[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1237 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1237
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To improve the administration of programs in the insular areas, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Omnibus Territories Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. Amendments to the Consolidated Natural Resources Act.
Sec. 4. Study of electric rates in the insular areas.
Sec. 5. Reports on estimates of revenues.
Sec. 6. Low-income home energy assistance program.
Sec. 7. Improvements in HUD assisted programs.
Sec. 8. Benefit to cost ratio study for projects in American Samoa.
Sec. 9. Fishery endorsements.
Sec. 10. Effects of Minimum Wage differentials in American Samoa.
Sec. 11. Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Sec. 12. Drivers' licenses and personal identification cards.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSOLIDATED NATURAL RESOURCES ACT.
Section 6 of the Joint Resolution entitled ``A Joint Resolution to
approve the `Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America',
and for other purposes'', approved March 24, 1976 (Public Law 94-241;
90 Stat. 263, 122 Stat. 854), is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``December 31,
2014, except as provided in subsections (b) and (d)''
and inserting ``December 31, 2019''; and
(B) by striking paragraph (6), and inserting the
following:
``(6) Certain education funding.--
``(A) In general.--In addition to fees charged
pursuant to section 286(m) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356 (m)) to recover the full
costs of providing adjudication services, the Secretary
of Homeland Security shall charge an annual
supplemental fee of $150 per nonimmigrant worker to
each prospective employer who is issued a permit under
subsection (d) of this section during the transition
program. Such supplemental fee shall be paid into the
Treasury of the Commonwealth government for the purpose
of funding ongoing vocational educational curricula and
program development by Commonwealth educational
entities.
``(B) Plan for the expenditure of funds.--At the
beginning of each fiscal year, and prior to the payment
of the supplemental fee into the Treasury of the
Commonwealth government in that fiscal year, the
Commonwealth government must provide to the Secretary
of Labor, a plan for the expenditure of funds received
under this paragraph, a projection of the effectiveness
of these expenditures in the placement of United States
workers into jobs, and a report on the changes in
employment of United States workers attributable to
prior year expenditures.
``(C) Report.--The Secretary of Labor shall report
to the Congress every 2 years on the effectiveness of
meeting the goals set out by the Commonwealth
government in its annual plan for the expenditure of
funds.''; and
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) in the third sentence of paragraph (2), by
striking ``not to extend beyond December 31, 2014,
unless extended pursuant to paragraph 5 of this
subsection'' and inserting ``ending on December 31,
2019'';
(B) by striking paragraph (5); and
(C) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph
(5).
SEC. 4. STUDY OF ELECTRIC RATES IN THE INSULAR AREAS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Comprehensive energy plan.--The term ``comprehensive
energy plan'' means a comprehensive energy plan prepared and
updated under subsections (c) and (e) of section 604 of the Act
entitled ``An Act to authorize appropriations for certain
insular areas of the United States, and for other purposes'',
approved December 24, 1980 (48 U.S.C. 1492).
(2) Energy action plan.--The term ``energy action plan''
means the plan required by subsection (d).
(3) Freely associated states.--The term ``Freely Associated
States'' means the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic
of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
(4) Insular areas.--The term ``insular areas'' means
American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(6) Team.--The term ``team'' means the team established by
the Secretary under subsection (b).
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, within the Empowering
Insular Communities activity, establish a team of technical, policy,
and financial experts--
(1) to develop an energy action plan addressing the energy
needs of each of the insular areas and Freely Associated
States; and
(2) to assist each of the insular areas and Freely
Associated States in implementing such plan.
(c) Participation of Regional Utility Organizations.--In
establishing the team, the Secretary shall consider including regional
utility organizations.
(d) Energy Action Plan.--In accordance with subsection (b), the
energy action plan shall include--
(1) recommendations, based on the comprehensive energy plan
where applicable, to--
(A) reduce reliance and expenditures on fuel
shipped to the insular areas and Freely Associated
States from ports outside the United States;
(B) develop and utilize domestic fuel energy
sources; and
(C) improve performance of energy infrastructure
and overall energy efficiency;
(2) a schedule for implementation of such recommendations
and identification and prioritization of specific projects;
(3) a financial and engineering plan for implementing and
sustaining projects; and
(4) benchmarks for measuring progress toward
implementation.
(e) Reports to Secretary.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Secretary establishes the team and annually thereafter, the
team shall submit to the Secretary a report detailing progress made in
fulfilling its charge and in implementing the energy action plan.
