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United States · Official source
6,276 records where Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2012
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 815 County Road 23 in Tyrone, New York, as the "Specialist Christopher Scott Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2012
Congratulates the Navy and the many crews of the U.S.S. Enterprise (CVN 65) (Enterprise) on having provided the United States an incalculable service in international relations and engagement and in the prevention and winning of armed conflicts over the 51-year period of its service. Honors the service and memory of: (1) the 121 sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country while serving onboard the Enterprise, including the 30 that were killed in action during the Vietnam War; and (2) the 20 Enterprise sailors who were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War, the 3 who died while in captivity, and the 5 still listed as missing-in-action. Congratulates the nearly 100,000 current and former sailors who have served on the Enterprise and thanks them for their selfless sacrifice in service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2012
Expresses condolences to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Commends the resiliency and courage of the people of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Delaware. Commits to provide the necessary resources and to stand by such individuals in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2012
Stop Subsidizing Childhood Obesity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for expenses related to advertising and marketing primarily directed at children to promote the consumption by children of: (1) food from any fast food restaurant, (2) food of poor nutritional quality, and (3) any brand under which the majority of products are food of poor nutritional quality. Defines "food of poor nutritional quality" as food and beverages that are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury (in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services [HHS] and the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]) to be inconsistent with the most recent dietary guidelines published under the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2012
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act or SIMPLE Voting Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to allow individuals to vote in a federal election on each day during the 15-day period ending two days before the election date in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day. Requires a state to ensure that each polling place which allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route. Requires the Election Assistance Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. Requires each state to provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources (including physical resources) at a polling place used in a federal election to ensure: (1) a fair and equitable waiting time for all voters in the state, and (2) that no individual will be required to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at the polling place. Requires each state to develop, and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a contingency plan under which it shall provide any polling place on a federal election day whose waiting times exceed one hour with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies, including a polling place at which individuals may cast ballots before the election date.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2012
National Heritage Area Authorizations Extension Act of 2012 - Extends through FY2016 the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to make grants or provide assistance for the: (1) National Coal Heritage Area (West Virginia), (2) Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, (3) Augusta Canal National Heritage Area (Georgia), (4) Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area (Pennsylvania), (5) Essex National Heritage Area (Massachusetts), (6) South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, (7) America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership (Iowa), (8) Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor, and (9) Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area (New York). Amends the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to extend through FY2016 the authority of the Secretary to provide grants or other assistance for the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania. Amends the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal Heritage Corridor Act of 1988 to extend through FY2016 the authorization of appropriations for the management action plan respecting the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor in Pennsylvania. Extends the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission (Massachusetts and Rhode Island) through FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Amends the Highlands Conservation Act to extend, through FY2024, funding for: (1) land conservation partnership projects in the highlands regions of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; and (2) Forest Service and Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to assist such states, units of local government, and private forest and farm landowners in the conservation of land and natural resources in that region.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Computers in Our Communities Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2013 the tax deduction allowed to corporate taxpayers for charitable contributions of computer inventory for educational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012
Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), from any appropriations for a fiscal year containing a qualifying winter season, to allot to each qualifying state, at least 25% of whose households use heating oil as the primary heating fuel, an amount that is at least the same as that allotted to the state for FY2010. Requires that allotments to states that do not qualify under this Act be ratably reduced if necessary to ensure the allotments to qualifying states. Defines a "qualifying winter season" as one occurring after enactment of this Act for which the projected average price of heating oil is greater than the average price for the winter of 2011-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Women's History Museum Act of 2012 - Establishes the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Women's History Museum to submit to the President and Congress a report containing recommendations with respect to a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C. Requires the Commission to be composed of eight members. Directs the Senate Majority Leader, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senate Minority Leader, and House Minority Leader to each appoint two Commission members. Directs the Commission to: (1) report on issues including potential locations for the Museum and whether it should be part of the Smithsonian Institution, and (2) develop a fundraising plan to support the establishment and maintenance of the Museum through contributions from the public. Authorizes the Commission to employ and compensate an executive director and other necessary personnel. Terminates the Commission within a specified period after it has submitted its final reports pursuant to this Act. Prohibits federal funds from being obligated to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Grassroots Democracy Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable credit of up to $25 ($50 in the case of a joint return), adjusted for inflation, for qualified grassroots federal congressional campaign contributions paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year. Directs the Grassroots Democracy Advisory Commission (GDAC, established by this Act) to establish a pilot program under which a qualified individual shall be provided with a "Grassroots Democracy Coupon" during the election cycle, which will be assigned a routing number and, at the individual's option, provided in either paper or electronic form. Authorizes the individual to: (1) submit the Coupon, using the routing number, in either electronic or paper form to qualified federal election candidates, and (2) allocate portions of the Coupon's value in $5 increments to a candidate (up to a maximum of $50 per candidate). Requires the GDAC to pay the candidate who transmits the Coupon to it the portion of the Coupon's value that the individual allocated to the candidate, which shall be considered a contribution under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA). Amends FECA with respect to: (1) benefits for participating congressional candidates; (2) Federal Election Commission (FEC) payments to such candidates; (3) candidate use of payments; (4) qualified grassroots contribution, expenditure, and fundraising requirements; (5) certification of participating congressional candidates; (6) campaign administration; (7) prevention of the unnecessary spending of public funds; (8) remittal to the Grassroots Democracy Fund of unspent funds after an election; (9) eligibility of participating candidates for payments; (10) establishment of the Grassroots Democracy Fund in the Treasury and of a Grassroots Democracy Advisory Commission in the FEC; and (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements. Prohibits use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign. Revises bundler disclosure requirements to repeal a specified exception and so require disclosure of persons who provided bundled contributions to the reporting committee. Extends from 60 days before a general, special, or runoff election to 120 days before such an election the period for treatment of communications as electioneering communications. Creates user fees, payable to the FEC, for candidate-designated political committees and bundlers. Amends FECA to empower the FEC to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action to enforce the Act. Requires all political committee designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC, and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces from 48 hours to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the alternative tax on political organizations that have net capital gains for the taxable year; and (2) the treatment as tax-exempt functions of proceeds from a political fundraising or entertainment event, from the sale of political campaign materials not received in the ordinary course of trade or business, or from any bingo game. Revises the formula limiting the amount included in the gross income of a tax-exempt organization that expends funds for an exempt function of a political committee. Repeals the application of graduated tax rates for principal campaign committees (thus applying the highest rates to such committees). Allows an individual to designate a specified portion of any overpayment of tax as a contribution to the Grassroots Democracy Fund. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to set a station's lowest unit price for preemptible use as the charge for a broadcast by the national committee of a political party for an affiliated candidate. Authorizes the FEC to revoke a broadcast station license or construction permit only for at least three willful failures to allow reasonable access to, or to permit purchase of reasonable amounts of time for the use of, a broadcasting station by a legally qualified candidate for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012
