Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Evidence-Based Home Visitation Act
of 2009''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR QUALITY HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS FOR LOW-INCOME
              PREGNANT WOMEN AND LOW-INCOME FAMILIES WITH YOUNG
              CHILDREN.

    Title V of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 511. SEPARATE PROGRAM OF HOME VISITATION FOR LOW-INCOME PREGNANT
              WOMEN AND LOW-INCOME FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to improve the well-
being and development of children by enabling the establishment and
expansion of quality programs providing voluntary home visitation
services to low-income pregnant women and low-income families with
young children.
    ``(b) Activities.--The Secretary shall take all necessary steps to
accomplish the purposes of this section, including the following:
            ``(1) Competitive planning grants.--The Secretary shall
        award planning and start-up grants to local agencies to help
        them qualify for operating grants described in paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Competitive operating grants.--The Secretary shall
        award operating grants to local agencies to provide home
        visitation services to low-income pregnant women or low-income
        families with young children, consistent with the following:
                    ``(A) Eligibility.--To receive an operating grant,
                a local agency must meet all requirements established
                by the Secretary, including the following:
                            ``(i) Implementation of an approved
                        model.--The local agency shall provide services
                        consistent with a model of home visitation that
                        the Secretary has approved as having
                        demonstrated significant positive effects on
                        important program-determined child and parent
                        outcomes, such as reducing abuse and neglect,
                        improving prenatal health, improving child
                        health and development, improving school
                        readiness, reducing juvenile delinquency, and
                        improving family economic self-sufficiency.
                            ``(ii) Accreditation.--If the local agency
                        proposes to implement an approved model of home
                        visitation, the local agency must abide by the
                        requirements, if any, of the national or
                        regional home visitation program model
                        identified by the Secretary, to ensure the
                        agency is capable of providing services
                        consistent with the model.
                            ``(iii) State or local match.--The
                        Secretary shall have the authority to establish
                        State or local matching requirements as a
                        condition for receiving a grant under this
                        section, which may include in-kind
                        contributions and payments made to the State
                        under section 1903(a) for providing home
                        visitation services (as defined in section
                        1943(b)(2)) under the State plan under title
                        XIX, and may include a waiver based on economic
                        hardship.
                    ``(B) Allocation.--
                            ``(i) Priority funding for programs with
                        strongest evidence.--In awarding operating
                        grants during a fiscal year, the Secretary
                        shall allot the largest feasible percentage of
                        grant funding to local agencies that implement
                        home visitation models that are supported by
                        the strongest evidence of effectiveness.
                            ``(ii) Distribution.--In awarding operating
                        grants, the Secretary shall take into account
                        the distribution of low-income families with
                        young children by geography.
            ``(3) Model approach.--The Secretary, acting through the
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
        shall determine whether to approve a model of home visitation
        services as qualifying in either or both of the following
        categories:
                    ``(A) Meeting the requirements for Secretarial
                approval described in paragraph (2)(A)(i).
                    ``(B) Being supported by the strongest evidence of
                effectiveness.
            ``(4) Research.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall fund an
                ongoing program of research to accomplish the following
                goals:
                            ``(i) Establishing the strongest evidence
                        of effectiveness for a home visitation model
                        that has not yet been found to have such
                        evidence.
                            ``(ii) In the case of an approved home
                        visitation model, furthering improvements of
                        such model, facilitating effective and
                        efficient replication of the model, and
                        facilitating adaptations of the model.
                    ``(B) Requirement.--Evaluations funded under
                clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) shall be
                specific to each approved model of home visitation and
                shall include evaluations of program outcomes for each
                home visitation program model separately.
            ``(5) Administration.--The Secretary shall perform, either
        directly or through a private contractor, the following
        administrative functions described in subparagraph (A):
                    ``(A) Administrative functions.--The administrative
                functions described in this subparagraph shall
                include--
                            ``(i) helping a local agency that receives
                        a planning grant qualify for an operating
                        grant;
                            ``(ii) providing training and technical
                        assistance to local agencies that receive
                        planning or operating grants; and
                            ``(iii) conducting quality assurance and
                        quality improvement activities with respect to
                        local agencies that receive planning or
                        operating grants.
                    ``(B) Contracting requirements.--In electing
                whether to employ a contractor and in selecting a
                contractor--
                            ``(i) the Secretary shall make such
                        election and selection separately with respect
                        to each approved model of home visitation; and
                            ``(ii) the Secretary shall contract with a
                        private organization to perform the function
                        if, for a fixed amount of administrative
                        dollars, greater fidelity to the approved model
                        of home visitation is likely to result than if
                        the responsibilities are carried out by the
                        Secretary directly.
    ``(c) Other Provisions.--
            ``(1) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate such
        regulations or guidance as the Secretary determines necessary
        for the effective implementation of this section not later than
        1 year following the date of enactment of this Act.
            ``(2) National advisory board.--The Secretary shall
        establish and meet periodically with a national advisory board
        to seek advice about major policy issues involved in
        implementing this section.
            ``(3) Treatment of assistance.--No funding or services
        provided to low-income families under this section shall be
        considered--
                    ``(A) taxable income to the families who receive
                services; or
                    ``(B) income or resources countable in determining
                eligibility for, or the amount of, any public benefit
                provided under Federal law or the law of any State or
                political subdivision thereof.
            ``(4) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall conduct, by grant,
        contract, or interagency agreement, a comprehensive,
        independent evaluation of the services provided with grants
        awarded under this section, including the cost and
        effectiveness of such services. The independent evaluation
        conducted under this section shall be specific to each approved
        program model of home visitation and shall include program
        outcomes for each home visitation model separately. By not
        later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this section,
        the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on such
        evaluation.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Local agency.--The term `local agency' may include a
        unit of State, local, county, or city government, an Indian
        tribe or tribal organization, or a non-governmental
        organization.
            ``(2) Low-income.--The term `low-income' means individuals
        whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the poverty
        line for a family of the size involved. Low-income shall also
        include children and families whose income did not exceed 200
        percent of the Federal poverty level for a family of the size
        involved when they began receiving a course of home visitation
        services but whose income exceeded the allowable amount during
        the course of receiving home visitation services.
            ``(3) Poverty line.--The term `poverty line' has the
        meaning given such term in section 673(2) of the Community
        Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), including any
        revision required by such section.
            ``(4) Strongest evidence of effectiveness.--The term
        `strongest evidence of effectiveness' means, with respect to a
        model of home visitation, that rigorous, scientific evaluations
        demonstrate sizable, sustained effects on important outcomes in
        at least 3 of the following 5 areas:
                    ``(A) Prenatal, maternal, and newborn health.
                    ``(B) Child health and development (including
                prevention of injuries and maltreatment).
                    ``(C) School readiness and academic achievement.
                    ``(D) Juvenile delinquency.
                    ``(E) Family economic self-sufficiency.
            ``(5) Indian tribe; tribal organization.--The terms `Indian
        tribe' and `tribal organization' have the meanings given such
        terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
    ``(e) Appropriations.--Out of any money in the Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to the Secretary to carry
out this section--
            ``(1) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            ``(2) $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
            ``(3) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
            ``(4) $550,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and
            ``(5) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.''.

SEC. 3. MEDICAID OPTION FOR SIMPLIFIED BILLING BY APPROVED HOME
              VISITATION AGENCIES.

