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United States · Official source
8,146 records where Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Malala Yousufzai in recognition of her devoted service to education, justice, and equality in Pakistan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act of 2013 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to require each state to allow individuals to vote in a federal election on each day during the 15-day period ending on the second day immediately preceding the election date in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day. Requires a state to ensure that each polling place that allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. Requires each state to provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources (including physical resources) at a polling place used in a federal election to ensure: (1) a fair and equitable waiting time for all voters in the state, and (2) that no individual will be required to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at the polling place. Requires each state to develop, and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a contingency plan under which it shall provide any polling place on a federal election day whose waiting times exceed one hour with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies, including a polling place at which individuals may cast ballots before the election date. Requires the Commission to report to Congress biennially on the impact of this Act's early voting and waiting time provisions on the administration of elections for federal office. Prescribes requirements for the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. Allows civil money penalties, intervention by aggrieved parties, and private actions to address HAVA violations by a state or jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2013
Recognizes the centennial anniversary of the founding of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Honors the Sorority and its members for a century of fortitude and distinguished service to the people of this country and the global community.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2012
Foster Youth Higher Education Opportunities Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to inform students who indicate on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that they are or were in the foster care system of their potential eligibility for federal student aid, including the specific federal programs under which they may be eligible for assistance. Requires the Secretary to provide foster youth with that same information on the Department of Education's website.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2012
Recognizes the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Commemorates the legacy of Rosa Parks to inspire all people of the United States to stand up for freedom and the principles of the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2012
Honors and recognizes David "Dave" Warren Brubeck for his legacy in music composition and jazz, and his contributions to the international community.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2012
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act or SIMPLE Voting Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to allow individuals to vote in a federal election on each day during the 15-day period ending two days before the election date in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day. Requires a state to ensure that each polling place which allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. Requires each state to provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources (including physical resources) at a polling place used in a federal election to ensure: (1) a fair and equitable waiting time for all voters in the state, and (2) that no individual will be required to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at the polling place. Requires each state to develop, and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a contingency plan under which it shall provide any polling place on a federal election day whose waiting times exceed one hour with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies, including a polling place at which individuals may cast ballots before the election date.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2012
Supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. Recognizes that every child in foster care deserves a permanent and loving family.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2012
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Malala Yousufzai in recognition of her devoted service to education, justice, and equality in Pakistan.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), upon a request by the chairman or ranking minority member of either congressional budget committee, to determine if a proposed measure would result in reductions in budget outlays in budgetary outyears through the use of preventive health and preventive health services. Requires CBO, if the measure would result in such substantial reductions, to include in any CBO projection a description and estimate of such reductions and a description of the basis for such conclusions. Authorizes CBO to prepare a budget projection that includes some or all of the budgetary outyears.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 2012 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to direct, coordinate, and assist federal agencies in implementing: (1) a common application and reporting system and uniform administrative rules for federal financial assistance programs; and (2) an interagency process for addressing ways to streamline and simplify federal financial assistance administrative procedures and reporting requirements for state and local governments and nonprofit organizations (non-federal entities), improved interagency and intergovernmental coordination of information collection and data sharing, and improvements in the timeliness, completeness, and quality of information received by agencies from recipients of federal financial assistance. Authorizes the Director to exempt any federal agency or federal financial assistance program from the requirements of this Act if the Director determines that the agency does not have a significant number of federal financial assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Inclusive Prosperity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on the transfer of ownership in certain securities, including any share of stock in a corporation, any