United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2012
Ambassador James R. Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should: (1) continue to seek cooperation from foreign governments to allow the United States to process North Korean refugees overseas for U.S. resettlement, and (2) urge China to halt its forcible repatriation of North Koreans. Amends the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 to authorize appropriations: (1) for grants that promote democracy and a market economy in North Korea, (2) to increase the availability of non-government controlled information inside North Korea, and (3) for organizations or persons that provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea. Directs the Broadcasting Board of Governors to report to Congress regarding U.S. broadcasting to North Korea. Extends specified annual reporting requirements for: (1) the Special Envoy for North Korean human rights issues, and (2) the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS).
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2012
Restoring Essential Safeguards for a Transparent, Open, and Reliable Executive under FOIA Act - Amends the Freedom of Information Act to deny an exemption from disclosure requirements to any instrumentality of the federal government engaging in any transaction: (1) that results in the United States owning, subscribing to, or otherwise having any interest in the stock or equity of any company, association, or corporation, except for any investments through pension funds; or (2) in which the instrumentality or its employees or agents execute authority with respect to the federal government's ownership interest in any such company, association, or corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2012
American Energy First Act - Prohibits petroleum product from being drawn down, sold, or exchanged from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) unless the President has taken the actions required by this Act. Instructs the President to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to treat certain Bureau of Land Management final regulations regarding oil shale management as well as the November 17, 2008, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement as satisfying all legal and procedural requirements under specified laws. Directs the Secretary to implement the oil shale leasing program authorized in those areas covered by the resource management plans amended by such amendments, and covered by such record of decision, without any other administrative action necessary. Instructs the President to direct the Secretary to conduct offshore oil and gas: (1) Lease Sale 216 in the Central Gulf of Mexico within four months after enactment of this Act, (2) Lease Sale 218 in the Western Gulf of Mexico within eight months after enactment of this Act, (3) Lease Sale 222 in the Central Gulf of Mexico not later than June 1, 2012. Deems the Environmental Impact Statement for the 2007-2012 5-Year OCS Plan and the Multi-Sale Environmental Impact Statement to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the purposes of such lease sales. Instructs the President to direct the Secretary to: (1) approve a certain permit concerning certain energy-related facilities and land transportation crossings on the international boundaries of the United States for the Keystone XL pipeline project, and (2) expedite permitting of activities under oil and gas leases for federal onshore lands and federal submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico. Prescribes Keystone XL pipeline permit requirements, including: (1) reconsideration of routing of the Keystone XL pipeline within Nebraska; (2) a review period during which routing within Nebraska may be reconsidered and the route of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state altered with any accompanying modification to a specified Plan; and (3) the obligation of the President to coordinate review with the state of Nebraska, provide necessary data and reasonable technical assistance material to the review process, and approve the route within Nebraska submitted by its governor to the Secretary of State. Deems approved, within 10 days after its date of submission, the route submitted by the governor of Nebraska pursuant to the permit approved under this Act if the President does not approve that route.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2012
Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit the Attorney General (AG) or any federal official from administering or enforcing certain accessibility regulations relating to pools provided by public entities or at public accommodations. Prohibits regulations added under final rules issued by the AG entitled: (1) "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services" from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool provided by a public entity, and (2) "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities" from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool at a public accommodation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2012
Condemns the Lord's Resistance Army's (LRA) continued atrocities and calls for renewed efforts by the United States, governments in the affected region, and the international community to end the LRA's terror and bring Joseph Kony to justice. Calls for the United States to place restrictions on individuals or governments, including the Republic of Sudan, found to be supporting in any way Joseph Kony or the LRA. Stresses the importance that civilian protection be prioritized. Urges Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of Sudan, and Central African Republic to work together to address the LRA threat.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2012
