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
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 · 1 December 2011
Military Families Child Care Assistance Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase: (1) the tax credit for household and dependent care expenses for individuals who have served on active duty in the Armed Forces for a period of 120 days or more beginning after September 11, 2001; and (2) the exclusion from gross income for employer-provided dependent care assistance provided to such individuals.
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 · 18 November 2011
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 133 Hare Road in Crosby, Texas, as the "Army First Sergeant David McNerney Post Office Building."
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
Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to assess each offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico that is no longer useful for operations, and has become critical for a marine fisheries habitat, to: (1) determine whether there are coral populations or other protected species in the platform's vicinity, and (2) identify any species in the vicinity that have recreational or commercial value. Prohibits the removal of any such platforms until the Secretary has completed each assessment. Requires suspension of the decommissioning of a platform if a substantial reef ecosystem is in the vicinity until the Secretary determines that decommissioning would not harm the ecosystem. Exempts from certain platform removal deadlines any lessees who: (1) commit to entering a particular platform in the artificial reef program under the National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984, and (2) initiate discussions with applicable states regarding potential artificial reef sites. Allows a lessee to provide for reefing in place under the artificial reef program. Permits states with a state rig-to-reef program to enter agreements with any appropriate entities to assume liability in federal water for a structure covered by the state program. Establishes a Reef Maintenance Fund. Requires the owner of a rig enrolled in the artificial reef program to: (1) maintain a rig anode system, and (2) pay into the Fund 50% of the estimated platform removal costs for which the owner would have been responsible if it had not participated in the program.
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 · 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 · 10 November 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Navy should provide an appropriate site at the former Navy Dive School at the Washington Navy Yard (District of Columbia) for a memorial to honor members of the Armed Forces who have served as divers and whose service in defense of the United States has been carried out beneath the waters of the world.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2011
Stop Online Piracy Act - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to seek a court order against a U.S.-directed foreign Internet site committing or facilitating online piracy to require the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, to cease and desist further activities constituting specified intellectual property offenses under the federal criminal code including criminal copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation and trafficking of sound recordings or videos of live musical performances, the recording of exhibited motion pictures, or trafficking in counterfeit labels, goods, or services. Sets forth an additional two-step process that allows an intellectual property right holder harmed by a U.S.-directed site dedicated to infringement, or a site promoted or used for infringement under certain circumstances, to first provide a written notification identifying the site to related payment network providers and Internet advertising services requiring such entities to forward the notification and suspend their services to such an identified site unless the site's owner, operator, or domain name registrant, upon receiving the forwarded notification, provides a counter notification explaining that it is not dedicated to engaging in specified violations. Authorizes the right holder to then commence an action for limited injunctive relief against the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or against the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, if: (1) such a counter notification is provided (and, if it is a foreign site, includes consent to U.S. jurisdiction to adjudicate whether the site is dedicated to such violations), or (2) a payment network provider or Internet advertising service fails to suspend its services in the absence of such a counter notification. Requires online service providers, Internet search engines, payment network providers, and Internet advertising services, upon receiving a copy of a court order relating to an AG action, to carry out certain preventative measures including withholding services from an infringing site or preventing users located in the United States from accessing the infringing site. Requires payment network providers and Internet advertising services, upon receiving a copy of such an order relating to a right holder's action, to carry out similar preventative measures. Provides immunity from liability for service providers, payment network providers, Internet advertising services, advertisers, Internet search engines, domain name registries, or domain name registrars that take actions required by this Act or otherwise voluntarily block access to or end financial affiliation with such sites. Permits such entities to stop or refuse services to certain sites that endanger public health by distributing prescription medication that is adulterated, misbranded, or without a valid prescription. Expands the offense of criminal copyright infringement to include public performances of: (1) copyrighted work by digital transmission, and (2) work intended for commercial dissemination by making it available on a computer network. Expands the criminal offenses of trafficking in inherently dangerous goods or services to include: (1) counterfeit drugs; and (2) goods or services falsely identified as meeting military standards or intended for use in a national security, law enforcement, or critical infrastructure application. Increases the penalties for: (1) specified trade secret offenses intended to benefit a foreign government, instrumentality, or agent; and (2) various other intellectual property offenses as amended by this Act. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review, and if appropriate, amend related Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Requires the Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce to appoint at least one intellectual property attache to be assigned to the U.S. embassy or diplomatic mission in a country in each geographic region covered by a Department of State regional bureau.
