United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to revise requirements for determination by the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) of an appropriate bargaining unit before an election of collective bargaining representation. (In effect reverses the NLRB's August 26, 2011, decision in Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation of Mobile and its June 22, 2011, rulemaking regarding proposed changes to procedures involving the election of collective bargaining representation.) Replaces the current restriction in the meaning of collective bargaining unit to employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision. Requires the NLRB, instead, to determine a unit as appropriate for collective bargaining if it consists of employees that share a sufficient community of interest. Specifies factors the NLRB must consider when making such determinations. Prohibits exclusion of employees from the unit unless the group's interest are sufficiently distinct from those of other employees to warrant the establishment of a separate unit. Requires the NLRB, upon due notice, to provide a hearing at least 14 days after the filing of an election petition for collective bargaining representation to investigate those petitions the NLRB has reasonable cause to believe have a question of representation affecting commerce. Requires such hearings be non-adversarial. Requires the NLRB to: (1) direct an election by secret ballot as soon as practicable, but in any event not before 35 calendar days following the filing of an election petition, in cases where a question of representation exists; and (2) acquire, at least 7 days after its final determination of the appropriate bargaining unit, a list of all eligible voters (including certain informational data) from the employer and make it available to all parties.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Renewable Fuel Standard Flexibility Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) by August 1 and by the end of November each year, to determine and publish the U.S. corn stocks-to-use ratio for the current crop year; and (2) to waive the renewable fuel program's requirements for the rest of the calendar year following the August determination or for the next calendar year following the November determination by reducing the national quantity of renewable fuel otherwise required by specified amounts based on the ratio determined. Prohibits: (1) waivers granted under this Act from affecting the volume of advanced biofuel under such program, or (2) the Administrator from allowing any volume of conventional biofuel to be used to satisfy the requirement for advanced biofuel.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Buffett Rule Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to donate an amount (not less than $1), in addition to any tax owed, which shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury and transferred to an account used to reduce the public debt. Requires such donation to be designated on a taxpayer's income tax return at the time such return is filed.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act - Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to: (1) authorize a state to pay up to 90% of the costs of acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing a public target range; (2) authorize a state to elect to allocate 10% of a specified amount apportioned to it from the federal aid to wildlife restoration fund for such costs; (3) limit the federal share of such costs under such Act to 90%; and (4) require amounts provided for such costs under such Act to remain available for expenditure and obligation for five fiscal years. Shields the United States from any civil action or claim for money damages for injury to or loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by an activity occurring at a public target range that is funded by the federal government pursuant to such Act or located on federal land, except to the extent provided under the Federal Tort Claims Act with respect to the exercise or performance of a discretionary function. Urges the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to cooperate with state and local authorities and other entities to carry out waste removal and other activities on any federal land used as a public target range to encourage its continued use for target practice or marksmanship training.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Creating Hope Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the priority review voucher program for tropical diseases to: (1) include rare pediatric diseases; (2) allow unlimited transfers of vouchers under the program; and (3) require a sponsor intending to use a voucher to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at least 90 days (currently, 365 days) before submission of the application. Revises provisions regarding the priority review user fee, including to make it payable upon notification of the Secretary of intent to use the voucher. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request of the manufacturer or sponsor of a new drug, to designate that a new drug is: (1) for a rare pediatric disease, and (2) an eligible treatment. Requires the Secretary to deem a rare pediatric disease product application to be incomplete if it does not contain a description of the sponsor's plan to market the product in the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to issue a priority review voucher upon the approval of a rare pediatric disease application if the Secretary finds that the sponsor lacks a good faith intention to market the product in the United States. Directs the Secretary to issue a guidance document setting forth the evidentiary support necessary to demonstrate such a good faith intention. Requires sponsors of applications under the priority review voucher program to report to the Secretary within five years after the approval of the application on the demand and distribution of the product within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011 - Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take appropriate measures to ensure that: (1) the total number of federal employees, beginning in FY2015, does not exceed 90% of the total number of such employees as of September 30, 2011; (2) agencies do not appoint, until the end of FY 2014, more than one employee