    (a) State Plan Amendment.--Section 1902(a) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (72), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (73), by striking the period at the end
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (73) the following:
            ``(74) at the option of the State, provide for simplified
        billing by approved home visitation agencies under section
        1943.''.
    (b) Simplified Billing by Approved Home Visitation Agencies.--Title
XIX of such Act is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``Sec. 1943. Simplified Billing by Approved Home Visitation
Agencies.--
    ``(a) In General.--A State electing the option described in this
Section may permit an approved home visitation agency to use a
simplified method to submit claims for payment for home visitation
services, but only to the extent that such services are covered under
the State plan.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Approved home visitation agency.--The term `approved
        home visitation agency' means a local agency with an operating
        grant under section 511(b)(2).
            ``(2) Home visitation services.--The term `home visitation
        services' means services provided consistently with the
        approved model of home visitation services that is being
        implemented by the local agency described in paragraph (1) and
        that are covered under the State plan.
            ``(3) Simplified method to submit claims for payment.--The
        term `simplified method to submit claims for payment' means a
        billing method through which an approved home visitation agency
        submits claims based on the weighted average cost per visit of
        providing, through the approved model of home visitation
        services being implemented by such agency, home visitation
        services.
    ``(c) No Expansion of Covered Services.--Nothing in this section
shall be construed to authorize the provision of, or payment for, home
visitation or other services under this title that are not covered
under the State plan.''.

Output:
Evidence-Based Home Visitation Act of 2009 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive planning and operating grants to local agencies to provide home visitation services to low-income pregnant women and low-income families with young children.

Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to give states the option of providing for simplified billing by approved home visitation agencies.


Input:
SECTION 1. EPILEPSY CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 7330A. Epilepsy centers of excellence
    ``(a) Establishment of Centers.--(1) Not later than 120 days after
the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall, upon
the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health, designate not
less than six Department health-care facilities as the locations for
epilepsy centers of excellence.
    ``(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such
purpose, the Secretary shall establish and operate epilepsy centers of
excellence at the locations designated pursuant to paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Designation of Facilities.--(1) The Secretary may not
designate a Department health-care facility as a location for an
epilepsy center of excellence under subsection (a)(1) unless the peer
review panel established under subsection (c) has determined under that
subsection that the proposal submitted by such facility seeking
designation as a location for an epilepsy center of excellence is among
those proposals that meet the highest competitive standards of
scientific and clinical merit.
    ``(2) In choosing from among the facilities meeting the
requirements of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall also consider
appropriate geographic distribution when designating the epilepsy
centers of excellence under subsection (a)(1).
    ``(c) Peer Review Panel.--(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall
establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical
merit of proposals that are submitted to the Secretary for the
designation of epilepsy centers of excellence under this section.
    ``(2)(A) The membership of the peer review panel shall consist of
experts on epilepsy, including post-traumatic epilepsy.
    ``(B) Members of the peer review panel shall serve for a period of
no longer than two years, except as specified in subparagraph (C).
    ``(C) Of the members first appointed to the panel, one half shall
be appointed for a period of three years and one half shall be
appointed for a period of two years, as designated by the Under
Secretary at the time of appointment.
    ``(3) The peer review panel shall review each proposal submitted to
the panel by the Under Secretary for Health and shall submit its views
on the relative scientific and clinical merit of each such proposal to
the Under Secretary.
    ``(4) The peer review panel shall not be subject to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act.
    ``(d) Epilepsy Center of Excellence Defined.--In this section, the
term `epilepsy center of excellence' means a Department health-care
facility that has (or in the foreseeable future can develop) the
necessary capacity to function as a center of excellence in research,
education, and clinical care activities in the diagnosis and treatment
of epilepsy and has (or may reasonably be anticipated to develop) each
of the following:
            ``(1) An affiliation with an accredited medical school that
        provides education and training in neurology, including an
        arrangement with such school under which medical residents
        receive education and training in the diagnosis and treatment
        of epilepsy (including neurosurgery).
            ``(2) The ability to attract the participation of
        scientists who are capable of ingenuity and creativity in
        health-care research efforts.
            ``(3) An advisory committee composed of veterans and
        appropriate health-care and research representatives of the
        facility and of the affiliated school or schools to advise the
        directors of such facility and such center on policy matters
        pertaining to the activities of the center during the period of
        the operation of such center.
            ``(4) The capability to conduct effectively evaluations of
        the activities of such center.
            ``(5) The capability to coordinate (as part of an
        integrated national system) education, clinical care, and
        research activities within all facilities with such centers.
            ``(6) The capability to develop jointly a national
        consortium of providers with interest in treating epilepsy at
        Department health-care facilities lacking such centers in order
        to ensure better access to state-of-the-art diagnosis,
        research, clinical care, and education for traumatic brain
        injury and epilepsy throughout the health-care system of the
        Department. Such consortium should include a designated
        epilepsy referral clinic in each Veterans Integrated Service
        Network.
            ``(7) The capability to assist in the expansion of the
        Department's use of information systems and databases to
        improve the quality and delivery of care for veterans enrolled
        within the Department's health care system.
            ``(8) The capability to assist in the expansion of the
        Department telehealth program to develop, transmit, monitor,
        and review neurological diagnostic tests.
            ``(9) The ability to perform epilepsy research, education,
        and clinical care activities in collaboration with Department
        medical facilities that have centers for research, education,
        and clinical care activities on complex multi-trauma associated
        with combat injuries established under section 7327 of this
        title.
    ``(e) National Coordinator for Epilepsy Programs.--(1) To assist
the Secretary and the Under Secretary for Health in carrying out this
section, the Secretary shall designate an individual in the Veterans
Health Administration to act as a national coordinator for epilepsy
programs of the Veterans Health Administration.
    ``(2) The duties of the national coordinator for epilepsy programs
shall include the following:
            ``(A) To supervise the operation of the centers established
        pursuant to this section.
            ``(B) To coordinate and support the national consortium of
        providers with interest in treating epilepsy at Department
        health-care facilities lacking such centers in order to ensure
        better access to state-of-the-art diagnosis, research, clinical
        care, and education for traumatic brain injury and epilepsy
        throughout the health-care system of the Department.
            ``(C) To conduct regular evaluations of the epilepsy
        centers of excellence to ensure compliance  with the
        requirements of this section.
    ``(3) In carrying out duties under this subsection, the national
coordinator for epilepsy programs shall report to the official of the
Veterans Health Administration responsible for neurology.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There are authorized to
be appropriated $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012
for the support of the clinical care, research, and education
activities of the epilepsy centers of excellence established and
operated pursuant to subsection (a)(2).
    ``(2) There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year
after fiscal year 2012 such sums as may be necessary for the support of
the clinical care, research, and education activities of the epilepsy
centers of excellence established and operated pursuant to subsection
(a)(2).
    ``(3) The Secretary shall ensure that funds for such centers are
designated for the first three years of operation as a special purpose
program for which funds are not allocated through the Veterans
Equitable Resource Allocation system.
    ``(4) In addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated under
paragraphs (1) and (2) for a fiscal year, the Under Secretary for
Health shall allocate to such centers from other funds appropriated
generally for the Department medical services account and medical and
prosthetics research account, as appropriate, such amounts as the Under
Secretary for Health determines appropriate.
    ``(5) In addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated under
paragraphs (1) and (2) for a fiscal year, there are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to fund the national
coordinator established by subsection (e).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 73 of such title is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 7330 the following new item:

``7330A. Epilepsy centers of excellence.''.