(f) Annual Reports to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after the
date on which the Secretary receives a report submitted by the team
under subsection (e), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a summary of the report of the team.
(g) Approval of Secretary Required.--The energy action plan shall
not be implemented until the Secretary approves the energy action plan.
SEC. 5. REPORTS ON ESTIMATES OF REVENUES.
The Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report that--
(1) evaluates whether the annual estimates or forecasts of
revenue and expenditure of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands are
reasonable; and
(2) as the Comptroller General of the United States
determines to be necessary, makes recommendations for improving
the process for developing estimates or forecasts.
SEC. 6. LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
With respect to fiscal years 2014 through 2017, the percentage
described in section 2605(b)(2)(B)(i) of the Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)(B)(i)) shall be 300
percent when applied to households located in the Virgin Islands.
SEC. 7. IMPROVEMENTS IN HUD ASSISTED PROGRAMS.
Section 214(a)(7) of the Housing and Community Development Act of
1980 (42 U.S.C. 1436a(a)(7)) is amended by striking ``such alien'' and
all that follows through the period at the end and inserting ``citizen
or national of the United States shall be entitled to a preference or
priority in receiving assistance before any such alien who is otherwise
eligible for such assistance.''.
SEC. 8. BENEFIT TO COST RATIO STUDY FOR PROJECTS IN AMERICAN SAMOA.
(a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct a study regarding the use of benefit-to-cost ratio formulas by
Federal departments and agencies for purposes of evaluating projects in
American Samoa.
(b) Contents.--In conducting the study, the Comptroller General
shall--
(1) assess whether the benefit-to-cost ratio formulas
described in subsection (a) take into consideration--
(A) the remote locations in, and the cost of
transportation to and from, American Samoa; and
(B) other significant factors that are not
comparable to locations within the 48 contiguous
States; and
(2) assess, in particular, the use of benefit-to-cost ratio
formulas by--
(A) the Secretary of Transportation with respect to
airport traffic control tower programs; and
(B) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the
Corps of Engineers, with respect to a harbor project or
other water resources development project.
(3) Report to congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall
submit to Congress a report on the results of the study.
SEC. 9. FISHERY ENDORSEMENTS.
Section 12113 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(j) Certain Exemption.--Paragraph (3) of subsection (a) shall not
apply to any vessel--
``(1) that offloads its catch in part or full in American
Samoa; and
``(2) that was rebuilt outside of the United States before
January 1, 2011.''.
SEC. 10. EFFECTS OF MINIMUM WAGE DIFFERENTIALS IN AMERICAN SAMOA.
Section 8104 of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (29 U.S.C. 206
note) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Effects of Minimum Wage Differentials in American Samoa.--The
reports required under this section shall include an analysis of the
economic effects on employees and employers of the differentials in
minimum wage rates among industries and classifications in American
Samoa under section 697 of title 29, Code of Federal Regulations,
including the potential effects of eliminating such differentials prior
to the time when such rates are scheduled to be equal to the minimum
wage set forth in section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29
U.S.C. 206(a)(1)).''.
SEC. 11. OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY.
(a) Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy.--The Office of
National Drug Control Policy shall develop a biennial Caribbean Border
Counternarcotics Strategy, that is made available to the public, with
emphasis on the borders of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the
United States, on terms substantially equivalent to the existing
Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy and the Northern Border
Counternarcotics Strategy.
(b) Amendment.--Section 704(b)(13)(B) of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 (21 U.S.C.
1703(b)(13)(B)) is amended by inserting ``the borders of Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands of the United States and'' after ``in
particular''.
SEC. 12. DRIVERS' LICENSES AND PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS.
(a) Definition of State.--Section 201(5) of the REAL ID Act of 2005
(49 U.S.C. 30301 note; Public Law 109-13) is amended by striking ``the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands,''.
(b) Evidence of Lawful Status.--Section 202(c)(2)(B) of the REAL ID
Act of 2005 (49 U.S.C. 30301 note; Public Law 109-13) is amended--
(1) in clause (viii), by striking ``or'' after the
semicolon at the end;
(2) in clause (ix), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(x) is a citizen of the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau who has
been admitted to the United States as a
nonimmigrant pursuant to a Compact of Free
Association between the United States and the
Republic or Federated States.''.
Passed the Senate June 18, 2014.
Attest:
Secretary.
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1237
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To improve the administration of programs in the insular areas, and for
other purposes.