United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2012
Condemns Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities and its continued violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Calls for Iran to release Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of their religion. Recognizes that religious freedom is a universal human right and a fundamental individual freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
States that the property interest of Iran in: (1) a blocked asset shall include an interest in property of any nature whatsoever, including any direct or indirect interest in securities or other financial assets immobilized or in any other manner held in book entry form and credited to a securities account in the United States, or in any funds transfers held in a U.S. financial institution; (2) securities or other financial assets immobilized or in any other manner held in book entry form and credited to a securities account in the United States shall be deemed to exist at every tier of securities intermediary necessary to hold an interest in any such securities or other financial assets; and (3) a funds transfer shall exist at any intermediary bank necessary to complete such funds transfer. States that property of Iran shall be deemed to be property in the United States of Iran if that property is: (1) an interest, held for Iran's benefit or for the benefit of any securities intermediary that directly or indirectly holds the interest for Iran's benefit, in securities or other financial assets that are represented by certificates or are in other physical form and are immobilized, custodized, or held for safekeeping or any other reason in the United States; or (2) an interest in securities or other financial assets held in book entry form or otherwise, and credited to a securities account in the United States by any securities intermediary directly or indirectly for Iran's benefit or for the benefit of any other securities intermediary that directly or indirectly holds the interest for Iran's benefit. States that: (1) an interest in securities or other financial assets is held and credited to a securities account in the United States by a securities intermediary if the securities intermediary is located in the United States; and (2) ownership by Iran, or its central bank or monetary authority, of any property shall be deemed to be commercial activity in the United States and that property, including any interest in that property, shall be deemed not to be held for the central bank's or monetary authority's own account. Revises provisions regarding exceptions to the immunity from attachment or execution of a foreign state's property in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to arrange for an independent study of the effects on human health caused by the use of backscatter x-ray machines at airline checkpoints operated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Directs the TSA Administrator to ensure that large, readable signs or equivalent electronic displays are placed at the front of airline passenger check points where backscatter advanced imaging technology machines are used for screening to inform airline passengers that they may request undergoing alternative screening procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Disapproves and nullifies the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and published December 22, 2011, relating to representation election procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act - Amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to allow grants to eligible public transportation agencies for security improvements to be used for specialized patrol teams.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act - Amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to exclude a seller of manufactured homes from the definition of loan originator subject to such Act, unless such individual or entity is engaged in the business of a loan originator or receives compensation or gain for engaging in certain residential mortgage loan activities in excess of any compensation or gain received in a comparable cash transaction. Amends the Truth in Lending Act, as amended by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, to revise the definition of "high cost mortgage."
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Protecting Foods and Beverages from Government Attack Act of 2012 - Prohibits the use of any appropriation for print, radio, television or any other media advertisement, campaign, or form of publicity against the use of a food or beverage that is lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion within the District of Columbia except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater. Makes an exception where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions or any claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct intended to result in her death. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such exception only in the manner which provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman than would other available methods. Prescribes penalties for violations. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act, but authorizes such a woman or the father or maternal grandparent of the unborn child to obtain appropriate relief through a civil action. Provides for injunctive relief to prevent violations. Sets forth specified privacy protections in court proceedings for the woman upon whom an abortion has been performed. Requires any physician who performs an abortion within the District to report it to the Department of Health of the District of Columbia, which shall issue annual public reports.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require abortion providers, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, to perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting, display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them, and provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable. Prohibits construing this Act to require a woman to view the images or penalizing the provider or the woman if she declines to look at the images. Exempts an abortion provider if the abortion is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. Requires the provider to include in the woman's medical file a truthful and accurate certification of the specific medical circumstances that support such determination. Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action in federal court against any abortion provider who knowingly violates this Act. Prescribes penalties. Directs the Attorney General to notify the appropriate state medical licensing authority of penalties assessed. Authorizes a woman upon whom an abortion has been performed in violation of this Act to commence a civil action against the provider for actual and punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2012
Executive Appointments Reform Act - Eliminates exceptions to the prohibition against payment for services to an individual appointed to a federal position requiring confirmation by the U.S. Senate (advice and consent) during a recess of the Senate. Prohibits any federal officer or employee serving in a position that requires Senate confirmation from providing voluntary or gratuitous services. Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that a quorum required by the National Labor Relations Board to conduct its business shall not include any member of such Board who has not been confirmed by the Senate. Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to: (1) provide that no rule, order, or other administrative action of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection shall be considered final if the Director of the Bureau was appointed during a recess of the Senate and the position of Director was vacant while the Senate was in session, until the Director has been confirmed by the Senate; (2) prohibit payment for services to any person appointed to the Bureau during a recess of the Senate to fill a vacancy in the Bureau requiring Senate confirmation, if the vacancy existed while the Senate was in session, until such appointee is confirmed by the Senate; and (3) prohibit an employee or officer of the Bureau serving in a position that requires Senate confirmation from providing voluntary or gratuitous services.