for every three employees retiring or otherwise separating from government service; and (3) there is no increase in the procurement of service contracts due to this Act unless a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be financially advantageous to the federal government. Requires OMB to continuously monitor all agencies and make a determination whether the total number of federal employees exceeds the limitation imposed by this Act. Prohibits a federal agency from filling any vacancy unless OMB provides written notice to the President and Congress that the number of federal employees does not exceed the limitation established by this Act. Allows the President to waive the workforce limitations imposed by this Act if the President determines that the existence of a state of war or other national security concern or the existence of an extraordinary emergency threatening life, health, public safety, property, or the environment so requires. Allows the President additional discretion to waive such workforce limitations if the President determines that the efficiency of a federal agency or the performance of its critical mission so requires.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or personal representative of Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Superfund Common Sense Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" and "pollutant or contaminant" for purposes of such Act. Defines "manure" to mean: (1) digestive emissions, feces, urine, urea and other excrement from livestock; (2) any associated bedding, compost, raw materials or other materials commingled with such excrement from livestock; (3) any process water associated with such items; and (4) any byproducts, constituents, or substances contained in, or originating from, such items or any emissions relating to such items. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt from notification requirements releases associated with manure.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Empowering Patients First Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores or revives provisions amended or repealed by such Act or such health care provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for qualified health insurance costs to residents of a state that implements a high-risk pool, a reinsurance pool, or other risk-adjustment mechanism. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment and governance of individual membership associations (IMAs) to make health benefits coverage available to IMA members and their dependents. Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2011 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. Directs that the laws of the state designated by a health insurance issuer (primary state) shall apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any other state (secondary state), but only if the coverage and issuer comply with conditions of this Act. Amends title XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require a state CHIP plan to specify how it will achieve coverage for 90% of targeted low-income children; and (2) prohibit CHIP payments for children with family income above 300% of the applicable poverty line. Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2011 - Sets forth provisions governing lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Establishes a statute of limitations and limits noneconomic and punitive damages. Permits a group health plan to vary premiums and cost-sharing by up to 50% of the benefits based on participation (or lack of participation) in a wellness program. Requires a health insurance issuer to provide claims information, on request, to a plan, plan sponsor, or plan administrator. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using comparative effectiveness research to deny coverage of an item or service under a federal health care program. Authorizes a state to establish a Health Plan and Provider Portal website to standardize information on health insurance plans available in the state. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of SSA to permit Medicare beneficiaries to contract with a physician or practitioner for health care items or services. Prohibits states from imposing limits on the amount of charges for health care services furnished by an eligible professional. Sets forth provisions regarding students loans and loan repayment for health care professionals. Exempts health care professionals from federal and state antitrust laws in connection with negotiations with a health plan regarding contract terms under which the professionals provide health care items or services for which plan benefits are provided. Establishes discretionary spending limits for FY2012-FY2021 for new budget authority in the nondefense category.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Unfunded Mandates Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to: (1) require regulatory impact analyses for rules that do not involve a legislative mandate and for final rules that do not have a prior notice of proposed rulemaking; (2) require federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final rule that may have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or that may result in the expenditure of $100 million or more in any one year by state, local, and tribal governments; (3) require such agencies to identify and consider regulatory alternatives before promulgating any proposed or final rule and select the least costly, most cost-effective, or least burdensome alternative; (4) define "cost" as the cost of compliance and any reasonably foreseeable indirect cost resulting from agency rulemaking; (5) exempt rules concerning monetary policy proposed or implemented by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Open Market Committee from provisions of such Act relating to regulatory accountability and reform, review of federal mandates, and judicial review; and (6) expand provisions relating to judicial review of regulatory impact analyses. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require independent regulatory agencies to conduct regulatory impact analyses.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should direct all federal agencies to postpone for one year the implementation of major rules that restrict economic growth, except for rules that provide for emergency services or national defense.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2011