Condemns: (1) the commission of hate crimes against all Americans, including Sikh-Americans; and (2) acts of violence, bigotry, and discrimination against Sikh-Americans. Urges: (1) educators, counselors, and others to support educational efforts to prevent the epidemic bullying of Sikh-American children and families; and (2) the Department of Justice (DOJ) to begin documenting and quantifying hate crimes and other acts of violence perpetrated against Sikh-Americans. Expresses support for: (1) outreach efforts by federal and local law enforcement leaders to prevent violence and hate crimes against Sikh-Americans; and (2) the right of the Sikh-American community to live in peace and free from discrimination, hate crimes, bullying, and all forms of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Clean Energy Victory Bond Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2022 the tax credit for investment in solar energy property, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cell property, microturbine property, combined heat and power system property, and small wind energy property; (2) allow an energy tax credit for investment in offshore wind facilities placed in service before January 1, 2021; (3) extend through 2022 placed-in-service dates for wind facilities and other renewable energy facilities for purposes of the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable energy facilities; (4) extend through 2022 the tax credit for residential energy efficiency improvements; and (5) increase the amount of credits allocable under the qualifying advanced energy project program. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend through 2014 the grant program for investment in alternative and renewable energy property in lieu of tax credits for such property. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) establish a voluntary voucher program, through 2015, for the purchase of plug-in electric vehicles; and (2) provide grants to state, local, and tribal governments for the installation and operation of public charging stations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to extend through FY2022 loan guarantees for renewable energy systems, electronic power transmission systems, and certain biofuel projects. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue Clean Energy Victory Bonds to pay for the extension of the energy-related tax expenditures in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
States' Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act - Exempts real property from civil forfeiture under the Controlled Substances Act due to medical-marijuana-related conduct that is authorized by state law.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Stop Overdose Stat Act or the S.O.S. Act - Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) award grants or enter into cooperative agreements to enable eligible entities to reduce deaths occurring from drug overdoses, and (2) give priority to eligible public health agencies or community-based organizations that have expertise in preventing deaths occurring from overdoses in high risk populations. Conditions receipt of a grant or agreement on an entity agreeing to use the grant or agreement for: (1) purchasing and distributing the drug naloxone; (2) educating physicians and pharmacists about overdose prevention and naloxone prescription; (3) training first responders, other individuals in a position to respond to an overdose, and law enforcement and corrections officials on the effective response; (4) implementing and enhancing programs to provide overdose prevention, recognition, treatment, and response to individuals in need; and (5) expanding such programs. Requires the Director to: (1) compile and publish, annually, data on fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses for the preceding year; and (2) award grants to state, local, or tribal governments, or the National Poison Data System working in conjunction with such governments, to improve drug overdose surveillance and reporting capabilities. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and submit to Congress a plan to reduce the number of deaths occurring from overdoses. Requires the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to: (1) prioritize and conduct or support research on drug overdose and overdose prevention, and (2) support research on the development of dosage forms of naloxone for the prehospital treatment of unintentional drug overdose.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012
Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to set forth special rules for electioneering communications, especially targeted communications, which national banks, corporations, and labor organizations are prohibited from paying for. Defines "targeted communications" as electioneering communications distributed from a television or radio broadcast station or provider of cable or satellite television service and, in the case of a communication which refers to a candidate for an office other than President or Vice President, is targeted to the relevant electorate. Prohibits independent expenditures by national banks, corporations, and labor organizations. Applies certain limitations on contributions made by any person to a political committee to any contribution to a political committee which accepts donations or contributions that do not comply with contribution or source prohibitions (or made to any account of a political committee established to accept such noncompliant donations or contributions).
