United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act of 2011 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to exclude any drug or biological product which is approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing solely for one or more rare diseases or conditions from the annual fee on manufacturers or importers with branded prescription drug sales exceeding $5 million. Makes this Act effective as if included in PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 122 North Holderrieth Boulevard in Tomball, Texas, as the "Tomball Veterans Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2011 or the PHIT Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly or heads of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses. Defines "qualified sports and fitness expenses" as amounts paid for fitness center memberships, physical exercise programs, and exercise equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Free File Program Act of 2011 - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to continue to implement and operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File program (free online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services provided by the private sector technology industry to lower income taxpayers).
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2015. Directs the Secretary to hold a competition to design the obverse of the coins. Requires the design on the reverse side to depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
Restoring Access to Medication Act - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that limited payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin. Rescinds appropriated but unobligated discretionary funds determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to be equal to the reduction in tax revenues resulting from the repeal in this Act. Requires the Director to report to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress the accounts and amounts identified for rescission. Exempts unobligated funds of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Social Security Administration (SSA).
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
Taxpayer Freedom to File Protection Act of 2011 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from developing or implementing a return-free tax system. Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 directing the Secretary to develop a return-free tax system.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2011
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or A PLUS Act - Allows each state to enter into a five-year performance agreement with the Secretary of Education permitting it to receive federal funds on a consolidated basis that would otherwise be directed toward specific programs furthering the stated purpose of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires each agreement to be approved by a combination of specified state parties, and list the programs for which consolidated funding is requested. Allows states to use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law, but requires them to make certain assurances that they will use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, abide by federal civil rights laws, and advance educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. Allows amendments to the scope of performance agreements. Requires each agreement state to: (1) maintain an accountability system measuring annual student progress toward state proficiency standards, (2) disseminate annually student performance data disaggregated by specified student groups, and (3) keep aggregate spending on elementary and secondary education at no less than 90% of such spending for the school year coinciding with this Act's enactment. Limits administrative expenses. Requires the inclusion of private schools and teachers in activities funded on a consolidated basis. Directs the Secretary to evaluate each performance agreement midway through its execution. Allows the Secretary to terminate an agreement whose terms are not met for three consecutive school years.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Hinder the Administration's Legalization Temptation Act or the HALT Act - Suspends until January 21, 2013, authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act for: (1) waiver of inadmissibility of aliens unlawfully present in the United States; (2) cancellation of removal and adjustment of status for certain non-permanent residents; (3) temporary parole into the United States, except for parole entries for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes; and (4) designation of a country for temporary protected status. Revises, until January 21, 2013, the definition of "unauthorized alien" (for purposes of the unauthorized employment of aliens) to eliminate the exclusion from such definition of an alien authorized to work by the Attorney General (DOJ). Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting deferred action or extended voluntary departure to any alien until January 21, 2013, except for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes. Suspends specified regulations concerning employment of aliens until January 21, 2013. Revokes, as of the date of enactment of this Act, any immigration benefit granted during the period beginning on July 12, 2011, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act under any authority suspended by this Act with respect to: (1) parole authority, (2) the definition of an unauthorized alien, (3) deferred action or extended voluntary departure, or (4) such specified regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Equal Access and Parity for Multi-Campus Hospitals Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, to prescribe a special rule for applying Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments, at the election of a qualified main hospital, to its remote inpatient locations. Prohibits administrative or judicial review of: (1) the methodology and standards for determining a remote inpatient location, a qualified remote inpatient location, a component facility, a qualified component facility, a main provider, and a qualified main provider, and which such locations, facilities, and providers are qualified; and (2) the methodology and standards for the election in connection with such special rule. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to set forth a special rule for applying Medicaid EHR incentive payments, at the election of a qualified main hospital, to its remote locations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) establish the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Advisory Board, (2) develop a system to collect data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases, and (3) establish the National PF Registry. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in developing the Registry, to: (1) expand and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; and (2) provide for research access to pulmonary fibrosis data. Directs the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information are made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of CDC to prepare the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Education and Awareness Plan, which shall: (1) focus on strategies to increase public education and awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, (2) address the need for new physician education strategies to improve diagnosis and treatment standards, and (3) assess and monitor the costs of pulmonary fibrosis and its burden on patients and families. Encourages the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute pulmonary fibrosis research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2011