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 · 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 · 22 November 2011
Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the face-to-face encounter framework in hospice care. Allows a clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, or other health professional (in addition to a hospice physician or a nurse practitioner, as under current law) to conduct the face-to-face encounter with an individual to determine continued eligibility for hospice care before the first 60-day (currently, 180-day) recertification period and each subsequent recertification period. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare Hospice Payment Reform demonstration program to test any revisions to the methodology for determining payment rates for routine home care and other hospice care services. Sets at every three years the frequency of surveys of certified hospice program entities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2011
Preserving Marginal Lands and Protecting Farming Act of 2011 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to set forth the maximum number of acres that may be enrolled at any one time in the conservation reserve program through FY2017. Prohibits the enrollment of land in the conservation reserve that is classified as class I or class II land under the National Soil Survey Handbook's land capability classification system.
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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · 12 October 2011
Honors Reverend Fred Lee Shuttlesworth (established the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, helped organize the march from Selma to Montgomery to protest voting discrimination in Alabama, and worked with the Congress of Racial Equality to organize the Freedom Rides) for his efforts in the fight against segregation and commitment to the civil rights of all people.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) to establish in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an Under Secretary for Policy who shall conduct long-range, risk-based, strategic planning for DHS. Directs the Secretary of DHS to designate a DHS official to coordinate efforts to counter homegrown violent Islamist extremism in the United States. Provides for the Office of International Affairs within DHS to be headed by an Assistant Secretary for International Affairs (currently, by a Director) who shall establish minimum requirements for training and supporting staff who are deployed abroad. Repeals the provisions establishing the Office of Domestic Preparedness. Directs the Secretary to conduct the quadrennial homeland security review in calendar year 2013. Revises the contents of such review. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) an Acquisition Review Board, (2) a Capabilities and Requirements Council, and (3) an Acquisition Professional Career Program. Directs the Chief Procurement Officer and the Chief Human Capital Officer to submit a five-year strategic plan for DHS's acquisition workforce. Directs the Under Secretary for Management to establish a process to provide for the independent evaluation of the integrity and quality of major acquisitions. Modifies HSA provisions regarding fusion centers to provide for a DHS National Network of Fusion Centers Initiative to establish partnerships with state and major urban area fusion centers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) assign personnel with expertise in security of mass transit systems to participating state and major urban area fusion centers located in high-risk jurisdictions, and (2) develop a comprehensive strategy for the coordinated development and deployment of information sharing computer networks of DHS. Authorizes the Secretary to convert competitive service positions to excepted service positions as necessary to carry out DHS intelligence functions. 9/11 Review Commission Act - Establishes in the legislative branch a National Commission to Review the National Response Since the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. Amends HSA to direct: (1) the Secretary to issue a biodefense strategy that establishes detailed strategic biodefense objectives for DHS's mission areas; (2) DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis to support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of terrorist plans to conduct attacks against the nation involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials; (3) the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to produce a terrorism risk assessment of such threats; (4) the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state, local, and tribal authorities in promoting individual and community preparedness and collective response to such attacks; (5) the Secretary to carry out a program to detect a biological attack or event that poses a high risk to homeland security; (6) the Secretary to require the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to assess whether the development of technological screening capabilities for biological agents, pandemic influenza, and other infectious diseases should be undertaken by the Science and Technology Directorate to supportscreening at ports of entry and for other homeland security purposes; (7) the FEMA Administrator to develop a communications plan to provide information to the public related to such attacks; (8) the Secretary to develop response guidelines concerning weapons of mass destruction; (9) the Secretary to use the best available integrated plume models to enable rapid response activities following a chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological attack or event; (10) the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct tailored risk assessments to inform prioritization of national recovery activities; (11) the Secretary to issue guidance for cleanup and restoration of areas exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials; and (12) the Secretary to develop exercises that address analysis, indoor environmental cleanup methods, and decontamination standards. Amends HSA to direct: (1) the Assistant Administrator of the Grants Programs Directorate to serve as the Authorization Liaison Officer within FEMA; (2) the FEMA Administrator, the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs, and the National Metropolitan Medical Response System Working Group to conduct a review of the Metropolitan Medical Response System Program; and (3) the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to conduct research to assist state, local, and tribal leaders and the private sector in developing the tools and methods to enhance rural preparation for and response to terrorist attacks and other incidents. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit a comprehensive strategy for gaining operational control of the international borders between U.S. ports of entry in five years, and (2) maintain a force of not fewer than 21,300 Border Patrol agents and not fewer than 2,200 agents assigned to the northern border. Establishes in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program. Provides for a six-month pilot program to test the use of autonomous unmanned vehicles to patrol the maritime environment along the northern border and the land environment along the southern border. Directs the Secretary to issue Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards. Establishes a Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. Authorizes a bioforensics analysis center in DHS to provide support for specified law enforcement and intelligence-related investigations and actions. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to establish a Homeland Security Science and Technology Fellows Program to facilitate the temporary placement of scientists in components of DHS with a need for scientific and technological expertise. Establishes within the Directorate of Science and Technology a Science and Technology Advisory Committee. Amends HSA to require the Director for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to: (1) have specified authorities and responsibilities for all radiological and nuclear research, development, testing, and evaluation programs of DHS; and (2) provide support to assist state, local, and tribal entities in implementing preventive radiological and nuclear detection capabilities. Requires the DHS Secretary to develop a five-year plan of investments necessary to implement DHS's responsibilities under the domestic component of the global nuclear detection architecture. See Something, Say Something Act of 2011 - Amends HSA to provide civil immunity to any person who, in good faith based on objectively reasonable suspicion, makes a voluntary report to an authorized official of suspicious activity indicating that an individual may be engaging in an act of terrorism.
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 · 4 October 2011
Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification, for depreciation purposes, of any motorsports entertainment complex as seven-year property.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2011
Cormorant Management and Natural Resources Protection Act - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to delegate the authority of the Secretary of the Interior under such Act with respect to double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) to a state on the date the Secretary approves a cormorant management plan submitted by such state. Requires the Secretary to: (1) approve or disapprove a management plan within 60 days of the plan's submission, (2) approve such plan if it is in accordance with U.S. obligations under treaties and federal law, (3) provide to the relevant governor the reasons for disapproving a plan and an opportunity to revise and resubmit the plan, (4) review each approved state management plan every five years, and (5) revoke such approval and delegation if the plan or the governor's exercise of delegated authority is not in accordance with such Act or any treaty implemented by such Act. Deems a management plan approved if the Secretary doesn't approve or disapprove it within 60 days after submission. Applies an approved management plan in lieu of regulations issued under such Act. Requires the Secretary to conduct educational and informational activities for the owners and operators of aquaculture facilities to improve their efforts to prevent cormorants from consuming aquatic species being reared in such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Creating Hope Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the priority review voucher program for tropical diseases to: (1) include rare pediatric diseases; (2) allow unlimited transfers of vouchers under the program; and (3) require a sponsor intending to use a voucher to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at least 90 days (currently, 365 days) before submission of the application. Revises provisions regarding the priority review user fee, including to make it payable upon notification of the Secretary of intent to use the voucher. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request of the manufacturer or sponsor of a new drug, to designate that a new drug is: (1) for a rare pediatric disease, and (2) an eligible treatment. Requires the Secretary to deem a rare pediatric disease product application to be incomplete if it does not contain a description of the sponsor's plan to market the product in the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to issue a priority review voucher upon the approval of a rare pediatric disease application if the Secretary finds that the sponsor lacks a good faith intention to market the product in the United States. Directs the Secretary to issue a guidance document setting forth the evidentiary support necessary to demonstrate such a good faith intention. Requires sponsors of applications under the priority review voucher program to report to the Secretary within five years after the approval of the application on the demand and distribution of the product within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act of 2011 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for FY2012-FY2013. Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (TSA) to carry out a risk-based program at airport checkpoints that expedites screening for trusted passengers, including members of the Armed Forces and their families. Requires the Assistant Secretary to carry out a program to ensure appropriate treatment in the screening of individuals with metal implants, prosthetics, and physical disabilities traveling by airplane. Prohibits pat-down screening of an air passenger child, unless a screening anomaly cannot be reasonably resolved by checkpoint technology. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish requirements for screening technologies for all carry-on baggage and cargo destined for commercial aircraft. Requires the Assistant Secretary to ensure that by the end of 2013 at least 100 explosives detection canine teams are used to screen passengers at large U.S. airports. Directs the Assistant Secretary, working in cooperation with the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to develop a pilot program at a large airport to test the feasibility of streamlining aviation security screening of baggage and passengers arriving in the United States who continue on domestic flights to a final destination. Prescribes requirements for: (1) standardization of operating procedures at airport checkpoints for passengers and carry-on baggage, (2) installation of automated targeting recognition software on all advanced imaging technology machines deployed in commercial airports for passenger screening, and (3) the disabling of image retention on all advanced imaging technology used to screen passengers. Directs the Assistant Secretary to ensure that advance notice of a covert test of a transportation security system is not provided to any individual (including any security screener) before completion of the test. Requires the Assistant Secretary to establish recurring training of transportation security officers on updated screening procedures and technologies. Establishes in the TSA an Office of the Ombudsman. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a voluntary air cargo advanced screening pilot program (ACAS Program) for targeting high-risk cargo entering the United States. Directs the Assistant Secretary to: (1) develop a process to certify third-party explosive detection canines for the screening of air cargo; and (2) encourage airports to develop clear reporting procedures for sharing information among federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel and airport Federal Security Directors. Requires the Assistant Secretary to conduct an efficiency review of TSA to identify spending reductions and savings through the streamlining and restructuring of its divisions. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, to develop a strategic plan to reduce the TSA workforce by 5% by the end of FY2013. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish in the TSA the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, including air cargo security and general aviation security working groups. Requires the Assistant Secretary to submit to Congress detailed acquisition and deployment plans for checkpoint security technology, explosive detection systems, and air cargo security technology for large commercial airports. Prescribes requirements for criminal investigative training for newly hired federal air marshals. Requires the Assistant Secretary to develop a strategic risk-based plan to improve airport transportation security that includes best practices to make airport perimeter access controls more secure. Requires the Assistant Secretary to study electromagnetic emission and radiation exposure from passenger and baggage screening equipment at commercial service airports. Amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to direct the Assistant Secretary to establish a process for resolving reimbursement claims for airports that have incurred eligible costs for development of partial or completed in-line baggage systems. Directs the Assistant Secretary to: (1) review the process for amending airport security plans, (2) develop security procedures to enable aircraft operators subject to TSA security programs to obtain access to temporarily restricted airspace, and (3) assess periodically the risk of domestic and international flights to determine the optimal assignment of air marshals to highest risk flights. Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to donate, loan, or lease obsolete airport equipment, as well as provide training and other assistance, to foreign airports to mitigate assessed security vulnerabilities. Includes as an allowable airport improvement (AIP) cost projects to reconfigure or construct new terminal baggage areas as needed to install explosive detection systems. Requires the Secretary to establish a task force on crimes that disqualify individuals from transportation-related employment. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary to issue final regulations prohibiting commercial motor vehicle operators and shippers from transporting a security-sensitive material without holding a valid transportation security card. Directs the Secretary to prohibit Mexican or Canadian licensed commercial motor vehicle operators from transporting a security-sensitive material in the United States without being subjected to, and not disqualified as a result of, a security threat assessment by a federal agency. Requires the Assistant Secretary to: (1) develop qualitative performance measures and objectives for assessing the effectiveness of Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams in providing transportation security, and (2) implement an interoperability of communications plan for VIPR team operations. Revises public transportation security grant requirements. Makes law enforcement agencies eligible for such grants. Directs the Assistant Secretary to conduct a freight rail security demonstration project. Requires the Assistant Secretary to increase the number of explosives detection canine teams certified by the TSA for passenger rail and public transportation security activities. Directs the Comptroller General to study the roles of DHS and the Department of Transportation (DOT) with respect to pipeline safety. Repeals the prohibition against installation or utilization of motor carrier security-sensitive material tracking technology without additional congressional authority. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish in the TSA the Surface Transportation Advisory Committee, including passenger carrier security and freight rail security working groups. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, to develop a plan that includes best practices to improve intelligence information sharing with state and local transportation entities.