Output:
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate, establish, and operate at least six Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care facilities as locations for epilepsy centers of excellence. Requires the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals for the designation of such centers. Prohibits the Secretary from designating a VA facility as a center of excellence unless the peer review panel has determined that the proposal submitted by such facility is among those that meet the highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical merit.

Requires the Secretary to designate a VHA national coordinator for epilepsy programs to: (1) supervise the operation of the centers; (2) coordinate and support throughout the VA health-care system better access to diagnosis, research, care, and education for epilepsy and traumatic brain injury; and (3) conduct regular evaluations of the centers.

Authorizes appropriations.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Access to Mainstream
Financial Institutions Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
            (1) Alaska native corporation.--The term ``Alaska Native
        Corporation'' has the same meaning as the term ``Native
        Corporation'' under section 3(m) of the Alaska Native Claims
        Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(m)).
            (2) Community development financial institution.--The term
        ``community development financial institution'' has the same
        meaning as in section 103(5) of the Community Development
        Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C.
        4702(5)).
            (3) Federally insured depository institution.--The term
        ``federally insured depository institution'' means any insured
        depository institution (as that term is defined in section 3 of
        the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813)) and any
        insured credit union (as that term is defined in section 101 of
        the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1752)).
            (4) Labor organization.--The term ``labor organization''
        means an organization--
                    (A) in which employees participate;
                    (B) 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; and
                    (C) which is described in section 501(c)(5) of the
                Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
            (5) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native
        Hawaiian organization'' means any organization that--
                    (A) serves and represents the interests of Native
                Hawaiians; and
                    (B) has as a primary and stated purpose, the
                provision of services to Native Hawaiians.
            (6) Payday loan.--The term ``payday loan'' means any
        transaction in which a small cash advance is made to a consumer
        in exchange for--
                    (A) the personal check or share draft of the
                consumer, in the amount of the advance plus a fee,
                where presentment or negotiation of such check or share
                draft is deferred by agreement of the parties until a
                designated future date; or
                    (B) the authorization of the consumer to debit the
                transaction account or share draft account of the
                consumer, in the amount of the advance plus a fee,
                where such account will be debited on or after a
                designated future date.
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of the Treasury.
            (8) Tribal organization.--The term ``tribal organization''
        has the same meaning as in section 4 of the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).

SEC. 3. EXPANDED ACCESS TO MAINSTREAM FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary is authorized to award
grants, including multi-year grants, to eligible entities to establish
an account in a federally insured depository institution for low- and
moderate-income individuals that currently do not have such an account.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--An entity is eligible to receive a grant
under this section, if such an entity is--
            (1) an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and is exempt from taxation
        under section 501(a) of such Code;
            (2) a federally insured depository institution;
            (3) an agency of a State or local government;
            (4) a community development financial institution;
            (5) an Indian tribal organization;
            (6) an Alaska Native Corporation;
            (7) a Native Hawaiian organization;
            (8) a labor organization; or
            (9) a partnership comprised of 1 or more of the entities
        described in the preceding subparagraphs.
    (c) Evaluation and Reports to Congress.--For each fiscal year in
which a grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary shall submit
a report to Congress containing a description of the activities funded,
amounts distributed, and measurable results, as appropriate and
available.

SEC. 4. LOW COST ALTERNATIVES TO PAYDAY LOANS.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary is authorized to award
demonstration project grants (including multi-year grants) to eligible
entities to provide low-cost, small loans to consumers that will
provide alternatives to more costly, predatory payday loans.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--An entity is eligible to receive a grant
under this section if such an entity is--
            (1) an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section
        501(a) of such Code;
            (2) a federally insured depository institution;
            (3) a community development financial institution; or
            (4) a partnership comprised of 1 or more of the entities
        described in paragraphs (1) through (3).
    (c) Terms and Conditions.--
            (1) Percentage rate.--For purposes of this section, an
        eligible entity that is a federally insured depository
        institution shall be subject to the annual percentage rate
        promulgated by the National Credit Union Administration's Loan
        Interest Rates under part 701 of title 12, Code of Federal
        Regulations (or any successor thereto), in connection with a
        loan provided to a consumer pursuant to this section.
            (2) Financial literacy and education opportunities.--Each
        eligible entity awarded a grant under this section shall offer
        financial literacy and education opportunities, such as
        relevant counseling services or educational courses, to each
        consumer provided with a loan pursuant to this section.
    (d) Evaluation and Reports to Congress.--For each fiscal year in
which a grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary shall submit
a report to Congress containing a description of the activities funded,
amounts distributed, and measurable results, as appropriate and
available.

SEC. 5. PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS.

    (a) Applications.--A person desiring a grant under section 3 or 4
shall submit an application to the Secretary, in such form and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (b) Limitation on Administrative Costs.--A recipient of a grant
under section 3 or 4 may use not more than 6 percent of the total
amount of such grant in any fiscal year for the administrative costs of
carrying out the programs funded by such grant in such fiscal year.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary, such sums
as are necessary to carry out the grant programs authorized by this
Act, to remain available until expended.

SEC. 7. REGULATIONS.

    The Secretary is authorized to promulgate regulations to implement
and administer the grant programs authorized by this Act.

Output:
Improving Access to Mainstream Financial Institutions Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to award grants, including multi-year grants, to specified eligible entities to establish an account in a federally insured depository institution for low- and moderate-income individuals who currently do not have such an account. Includes among such eligible entities: (1) Alaska Native Corporations; (2) Native Hawaiian organizations; and (3) labor organizations.

Authorizes the Secretary to award demonstration project grants to eligible entities to provide low-cost, small loans to consumers that will provide alternatives to more costly, predatory payday loans. Requires such entities to be: (1) tax-exempt charitable organizations; (2) federally insured depository institutions; (3) community development financial institutions; or (4) partnerships comprised of one or more of such entities. Requires grant recipients to offer financial literacy and education opportunities to each consumer provided with a loan pursuant to this Act.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Renewable Energy Promotion
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Adaptive Management
        and Environmental Fund established by section 3(c).
            (2) Marine renewable energy.--The term ``marine renewable
        energy'' means energy from--
                    (A) waves, tides, and currents in oceans,
                estuaries, and tidal areas;
                    (B) free flowing water in rivers, lakes, man made
                channels, and streams; and
                    (C) differentials in ocean temperature or ocean
                thermal energy conversion.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of Energy.

