United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2012
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the President should not sign the Arms Trade Treaty and, if he transmits the Treaty with his signature to the Senate, the Senate should not ratify it; and (2) until the Treaty has been signed by the President, received the advice and consent of the Senate, and has been the subject of implementing legislation by Congress, no federal funds should be appropriated or authorized to implement Treaty, or any similar agreement, or to conduct activities relevant to the Treaty or any similar agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Truth in Spending Act of 2012 - Requires the President's annual budget request to Congress to include the most recent reports of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding the difference between the actual costs and the estimated costs of direct spending legislation, including proposed legislative language, if any, in such reports. Requires OMB to submit annually for inclusion in the President's budget request reports (with follow-up reports every five fiscal years) on the total estimated cost and total actual cost of direct spending legislation for the then budget year and four outyears. Requires the President, within seven days after receiving an OMB report, to submit proposed legislative language, if any, set forth in the report to both chambers. Prescribes the procedure for fast track consideration of the legislation in both chambers. Prohibits the budgetary effects of such legislation from being entered on either PAYGO scorecard under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2012 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a market pricing program for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) as a replacement for the competitive acquisition program for DMEPOS, which is hereby terminated. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct annual market-priced auctions from among entities supplying market priced items and services in an eligible market area selected in the auction design, (2) establish a lead product for each of specified product categories, and (3) award a contract to any entity in an eligible market area in which an auction is conducted whose bid is below a clearing price equal to the highest cost bid that will meet capacity targets in the market area. Requires the Secretary to contract with an auction expert to assist in, and a market monitor to monitor, the design, development, and functioning of the auction. Adjusts the covered DME item update for 2012 through 2014 and each subsequent year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover transitional care services for qualified individuals provided by a transitional care clinician acting as an employee of a qualified transitional care entity, such as a hospital (or a critical care hospital), a home health agency, a primary care practice, a federally qualified health center, a long-term care facility, a medical home, an appropriate community-based organization, an assisted living center, or an accountable care organization.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2012
Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing any rule imposing a standard of performance for carbon dioxide emissions from any existing or new source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit unless and until three of four specified officials (the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration, the Comptroller General, the Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology) publish and submit to Congress a report finding that carbon capture and storage is technologically and economically feasible for such units.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for the establishment or operation of Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers that: (1) improve the training of health professionals in palliative care; (2) develop and disseminate curricula relating to the palliative treatment of the complex health problems of individuals with serious or life-threatening illnesses; (3) support the training and retraining of faculty to provide instruction in palliative care; (4) support continuing education of health professionals who provide palliative care to patients with serious or life-threatening illness; (5) provide students with clinical training in palliative care in long-term care facilities, home care, hospices, chronic and acute disease hospitals, and ambulatory care centers; (6) establish traineeships for individuals who are preparing for advanced education nursing degrees in palliative care nursing, home care, hospice, long-term care, or other nursing areas that specialize in palliative care; and (7) do not duplicate the activities of existing education centers funded under such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, and enter into contracts with: (1) schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to provide support for projects that fund the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine; and (2) eligible nurse practitioner, midwifery, nurse anesthesia, and advanced nurse education programs to meet the costs of palliative care and hospice career incentive awards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to eligible individuals to promote their career development as academic hospice and palliative care physicians; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, clinical social workers, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields to foster greater interest among a variety of health professionals in entering the field of palliative care; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a certified nurse assistant to develop and implement programs and initiatives to train and educate individuals in providing palliative care in health-related educational, hospice, home, or long-term care settings.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2012
Victory for Veterans Stamp Act of 2012 - Directs the Postal Service to issue a special stamp, to be called the Victory for Veterans Stamp, at a cost of 25 cents each. Makes such Stamp invalid for postage. Requires Stamp sale proceeds to be used as follows: (1) one-third for funding Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) veterans' vocational rehabilitation programs, (2) one-third to the general fund of the Treasury for deficit reduction, and (3) one-third for the Postal Service for modernization and fiscal administration. Requires such Stamp to be made available to the public within six months after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2012