Small Business Efficiency Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat professional employer organizations (PEOs), certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as employers for employment tax purposes (thus allowing such PEOs to pay wages and collect and remit payroll taxes on behalf of an employer). Sets forth IRS certification requirements for PEOs, including financial review and reporting requirements. Requires a PEO to post a bond, up to $1 million, to guarantee payment of employment taxes. Limits the required bond amount to $50,000 for a newly created PEO during its three-year startup period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Farmers' Freedom Act of 2011 - Exempts certain farm vehicles (including the individual operating the vehicle) from certain federal requirements (for a commercial driver's license, drug testing, medical certificates, and hours of service) governing the operation of motor vehicles. Prohibits federal transportation funding to a state from being terminated, limited, or otherwise interfered with as a result of the state's exempting a covered farm vehicle (including the individual operating that vehicle, but excluding any farm vehicle transporting hazardous materials requiring a placard) from any state requirements governing the operation of that vehicle.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Prioritize Spending Act of 2011 - Requires amounts necessary for incurred federal obligations, in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit, to be made available to certain obligations, in prioritized order, before all other obligations. Prioritizes such obligations in the following descending order: (1) amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on public debt; (2) amounts determined by the Secretary of Defense (DOD) (and the Secretary of Homeland Security [DHS] in the case of the Coast Guard) to be necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances (without interruption) to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including their reserve components, who perform active service; (3) amounts certified to Congress by the President as necessary to carry out vital national security priorities; (4) amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly old-age, survivors', and disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (SSA); and (5) amounts necessary to make payments under the Medicare program under SSA title XVIII.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Authorizes the American Legion under its federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to the individual Departments and Posts. Prohibits it from controlling or otherwise influencing the specific activities and conduct of independent, autonomous Departments and Posts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Maximizing America's Prosperity Act of 2011 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1995 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to require: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to prepare a report comparing projected total spending in such Act and the total spending limits (for FY2013-FY2021 and ensuing fiscal years), to be included in the President's annual budget; and (2) the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prepare a similar report and include it in the CBO annual baseline and reestimate of the President's budget. Requires the reports to be included in spending reduction orders. Requires a specified reduction each fiscal year for unfunded federal mandates. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to set aside for emergencies 1% of new budget authority and outlays allocated to the Committees on Appropriations for the first fiscal year of a concurrent budget resolution. Amends the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to prescribe requirements for CBO and OMB sequestration preview reports regarding discretionary and total spending limits. Prescribes administrative procedures for spending reduction orders. Exempts from such orders: (1) payments for net interest, (2) obligated balances of budget authority carried over from prior fiscal years, (3) federal obligations required to be paid under the U.S. Constitution or legally contractual obligations, and (4) intragovernmental transfers. Prohibits funding for a presidentially designated emergency program from being subjected to sequestration or counted for purposes of calculating a sequester. Requires the President's annual budget to be in compliance with the statutory cap on total federal spending. Requires the President's budget to include a plan to ensure that: (1) the Old Age Survivors Disability Insurance (OASDI) and Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Funds will not be exhausted during the 75-year projection period, and (2) the trust fund ratios will not be declining at the end of such period if the report from the Actuaries indicates a shortfall in them. Requires the President's budget also to prioritize non-exempt spending by ranking all federal programs, projects, and activities in five categories from the most essential, to essential, to somewhat essential, to less essential, to least essential, with not less than 12% of total non-exempt spending falling into any one category. Amends the CBA to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any concurrent budget resolution that sets forth total federal outlays for any fiscal year in excess of those specified in this Act. Legislative Line-Item Reduction Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to propose to Congress the rescission (line item reduction) of dollar amounts of discretionary budget authority and items of direct spending. Dedicates all related spending reductions to deficit reduction. Prescribes procedures for expedited consideration of legislation to approve such a proposal. Authorizes the President to: (1) withhold discretionary budget authority temporarily from obligation, or (2) suspend temporarily direct spending. Makes specified provisional (automatic) continuing appropriations in the event that any regular appropriation bill for a fiscal year does not become law before the beginning of such fiscal year, or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. (Thus prevents federal government shutdown.) Amends the Social Security Act to require annual Social Security account statements to individuals to include: (1) estimated present value of taxes and benefits with respect to Social Security and Medicare, and (2) projected deficit-financed OASDI and Medicare benefits as a percentage of individual lifetime earnings. Amends the CBA to require CBO spending and revenue estimates to include the effect on interest and on the federal debt. Federal Sunset Act of 2011 - Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: (1) submit to Congress a schedule for its review, at least once every 12 years, of each agency with a view to its possible abolishment; (2) review the efficiency and public need for each agency using specified criteria; (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished or reorganized; and (4) report to Congress on all legislation introduced that would establish a new agency or a new program to be carried out by an existing agency. Directs the Comptroller General and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), to prepare an inventory of federal programs within each agency for the purpose of advising and assisting Congress and the Commission in carrying out the requirements of this Act. Requires amounts appropriated to carry out this Act to be offset by a reduction in amounts appropriated to carry out other agencies' programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" as the termination of a pregnancy with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, remove a dead unborn child who died as the result of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauma, or a criminal assault on the pregnant female or her unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011
EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Provides that the following rules shall have no force or effect and shall be treated as though they had never taken effect: (1) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters; (2) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers; (3) the Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units; and (4) Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That are Solid Waste. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in place of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months, or on such later date as may be determined by the Administrator, regulations for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters and commercial and industrial solid waste incinerator units subject to such rules, that: (1) establish maximum achievable control technology standards, performance standards, and other requirements for hazardous air pollutants or solid waste combustion under the Clean Air Act; and (2) identify non-hazardous secondary materials that, when used as fuels or ingredients in combustion units of such boilers, heaters, or incinerator units, are solid waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act for purposes of determining the extent to which such combustion units are required to meet emission standards for such pollutants under such Act. Requires the Administrator to establish compliance dates for such standards and requirements after considering compliance costs, non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements, the feasibility of implementation, the availability of equipment, suppliers, and labor, and potential net employment impacts. Sets forth guidelines for such rules and regulations, including requiring the Administrator to: (1) ensure that emissions standards for existing and new sources can be met under actual operating conditions consistently and concurrently with emission standards for all other air pollutants regulated by the rule for the source category; and (2) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative for each regulation promulgated.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011
Repeals certain Department of Education regulations that for purposes of determining whether a school is eligible to participate in programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA): (1) require institutions of higher education and postsecondary vocational institutions (except religious schools) to be legally authorized by the state in which they are situated, (2) delineate what such legal authorization requires of states and schools, and (3) define "credit hour." Prohibits the Secretary of Education from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule that defines "credit hour" for any purpose under the HEA.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2011
World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), by November 11, 2011, to establish the APEC Business Travel Program to issue Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards (ABTCs) to eligible U.S. citizen business leaders and senior U.S. government officials actively engaged in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business. Requires the Secretary to: (1) integrate application procedures for and issuance of ABTCs with other international registered traveler programs of DHS, such as Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI; and (2) work in conjunction with private sector entities to ensure that applicants satisfy ABTC requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) utilize such entities to enroll and issue ABTCs, and (2) impose and modify an ABTC issuance fee.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Family and Retirement Health Investment Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to health savings accounts (HSAs), to allow: (1) both spouses to make increased catch-up contributions to the same HSA; (2) Medicare Part A beneficiaries to establish and contribute to an HSA; (3) veterans eligible for service-connected disability benefits and individuals eligible for Indian health service assistance to establish an HSA; (4) individuals eligible to receive benefits under certain TRICARE plans to establish an HSA; (5) a carryforward of unused benefits, up to $500, in a flexible spending arrangement; (6) payments from an HSA for prescription and over-the-counter medicine or drugs; (7) the use of HSAs to purchase certain health insurance coverage and long-term care insurance; and (8) payment of certain medical expenses incurred before the establishment of an HSA. Amends the bankruptcy code to treat HSAs as tax-exempt individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for purposes of exempting them from creditor claims. Reauthorizes the use of Medicaid health opportunity accounts. Treats as medical care for purposes of the tax deduction for medical expenses certain exercise equipment and physical fitness programs, nutritional and dietary supplements, and periodic fees paid to a primary physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner. Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that impose annual limitations on deductibles for health plans offered in the small group market.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011