SEC. 3. MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Research and Development Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a marine
        renewable energy research and development program that is
        focused on--
                    (A) developing new marine renewable energy
                technologies;
                    (B) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs
                of marine renewable energy technologies;
                    (C) increasing the reliability and survivability of
                marine renewable energy facilities;
                    (D) integrating marine renewable energy into the
                national electric grid;
                    (E) identifying opportunities for cross-pollination
                and development of economies of scale between offshore
                wind and marine renewable energy sources;
                    (F) identifying the environmental impacts of marine
                renewable energy and ways to address any negative
                impacts; and
                    (G)(i) applying advanced systems engineering and
                system integration methods to identify critical
                interfaces and develop open standards for marine
                renewable energy;
                    (ii) transferring the resulting intellectual
                property to industry stakeholders as public information
                through published interface definitions, standards, and
                demonstration projects; and
                    (iii) developing incentives for industry to comply
                with the standards.
            (2) Administration.--The program established under
        paragraph (1) shall be separate from any wind and hydropower
        program carried out by the Secretary.
    (b) Marine-Based Energy Device Verification Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a marine-
        based energy device verification program to provide a bridge
        from the wave, tidal, current, or thermal energy capture device
        design and development efforts underway across the industry to
        commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are to fund,
        facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate
        marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the
        Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable
        Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
        Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National
        Laboratories, and in conjunction with universities and other
        institutions of higher education, private business entities,
        and other appropriate organizations, in order--
                    (A) to increase marine renewable energy experience;
                and
                    (B) to build and operate enough candidate devices
                to obtain statistically significant operating and
                maintenance data.
            (3) Objectives.--The objectives of the program include--
                    (A) verifying the performance, reliability,
                maintainability, and cost of new marine renewable
                energy device designs and system components in an
                operating environment;
                    (B) providing States, regulators, utilities, and
                other stakeholders with a valid opportunity to test and
                evaluate marine renewable energy technology in new
                areas;
                    (C) documenting and communicating the experience
                from those projects for the benefit of utilities,
                independent power producers, other nonutility
                generators, device suppliers, and others in the marine
                renewable energy development community; and
                    (D) resolving environmental issues through robust
                characterization, reliable impact prediction, effective
                monitoring, development and use of adaptive management,
                and informing engineering design to improve
                environmental performance.
    (c) Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund.--
            (1) Findings.--Congress finds that--
                    (A) the use of marine renewable energy technologies
                can reduce contributions to global warming;
                    (B) marine renewable energy technologies can be
                produced domestically;
                    (C) marine renewable energy is a nascent industry;
                and
                    (D) the United States must work to promote new
                renewable energy technologies that reduce contributions
                to global warming gases and improve domestic energy
                production.
            (2) Fund.--
                    (A) Establishment.--There is established in the
                Treasury of the United States a revolving fund, to be
                known as the ``Adaptive Management and Environmental
                Fund'', consisting of such amounts as are appropriated
                to the Fund under subsection (d).
                    (B) Expenditures from fund.--
                            (i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), on
                        request by the Secretary, the Secretary of the
                        Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the
                        Secretary such amounts as the Secretary
                        determines are necessary to provide grants to
                        eligible entities to assist the entities in
                        complying with Federal, State, or local
                        regulatory permit requirements through
                        assessment and demonstration of the
                        environmental effects of marine renewable
                        energy projects (including environmental
                        studies, design, fabrication, deployment,
                        operating, monitoring, environmental
                        mitigation, and decommissioning costs).
                            (ii) Administrative expenses.--An amount
                        not exceeding 10 percent of the amounts in the
                        Fund shall be available for each fiscal year to
                        pay the administrative expenses necessary to
                        carry out this subsection.
                    (C) Transfers of amounts.--
                            (i) In general.--The amounts required to be
                        transferred to the Fund under this paragraph
                        shall be transferred at least monthly from the
                        general fund of the Treasury to the Fund on the
                        basis of estimates made by the Secretary of the
                        Treasury.
                            (ii) Adjustments.--Proper adjustment shall
                        be made in amounts subsequently transferred to
                        the extent prior estimates were in excess of or
                        less than the amounts required to be
                        transferred.
            (3) Eligibility.--
                    (A) In general.--To be eligible for a grant under
                this subsection, an entity shall provide to the
                Secretary a regulatory permit that includes conditions
                for the removal of the marine renewable energy project
                supported by the grant if the permitting authority
                finds that the marine renewable energy project has an
                unacceptable adverse impact on the environment.
                    (B) Administration.--A marine renewable energy
                project shall not be required to be removed in the
                absence of a finding by the permitting authority that
                the project has an unacceptable adverse impact.
            (4) Public availability.--The results of any assessment or
        demonstration conducted under this subsection shall be made
        available to the public, except to the extent that the
        assessment or demonstration contains information that is
        protected from disclosure under section 552(b) of title 5,
        United States Code.
            (5) Audit requirements.--
                    (A) In general.--Any entity that receives a grant
                under this subsection shall--
                            (i) track the use of grant funds from the
                        Fund; and
                            (ii) certify annually to the Secretary that
                        the grant funds were used only for purposes
                        authorized under this subsection.
                    (B) Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish
                procedures to ensure that the Secretary is able to
                oversee and audit the use of funds by eligible
                entities.
                    (C) Annual audits.--The Secretary shall conduct an
                audit, at least annually, of the use of grant funds
                received under this subsection by each eligible entity.
                    (D) Ineligibility.--The Secretary may declare an
                entity ineligible for a grant under this subsection on
                a finding of inappropriate use of funding.
            (6) Sunset provision.--
                    (A) Report.--The Secretary shall submit a report to
                the appropriate committees of Congress if the Secretary
                determines that the technologies and activities
                supported under this subsection have achieved a level
                of maturity that is sufficient to enable the program
                authorized under this subsection to cease.
                    (B) Termination.--The program authorized under this
                subsection and the Fund shall cease to exist effective
                on the date of submission of a report described in
                subparagraph (A).
            (7) Administration.--The Secretary may use amounts in the
        Fund to provide assistance to State resource agencies that are
        processing applications for permits required for marine
        renewables projects that have received assistance from the Fund
        to assist staff with understanding and evaluating applications
        and participating in the applicable Federal Energy Regulatory
        Commission or Minerals Management Service regulatory process.
            (8) Environmental requirement.--Nothing in this section
        eliminates or otherwise affects any requirement imposed under
        the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321
        et seq.).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $250,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2010 through 2021.

Output:
Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009 - Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a marine renewable energy research and development program, separate from any DOE wind and hydropower program, focused on: (1) developing new marine renewable energy technologies; (2) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs of such technologies; (3) increasing the reliability and survivability of marine renewable energy facilities; (4) integrating marine renewable energy into the national electric grid; (5) identifying opportunities for cross pollination and development of economies of scale between offshore wind and marine renewable energy sources; (6) identifying the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy and ways to address negative impacts; (7) applying advanced systems engineering and system integration methods to identify critical interfaces and develop open standards for marine renewable energy; (8) transferring the resulting intellectual property to industry stakeholders as public information through published interface definitions, standards, and demonstration projects; and (9) developing incentives for industry to comply with such standards.

Requires DOE to establish a marine-based energy device verification program to provide a bridge from the wave, tidal, current, or thermal energy capture device design and development efforts underway across the industry to commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices. Sets forth as purpose of the Program to fund, facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratories in order to: (1) increase marine renewable energy experience; and (2) build and operate enough candidate devices to obtain statistically significant operating and maintenance data.

Establishes an Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund to provide grants for complying with requirements through assessment and demonstration of the environmental effects of marine renewable energy projects.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Common Sense Amendments for All
Endangered Species Act''.

SEC. 2. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT EFFECTS EVALUATION.

    (a) Amendment to Act.--Section 13 of the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (87 Stat. 901) is amended to read as follows:

                ``wildlife management effects evaluation

    ``Sec. 13. (a) In General.--The Secretary shall evaluate the impact
on fish and wildlife management practices, including fishing, hunting,
and trapping, of any proposed action under this Act, including the
listing of any species or the designation of critical habitat under
section 4, the making of any taking determination pursuant to section
9, or the taking of any action under the Convention, which may have a
significant effect on such practices. Such evaluation shall include--
            ``(1) notification of the appropriate State or local
        agencies responsible for the conduct or oversight of fish and
        wildlife management practices; and
            ``(2) notice and conduct of a hearing in the vicinity of
        the proposed action.
    ``(b) Disclaimer.--Nothing in this section shall affect the
substantive standards for listing determinations set forth in section
4.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The entry for that section in the table
of contents to such Act of 1973 is amended to read as follows:

``Sec. 13. Wildlife management effects evaluation.''.