partnership or beneficial interest in a partnership or trust, any note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness (excluding tax-exempt municipal bonds), or derivative financial instruments; and (2) allow an individual taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income does not exceed $50,000 a tax credit for the amount of tax paid on financial transactions under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Condemns: (1) the commission of hate crimes against all Americans, including Sikh-Americans; and (2) acts of violence, bigotry, and discrimination against Sikh-Americans. Urges: (1) educators, counselors, and others to support educational efforts to prevent the epidemic bullying of Sikh-American children and families; and (2) the Department of Justice (DOJ) to begin documenting and quantifying hate crimes and other acts of violence perpetrated against Sikh-Americans. Expresses support for: (1) outreach efforts by federal and local law enforcement leaders to prevent violence and hate crimes against Sikh-Americans; and (2) the right of the Sikh-American community to live in peace and free from discrimination, hate crimes, bullying, and all forms of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Stop Overdose Stat Act or the S.O.S. Act - Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) award grants or enter into cooperative agreements to enable eligible entities to reduce deaths occurring from drug overdoses, and (2) give priority to eligible public health agencies or community-based organizations that have expertise in preventing deaths occurring from overdoses in high risk populations. Conditions receipt of a grant or agreement on an entity agreeing to use the grant or agreement for: (1) purchasing and distributing the drug naloxone; (2) educating physicians and pharmacists about overdose prevention and naloxone prescription; (3) training first responders, other individuals in a position to respond to an overdose, and law enforcement and corrections officials on the effective response; (4) implementing and enhancing programs to provide overdose prevention, recognition, treatment, and response to individuals in need; and (5) expanding such programs. Requires the Director to: (1) compile and publish, annually, data on fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses for the preceding year; and (2) award grants to state, local, or tribal governments, or the National Poison Data System working in conjunction with such governments, to improve drug overdose surveillance and reporting capabilities. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and submit to Congress a plan to reduce the number of deaths occurring from overdoses. Requires the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to: (1) prioritize and conduct or support research on drug overdose and overdose prevention, and (2) support research on the development of dosage forms of naloxone for the prehospital treatment of unintentional drug overdose.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should reject the provisions of H.R. 6083, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Agriculture, that reduce the availability or amount of benefits provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) in effect under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Recognizes the significance of the 50th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago's independence to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and supports the ideals of Trinidad and Tobago's Independence Day.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Recognizes the significance of the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's independence to the people of Jamaica and supports the ideals of Jamaica's Independence Day.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2012
United States Civil Rights Trail Special Resource Study Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate a range of alternatives for the protection and interpretation of sites associated with the struggle for civil rights in the United States, including alternatives for potential addition of some or all of the sites to the National Trails System. Requires submission of a report to Congress that contains the results of such study and recommendations of the Secretary with respect to the route.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2012
Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2012 - Amends the federal criminal code to require the licensing of ammunition dealers. Prohibits any person except a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) selling ammunition, with an exception for a sale of ammunition to a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer; or (2) engaging in the business of importing or manufacturing ammunition, or in the course of such business, from shipping, transporting, or receiving ammunition. Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) transferring ammunition to a person without verifying the person's identity by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of such person; or (2) selling or delivering any ammunition (currently, any armor-piercing ammunition) to any person unless the licensee notes in his records the person's name, age, and place of residence, if the person is an individual, or the person's identity and principal and local places of business, if the person is a business entity. Applies prohibitions applicable to the shipping or transport of firearms, and record-keeping requirements applicable to the importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms, to ammunition. Requires each licensee to: (1) prepare a report of multiple sales or other dispositions whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an unlicensed person at one time or during any five consecutive business days; and (2) forward such report to the specified office and to the department of state police, the state law enforcement agency, or the local law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the sale took place by the close of business on the day the multiple sale occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2012