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
Stop the Regulation Invasion Please Act of 2011 or STRIP Act of 2011 - Imposes a moratorium on federal agencies taking any regulatory rulemaking action beginning on the day after the enactment of this Act and ending on the later of the date that is: (1) 14 days after the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) publishes a report on a review of rules, or (2) 2 years after the enactment of this Act. Requires the OMB Director to: (1) conduct a review of each rule that became effective after October 1, 1991, and that is in effect as of the enactment date of this Act, and (2) report on the estimated total annual costs and benefits of each rule and recommend whether it should continue or how it should be reformed. Repeals all such rules one year after the enactment of this Act unless specifically authorized by law and enacted after the date of enactment of this Act. Sets forth exceptions for certain rulemaking actions and rules, including those necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, or to establish or enforce statutory rights against discrimination. Requires each federal agency head to designate a Regulatory Review Officer to testify before Congress on any request to prevent the repeal of a rule under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
U.S.S. Cruiser Olympia Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue during calendar year 2016 up to 500,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of the legacy of the U.S.S. Cruiser Olympia, the sole surviving U.S. naval ship of the Spanish-American War and the world's oldest steel warship afloat. Prescribes a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be paid to the Friends of the Cruiser Olympia to restore and preserve the ship.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Local Flexibility for Transit Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make urbanized area formula grants for the operating costs of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation in an urbanized area with a population over 200,000 to a designated recipient, direct recipient, or subrecipient that provides public transportation in the area operating less than 100 buses in fixed-route service in the area during peak service hours. Authorizes a designated recipient or direct recipient that operates at least 100 buses in fixed-route service during peak service hours in an urbanized area with a population of more than 200,000 to use grant funds for the operating costs of public transportation equipment and facilities in such projects if: (1) the recipients are certified by the Secretary as being in a crisis period; and (2) the recipients' percentage of revenue for the operating costs of public transportation equipment and facilities from non-federal sources (excluding system-generated revenue) is equal to the previous fiscal year's revenue, or the revenue is derived from dedicated sources. Specifies percentage limitations on the use of funds for urbanized areas with populations between 200,000 and 500,000, between 500,000 and 1 million, and over 1 million. Defines "crisis period" to mean that: (1) the unemployment rate within the recipients' service area is 7% or higher for the preceding month, or (2) the national average retail price of regular gasoline during a quarter has increased by more than 10%.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act or the FUELS Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in implementing the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule with respect to any farm, to require certification of compliance with such rule by: (1) a professional engineer for a farm with an individual tank with a storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons, an aggregate storage capacity of at least 42,000 gallons, or a history that includes a spill; or (2) the owner or operator of the farm (via self-certification) for a farm with an aggregate storage capacity greater than 10,000 gallons but less than 42,000 gallons and no history of spills. Exempts from all requirements of such rule any farm with an aggregate storage capacity of at least 10,000 gallons and no history of spills. Excludes all containers on separate parcels that have a capacity that is less than 1,320 gallons from the aggregate storage capacity of a farm.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Veterans Entrepreneurial Transition Act of 2011 or the VET Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a veterans small business entrepreneurship program under which the Secretary may approve an eligible veteran entitled to certain VA educational assistance (under the all-volunteer force or post-9/11 educational assistance programs) to use up to a specified amount of such entitlements to start or acquire a qualifying business enterprise. Limits eligibility for the program to veterans who: (1) have completed at least 36 months of full-time active duty service in the Armed Forces or 24 months of such service before being discharged or separated for a service-connected disability, (2) are entitled to 36 months of such educational assistance, and (3) has last been discharged or separated from active duty service a maximum of 15 years before submitting an application with specified information. Allows a participating veteran to use program benefits, in accordance with limitations the Secretary establishes by rule, for purposes related to starting or acquiring a qualifying business enterprise, including: (1) purchasing goods or services necessary for the operation, expansion, or startup of such an enterprise; (2) funding a project directed toward any economic development objective described under specified provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958; (3) attending an entrepreneurship readiness program to prepare the veteran for, and lead to the immediate subsequent ownership and management by the veteran of, such an enterprise; and (4) acquiring such an enterprise. Directs the Secretary to establish a list of qualifying business enterprise categories including: (1) small businesses, (2) franchise business enterprises, (3) existing business enterprises in which the veteran has an ownership stake, and (4) any other business enterprise determined appropriate by the Secretary. Requires that benefits made available to veterans under the program be taken into account in determining a veteran's creditworthiness for small business loans guaranteed under the Small Business Act and for farm loans made or guaranteed pursuant to the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. Authorizes the Secretary, in the event a veteran dies before receiving the balance of benefits payable under this Act, to pay the approved benefits to a survivor designated by the veteran under specified circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from: (1) implementing, amending, or enforcing the rule "Wage Methodology for the Temporary Non-agricultural Employment H-2B Program" or any substantially similar rule; and (2) finalizing, implementing, amending, or enforcing the proposed rule "Temporary Non-agricultural Employment of H-2B Aliens in the United States" or any substantially similar rule. Directs the Secretary, in computing the prevailing occupational wage level for employees of institutions of higher education or nonprofit research organizations for certain alien worker labor certifications, to: (1) use Occupational Employment Statistics program data, and (2) comply with specified provisions regarding the number of wage levels required to make such computation.
