed under this section may be
considered for appointment to a Department position in the competitive
service in the same manner that a Department employee in the
competitive service is considered for transfer to such position. An
employee of the Service who is appointed to a Department position in
the competitive service under the authority of the preceding sentence
may count toward the time-in-service requirement for a career
appointment in such position any previous period of employment in the
Service''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--Such section is further amended--
            (1) by striking the semicolon at the end of each of
        paragraphs (1) through (10) and inserting a period;
            (2) by striking ``The Secretary '' and all that follows
        through ``(1) establish,'' and inserting ``(a) Locations for
        Canteens.--The Secretary shall establish,'';
            (3) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (11) as
        subsections (b) through (k), respectively, and by realigning
        those subsections (as so redesignated) so as to be flush to the
        left margin;
            (4) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Warehouses and Storage Depots.--The Secretary shall'' before
        ``establish'';
            (5) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Space, Buildings, and Structures.--The Secretary shall''
        before ``furnish'';
            (6) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Equipment, Services, and Utilities.--The Secretary shall''
        before ``transfer'';
            (7) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated and as amended by
        subsection (a)), by inserting ``Personnel.--The Secretary
        shall'' before ``employ'';
            (8) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Contracts and Agreements.--The Secretary shall'' before
        ``make all'';
            (9) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Prices.--The Secretary shall'' before ``fix the'';
            (10) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Gifts and Donations.--The Secretary may'' before ``accept'';
            (11) in subsection (i) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Rules and Regulations.--The Secretary shall'' before ``make
        such'';
            (12) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Delegation.--The Secretary may'' before ``delegate such'';
        and
            (13) in subsection (k) (as so redesignated), by inserting
        ``Authority To Cash Checks, Etc.--The Secretary may'' before
        ``authorize''.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 10, 2003.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.

Output:
Health Care for Veterans of Project 112/Project SHAD Act of 2003 - Makes a veteran who participated in a test conducted by the Department of Defense Deseret Test Center as part of a program for chemical and biological warfare testing from 1962 through 1973 (including the program designated as Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD) and related land-based tests) eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for any illness, notwithstanding that there is insufficient medical evidence to conclude that such illness is attributable to such testing. Terminates such eligibility after December 31, 2005.

(Sec. 3) Prohibits the lack of a baccalaureate degree in nursing from being a bar to, or resulting in the denial of, a promotion to the next higher grade for a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) registered nurse who has accomplished required performance elements.

(Sec. 4) Authorizes additional pay for Saturday VHA nursing duty.

(Sec. 5) Allows: (1) employees of the Veterans' Canteen Service (Service) to be considered for appointment to a Department position in the competitive service in the same manner that Department employees in the competitive service are considered for transfer to Service positions; and (2) former Service employees to count their previous period of employment toward the time-in-service requirement of a Department position in the competitive service.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. EARLIER EFFECTIVE DATE FOR CREDIT CARD PROVISIONS OF THE CREDIT
              CARD ACT OF 2009.

    Section 3 of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and
Disclosure Act of 2009 (15 U.S.C. 1602 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``This Act'' and inserting ``(a) In
        General.--This Act''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
    ``(b) Certain Credit Card Provisions.--Except as otherwise
specifically provided in this Act, titles I, II, and III, and the
amendments made by such titles, shall take effect on the date of the
enactment of the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009.
    ``(c) Certain Credit Card Issuers.--Except as otherwise
specifically provided in this Act and notwithstanding subsection (b),
the effective date established under subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to the application of titles I, II, and III, and the amendments
made by such titles, to any credit card issuer which is a depository
institution (as defined in section 19(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Reserve
Act) with fewer than 2,000,000 credit cards in circulation as of the
date of the enactment of this Act.''.

SEC. 3. EARLIER EFFECTIVE DATES FOR SPECIFIC PROVISIONS TO PREVENT
              FURTHER ABUSES.