Government Litigation Savings Act - Revises provisions of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) and the federal judicial code relating to the fees and other expenses of parties in agency proceedings and court cases against the federal government to: (1) restrict awards of fees and other expenses under such Act to prevailing parties with a direct and personal monetary interest in an adjudication, including because of personal injury, property damage, or an unpaid agency disbursement; (2) require the reduction or denial of awards commensurate with pro bono hours and related fees and expenses to parties who have acted in an obdurate, dilatory, mendacious, or oppressive manner or in bad faith; (3) limit awards to not more than $200,000 in any single adversary adjudication or for more than three adversary adjudications in the same calendar year (unless the adjudicating officer or judge determines that a higher award is required to avoid severe and unjust harm to the prevailing party); and (4) expand the reporting requirements of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States with respect to fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties during the preceding fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the implementation of EAJA for the years 1995 through the end of the calendar year in which this Act is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011
American Job Builders Tax Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase from $10 million to $40 million the gross receipts threshold for determining whether a small contractor may adopt an accounting method for reporting income from a construction contract other than the percentage of completion method; (2) allow an annual inflation adjustment to such increased $40 million threshold amount, beginning after 2011; and (3) exempt construction contracts from alternative minimum tax rules for reporting income from long-term contracts under the percentage of completion accounting method.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Refundable Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Reform Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers to provide their social security number on their tax return in order to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011
Condemns the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its: (1) threats to annihilate the United States and Israel, (2) support of international terrorism, and (3) incitement of genocide of the Israeli people. Supports using all means to persuade the government of Iran to stop building and acquiring nuclear weapons. Reaffirms the U.S. bond with Israel and pledges to work with the government of Israel and the people of Israel to ensure that their nation receives critical economic and military assistance, including missile defense capabilities, needed to address the Iranian threat. Supports Israel's right to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011
Reaffirms support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a democratic Palestinian state living in peace and mutual recognition. States that any Palestinian unity government must forswear terrorism, accept Israel's right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel. Opposes any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians. Urges Palestinian leaders to cease efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including through a unilateral declaration of statehood or by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations or the United Nations (U.N.). Supports the Administration's opposition to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. Affirms that Palestinian efforts to circumvent direct negotiations will harm U.S.-Palestinian relations and will have implications for U.S. assistance programs for the Palestinians and the Palestinians Authority (PA). Reaffirms the U.S. statutory requirement precluding assistance to a PA that includes Hamas unless that PA and all its ministers accept Israel's right to exist and all prior agreements and understandings with the United States and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to evaluate the benefits of providing payment for items and services needed for the administration, within the homes of Medicare beneficiaries, of intravenous immune globin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases. Amends SSA title XVIII to treat as durable medical equipment (DME) any disposable drug delivery systems, including elastomeric infusion pumps, for the treatment of colorectal cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Freedom to Invest Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the election allowed to a U.S. corporation to deduct dividends received from a controlled foreign corporation to the corporation's last taxable year beginning before the enactment of this Act or the first taxable year beginning during the one-year period beginning on such enactment date, and (2) reduce the amount of such tax deduction for corporations that fail to maintain specified employment levels for full-time U.S. employees.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Tom Lantos Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, should continue aggressive work on pulmonary hypertension; and (2) the Director of the Institute should continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, pulmonary hypertension. Requires inclusion of information on the status of pulmonary hypertension research at NIH in biennial reports to Congress. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to carry out an educational campaign to increase public awareness of pulmonary hypertension, which may include information on pulmonary hypertension and its symptoms, the incidence and prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, diseases and conditions that can lead to pulmonary hypertension as a secondary diagnosis, the importance of early diagnosis, and the availability of a range of treatment options. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Director of CDC, to carry out an educational campaign to increase awareness of pulmonary hypertension among health care providers, which may include information on: (1) the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension, (2) the importance of early diagnosis, (3) current diagnostic criteria, and (4) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies for the disease. Requires such campaign to target health care providers, including cardiologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists, primary care physicians, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