SEC. 3. FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.

    Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1535) is
amended by adding the following new subsection at the end:
    ``(j) Activities That Constitute Taking.--(1) No action to plan or
execute fish and wildlife management activities and projects authorized
by Federal or State fish and wildlife management authorities, including
those that alter habitat for the benefit of selected species, shall
constitute a taking pursuant to section 9 unless such activity or
project actually wounds or kills an endangered or threatened species.
    ``(2) Nothing in this subsection shall alter or affect
consultation, if necessary, as provided in section 7 nor affect the
ability of a State agency or private entity to obtain permits pursuant
to section 10.''.

SEC. 4. CITES AND SPORT HUNTING.

    Section 8A(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1537a(c)) is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``practices;'' in paragraph (2) and
        inserting ``practices and shall give due weight to the
        conservation benefits of wildlife management practices,
        including sport hunting;''; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new
        paragraph:
    ``(3)(A) The Secretary shall recognize and abide by the
determinations made by contracting parties to the Convention as to
which of their indigenous species are threatened, endangered, or
subject to the provisions of the Convention, in all actions which the
Secretary takes pursuant to the Convention.
    ``(B) The Secretary may reject any determination referred to in
subparagraph (A) if the Secretary possesses clear and convincing
evidence that the determination was fraudulently rendered or was based
on erroneous or grossly inadequate scientific data.''.

SEC. 5. FAIR NOTICE OF FOREIGN LAWS.

    Section 11(b)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1540(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence:
``To constitute a violation under this subsection to which criminal
penalties apply, a violation of foreign law must be of a reasonably
ascertainable wildlife conservation statute. All other violations of
foreign law and foreign administrative requirements with respect to the
provisions of this Act shall be subject to subsection (a)(1).''.

SEC. 6. SUBSPECIES AND POPULATION CRITERIA; ADJUDICATION AND PEER
              REVIEW.

    Section 4(b) of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)) is
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(9) The Secretary shall by regulation establish criteria by which
to determine whether any fish or wildlife stock constitutes a
subspecies or distinct population segment, or plant stock constitutes a
subspecies, so as to be eligible for listing as a threatened or
endangered species under this section. The criteria shall include a
requirement that genetic data analysis be employed where or when such
data are available and shall establish a reasonable burden of proof for
determinations of subspecies and distinct population segments.
    ``(10) In making the determinations pursuant to this section, the
Secretary may, at his sole discretion, employ an adjudicative procedure
to assist the Secretary in acquiring the best scientific and commercial
data pursuant to subsection (b)(1). Any scientific determination on a
proposed listing made by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or
the National Marine Fisheries Service may be submitted by the Secretary
for peer review to a scientifically qualified entity or entities before
a final determination is made by the Secretary. Such peer review
process shall not be subject to the provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act.''.

SEC. 7. FUNDING AUGMENTATION STUDY.

    The Secretary of the Interior shall study and report to Congress
within 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act on the
feasibility of a program or programs (similar to the Dingell-Johnson
and Pittman-Robertson programs which fund sport fishing, boating, and
hunting projects) under which monies shall be collected from those who
may benefit specifically from the provisions of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973 and used in furtherance of the goals and purposes set forth
in such Act.

Output:
Common Sense Amendments for All Endangered Species Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 with respect to:  (1) wildlife management effects evaluation; (2) fish and wildlife conservation and management projects; (3) sport hunting; (4) foreign laws; and (5) subspecies and population criteria.
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a specified funding augmentation study.


Input:
.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date on
        which a Commission report is submitted under section 2(f)(3),
        the President shall transmit to Congress a special message
        accompanied by a proposed joint resolution.
            (2) Requirements for preparation of proposed joint
        resolution.--
                    (A) Consultation with congress.--
                            (i) In general.--The President may not
                        transmit a proposed joint resolution under
                        paragraph (1) until after the President
                        completes consultation with Congress in
                        accordance with this subparagraph.
                            (ii) Consultation with committees.--The
                        President shall consult with the chairman and
                        ranking minority member of each relevant
                        committee of the Senate or of the House of
                        Representatives regarding the contents of a
                        proposed joint resolution.
                            (iii) Requirements for consultation.--The
                        consultation required under clause (ii) shall
                        provide the opportunity for the chairman and
                        ranking member of each relevant committee of
                        the Senate or of the House of Representatives
                        to provide--
                                    (I) substantive feedback or
                                recommendations relating to the
                                Commission report and how best to
                                legislatively address the
                                recommendations contained in the
                                Commission report;
                                    (II) recommendations for
                                alternative means of addressing the
                                recommendations contained in the
                                Commission report; and
                                    (III) recommendations regarding
                                which recommendations contained in the
                                Commission report should not be
                                addressed in the proposed joint
                                resolution.
                            (iv) Relevant committees.--The relevant
                        committees of the Senate and the House of
                        Representatives for purposes of this
                        subparagraph shall be--
                                    (I) determined by the President;
                                and
                                    (II) based on the content of the
                                proposed joint resolution.
                    (B) Consultation with gao and cbo.--The President
                shall prepare a proposed joint resolution transmitted
                under paragraph (1) in consultation with the
                Comptroller General of the United States and the
                Director of the Congressional Budget Office.
            (3) Contents of special message.--A special message
        transmitted under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) specify recommendations outlined in the
                Commission report that are excluded from the proposed
                joint resolution;
                    (B) detail why the recommendations described in
                subparagraph (A) were excluded from the proposed joint
                resolution;
                    (C) specify recommendations outlined in the
                Commission report that are included in the proposed
                joint resolution; and
                    (D) identify programs included in the Commission
                report that should be eliminated or consolidated.
            (4) Transmittal.--The President shall submit the special
        message to the Secretary of the Senate if the Senate is not in
        session and to the Clerk of the House of Representatives if the
        House is not in session.
            (5) Public availability.--The President shall make a copy
        of the special message and the proposed joint resolution
        publicly available, and shall publish in the Federal Register a
        notice of the message and information on how it can be
        obtained.
    (c) Introduction by Leaders.--
            (1) In the house of representatives.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 30 days on which
                the House of Representatives is in session after the
                date on which the President transmits a proposed joint
                resolution under subsection (b), the proposed joint
                resolution shall be introduced in the House of
                Representatives (by request) by the majority leader of
                the House of Representatives or by a Member of the
                House of Representatives designated by the majority
                leader of the House of Representatives.
                    (B) Joint resolution not introduced.--
                            (i) In general.--If, within 31 days on
                        which the House of Representatives is in
                        session after the date on which the President
                        transmits a proposed joint resolution under
                        subsection (b), the proposed joint resolution
                        is not introduced in accordance with
                        subparagraph (A), it shall be in order for the
                        minority leader of the House of Representatives
                        or a Member of the House of Representatives
                        designated by the minority leader of the House
                        of Representatives to introduce the proposed
                        joint resolution.
                            (ii) Joint resolution introduction by
                        others.--If, within 40 days on which the House
                        of Representatives is in session after the date
                        on which the President transmits a proposed
                        joint resolution under subsection (b), the
                        proposed joint resolution is not introduced in
                        accordance with subparagraph (A) or clause (i)
                        of this subparagraph, it shall be in order for
                        any member of the House of Representatives to
                        introduce the proposed joint resolution in the
                        House of Representatives.
            (2) In the senate.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 30 days on which
                the Senate is in session after the date on which the
                President transmits a proposed joint resolution under
                subsection (b), the proposed joint resolution shall be
                introduced in the Senate (by request) by the majority
                leader of the Senate or by a Member of the Senate
                designated by the majority leader of the Senate.
                    (B) Joint resolution not introduced.--
                            (i) In general.--If, within 31 days on
                        which the Senate is in session after the date
                        on which the President transmits a proposed
                        joint resolution under subsection (b), the
                        proposed joint resolution is not introduced in
                        accordance with subparagraph (A), it shall be
                        in order for the minority leader of the Senate
                        or a Member of the Senate designated by the
                        minority leader of the Senate to introduce the
                        proposed joint resolution.
                            (ii) Joint resolution introduction by
                        others.--If, within 40 days on which the Senate
                        is in session after the date on which the
                        President transmits a proposed joint resolution
                        under subsection (b), the proposed joint
                        resolution is not introduced in accordance with
                        subparagraph (A) or clause (i) of this
                        subparagraph, it shall be in order for any
                        member of the Senate to introduce the proposed
                        joint resolution.

