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United States · Official source
5,131 records where Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2012
Disapproves of the President's exercise of authority to increase the debt limit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2012
Disapproves of the President's appointment of four federal officers or employees during a period when no congressional recess of more than three days was authorized by concurrent resolution. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that those appointments were made in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 23 December 2011
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of two gold medals to the First Special Service Force (a joint American-Canadian unit), collectively, in recognition of their World War II service. Directs one such gold medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution and the other to the First Special Service Force Association in Helena, Montana. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates with proceeds deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund. Declares that medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of specified coins and currency provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2011
One New Employee Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain business entities, including S corporations, partnerships, trusts, estates, tax-exempt cooperatives, or sole proprietorships, a business-related tax credit for hiring individuals who received federal or state unemployment compensation for not less than one week in the one-year period prior to hiring. Limits the maximum amount of such credit for each entity to $5,000. Terminates such credit after 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Down Payment to Protect National Security Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine the number of full-time employees employed in each federal agency. Prohibits a federal agency head from hiring more than 1 employee for every 3 full-time employees who leave employment in such agency until the OMB Director makes a determination that the number of full-time federal employees is 10% less than the initial level as determined by OMB. Allows a waiver of such workforce limitation by the President for national security reasons or in the case of an extraordinary emergency. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, to offset mandatory sequestration in security and nonsecurity categories in FY2013 with revenues resulting from reductions in the federal workforce under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2011
No Budget, No Pay Act - Prohibits the payment of any pay to any Member of Congress (excluding the Vice President): (1) if both houses of Congress have not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year and have not passed all the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year by such date, or (2) until both houses of Congress approve such a budget resolution and pass all such appropriations bills. Prohibits any retroactive pay for such a period.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress has lost confidence in the Attorney General.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to: (1) eliminate members of the state legislature and representatives of labor organizations from state workforce investment boards, and (2) specify that representatives of business on a board represent large and small businesses with immediate and long-term employment opportunities in in-demand industries and other occupations important to the state economy. Requires a state board to assist the state governor by developing: (1) policies and programs that support a comprehensive statewide workforce development system, and (2) a statewide employment statistics system. Revises requirements for: (1) a state workforce development plan; (2) local workforce investment areas, boards, and plans; (3) one-stop delivery systems; and (4) the allotment of federal funds among states for employment and training activities. Eliminates specific funding for adult and dislocated worker employment and training. Specifies state use of federal funds to set up a Workforce Investment Fund, a Youth Workforce Investment Fund, a Veterans Workforce Investment Fund, and a Targeted Populations Workforce Investment Fund. Revises requirements for: (1) within state allocations of funds; (2) the use of funds for state and local employment and training activities, including the hiring of local veterans' employment representatives; and (3) state performances measures Requires state governors to use funds to award competitive grants for programs and activities to assist eligible youth in acquiring the education and skills, credentials, and employment experience necessary to succeed in the labor market. Revises requirements for the state unified plan for adult education and literacy programs. Repeals the Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970, the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, the Snyder Act of 1921, the Indian Adult Vocational Training Act of 1956, and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, as well as the Job Corps, the YouthBuild program, and other job programs under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and other specified Acts, including the National Guard Youth Challenge Program of opportunities for civilian youth. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA73) to require an eligible state to use a certain percentage of the federal share of the cost of vocational rehabilitation services to award grants to create practical job and career readiness and training programs and provide job placements and career advancement. Repeals the authority of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the Department of Education to make grants and contracts for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers; (2) recreational programs for such individuals; and (3) in-service training of vocational rehabilitation personnel. Repeals title VI (Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities) of the RA73.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in awarding grants to states under the children's asthma treatment grants program, to favor states that require their public elementary and secondary schools to: (1) permit authorized personnel to administer epinephrine to any student believed to be having an anaphylactic reaction, and (2) maintain a supply of epinephrine that is prescribed by a licensed physician and is stored in a secure and easily accessible location. (States given this preference are also required by current law to require those schools to authorize students, under certain conditions, to self-administer medication to treat their asthma or anaphylaxis.) Requires such states to also have a Good Samaritan law protecting school employees and agents from liability related to the administration of epinephrine to students believed, in good faith, to be having an anaphylactic reaction.