American Job Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring certain employers who have a workforce of 50 or more full-time employees to provide health insurance coverage for their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 - Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from proposing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation revising the national primary ambient air quality standard or the national secondary ambient air quality standard applicable to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter greater than 2.5 micrometers under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for one year. Exempts nuisance dust from the CAA and excludes nuisance dust from references in such Act to particulate matter, except with respect to geographic areas where such dust is not regulated under state, tribal, or local law if the Administrator finds that: (1) nuisance dust (or any subcategory of nuisance dust) causes substantial adverse public health and welfare effects at ambient concentrations; and (2) the benefits of applying CAA standards and other requirements to such dust outweigh the costs. Defines "nuisance dust" as particulate matter: (1) generated from natural sources, unpaved roads, agricultural activities, earth moving, or other activities typically conducted in rural areas; or (2) consisting primarily of soil, other natural or biological materials, windblown dust, or some combination thereof.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Medicare Beneficiary Preservation of Choice Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to repeal the allowance for disenrollment, between January 1 and March 15 of each year, only from an MedicareAdvantage plan to elect enrollment in the original Medicare fee-for-service program. Restores the option under previous law to elect to change from a MedicareAdvantage to the original Medicare fee-for-service plan, or from the original Medicare fee-for-service to a MedicareAdvantage plan, once a year during the first three months.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Urges the government of Iraq to uphold its commitment to the United States to ensure the well-being of those living in Camp Ashraf and prevent their involuntary return to Iran. Calls upon the President to ensure the protection of Camp Ashraf residents.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Waco Mammoth National Monument Establishment Act of 2011 - Establishes the Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas as a unit of the National Park System. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with Baylor University and the city of Waco, to complete a general management plan for the Monument.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to include U.S. Route 83 from U.S. Route 281 to U.S. Route 77 as part of the high priority Lower Rio Grande Valley Corridor of the National Highway System in Texas. Declares that the requirement of connection to an existing Interstate System segment shall not apply to segments of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Corridor or to the U.S. Route 59 Corridor from Laredo through Houston to near Texarkana, Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish cost-effective procedures to ensure that: (1) a Social Security account number (or any derivative) is not displayed, coded, or embedded on the Medicare card issued to an individual entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act or enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); and (2) any other identifier displayed on such card is easily identifiable as not being the Social Security account number (or a derivative).
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Sets forth the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2012, including the appropriate budgetary levels for FY2011, and FY2013-FY2021. Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2011-FY2021 with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) new budget authority, (3) budget outlays, (4) deficits (on-budget), (5) debt subject to limit, and (6) debt held by the public. Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority and outlays for specified major functional categories for FY2011-FY2021. Sets forth reconciliation instructions for the House Committees on: (1) Agriculture, (2) Education and the Workforce, (3) Energy and Commerce, (4) Financial Services, (5) Natural Resources, (6) Oversight and Government Reform, and (7) Ways and Means. Requires the House Committee on the Budget to report a reconciliation bill that slows the growth in mandatory spending and achieves deficit reduction. Requires each House Committees to identify savings amounting to 1% of total mandatory spending under its jurisdiction from activities determined to be wasteful, unnecessary, or lower-priority. Prohibits House legislation that would require advance appropriations, except for certain FY2013-FY2014 programs, projects, activities, or accounts. Prescribes requirements for legislation reported out of committee and designated as an emergency requirement. Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to calculate the impact of any proposal to change federal revenues on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), total domestic employment, and other specified economic variables. Prohibits the chairman of the House Committee on the Budget from taking into account the provisions of any piece of legislation which propose to increase revenue or offsetting collections if the net effect of the bill is to increase the level of revenue or offsetting collections beyond the level assumed in this budget resolution. Requires the chairman to maintain a Budget Protection Mandatory Account and a Budget Protection Discretionary Account. Requires the Majority Leader to introduce rescission bills quarterly. Prescribes legislative procedures for their floor consideration. Expresses the sense of the House regarding: (1) baseline revenue projections, and (2) long-term budget projections. Establishes an earmark moratorium for FY2011-FY2012 for legislation providing or authorizing discretionary budget authority, credit or other spending authority, providing a federal tax deduction, credit, or exclusion, or modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule in FY2011-FY2012. Prohibits the House Committee on Rules from reporting a rule or order waiving such moratorium. Declares the policy of this resolution on: (1) health care law repeal, (2) bailouts of state and local governments, (3) means-tested welfare programs, and (4) reforming the federal budget process.