Output: Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2016 or the FIRE Act  This bill requires the President and the congressional leadership to appoint members of a National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform within 180 days of the inauguration of a President. The commission must identify policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium-term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long-term. In carrying out these duties, the commission must propose recommendations to: (1) balance the budget, excluding interest payments on the debt, within 10 years, in order to stabilize the debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio at an acceptable level; and (2) meaningfully improve the long-term fiscal outlook, including changes to address the growth of entitlement spending and the gap between projected revenues and expenditures.  Within one year of the appointment of its members, the commission must vote on a report including the required recommendations. The commission may only issue a final report to be submitted to Congress if at least 12 of its 18 members approve the report. Each commission terminates 30 days after submitting a report to Congress.  After consulting with Congress and specified agencies, the President must submit to Congress a joint resolution containing the legislative text necessary to implement the recommendations contained in a report submitted to Congress. The resolution must be accompanied by a special message that includes specified details regarding recommendations of the commission that are excluded from or included in the resolution.  Congress must consider the joint resolution using expedited legislative procedures specified in the bill.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``States' Rights and Second and Tenth
Amendment Restoration Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Congressional findings:
            (1) Domestic Violence remains a very serious problem in the
        United States. It is a dangerous crime and should be punished
        as such, including, where appropriate, as a felony.
            (2) Many States have classified Domestic Violence crimes as
        misdemeanors, others as felonies. States are the proper
        authority, rather than the Federal Government, to classify
        Domestic Violence offenses.
            (3) Where appropriate, States should classify Domestic
        Violence offenses as a felony.
            (4) Section 658 of Public Law 104-208, commonly referred to
        as the Lautenberg amendment, oversteps Federal authority,
        violating States' rights, because no nexus has been shown to
        exist between Domestic Violence and interstate commerce.
            (5) The Lautenberg amendment does not deal with a subject
        delegated to Congress under article I, section 8 of the
        Constitution of the United States and is therefore
        unconstitutional under the tenth amendment to the Constitution,
        as interpreted by United States v. Lopez.
            (6) The Lautenberg amendment oversteps Congress's power to
        regulate commerce as delineated by the Commerce Clause of the
        United States Constitution.
            (7) Some of the strictest gun control laws are found in
        cities where the number of incidents of guns being used in
        violent crimes is the highest. Therefore, the Lautenberg
        amendment does not reduce incidents of domestic violence.
            (8) State and Federal judges already have the power to deny
        persons convicted of misdemeanors the right to possess firearms
        as a condition of probation or parole.
            (9) The Lautenberg amendment is an unfunded Federal mandate
        because States are liable for the costs of monitoring those
        citizens who have been banned for life from owning a firearm.
        Many times this lifetime ban is a result of a misdemeanor, not
        a felony.
            (10) Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public
        Law 104-208 violates all notions of constitutional due process
        and constitutes an ex post facto law because it imposes a
        criminal penalty on crimes which were not subject to that
        penalty at the time of the Act.
            (11) Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves
        against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year. Of
        these self-defense cases, as many as 200,000 are by women
        defending themselves against sexual assault.
            (12) Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public
        Law 104-208 will, if allowed to stand, result in the disarming
        of millions of citizens, including women, on account of
        misdemeanor offenses which, in many cases, were committed long
        before the effective date of that Act.
            (13) Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public
        Law 104-208 will, in many cases, disarm battered women who need
        access to firearms in order to protect themselves from their
        battering spouses as well as from common criminals.
            (14) Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public
        Law 104-208 will, if allowed to stand, impose a lifetime gun
        ban on persons who committed acts so minor that they were not
        even entitled to a jury trial prior to conviction.
            (15) Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public
        Law 104-208, will, if allowed to stand, result in the disarming
        and dismissal of a significant number of law enforcement
        officers and American servicemen, on account of misdemeanors,
        which in many cases, were committed long before the effective
        date of that Act.
            (16) Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public
        Law 104-208 ignores the real problem surrounding domestic
        violence in that truly violent offenders are allowed to plea-
        bargain down to misdemeanors.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to restore States'
rights, the tenth amendment, and second amendment freedoms.

SEC. 3. REPEALER.

    Section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public Law 104-208 is
repealed and is null and void as if it had not been enacted, and all
provisions of law amended by such section are restored as if section
658 had not been enacted.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall take effect as if included in the Treasury-Postal
portion of Public Law 104-208. Any liability, penalty, or forfeiture
incurred by any person by reason of the application of any amendment
made by section 658 of the Treasury-Postal portion of Public Law 104-
208 is hereby extinguished, and any action or prosecution for the
enforcement of any such liability, penalty, or forfeiture shall not be
sustained.

Output: States' Rights and Second and Tenth Amendment Restoration Act of 2001 - Amends the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997 to repeal a specified provision (commonly referred to as the Lautenberg amendment) establishing a gun ban for individuals convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.


Input:
SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means
        the management plan for the National Scenic Area developed
        under section 3(a).
            (2) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map titled ``Proposed
        Alabama Hills National Scenic Area'', dated September 8, 2014.
            (3) Motorized vehicles.--The term ``motorized vehicles''
        means motorized or mechanized vehicles and includes, when used
        by utilities, mechanized equipment, helicopters, and other
        aerial devices necessary to maintain electrical or
        communications infrastructure.
            (4) National scenic area.--The term ``National Scenic
        Area'' means the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area established
        by section 2(a).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of the Interior.
            (6) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of
        California.
            (7) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Lone-Pine Paiute
        Shoshone Tribe.
            (8) Utility facility.--The term ``utility facility'' means
        any and all existing and future electric generation facilities,
        electric storage facilities, overhead and/or underground
        electrical supply systems and communication systems consisting
        of electric substations, electric lines, poles and towers made
        of various materials, ``H'' frame structures, guy wires and
        anchors, crossarms, wires, underground conduits, cables,
        vaults, manholes, handholes, above-ground enclosures, markers
        and concrete pads and other fixtures, appliances and
        communication circuits, and other fixtures, appliances and
        appurtenances connected therewith necessary or convenient for
        the construction, operation, regulation, control, grounding and
        maintenance of electric generation, storage, lines and
        communication circuits, for the purpose of transmitting
        intelligence and generating, storing, distributing, regulating
        and controlling electric energy to be used for light, heat,
        power, communication, and other purposes.