Taiwan Policy Act of 2011 - States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to amend or supersede the Taiwan Relations Act. States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) support Taiwan and the human rights of its people, (2) permit senior leaders of Taiwan to enter the United States under conditions of appropriate respect and permit meetings between high level Taiwanese and U.S. officials in all U.S. executive departments, (3) sign a comprehensive extradition agreement, (4) accept a letter of request from Taiwan for price and availability data or for a formal sales offer regarding the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon aircraft, and (5) include Taiwan in the visa waiver program. States that in conducting relations with Taiwan and China the United States continues to assent to the six assurances provided to Taiwan in 1982. Directs: (1) the President to appoint a Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, (2) the Department of State to continue its program to ensure meaningful participation by Taiwan in international organizations, and (3) the Secretary of State to brief Congress about any potential defense-related transfers to Taiwan. Authorizes the President to make available to Taiwan defense items or defense services, including: (1) air, maritime, and ground capabilities; and (2) capacity for partnership with friendly foreign militaries. Expresses the sense of Congress that the goal of trade negotiations with Taiwan should be the negotiation of a free trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2011
Amends the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to exclude Members of Congress, except the Vice President, from further CSRS and FERS retirement coverage. Prohibits further government contributions or deductions from such Member's basic pay for deposit in the Treasury to the credit of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. States that nothing in this Act shall: (1) be considered to nullify, modify, or otherwise affect any right, entitlement, or benefit under CSRS for any Member covering any period before the enactment of this Act; or (2) affect the eligibility of a Member to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) in accordance with otherwise applicable law.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2011
Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to provide for reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms in different states by persons who are not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm and who are: (1) carrying a valid state license or permit for carrying a concealed firearm, or (2) otherwise entitled to carry a concealed firearm in their state of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Legal Workforce Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (Eliminates the current paper-based I-9 system.) Requires an employer to attest, during the verification period and under penalty of perjury, that the employer has verified that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining and recording the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining specified documents that establish such individual's identity and employment authorization. Requires an individual to attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. Subjects an individual who knowingly uses the social security number or other identification of another person to fine and/or imprisonment. Establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline (six months to two years) for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. (Exempts from verification requirements seasonal agricultural workers who return to work for a previous employer.) Requires reverification of the following workers who have not been verified under E-verify: (1) federal, state, or local government employees; (2) certain employees who require a federal security clearance; and (3) certain employees assigned to work in the United States under a federal or state contract. Authorizes an employer to voluntarily reverify employees. (Requires any such reverification to be applied to all individuals so employed). Includes employment recruitment and referral within the scope of EEVS. Requires EEVS use by union halls and nonprofit employment agencies. Requires EEVS to provide employers with: (1) temporary verification or nonverification within 3 working days of an inquiry; and (2) in the case of nonverification, a final verification or nonverification within 10 working days. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) an employer utilizing a good faith defense, (2) preemption of state or local law, (3) employer penalties, and (4) worker remedies for EEVS errors. Provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award grants for qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents. Requires such education to meet certain criteria, including: (1) being age-appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence-based; (2) having as its sole purpose the teaching of the skills and benefits of sexual abstinence as the optimal sexual health behavior for youth; and (3) teaching the benefits of refraining from nonmarital sexual activity, the advantage of reserving sexual activity for marriage, and the foundational components of a healthy relationship. Gives priority to programs that serve youth ages 12 to 19 and that will promote the protective benefits of parent-child communication regarding healthy sexual decisionmaking.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - Authorizes the President to award a Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Congressional Medal to: (1) the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, (2) the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, and (3) the Pentagon Memorial. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike three designs of such gold medal to honor, respectively: (1) those who lost their lives in the the attack at the World Trade Center, (2) the passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93 that was brought down in rural Pennsylvania, and (3) those who lost their lives at the Pentagon. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals and to distribute any funds from such sales exceeding costs equally between the three memorial sites.
