United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2011
Asthma Management Plans in School Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools that are receiving school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Act and are located in areas that have a high prevalence of asthma so they can: (1) develop and implement an asthma management plan; and (2) purchase the asthma inhalers, nebulizer machines, valved holding chambers (VHCs), spacers, auto-injectable epinephrine, and other supplies necessary for the relief and treatment of affected students. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to local health or education departments to carry out such activities if they are the entities that would routinely carry out such activities in an area. Requires grantees to: (1) find innovative ways to encourage rapid bidirectional communication between schools and students' physicians and students' adherence to asthma treatment, and (2) ensure that they have on staff a nurse or individual who is trained to administer emergency asthma care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2011
Every Child Deserves a Family Act - Prohibits an entity that receives federal assistance and is involved in adoption or foster care placements from discriminating against prospective adoptive or foster parents solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status or on the basis of the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in order to ensure compliance with, and ensure understanding of the legal, practice, and culture changes required by this Act in making foster care and adoption placement decisions, to provide specified technical assistance to all entities covered by this Act. Requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of whether states have substantially complied with this Act in eliminating policies, practices, or statutes that deny adoption rights on the basis of these criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2011
Supports the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. Encourages the inclusion of Prime Minister Fayyad in any interim and subsequent Palestinian governments. Maintains that a Palestinian government which includes Hamas must be prohibited from receiving U.S. aid until the government publicly commits to the Quartet principles. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that U.S. aid to the Palestinians is intended to: (1) prevent acts of terrorism against Israel, (2) create the stability and prosperity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that promotes peaceful coexistence with Israel, and (3) meet humanitarian needs in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2011
Congratulates President Obama on his successful policies in the war on terror and in homeland security. Congratulates the Navy Seals and all of the men and women of the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies that contributed to the successful implementation of the mission that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2011
Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $18 to $9 ( the pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer; and (2) allow a further reduction in such tax for brewers who produce not more than 2 million barrels annually.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Stop Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Act of 2011 - Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to impose sanctions on a person that knowingly enters into an agreement: (1) with Iran to purchase or provide payment for future delivery of Iranian petroleum resources, (2) to provide specified ancillary services, or (3) with the National Iranian Oil Company or affiliates for the development of petroleum resources wherever located. Imposes sanctions on a person that knowingly purchases, subscribes to, or facilitates the issuance of Iranian sovereign debt. Subjects a parent entity, with specified exceptions, to penalties for violations of certain sanctions regarding Iran committed by a subsidiary outside of the United States that would be subject to prohibitions if committed inside the United States or by a U.S. person. Prohibits with respect to Iran: (1) issuance of specified licenses to export or reexport civil aviation goods, services, or technology; and (2) such goods, services, or technology from being exported or reexported. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate amortization of geological and geophysical expenditure tax incentives if certain sanctions regarding the development of Iranian petroleum resources are imposed on any member of an expanded affiliated group whose common parent is a foreign corporation. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make inadmissible to the United States an alien who: (1) engages in certain sanctionable activities with Iran, including the development of Iran's petroleum resources, the proliferation of Iranian weapons of mass destruction, or support for terrorism by Iran; or (2) has a controlling managing or shareholder interest in an entity that engages in such activities. Increases temporarily consular service fees for processing machine readable nonimmigrant visas and machine readable combined border crossing identification cards and nonimmigrant visas. Directs the President to: (1) identify each foreign person or foreign entity for which there is a reasonable basis for determining that the person or entity is an agent, front, instrumentality, official, or affiliate of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or is an IRGC representative; and (2) apply specified property sanctions to such person or entity. Gives priority to investigations of specified sensitive transactions. Sets forth mandatory and discretionary measures to be taken against a foreign person or entity that provides material support to the IRGC. Requires additional measures (including foreign assistance, arms, import, and export restrictions) to be taken against a foreign government so identified. Amends the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act to include in the President's proliferation report to Congress identification of every foreign person who, on or after January 1, 2009, transferred to Iran, Syria, or North Korea goods, services, or technology that could assist efforts to extract or mill uranium ore within the territory or control of Iran, North Korea, or Syria. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to promote the divestment of investments in Iran by permitting the deferral of tax on gain from the sale of securities in any business that is engaged in certain discouraged activities in Iran if the holder of such securities purchases replacement securities from a business not engaged in such discouraged activities. Includes as an Iran discouraged activity business transactions with or charitable donations to any Iranian person designated as a terrorist or to any foreign terrorist organization. Directs the head of an executive agency to ensure that each contract with a company for the procurement of goods or services, agreement for the use of federal funds, or the provision of insurance or technical assistance requires the company to certify that it does not conduct specified business operations in Iran. Authorizes contract termination and federal contract suspension or debarment for submission of a false certification. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to prohibit the state or local government from entering into or renewing a procurement contract with persons that conduct specified business operations in Iran. Directs U.S. government pension plans or thrift savings plans to take steps to divest from any entity with respect to which specified sanctions are applied under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 or the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010. Directs the President to seek to terminate International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) loan disbursements to Iran. Directs the President, if the Bank approves a Country Assistance Strategy for Iran or approves a loan to Iran, to: (1) terminate any U.S. contribution to the Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Corporation for the fiscal year in which the Country Assistance Strategy or loan is approved, or if loan disbursements have been made, for the following fiscal year; (2) prohibit the sale of Bank debt instruments in the United States; and (3) prohibit the purchase of any such debt instrument by the U.S. government, a U.S. person, or a state or municipal governmental entity. Sets forth sunset provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, on an ongoing basis, to: (1) collect and report certain information on bullying and harassment by youth in their elementary and secondary schools and communities; (2) conduct, and report the results of, a needs assessment for bullying and harassment prevention programs; and (3) provide technical assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in their efforts to thwart bullying and harassment. Requires LEAs to: (1) include clear prohibitions against bullying and harassment within their discipline policies; (2) establish and monitor performance indicators for incidents of bullying and harassment; and (3) establish grievance procedures students, parents, and educators can use to redress such conduct. Directs LEAs to notify parents, students, and educators annually on: (1) the bullying and harassment prohibited by their discipline policies, (2) the numbers and nature of bullying and harassment incidents for each of their schools, and (3) grievance procedures for redressing such conduct. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools; and (2) the Commissioner for Education Statistics to collect data, that are subject to independent review, to determine the incidence and prevalence of bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools in this country.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Prohibits assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) from being obligated or expended if the President certifies to Congress that the PA has unilaterally declared a Palestinian state.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Fire Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Clean Air Act to exempt a substance listed as acceptable for use as a fire suppression agent for nonresidential applications from the prohibition against introducing into interstate commerce or using any class II substance (specified hydrochlorofluorocarbons).
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Prohibits a state from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semitrailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (NHS) (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the state on June 1, 2008, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the NHS (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under state law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semitrailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by state law on June 1, 2008; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such state on or before June 1, 2008. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to state (grandfather) law. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the NHS, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower state weight limits; or (2) a state allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the NHS that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Ponzi Scheme Victims' Tax Relief Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a special theft loss tax deduction for qualified fraudulent investment losses and for such losses in connection with assets held in an individual retirement account (IRA); (2) a carryback of net operating losses which are qualified fraudulent investment losses for up to 10 years; (3) withdrawals from tax-exempt retirement plans for a 10-year period without penalty to replace qualified fraudulent investment losses; (4) catch-up contributions to retirement plans to compensate for fraudulent investment losses; and (5) an extension of the limitation period for filing refund claims for overpayments of tax in connection with gifts and bequests of an interest in an investment for which there is a qualified fraudulent investment loss. Defines "qualified fraudulent investment loss" as a loss discovered in 2008 or 2009 resulting from a fraudulent arrangement in which a person receives cash or property from investors, purports to earn income for investors, reports partially or wholly fictitious income to such investors, makes payments to some investors from payments made by other investors, and appropriates some or all of the investors' cash or property. Waives for a one-year period after the enactment of this Act the application of any law or rule of law (including res judicata) which prevents any credit or refund otherwise allowed by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Assets for Independence Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Assets for Independence Act, which provides for demonstration projects designed to provide individuals and families of limited means with an incentive to save a portion of their earned income and thereby accumulate assets, increase their economic self-sufficiency, and stabilize such families and the communities