Morris Soskil Path to the Purple Heart Act - Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned, in the case of an individual who served as a member of the Armed Forces during World War II and whose service records are incomplete because of damage while in the possession of the Department of Defense (DOD), to provide an exception to the standards for awarding the Purple Heart and consider unofficial sources of information, including eyewitness statements, to determine whether the individual is so eligible as a member killed or wounded in action as the result of an enemy act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to make such an award based upon a positive determination by the Secretary concerned. Allows such an award to be made posthumously.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2012
Amends the Revised Statutes of the United States with respect to the requirement that the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives deduct from the monthly payments of each Member of the House (or Delegate) the amount of the Member's salary for each day of absence from the House, except in the case of the Member's sickness or the sickness of a family member. Adds Resident Commissioner to Member and Delegate under such requirement. Considers a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner (Member) to be absent from the House on a day if the individual does not cast a vote on any vote taken in the House (including any vote taken in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union) on that day. Requires a written notice to the Speaker of the House about the Member's or family member's sickness under the exception. Requires the Chief Administrative Officer, within five days after the end of each month, to publish on the House official public Internet site a list showing: (1) specified information regarding each Member whose pay was subject to such a deduction for the month; and (2) each Member who submitted a written notice to the Speaker during the month, together with a copy of the notice.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2012
Mental Health First Aid Higher Education Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to carry out a demonstration program awarding grants to 10 institutions of higher education (IHEs) to implement a mental health first aid training program. Directs that training toward: (1) on-campus counseling center personnel; (2) dormitory resident advisers; (3) members of threat assessment and disciplinary committees; (4) faculty members; (5) coaches and other athletic department employees; (6) members of threat assessment teams; and (7) other administrators and personnel of the IHE, as determined appropriate by the Secretary. Requires that the program be designed to train those individuals to: (1) safely ameliorate crisis situations, (2) recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and (3) refer students to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders so they can avoid more costly behavioral health care down the road and stay enrolled in school.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2012
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, as the "Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2012
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2013: (1) the current methodology for payment to subsection (d) hospitals for inpatient hospital services furnished to individuals under the Medicare-dependent, small rural hospital (MDH) program, and (2) increased payments under the Medicare program for low-volume hospitals (with under 1,600 annual discharges). (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the Comptroller General to study such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2012
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for charitable contributions to a post or organization of war veterans, to treat recipients of the Korea Defense Service Medal as war veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2011 [ sic ] - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical scanner or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires each paper ballot used to be: (1) suitable for a manual audit, and (2) counted by hand in any recount or audit conducted with respect to any federal election. Sets forth a special rule for treatment of disputes when paper ballots have been shown to be compromised. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Specifies additional voting system requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Makes available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Provides for complaints to the Attorney General by persons aggrieved by violations of HAVA. Requires each state to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Makes an exception from this requirement for elections in which the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the vote total. Prescribes requirements for determination of the number of ballots counted under the audit. Prescribes the process for administering audits. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Provides for payments to states for the costs of conducting audits. Exempts from this Act any election for which a recount under state law will commence before certification of the election results. Repeals the EAC's exemption from certain federal government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2012
Prohibits the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) finalizing, adopting, implementing, administering, or enforcing the proposed guidance described in the notice of availability and request for comments entitled "EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Guidance Regarding Identification of Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act"; or (2) using such guidance, or any substantially similar guidance, as the basis for any decision regarding the scope of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or any rulemaking. Provides that the use of such guidance as the basis for any rule shall be grounds for vacating such rule.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2012