    (a) Review of Past Consumer Interest Rate Increases.--Section
148(d) of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1665c(d)) (as added by
section 101(c) of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and
Disclosure Act of 2009) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``9 months after the date of enactment of
        this section'' and inserting ``the date of the enactment of the
        Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, except that
        for a depository institution, as defined in section 19(b)(1)(A)
        of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)(A)), with fewer
        than 2 million credit cards in circulation on the date of the
        enactment of the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of
        2009, the effective date shall be February 22, 2010,''; and
            (2) by striking ``become effective 15 months after that
        date of enactment'' and inserting ``take effect on the date of
        the enactment of the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of
        2009, except that for a depository institution, as defined in
        section 19(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C.
        461(b)(1)(A)), with fewer than 2 million credit cards in
        circulation on the date of the enactment of the Expedited CARD
        Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, the effective date shall be
        August 22, 2010''.
    (b) Requirement That Penalty Fees Be Reasonable and Proportional to
the Violation.--Section 149(b) of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C.
1665d(b)) (as added by section 102(b) of the Credit Card Accountability
Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``9 months after the date of enactment of
        this section,'' and inserting ``the date of the enactment of
        the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, except
        that for a depository institution, as defined in section
        19(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C.
        461(b)(1)(A)), with fewer than 2 million credit cards in
        circulation on the date of the enactment of the Expedited CARD
        Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, the effective date shall be
        February 22, 2010,''; and
            (2) by striking ``become effective 15 months after the date
        of enactment of the section'' and inserting ``take effect on
        the date of the enactment of the Expedited CARD Reform for
        Consumers Act of 2009, except that for a depository
        institution, as defined in section 19(b)(1)(A) of the Federal
        Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)(A)), with fewer than 2 million
        credit cards in circulation on the date of the enactment of the
        Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, the effective
        date shall be August 22, 2010''.

SEC. 4. CLARIFICATION THAT 45-DAY DELAY DOES NOT APPLY TO REDUCTIONS IN
              INTEREST RATES AND FEES.

    Subsection (i) of section 127 of the Truth in Lending Act (15
U.S.C. 1637) (as added by section 101(a)(1) of the Credit CARD Act of
2009) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(5) Clarification.--No provision of this subsection shall
        be construed as preventing any creditor from putting any
        reduction in an annual percentage rate, any decrease or
        elimination of any fee imposed on any consumer, or any
        significant change in terms solely or primarily for the benefit
        of the consumer into effect immediately.''.

SEC. 5. MORATORIUM ON INCREASES IN RATES AND FEES AND CHANGES IN TERMS
              TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE CONSUMER.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act or any amendment
made by this Act, subsection (b) of section 164 of the Truth in Lending
Act (as added by section 104(4) of the Credit Card Accountability
Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-24)) shall
not take effect until February 22, 2010, for any creditor with respect
to an existing credit card account under an open end credit plan, or
such a plan issued on or after the date of enactment, as long as the
creditor does not--
            (1) increase any annual percentage rate, fee, or finance
        charge applicable to any existing or future balance, except as
        permitted under subsection 171(b) of the Truth in Lending Act
        (as added by Public Law 111-24); or
            (2) change the terms to the detriment of a consumer,
        including terms governing the repayment of any outstanding
        balance, except as provided in section 171(c) of the Truth in
        Lending Act (as added by Public Law 111-24).

SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ESTABLISHED.

    Section 127 of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1637) is amended
by inserting after subsection (r) (as added by the Credit CARD Act of
2009) the following new subsection:
    ``(s) Cancellation of Account Without Detrimental Effect.--If, in
the case of a credit card account under an open end consumer credit
plan, the consumer receives notice of the imposition of a new fee, and
within the 45-day period beginning on receipt of such notice, pays off
any outstanding balance on the account, no creditor and no consumer
reporting agency (as defined in section 603) may use such pay off or
closure of the consumer credit account to negatively impact the
consumer's credit score or consumer report (as such terms are defined
in sections 609 and 603, respectively).''.

SEC. 7. MORATORIUM ON RATE INCREASES.