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
Establishing Public Accountability Act of 2011 - Requires notice of a rule making by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include a statement that identifies any net gain or loss of domestic jobs that is likely to result if the rule is adopted and the analysis used to identify that net gain or loss.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 related to: (1) the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment for Tennessee and Hawaii; (2) an adjustment to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for qualifying disaster-recovery states; (3) the establishment of a floor on the area wage index for a frontier state for purposes of a geographic adjustment to Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient services; (4) the eligibility for Medicare coverage of certain individuals exposed to environmental health hazards; and (5) the appropriation of funds for debt service on, or direct construction or renovation of, a health care facility that provides research, inpatient, tertiary care, or outpatient clinical service. Amends PPACA to eliminate revisions to the formula for determining the wage index applicable to Section 508 hospitals. (Section 508 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 allows the temporary reclassification of a hospital with a low Medicare area wage index to a nearby location with a higher index so that the hospital will receive the higher Medicare reimbursement rate.) Makes this Act effective as if it were included in PPACA or, if applicable, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Secure Border Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit to the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs a comprehensive strategy for gaining operational control of the international borders of the United States within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, during a federal funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, to transfer to the Secretary of Defense (DOD), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the case of the Coast Guard, amounts necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including the reserves, who perform active service during the funding gap. Prohibits any such transfer after December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Healthcare Fiscal Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to convert specified funding under such Act from a direct appropriation to an authorization of appropriations or from a transfer to an authorization of such transfer, including funding for: (1) the establishment of a temporary high-risk pool for uninsured individuals with preexisting conditions, (2) the establishment of a temporary reinsurance program for early retirees, (3) health insurance exchanges, and (4) the Prevention and Public Health Fund. Rescinds or restores the unobligated balances of funds available pursuant to such direct appropriations or transfers, respectively. Repeals provisions of PPACA, as if such provisions had not been enacted, that appropriate funds to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) for allotments to states, the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund, and outreach and enrollment grants. Repeals provisions of PPACA appropriating funds, except with respect to FY2010 or FY2011, for: (1) allotments to states for abstinence education, (2) special projects of regional and national significance for the development and support of family-to-family health information centers for families of children with disabilities or special health care needs, and (3) the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information. Rescinds the unobligated portion of funds available pursuant to such provisions for FY2010-FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to make available for leasing and to conduct lease sales including: (1) at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources (on a total btu basis) based upon the most recent national geologic assessment of the OCS, with an emphasis on offering the most geologically prospective parts of the planning area; and (2) any state subdivision of an OCS planning area that the governor of such state requests be made available for leasing. Directs the Secretary, in the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to make available for leasing OCS planning areas that are estimated to contain more than 2.5 billion barrels of oil or more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary, in developing a 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to determine a domestic strategic production goal for the development of oil and natural gas. Makes the production goal for the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program an increase by 2027 in daily production of at least 3 million barrels of oil and 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations providing for: (1) issuance of seismic surveying cost credits for the provision of data from seismic surveying of the OCS; and (2) use of such credits for payment of bonus bids owed for oil and gas lease sales in the planning area where the seismic survey was conducted.
![Official portrait of Rep. Brady, Kevin [R-TX-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000755_200.jpg)