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2012
Verifying Official Totals for Elections Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit a voting system used in a federal election from containing or using any election-dedicated voting system technology which is not deposited by the state (or at the state's option by the vendor of the technology) with the National Software Reference Library of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) before the election. Requires the Director of NIST to: (1) hold the technology in escrow; and (2) disclose it and information about it to a qualified person who has entered into a nondisclosure agreement with respect to it, or to whom the Director is permitted or required to disclose the technology under state law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2012
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2012 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.10 an hour on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act; (2) $8.95 an hour after one year; (3) $9.80 an hour after two years; and (4) the amount determined by the Secretary of Labor (based on increases in the Consumer Price Index) after three years, and annually thereafter. Increases the federal minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.00 an hour for one year on the first day of the third month after the enactment of this Act. Provides a formula for subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase to ensure that it remains equal to 70% of the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Directs the Secretary of Labor, 60 days before any increase in the minimum wage, to publish it in the Federal Register and on the Department of Labor's website.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2012
Children's Health Task Force Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to) establish and maintain a permanent Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children, which shall recommend federal strategies for addressing environmental health risks and safety risks to children in the United States, within projected budgetary limits. Requires such strategies to include: (1) adoption of action plans, including multiyear and annual priorities, to address the principal risks; (2) government initiatives to address such risks; (3) recommendations on how to improve cross-agency implementation of actions to address such risks; (4) recommendations for a coordinated research agenda for the government to address such risks; (5) recommendations for partnerships among federal, state, local, and tribal governments and the private, academic, and nonprofit sectors; (6) proposed ways to enhance public outreach and communication to assist families in evaluating such risks and in making informed consumer choices; and (7) proposed ways to strengthen the data system in order to identify and track development of rulemakings and other actions to ensure they comply with current policy on evaluating such risks. Directs the Task Force to submit, make publicly available, and disseminate widely a biennial report including: (1) the strategies developed and updated, (2) a description of the Task Force's accomplishments, (3) current national priorities for addressing such risks and any related emerging issues, (4) updates on federal research findings and research needs regarding such risks, (5) information submitted by federal agencies and by stakeholders for inclusion in the report, and (6) recommendations by the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2012
Make it in America: Create Clean Energy Manufacturing Jobs in America Act - Authorizes federal acquisition of, or the provision of federal funds to states for purchase of, only green technologies that are 85% manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies that are 85% grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States beginning in the fourth fiscal year after enactment of this Act. Provides that such percentage shall be 30% in the first fiscal year after enactment, 50% in the second fiscal year, and 80% in the third fiscal year. Defines "green technologies" to mean renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services that: (1) reduce dependence on unreliable sources of energy by encouraging the use of sustainable biomass, wind, small-scale hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services; and (2) use hybrid fossil-renewable energy systems. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit treating any facility originally placed in service after the enactment of this Act as a qualified facility for purposes of the renewable energy production and investment tax credits unless such facility is 85% manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies that are 85% grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States. Provides that such percentage shall be 30% for a facility placed in service during 2012, 50% for a facility placed in service during 2013, and 80% for a facility placed in service during 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2012
National Park Service Study Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct special resource studies of: (1) the Kau coast, on the island of Hawaii; (2) on request, the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; (3) sites in Alaska associated with the forced abandonment of the Aleut villages of Makushin, Kashega, and Biorka around Unalaska Island and Attu on Attu Island during World War II; (4) the five relocation sites in Alaska at Funter Bay, Burnett Inlet, Killisnoo, Ward Lake and the Wrangell Institute; (5) specified World War II Japanese American Relocation Center sites; (6) American Latino sites in the San Luis Valley and Central Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico; (7) the town of Goldfield and outlying mining sites in Nevada; (8) the Hudson River Valley in New York; (9) the Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, where African-American casts and crews were used in the production of silent films; (10) the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Alabama; and (11) Galveston Bay in Texas. Requires updates of: (1) the study authorized by the National Park Service Studies Act of 1999 relating to World War II sites, Republic of Palau; and (2) the 1979 study entitled "Vermejo Ranch, New Mexico/Colorado: Study of Management Options." Directs the Secretary to: (1) study alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the National Parks, (2) conduct a national historic landmark theme study to identify sites and resources in the southern United States that are significant to the Reconstruction era, and (3) study the feasibility of including 45 miles of the Chattahoochee River and land along the river corridor within the boundary of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area located in Georgia.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2018 for the Votes for Women History Trail Route in the state of New York, the National Women's Rights History Project Registry, and the National Women's Rights History Project Partnership Network.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2012
Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act of 2012 - Sets forth provisions addressing HIV/AIDS, including through: the authorization of additional appropriations for AIDS Drug Assistance Program treatments; public health surveillance; strategies to address issues that impede disease status awareness and linkage to and retention in appropriate care; operational and translational research on HIV; workforce initiatives to increase the capacity of the health workforce focusing primarily on HIV/AIDS; educational loan repayment of health professionals; activities to reduce the rate of HIV infections among injecting drug users; grants for comprehensive sex education for young people; best practice recommendations regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV/AIDS; the distribution of sexual barrier devices in federal correctional facilities; the enrollment in the Medicaid program of HIV-positive individuals after their release from incarceration; the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy; a strategy to expand and improve efforts to combat global HIV/AIDS; the repeal of provisions prohibiting organizations receiving certain funding from being required to endorse or utilize a comprehensive approach to combating global HIV/AIDS; and a global HIV sexual transmission prevention strategy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2012
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that any deal on taxes and spending to replace the Budget Control Act of 2011 should: (1) not cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits; (2) contain serious revenue increases, including closing corporate tax loopholes and increasing individual income tax rates for the highest earners; (3) significantly reduce defense spending to focus the U.S. Armed Forces on combating 21st century risks; and (4) promote economic growth and expanded economic opportunity by including strong levels of job-creating federal investments in areas such as infrastructure and education, and by promoting private investment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2012
Truth in Trials Act - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow any person on trial for a federal marijuana-related offense to introduce evidence that the alleged marijuana-related activities were performed in compliance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, (2) allow an affirmative defense to a marijuana prosecution that the alleged marijuana-related activities complied with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana, (3) limit the criminal liability of persons convicted of federal marijuana-related offenses, (4) require the preservation and return (if a defendant is acquitted) of property seized in connection with a marijuana prosecution, and (5) prohibit the seizure of plants grown or stored under a physician's recommendation or by order of a state or municipal agency in accordance with state law regarding the medical use of marijuana.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2012
Expresses: (1) disapproval of the fact that our U.S. Olympic uniforms were made overseas, and (2) support for U.S. manufacturers and their ability to compete in the global marketplace in both price and quality. Urges the U.S. Olympic Committee to pledge to use American designers and manufacturers for Olympic uniforms in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2012
Families Flying Together Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations directing each air carrier to: (1) establish a policy to ensure that a family that purchases tickets for a flight is seated together during that flight, and (2) make the policy available to the public on the air carrier's website. Defines "family" to mean a grouping of individuals that, at a minimum, includes: (1) a child age 12 years or younger; and (2) an individual age 18 years or older and responsible for accompanying that child, including a parent or legal guardian of that child.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2012
Supporting Entrepreneurial Economic Development Act of 2012 or the SEED Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to prohibit a recipient of an economic adjustment grant from making, but permits a venture development organization to make, a grant, equity investment, or convertible loan to a private for-profit entity. Requires such an organization that assists a private for-profit entity with funds made available from an economic adjustment grant and that receives funds from such entity at any time as a result of such assistance to use such funds only to assist other private for-profit entities. Defines a "venture development organization" as a public entity or private, nonprofit entity that provides to an early-stage technology business, to promote the growth of that business: (1) financial investment or assistance acquiring financial investment, (2) expert mentoring, and (3) assistance to speed the commercialization of technology.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2012
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Fairness Act of 2012 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide technical assistance to a Chesapeake Bay state (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia) to assist in developing water quality goals that reduce losses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from agricultural or nonindustrial private forest land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial and technical assistance to such a state to assist agricultural producers or owners to promote state water quality goals. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to producers and owners in such watershed, either directly or through a technical service provider, an agricultural or silvicultural producer association, a state or local government, an Indian tribe, a farmer cooperative, an institution of higher education, or an organization with an established history of working with producers on agricultural land, to address: (1) local conservation priorities related to agricultural production, wildlife habitat development, and nonindustrial private forest land management; or (2) critical watershed-scale soil erosion, water quality, sediment reduction, or other natural resource concerns. Authorizes such technical assistance to be provided for: (1) conservation services to reduce losses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from agricultural and nonindustrial private forest land in such watershed; or (2) identifying best management practices and assessing practices required to achieve compliance with state and federal water quality laws. Authorizes funding for each of FY2013-FY2018 for such activities in such watershed.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2012
Celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (residence of President Theodore Roosevelt).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2012
Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act of 2012 - Considers a person a spouse, for purposes of military personnel policies and military and veterans' benefits, if the marriage of the individual is valid in the state in which the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place in which the marriage was entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Includes as a state the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories and possessions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2012
Welcomes His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad to Washington, DC. Commends His Holiness for: (1) promoting individual and world peace and justice; and (2) his perseverance in counseling Ahmadi Muslims to eschew any form of violence, even in the face of severe persecution.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2012
Commends Rotary International and others for their efforts in vaccinating children around the world against polio and for the tremendous strides made toward eradicating the disease. Encourages the United States and the international community to remain committed to the elimination of polio.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2012
Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 - Amends the federal judicial code to permit one or more members of a group seeking relief for discriminatory employment practices under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, equal rights laws under the Revised Statutes, or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 to sue on behalf of all members of the group if the representative party shows, by a reasonable inference, that: (1) members of the group are so numerous that their joinder is impracticable; (2) claims of the representative party are typical of the claims of the group the representative party seeks to represent and the representative party and the representative party's counsel will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the group; and (3) members of the group are, or have been, subject to an employment practice that has adversely affected or is adversely affecting a significant portion of the group's members. (Thus establishing a new standard for employees bringing group actions for certain employment discrimination, notwithstanding the Supreme Court decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes , which required "convincing proof of a companywide discriminatory pay and promotion policy" as a prerequisite to class certification.) Permits a representative party to challenge a subjective employment practice covered by any of the above-referenced employment statutes in a group action filed under this Act to the same extent as the party may challenge any other employment practice covered by such a statute in such an action. Defines a "subjective employment practice" as: (1) an employer's policy of leaving personnel decisions to the unguided discretion of supervisors, managers, and other employees with authority to make such personnel decisions; or (2) an employment practice combining such a subjective employment practice with other types of personnel decisions. Prohibits the fact that individual supervisors, managers, or other employees with authority to make personnel decisions may exercise discretion in different ways in applying a subjective employment practice under such a statute from precluding a representative party from filing a corresponding group action. Allows a representative party to elect to proceed in a group action under this Act or in a class action under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2012
TIGER Grants for Job Creation Act - Makes supplemental appropriations of $500 million for each of FY2013 and FY2014 for the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grant program for national infrastructure investment projects for states, local governments, and transit agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2012
Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act or the ACHE Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct or support comprehensive studies on the health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on individuals in the surrounding communities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), upon receipt of a report on study results, to publish a determination of whether such mining presents any health risks to individuals in those communities. Defines "mountaintop removal coal mining" as surface coal mining that uses blasting with explosives in the steep slope regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia. Prohibits issuance of an authorization for any mountaintop removal coal mining project (or expansion), under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, until and unless the Secretary publishes a determination that such mining does not present any health risk to individuals in the surrounding communities. Imposes requirements for continuous monitoring of air, noise, and water pollution and frequent monitoring of soil until a determination by the Secretary is made. Assesses a one-time fee upon persons that conduct such mining projects, sufficient to cover the federal cost of the health studies and pollution monitoring required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2012
Rural Energy Investment Act of 2012 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 regarding the biobased markets program to: (1) extend program funding through FY2017, (2) increase the number of categories of biobased products designated and individual biobased products eligible for preferred purchasing, and (3) provide for a program of biobased product education and promotion activities. Amends the Rural Energy for America Program to: (1) extend Program funding through FY2017; (2) make nonprofit organizations eligible for assistance; (3) provide loan guarantees and grants to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy system purchases, with a tiered loan and grant application process that reflects project size; and (4) permit the combined amount of a grant and a loan guarantee to cover all eligible activity costs. Extends funding through FY2017 for: (1) biorefinery assistance, (2) the biodiesel fuel education program, (3) biomass research and development, (4) the Rural Energy Self-Sufficiency Initiative, (5) the biomass crop assistance program, (6) the forest biomass for energy program, and (7) the community wood energy program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2012