in which they live. Expresses the sense of Congress that a qualified entity conducting a demonstration project under the Act should, to the maximum extent practicable, increase: (1) the rate at which it matches contributions by participating individuals, or (2) the number of such participating individuals. States that multiple households may share a single residence. Specifies public housing agencies and tribally designated housing entities as entities qualified to participate in a demonstration project. Repeals the requirement that state or local government or other public agencies apply jointly with a tax-exempt not-for-profit charitable organization or collaborate with certain kinds of local community-based organizations. Includes among postsecondary educational expenses any expenses for preparatory courses, room and board, and transportation. Revises requirements for: (1) applications for new and renewals of existing projects; (2) limitations on uses of the Reserve Fund; and (3) the adjusted gross household income eligibility test, requiring regulations for transfers from one project to another for individuals who move because of major disasters or emergencies, to find employment, or to a community where no project is available. Revises requirements for deposits by qualified entities in the individual development accounts (IDAs) of participating individuals to: (1) increase maximum deposits per individual and per household; (2) facilitate withdrawal of funds from an IDA, with formal approval, during the year following the end of a demonstration project; and (3) require disposal of funds remaining in an IDA at the end of that year. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of Community Services, to make every effort, 90 days after terminating the authority of one qualified entity to operate a demonstration project, to identify another qualified entity (or entities), in the same or a different community, willing and able to conduct one or more demonstration projects. Specifies criteria for giving priority consideration to candidate entities. Revises requirements for contracting with independent research organizations to evaluate demonstration projects. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) use certain funds to cover the necessary costs of training for a qualified entity conducting a demonstration project, including costs of travel, accommodations, and meals; and (2) waive any requirement of the Act in certain circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Uniting American Families Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines: (1) "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners, and (2) "alien permanent partner" as the individual in a permanent partnership who is being sponsored for a visa.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Success in the Middle Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle grades needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to complete successfully the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous secondary school coursework; and (2) award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships of LEAs and institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, or educational nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Favors LEAs, or partnerships that include LEAs, that serve high proportions of poor children and children attending eligible schools. Defines "eligible schools" as those where: (1) a high proportion of middle grade students matriculate to secondary schools with graduation rates below 65%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade six, or the school's earliest middle grade level, exhibit key risk factors for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts. Permits states to make subgrants to LEAs and partnerships that did not receive a competitive subgrant to assist them in applying for competitive subgrants and developing comprehensive middle school improvement plans. Provides the Secretary with funding to: (1) contract for studies that identify promising practices for, and review existing research to identify factors that might lead to, the improvement of middle grades education; (2) create a national clearinghouse in best middle grade educational practices and a national database identifying factors that facilitate or impede middle grade student achievement; (3) require certain educational field research designed to enhance the performance of middle grade schools and students; (4) create a research and development center that addresses topics pertinent to the middle grades; and (5) provide grants to entities that partner with states and LEAs to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing middle grades.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on outpatient physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services of the type furnished by a physician or as an incident to physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2011 or All-STAR Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to certain eligible entities and, through them, subgrants to successful public charter schools to allow such schools to expand or replicate to serve additional students. Lists, as eligible grantees, state and local educational agencies, authorized public chartering agencies, and tax-exempt organizations that have successfully supported the replication and expansion of such schools. Sets forth the attributes that are to give such entities grant priority, including their serving or planning to serve a large percentage of low-income students from public schools with low-graduation rates or schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the ESEA. Authorizes grantees to use up to 25% of a grant to establish a reserve account to assist them in acquiring and developing new facilities for successful public charter schools through: (1) credit enhancement initiatives, (2) the establishment of revolving loan funds, (3) direct spending or financing, or (4) partnerships with community development or other mission-based financial institutions. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent, comprehensive, and scientifically sound evaluation of the effect this Act's initiatives have on student achievement and other areas, as determined by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds for assistance to Egypt unless the President certifies to Congress that Egypt is honoring its commitments under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act of 2011 - Prohibits: (1) conducting invasive research on great apes; (2) possessing, maintaining, or housing a great ape for the purpose of conducting invasive research; (3) using federal funds to conduct such research on a great ape or to support an entity conducting or facilitating invasive research on a great ape either within or outside of the United States; (4) knowingly breeding a great ape for the purpose of conducting or facilitating such research; (5) transporting, moving, delivering receiving, leasing, renting, donating, purchasing, selling, or borrowing a great ape in interstate or foreign commerce for conducting or facilitating such research; and (6) transferring federal ownership of a great ape to a non-federal entity unless the entity is a suitable sanctuary. Defines "great ape" as any chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon. Defines "invasive research" as research that may cause death, injury, pain, distress, fear, or trauma to great apes, including drug testing or exposure to a substance or isolation, social deprivation, or other experimental manipulations that may be detrimental to the ape's health or psychological well-being. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to effectuate the permanent retirement of all great apes that are owned by the federal government and that are being maintained in any facility for the purpose of breeding for, holding for, or conducting invasive research. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Great Ape Sanctuary System Fund to be administered by the Secretary for construction, renovation, and operation of the sanctuary system for surplus chimpanzees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Supports the goals and ideals of the Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Encourages each state, city, and local education authority to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2011 - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity when extending credit. Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; (2) "person" as a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association; and (3) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Preserving Homes and Communities Act of 2011 - Prohibits a covered mortgagee from initiating either a nonjudicial or a judicial foreclosure, otherwise authorized under state law, against a covered mortgagor unless the mortgagee: (1) has used its best efforts to determine whether the mortgagor is eligible for a qualified loan modification, and to offer one if this is the case; and (2) has made certain documentation available to an ineligible mortgagor regarding a loan modification calculation or net present value calculation, the loan origination, any pooling and servicing agreement, the mortgagor's payment history, as well as specific alternatives to foreclosure, including qualified loan modifications, workout agreements, and short sales. Requires a covered mortgagee to use its best efforts to suspend any foreclosure proceeding initiated before enactment of this Act, and to toll any deadlines limiting the mortgagor's rights. Prohibits any sale of the property under the mortgage or the entry of judgment against the mortgagor. Requires the mortgagee to reevaluate an eligible mortgagee's application for a qualified loan modification and, if the mortgagor is eligible, offer one. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) to ensure that any home loan modification protocol includes a dispute resolution procedure. Declares any sale of property in violation of this Act void. Makes failure to comply with this Act a bar to foreclosure under state law. Prohibits loan modification fees and sets forth rules governing foreclosure-related fees. Directs the Secretary of HUD to: (1) establish a program to make competitive grants to state and local governments to establish mediation programs that assist mortgagors facing foreclosure, and (2) develop and implement a plan to monitor conditions and trends in home ownership and the mortgage industry and the effectiveness of public and private efforts to reduce mortgage defaults and foreclosures. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, out of funds received or to be received from the sale of warrants under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, to transfer and credit $1 billion to the Housing Trust Fund established under the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer. Denies such tax credit to any taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Recognizes the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis on the 50th anniversary of the Center's founding.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
North Korean Refugee Adoption Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of State to develop a comprehensive strategy for facilitating the adoption of North Korean children by U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
William Shemin Jewish World War I Veterans Act - Directs the Secretaries of the Army and the Navy to: (1) review the service records of certain Jewish-American World War I veterans to determine whether that veteran should be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; and (2) upon a positive determination, submit a recommendation to the President that the President make such award. Makes eligible for such review and award each Jewish-American World War I veteran: (1) who was previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or other military decoration for service during World War I; or (2) whose name is submitted to either Secretary by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America within one year after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit an insured credit union from making any member business loan that would result in the total amount of such loans outstanding at that credit union at any one time exceeding either: (1) 1.75 times the actual net worth of the credit union, or (2) 12.25% of the total assets of the credit union. Authorizes the National Credit Union Administration Board to approve an application by an insured credit union to make one or more member business loans that would result in a total amount of such loans outstanding at any one time of up to 27.5 % of the total assets of the credit union, if the credit union meets specified safety and soundness criteria. Prohibits an insured credit union that has made such a member business loan but that is not well capitalized from making any new member business loans until it becomes well capitalized and obtains Board approval. Directs the Board to develop a tiered approval process, including lending standards, under which an insured credit union gradually increases the amount of member business lending in a manner that is consistent with safe and sound operations. Directs the Comptroller General to study the status of member business lending by insured credit unions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act of 2011 - Calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the type of technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations that small communities find is the most beneficial. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) authorize appropriations to the Administrator of EPA for FY2011-FY2016 for such assistance; and (2) authorize the Administrator to provide such assistance to organizations providing onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance programs, onsite and regional training, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements. Directs the Administrator to give preference to nonprofit organizations that are determined to be the most qualified, experienced, and effective and the most supported by small community water systems.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Employment Non-Discrimination Act - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation. Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations, and (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces. Declares that this Act does not repeal or modify any federal, state, territorial, or local law creating a special right or preference concerning employment for a veteran. Provides for the construction of this Act regarding: (1) enforcement by employers of rules and policies, (2) sexual harassment, (3) certain shared facilities such as showers or dressing facilities, (4) construction of new or additional facilities, (5) dress and grooming standards, and (6) provision of employee benefits to married vs. unmarried couples. Declares that, in this Act, "married" refers to marriage as that term is defined in the Defense of Marriage Act (a legal union between one man and one woman). Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from collecting statistics from covered entities on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or compelling the collection by covered entities of such statistics. Provides for enforcement, including giving the EEOC, the Librarian of Congress, the Attorney General, and U.S. courts the same enforcement powers as they have under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and other specified laws. Allows actions and proceedings, subject to exception, against the United States and the states.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Affirms and validates a specified patent and its associated land reconfiguration issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as having been issued in compliance with the Nevada-Florida Land Exchange Authorization Act of 1988, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 for the benefit and recovery of the desert tortoise and other species and their habitat. Ratifies: (1) the process used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the BLM for the reconfiguration of those lands as shown in a specified environmental impact statement; and (2) the reconfiguration provided for in a specified Army Corps of Engineers permit.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education for Alzheimer's Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease and related dementia diagnosis and services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an excise tax credit through 2016 for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures involving compressed or liquefied natural gas; (2) allow an income tax credit through 2016 for alternative fuel motor vehicles powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas and make Indian tribal governments eligible for such credit; (3) modify the tax credit percentage for alternative fuel vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; (4) allow a new tax credit for the production of vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; and (5) extend through 2016 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures for refueling property relating to compressed or liquefied natural gas and allow an increased credit for such property. Requires the Secretary of Energy to provide funding to improve the performance, efficiency, and integration of natural gas powered motor vehicles and heavy-duty on-road vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to manufacturers of light and heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the development of engines that reduce emissions, improve performance and efficiency, and lower cost. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should streamline the process for certification of natural gas vehicle retrofit kits to promote energy security and provide incentives to encourage and reward manufacturers who produce natural gas powered vehicles. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allocate funds for vehicles that are repowered or converted to operate on an alternative fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Local Taxpayer Relief Act - Amends the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies [LEAs] for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property when appropriations for a fiscal year are insufficient to provide them with full compensation. Prohibits an LEA from being paid amounts for federal ownership of property that exceeds its total current expenditures in the second prior fiscal year. Changes the method for calculating the value of federal property located in an LEA's area. Alters the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for eligible federally-connected children. Includes not only children in average daily attendance, but also those enrolled pursuant to a state open enrollment policy. Continues an LEA's eligibility for such payments while activities associated with military base closures and realignments or force structure changes or relocations are ongoing. Allows the calculation of such payments using current student counts instead of prior fiscal year data when LEAs experience a specified influx of new federally-connected students due to federal activities or the closure of an LEA that was receiving Impact Aid due to federally-connected children. Requires the Secretary of Education to allow LEAs to count their federally-connected children using the date they register their students for the fiscal year for which their application is filed. Alters the formula for determining the construction payments due LEAs that are eligible for other Impact Aid payments. Divides 80% of the construction funds evenly between LEAs impacted by military dependent children and LEAs impacted by children residing on Indian lands, with the remainder reserved for emergency repair and modernization grants to LEAs serving Indian lands or experiencing a specified influx of new students due to federal activities. Alters the formula for determining whether a state's plan for equalizing assistance to its LEAs will except it from the prohibition on state aid to LEAs being affected by Impact Aid payments. Requires new LEAs applying for Impact Aid to have boundaries established by state law and the authority to tax or receive an imputed local tax. Directs the Secretary to complete Impact Aid payments to eligible LEAs within three fiscal years of their appropriation. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Impact Aid program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011 - Prescribes the "average pay" and the appropriate percentage thereof to be used in determining annuities for civilian employment with the United States Postal Service (USPS) for purposes of provisions relating to future benefits attributable to such employment in order to calculate the amount of any USPS surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): (1) within six months after enactment of this Act, to determine (or, if applicable, redetermine) the amount of such surplus or liability as of the close of the most recently ending fiscal year using the methodology required under this Act; and (2) if the result is a surplus, to transfer the surplus amount to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund within 15 days after the determination of a surplus. Provides for an alternate determination of an USPS surplus or supplemental liability for FY2016-FY2020. Requires transfer of certain surplus postal retirement contributions in FY2011 to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund or the Employees' Compensation Fund under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA). Expresses the intent of Congress that this Act shall apply to allocations of past, present, and future benefit liabilities between the USPS and the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Social Security Fairness Act of 2011 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the government pension offset requirement applicable to and reducing husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and divorced mother's and divorced father's insurance benefits with respect to federal, state, or local government employees who receive a government pension and did not pay Social Security taxes during their years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years. Repeals also the windfall elimination requirement with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount under which OASDI retirement or disability benefits are reduced if the individual receives a federal, state, or local government pension, did not pay Social Security taxes during the years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
North Korea Sanctions and Diplomatic Nonrecognition Act of 2011 - Continues diplomatic, economic, and military sanctions against the government of North Korea as a supporter of international terrorism until the President certifies to Congress that North Korea: (1) is no longer engaged in the illegal transfer of missile or nuclear technology, particularly to Iran, Syria, or Burma; (2) is not assisting foreign terrorist organizations, engaged in counterfeiting U.S. currency, or engaged in illicit narcotics traffic; (3) has returned the last remains of Reverend Kim Dong-shik to the United States; (4) has released abducted Japanese nationals and surviving Korean War prisoners of war; and (5) has undertaken specified actions regarding family reunification, penal reforms, refugee access, and religious organization communications. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should redesignate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Finds that the United States did not grant diplomatic recognition to North Korea upon its establishment as a client regime of the former Soviet Union in 1948. Continues diplomatic nonrecognition of North Korea until such benchmarks have been met. Directs the President, in the case of a North Korean missile, rocket, or other airborne launch or the conducting of a nuclear test in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1695, 1718, and 1874, to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use U.S. influence to secure adoption of a Security Council resolution condemning North Korea's action and requiring implementation of comprehensive sanctions and an inspection regime against North Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period classification for qualified leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property, for purposes of the depreciation tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Nuclear Power Plant Safety Act of 2011 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to revise nuclear power plant safety regulations to ensure that each licensed utilization facility can withstand and adequately respond to: (1) an earthquake, tsunami (for a facility located in a coastal area), strong storm, or other event that threatens a major impact to the facility; (2) a loss of the primary operating power source for at least 14 days; and (3) a loss of the primary backup operating power source for at least 72 hours. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005, in connection with loan guarantees, to require the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to ensure, in the case of a guarantee for advanced nuclear energy facilities, that the cost of the obligation is calculated using a consideration of the Tohoku earthquake of 2011 to estimate the risk characteristics of the project.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act or the Small BREW Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Optometric Equity in Medicaid Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require coverage under Medicaid of services of optometrists.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Commodity Exchange Act to direct both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to prohibit purchase or sale of either securities, security-based swaps, or commodities for future delivery or swap by a person in possession of material nonpublic information regarding pending or prospective legislative action if the information was obtained: (1) knowingly from a Member or employee of Congress, (2) by reason of being a Member or employee of Congress, or (3) from other federal employees and derived from their federal employment. Amends the Code of Official Conduct of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit any Member, officer, or employee of the House from disclosing material nonpublic information relating to any pending or prospective legislative action relating to any publicly-traded company or to any commodity if such person has reason to believe that the information will be used to buy or sell the securities of that publicly traded company or that commodity for future delivery based on such information. Directs both the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives to hold hearings on the implementation by the CFTC and the SEC of such financial transaction prohibitions. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require formal disclosure of certain securities and commodities futures transactions to either the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to subject to its registration, reporting, and disclosure requirements, as well as requirements for identification of clients and covered legislative and executive officials, all political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants. Requires the Comptroller General to include political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants in its annual compliance audits and reports.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Holocaust Rail Justice Act - Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944; and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity. Declares that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action; and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the extent to which the public has access to records, including archived information, with respect to the deportation of such persons to Nazi concentration camps on such trains.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act - Grants the Secretary of the Treasury regulatory and enforcement jurisdiction over the Internet Gambling Licensing Program established by this Act. Prescribes administrative and licensing requirements for Internet betting, including background check requirements and suitability standards for license applicants. Prohibits any person from operating an Internet gambling facility that knowingly accepts bets or wagers from persons located in the United States without a license issued by the Secretary. Prescribes safeguards to: (1) ensure the legal age of any wagering individual as well as a permissible location for placing the wager; (2) combat fraud, money laundering, and terrorist finance; and (3) combat compulsive Internet gambling. Directs the Secretary to: (1) compile and make available to the public, on the Secretary's website, datasets on player behavior; (2) assess civil penalties on licensees or other persons for willful violations of this Act; (3) monitor, evaluate, and measure compliance effectiveness of software and other mechanisms used by licensees to prevent minors from Internet wagering and impose a fine for ineffective protections; and (4) place court-ordered child support delinquents on the self-exclusion list (established by this Act) as long as they remain delinquent in their support obligations. Requires the Secretary and any qualified state or tribal regulatory body to prescribe regulations for: (1) development of a Problem Gambling, Responsible Gambling, Consumer Safeguards, and Self-Exclusion Program; (2) a list of persons self-excluded from gambling activities at licensee sites; and (3) a program to alert the public to the existence, consequences, and availability of the self-exclusion list. Prohibits a person who is prohibited from gambling with a licensee, including anyone on the self-exclusion list, from collecting any winnings or recovering any losses that arise as a result of prohibited gambling activity. Shields a financial transaction provider from liability for engaging in financial activities and transactions on behalf of a licensee, or involving a licensee, including payments processing activities, unless the provider has knowledge that the specific financial activities or transactions are conducted in violation of federal or state law. Requires the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to submit to the Secretary a list of unlawful Internet gambling enterprises which violate this Act for distribution in electronic format to all persons required to comply with regulations under this Act. Permits states and Indian tribal authorities to opt-out of Internet gambling activities within their respective jurisdictions. Prohibits licensees from engaging in the operation of an Internet gambling facility that knowingly accepts bets or wagers initiated by persons who reside in any opt-out state or the tribal lands of any opt-out Indian tribe. Prohibits: (1) sports betting on the Internet, except pari-mutuel racing, and the use of credit cards for Internet gambling; and (2) electronic cheating devices. Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on the licensing and regulation of Internet gambling operators, and (2) conduct a feasibility study on safeguards to address gambling while impaired.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act - Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to prohibit U.S. courts from recognizing, enforcing, or otherwise validating any assertion of rights by an individual (under current law, by a designated Cuban national) of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was used in connection with a business or assets that were confiscated by the Cuban government unless the original owner of such mark or name, or such owner's bona fide successor, has expressly consented. Applies such prohibition only if the individual asserting the rights knew or had reason to know at the time of acquiring the rights asserted that the mark or name was the same or substantially similar to the mark or name used in connection with the business or assets that were confiscated.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2011 - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to: (1) state that it is the policy of Congress to recognize and reaffirm that alcohol is different from other consumer products and that it should continue to be regulated by the states, and (2) prohibit states or territories from discriminating against out-of-state producers of alcoholic beverages in favor of in-state or in-territory producers unless such states or territories can demonstrate that that such discrimination advances a legitimate local purpose that cannot be adequately served by reasonable nondiscriminatory alternatives. Amends the Wilson Act to eliminate the requirement that a state or territory regulate all fermented, distilled, or other intoxicating liquors or liquids transported into such jurisdiction to the same extent and in the same manner as such liquors or liquids produced in such jurisdiction.
![Official portrait of Rep. Berkley, Shelley [D-NV-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001231_200.jpg)