Amends Rule III (Calendars and Committee Reports) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the report accompanying each public bill or joint resolution reported by any committee to contain: (1) an analysis by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to determine if the bill or joint resolution creates any new federal program, office, or initiative that would duplicate or overlap any existing federal entity with similar mission, purpose, goals, or activities, along with a listing of all such overlapping or duplication; and (2) an explanation provided by the committee as to why the creation of each new program, office, or initiative is necessary if a similar program, office, or initiative exists. Makes it out of order to consider such a measure unless the committee of jurisdiction has prepared and posted on its website an overlapping and duplicative program analysis and explanation for the legislation that contains the same CRS analysis and committee explanation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2012
Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act - Makes any veteran who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, the Persian Gulf War, Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, or any other period of war after the Persian Gulf War, or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities, eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for any mental illness through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the mental illness is attributable to such service.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2012
Preserving Rural Resources Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to replace a requirement that a permit be obtained for any discharge of dredged or fill material into the navigable waters incidental to any activity having as its purpose bringing an area of such waters into a use to which it was not previously subject and where the flow or circulation of such waters may be impaired or the reach of such waters may be reduced with a requirement that a permit be obtained for any such discharge that is not currently exempted from permit requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2012
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century or MAP-21 - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) equal to current federal highway spending levels plus inflation for FY2012 and FY2013 for: (1) certain new and existing core federal-aid highway programs, and (2) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrative expenses. Revises the National Highway System (NHS) program. Prescribes requirements for acceleration of project delivery. Jason's Law - Declares a national priority to address specified kinds of projects for the shortage of long-term parking for commercial motor vehicles on the NHS. Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 - Establishes a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund for deposit of administrative and civil penalties paid in connection with the Deepwater Horizon incident. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require Gulf Coast state allocation and expenditures from the Fund for specified recovery activities. Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology Program. Extends the Land and Water Conservation Fund through FY2022. America Fast Forward Financing Innovation Act of 2011 [ sic ]- Amends the the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to revise the Department of Transportation (DOT) program of direct loans, loan guarantees, and credit for surface transportation projects. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012 - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to repeal specified programs and revise other specified public transportation policies and programs. Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2012 or Mariah's Act - Authorizes appropriations for specified highway safety programs and grants through FY2013. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) improve public accessibility to information on the publicly accessible vehicle safety databases of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and (2) establish within NHTSA a Council for Vehicle Electronics, Vehicle Software, and Emerging Technologies to build, integrate, and aggregate NHTSA expertise in passenger motor vehicle electronics and other new and emerging technologies. Requires the Secretary to issue a final rule to establish frontal crash protection requirements for child restraint systems for children weighing over 65 pounds. Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement Act of 2012 - Revises requirements for: (1) commercial motor vehicle registration, (2) commercial motor vehicle safety, and (3) driver safety. Safe Roads Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary to establish a national clearinghouse for records relating to alcohol and controlled substances testing of commercial motor vehicle operators. Revises requirements for enforcement of various specified regulations regarding commercial motor vehicles. Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations requiring: (1) installation of safety belts in motorcoaches at each designated seating position, and (2) other elements of motorcoach safety. Prescribes additional registration requirements for household goods motor carriers. Surface Transportation and Freight Policy Act of 2012 - Declares a national surface transportation and freight policy. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a National Surface Transportation and Freight Performance Plan. Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2012 - Revises hazardous material (hazmat) transportation safety requirements. National Rail System Preservation, Expansion, and Development Act of 2012 - Revises requirements regarding: (1) federal and state roles in rail planning and development tools, (2) the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission and Amtrak, (3) rail safety, and (4) freight rail. Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act to extend through FY2013 allocations to states for fish restoration and management projects. Highway Investment, Job Creation, and Economic Growth Act of 2012 - Extends Highway Trust Fund expenditure authority and related highway taxes. Amends the Internal Revenue Service to require transfers of specified funds and taxes as well as a 100% levy on payments to Medicare providers and suppliers. Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Act of 2012 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2013 for specified transportation research and innovative technology programs, including intelligent transportation systems research. Reauthorizes certain programs and activities under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, the Internal Revenue Code, and federal civil service law (regarding phased retirement). Authorizes certain special measures to counter money laundering and efforts to impede significantly U.S. tax enforcement. Revises requirements for overflights of National Parks.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2012