United States · United States Congress · 2 September 2011
Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Requires federal public land management officials, in cooperation with the respective state and fish and wildlife agency, to exercise their authority under existing law, including regarding land use planning, to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public lands and waters for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting, except as described in this Act. Requires the heads of federal public land management agencies to exercise their discretion in a manner that supports and facilitates recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting opportunities, to the extent authorized under applicable law. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands, excluding lands on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity. Permits closures or restrictions on such lands for purposes including resource conservation, public safety, energy or mineral production, energy generation or transmission infrastructure, water supply facilities, national security, or compliance with other law. Allows federal agencies to: (1) lease their lands for shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific lands for recreational shooting activities. Requires annual reports on closures of federal public lands to recreational fishing, sport hunting, or shooting. Sets forth requirements for specified closures or significant restrictions involving 640 or more contiguous acres of federal public lands or waters to fishing or hunting or related activities. Instructs federal agencies to consult with respective advisory councils as specified in Executive Orders 12962 and 13443 in fulfilling the duties described in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 September 2011
Employee Workplace Freedom Act - Repeals the National Labor Relation Board's (NLRB) final rule published in the Federal Register on August 30, 2011, requiring employers (including labor organizations in their capacity as employers) to post notices informing employees of their rights to collectively bargain under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Prohibits the NLRB from promulgating or enforcing any rule that requires employers to post such notices on or after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Repeals the Legal Services Corporation Act (established a federally funded nonprofit corporation to provide financial support for legal assistance in noncriminal matters to persons financially unable to afford such assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any person from offering billfish or billfish products for sale, selling them, or having custody, control, or possession of them for purposes of offering them for sale or selling them. Treats a violation of this Act as an act prohibited by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Subjects a person to a maximum civil penalty of $100,000 for each violation, with each day of a continuing violation constituting a separate offense. Exempts the state of Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area, except that billfish may be sold under such exemption only in Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area. Defines "billfish" as any of the following: (1) blue marlin, (2) striped marlin, (3) black marlin, (4) sailfish, (5) shortbill spearfish, (6) white marlin, (7) roundscale spearfish, (8) Mediterranean spearfish, or (9) longbill spearfish. Excludes swordfish from such definition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Health Equity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax deduction allowed to self-employed individuals for health insurance costs; (2) allow a new tax deduction for the health care insurance costs of a taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, and dependents; and (3) expand the tax deduction for medical expenses to include costs for a membership in a fitness program or athletic club, fitness equipment, or weight loss program up to $1,200 in a taxable year and allow tax-free reimbursements for such expenses up to $1,200 a year under flexible spending arrangements and health reimbursement arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2011 or the PHIT Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly or heads of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses. Defines "qualified sports and fitness expenses" as amounts paid for fitness center memberships, physical exercise programs, and exercise equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2011
European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to prohibit an operator of a U.S. civil aircraft from participating in any emissions trading scheme unilaterally established by the European Union. Directs the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other appropriate U.S. government officials to use their authority to conduct international negotiations and take other actions necessary to ensure that operators of U.S. civil aircraft are held harmless from any such scheme.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2011
Social Security Check Guarantee Act of 2011 - Declares that the public debt limitation shall not be construed to preclude or limit timely payment in full of Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that would cause the discretionary spending limits established in this Act to be exceeded. Establishes the discretionary spending limits for FY2012 as $1,019,402,000,000 in new budget authority and $1,224,568,000,000 in outlays. Authorizes the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget to adjust such limits, budgetary aggregates in the most recently adopted concurrent budget resolution, and CBA committee allocations if a bill or joint resolution is reported making appropriations for FY2012 that provides funding for the global war on terrorism. Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that includes any provision that would cause total direct spending to exceed the spending limit specified in this Act. Exempts from such spending limits: (1) Social Security, function 650; (2) Medicare, function 570; (3) Veterans Benefits and Services, function 700; and (4) Net Interest, function 900. Makes $680.73 billion the limit on total combined outlays for all non-exempt direct spending for FY2012. Amends the CBA to prescribe requirements for implementing sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to enforce the discretionary and direct spending caps in this Act. Exempts from any sequestration orders: (1) payments for military personnel accounts (within subfunctional category 051), (2) TRICARE for Life, (3) Medicare (functional category 570), (4) military retirement, (5) Social Security (functional category 650), (6) veterans (functional category 700), (7) net interest (functional category 900), and (8) discretionary appropriations. Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider legislation which waives, modifies, or in any way alters a sequestration order unless the chair of the House or Senate Committee on the Budget certifies that the measure achieves the same levels of reductions in new budget authority and outlays for the applicable year in such order. Amends the CBA to prescribe requirements for enforcing GDP outlay limits. Requires: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish in the President's budget the GDP outlay limit for the budget year, and (2) total federal outlays to include all on-budget and off-budget outlays. Amends the CBA to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that would cause the most recently reported current GDP outlay limits set forth in this Act to be exceeded. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from exercising additional borrowing authority until the date that the Archivist of the United States transmits to the states for their ratification H.J. Res. 1 (as reported on June 23, 2011), S.J. Res. 10 (as introduced on March 31, 2011), or H.J. Res. 56 (as introduced on April 7, 2011), a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, or a similar amendment if it requires that total outlays not exceed total receipts, contains a spending limitation as a percentage of GDP, and requires that tax increases be approved by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Increases the public debt from $14.294 trillion to $16.7 trillion on the date such legislation is transmitted to the states.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
Restoring Access to Medication Act - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that limited payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin. Rescinds appropriated but unobligated discretionary funds determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to be equal to the reduction in tax revenues resulting from the repeal in this Act. Requires the Director to report to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress the accounts and amounts identified for rescission. Exempts unobligated funds of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Social Security Administration (SSA).