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prepare for each major bill or resolution reported by any congressional committee (except the congressional appropriations committees), as a supplement to CBO cost estimates, a macroeconomic impact analysis of the costs of such legislation for: (1) the period for which the cost estimate is prepared, and (2) the 10-fiscal year period beginning with the first fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such estimate was prepared and each of the 2 next 10-fiscal year periods. Defines "major bill or resolution" as any bill or resolution whose budgetary effects, for any fiscal year in the period for which a CBO cost estimate is prepared, is estimated to be greater than .25% of the current projected U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for that fiscal year. Requires the analysis to describe: (1) the potential economic impact of the bill or resolution on major economic variables, including real GDP, business investment, the capital stock, employment, and labor supply; and (2) the potential fiscal effects of the measure, including any estimates of revenue increases or decreases resulting from changes in GDP.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not adopt any treaty that poses a threat to national sovereignty or abridges the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the right to bear arms, and should cease the provision of financial support to any entity that does so. Prohibits the United States from providing any funding to the United Nations (U.N.) for a fiscal year unless the President certifies to Congress that the U.N. has not taken action to infringe on the rights of individuals in the United States to possess a firearm or ammunition, or abridge any of the other constitutionally protected rights of U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Biennial Budgeting and Enhanced Oversight Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to require: (1) biennial (instead of annual) budget resolutions, (2) biennial appropriations Acts, and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Makes conforming amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), and the CBA.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Recognizes the importance of Christmas symbols and traditions. Disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas. Supports the use of these symbols and traditions by those who celebrate Christmas.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2011
North American Energy Access Act - Prohibits construction, operation, or maintenance of the oil pipeline and related facilities described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Keystone XL Pipeline Project issued by the Department of State on August 26, 2011 (including any modified version of that pipeline and related facilities), unless it is in compliance with the terms of a permit prescribed under this Act. Instructs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to issue, within 30 days after receipt of an application, a permit for such pipeline and related facilities implemented in accordance with such Final EIS. Deems a permit to have been issued if FERC has not acted upon a permit application within 30 days after receipt. Declares FERC approval a prerequisite to authorization for a permit applicant to make substantial modifications to either the pipeline route or any other term of the Final EIS. Directs FERC to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state of Nebraska for review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 of any modification to the proposed pipeline route, and (2) complete consideration and approval of such modification within 30 days after receiving the governor's approval. Deems approval to have been issued if FERC has not acted within 30 days after receiving an application for approval of a modification. Declares a permit issued under this Act to be the sole legal authority to construct, operate, and maintain the Keystone XL Pipeline Project and related facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011 - Imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex, gender, color or race of the child, or the race of a parent; (2) use force or the threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion; (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion; or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. Authorizes civil actions, for verifiable money damages for injuries and punitive damages, by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of an abortion performed or attempted through any of the above violations; and (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion. Authorizes, to prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further abortions in violation of this Act, injunctive relief to be obtained by the women upon whom such an abortion is performed or attempted, spouses or parents of a woman upon whom such an abortion is performed, or the Attorney General (DOJ). Deems a violation of this Act to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Violators of title VI lose federal funding.) Requires a medical or mental health professional to report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. Imposes criminal penalties for a failure to so report. Prohibits a woman having such an abortion from being prosecuted or held civilly liable. Excludes from the definition of "abortion" actions taken to terminate a pregnancy if the intent is to save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion, or remove an ectopic pregnancy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Transit System Flexibility Protection Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the operating costs of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation systems as follows: (1) not exceeding 50 percent in systems that operate 75 or fewer buses during peak service hours in an urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000, and (2) not exceeding 25 percent in systems that operate a minimum of 76 buses and a maximum of 100 buses during peak service hours in such an urbanized area.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Amends the Railway Labor Act to require the National Mediation Board to apply the same procedures, including voting standards, to the direct decertification of a labor organization as are applied to elections to certify a representative.