[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1237 Referred in House (RFH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1237


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 3, 2014

 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 
    Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, 
 Financial Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight 
 and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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:

                                                NANCY ERICKSON,

                                                             Secretary.