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2011
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or A PLUS Act - Allows each state to enter into a five-year performance agreement with the Secretary of Education permitting it to receive federal funds on a consolidated basis that would otherwise be directed toward specific programs furthering the stated purpose of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires each agreement to be approved by a combination of specified state parties, and list the programs for which consolidated funding is requested. Allows states to use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law, but requires them to make certain assurances that they will use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, abide by federal civil rights laws, and advance educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. Allows amendments to the scope of performance agreements. Requires each agreement state to: (1) maintain an accountability system measuring annual student progress toward state proficiency standards, (2) disseminate annually student performance data disaggregated by specified student groups, and (3) keep aggregate spending on elementary and secondary education at no less than 90% of such spending for the school year coinciding with this Act's enactment. Limits administrative expenses. Requires the inclusion of private schools and teachers in activities funded on a consolidated basis. Directs the Secretary to evaluate each performance agreement midway through its execution. Allows the Secretary to terminate an agreement whose terms are not met for three consecutive school years.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Hinder the Administration's Legalization Temptation Act or the HALT Act - Suspends until January 21, 2013, authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act for: (1) waiver of inadmissibility of aliens unlawfully present in the United States; (2) cancellation of removal and adjustment of status for certain non-permanent residents; (3) temporary parole into the United States, except for parole entries for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes; and (4) designation of a country for temporary protected status. Revises, until January 21, 2013, the definition of "unauthorized alien" (for purposes of the unauthorized employment of aliens) to eliminate the exclusion from such definition of an alien authorized to work by the Attorney General (DOJ). Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting deferred action or extended voluntary departure to any alien until January 21, 2013, except for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes. Suspends specified regulations concerning employment of aliens until January 21, 2013. Revokes, as of the date of enactment of this Act, any immigration benefit granted during the period beginning on July 12, 2011, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act under any authority suspended by this Act with respect to: (1) parole authority, (2) the definition of an unauthorized alien, (3) deferred action or extended voluntary departure, or (4) such specified regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2011
Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011 - Amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to require the President, through the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the National Science and Technology Council, to establish an Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia (Task Force). Directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, through the Task Force, to: (1) establish and maintain a National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program to develop a national strategy to address marine and freshwater harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events; (2) promote activities and an action strategy to implement such Program; (3) oversee the development and review of regional research and action plans for addressing marine and freshwater harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events; (4) maintain a focus on technology research and development for each of the categories of marine harmful algal blooms, freshwater harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia in monitoring, predicting, preventing, controling, mitigating, and responding to events; (5) expand the existing electronic clearinghouse to provide information about such harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; and (6) develop a mechanism to provide a reliable and cost-effective supply of toxin standards for comparative research. Establishes the duties of the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under such Program. Directs the Administrator, through the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force, to submit an updated assessment and a revised action plan prior to the implementation of any plan developed under such Act. Directs the Task Force to complete and submit to Congress and the President a plan for reducing, mitigating, and controlling hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2011
Health Care Professionals Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to prohibit a health care entity from submitting a report to the National Practitioner Data Bank on a professional review action that would adversely affect a physician's clinical privileges while the physician is under investigation before adequate notice of and hearing procedures for such action and investigation or such other procedures as are fair are afforded to the physician. Applies such prohibition to permissive reporting to the Board of Medical Examiners for a licensed health care practitioner who is not a physician. Requires a health care entity to provide a physician with copies of all evidence expected to be offered against the physician in any hearing on a professional review action.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2011
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of 2011 - Permits a home health agency to determine the most appropriate skilled professional to conduct the initial assessment visit and to complete the comprehensive assessment for an individual who: (1) is eligible for home health services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; but (2) does not require skilled nursing care as long as that skilled service is initially ordered by the physician and, in the case of a referral order that includes occupational therapy, the order also includes physical therapy or speech language pathology.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2011