    (a) In General.--During the period beginning on the date of the
enactment of this Act and ending 9 months after the date of the
enactment of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and
Disclosure Act of 2009, in the case of any credit card account under an
open end consumer credit plan--
            (1) no creditor may increase any annual percentage rate,
        fee, or finance charge applicable to any outstanding balance,
        except as permitted under subsection 171(b) of the Truth in
        Lending Act (as added by Public Law 111-24); and
            (2) no creditor may change the terms governing the
        repayment of any outstanding balance, except as set forth in
        section 171(c) of the Truth in Lending Act (as added by Public
        Law 111-24).
    (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the following
definitions shall apply:
            (1) Annual percentage rate.--The term ``annual percentage
        rate'' means an annual percentage rate, as determined under
        section 107 of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1606).
            (2) Finance charge.--The term ``finance charge'' means a
        finance charge, as determined under section 106 of the Truth in
        Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1605).
            (3) Outstanding balance.--The term ``outstanding balance''
        has the same meaning as in section 171(d) of the Truth in
        Lending Act (as added by Public Law 111-24).
            (4) Other terms.--Any term used in this section that is
        defined in section 103 of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C.
        1602) and is not otherwise defined in this section shall have
        the same meanings as in section 103 of the Truth in Lending
        Act.
    (c) Regulatory Authority.--
            (1) In general.--The Board of Governors of the Federal
        Reserve System may prescribe such regulations as may be
        necessary to carry out this section.
            (2) Effective date.--The provisions of this section shall
        take effect upon the date of the enactment of this title,
        regardless of whether rules are issued under subsection (a).

            Passed the House of Representatives November 4, 2009.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.

Output:
Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (Credit CARD Act of 2009) to: (1) make Title I: Consumer Protection, Title II: Enhanced Consumer Disclosures, and Title III: Protection of Young Consumers effective as of the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) make February 22, 2010, the effective date of such titles for a depository institution with fewer than two million credit cards in circulation on the date of the enactment of the Credit CARD Act of 2009.

(Sec. 3) Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to make conforming amendments with respect to review of past consumer interest rate increases.

Amends TILA to move to the date of enactment of this Act: (1) the deadline by which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) must issue final implementing rules for required creditor reviews of changes in factors considered in past consumer annual percentage interest rate (APR) increases when determining whether to reduce the APR; and (2) the effective date of the creditor review requirement. But makes February 22, 2010, the rules deadline, and August 22, 2010, the effective date of the creditor review requirement governing a depository institution that has fewer than two million credit cards in circulation on the date of the enactment of this Act.

 Declares the date of enactment of this Act: (1) the effective date of the requirement that any penalty fee or charge that a credit card issuer may impose, including a late payment fee, over-the-limit fee, or any other penalty fee or charge, be reasonable and proportional to the omission or violation to which it relates; and (2) the deadline for the Board to issue final implementing rules establishing standards for assessing whether any such penalty fee or charge is reasonable and proportional. But makes February 22, 2010, the rules deadline, and August 22, 2010, the effective date of the reasonable and proportional requirement itself, with respect to a depository institution with fewer than two million credit cards in circulation on the date of the enactment of this Act.

(Sec. 4) States that TILA does not prevent a creditor from putting into effect immediately: (1) any reduction in APR; (2) elimination or reduction of any fee imposed on a consumer; or (3) any significant change in terms for the benefit of the consumer.

(Sec. 5) Defers until February 22, 2010, the effective date of the new requirement under the Act that a credit card issuer must apply amounts in excess of the minimum payment amount first to the card balance bearing the highest rate of interest. Conditions this moratorium, however, on the creditor's refraining from: (1) increasing any APR, or fees or finance charges applicable to any existing or future balance (other than as provided in TILA); or (2) changing the account terms to the detriment of a consumer, including repayment of any outstanding balance (other than as provided in TILA).

(Sec. 6) Amends TILA to prohibit either a creditor or a consumer reporting agency from using the pay off or closure of a consumer credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan to negatively impact the consumer's credit score or consumer report when the consumer pays off an outstanding account balance within 45 days after receiving notice of the imposition of a new fee.

(Sec. 7) Imposes a limited moratorium on APR, fee, and finance charge increases, beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. Prohibits a creditor, during the moratorium period, from: (1) increasing any APR, fee, or finance charge applicable to any outstanding balance of a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan; or (2) changing the repayment terms of an outstanding balance (except as permitted under TILA). Ends such moratorium nine months (February 22, 2010) after the date of enactment of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (May 22, 2009).