Sound Dollar Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to: (1) promote the goal of long-term price stability, and (2) establish metrics to evaluate whether long-term price stability is being achieved. Prescribes procedures for the establishment and evaluation of such metrics. Directs the Board and the FOMC to: (1) make such information available to the public on a website, and (2) report to Congress each time such metrics are set or revised. Directs the Board to include in its semiannual report to Congress: (1) the results of the evaluation process, (2) whether the goal of long-term price stability is being met, (3) the main monetary policy instruments and strategy used by the Board and the FOMC to achieve long-term price stability, and (4) an analysis of how the policies of the Board and the FOMC are affecting the foreign exchange rate value of the U.S. dollar. Directs the Board to clearly articulate its lender-of-last-resort policy. Revamps FOMC membership to consist of one representative from each of the Federal Reserve banks (in addition to members of the Board). Directs the FOMC to release meeting transcripts to the public within three years after each meeting. Redesignates the Department of the Treasury stabilization fund as the Special Drawing Rights Fund. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to liquidate all property in the Fund (other than Special Drawing Rights) and to use all such amounts to reduce the public debt. Limits the availability of the Fund solely to stabilize exchange rates and arrangements. Repeals the authority of the Secretary to deal in U.S. instruments of credit and securities. Permits only Special Drawing Rights to be deposited into the Fund. Requires funds that would otherwise have been deposited into the Fund to be paid, instead, to the Secretary to reduce the public debt. Amends the FRA to authorize the FOMC, in unusual and exigent circumstances, by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of its members, to grant any Federal Reserve bank emergency authority to buy and sell U.S. debt obligations and revenue bonds in anticipation of the collection of taxes or the receipt of assured revenues by any state or local governmental entity, as well as obligations of, or guaranteed by, a foreign government or agency. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to repeal: (1) funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and (2) the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2012
State Health Flexibility Act of 2012 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to replace the Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program with a program of block grants to states for health care services to indigent individuals. Requires states receiving such block grants to pay for health-care-related items and services provided to a citizen, legal resident, or an alien not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law, if: (1) such health-care-related items and services are necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition; (2) the individual meets all necessary eligibility requirements for health-care-related items and services under the block grant program except for any immigration status requirement; and (3) such items and services are not related to an organ transplant procedure. Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Health Care and Educational Reconciliation Act of 2010, SSA title XIX (Medicaid), and SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP).
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2012
Expresses the sense of Congress that, except in response to an actual or imminent attack against the United States, the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress violates the exclusive power of Congress to declare war under article I of the Constitution, and therefore constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2012
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 - States that it is U.S. policy to: (1) reaffirm the commitment to Israel's security as a Jewish state, (2) provide Israel with the military capabilities to defend itself and help preserve its qualitative military edge, (3) expand military and civilian cooperation, (4) assist in a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side by side in peace and security, and (5) encourage Israel's neighbors to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should take specified actions to assist in Israel's defense.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2012
Affirms that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability and warns that time is limited to prevent that from happening. Urges increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to secure an agreement that includes: (1) suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, (2) complete cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding Iran's nuclear activities, and (3) a permanent agreement that verifiably assures that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Supports: (1) the universal rights and democratic aspirations of the Iranian people, and (2) U.S. policy to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. Rejects any U.S. policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran. Urges the President to reaffirm the unacceptability of an Iran with nuclear-weapons capability and oppose any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2012
Pro Football Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5-gold coins, 400,000 $1-silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins emblematic of the game of professional football. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to help finance the construction of a new building and the renovation of existing Pro Football Hall of Fame facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2012
Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State rewards program should be expanded to: (1) address the threat to U.S. interests from transnational criminal activity; and (2) target individuals indicted by international, hybrid, or mixed tribunals for genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include in the program's purpose the prevention of acts of transnational organized crime and violations of international humanitarian law. Provides rewards for the arrest or conviction of persons involved in such activities. Eliminates program references to the reward for the capture or death of Osama bin Laden.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2012
Condemns Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities and its continued violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Calls for Iran to release Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of their religion. Recognizes that religious freedom is a universal human right and a fundamental individual freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2012
Disapproves and nullifies the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and published December 22, 2011, relating to representation election procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2012
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such gold medal and to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the gold and bronze medals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2012