Border Security Technology Innovation Act of 2011 - Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that any federal government interagency or intra-agency agreement entered into by the Under Secretary to develop and transition new technology explicitly characterizes the requirements, expected use, and concept of operations for that technology. Changes the termination date for DHS's Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee to December 31, 2014. Directs the Comptroller General to assess the basic science research needs in the border and maritime security domain. Requires: (1) the Secretary of DHS and the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office to continue to research and develop technologies to permit routine operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, including autonomously piloted drones, within the national airspace for border and maritime security missions without any degradation of existing levels of safety for all national airspace system users; (2) the Secretary to coordinate with the Director to enter into pilot projects in designated test ranges in sparsely populated, low-density air traffic airspace to conduct research, experiments, and data collection in order to accelerate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as part of that Office's research activities; (3) the Under Secretary to continue to research and develop technologies to permit detection of near surface voids, such as tunnels, with an emphasis on technologies with real time capability; and (4) the Secretary to coordinate with other federal agencies and ensure the integration of such activities with relevant efforts of such other agencies and DHS's Centers of Excellence Program. Directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to continue a joint research and development program on anti-counterfeit technologies and standards; and (2) the Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to continue research on the use of mobile biometric technology at the nation's borders between the ports of entry.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Mark Twain. Limits issuance of such coins to calendar year 2016. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be promptly paid, in specified percentages, to: (1) the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the continued restoration of the house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain; (2) the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study and promote Mark Twain's legacy; (3) the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, for the same purposes; and (4) the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites related to Mark Twain and help support study and promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Palestinian Accountability Act - Prohibits any U.S. government document from referring to the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) as Palestine until the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that the PA: (1) does not inappropriately influence elections in PA-contolled areas; (2) is promoting human rights and ending government corruption; (3) has taken steps to dismantle terrorist infrastructures and arrest terrorists, control Palestinian security organizations, and end the incitement to violence and hatred in the Palestinian media, educational institutions, and mosques; (4) has ceased to participate in any boycott of Israel; (5) works with Israel to implement the Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict of 2003 (the Roadmap to Peace); (6) recognizes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state; and (7) has excluded Hamas from participating in a unity government or has required Hamas to publicly support such requirements. Prohibits certain Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 funds from being made available to the PA unless: (1) a U.S. nongovernmental or private entity audits the PA budget and the Secretary submits the audit to Congress, and (2) the Secretary certifies to Congress that the PA meets specified requirements. Prohibits funds from being obligated or expended for U.S. contributions to the United Nations (U.N.) if the U.N. or any U.N. entity recognizes statehood for the Palestinian territories unless the Secretary certifies to Congress that the PA meets specified requirements. Prohibits funds from from being obligated or expended for U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) unless: (1) a U.S. nongovernmental or private entity audits the UNRWA budget and the Secretary submits the audit to Congress, and (2) the Secretary certifies to Congress that UNRWA meets specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Authorizes the American Legion under its federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to the individual Departments and Posts. Prohibits it from controlling or otherwise influencing the specific activities and conduct of independent, autonomous Departments and Posts.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions allowing a tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local government by: (1) increasing the amount of benefits excludible, and (2) extending such tax exclusion through 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2011 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that any enterprise or institution owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its lands is not considered an employer (thus excluding such enterprises or institutions from coverage by such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to repeal authority to: (1) provide certain loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including loans related to the New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB); (2) increase the U.S. quota in the IMF; and (3) approve the sale of IMF gold. Rescinds related appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" as the termination of a pregnancy with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, remove a dead unborn child who died as the result of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauma, or a criminal assault on the pregnant female or her unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Fishery