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 · 6 October 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should take diplomatic steps to express gratitude to Greece for upholding the rule of law in preventing hostile forces from violating a legal naval blockade of Gaza by Israel and thereby advancing the security of its ally Israel. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on whether any support organization that participated in the planning or execution of the recent Gaza flotilla attempt should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2011
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2011 - Directs the President to establish the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to: (1) identify opportunities and ideas within government and the private sector that are key components in achieving the end of breast cancer and which have been overlooked, yet are ripe for collaboration and investment; (2) recommend projects to leverage such opportunities and ideas in the areas of the primary prevention of breast cancer and the causes and prevention of breast cancer metastasis; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine for an evaluation of the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Creating Hope Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the priority review voucher program for tropical diseases to: (1) include rare pediatric diseases; (2) allow unlimited transfers of vouchers under the program; and (3) require a sponsor intending to use a voucher to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at least 90 days (currently, 365 days) before submission of the application. Revises provisions regarding the priority review user fee, including to make it payable upon notification of the Secretary of intent to use the voucher. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request of the manufacturer or sponsor of a new drug, to designate that a new drug is: (1) for a rare pediatric disease, and (2) an eligible treatment. Requires the Secretary to deem a rare pediatric disease product application to be incomplete if it does not contain a description of the sponsor's plan to market the product in the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to issue a priority review voucher upon the approval of a rare pediatric disease application if the Secretary finds that the sponsor lacks a good faith intention to market the product in the United States. Directs the Secretary to issue a guidance document setting forth the evidentiary support necessary to demonstrate such a good faith intention. Requires sponsors of applications under the priority review voucher program to report to the Secretary within five years after the approval of the application on the demand and distribution of the product within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces (military spouse) who moves with such member to another state under a permanent change of station order a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified relicensing costs incurred by such spouse. Defines "qualified relicensing costs" as costs for a state license or certification to engage in the profession that such military spouse engaged in while residing in the former state.