Workforce Investment Act of 2012 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for: (1) WIA title I, workforce investment systems for job training and employment services; and (2) WIA title II, adult education and family literacy education programs. Revises member composition of state and local workforce investment boards to require at least 20% of the board be composed of representatives of the workforce within the state. Revises requirements for a five-year state worker investment plan. Revises requirements for the state unified plan for adult education and literacy programs. Revises requirements for: (1) local workforce investment areas, boards, and plans; (2) one-stop delivery systems; and (3) the allotment of federal funds among states for statewide youth (including disadvantaged youth) activities and statewide workforce investment activities, Native American workforce investment programs, and adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities. Defines "core programs" to mean: (1) youth workforce investment activities and adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities, (2) adult education and literacy activities, (3) employment services, and (4) vocational rehabilitation services. Establishes unified state and local performance accountability measures for the core programs. Directs the Secretary of Labor to allocate federal funds for the costs of infrastructure associated with one-stop centers for job training and employment services. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for the Job Corps program. Prescribes a special rule to make Armed Force veterans eligible for the Job Corps if certain requirements are met. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to establish jointly a demonstration College Corps project to provide certain at-risk youth intensive education and skills training to prepare them for college and for high-skilled employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish annually performance indicators for Job Corps centers and for recruitment and career transition service providers serving the Job Corps program. Revises requirements for the Native American, migrant and seasonal farmworker, and veterans' workforce investment programs. Requires the establishment of performance accountability measures for such programs. Repeals the youth opportunity grant program. Replaces demonstration, pilot, multiservice, research, and multistate work investment projects with innovation work investment projects. Subjects such projects to certain performance accountability measures. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to provide for the competitive award of: (1) transition grants to states to assist them in making the transition to meeting the requirements of this Act; (2) workforce innovation and best practices grants to state partnerships or regional entities for workforce investment projects to target services to low-income individuals, low-skill individuals, long-term unemployed, and other populations with barriers to employment; and (3) youth innovation and best practices grants to states or local boards and other specified entities for innovative strategies and activities to improve education and employment outcomes for eligible youth. Converts the national emergency grants program into a national dislocated worker grants program. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award national dislocated worker grants to provide disaster relief employment in a disaster area of a state. Revises and reauthorizes appropriations for the YouthBuild program. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Native American, migrant and seasonal farmworker, and veterans' workforce investment programs. Establishes an Office of Disability Employment Policy within the Department of Labor. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to: (1) institutions of higher education for educational or career training programs for workers; (2) state or local organizations in partnership with community colleges and other training providers for pay-for-performance projects and pay-for-success job training projects; (3) state or local governments to provide job training or recruiting activities necessary to provide skilled workers for businesses that are considering relocating back to the United States; and (4) institutions of higher education in partnership with local or regional economic development entities to provide training in starting a small business and entrepreneurship. Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants to states for integrated English literacy and civics education. Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to authorize use of a state's allotment of public employment services funds to provide unemployment insurance claimants and other unemployed individuals with referrals to, and application assistance for, training and education resources and programs, including student assistance under Federal Pell Grants of the Higher Education Act of 1965, educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance, state student higher education assistance, and training and education programs under WIA titles I and II, and title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program of competitive grants to state employment agencies to carry out pilot projects that enhance the professional development and the provision of public employment services by agency staff. Replaces the nationwide employment statistics system, which the Secretary of Labor is required to oversee, with a nationwide labor market information system. Establishes the Workforce Information Advisory Council. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to transfer the Rehabilitation Services Administration from the Office of the Secretary of Education and reestablish it in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. Revises requirements for: (1) state plans for vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, (2) eligibility for vocational rehabilitation assistance and individualized plans for employment for disabled individuals, (3) monitoring and review of vocational rehabilitation programs, and (4) state allotments for such programs. Requires: (1) states to make certain funds available to designated state units for pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities who are transitioning to employment from education or training, and (2) each local office of a state unit to designate at least one Local Pre-Employment Transition Coordinator for students with disabilities. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to each designate a National Pre-Employment Transition Coordinator for Students with Disabilities. Revises American Indian vocational rehabilitation services grant program eligibility requirements to permit grants to be renewed for an additional 5-years, provided certain conditions are met. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services grants to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers, (2) recreational programs for individuals with disabilities, (3) the National Council on Disability, (4) the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and (5) employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations to assist states in developing collaborative programs to provide supported employment services for individuals (including youth) with the most significant disabilities to enable them to achieve supported employment in competitive integrated employment. Establishes within the Department of Education an Independent Living Administration (ILA), independent of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. Revises requirements for a state plan for state independent living services for individuals with significant disabilities, including through establishment of additional centers for independent living or focused outreach to serve underserved populations. Directs the ILA Director (currently, the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration) to make allotments to states for independent living services to individuals with significant disabilities. Revises the composition and functions of State Independent Living Councils. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) the centers for independent living grant program, and (2) independent living services for older individuals who are blind grant program. Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor and in coordination with the Commissioners of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, of Social Security, and of the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the heads of other relevant federal agencies, to carry out campaigns to educate employers and the general public on the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2012
Citizen Soldier Equality Act of 2012 - Requires that, in the case of a member of the reserves who is retired or placed on the temporary disability retired list because of an incurred disability for which the member is awarded the Purple Heart, the member shall be credited with the number of years of service that would be counted under the computation of years of service for retired pay for non-regular service.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2012
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests (thus covering 100% of their cost under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled]).
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2012
Affirms that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability and warns that time is limited to prevent that from happening. Urges increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to secure an agreement that includes: (1) suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, (2) complete cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding Iran's nuclear activities, and (3) a permanent agreement that verifiably assures that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Supports: (1) the universal rights and democratic aspirations of the Iranian people, and (2) U.S. policy to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. Rejects any U.S. policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran. Urges the President to reaffirm the unacceptability of an Iran with nuclear-weapons capability and oppose any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2012
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 regarding the imposition of countervailing duties on imports into the United States from a country subsidizing, directly or indirectly, the manufacture, production, or export of merchandise which materially injures a U.S. industry or threatens to. Declares that merchandise on which countervailing duties must be imposed includes merchandise from a nonmarket country, unless the administering authority cannot identify and measure subsidies provided by the government of the nonmarket economy country (or a public entity within its territory) because the economy of that country is essentially composed of a single entity. Requires the administering authority to reduce the antidumping duty on a class or kind of merchandise from a nonmarket economy country in cases where: (1) such country (or a public entity within its territory) has provided the merchandise with a countervailable subsidy (other than an export subsidy); (2) the subsidy has reduced the average price of imports of that class or kind of merchandise during the relevant period; and (3) the extent to which the subsidy, in combination with the use of normal value, has increased the weighted average dumping margin for such merchandise can be reasonably estimated. Requires the administering authority, in such cases, to reduce the antidumping duty by the amount of the increase in the weighted average dumping margin estimated (but not by more than the portion of the countervailing duty rate attributable to the countervailable subsidy).