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 · 14 September 2011
Community Shelter Protection Act of 2011 - Prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from requiring an educational institution (elementary or secondary school that is an eligible applicant for FEMA assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act) to reimburse FEMA for the market value of a covered temporary tornado shelter facility (a structure designed to protect children from a tornado that is constructed or acquired with federal financial assistance) when the facility is no longer needed for that purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2011
United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act of 2011 - Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations (U.N.) on a wide variety of issues, including to shift the funding mechanism for the regular budget of the U.N. from an assessed to a voluntary basis. Withholds up to 50% of nonvoluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the U.N. unless the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that 80% of the total regular budget of the U.N. is apportioned on a voluntary basis. Requires the annual congressional budget justification to include a detailed itemized request in support of the U.S. contribution of the regular budget of the U.N. Sets forth requirements for the Comptroller General with respect to audits and investigations of U.S. contributions to the U.N. and such contributions' use by U.N. entities. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of a U.S. contribution to any U.N. entity unless the entity has provided the Comptroller General with a transparency certification and is in compliance with such certification. Prohibits making funds available: (1) to international organizations for any purpose other than an assessed U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; (2) to international organizations and programs for any purpose other than a voluntary U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; and (3) for international peacekeeping activities for any purpose other than a U.S. contribution to U.N. peacekeeping activities, to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), or to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Directs the Secretary to withhold from the regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount of U.S. overpayments to the U.N. States that is U.S. policy to oppose any proposals on expansion of the Security Council that would: (1) diminish U.S. influence on the Security Council, or (2) include veto rights for new Security Council members. Directs the Secretary to withhold U.S. contributions from any U.N. entity that recognizes a Palestinian state or upgrades the status of the Palestinian observer mission at the U.N., the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority (PA), or any other Palestinian administrative organization or governing entity prior to the achievement of a final peace agreement with Israel. Provides that until the Secretary makes a specified certification to Congress: (1) the Secretary shall withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), (2) the Secretary shall not make a voluntary contribution to UNHRC, and (3) the United States shall not run for a UNHRC seat. Directs the Secretary to withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for: (1) the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; and (2) any other U.N. Special Procedures used to display bias against the United States or Israel or to provide support for any member state which is subject to Security Council sanctions, under a Security Council-mandated human rights investigation, has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, or is a country of particular concern for religious freedom. States that it is U.S. policy to oppose any legitimization of the Goldstone Report and to lead a diplomatic campaign supporting its revocation. Prohibits funds from being used for U.S. participation in the Durban III meeting or any part of the Durban process. Withholds U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or to any successor or related entity unless the Secretary makes specified certifications to Congress. Prohibits any U.S. contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from being used to support Technical Cooperation program assistance to any country, including North Korea, that: (1) has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism; or (2) is in breach of, or under investigation for breach of, obligations regarding its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or any relevant Security Council resolution. Directs the Secretary to withhold from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the IAEA an amount proportional to that spent by the IAEA in 2007-2008 on Technical Cooperation program assistance to such countries. Sets forth U.S. policy regarding reform of U.N. peacekeeping operations. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the U.N. to oppose the creation of new, or expansion of existing, U.N. peacekeeping operations until the Secretary certifies to Congress that specified peacekeeping reforms have been adopted by the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations or the General Assembly.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
WMD Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of terrorist actors, their claims, and their plans to conduct attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials against the nation and of global infectious disease, public health, food, agricultural, and veterinary issues; (2) support homeland security-focused risk analysis and risk assessments of such homeland security hazards by providing relevant quantitative and nonquantitative threat information; (3) leverage homeland security intelligence capabilities and structures to enhance prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts with respect to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack; and (4) share information and provide tailored analytical support on these threats to state, local, and tribal authorities as well as other national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders. Requires the Office to coordinate with other DHS components, the Intelligence Community, and federal, state, local, and tribal authorities where appropriate and enable such entities to provide recommendations on optimal information sharing mechanisms and on how they can provide information to DHS. Directs the Secretary of DHS to report annually on: (1) intelligence and information sharing activities to counter the threat from weapons of mass destruction, and (2) DHS's activities in accordance with relevant intelligence strategies. Requires the Secretary to ensure that homeland security information analyzed by DHS concerning terrorist threats is provided to state, local, and private entities and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Textile and Apparel Policy and Programs (TAPP) division of the Office of International Trade within CBP should ensure that seizures, detentions, special operations, and Textile Product Verification Teams (TPVTs) remain the primary focus of their efforts to enforce U.S. customs laws with respect to imports of textile or apparel articles, particularly as they relate to enforcement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and other free trade agreements and trade preference programs to prevent transshipments and origin fraud. Requires the seizure and forfeiture of an imported textile or apparel article for which a trade preference has been claimed in cases where the importer: (1) has either misdescribed, not verified the article's country of origin, or used accompanying false documentation; or (2) provides false information as to his or her address or does not meet certain documentation or informational requirements upon entry of an article. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), the CBP Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of articles due to violations of the U.S. customs laws to pay for expenses directly related to the investigation and enforcement of such violations, including expenses related to training and education of certain specialists who participate in the enforcement of such laws. Authorizes the use of such amounts also to pay for a reward of the lesser of at least 20% of that amount or $20,000 to any person who furnishes information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of articles due to violations enforced by the Secretary, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Commissioner to ensure specified staffing of the Textile Operations Branch of TAPP, of TAPP, and of the Quota Branch of TAPP. Requires the Commissioner to certify, with respect to the 15 largest U.S. ports of entry for textile or apparel articles, that a certain number of Import Specialists are trained in preventing textile or apparel importer fraud, trade preference verification, and undervaluation. Requires the Commissioner also to increase the number of dedicated textile and import specialists at such ports by 25%. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury (who is now merely authorized) to publish in the Federal Register: (1) the names of persons located outside of the U.S. customs territories against whom the CBP has issued a penalty claim for violating U.S. customs laws, including for violations of quotas, duties, or trade preferences; and (2) a list of high-risk countries involved in the transshipment of textile or apparel products. Requires the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic verification system for tracking textile or apparel articles imported or exported under the CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, or any other free trade agreement to which the United States is a party to ensure compliance with such agreements. Directs the Commissioner to establish a new textile and apparel importer program that requires the CBP to adjust bond amounts for new importers of textile and apparel goods based on the level of assessed risk. Requires the Commissioner to establish a nonresident importer declaration program for the import of textile or apparel articles. Directs the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Supplier Registry pilot program.
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 · 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
Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring a permit under national pollutant discharge elimination system permitting requirements for a discharge resulting from the conduct of any silvicultural activity, such as nursery operations, site preparation, reforestation, thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control, harvesting operations, surface drainage, or road use, construction, and maintenance, from which there is runoff. Specifies that nothing in this Act exempts silvicultural activity from permit requirements for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters.
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
Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) establish the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Advisory Board, (2) develop a system to collect data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases, and (3) establish the National PF Registry. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in developing the Registry, to: (1) expand and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; and (2) provide for research access to pulmonary fibrosis data. Directs the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information are made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of CDC to prepare the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Education and Awareness Plan, which shall: (1) focus on strategies to increase public education and awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, (2) address the need for new physician education strategies to improve diagnosis and treatment standards, and (3) assess and monitor the costs of pulmonary fibrosis and its burden on patients and families. Encourages the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute pulmonary fibrosis research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Mark Twain. Limits issuance of such coins to calendar year 2016. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be promptly paid, in specified percentages, to: (1) the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the continued restoration of the house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain; (2) the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study and promote Mark Twain's legacy; (3) the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, for the same purposes; and (4) the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites related to Mark Twain and help support study and promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the Montford Point Marines, U.S. Marine Corps, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. (Camp Montford Point, North Carolina, was the site for the training of the first African-American Marines.) Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Palestinian Accountability Act - Prohibits any U.S. government document from referring to the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) as Palestine until the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that the PA: (1) does not inappropriately influence elections in PA-contolled areas; (2) is promoting human rights and ending government corruption; (3) has taken steps to dismantle terrorist infrastructures and arrest terrorists, control Palestinian security organizations, and end the incitement to violence and hatred in the Palestinian media, educational institutions, and mosques; (4) has ceased to participate in any boycott of Israel; (5) works with Israel to implement the Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict of 2003 (the Roadmap to Peace); (6) recognizes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state; and (7) has excluded Hamas from participating in a unity government or has required Hamas to publicly support such requirements. Prohibits certain Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 funds from being made available to the PA unless: (1) a U.S. nongovernmental or private entity audits the PA budget and the Secretary submits the audit to Congress, and (2) the Secretary certifies to Congress that the PA meets specified requirements. Prohibits funds from being obligated or expended for U.S. contributions to the United Nations (U.N.) if the U.N. or any U.N. entity recognizes statehood for the Palestinian territories unless the Secretary certifies to Congress that the PA meets specified requirements. Prohibits funds from from being obligated or expended for U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) unless: (1) a U.S. nongovernmental or private entity audits the UNRWA budget and the Secretary submits the audit to Congress, and (2) the Secretary certifies to Congress that UNRWA meets specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Makes final, and not subject to judicial review, federal agency decisions to: (1) issue a permit, license, or approval for a highway or public transportation capital project; and (2) prepare supplemental environmental impact statements for projects in cases where the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) considers new information received after the close the comment period.