Schoolchildren's Health Protection Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the provision of federal education funding to state or local educational agencies that: (1) provide, or permit the provision of, postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception on the premises of elementary or secondary schools; or (2) contract with a school-based health center to provide students with health services, unless the center agrees to deny students postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception pursuant to the contract.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2012
Energizing America through Employment Act - Authorizes TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities for the import of crude oil and other hydrocarbons at the United States-Canada Border at Phillips County, Montana, in accordance with a certain application filed with the Department of State on September 19, 2008. Declares that no permit pursuant to Executive Order 13337 or any other similar Executive Order regulating such activities at the U.S. border, and no additional environmental impact statement (EIS), shall be required for such Pipeline. Deems a certain EIS issued by the Department of State to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as well as any other law requiring federal agency consultation or review regarding such cross-border facilities. Sets forth conditions governing construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of the cross-border facilities in connection with the Pipeline. Deems sufficient for the purposes of this Act any route and construction, mitigation, and reclamation measures for the Pipeline in the state of Nebraska that is identified by Nebraska and submitted to the Secretary of State. States that any action taken to implement this Act does not constitute a major federal action requiring an EIS under NEPA. Restricts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit any federal judicial review over actions and facilities implemented under this Act. Instructs the Secretary of State, for purposes of making a national interest determination under Executive Order 13337 (or any successor Executive Order) regarding a pipeline application, to solicit the views of specified congressional committees regarding such application and pertinent information.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2012
Federal Research Public Access Act of 2012 - Requires each federal agency with extramural research expenditures of over $100 million to develop a specified federal research public access policy that is consistent with, and that advances, the purposes of the agency. Makes each federal research public access policy applicable to: (1) researchers employed by the federal agency whose works remain in the public domain; and (2) researchers funded by the agency. Specifies exclusions. Requires the submission of annual reports by each federal agency on its federal research public access policy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
1099K Overreach Prevention Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt taxpayers who are required to report payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions from any requirement to reconcile such payments to amounts related to gross receipts or sales.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Drug Shortage Prevention Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) define the term "critical drug" based on the medical necessity and vulnerability to shortage of a drug or biological product; (2) establish, make publicly available, and update semiannually a list identifying each critical drug and its manufacturers; (3) promptly remove from such list any drug or biological product that no longer meets such definition; and (4) establish, make publicly available, and update monthly a list identifying each critical drug that is in a critical drug shortage in the United States, the severity of and reason for the shortage, alternate therapies and regions particularly affected, and an estimated date by which the necessary quantities of the drug will begin reaching providers. Allows manufacturers to request removal of a drug from such lists on the basis that it doesn't meet the definition of "critical drug" or is not in a critical drug shortage. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a proactive system for giving notice to the public concerning modifications to the critical drug shortage list, (2) establish a system for giving notice of any imminent critical drug shortage to critical drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors and manufacturers of alternative therapies, (3) notify the Attorney General of any critical drug shortage, (4) study the feasibility of creating a national contingency plan addressing critical drug shortages, (5) expedite the review of applications for approval of critical drugs and requests by sponsors of such drugs to approve manufacturing process changes or alternate suppliers of active ingredients, and (6) improve the process for regulating critical drugs. Express the sense of Congress that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should increase the number of personnel responsible for identifying and addressing critical drug shortages. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to direct the Attorney General to increase a quota as appropriate for a drug listed in a critical drug shortage that is or contains a controlled substance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2012
Mourns the loss of Vaclav Havel and offers condolences to the Havel family and the people of the Czech Republic. Recognizes Vaclav Havel's: (1) courage and commitment to democratic values in the face of communist repression, (2) historical legacy in defeating communism and building a democratic Europe, and (3) solidarity with democratic dissidents throughout the world and support for the expansion of freedom. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the causes of freedom, democracy, and human rights for which Vaclav Havel stood.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2012
