United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2011
Maintaining Agency Direction on Financial Fraud Act - Prohibits any interpretive guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which relates to "Commission Guidance Regarding Disclosure Related to Climate Change" from taking effect with respect to any person on or after February 2, 2010. Prohibits the SEC from issuing interpretive guidance: (1) with respect to disclosures related to climate change after this Act's effective date; and (2) that would establish any requirements with respect to the content of or format for any disclosures related to climate change voluntarily submitted by any entity to the SEC after such date. Prohibits the SEC from initiating any civil or administrative action or proceeding pertaining to disclosures related to climate change after this Act's enactment and terminates any such actions or proceedings that are pending. Prohibits this Act from being construed as: (1) prohibiting the SEC from issuing interpretive guidance with respect to disclosures related to non-anthropogenic or natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods; or (2) terminating an administrative action or proceeding pertaining to such disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2011
Social Security Check Guarantee Act of 2011 - Declares that the public debt limitation shall not be construed to preclude or limit timely payment in full of Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that would cause the discretionary spending limits established in this Act to be exceeded. Establishes the discretionary spending limits for FY2012 as $1,019,402,000,000 in new budget authority and $1,224,568,000,000 in outlays. Authorizes the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget to adjust such limits, budgetary aggregates in the most recently adopted concurrent budget resolution, and CBA committee allocations if a bill or joint resolution is reported making appropriations for FY2012 that provides funding for the global war on terrorism. Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that includes any provision that would cause total direct spending to exceed the spending limit specified in this Act. Exempts from such spending limits: (1) Social Security, function 650; (2) Medicare, function 570; (3) Veterans Benefits and Services, function 700; and (4) Net Interest, function 900. Makes $680.73 billion the limit on total combined outlays for all non-exempt direct spending for FY2012. Amends the CBA to prescribe requirements for implementing sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to enforce the discretionary and direct spending caps in this Act. Exempts from any sequestration orders: (1) payments for military personnel accounts (within subfunctional category 051), (2) TRICARE for Life, (3) Medicare (functional category 570), (4) military retirement, (5) Social Security (functional category 650), (6) veterans (functional category 700), (7) net interest (functional category 900), and (8) discretionary appropriations. Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider legislation which waives, modifies, or in any way alters a sequestration order unless the chair of the House or Senate Committee on the Budget certifies that the measure achieves the same levels of reductions in new budget authority and outlays for the applicable year in such order. Amends the CBA to prescribe requirements for enforcing GDP outlay limits. Requires: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish in the President's budget the GDP outlay limit for the budget year, and (2) total federal outlays to include all on-budget and off-budget outlays. Amends the CBA to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that would cause the most recently reported current GDP outlay limits set forth in this Act to be exceeded. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from exercising additional borrowing authority until the date that the Archivist of the United States transmits to the states for their ratification H.J. Res. 1 (as reported on June 23, 2011), S.J. Res. 10 (as introduced on March 31, 2011), or H.J. Res. 56 (as introduced on April 7, 2011), a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, or a similar amendment if it requires that total outlays not exceed total receipts, contains a spending limitation as a percentage of GDP, and requires that tax increases be approved by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Increases the public debt from $14.294 trillion to $16.7 trillion on the date such legislation is transmitted to the states.