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2012
Pro Football 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 emblematic of the game of professional football. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to help finance the construction of a new building and the renovation of existing Pro Football Hall of Fame facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2012
Presidential Allowance Modernization Act - Revises provisions relating to presidential pensions to allow former Presidents an annuity of $200,000 and an additional monetary allowance of $200,000 per year. Reduces such pension by the amount that a President's adjusted gross income in a taxable year exceeds $400,000. Increases from $20,000 to $100,000 the annual annuity of a surviving spouse of a former President.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2012
Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 - Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act - Requires federal public land management officials to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public lands and waters for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting, except as restricted by specified limitations, including statutory authority that authorizes or withholds action for reasons of national security, public safety, or resource conservation. Requires that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands, excluding lands on the Outer Continental Shelf, be open to recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting unless the managing agency acts to close lands to such activity for specified purposes, including resource conservation, public safety, energy production, water supply facilities, or national security. Allows federal agencies to: (1) lease their lands for shooting ranges, and (2) designate specific lands for recreational shooting activities. Sets forth requirements for a withdrawal, change of classification, or change of management status that effectively closes or significantly restricts 640 or more contiguous acres of federal public lands or waters for fishing or hunting or related activities. Recreational Shooting Protection Act - Requires National Monument land under BLM's jurisdiction to be open to access and use for recreational shooting, except as limited by the Director of BLM for reasons of national security and public safety and to comply with an applicable federal statute. Prohibits the issuance of closures or restrictions on such land that are substantially similar to those that were previously issued and not approved by federal law. Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act of 2012 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person: (1) who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before February 18, 1997; or (2) who has submitted, in support of an application submitted before May 15, 2008, proof that the bear was legally harvested before such date from a polar bear population from which a sport-hunted trophy could be imported before such date. Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to exclude from the definition of "chemical substance" for purposes of such Act: (1) any component of any pistol, revolver, firearm, shell, or cartridge the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax, including shot, bullets and other projectiles, propellants, and primers; and (2) any sport fishing equipment the sale of which is subject to federal excise tax and sport fishing equipment components.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2012
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. Reaffirms the nation's commitment to creating a world free of multiple sclerosis by promoting awareness about people that are affected with the disease, promoting new education programs, supporting research, and expanding access to medical treatment. Recognizes people living with multiple sclerosis and salutes the health care professionals and medical researchers who assist those so affected and continue to work to find ways to stop the progression of the disease, restore nerve function, and end multiple sclerosis forever.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012- Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) identify, on an annual basis, a list of high-priority federal programs for greater levels of oversight and review of improper payments; (2) coordinate with agencies responsible for administering high-priority programs to establish annual targets and semi-annual or quarterly actions for reducing improper payments; and (3) provide guidance to agencies for improving estimates of improper payments. Requires federal agencies to: (1) report to their Inspectors General on an annual basis on any high-dollar improper payments identified by such agencies and make such reports available to the public, and (2) review prepayment and preaward procedures and available databases to determine program or award eligibility and prevent improper payments before releasing any federal funds. Establishes a Do Not Pay Initiative based on information from databases maintained by the federal government, including the database of the Social Security Administration (SSA) reporting deaths of social security recipients. Requires the Director to: (1) determine the current and historical rates and amounts of recovery of improper payments and targets for recovering improper payments, and (2) establish a plan for at least 10 Recovery Audit Contracting programs to identify and recover overpayments and underpayments in 10 agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) tax incentives for retirement savings plans play an important role in encouraging employers and employees to participate in such plans, (2) existing incentives have increased the number of Americans covered by a retirement plan, and (3) a reformed and simplified tax code should include incentives to maintain and contribute to such plans and to strengthen retirement security for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2012
Prohibits the Secretary of the Air Force from planning or executing the permanent relocation of any C-130 aircraft assigned to Pittsburgh IAP Air Reserve Station (Pennsylvania) as of the date of enactment of this Act. Directs such Secretary to ensure that the number of such aircraft so assigned as of September 30, 2012, equals or exceeds the number assigned as of October 1, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the pioneers and participants of the civil rights movement in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country. Directs that the Medal be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be displayed. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian should make the Medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the civil rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2012