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to add provisions concerning cyber threat intelligence and information sharing. Defines "cyber threat intelligence" as information in the possession of an element of the intelligence community directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity, including information pertaining to the protection of a system or network from: (1) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or (2) theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information. Requires the Director of National Intelligence to: (1) establish procedures to allow intelligence community elements to share cyber threat intelligence with private-sector entities, and (2) encourage the sharing of such intelligence. Requires the procedures established to ensure that such intelligence is only: (1) shared with certified entities or a person with an appropriate security clearance, (2) shared consistent with the need to protect U.S. national security, and (3) used in a manner that protects such intelligence from unauthorized disclosure. Provides for guidelines for the granting of security clearance approvals to certified entities or officers or employees of such entities. Authorizes a cybersecurity provider (a non-governmental entity that provides goods or services intended to be used for cybersecurity purposes), with the express consent of a protected entity (an entity that contracts with a cybersecurity provider) to: (1) use cybersecurity systems to identify and obtain cyber threat information in order to protect the rights and property of the protected entity; and (2) share cyber threat information with any other entity designated by the protected entity, including the federal government. Regulates the use and protection of shared information, including prohibiting the use of such information to gain a competitive advantage and, if shared with the federal government, exempts such information from public disclosure. Prohibits a civil or criminal cause of action against a protected entity, a self-protected entity (an entity that provides goods or services for cybersecurity purposes to itself), or a cybersecurity provider acting in good faith under the above circumstances. Directs the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to submit annually to Congress a review of the sharing and use of such information by the federal government, as well as recommendations for improvements and modifications to address privacy and civil liberties concerns. Preempts any state statute that restricts or otherwise regulates an activity authorized by the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is unconstitutional in its entirety, and (2) the Anti-Injunction Act applies to neither the individual mandate nor to the penalty provision that enforces it and thus does not preclude the federal courts from finding PPACA unconstitutional in its entirety.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Pays tribute to the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and civilians who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Honors the thousands of men and women of the Armed Forces who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom and liberty during World War II. Acknowledges the continued peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Japan. Appreciates the efforts of Japan as one of the most reliable security partners of the United States in the global war on terrorism. Encourages Japan to continue to develop strategic and economic policies, in partnership with the United States, that promote stability throughout Asia and reduce trade barriers between the two countries.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2011
Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act - Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 to require a federal financial institutions regulatory agency to make a final examination report to a financial institution within 60 days of the later of: (1) the exit interview for an examination of the institution, or (2) the provision of additional information by the institution relating to the examination. Sets a deadline for the exit interview if a financial institution is not subject to a resident examiner program. Sets forth examination standards for financial institutions. Prohibits federal financial institutions regulatory agencies from requiring a well capitalized financial institution to raise additional capital in lieu of an action prohibited by the examination standards. Establishes in the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council an Office of Examination Ombudsman. Grants a financial institution the right to appeal a material supervisory determination contained in a final report of examination. Requires the Ombudsman to determine the merits of the appeal on the record, after an opportunity for a hearing before an independent administrative law judge. Declares the decision by the Ombudsman on an appeal to: (1) be the final agency action, and (2) bind the agency whose supervisory determination was the subject of the appeal and the financial institution making the appeal. Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require: (1) the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an independent intra-agency appellate process in connection with the regulatory appeals process; and (2) appropriate safeguards to protect an insured depository institution or insured credit union from retaliation by the CFPB, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board, or any other federal banking agency for exercising its rights.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2011
Send Equipment for National Defense Act or SEND Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense, within one year after eligible equipment returns to the United States from Iraq, to transfer at least 10% of such equipment to federal and state agencies, with a preference to agencies that will use the equipment primarily for U.S. southern border security purposes. Defines as "eligible equipment" that equipment determined to be suitable for use in law enforcement activities, including surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles, night-vision goggles, and high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles (humvees). Authorizes the Secretary to waive the transfer requirement in the case of equipment needed for immediate use, after certification to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2011
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2011 or the ABLE Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses. Defines "qualified disability expenses" to include expenses for education, a primary residence, transportation, obtaining and maintaining employment, health and wellness, and other personal support expenses. Treats a qualified ABLE program and an ABLE account in the same manner as a qualified tuition program for income tax purposes (i.e., allowing a tax exemption for such program and an exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to a contributor to or a beneficiary of a program account). Defines "qualified ABLE program" as a program established and maintained by a state agency under which a person may make contributions to an ABLE account established to pay for qualified disability expenses. Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources attributable to an ABLE account.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2011
Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of congressional gold medals in honor of the men and women who perished as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, and the Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals, with amounts received from the sale to be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2011
Honest Budget Act - Amends procedures in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) that make it out of order in the Senate to consider appropriations legislation until the Senate agrees to a concurrent resolution on the budget. Permits waivers or suspension of such requirements, or successful appeals from a ruling of the Chair, by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60) of the Senate. Declares that it shall not be in order in the House of Representatives to consider certain bills, joint resolutions, or conference reports that designate as an emergency requirement any provision that creates discretionary or direct spending or decreases revenues. Establishes a procedure for emergency designations by amendment. Amends the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA) to revise the budgetary treatment of federal direct loans and loan guarantees to account for them on a fair value basis (currently, a FCRA accrual basis). Expands such new budgetary treatment to financial investments beginning in FY2015. Defines "financial investment" as a federal government investment in any securities (debt or equity) or futures, swaps, or other derivatives, issued by a non-federal entity, regardless of whether the issuances are federally guaranteed, or issued by a federal entity if the issuance consists of marketable securities. Requires the President's budget: (1) from FY1992 on to reflect the Treasury discounting component of direct loan and loan guarantee programs; and (2) from FY2015 on to reflect the costs of direct loan, loan guarantee, and financial investment programs. Defines "Treasury discounting component" as the estimated long-term cost to the federal government of a direct loan, loan guarantee, or financial investment calculated on a net present value basis, excluding administrative costs and any incidental effects on governmental receipts or outlays. Revises other requirements for the President's budget including conditions for new direct loan obligations incurred and loan guarantee commitments made for FY1992 and thereafter, and new financial investment commitments for FY2015 and thereafter. Requires new budget authority for such loans or loan guarantee or financial investment commitments to be provided in advance in an appropriations Act. Exempts a direct loan or loan guarantee program that constitutes an entitlement (such as the guaranteed student loan program or the veteran's home loan guaranty program) as well as all existing credit programs of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) from: (1) the above requirement; and (2) the prohibition against modification of an outstanding direct loan, loan guarantee, or financial investment in a manner that increases its costs unless budget authority for the additional cost has been provided in advance in an appropriations Act. Revises requirements for Treasury transactions with financing accounts (nonbudget accounts associated with each program account which holds balances, receives the cost payment from the program account, and also includes all other cash flows to and from the federal government resulting from such obligations or commitments made on or after October 1, 1991). Limits the availability of amounts in liquidating accounts to specified payments resulting from direct loan obligations or loan guarantee commitments made before October 1, 1991. Prescribes requirements for consideration of legislation after agreement on a budget resolution (in effect, extending a point of order against certain changes in mandatory programs to all such programs in appropriations bills). Prohibits the congressional budget committees from counting rescissions of budget authority that do not result in outlay savings over the period covered by a budget resolution when determining the levels of new budget authority, outlays, direct spending, new entitlement authority, and revenues for a fiscal year. Suspends within-grade step increases in the compensation of certain federal employees from the date of enactment of this Act until December 31, 2012. Makes it out of order in the House to consider any legislation that would provide an advance appropriation, except for employment training, education programs, Head Start, rental assistance, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and veterans' medical services. Allows waiver of this rule by a vote of three-fifths of the Members. Prohibits shifts in outlays or revenues from one year to another by a date change to act as an offset for other provisions that increase the deficit for a time period. Prescribes a budget scoring rule for transfers from the Treasury General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund that increase the level of indebtedness subject to the current applicable statutory public debt limit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2011
Jobs Through Growth Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individual taxpayers after 2010, (2) allow an individual taxpayer to elect an alternative income tax system in lieu of existing rates, (3) allow an inflation adjustment to the cost of certain capital assets for purposes of determining gain or loss from the sale or exchange of such assets, (4) reduce the top income tax rate on corporations to 25%, (5) extend through 2012 the election allowed to a U.S. corporation to deduct dividends received from a controlled foreign corporation and reduce the amount of such deduction for corporations that fail to maintain specified employment levels for full-time U.S. employees, and (6) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes and make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption. Requires the House Committee on Ways and Means to report legislation to broaden the tax base for the corporate income tax and to transition to a territorial tax system (taxation of domestic income but not income earned overseas). Prohibits a federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action (generally, an action having an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or otherwise adversely affecting the economy) until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7%. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if the President notifies Congress that a waiver is necessary on the basis of national security or a national emergency. Allows judicial review of a significant regulatory action by a person adversely affected or aggrieved by such action. Exempts businesses with 200 or fewer employees from federal regulation. Revises provisions for congressional review of agency rulemaking to require congressional approval of major rules of the executive branch before they may take effect (currently, major rules take effect unless Congress passes and the President signs a joint resolution disapproving them). Provides that if a joint resolution of approval of a major rule is not enacted by the end of 70 session days or legislative days after the agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress, the rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take effect. Sets forth House and Senate procedures for joint resolutions approving major rules and disapproving non-major rules. Amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) to revise the regulatory process (rulemaking) with respect to small entities (i.e., small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions). Defines "economic impact" with respect to a proposed or final rule to mean: (1) any direct economic effect of a rule on small entities, and (2) any indirect economic effect on such entities, including potential job creation or job loss. Expands judicial review of agency rulemaking to permit small entities to seek judicial review of initial regulatory flexibility analyses and to obtain an injunction of a proposed rule that is noncompliant with RFA requirements. Requires each federal agency to establish a plan for the periodic review (every eight years) of: (1) its rules that have a significant adverse economic impact on small entities, and (2) any small entity compliance guide required to be published by an agency. Sets forth criteria for review of a rule, including the continued need for the rule, the complexity of the rule, and the impact of the rule on small entities. Terminates any rule if the issuing agency has failed to complete a required periodic review. Expands to all federal agencies the procedures for gathering comments on rules that will have a significant economic impact on small entities. Extends RFA requirements to informal agency guidance documents. Amends the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to require each federal agency to review on a periodic basis its policies or programs for imposing regulatory penalties on small entities. Allows a small business concern to elect to be exempt from any rule or regulation issued on or after January 1, 2008. Sets forth a deadline for action on certain permit applications under existing Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leases. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to offer for leasing areas made available as a result of such repeal. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) offer specified areas for oil and gas leasing pursuant to certain Lease Sale Schedules, (2) conduct OCS lease sales in specified Planning Areas, (3) share OCS receipts derived from all leases with states and local governments, (4) implement a leasing program for certain land within the Arctic Coastal Plain, and (5) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to designate certain Coastal Plain lands, including the Sadlerochit Spring area, as Special Areas requiring special management and regulatory protection. Revokes a specified Secretarial Order relating to protecting wilderness characteristics on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on the use of funds for either a commercial oil shale leasing program or for oil shale lease sales. Directs the Secretary to offer leases for oil shale resources. Confers exclusive jurisdiction upon the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for covered energy projects under this Act. Establishes the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator. Instructs the Secretary to establish and maintain, in coordination with the Mayor of the North Slope Borough of Alaska, a separate Alaska Offshore Continental Shelf Coordination Office to coordinate the leasing program. Amends the Clean Air Act to redefine "air pollutant" to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride (greenhouse gases). Declares that nothing in specified statutes addressing pollution control shall be treated as authorizing or requiring the regulation of climate change or global warming. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the prohibition against federal procurement of alternative or synthetic fuel. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon request of the governor of a state or the governing body of an Indian tribe, to enter into a streamlined refinery permitting agreement. Sets forth deadlines for: (1) approval or disapproval of consolidated permits for construction of new or expansion of existing refineries, and (2) submission of existing refinery permit applications. Requires the EPA Administrator to conduct a research and demonstration program to evaluate the air quality benefits of ultra-clean Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuel, including diesel and jet fuel. Directs the Secretary to extend by one year the term of any lease that was: (1) not producing as of April 30, 2010; or (2) suspended from operations, permit processing, or consideration in accordance with the moratorium set forth in a May 30, 2010, Minerals Management Service Notice, or the Secretary's decision memorandum dated July 12, 2010. Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of Energy (DOE), to coordinate with specified federal agencies to ensure an expedited schedule for construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States must decrease its dependence on oil from countries hostile to its interests; and (2) Canada has long been a strong trading partner, and increased access to its energy resources will create jobs in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2011