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
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
Transportation Security Administration Employee Freedom Act of 2011 - Excludes officers and employees of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the right of federal employees to bargain collectively. Subjects also to such exclusion the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel management system as it applies to TSA employees. Amends the Aviation and Transportation Security Act to provide that, notwithstanding the authority of the TSA Administrator to fix the terms and conditions of employment of TSA screeners, nothing shall prohibit such an employee from joining a labor organization. Authorizes screeners to: (1) appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board adverse actions brought against them which are finalized after enactment of the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, and (2) seek judicial review of any resulting Board orders or decisions. Requires the FAA Administrator to provide to TSA screeners with a collaborative, integrated employee engagement mechanism to address workplace issues. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2003 to apply certain whistleblower protections to DHS employees.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2011
Border Security Technology Innovation Act of 2011 - Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that any federal government interagency or intra-agency agreement entered into by the Under Secretary to develop and transition new technology explicitly characterizes the requirements, expected use, and concept of operations for that technology. Changes the termination date for DHS's Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee to December 31, 2014. Directs the Comptroller General to assess the basic science research needs in the border and maritime security domain. Requires: (1) the Secretary of DHS and the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office to continue to research and develop technologies to permit routine operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, including autonomously piloted drones, within the national airspace for border and maritime security missions without any degradation of existing levels of safety for all national airspace system users; (2) the Secretary to coordinate with the Director to enter into pilot projects in designated test ranges in sparsely populated, low-density air traffic airspace to conduct research, experiments, and data collection in order to accelerate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as part of that Office's research activities; (3) the Under Secretary to continue to research and develop technologies to permit detection of near surface voids, such as tunnels, with an emphasis on technologies with real time capability; and (4) the Secretary to coordinate with other federal agencies and ensure the integration of such activities with relevant efforts of such other agencies and DHS's Centers of Excellence Program. Directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to continue a joint research and development program on anti-counterfeit technologies and standards; and (2) the Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to continue research on the use of mobile biometric technology at the nation's borders between the ports of entry.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Mark Twain. Limits issuance of such coins to calendar year 2016. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be promptly paid, in specified percentages, to: (1) the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the continued restoration of the house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain; (2) the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study and promote Mark Twain's legacy; (3) the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, for the same purposes; and (4) the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites related to Mark Twain and help support study and promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the Montford Point Marines, U.S. Marine Corps, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. (Camp Montford Point, North Carolina, was the site for the training of the first African-American Marines.) Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to exempt from the requirement to obtain a hazardous material (hazmat) endorsement all class A commercial driver's license (CDL) holders who are custom harvesters, agricultural retailers, agricultural business employees, agricultural cooperative employees, or agricultural producers who operate a service vehicle with a fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000) gallons or less of diesel fuel if the tank is clearly marked with a placard reading "Diesel Fuel."
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
SEC Regulatory Accountability Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), before promulgating a regulation or issuing any order, to: (1) identify the nature and significance of the problem that the proposed regulation is designed to address in order to assess whether any new regulation is warranted; (2) use the Office of the Chief Economist to assess the costs and benefits of the intended regulation and adopt it only on a determination that its benefits justify the costs; and (3) ensure that any regulation is accessible, consistent, written in plain language, and easy to understand. Directs the SEC to review its regulations and orders periodically to determine their efficacy and whether to modify or repeal them.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Medal of Honor Stipend Increase Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), subject to the availability of appropriations, to increase by up to $500 a month the rate of the Medal of Honor special pension.
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
Changes the date of the observance of the birthday of President George Washington to February 22 of each year (currently, the third Monday in February).