Improving Cancer Treatment Education Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to provide for Medicare coverage of comprehensive cancer patient treatment education services. Expresses the sense of Congress wih respect to continued support by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the area of symptom management and the role of nurses in providing those interventions. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the NIH Director to expand, intensify, and coordinate programs for the conduct and support of research with respect to: (1) improving the treatment and management of symptoms and side effects associated with cancer and cancer treatment, and (2) evaluating the role of nursing interventions in the amelioration of such symptoms and side effects.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 - Title I: Temporary Payroll Tax Relief - Amends the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 to: (1) extend through 2012 the 2% reduction in the self-employment tax rate for self-employment income not exceeding the excess of $18,350 over any wages and compensation paid to a self-employed taxpayer, and (2) extend through February 29, 2012, the 2% reduction in employment tax rates for employee wages and compensation not exceeding $18,350. Title II: Temporary Extension of Unemployment Compensation Provisions - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through March 6, 2012. Postpones the termination of the program until August 15, 2012. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until March 7, 2012, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and August 15, 2012, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2011, to February 29, 2012, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, to extend through February 29, 2012, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service as well as for those with less than 10 years. Title III: Temporary Extension of Health Provisions -Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to set the update to the single conversion factor in the formula for the physicians' fee schedules for the first two months of 2012 at zero (thus freezing the physician payment update for the first two months of 2012). Requires the conversion factor for the remaining portion of 2012 and subsequent years to be computed as if the zero update for the first two months of 2012 had never applied. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as modified by other federal law, to extend section 508 hospital reclassifications for two months through November 30, 2011. ("Section 508" refers to Section 508 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 [MMA], which allows the temporary reclassification of a hospital with a low Medicare area wage index, for reimbursement purposes, to a nearby location with a higher Medicare area wage index, so that the "Section 508 hospital" will receive the higher Medicare reimbursement rate.) Extends through February 29, 2012, the 1.0 floor on geographic indexing adjustments to the work portion of the physician fee schedule. Extends through February 29, 2012, the process allowing exceptions to limitations on medically necessary therapy caps. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to extend until February 29, 2012, an exception to a payment rule that permits laboratories to receive direct Medicare reimbursement when providing the technical component of certain physician pathology services that had been outsourced by certain (rural) hospitals. Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the bonus and increased payments for ground ambulance services until March 1, 2012. Amends the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) to extend the payment of certain urban air ambulance services until February 29, 2012. Extends increased payments for super rural ambulance services until March 1, 2012. Amends MIPPA to extend the physician fee schedule mental health add-on payment provision through February 29, 2012. Extends through February 29, 2012, hold harmless provisions under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Extends the minimum payment for bone mass measurement through the first two months of 2012. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to extend the Qualifying Individual (QI) Program through February 29, 2012, at specified allocations. xtends the Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) Program through February 29, 2012. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to extend the TANF program through February 29, 2012. Title IV: Mortgage Fees and Premiums - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to require the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require each government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) (the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac]) to charge a guarantee fee in connection with any guarantee of the timely payment of principal and interest on securities, notes, and other obligations based on or backed by mortgages on residential real properties designed principally for the occupancy of from one to four families. Requires the FHFA Director to prohibit a GSE from consummating any offer for a guarantee to a lender for mortgage-backed securities if: (1) the guarantee is inconsistent with the requirements of this Act; or (2) the risk of loss is allowed to increase, through the lowering of the underwriting standards or other means, for the primary purpose of meeting the requirements of this Act. Requires direct deposit into the Treasury of any amounts received from fee increases imposed by this Act that are necessary to comply with the minimum increase required by this Act. Requires the Director to require each GSE, as part of its annual report, to: (1) describe changes made to up-front fees and annual fees as part of the guarantee fees negotiated with lenders, changes to the riskiness of the new borrowers compared to previous origination years or book years, and any adjustments required to improve for future origination years or book years, in order to be in complete compliance with guarantee fee requirements; and (2) assess how the changes in such guarantee fees met the requirements of this title. Amends the National Housing Act with respect to requirements for each mortgage secured by a 1- to 4-family dwelling that is an obligation of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in addition to other required or authorized premiums, to establish and collect through FY2021 annual premium payments of up to 10 basis points of the remaining insured principal balance for any mortgage for which the Secretary collects an annual premium on the remaining insured principal balance. Title V: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: Keystone XL Pipeline - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State, to grant a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project application filed on September 19, 2008. Waives such requirement if the President determines that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest. Requires the President, in that case, to report to certain congressional committees and officials a justification for his determination, including consideration of economic, employment, energy security, foreign policy, trade, and environmental factors. Declares that a permit for such pipeline shall take effect by operation of law if after 60 days following enactment of this Act the President fails to: (1) determine that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest, or (2) grant the permit. Subtitle B: Budgetary Provisions - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the Senate to consider a bill, resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that includes an emergency designation. Permits waiver or suspension of such prohibition, or successful appeals from a ruling of the Chair, only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60 votes) of the Senate. Prohibits the budgetary effects of this Act from being entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Collaborative Academic Research Efforts for Tourette Syndrome Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH programs and activities regarding Tourette syndrome. Requires the Director to develop a system to collect data on Tourette syndrome, including epidemiological information regarding its incidence and prevalence in the United States, primary data, and data on the availability of medical and social services for individuals with Tourette syndrome and their families. Requires the Director to award grants and contracts to public or nonprofit private entities to pay costs of planning, establishing, improving, and providing basic operating support for between four and six centers of excellence in different regions of the United States to conduct basic and clinical research on Tourette syndrome. Requires the Secretary to designate a portion of the amounts made available to carry out NIH programs and activities for a fiscal year to carry out programs and activities with respect to Tourette syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2011
No Budget, No Pay Act - Prohibits the payment of any pay to any Member of Congress (excluding the Vice President): (1) if both houses of Congress have not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year and have not passed all the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year by such date, or (2) until both houses of Congress approve such a budget resolution and pass all such appropriations bills. Prohibits any retroactive pay for such a period.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2011- Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act - Requires a business enterprise that employs 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees, or 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, exclusive of overtime, in a call center to notify the Secretary of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States. Subjects violators to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 a day. Directs the Secretary to maintain and make publicly available a list of all such employers that relocate a call center. Requires such an employer to remain on the list for up to three years after each relocation. Makes such an employer ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, except where the employer demonstrates that a lack of such loan or grant would threaten national security, result in substantial job loss in the United States, or harm the environment. Requires the head of federal or state executive agency or military department, when awarding a civilian or defense-related contract, to give preference to a U.S. employer that does not appear on the list. Requires a business entity that initiates or receives a customer service communication to require each of its employees or agents participating in the communication to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each such communication unless all involved employees or agents are located in the United States. Exempts any communication: (1) initiated by a consumer if the consumer knows or reasonably should know that the employee or agent is located outside the United States, or (2) related to the provision of emergency services. Requires such a business entity, upon request, to transfer a customer to a customer service agent who is physically located in the United States. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exclude certain classes or types of business entities or customer services communications from the requirements of this Act under exceptionally compelling circumstances. Sets forth enforcement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Postal Service Protection Act of 2011 - Sets forth rules for the recalculation of annuities for employees of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and for the redetermination of surplus or supplemental liabilities under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Prescribes the "average pay" to be used in calculating annuities and surplus amounts. Authorizes the transfer of surplus postal retirement contributions in FY2010 to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund, the Postal Service Fund, and the Employees' Compensation Fund under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) and to USPS for payment of its debt obligations. Eliminates the requirement for pre-funding of the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Sets forth criteria for the closing or consolidation of postal facilities. Allows USPS to provide any nonpostal service or product in a manner consistent with the public interest. Provides for the mailing of wine and beer sent by a licensed winery or brewery in accordance with the laws of the state, territory, or district where the addressee or agent takes delivery. Establishes in USPS the position of the Chief Innovation Officer who shall have proven expertise and success in the postal and shipping industry and in innovation, marketing, technology, and management. Establishes a Postal Innovation Advisory Commission. Requires the Postmaster General to report to Congress on a comprehensive strategy for maximizing USPS revenue through innovative postal and nonpostal products and services. Prohibits USPS from reducing the frequency of mail delivery to fewer than six days each week or from increasing the expected delivery time for market-dominant products.
![Official portrait of Rep. Altmire, Jason [D-PA-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000362_200.jpg)