Disapproves the Agricultural Marketing Service rule relating to the establishment of a Christmas tree promotion, research, and information program. States that such rule shall have no force or effect.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders applicable to manufacturers of concrete masonry products (concrete) and to concrete importers, if such imports are subject assessment under the orders. Requires any such order to provide for the establishment of a Concrete Masonry Products Board, which shall carry out a program of promotion, research, and information regarding concrete products. Requires any such order to provide that assessments shall be paid by concrete manufacturers with respect to concrete manufactured and marketed in the United States. Allows any such order to provide that assessments shall be paid by concrete products importers. Provides assessment rates. Requires at least 50% of the assessments paid by a manufacturer to be used to support research, education, and promotion plans and projects in support of the geographic region of the manufacturer. Directs the Secretary, during the 60-day period preceding the proposed effective date of an order, to conduct a referendum for order approval among the manufacturers and importers required to pay assessments under the order. Outlines referendum procedures. Provides for petition and review of an order, and order enforcement through U.S. district courts. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct appropriate investigations in order to administer this Act (with power of subpoena). Directs the Secretary to suspend or terminate any order or provision that obstructs or does not tend to effectuate the purposes of this Act, or that is not favored by persons voting in a referendum.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits the federal government from increasing its debt except for a specific purpose by law adopted by three-fourths of the membership of each chamber.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2011
Energy Freedom and Economic Prosperity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the excise tax credits for alcohol fuel, biodiesel, and alternative fuel mixtures; (2) the tax credits for the purchase of certain plug-in electric vehicles and alternative motor vehicles; (3) the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property tax credit; (4) the tax credits for alcohol used as fuel and for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel; (5) the enhanced oil recovery tax credit and the tax credit for producing oil and gas from marginal wells; (6) the tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration; (7) the energy tax credit; and (8) the tax credits for investment in qualifying advanced coal projects and qualifying gasification projects. Terminates after 2012 the tax credits for the production of electricity from certain renewable resources and from advanced nuclear power facilities. Repeals the grant program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for payments to invest in alternative and renewable energy property in lieu of tax credits. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe a flat income tax rate for corporations, in lieu of the existing marginal tax rates, based upon the overall revenue savings from the repeal of energy tax subsidies by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2011
Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from applying a multiple procedure payment reduction policy to the professional component of imaging services furnished: (1) in 2012; or (2) in 2013 or a subsequent year unless the reduction is based on the data, analysis, and conclusions of a study completed by an expert panel of physician members from a national medical speciality society expert in the field of diagnostic imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2011
Transportation Empowerment Act - Declares the purposes of the Act, including returning maximum discretionary authority and fiscal responsibility to the states for all elements of the national surface transportation systems (excluding the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways). Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for FY2014-FY2018 for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: (1) the interstate maintenance program, (2) emergency relief for highways and roads, (3) the interstate bridge program, (4) the federal lands highways program, (5) highway safety programs, (6) surface transportation research, and (7) administrative expenses. Authorizes a state to transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Revises the apportionment of federal-aid highway funds under the interstate maintenance component. Requires 1% of such funds to be apportioned to the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, with the remaining 99% of funds apportioned to the states based on certain formulae. Limits federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Repeals the authorization of federal assistance to states for non-federal bridges and highways. Declares that, beginning with FY2013, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: (1) unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of such project, (2) solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or (3) upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2018. Requires the Secretary of Treasury to transfer from the HTF amounts equivalent to motorboat and aviation fuel taxes collected before October 1, 2020, to: (1) the Land and Water Conservation Fund, (2) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and (3) the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to pay from the HTF into the general fund of the Treasury amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2021. Prescribes a motor fuel tax rate schedule for financing of core highway programs. Terminates, on September 30, 2013, the authority of the Secretary to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account. Establishes in the HTF the Infrastructure Special Assistance Fund, $1 billion of which shall be available during FY2014-FY2017 to states for transportation-related program expenditures. Directs the Secretary to allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2014-FY2017. Reduces the excise taxes imposed on: (1) gasoline from 18.3 cents to 3.7 cents, (2) diesel fuel or kerosene from 24.3 cents to 5.0 cents, and (3) diesel-water fuel emulsion from 19.7 cents to 4.1 cents. Requires credits or refunds of certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2017. Declares that this Act shall become effective only if the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) certifies that it is deficit neutral.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that further reductions to core national security funding, such as those triggered by the sequestration alternative of the Budget Control Act of 2011, may cause irreparable harm to U.S. interests and that decisions on U.S. national security policy and spending levels should be based on: (1) the National Security Strategy, a sequential determination of the threats to the United States, and an analysis of the capabilities needed to deter or defeat threats; and (2) the principles that a strong economy and a strong national security are inextricably linked and that national security is the most important obligation of the federal government and should take precedence over other priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