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the eligibility of certain small insurance companies (other than life insurance companies) for the alternative corporate income tax by increasing the premium limitation used to determine such eligibility to $2.025 million (from $1.2 million), with an annual inflation adjustment after 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2011
Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA] ) to transfer annually, without further appropriation, unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to United Service Organizations (USO), Incorporated, for funding its activities in support of USO airport centers. (Currently, such moneys are retained by the TSA for civil aviation security.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011
Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2011 or DATA Act - Requires each person, state, local, or tribal government (recipient) that receives federal appropriated funds, either directly or as a subcontractor or subgrantee, to report at least once quarterly each receipt and use of such funds to the Federal Accountability and Spending Transparency Board established by this Act. Requires each executive agency to report all federal obligations and expenditures to the Board. Exempts an individual recipient from such reporting requirements if: (1) the total amount of federal funds received does not exceed $100,000 in the current calendar or fiscal year; and (2) no transaction in which the recipient has received federal funds during the current calendar year or fiscal year has exceeded $24,999. Authorizes the Board to grant additional exemptions for classes or categories of recipients. Requires the Board to designate: (1) common data elements for information required to be reported, and (2) data reporting standards. Requires the Board to establish one or more websites for the publication of all information submitted by recipients and agencies to serve as a public portal for federal financial information. Requires the Board to establish a federal accountability portal (an integrated Internet-based system, consisting of one or more websites) to: (1) combine information submitted by recipients and agencies with other compilations of information; (2) permit executive agencies to verify the eligibility of recipients to receive federal funds; and (3) permit executive agencies, Inspectors General (IGs), and law enforcement agencies to track federal awards to find waste, fraud, and abuse. Establishes the Board in the executive branch. Transfers all functions of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to the Board, including its employees. Makes conforming amendments to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to terminate the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board on October 1, 2013. Repeals the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011
Lions Clubs International Century of Service Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue as legal tender $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Lions Clubs International. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the centennial. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during calendar 2017. Requires sales of the coins to include a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be paid by the Secretary to the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
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 · 3 June 2011
Protect HUBZones Act of 2011 - Amends the Small Business Act to revise the definition of "redesignated area" for HUBZone designation purposes to extend the time period during which a census tract or nonmetropolitan county that loses its HUBZone status due to the 2010 census may be so designated.
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 · 1 June 2011
MLR Repeal Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to repeal provisions requiring a health plan (including a grandfathered health plan) to: (1) submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) a report concerning the ratio of the incurred loss (or incurred claims) plus the loss adjustment expense (or change in contract reserves) to earned premiums; and (2) provide an annual rebate to each enrollee if the ratio of the amount of premium revenue expended by the issuer on reimbursement for clinical services provided to enrollees and activities that improve health care quality to the total amount of premium revenue for the plan year is less than a 85% for large group markets or 80% for small group or individual markets. Repeals a requirement that each U.S. hospital establish and make public a list of its standard charges for items and services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Prohibits any entity that receives funds from the federal government from using such funds to file a class action lawsuit involving the residents of an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF/MR) unless the resident (or the resident's legal representative), after receiving notice of the proposed class action lawsuit, has the opportunity to elect not to have the action apply to the resident. Directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to consult with ICF/MR residents among all other interested parties before taking actions (including investigations and actions under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act) involving such residents. Permits a resident to intervene in any such DOJ action. Prohibits this Act from requiring a state to include ICFs/MR services as an option under its Medicaid plan under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
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
Gold Star Mothers National Monument Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundation to establish a monument in the District of Columbia area, as a unit of the National Park System, to be known as the Gold Star Mothers National Monument. Prohibits using federal funds to pay the expenses of establishing the monument.
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
Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011 - Declares that it is U.S. policy to deny Iran the ability to support acts of foreign terrorist organizations and develop unconventional weapons and ballistic missiles. Urges the President to initiate diplomatic efforts to expand the multilateral sanctions regime regarding Iran. Directs the President to initiate an investigation into the imposition of sanctions upon receipt of credible information that a person is engaged in a sanctionable activity under this Act. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions on a person who knowingly: (1) makes specified investments with respect to Iran's ability to develop petroleum resources; (2) sells, leases, or provides to Iran goods, services, technology, information, or support that could facilitate Iran's domestic production of refined petroleum products; (3) sells or provides to Iran refined petroleum products, or provides goods, services, technology, information, or support that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum products; or (4) exports or otherwise facilitated transshipment to Iran of any goods, services, technology, or other items that would contribute to Iran's ability to acquire or develop chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, or acquire or develop destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. Sets forth exceptions to such sanctions for: (1) the procurement of certain defense articles or services; (2) eligible products to designated countries or instrumentalities; (3) products, technology, or services under contracts entered into before the date on which the President publishes in the Federal Register the name of the person on which the sanctions are to be imposed; (4) spare or component parts, or information and technology that are essential to U.S. products or production, and related servicing and maintenance; or (5) medicines, medical supplies, or other humanitarian items. Defines sanctions to include: (1) prohibitions on Export-Import Bank assistance, (2) prohibitions on loans from U.S. financial institutions and other financial services, (3) prohibitions on foreign exchange and other banking transactions, (4) prohibitions on property transactions, and (5) export and procurement sanctions. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary of State to issue, upon request, an advisory opinion with respect to whether a proposed activity would be sanctionable, and (2) a person to rely in good faith on such opinion and proceed without being subject to sanctions. Imposes sanctions under this Act for at least two years. Authorizes the President to terminate sanctions after one year if the sanctioned person is no longer engaging in a sanctionable activity and the President has received reliable assurances that the person will not knowingly engage in such future activity. Authorizes the President to waive imposition of sanctions if in the national security interest of the United States. States that a determination to impose sanctions under this Act shall not be reviewable in any court. Repeals the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to certain foreign and domestic individuals, organizations, and entities that support democracy in Iran. Imposes visa, property, and financial sanctions on persons identified as officials of the government of Iran, security services, or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were complicit in the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Iran or their family members on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran. Directs the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the promotion of Internet freedom and information access in Iran. Imposes specified sanctions on a person that knowingly assisted in the exportation of petroleum, oil, or natural gas produced by the IRGC or its affiliates. Blocks the U.S. property interests of foreign persons or their affiliates that have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of violence threatening the peace or economic stability of Iraq or Afghanistan. Directs the President to develop a National Strategy to Counter Iran. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to require any person owned or controlled by a domestic financial institution to certify that such person is not engaged in corresponding relations or business activity with the IRGC. Requires a report on the Central Bank of Iran's activities to facilitate Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear missile capacities and promote terrorism. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require securities issuers to disclose in their mandatory annual or quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whether they or their affiliates have: (1) engaged in certain activities relating to Iran, terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; (2) knowingly engaged in specified activities, or knowingly violated certain regulations prescribed under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; (3) knowingly conducted any transaction or dealing with a person whose property and interests in property are blocked by certain Executive Orders; or (4) knowingly conducted a transaction or dealing with any person listed in the Iranian Transactions Regulations. Requires the President to: (1) initiate an investigation into the possible imposition of sanctions when the SEC receives a report that an issuer or its affiliate has engaged in the cited activities, and (2) determine whether sanctions should be imposed on the issuer or the affiliate concerned. States that, except to meet U.S. international obligations, the Secretary of State shall deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) shall exclude from U.S. entry, a person who is an agent, official, or a representative of the government of Iran; and (2) presents a threat to the United States or is affiliated with terrorist organizations. Restricts the movement of such persons in the United States. Terminates the provisions of this Act when Iran: (1) has dismantled its efforts to develop or acquire nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons; (2) no longer provides support for acts of international terrorism; and (3) poses no threat to U.S. national security, interests, or allies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011
Fairness in Federal Contracting Act of 2011 - Prohibits an executive agency from requiring an entity that is bidding on a federal contract or otherwise participating in the acquisition of property or services from the federal government to disclose information on any payments to a candidate for federal office or to a political committee or on any disbursements for such purposes, as a condition for submitting such contract bid or for participating in the acquisition of property or services.
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
Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to revise the requirement that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), before promulgating a regulation or issuing an order, consider the costs and benefits of the action. Requires the CFTC, through the Office of the Chief Economist, to: (1) assess the costs and benefits, both qualitative and quantitative, of an intended regulation; and (2) propose or adopt a regulation only on a reasoned determination that the benefits justify the costs. Lists additional mandatory considerations for the CFTC to evaluate in making a reasoned determination of the costs and the benefits, including the impact on market liquidity in the futures and swaps markets, as well as alternatives to direct regulation.