Science Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 to postpone from fishing year 2011 to 2014 the effective date upon which a mechanism for specifying annual catch limits and accountability measures for fisheries other than those determined by the Secretary of Commerce to be subject to overfishing must be established in fishery management plans prepared by any Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary, implementing regulations, or annual specifications. Makes the catch limit mechanism, for all fisheries, inapplicable to a fishery for any stock of fish: (1) for which a peer reviewed stock survey and stock assessment have not been performed during the five-year period before enactment of this Act and for which the Secretary determines overfishing is not occurring, and (2) that is an ecosystem stock. Defines "ecosystem stock" as a stock of fish determined by the Secretary to be a nontarget stock that is not overfished or likely to become overfished. Requires the Secretary, within 270 days after determining that a fishery is overfished, to perform a stock survey and stock assessment of each of the overfished stocks in the fishery and transmit the assessment to the appropriate Council.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Debt Elimination By Tax-Deductible Contribution Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate a specified portion (not less than $1) of their income tax liability for deposit in the general fund of the Treasury to reduce the public debt. Allows any such gift to the United States for reduction of the public debt to be treated as a tax deductible charitable contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Commends the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children. Calls on fathers across the United States to use Father's Day to: (1) reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives, (2) spend Father's Day with their children, and (3) express their love and support for their children. Urges men to understand the level of responsibility fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement of children's moral, mental, social, academic, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. Encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children, including the devotion of time, energy, and resources.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that each U.S. commercial air carrier should provide any Armed Forces member traveling on official military orders and being deployed overseas or returning from overseas deployment: (1) boarding and seat upgrading priority, and (2) baggage fee waivers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2011
Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access, and Treatment Effectiveness Act of 2011 or the PROSTATE Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force, with duties to include: (1) developing a summary of advances in federal prostate cancer research and compile a list of best practices that warrant broader adoption in health care programs; (2) considering establishing guidance to enable physicians to allow screening of men over age 74; (3) coordinating information on federal research and health care program activities relating to prostate cancer; and (4) submitting recommendations regarding federal research and health care programs. Directs the Secretary to establish and carry out a program to coordinate and intensify prostate cancer research, including by developing advances in diagnostic and prognostic methods and tests, better understanding the etiology of the disease, and establishing clinical registries for prostate cancer and awarding research grants. Establishes in the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a Prostate Cancer Scientific Advisory Board to be responsible for accelerating real-time sharing of the latest research data and accelerating movement of new medicines to patients. Directs the Secretary of VA, the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish four-year telehealth pilot projects to analyze the clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness associated with telehealth services in a variety of geographic areas that contain high proportions of medically underserved populations and those in rural areas. Requires the Secretary of VA to develop a national education campaign for prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2011
Prohibits federal agencies, including executive, legislative, and judicial agencies, the United States Postal Service (USPO), the Postal Regulatory Commission, and the government of the District of Columbia, from deducting labor organization fees from the salaries of their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011
Lions Clubs International Century of Service Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue as legal tender $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Lions Clubs International. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the centennial. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during calendar 2017. Requires sales of the coins to include a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be paid by the Secretary to the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011
Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS): (1) within 180 days, to report on metrics to be used to gauge the incidents or occurrences of cross-border violence and on how the resulting findings shall be quantified for periodic reporting; and (2) every 90 days after submitting such report, to report on incidents or occurrences of cross-border violence, incorporating such metrics and including information and crime statistics from federal, state, local, and tribal sources. Requires such metrics to include: (1) border sheriff and state law enforcement reports on crime, vandalism, theft, burglary, apprehensions, accidents, and capital crimes; (2) reports from local hospitals in border states regarding the number of individuals treated for wounds obtained during acts of cross-border violence; (3) the impact to property values and businesses along the border as a result of factors such as acts of vandalism, theft, burglary, destruction of property, and intimidation; and (4) accounts of cross-border violence reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agencies.
![Official portrait of Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/117_rp_md_1_harris_andy_200.jpg)