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2012 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.10 an hour on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act; (2) $8.95 an hour after one year; (3) $9.80 an hour after two years; and (4) the amount determined by the Secretary of Labor (based on increases in the Consumer Price Index) after three years, and annually thereafter. Increases the federal minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.00 an hour for one year on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act. Provides a formula for subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase to ensure that it remains equal to 70% of the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Directs the Secretary of Labor, 60 days before any increase in the minimum wage, to publish it in the Federal Register and on the Department of Labor's website.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Flight School Security Act of 2012 - Revises federal flight training requirements authorizing a flight instructor, pilot school, or aviation training center to provide training in the operation of certain aircraft to an alien or any other individual specified by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS). Prescribes the additional requirement that such training may occur only upon receipt of information from the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA]) that: (1) the individual has been checked against the terrorist watchlist, and (2) the Assistant Secretary has determined that individual is a non-threat to aviation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2018 for the Votes for Women History Trail Route in the state of New York, the National Women's Rights History Project Registry, and the National Women's Rights History Project Partnership Network.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2012
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that any deal on taxes and spending to replace the Budget Control Act of 2011 should: (1) not cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits; (2) contain serious revenue increases, including closing corporate tax loopholes and increasing individual income tax rates for the highest earners; (3) significantly reduce defense spending to focus the U.S. Armed Forces on combating 21st century risks; and (4) promote economic growth and expanded economic opportunity by including strong levels of job-creating federal investments in areas such as infrastructure and education, and by promoting private investment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2012
Transferring Credits for College Completion Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to include on the College Navigator website the percentage of undergraduates at an institution of higher education (IHE) who have transferred from another IHE and earned their degree or certificate in their program of study within: (1) the normal time for its completion, (2) 150% of the normal time for its completion, and (3) 200% of the normal time for its completion. Requires IHEs, to the extent practicable, to include in their course schedule publications information on whether each listed course or program of study is transferable for credit toward the completion of a degree at a public IHE located in their state. Requires each public IHE, by July 1, 2014, to enter into an articulation agreement with the other public IHEs located in its state. Requires those agreements to include: (1) a common general education core curriculum consisting of at least 30 credit hours or equivalent coursework that are fully transferable toward meeting specific degree or certificate requirements at other public IHEs in the state, (2) common course numbering for substantially similar courses in that curriculum, and (3) a guarantee that an associate degree in an academic major in the arts and sciences at a public IHE in the state will be credited as the first 2 years of a related baccalaureate program at other public IHEs in the state. Excepts Tribal Colleges or Universities from those articulation agreement requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2012
Amends the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, with respect to the judicial procedure for appealing from the decisions of courts of the Virgin Islands to courts of the United States, to remove the temporary jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to review by a writ of certiorari the final decisions of the highest court of the Virgin Islands (thereby providing for direct appeals from the Virgin Islands Supreme Court to the U.S. Supreme Court).
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2012
WIPA and PABSS Continuation of Services Act of 2012 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to repeal the expired authorization of appropriations for (and thus continue services under) the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2012
Recognizes the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors the NAACP for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2012
Supports the XIX International AIDS Conference and the goal of bringing renewed awareness of, and commitment to, addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States and abroad. Recognizes that continued U.S. commitment to HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment programs is crucial to protecting global health and commits to supporting a stronger global response to HIV/AIDS. Encourages public and private sector development of innovative therapies and advances in clinical treatment for HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2012
Recommends that the Speaker of the House of Representatives not move to proceed to the consideration of the resolution finding Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States, in contempt of Congress pursuant to the report of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform dated June 22, 2012 (H.Rept. 112-546). Resolves that the Committee should use its investigatory powers to intercede on behalf of the American people and return to addressing issues such as those pertaining to job creation, improvements to education, and enhancing and protecting the health of the American people.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2012
Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Terrorism Act of 2012 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials responsible for counterterrorism and addressing the threat of violent extremism, to: (1) develop guidance, outreach, training, and programs in furtherance of national counterterrorism policy; and (2) develop and distribute to state, local, and tribal authorities courses and materials that comply with the Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin No. 373 or successor bulletin for integration into the curricula for recruits and recurrent training for experienced law enforcement officers. Requires guidance for homeland security grant programs to inform recipients that expenditures on any training, programs, presentations, and speakers regarding counterterrorism that includes information about violent extremism, homegrown violent extremism, or domestic violent extremism that is acquired from an entity other than DHS must be approved in advance by DHS's Chief Privacy Officer and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Directs DHS's Inspector General to: (1) regularly review expenditures of homeland security grant programs by state, local, and tribal authorities on training, programs, presentations, and speakers that are not acquired through the Secretary regarding counterterrorism, violent extremism, homegrown violent extremism, and domestic violent extremism; and (2) evaluate whether each expenditure is consistent with national counterterrorism priorities and constitutional civil rights and civil liberties, including prohibiting racial, ethnic, and religious profiling.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2012
Recognizes and commends the nation's Catholic sisters, whose inspiring legacy of service continues to enrich our nation. Honors the contributions of Catholic sisters to this country. Stands in solidarity with Catholic sisters' mission to work toward a more just society for all of God's people.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2012
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that federal employees should be commended for: (1) their tireless work and extensive efforts on behalf of the people of the United States; and (2) the benefits they bring to the public welfare, the progress of democracy, and the United States as a whole.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2012
Graduate Success Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to pay the interest that accrues on unsubsidized Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) that are deferred due to a student borrower's lack of full-time employment. Requires the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on Federal Consolidation Loans that are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment, provided the application for such a loan is received on or after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on FFELs and DLs that are subject to income-based repayment provisions and are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment. Limits these interest-free deferment periods to those occurring on or after this Act's enactment and covering no more than three years of full-time unemployment.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2012
Increasing Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care Act - Amends the school improvement program under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require the annual report cards issued by states to include information on the academic achievement and secondary school graduation rates of foster children. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to reserve school improvement funds to serve children in foster care. Establishes part J (Educational Stability of Children in Foster Care) under title I of the ESEA. Requires states to develop and implement a plan to ensure that children that move to a new school attendance area due to being placed in foster care, changing their foster care placement, or leaving foster care: (1) enroll or remain in their school of origin and receive transportation to and from that school, unless it is determined to be in their best interest to attend a different school; (2) are immediately enrolled in a school once it is determined to be in their best interest to attend the school, even if they are unable to produce the records normally required for enrollment; and (3) have their school records maintained and available for immediate transfer to their new school. Gives a child who leaves foster care the right to remain in his or her school of origin only for the remainder of the school year. Requires states to ensure that foster children are able to: (1) preserve the credits or partial credits they earned at schools they previously attended, and (2) receive a secondary school diploma from one of the schools at which they were enrolled or through a state-issued secondary school diploma system. Requires LEAs and state educational agencies to each designate an individual to oversee implementation of their part J obligations and serve as a point of contact for the child welfare agencies responsible for foster children. Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to eliminate children and youths who are awaiting foster care placement from the definition of "homeless children and youths."
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Voter Empowerment Act of 2012 - Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2012 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) to require each state to make available official public websites for online voter registration. Authorizes automated voter registration of certain individuals and establishes other initiatives to promote voter registration, such as same day registration and voter registration of individuals under 18 years of age. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to establish requirements for states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities, including a single office for providing related information. Directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to make grants to eligible states to conduct pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register to vote and vote privately and independently at their own residences (including by telephone). Amends HAVA to reauthorize the program of grants to state and local governments to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit state or local election officials from preventing an individual from registering or voting in any federal election (voter caging), or from permitting a formal challenge under state law to an individual's registration status or eligibility to vote, if the basis for such decision is evidence consisting of: (1) a voter caging document or voter caging list, (2) an unverified match list, (3) an error or omission on voter application or registration documents that is not material to an individual's eligibility to vote, or (4) any other evidence so designated by the Commission. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a person, including an election official, from knowingly and willfully attempting to or depriving or defrauding the residents of a state of their free and fair exercise of the right to vote by the communication of election-related information that is known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent. Increases the penalty for voter intimidation. Declares that the right of an individual U.S. citizen to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless he or she is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution at the time of the election. Prescribes enforcement of this right by public or private civil action. Requires each state to notify in writing any individual convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release from state custody or upon sentence to probation, that he or she has the right to vote in a federal election and so may register to vote. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2012 - Amends HAVA to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical character recognition device or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Prescribes requirements for: (1) publication of poll tapes, (2) treatment of ballots cast at early voting sites and of absentee ballots, and (3) the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. Prescribes laboratory conflict-of-interest requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Requires each state, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to EAC for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Amends HAVA to: (1) add requirements for counting provisional ballots, (2) require each state to allow early voting and facilitate the ability of voters to vote by mail. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) with respect to pre-election reports on availability and transmission of absentee ballots. Revises the 45-day absentee ballot transmission rule. Permits: (1) use of a single absentee ballot application for subsequent elections, and (2) application of the UOCAVA to Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. Entitles to leave a federal employee who serves as a poll worker. Directs the EAC to: (1) make a grant to each eligible state for poll-worker recruitment and training, and (2) develop materials for a model state poll worker training program. Amends HAVA to make available to any person aggrieved by a violation of uniform and nondiscriminatory election technology and administration requirements the option to file a complaint with the Attorney General or pursue a private right of action to enforce such requirements. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless he or she or a family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. Amends the NVRA to treat universities as voter registration agencies. Amends the HAVA to establish minimum notification requirements on behalf of voters affected by polling place changes. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) coordinate the establishment of a state-based response system for responding to questions and complaints from individuals voting or seeking to vote, or registering to vote or seeking to, in federal elections; (2) establish and operate a toll-free telephone service to connect directly to such response system; and (3) appoint a Voter Hotline Task Force. Amends HAVA to: (1) reauthorize and extend the EAC, and (2) repeal its exemption from certain government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2011 [ sic ] - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical scanner or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires each paper ballot used to be: (1) suitable for a manual audit, and (2) counted by hand in any recount or audit conducted with respect to any federal election. Sets forth a special rule for treatment of disputes when paper ballots have been shown to be compromised. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Specifies additional voting system requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Makes available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Provides for complaints to the Attorney General by persons aggrieved by violations of HAVA. Requires each state to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Makes an exception from this requirement for elections in which the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the vote total. Prescribes requirements for determination of the number of ballots counted under the audit. Prescribes the process for administering audits. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Provides for payments to states for the costs of conducting audits. Exempts from this Act any election for which a recount under state law will commence before certification of the election results. Repeals the EAC's exemption from certain federal government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2012
Supports the goals and ideals of National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2012
Update and Streamline REIT Act of 2012 or US REIT Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of real estate investment trusts (REITs), to: (1) modify safe harbor rules for avoiding penalties for prohibited sales of rental and timber properties by REITs by allowing three-year averaging of sales proceeds for such properties, (2) repeal the preferential dividend rule for dividend payments to shareholders of publicly-offered REITs, (3) revise REIT income and assets tests to allow treatment of publicly-offered REIT debt instruments and personal property leased or mortgaged in connection with REIT real property as real estate assets, (4) make permanent the treatment of gain from sales of timber property and mineral royalties as qualifying REIT income, and (5) revise the calculation of REIT earnings and profits to avoid duplicate taxation of REIT shareholders.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2012
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Congress and the President should end the pay freeze for federal employees in January 2013 and should prevent any further cuts to federal employee pensions or benefits; (2) federal employee contributions to their retirement system should not be increased; (3) the annuity multiplier used to determine retirement benefits for federal employees should not be decreased; (4) the Federal Employees Retirement System annuity supplement should not be eliminated and federal employees who are eligible to retire should be able to do so regardless of their age; (5) Social Security reform should not include utilizing a Chained Consumer Price Index, which would reduce federal annuities; (6) the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program should not be turned into a voucher program that shifts the costs of health insurance to employees and retirees; (7) the tax increase on new federal employees that funds part of the extension of the Unemployment Insurance program should be repealed; (8) the work that federal employees perform on behalf of the American people should be respected; and (9) Congress should recognize that efforts to reduce the compensation and support provided to federal employees undermine our government's ability to meet its obligations to citizens and hurt federal agencies' ability to recruit and retain a high-quality federal workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2012
Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to: (1) increase the availability of treatment for abuse of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), and phencyclidine (PCP); (2) provide vouchers to individuals in underserved populations for authorized services related to such treatment; and (3) establish programs to provide for and coordinate the provision of wrap-around services, such as medical services, job training services, and housing assistance, to affected by such substances. Revises the grant program to provide residential substance abuse treatment to pregnant and postpartum women to: (1) make caregiver parents eligible for such program, (2) make Indian tribes and tribal organizations eligible for grants, and (3) set forth the priority for allocation of grants. Requires the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct research on the effectiveness of the use of agonist and antagonist drugs to reduce the problems associated with stimulant abuse, including cocaine and methamphetamine abuse. Requires the Secretary to seek to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to complete a literature review on the effectiveness of agonist and antagonist drugs for the treatment of stimulant abuse, including cocaine and methamphetamine abuse. Requires the Comptroller General to study: (1) the impact of the programs authorized by this Act on the effectiveness and availability of treatment for abuse of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and phencyclidine; (2) how the level of federal funding available for such treatment compares to the amount necessary to provide adequate treatment; and (3) the impact of effective treatment on cost savings due to the reduced need for criminal justice and other services. Requires additional amounts authorized by this Act, prior to being appropriated, to be fully offset by a reduction to one or more other appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2012
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - Declares it an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) not make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept; or (4) require such employees to take leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2012
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of Mental Health Month, and (2) the finding of the President's Commission on Mental Health that the nation's failure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy. Recognizes that mental well-being is as important as physical well-being for citizens, communities, businesses, and the economy. Applauds the coalescing of national and community organizations in working to promote public awareness of mental health and in providing critical information and support to the people and families affected by mental illness. Encourages organizations and health practitioners to use Mental Health Month as an opportunity to promote mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to appropriate services, and support overall quality of life for those living with mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2012
Acknowledges the historical significance of April 2, 2012, for the release of the 1940 decennial census records. Commends the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Bureau of the Census for the collection and maintenance of such records. Encourages the people of the United States to research their family history in such records.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2012
Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to implement or expand research-based reforms in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to recruit and retain minority students who are underrepresented in STEM fields. Authorizes the use of such grants on reforms that include: (1) bridge, cohort, tutoring, or mentoring programs; (2) outreach to minority elementary and secondary school students; (3) faculty development and recognition programs; (4) efforts to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in the full gamut of STEM disciplines offered by IHEs; (5) efforts to increase and support their participation in research; and (6) support for the participation of minority graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in instructional or assessment activities at primarily undergraduate IHEs. Requires each grant to include an education research component so that reform efforts can be evaluated and, if shown to be effective, replicated to improve the participation of minority students in STEM fields at other schools. Requires the Director of the NSF to award competitive grants to IHEs to develop innovative reform efforts designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2012
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) involuntary homelessness should be eliminated; (2) the federal government should provide adequate funding for the rental housing voucher program under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, the Community Development Block Grant program, and the HOME Investment Partnerships program; (3) legislation should be enacted that provides the National Housing Trust Fund with the $1 billion requested in the President's FY2013 Budget Request; and (4) the federal government should move away from a "shelter first" housing policy and instead promote a "housing first" policy that provides employment and training opportunities, transportation, and other self-sufficiency services to help the involuntarily homeless.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2012
Women's Option to Raise Kids Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to increase from 12 to 36 months the child's age limit for exemption by a state of single parents with children from TANF requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2012