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 · 5 May 2011
Stolen Valor Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject an individual who, with intent to obtain anything of value, knowingly makes a misrepresentiation regarding his or her military service to: (1) a fine, one year's imprisonment, or both if the misrepresentation is that such individual served in a combat zone or in a special operations force or was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; and (2) a fine, six months' imprisonment, or both, in any other case. Provides that: (1) this Act shall not apply to a misrepresentation that an individual did not serve in the Armed Forces, and (2) it is a defense to prosecution that the thing of value is de minimis.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Consumer Relief for Pain at the Pump Act - Sets forth a deadline for action on certain permit applications under existing Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leases. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to offer for leasing areas made available as a result of such repeal. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) offer specified areas for oil and gas leasing pursuant to certain Lease Sale Schedules, (2) conduct OCS lease sales in specified Planning Areas, (3) share OCS receipts derived from all leases with states and local governments, (4) implement a leasing program for certain land within the Arctic Coastal Plain, and (5) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to designate certain Coastal Plain lands, including the Sadlerochit Spring area, as Special Areas requiring special management and regulatory protection. Revokes a specified Secretarial Order relating to protecting wilderness characteristics on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on the use of funds for either a commercial oil shale leasing program or for oil shale lease sales. Directs the Secretary to offer leases for oil shale resources. Confers exclusive jurisdiction upon the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for covered energy projects under this Act. Establishes the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator. Instructs the Secretary to establish and maintain, in coordination with the Mayor of the North Slope Borough of Alaska, a separate Alaska Offshore Continental Shelf Coordination Office to coordinate the leasing program. Amends the Clean Air Act to redefine "air pollutant" to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride (greenhouse gases). Declares that nothing in specified statutes addressing pollution control shall be treated as authorizing or requiring the regulation of climate change or global warming. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the prohibition against federal procurement of alternative or synthetic fuel. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon request of the governor of a state or the governing body of an Indian tribe, to enter into a streamlined refinery permitting agreement. Sets forth deadlines for: (1) approval or disapproval of consolidated permits for construction of new or expansion of existing refineries, and (2) submission of existing refinery permit applications. Requires the EPA Administrator to conduct a research and demonstration program to evaluate the air quality benefits of ultra-clean Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuel, including diesel and jet fuel.
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 · 5 May 2011
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) affirms the rich spiritual and diverse religious history of our nation's founding and subsequent history, including up to the current day; (2) recognizes that the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our nation's most valuable institutions; (3) rejects any effort to remove, obscure, or omit such history from public buildings and educational resources; and (4) expresses support for designation of an "America's Spiritual Heritage Week. "
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2011
Job Creation and Energy Security Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt sales of natural gas, or any product derived from natural gas, for use in motor vehicles from the $5 million retail sales limitation applicable to independent producers of petroleum products for purposes of the oil and gas depreciation allowance.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Declares that an action for civil liability may be brought against a merchant's assignee only if the violation is apparent on the face of a rental-purchase agreement to which it relates, including, but not limited to, a disclosure that can be determined to be incomplete or inaccurate from the face of the agreement. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to state attorneys general. Subjects to criminal penalties any willful and knowing violation of the information disclosure requirements of this Act.
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
Amends the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 (the Act), title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, to revise the effective dates for the Act and for regulations promulgated under it. Sets a target date by which the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are required to further define specified swaps which are subject to joint rulemaking by the two Commissions. Sets forth effective dates for CFTC reporting of swap-data and SEC reporting of security-based swap data. Authorizes the two Commissions to permit the reporting of swap data and security-based swap data to certain persons who have: (1) provided notice of their intention to register as a swap data repository or as a security-based swap data repository, and (2) made appropriate undertakings to the relevant Commission which it determines to be in the public interest. Directs the two Commissions, before prescribing final rules and regulations under this Act, to conduct public hearings and roundtables on specified issues, take testimony of interested parties, and solicit public comment. Amends the Commodity Exchange Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to authorize the CFTC and the SEC, respectively, to exempt a person from registration and related regulatory requirements, if specified criteria are met.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Requires the Space Shuttle Discovery to be displayed at the Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas, for a period of 15 years after its retirement from service, after which time it shall be returned to Washington, D.C.
![Official portrait of Rep. Conaway, K. Michael [R-TX-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001062_200.jpg)