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011 - Requires the President to establish the Committee for the Cumulative Analysis of Regulations that Impact Energy and Manufacturing in the United States to analyze and report on the cumulative and incremental impacts of covered rules and actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning air, waste, water, and climate change for each of calendar years 2016, 2020, and 2030. Requires such analysis to include: (1) estimates of the impacts of the such rules and actions on the global economic competitiveness of the United States, electricity prices, fuel prices, employment, and the reliability and adequacy of bulk power supply in the United States; and (2) a discussion and an assessment of the cumulative impact on consumers, small businesses, regional economies, state, local, and tribal governments, local and industry-specific labor markets, and agriculture. Includes among "covered rules" specified national standards for air quality and air pollutants and hazardous and solid waste and other rules promulgated under specified provisions of the Clean Air Act on or after January 1, 2009. Defines "covered action" as any action on or after such date by the EPA, a state, a local government, or a permitting agency as a result of the application of specified Clean Air Act (CAA) provisions with respect to an air pollutant that is identified as a greenhouse gas. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to increase and extend appropriations for FY2012-FY2016 for diesel emissions reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2011 - Requires: (1) the President to assign a member of the National Security Council to serve as Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense, who shall submit a National Biodefense Plan and publish a National Strategy for Biosurveillance; and (2) the Director of National Intelligence to develop and implement a National Intelligence Strategy for Countering the Threat from Weapons of Mass Destruction and a National Intelligence Strategy for Countering Biological Threats. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) conduct intelligence and information sharing activities; (2) support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of terrorist actors, their claims, and their plans to conduct attacks against the nation involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials; and (3) support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of global infectious disease, public health, food, agricultural, and veterinary issues. Directs: (1) the Secretary to produce and update periodically an assessment of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats and an integrated risk assessment that ranks those threats according to relative risk; and (2) the Attorney General to periodically review and recommend updates to criminal laws to ensure that such laws are well suited to the evolving risks of misuse of life sciences by terrorists and others and that national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders at unique risk of exploitation have access to guidance regarding actions that can reduce that risk. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) homeland security investigations and enforce criminal violations of U.S. customs and export laws related to military items, controlled commodities, and sanctioned or embargoed countries or persons to prevent individuals, terrorist groups, foreign adversaries, and hostile nations from obtaining sensitive U.S. technology and munitions or components, precursors, and delivery systems for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons; and (2) certain industry outreach with manufacturers and exporters of strategic commodities that may be targeted for procurement by terrorist organizations and the countries that support them, as well as countries identified as weapons proliferators. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) develop a communications plan to provide information to the public related to preventing, preparing for, and responding to a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attack; and (2) develop and disseminate integrated public alerts and warnings system pre-scripted messages and message templates to be provided to state, local, and tribal authorities to rapidly disseminate critical information to the public in the event of such an attack. Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that homeland security information concerning terrorist threats is provided to state, local, and tribal authorities and the public; (2) establish a process to optimize opportunities for qualified heads of state and local and tribal government entities to obtain appropriate security clearances so that they may receive classified threat information; and (3) prepare unclassified threat bulletins on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. Requires the FEMA Administrator to assist state, local, and tribal authorities in improving and promoting individual and community preparedness and collective response to terrorist attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials, including by developing guidance and checklists of recommended actions for individual and community prevention and preparedness efforts. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program to detect a biological attack or event that poses a high risk to homeland security; (2) require the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to assess whether the development of technological screening capabilities for biological agents, pandemic influenza, and other infectious diseases should be undertaken by the Science and Technology Directorate to support entry and exit screening at ports of entry; and (3) establish procedures for the sharing of homeland security information, including laboratory biosecurity-related information. Requires the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to: (1) establish and maintain a multilayered system of detection technologies, programs, and guidelines designed to enhance the nation's ability to detect and prevent a radiological or nuclear attack in high-risk U.S. cities; and (2) develop a surge capability for radiological and nuclear detection systems that can be deployed within the United States rapidly in response to actionable intelligence or warnings. Requires such programs to be integrated into the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop for police, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management, medical, and public health personnel voluntary guidance for responding to a release of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material; (2) acquire, use, and disseminate the best available integrated plume models to enable rapid response activities following a chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological attack or event; and (3) carry out a program for system assessment and validation of emergency response equipment (SAVER Program) at DHS. Establishes the National Bioforensics Analysis Center to serve as the lead federal facility regarding bioforensic analysis and requirements for law enforcement, emergency response, national security, and homeland security. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make available to law enforcement, public health, emergency first responders, and security personnel at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center training on recognizing and responding to situations involving potential biological threats, including performing joint criminal and epidemiological investigations; (2) conduct a Metropolitan Medical Response System Program to assist state and local governments in preparing for and responding to public health and mass casualty incidents resulting from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other man-made disasters; (3) conduct risk assessments to inform prioritization of national recovery activities for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents; (4) develop and issue guidance for cleanup and restoration of indoor and outdoor areas that have been exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials; and (5) develop exercises that address analysis, indoor environmental cleanup methods, and decontamination standards. Directs the President to establish a Federal Experts Security Advisory Panel to make technical and substantive recommendations on biological agent and toxin security. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) periodically update a National Medical Countermeasure Dispensing Strategy to enhance preparedness and collective response to a terrorist attack with any chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material; and (2) review the adequacy of domestic vaccination and antimicrobial dispensing policy, guidance, and information provided to the public in light of any known terrorist risk of a biological attack. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) support efforts in other countries to develop mechanisms and capabilities for reporting to United Nations organizations validated data on biological attacks; (2) establish and build capacity to effectively implement legislation criminalizing the development or use of biological weapons or acts of bioterrorism; (3) convene and lead an interagency task force on best practices for global biopreparedness; and (4) promote implementation of and compliance with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Hallowed Grounds Act - Prohibits the remains of persons convicted of certain sex offenses (tier III sex offenders for purposes of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act) from being interred or memorialized in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries or in the Arlington National Cemetery. Applies such restrictions to interments and memorializations occurring on or after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Authorizes the American Legion under its federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to the individual Departments and Posts. Prohibits it from controlling or otherwise influencing the specific activities and conduct of independent, autonomous Departments and Posts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Southeastern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2011 - Extends certain disaster-related tax relief provisions to the Southeastern disaster area. Defines "Southeastern disaster area" as an area with respect to which a major disaster has been declared by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act due to severe storms, tornados, or flooding occurring after April 13, 2011, and before June 7, 2011, in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Rescinds $12 billion of appropriated discretionary unexpired and unobligated federal funds to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" as the termination of a pregnancy with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, remove a dead unborn child who died as the result of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauma, or a criminal assault on the pregnant female or her unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize states to adopt and implement coal combustion residuals permit programs. Requires: (1) the requirements of such programs to be no less stringent than the requirements of criteria promulgated for municipal solid waste landfill under such Act; (2) such programs to regulate the management of coal combustion residuals in surface impoundments and other land-based units; and (3) each landfill, surface impoundment, or other land-based unit which may receive coal combustion residuals to be designed, constructed, and maintained to provide for containment of the maximum volumes of such residuals appropriate for the structure. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement such a program for a state: (1) whose governor notifies the Administrator that such state will not implement a program, (2) whose governor notifies the Administrator that such state will implement, but that is determined not to be implementing, such a program, or (3) that is notified of, but that fails to remedy, program deficiencies. Prohibits the Administrator from considering such program implementation by the Administrator in making a determination of approval for a permit program and conditions under such Act concerning state hazardous waste programs. Requires the time period for a structure's closure to be set forth in a schedule in a closure plan that takes into account the site-specific characteristics of such structure. Prohibits the Administrator from applying such programs to the utilization, placement, and storage of coal combustion residuals at surface mining and reclamation operations. Prohibits this Act from being construed to alter the EPA's regulatory determination entitled "Notice of Regulatory Determination on Wastes from the Combustion of Fossil Fuels" that the fossil fuel combustion wastes addressed in that determination do not warrant regulation under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011
EPA 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) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters; (2) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers; (3) the Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units; and (4) Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That are Solid Waste. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in place of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months, or on such later date as may be determined by the Administrator, regulations for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters and commercial and industrial solid waste incinerator units 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 boilers, heaters, or incinerator units, 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. 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 · 14 June 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, (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud, and (3) block the use of the social security numbers of certain aliens who are under order of removal, voluntarily depart, or have an expired work authorization.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rogers, Mike D. [R-AL-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_al_3_rogers_mike_200.jpg)