Making Adoption Affordable Act of 2012 - Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 allowing an increased tax credit for adoption expenses and an increased exclusion from gross income for amounts paid by an employer for adoption expenses. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reinstate and make permanent: (1) the increase in the tax credit for adoption expenses and the increased exclusion from gross income for amounts paid by an employer for adoption expenses that were enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (2) the annual inflation adjustments for such increased amounts, and (3) the refundability of the tax credit for adoption expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2012
Let's Grow Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) (Secretary) to carry out the Green and Healthy Corner Store Initiative to assist qualified convenience stores expand their offering of fruits and vegetables. Directs the Secretary to make grants to provide access to farmers' markets for communities with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly areas of predominantly lower-income communities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pilot grant program to allow local and tribal governments to conduct food security assessments. Directs the Secretary, regarding the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly food stamp program), to: (1) establish a Fresh Incentive Program to improve participant access to local fruits and vegetables, and (2) provide grants to urban farmers' markets for installation of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) systems. Directs the Secretary to make grants for a Farm-to-Preschool program that fosters the connection between preschools, Head Start programs, childcare or day care centers, kindergarten readiness programs and in-home care facilities with small- or medium-sized agricultural producers to develop an industry-leading preschool nutrition education and meal program. Establishes in USDA a Healthy Food Financing Initiative to: (1) improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas; (2) create and preserve quality jobs; and (3) revitalize low-income communities by providing loans and grants to eligible food retailers to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved, urban, suburban, and rural areas. Directs the Secretary to provide grants for urban and Native American community gardens. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make grants to convert abandoned or foreclosed property to urban agricultural use; (2) enter into an agreement with the Corporation for National and Community Service to provide the Corporation with funds to support the creation of the HarvestCorps program; and (3) make grants to establish urban farms, gardens, or aquacultural or other facilities for the production of agricultural or aquacultural products or the raising of livestock for sale in the urban area. Directs the Secretary to make grants to: (1) assist nonprofit organizations purchase and convert publicly owned land in underserved areas for use as urban farms or community gardens, and (2) implement urban agricultural workforce training programs. Extends certain payment assistance and conservation access provisions to socially disadvantaged urban farmers and ranchers. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an urban entrepreneurship and microenterprise program, and (2) a local farm business and market garden competitive loan program. Directs the Secretary to provide commodities to specified nonprofits to provide nutritious food to at-risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays during the school year. (At-risk school children are those who participate in the school lunch program and reside in an area served by a school in which at least 50% of the students receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs.) Extends: (1) the commodity supplemental food program, and (2) the emergency food assistance program. Directs the Secretary to provide grants: (1) for equipment and technology to increase food bank efficiency; and (2) to schools, museums, and libraries to increase energy efficiency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2012
Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Full Employment National Trust Fund with two separate accounts for: (1) Employment Opportunity Grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes for job-creating activities in communities whose economy is not at a level of full employment; and (2) Workforce Investment programs. Establishes arbitration procedures for resolution of disputes for grant recipients. Requires the Secretary of Labor to post a whistleblower hotline on the Department of Labor's website for the public to report noncompliance with the Act's requirements. Directs the Secretary to convene a national employment conference to bring together leaders of small, medium, and large businesses, labor, government, and other parties to discuss employment, with particular attention to structural unemployment and the plight of disadvantaged youth. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise member composition requirements for state and local workforce investment boards to include at least 25% of the chief executive officers of minority-serving, community-based organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on certain covered securities transactions, payable by trading facilities or purchasers that deal in such transactions. Requires a transferor with respect to any outbound securities transaction to deduct and withhold a tax equal to the tax imposed on covered securities transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2012
Homeowner Tax Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2015 the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of indebtedness on a principal residence, (2) extend through 2014 the tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums, (3) exclude from gross income any National Mortgage Settlement amount, and (4) deny a tax deduction for any National Mortgage Settlement amount paid in exchange for a full release of the potential civil claims of the United States under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Defines "National Mortgage Settlement amount" as any amount received pursuant to the settlement in a legal action against Bank of America Corporation filed in U.S. District Court on March 12, 2012, which is: (1) a payment for transitional assistance; (2) a payment from the Borrower Payment Fund under the National Mortgage Settlement to a borrower whose home was finally sold or taken in foreclosure after December 31, 2007, and before January 1, 2012; or (3) a payment received as a result of a foreclosure or excess charge of interest that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has determined was not in compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.