March of Dimes Commemorative Coin Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the mission and programs of the March of Dimes. Permits issuance of such coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2014. Requires all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins to be promptly paid to the March of Dimes to help finance research, education, and services aimed at improving the health of women, infants, and children. Subjects the March of Dimes to federal audit requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Provides that: (1) the final rule published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 3, 2010, entitled "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines" and any subsequent regulation that is substantially the same shall have no force or effect with respect to existing stationary compression ignition reciprocating internal combustion engines operated for generating electricity or operating a water pump by a state or local government, a public or cooperative utility, or persons or entities engaged in the production of agricultural commodities, including livestock; and (2) the final rule of the same title published by EPA on August 20, 2010, the direct final action published by the EPA on March 9, 2011, entitled "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines," and any subsequent regulation that is substantially the same shall have no force or effect with respect to existing stationary spark ignition reciprocating internal combustion engines operated for such purposes by such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act of 2011- Prohibits the extension, renewal, or issuance of a notice of segregation or withdrawal of the public lands and National Forest System lands (including a part of such land) identified in Public Land Order 7773 (concerning emergency withdrawal of such lands in Coconino and Mohave Counties, Arizona), except by an express authorization by Congress that refers to this Act. Prohibits any such notice from having any legal effect.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
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 · 11 October 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that there exists significant cause for concern and further investigation of counterterrorism threats from Iran's growing influence in the Western Hemisphere. Urges the the Administration to: (1) include the Western Hemisphere in the Administration's 2012 National Strategy for Counterterrorism's "Area of Focus" with specific attention to Iran's presence and activities in the Western Hemisphere; (2) utilize an existing counterterrorism task force to be led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to examine such presence and activities, including within the United States; and (3) provide Congress with a comprehensive counterterrorism and counter-radicalization strategy to defend U.S. geostrategic interests and defeat Iranian interests in the Western Hemisphere.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Adjusting Davis-Bacon for Inflation Act - Increases from $2,000 to $50,000 the contract threshold requiring the locally prevailing wage rate to be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics working under federally-financed or federally-assisted contracts for construction, alteration, and repair of public buildings or public works (Davis-Bacon Act).
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
Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2011 - Establishes the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be available for expenditures to the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas solely for: (1) coastal restoration projects and activities; (2) mitigation of damage to, and restoration of, fish, wildlife, or natural resources; (3) implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan; (4) programs to promote tourism, the consumption of seafood produced from the Gulf Coast region, and education regarding the natural resources of such region; (5) planning assistance and administrative costs; (6) workforce development, job creation, and other economic development projects ; (7) improvements to state parks in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; (8) mitigation of the ecological and economic impact of outer Continental Shelf activities and the impacts of such oil spill or promotion of the long-term ecological or economic recovery of the Gulf Coast region through the funding of infrastructure projects; and (9) coastal flood protection and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetland losses, beach erosion, or the impacts of such oil spill. Requires the Secretary to deposit in the Fund 80% of all administrative and civil penalties paid after this Act's enactment, pursuant to a court order, negotiated settlement, or other instrument in accordance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act), in connection with the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon. Amends the Clean Water Act to require 35% of amounts made available from the Fund in any fiscal year to be available to the Gulf Coast states in equal shares for ecological and economic restoration of the Gulf Coast ecosystem. Authorizes a governor of a Gulf Coast state, in awarding contracts for such a project or program, to give a preference to individuals and companies that reside in, are headquartered in, or are principally engaged in business in, a Gulf Coast state. Establishes the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to: (1) publish a Comprehensive Plan for, and to undertake, projects and programs to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region; (2) update such Plan every five years; (3) coordinate the development of consistent policies, strategies, plans, and activities addressing the restoration and protection of the Gulf Coast region and associated research; and (4) prepare an integrated financial plan and recommendations for coordinated budget requests for the amounts proposed to be expended by the federal agencies represented on the Council for projects and programs in the Gulf Coast states. Requires 60% of the total amount made available from the Fund to be disbursed to the Council to carry out the Plan and oil spill restoration projects, programs, and activities that will improve the ecosystems or economy of the Gulf Coast region. Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology Program, under which the NOAA Administrator shall provide grants to establish and operate a center of excellence in each of the Gulf Coast states. Requires each center to focus its curriculum on science, technology, and monitoring in at least one of the following: (1) coastal and deltaic sustainability, restoration and protection; (2) coastal fisheries and wildlife ecosystem research and monitoring; (3) offshore energy development; (4) sustainable and resilient growth and economic and commercial development; and (5) comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping of the Gulf. Allocates 5% of Fund amounts to such Program. Establishes the Gulf of Mexico Research Endowment to be administered by the Secretary of Commerce for use in providing long-term funding for such Program. Prohibits the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund from being used: (1) for any existing or planned research headed by the NOAA, unless as agreed to in writing by the grant recipient entity; (2) to implement existing regulations or to initiate new regulations promulgated or proposed by NOAA; or (3) to develop or approve a new limited access privilege program (as defined under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act) for any fishery under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, New England, or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils. Requires: (1) the Council to establish a fishery and ecosystem endowment to ensure the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem, fish stocks, the fish habitat, and the recreational, commercial, and charter fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico; and (2) NOAA to administer such endowment. Prohibits funds made available under this Act from being used for federal land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Repeals a provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which prohibits a federal agency from entering into a contract for procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with such fuel are less than or equal to emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) set a visa processing standard of 12 or fewer calendar days at U.S. diplomatic and consular missions in China, Brazil, and India; and (2) use machine readable nonimmigrant visa fees to hire a sufficient number of Foreign Service officers and limited non-career appointment consular officers to maintain such standard. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a two-year pilot program for the processing of nonimmigrant visas using secure remote video-conferencing technology for visa interviews, and (2) work with other federal agencies that use such secure communications to help ensure security of the video-conferencing transmission and encryption. Directs the Secretary to provide Congress with an annual forecast of demand through 2020 for nonimmigrant visas in the high-growth markets of Brazil, China, and India. Authorizes the Secretary to modify or enter into agreements with certain countries on a non-reciprocal basis to allow for longer visa validity periods if doing so causes no adverse effects to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Companionship Exemption Protection Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, with respect to the exemption from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements of domestic service employment to provide companionship services for individuals who because of age or infirmity are unable to care for themselves, to specify that such companionship services include third party non-medical in-home care companionship, light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, assistance to appointments, laundry, medication reminders, bathing, and assistance with incontinence and grooming.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Condemns China's imprisonment, torture, and execution of its prisoners of conscience. Calls upon China to: (1) cease harassment and discrimination against all unregistered religious organizations and individual practitioners, (2) release its prisoners of conscience, (3) release information about the number of detained prisoners of conscience and the extent of organ harvesting among such prisoners, and (4) allow the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom or international humanitarian organizations access to current and former prisoners of conscience. Expresses sympathy to the families of prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned, tortured, and murdered by the Chinese government. Urges the Administration to raise the issue of the prisoners of conscience in diplomatic meetings with China. Supports the Tuidang movement.
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 · 22 September 2011
Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to revise and expand the requirements for federal agency rulemaking by requiring agencies, in making a rule, to base all preliminary and final determinations on evidence and to consider the legal authority under which the rule may be proposed, the specific nature and significance of the problem the agency may address with the rule, any reasonable alternatives for the rule, and the potential costs and benefits associated with such alternatives. Requires agencies to publish advance notice of proposed rulemaking for major rules and for high-impact rules (rules having an annual cost on the economy of $100 million or $1 billion or more, respectively), which shall include a written statement identifying the nature and significance of the problem the agency may address with a rule, the legal authority under which the rule may be proposed, and a solicitation for written data and comments from interested persons. Sets forth criteria for issuing major guidance (agency guidance that is likely to lead to an annual cost on the economy of $100 million or more, a major increase in cost or prices, or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or ability to compete). Expands the scope of judicial review of agency rulemaking by allowing immediate review of rulemaking not in compliance with notice requirements and establishing a substantial evidence standard for affirming agency rulemaking decisions.
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 · 20 September 2011
Protecting American Jobs Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to repeal the authority of the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to issue, and prosecute before the Board, complaints with respect to unfair labor practices. Repeals the prohibition against: (1) review of an administrative law judge's report by any person other than a Board member or legal assistant; and (2) advice to or consultation with the Board by an administrative law judge with respect to exceptions taken to his or her findings, rulings, or recommendations. Limits the Board's rulemaking authority to rules concerning the internal functions of the Board. Prohibits the Board from promulgating rules that affect the substantive rights of a person, employer, employee, or labor organization. Revises Board powers to grant it the authority to investigate unfair labor practices, but repeals its power to prevent any person from engaging in them. Repeals the Board's power to issue a complaint against a person charging an unfair labor practice. Allows an aggrieved party to bring a civil action for relief (including injunctions) in U.S. district court or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in cases where it appears that a person has engaged, is engaging, or is about to engage in an unfair labor practice.