SEC. 2. ALABAMA HILLS NATIONAL SCENIC AREA, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Establishment.--Subject to valid, existing rights, there is
established in Inyo County, California, the Alabama Hills National
Scenic Area. The National Scenic Area shall be comprised of the
approximately 18,610 acres generally depicted on the Map as ``National
Scenic Area''.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the National Scenic Area is to
conserve, protect, and enhance for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of
present and future generations the nationally significant scenic,
cultural, recreational, geological, educational, biological,
historical, cinematographic, and scientific resources of the National
Scenic Area managed consistent with the principles of multiple use as
defined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.
    (c) Map; Legal Descriptions.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a
        legal description of the National Scenic Area with--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
                of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House
                of Representatives.
            (2) Force of law.--The map and legal descriptions filed
        under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if
        included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct any
        clerical and typographical errors in the map and legal
        descriptions.
            (3) Public availability.--Each map and legal description
        filed under paragraph (1) shall be on file and available for
        public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Forest
        Service and Bureau of Land Management.
    (d) Administration.--The Secretary shall manage the National Scenic
Area--
            (1) as a component of the National Landscape Conservation
        System;
            (2) so as not to impact the future continuing operations
        and maintenance of any activities associated with valid,
        existing rights, including water rights;
            (3) in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances the
        resources and values of the National Scenic Area described in
        subsection (b); and
            (4) in accordance with--
                    (A) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
                1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.);
                    (B) this Act; and
                    (C) any other applicable laws.
    (e) Management.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall allow only such uses
        of the National Scenic Area as the Secretary determines would
        support the purposes of the National Scenic Area as described
        in subsection (b).
            (2) Recreational activities.--Except as otherwise provided
        in this Act or other applicable law, or as the Secretary
        determines to be necessary for public health and safety, the
        Secretary shall allow existing recreational uses of the
        National Scenic Area to continue, including hiking, mountain
        biking, rock climbing, sightseeing, horseback riding, hunting,
        fishing, and appropriate authorized motorized vehicle use.
            (3) Motorized vehicles.--Except as specified within this
        Act and/or in cases in which motorized vehicles are needed for
        administrative purposes, or to respond to an emergency, the use
        of motorized vehicles in the National Scenic Area shall be
        permitted only on--
                    (A) roads and trails designated by the Director of
                the Bureau of Land Management for use of motorized
                vehicles as part of a management plan promoting a semi-
                primitive motorized experience; or
                    (B) on county-maintained roads in accordance with
                applicable State and county laws.
    (f) Acquisition of Land.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may acquire non-Federal land
        within the boundaries of the National Scenic Area only through
        exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller.
            (2) Management.--Land acquired under paragraph (1) shall
        be--
                    (A) considered to be a part of the National Scenic
                Area; and
                    (B) managed in accordance with this Act and any
                other applicable laws.
    (g) No Buffer Zones.--
            (1) In general.--Nothing in this Act creates a protective
        perimeter or buffer zone around the National Scenic Area.
            (2) Activities outside national scenic area.--The fact that
        an activity or use on land outside the National Scenic Area can
        be seen or heard within the National Scenic Area shall not
        preclude the activity or use outside the boundaries of the
        National Scenic Area.
    (h) Access.--The Secretary shall continue to provide private
landowners adequate access to inholdings in the National Scenic Area.
    (i) Filming.--Nothing in this Act prohibits filming (including
commercial film production, student filming, and still photography)
within the National Scenic Area--
            (1) subject to--
                    (A) such reasonable regulations, policies, and
                practices as the Secretary considers to be necessary;
                and
                    (B) applicable law; and
            (2) in a manner consistent with the purposes described in
        subsection (b).
    (j) Fish and Wildlife.--Nothing in this Act affects the
jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State with respect to fish and
wildlife.
    (k) Livestock.--The grazing of livestock in the National Scenic
Area, including grazing under the Alabama Hills allotment and the
George Creek allotment, as established before the date of enactment of
this Act, shall be permitted to continue--
            (1) subject to--
                    (A) such reasonable regulations, policies, and
                practices as the Secretary considers to be necessary;
                and
                    (B) applicable law; and
            (2) in a manner consistent with the purposes described in
        subsection (b).
    (l) Overflights.--Nothing in this Act restricts or precludes
flights over the National Scenic Area or overflights that can be seen
or heard within the National Scenic Area, including--
            (1) transportation, sightseeing and filming flights,
        general aviation planes, helicopters, hang-gliders, and
        balloonists, for commercial or recreational purposes;
            (2) low-level overflights of military aircraft;
            (3) flight testing and evaluation; or
            (4) the designation or creation of new units of special use
        airspace, or the establishment of military flight training
        routes, over the National Scenic Area.
    (m) Withdrawal.--Subject to this Act's provisions and valid rights
in existence on the date of enactment of this Act, including rights
established by prior withdrawals, the Federal land within the National
Scenic Area is withdrawn from all forms of--
            (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land
        laws;
            (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
            (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and
        geothermal leasing or mineral materials.
    (n) Wildland Fire Operations.--Nothing in this Act prohibits the
Secretary, in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local
agencies, as appropriate, from conducting wildland fire operations in
the National Scenic Area, consistent with the purposes described in
subsection (b).
    (o) Grants; Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may make grants
to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, State, tribal, and local
governmental entities and private entities to conduct research,
interpretation, or public education or to carry out any other
initiative relating to the restoration, conservation, or management of
the National Scenic Area.
    (p) Air and Water Quality.--Nothing in this Act modifies any
standard governing air or water quality outside of the boundaries of
the National Scenic Area.
    (q) Utility Facilities and Rights of Way.--
            (1) Nothing in this Act shall--
                    (A) affect the existence, use, operation,
                maintenance (including but not limited to vegetation
                control), repair, construction, reconfiguration,
                expansion, inspection, renewal, reconstruction,
                alteration, addition, relocation, improvement, funding,
                removal, or replacement of utility facilities or
                appurtenant rights of way within or adjacent to the
                National Scenic Area;
                    (B) affect necessary or efficient access to utility
                facilities or rights of way within or adjacent to the
                National Scenic Area;
                    (C) preclude the establishment of new utility
                facilities or rights of way (including instream sites,
                routes, and areas) within the National Scenic Area if
                such facilities are necessary for public health and
                safety, electricity supply, telecommunications, or
                other utility services; and/or
                    (D) preclude the use of motorized vehicles on and
                off roads and trails designated for use by motorized
                vehicles, including but not limited to the use of
                mechanized equipment, helicopters, and/or other aerial
                vehicles or devices, as necessary or efficient for the
                performance of activities related to the operation,
                maintenance, expansion, and/or construction of any
                utility facilities, including lines, and/or rights of
                way.
            (2) Management plan.--Consistent with this Act's
        provisions, the Management Plan shall establish plans for
        maintenance of public utility and other rights of way within
        the National Scenic Area.