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
Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or personal representative of Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Superfund Common Sense Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" and "pollutant or contaminant" for purposes of such Act. Defines "manure" to mean: (1) digestive emissions, feces, urine, urea and other excrement from livestock; (2) any associated bedding, compost, raw materials or other materials commingled with such excrement from livestock; (3) any process water associated with such items; and (4) any byproducts, constituents, or substances contained in, or originating from, such items or any emissions relating to such items. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt from notification requirements releases associated with manure.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Veteran's I.D. Card Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a veteran's identification card to any veteran who requests such card and is neither entitled to military retired pay nor enrolled in the VA system of patient enrollment. Requires such card, among other things, to: (1) display their name and photograph, and (2) serve as proof that the veteran honorably served in the Armed Forces and has a DD-214 form or other official document in their personnel file that describes their military service. Directs the Secretary to charge a card fee. States that such card shall not serve as proof of entitlement to any benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Taiwan Air Power Modernization Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a critical element to maintaining peace and stability in Asia in the face of China's military expansion is ensuring a militarily strong Taiwan, (2) the United States has a statutory obligation under the Taiwan Relations Act to help Taiwan maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities, and (3) the proposed fighter aircraft sale to Taiwan would have significant economic benefits to the U.S. economy. Directs the President to carry out the sale of no fewer than 66 F-16C/D multirole fighter aircraft to Taiwan.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Human Trafficking Reporting Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons among "part 1 violent crimes" required to be reported by states for the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of Bureau of Justice Assistance Grants and Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7%. Defines as "significant" any regulatory action that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, small entities, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with another agency's action; (3) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues. 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 all claims under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Help Veterans Own Franchises Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit for 25% of a qualified franchise fee of up to $400,000 paid or incurred by a veteran for the purchase of a franchise. Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide information about the tax credit allowed by this Act to veterans service organizations and veteran advocacy groups.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Legal Workforce Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (Eliminates the current paper-based I-9 system.) Requires an employer to attest, during the verification period and under penalty of perjury, that the employer has verified that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining and recording the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining specified documents that establish such individual's identity and employment authorization. Requires an individual to attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. Subjects an individual who knowingly uses the social security number or other identification of another person to fine and/or imprisonment. Establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline (six months to two years) for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. (Exempts from verification requirements seasonal agricultural workers who return to work for a previous employer.) Requires reverification of the following workers who have not been verified under E-verify: (1) federal, state, or local government employees; (2) certain employees who require a federal security clearance; and (3) certain employees assigned to work in the United States under a federal or state contract. Authorizes an employer to voluntarily reverify employees. (Requires any such reverification to be applied to all individuals so employed). Includes employment recruitment and referral within the scope of EEVS. Requires EEVS use by union halls and nonprofit employment agencies. Requires EEVS to provide employers with: (1) temporary verification or nonverification within 3 working days of an inquiry; and (2) in the case of nonverification, a final verification or nonverification within 10 working days. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) an employer utilizing a good faith defense, (2) preemption of state or local law, (3) employer penalties, and (4) worker remedies for EEVS errors. Provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2011
EPA Student Nondiscrimination Act - Prohibits student programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from establishing any requirement that an applicant possess any experience that constitutes an endorsement of a particular political position with regard to environmental protection. Prohibits funds from being used to provide financial compensation for: (1) the Student Diversity Internship Program Environmental Justice Eco-Ambassador Focus, or (2) student programs administered by EPA related to the study of greenhouse gas emissions. Requires the EPA Administrator to report on policies, procedures, and actions taken within the last three years in recruiting and hiring applicants for all EPA student programs, including: (1) efforts to recruit student advocates, (2) policies and procedures related to the review of student applications, (3) efforts to consider applicants with policy views or experience that were counter to stated agency goals, and (4) policies to ensure that applicants for such programs will be recruited and reviewed in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
American Specialty Agriculture Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an H-2C nonimmigrant visa for an alien having a residence in a foreign country which he or she has no intention of abandoning and who is coming temporarily (10-month maximum per contract period) to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services, including the pressing of apples for cider on a farm. Requires an employer or employer association to file an H-2C petition with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which shall include specified employment-related attestations. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) penalties; (2) working conditions, wages, and transportation reimbursement; (3) admissions and extensions of stay; (4) abandonment of employment and worker replacement; (5) legal assistance; and (6) arbitration and mediation. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct investigations and random audits of employer work sites. Requires an employer to guarantee to offer the worker employment for the hourly equivalent of at least 50% of the work hours during the total anticipated period of employment. Limits the number of annual fiscal year H-2C admissions. Prohibits the admission of spouses and children of H-2C workers. Extends coverage under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act to H-2C workers. Makes the provisions of this Act effective two years after its enactment. Terminates authority to petition for H-2A temporary agricultural workers two years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2011