Military Religious Freedom Protection Act - Requires the sincerely held religious or moral beliefs of a member of the Armed Forces concerning the appropriate and inappropriate expression of human sexuality to be accommodated and not the basis of any adverse personnel action, discrimination, or denial of promotion, schooling, training, or assignment (adverse actions). Prohibits a military chaplain from being directed, ordered, or required to perform any duty, rite, ritual, ceremony, service, or function (ceremony) that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs (beliefs) of the chaplain or the chaplain's faith group. Prohibits the refusal of a chaplain to perform a ceremony that is contrary to such beliefs from being the basis of any adverse actions. Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations setting forth guidance to implement such requirements and prohibitions. Prohibits a military installation or other property owned, rented, or otherwise under the jurisdiction or control of the Department of Defense (DOD) from being used to officiate, solemnize, or perform a marriage or marriage-like ceremony involving anything other than the union of one man with one woman.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
Prohibits the use of federal funds to require a person licensed to deal in firearms to report information to the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the sale of multiple rifles or shotguns to the same person.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
Keystone For a Secure Tomorrow Act - Approves a specified permit regarding certain energy-related facilities and land transportation crossings on the international boundaries of the United States for the Keystone XL pipeline project. Prescribes permit requirements, including: (1) reconsideration of routing of the Keystone XL pipeline within Nebraska; (2) a review period during which routing within Nebraska may be reconsidered and the route of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state altered with any accompanying modification to a specified Plan; and (3) the obligation of the President to coordinate review with the state of Nebraska, provide necessary data and reasonable technical assistance material to the review process, and approve the route within Nebraska submitted by its governor to the Secretary of State. Deems approved, within 10 days after its date of submission, the route submitted by the governor of Nebraska pursuant to the permit approved under this Act if the President does not approve that route.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
Health Freedom for Seniors Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free transfers of required distributions after age 70 1/2 from an individual retirement account (IRA) and other tax-exempt retirement accounts to a health savings account. Exempts such transfers from the excise tax on excess contributions to tax-favored accounts and annuities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
Affirms that it is U.S. policy to support the Republic of Georgia's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as regions of Georgia illegally occupied by the Russian Federation. Calls on: (1) the Russian Federation to end the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and (2) the Russian Federation, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Nauru to reverse their recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent. Supports: (1) strengthened U.S. engagements with Georgia aimed at helping Georgia enhance its security and to restore its territorial integrity through exclusively peaceful means, (2) implementation of the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, and (3) Georgia's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership aspirations. Encourages Georgia to continue strengthening its democracy. Affirms that a peaceful resolution to this conflict is a U.S. priority in the Caucasus region.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
States that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) should not be allowed to maintain an official office in Washington, DC, if: (1) the PLO continues to circumvent a bilateral two-state solution by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from other countries, the United Nations (U.N.), and its specialized agencies; and (2) Fatah or any PLO-affiliated branch forms a unified government with the Department of State-designated foreign terrorist organization Hamas.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion within the District of Columbia except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater. Makes an exception where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions or any claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct intended to result in her death. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such exception only in the manner which provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman than would other available methods. Prescribes penalties for violations. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act, but authorizes such a woman or the father or maternal grandparent of the unborn child to obtain appropriate relief through a civil action. Provides for injunctive relief to prevent violations. Sets forth specified privacy protections in court proceedings for the woman upon whom an abortion has been performed. Requires any physician who performs an abortion within the District to report it to the Department of Health of the District of Columbia, which shall issue annual public reports.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 - Amends the Egg Products Inspection Act to revise housing and treatment of egg-laying hens and related enforcement provisions. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to delegate to the California Department of Food and Agriculture certain enforcement authority with respect to eggs produced, shipped, handled, transported or received in California prior to the date that is 18 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require abortion providers, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, to perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting, display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them, and provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable. Prohibits construing this Act to require a woman to view the images or penalizing the provider or the woman if she declines to look at the images. Exempts an abortion provider if the abortion is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. Requires the provider to include in the woman's medical file a truthful and accurate certification of the specific medical circumstances that support such determination. Authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action in federal court against any abortion provider who knowingly violates this Act. Prescribes penalties. Directs the Attorney General to notify the appropriate state medical licensing authority of penalties assessed. Authorizes a woman upon whom an abortion has been performed in violation of this Act to commence a civil action against the provider for actual and punitive damages.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2012
Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to use all elements of national power to counter Iran's growing presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere. Directs the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a strategy to address Iran's growing presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2012
Plain Regulations Act of 2012 - Requires the head of each executive agency to: (1) implement a program for using plain language in writing new and revised regulations, and (2) certify to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that each proposed or final rule is in plain language. Requires the Director to: (1) develop and issue guidance to agencies for implementing plain language requirements, (2) publish reports on agency compliance with such requirements on the OMB's website, and (3) return proposed agency regulations that fail to meet such requirements to be redrafted and resubmitted for approval.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2012
Executive Appointments Reform Act - Eliminates exceptions to the prohibition against payment for services to an individual appointed to a federal position requiring confirmation by the U.S. Senate (advice and consent) during a recess of the Senate. Prohibits any federal officer or employee serving in a position that requires Senate confirmation from providing voluntary or gratuitous services. Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that a quorum required by the National Labor Relations Board to conduct its business shall not include any member of such Board who has not been confirmed by the Senate. Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to: (1) provide that no rule, order, or other administrative action of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection shall be considered final if the Director of the Bureau was appointed during a recess of the Senate and the position of Director was vacant while the Senate was in session, until the Director has been confirmed by the Senate; (2) prohibit payment for services to any person appointed to the Bureau during a recess of the Senate to fill a vacancy in the Bureau requiring Senate confirmation, if the vacancy existed while the Senate was in session, until such appointee is confirmed by the Senate; and (3) prohibit an employee or officer of the Bureau serving in a position that requires Senate confirmation from providing voluntary or gratuitous services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2012
Disapproves of the President's appointment of four federal officers or employees during a period when no congressional recess of more than three days was authorized by concurrent resolution. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that those appointments were made in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Welcomes: (1) the historic meeting between Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I; and (2) the positive gestures by the government of Turkey towards the Ecumenical Patriarch, including allowing the liturgical celebration by the Ecumenical Patriarch at the historic Sumela Monastery and returning the former Greek Orphanage on Buyukada Island to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Urges the government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School of Halki and to address other longstanding concerns relating to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
New IDEA Act or New Illegal Deduction Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for wages and benefits paid to or on behalf of an unauthorized alien. Extends to six years the period for assessing and collecting underpayments of tax due to deductions claimed for wages paid to unauthorized aliens. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretaries of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Treasury to jointly establish a program to share information that may lead to the identification of unauthorized aliens. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to provide taxpayer identity information to the Commissioner of Social Security and the DHS Secretary on employers who paid nondeductible wages to unauthorized aliens and on the aliens to whom such wages were paid. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to: (1) make permanent the E-Verify Program for verifying the employment eligibility of alien workers, (2) apply such program to current employees in addition to new hires, (3) establish a rebuttable presumption that employers who participate in the E-Verify Program and obtain confirmation of identity and employment eligibility have not violated hiring requirements under such Act, and (4) allow employers participating in the E-Verify Program to make a conditional offer of employment pending final verification of the identity and employment eligibility of the job applicant.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization, and (2) report to Congress on IRGC terrorist activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
Libyan Assets Taxpayer Reimbursement Act of 2011 - Authorizes the President to vest blocked Libyan assets in an amount necessary to ensure: (1) reimbursement for the cost of U.S. military and humanitarian operations undertaken in Libya, and (2) compensation for U.S. victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
Equitable Treatment for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act - Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to: (1) determine the validity and amount of plaintiff claims for loss of wages and other property in the case Bruce D. Abbott et al. v. Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , (2) publish notice in the Federal Register of the time within which such claims may be filed, and (3) consider such claims as soon as practicable after filing. Requires such claims to be paid from the appropriate Treasury fund before any corporate claims are paid from such fund.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