SEC. 3. MANAGEMENT PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, in accordance with subsection (b), the Secretary shall
develop a comprehensive plan for the long-term management of the
National Scenic Area.
    (b) Consultation.--In developing the management plan, the Secretary
shall consult with--
            (1) appropriate State, tribal, and local governmental
        entities, including Inyo County, the Los Angeles Department of
        Water and Power, and the Tribe;
            (2) investor-owned utilities, including Southern California
        Edison Company; and
            (3) members of the public.
    (c) Incorporation of Management Plan.--In developing the management
plan, in accordance with this section, the Secretary--
            (1) may incorporate any provision of the relevant resource
        management plan in existence as of the date of enactment of
        this Act; and
            (2) shall allow, in perpetuity, recreational mining limited
        to the use of hand tools, metal detectors, hand-fed dry
        washers, vacuum cleaners, gold pans, small sluices, and similar
        items.
    (d) Interim Management.--Pending completion of the management plan,
the Secretary shall manage the National Scenic Area in accordance
with--
            (1) section 2; and
            (2) the applicable management plan of the Bureau of Land
        Management in existence on the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. LAND TAKEN INTO TRUST FOR LONE PINE PAIUTE-SHOSHONE
              RESERVATION.

    (a) Trust Land.--As soon as practicable after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall take the approximately 132
acres of Federal land depicted on the Map as ``Lone Pine Paiute-
Shoshone Reservation Addition'' into trust for the benefit of the
Tribe, subject to the following:
            (1) Conditions.--The land shall be subject to all
        easements, covenants, conditions, restrictions, withdrawals,
        and other matters of record on the date of the enactment of
        this Act.
            (2) Exclusion.--The Federal lands over which the right-of-
        way for the Los Angeles Aqueduct is located, generally
        described as the 250-foot-wide right-of-way granted to the City
        of Los Angeles pursuant to the Act of June 30, 1906 (Chap.
        3926), shall not be taken into trust for the Tribe.
    (b) Reservation Land.--The land taken into trust pursuant to
subsection (a) shall be considered part of the reservation of the
Tribe.
    (c) Gaming Prohibition.--Gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory
Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) shall not be allowed on the land taken
into trust pursuant to subsection (a).

SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION.

    Administrative jurisdiction of the approximately 40 acres of
Federal land depicted on the Map as ``USFS Transfer to BLM'' is hereby
transferred from the Forest Service under the Secretary of Agriculture
to the Bureau of Land Management under the Secretary.

Output: Establishes the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, comprised of approximately 18,610 acres of land in Inyo County, California. Declares that the purpose of the Area is to conserve, protect, and enhance for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of present and future generations the nationally significant scenic, cultural, recreational, geological, educational, biological, historical, cinematographic, and scientific resources of the Area managed consistent with the multiple use principles defined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) manage the Area as a component of the National Landscape Conservation System, (2) allow existing recreational uses of the Area to continue except as the Secretary otherwise determines to be necessary for public health and safety, (3) permit the use of motorized vehicles in the Area only on roads and trails designated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of a management plan promoting a semi-primitive motorized experience or on county-maintained roads in accordance with applicable state and county laws, and (4) develop a comprehensive plan for the Area's long-term management. Permits the Secretary to acquire non-federal land within the Area only through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller. Withdraws the federal land within the Area from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. Directs the Secretary to take approximately 132 acres of federal land into trust for the benefit of the Lone-Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe, excluding a specified right-of-way granted to the City of Los Angeles. Prohibits gaming on such land. Transfers administrative jurisdiction of approximately 40 acres of specified federal land from the U.S. Forest Service to BLM.


Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Drinking Water Affordability Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT.

    (a) National Drinking Water Regulations.--Section 1412(b)(9) of the
Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300g-1(b)(9)) is amended by striking
the last sentence and inserting ``Any revision of a national primary
drinking water regulation shall be promulgated in accordance with this
section, including paragraphs (3) through (6) of this subsection.''
    (b) Enforcement of Drinking Water Regulations.--Section
1414(h)(1)(C) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300g-
3(h)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting ``or management'' after ``the
transfer of ownership''.
    (c) State Revolving Loan Funds.--
            (1) Assistance for disadvantaged communities.--Section
        1452(d)(2) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-
        12(d)(2)) is amended by striking ``30'' and inserting ``35''.
            (2) Types of assistance.--Section 1452(f)(1) of the Safe
        Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12(f)(1)) is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as
                subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the
                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) each loan will be fully amortized not later
                than 30 years after the completion of the project,
                except that in the case of a disadvantaged community
                (as defined in subsection (d)(3)) a State may provide
                an extended term for a loan, if the extended term--
                            ``(i) terminates not later than the date
                        that is 40 years after the date of project
                        completion; and
                            ``(ii) does not exceed the expected design
                        life of the project;''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``1 year after
                completion of the project for which the loan was made''
                and all that follows through ``design life of the
                project;'' and inserting ``18 months after completion
                of the project for which the loan was made;''.
            (3) Other authorized activities.--Section 1452(k)(1)(C) of
        the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12(k)(1)(C)) is
        amended by striking ``for fiscal years 1996 and 1997'' and all
        that follows through the period at the end and inserting ``for
        fiscal years 2018 through 2024 to delineate, assess, update
        assessments, and undertake implementation activities with
        respect to source water protection areas in accordance with the
        requirements of a program approved under section 1453,
        excluding any activity required to be conducted under the
        Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et
        seq.).''.
    (d) Exemption From Federal Cross-Cutting Requirements.--Part E of
the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 1459C. EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL CROSS-CUTTING REQUIREMENTS.

    ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator
shall exempt a public water system that receives financial assistance
pursuant to section 1452 from a Federal cross-cutting requirement if
the Administrator determines that the State in which the public water
system is located has in effect a requirement which is not less
stringent than the Federal cross-cutting requirement.''.
    (e) Definition of Federal Cross-Cutting Requirement.--Section 1401
of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f) is amended by adding at
the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(17) Federal cross-cutting requirement.--The term
        `Federal cross-cutting requirement' means a requirement of a
        Federal law or regulation, compliance with which is a condition
        on receipt of a loan or grant under this title, that, if
        applied to projects and activities receiving such financial
        assistance, would be redundant with a requirement of an
        applicable State or local law.''.

SEC. 3. REPORTS.

    (a) State Loan Fund Administration and Application Process.--
            (1) Review.--The Administrator of the Environmental
        Protection Agency shall conduct a review on best practices
        for--
                    (A) streamlining the application process for public
                water systems to receive loans or loan guarantees from
                a State drinking water treatment revolving loan fund;
                and
                    (B) efficient administration of State drinking
                water treatment revolving loan funds.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
        Protection Agency shall submit to Congress, and make available
        to States, a report on the review conducted under paragraph
        (1), including any recommendations.
    (b) GAO Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall prepare and submit to Congress a report containing--
            (1) the results of a study of cost-effective and
        economically feasible rehabilitation or replacement of drinking
        water infrastructure to meet the goals of the Safe Drinking
        Water Act; and
            (2) an assessment of barriers that preclude communities
        from using materials and technologies studied pursuant to
        paragraph (1).

Output: Drinking Water Affordability Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to revise requirements concerning national primary drinking water regulations, including by:  removing a requirement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintain, or provide greater, protection of human health when revising those regulations; extending the repayment schedule for loans from the drinking water state revolving funds (SRFs);  authorizing states to protect public drinking water source areas; removing federal reporting requirements if state or local requirements are not less stringent than federal requirements; and  requiring the EPA to conduct a review on best practices for streamlining the application process for public water systems to receive loans or loan guarantees from an SRF as well as best practices for administering SRFs efficiently.