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) limit to one year or such period of time as appropriate the period of validity of a passport issued to a sex offender, and (2) revoke the passport or passport card of an individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) to rename the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking as the Office to Monitor and Combat Modern Slavery and Other Forms of Human Trafficking. Authorizes the Office's Director to provide assistance on an urgent basis for vulnerable populations at risk of severe forms of trafficking in persons in conjunction with post-conflict situations and humanitarian emergencies. Includes public-private partnerships to generate youth employment opportunities among the international initiatives to enhance economic opportunity for potential victims of trafficking that the President shall carry out as a method to deter trafficking. Authorizes the President to give priority to specified categories of persons who are potential trafficking victims, such as stateless persons. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Wilberforce Act) to terminate an authorized fee increase for certain consular services on September 30, 2013. Directs the head of the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs to identify: (1) goods produced with forced labor or child labor, and (2) persons or businesses that produce goods with inputs from forced labor or child labor. Includes the United States among countries with respect to which the Bureau shall carry out activities to monitor and combat forced labor or child labor. Requires the list of goods the Bureau has reason to believe are produced by forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards to: (1) identify persons or businesses that produce such goods; and (2) be made available to the public and Congress by April 1, 2012, and updated at least every two years. Amends the federal criminal code to expand the scope of the prohibition against a U.S. citizen or alien admitted for permanent residence travelling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct to include such individuals engaging in travel affecting foreign commerce and to apply even if such an individual is residing temporarily or permanently in a foreign jurisdiction. Provides that it is not a defense that a defendant is not criminally liable or is subject to reduced criminal liability due to the de jure or de facto acceptance of the illicit conduct in the foreign jurisdiction in which the defendant travels or resides. Amends the TVPA to include the Director of the Peace Corps as a member of the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. Sets forth reporting requirements regarding the activities of: (1) U.S. government contractors and subcontractors and establishes a zero tolerance policy for their trafficking in persons, and (2) Bureau of Justice Assistance grant assistance for human trafficking task forces and information about trafficking victims. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to designate a Director of Anti-Trafficking Policies. Amends the TVPA to provide benefits and services for non-immigrants who are victims of criminal trafficking. Authorizes the Secretary to permit an alien to remain in the United States, if a federal law enforcement official files an application stating that an alien may be a victim of a severe form of trafficking and may be a potential witness to such trafficking, to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for such crime. Requires such official to respond to a request for continued presence in the United States within 15 days and to approve or deny the application for continued presence within 1 month. Directs the Secretary of State to include in specified required reports a description of U.S. efforts to comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Prohibits knowingly destroying or concealing or confiscating for more than 48 hours the passport or other immigration or personal identification document of an individual: (1) in violation of specified provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or (2) in order to, without lawful authority, maintain, prevent, or restrict the labor or services of the individual. Makes fraud in foreign labor contracting a predicate offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit the adjustment of status of a nonimmigrant to that of a person admitted for permanent residence if the activities rendering the alien inadmissible were caused by, or incident to, victimization under provisions regarding victims of trafficking in persons. Amends the Wilberforce Act to: (1) provide that, to the extent feasible, unaccompanied alien children from countries that are contiguous with the United States should be housed and screened by an immigration officer with expertise in child welfare in separate child-friendly facilities conducive to disclosing information related to human trafficking or exploitation; and (2) require each federal agency to notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within 24 (currently 48) hours regarding the apprehension or discovery of an unaccompanied alien child or regarding any claim or suspicion that an alien in custody is under age 18. Amends Social Security Act provisions regarding federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to require state plans for such assistance, by January 1, 2013, to describe state child welfare existing practice and future plans regarding prevention measures and victim assistance related to the human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of foreign, U.S. citizen, and legal resident children. Directs the Attorney General to consult with the HHS Secretary to distribute information to enable grantees under the TVPA to publicize the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on their websites. Requires any person who engages in foreign labor contracting activity to ascertain and disclose in writing in English and in the language of the worker being recruited specified information, including the identity of the employer and the recruiter and a signed copy of the work contract. Prohibits certain recruitment fees. Requires the Secretary to maintain a list of all foreign labor contractors registered. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a process for the receipt, investigation, and disposition of complaints. Authorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2015 for the TVPA and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Repeals the Legal Services Corporation Act (established a federally funded nonprofit corporation to provide financial support for legal assistance in noncriminal matters to persons financially unable to afford such assistance).