War Powers Reform Act - Amends the War Powers Resolution to direct the President in every possible instance to submit to Congress before introducing U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated a written report setting forth the estimated scope and duration of the hostilities or involvement. Directs the President, in the absence of a declaration of war or a specific statutory authorization (currently, only in the absence of a declaration of war), to submit a written report to Congress within 48 hours when the Armed Forces are introduced into hostilities or foreign nations under specified circumstances and requires that such report include the circumstances necessitating the introduction, the constitutional and legislative authority under which such introduction took place, and the estimated scope and duration of the hostilities or involvement. Repeals an existing framework under which the President is required to terminate, within 60 days, subject to a possible 30-day extension, any use of Armed Forces with respect to which the President has submitted (or is required to submit) a report concerning the introduction of Armed Forces into hostilities in the absence of a declaration of war, unless: (1) Congress declares war or enacts specific authorization, (2) extends the 60-day period, or (3) is physically unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States. Strikes provisions concerning congressional action to remove Armed Forces engaged in hostilities without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization. Replaces such framework with a process that prohibits funds available for the Armed Forces from being obligated or expended for introducing the Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated, in the absence of: (1) a declaration of war; (2) specific statutory authorization; or (3) a national emergency created by an attack or imminent threat of attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Contingency Operations Oversight and Interagency Enhancement Act of 2011 - Establishes as an independent entity the United States Office for Contingency Operations (Office), which shall report to the Department of Defense (DOD) and the State Department. Transfers to the Office various authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of specified federal departments and agencies. Provides for an Office Director, Deputy Director, Associate Directors, and an Inspector General. Requires the Office, among other duties, to: (1) monitor political and economic instability worldwide in order to anticipate the need for mobilizing U.S. and international assistance for the stabilization and reconstruction of a foreign country or region that is at risk of, in, or in transition from, conflict or civil strife in the wake of violence or cataclysmic disaster; (2) develop contingency plans and procedures to mobilize and deploy civilian and military personnel to conduct appropriate foreign stabilization and reconstruction operations (operations); (3) execute, administer, and enforce laws, rules, and regulations relating to the preparation, coordination, and execution of operations; and (4) evaluate, and report to Congress on, the impact of operations. Gives the Director sole control over such operations. Requires the Director to: (1) coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and commanders of unified and specified combatant commands regarding Office plans for operations, and (2) prescribe a Contingency Federal Acquisition Regulation. Establishes the Stabilization and Reconstruction Fund. Outlines duties and responsibilities of the Inspector General of the Office, including special audit and investigative authority and reporting requirements. Transfers to the Inspector General all functions vested in the Offices of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the extent possible, the Director and Office staff should partner with the country in which an operation is taking place, other foreign government partners, international organizations, and local nongovernmental organizations throughout the planning, implementation, and particularly during the transition stages of such operations, in order to facilitate long term capacity building and sustainability of initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2012 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct: (1) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to designate a Global Water Coordinator to coordinate and oversee water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, and (2) the Secretary of State to designate a Special Advisor for Water Resources to coordinate and oversee policy relating to water and sanitation assistance. Sets forth principles to ensure that water, sanitation, and hygiene projects carried out under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 achieve maximum impact. Amends the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 regarding the strategy to further the U.S. foreign assistance objective to provide access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries to: (1) transfer primary authority from the Secretary to USAID, (2) include hygiene, and (3) include designation of high priority countries. Directs the Administrator to maintain a webpage for information on U.S. water, sanitation, and hygiene foreign assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2011
Expresses the firm belief that: (1) disposing any part of the remains of a deceased member of the Armed Forces as medical waste is repugnant, disrespectful, and intolerable; (2) such practice should cease and all military branches should take steps to prevent the recurrence of such repugnant acts, including cessation of any further association with the mortuary in question; and (3) information should be provided promptly, respectfully, and with contrition to any family member of a deceased member of the Armed Forces who inquires after the treatment of remains left in the care of the military or otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
Stop TSA's Reach In Policy Act or the STRIP Act - Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to prohibit any employee of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) who has not received federal law enforcement training or is not eligible for federal law enforcement benefits from using the title of "officer" or wearing a uniform and carrying a badge resembling that of a law enforcement officer.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not adopt any treaty that poses a threat to national sovereignty or abridges the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the right to bear arms, and should cease the provision of financial support to any entity that does so. Prohibits the United States from providing any funding to the United Nations (U.N.) for a fiscal year unless the President certifies to Congress that the U.N. has not taken action to infringe on the rights of individuals in the United States to possess a firearm or ammunition, or abridge any of the other constitutionally protected rights of U.S. citizens.
![Official portrait of Rep. Burton, Dan [R-IN-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001149_200.jpg)