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Cement Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Provides that the following rules shall have no force or effect and shall be treated as though they had never taken effect: (1) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants, and (2) Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units, and Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials that are Solid Waste, insofar as such rules are applicable to the Portland cement manufacturing industry and Portland cement plants. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in place of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months or such later date as may be determined by the Administrator regulations for the Portland cement manufacturing industry and Portland cement plants subject to such rules, that: (1) establish maximum achievable control technology standards, performance standards, and other requirements for hazardous air pollutants or solid waste combustion under the Clean Air Act; and (2) identify non-hazardous secondary materials that, when used as fuels or ingredients in combustion units of such industry and plants, are solid waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act for purposes of determining the extent to which such combustion units are required to meet emission standards for such pollutants under such Act or the Clean Air Act. Requires the Administrator to establish compliance dates for such standards and requirements after considering compliance costs, non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements, the feasibility of implementation, the availability of equipment, suppliers, and labor, and potential net employment impacts. Sets forth guidelines for such rules and regulations, including requiring the Administrator to: (1) ensure that emissions standards for existing and new sources can be met under actual operating conditions consistently and concurrently with emission standards for all other air pollutants regulated by the rule for the source category; and (2) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative for each regulation promulgated.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Brian A. Terry Memorial Act - Designates the United States Border Patrol station located at 2136 South Naco Highway in Bisbee, Arizona, as the "Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station."
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Jobs for Americans Act of 2011 - Authorizes states and their political subdivisions to enact and enforce laws that help identify illegal aliens, deter illegal aliens from entering the United States, apprehend illegal aliens, or encourage or cause illegal aliens to leave the United States. Prohibits states and their political subdivisions from enacting or enforcing laws that are inconsistent with federal statutes that define the lawful status of persons who are in the United States. Prohibits any law from preempting any state or local law imposing civil or criminal sanctions upon persons who knowingly aid or abet, in any way, the presence of an illegal alien within the borders of the United States. Exempts from civil and criminal liability any person or entity for taking an action or failing to take an action that was undertaken in good faith to comply with the law. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the unlawful employment of aliens to prohibit any law from preempting any state or local law imposing civil or criminal sanctions upon persons who knowingly employ, recruit, or refer for a fee an unauthorized alien.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Charles August Long Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011 or the CAL Undiagnosed Diseases Research and Collaboration Network Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish and maintain an undiagnosed diseases patient network. Includes among the purposes of the CAL Network to: (1) provide physicians who are handling cases of undiagnosed diseases with a means to search for similar cases and to network and collaborate with physicians handling similar cases; (2) better enable and examine cross-disease research; (3) better describe the types and prevalence of cases of undiagnosed diseases in the United States; and (4) provide such data necessary to better understand the length of time for a diagnosis to be rendered and to identify barriers to diagnoses and reasons for misdiagnosis of diseases. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for: (1) the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on cases of undiagnosed diseases and other disorders that can often go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed as other diseases or disorders; and (2) the establishment of separate undiagnosed disease programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 122 North Holderrieth Boulevard in Tomball, Texas, as the "Tomball Veterans Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2011
Reaffirms the U.S. arms embargo on China. Calls upon the President, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, to clarify his policy towards Taiwan and to reaffirm support for U.S. allies in the region. Expresses concern over China's repression of political dissidents and religious and ethnic minorities. Reasserts that it should be U.S. policy to oppose any diminution of the European Union (EU) arms embargo against China.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial to include, in regards to the Korean War: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed such action; (2) the number of members who were wounded, missing, or prisoners; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations (U.N.) Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Allows certain private contributions for the memorial to fund such wall.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Free File Program Act of 2011 - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to continue to implement and operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File program (free online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services provided by the private sector technology industry to lower income taxpayers).
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2015. Directs the Secretary to hold a competition to design the obverse of the coins. Requires the design on the reverse side to depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Hinder the Administration's Legalization Temptation Act or the HALT Act - Suspends until January 21, 2013, authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act for: (1) waiver of inadmissibility of aliens unlawfully present in the United States; (2) cancellation of removal and adjustment of status for certain non-permanent residents; (3) temporary parole into the United States, except for parole entries for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes; and (4) designation of a country for temporary protected status. Revises, until January 21, 2013, the definition of "unauthorized alien" (for purposes of the unauthorized employment of aliens) to eliminate the exclusion from such definition of an alien authorized to work by the Attorney General (DOJ). Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting deferred action or extended voluntary departure to any alien until January 21, 2013, except for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes. Suspends specified regulations concerning employment of aliens until January 21, 2013. Revokes, as of the date of enactment of this Act, any immigration benefit granted during the period beginning on July 12, 2011, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act under any authority suspended by this Act with respect to: (1) parole authority, (2) the definition of an unauthorized alien, (3) deferred action or extended voluntary departure, or (4) such specified regulations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carter, John R. [R-TX-31]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001051_200.jpg)