State Secrets Protection Act - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to declare that, in any civil action brought in federal or state court, the government has a privilege to refuse to give information and to prevent any person from giving information only if the government shows that public disclosure of the information that the government seeks to protect would be reasonably likely to cause significant harm to the national defense or the diplomatic relations of the United States. Requires the court to take steps, which may include in camera and ex parte hearings and other security procedures, to protect sensitive information that comes before it. Sets forth the court's authority regarding the participation of counsel, appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent an absent litigant's interests, and the disclosure of information when it presents a risk of harm. Provides for court-ordered presentation of adequate or nonprivileged substitutes (redacted copies, summary of information, stipulation of facts) for privileged information. Allows the government to: (1) assert the privilege in connection with any claim in a civil action to which it is a party, or (2) intervene in a civil action to which it is not a party in order to do so. Provides that once the government has asserted the privilege, and before the court makes any determinations, the court shall: (1) undertake a preliminary review of the information in question, and (2) provide the government an opportunity to seek protective measures under this Act. Establishes procedures and a standard for assessing the privilege claim. Requires the court, if it determines that the privilege is not validly asserted, to issue appropriate orders regarding the disclosure of the information to a nongovernmental party and its admission at trial, with the right to an interlocutory appeal for any such orders. Prohibits such disclosure or admission if the privilege is determined valid. Grants the courts of appeal jurisdiction of an appeal from a decision or order of a district court determining that the state secrets privilege is not validly asserted, sanctioning a refusal to provide an adequate or nonprivileged substitute, or refusing protective steps sought by the government pending the resolution of the claim of state secrets privilege.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2012
Recognizes and commends the nation's Catholic sisters, whose inspiring legacy of service continues to enrich our nation. Honors the contributions of Catholic sisters to this country. Stands in solidarity with Catholic sisters' mission to work toward a more just society for all of God's people.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2012
International Violence Against Women Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of State to designate an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Directs the Secretary to develop a comprehensive strategy to identify countries with significant levels of violence against women and girls that have the government or nongovernmental organizational capacity to implement gender-based violence prevention and response program activities. Authorizes assistance for such countries and urges that 10% of such assistance go to community-based and women's nongovernmental organizations in recipient countries. Authorizes the Secretary to provide guidance to the Secretary of Defense (DOD) on how to: (1) incorporate training on prevention and response into the basic training curricula of foreign military forces and judicial officials, and (2) ensure that U.S. assistance to units involved in regional or multilateral peacekeeping operations includes such training. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to ensure that: (1) assistance made available for humanitarian relief, conflict mitigation, and post-conflict reconstruction prevents and responds to violence against women and girls; and (2) assistance made available for disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation provides protection in demobilization and transit centers and essential medical care and psychosocial support. Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify critical or widespread incidents of violence against women and girls in situations of armed conflict; (2) determine emergency response measures; and (3) brief Congress, upon request, on the implementation of such emergency response measures.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2012
Graduate Success Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to pay the interest that accrues on unsubsidized Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) that are deferred due to a student borrower's lack of full-time employment. Requires the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on Federal Consolidation Loans that are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment, provided the application for such a loan is received on or after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on FFELs and DLs that are subject to income-based repayment provisions and are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment. Limits these interest-free deferment periods to those occurring on or after this Act's enactment and covering no more than three years of full-time unemployment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2012
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of National Aphasia Awareness Month, and (2) efforts to increase awareness of aphasia and to make the voices of people with aphasia heard.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2012
Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012 - Authorizes any person, entity, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to propose the regulation of nonnative wildlife taxa. Requires FWS to determine whether the proposal should be approved within 180 days. Requires FWS to promulgate regulations to: (1) specify the criteria for regulating a nonnative taxon as an Injurious I taxon or Injurious II taxon that is injurious to humans, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife, or wildlife resources; (2) establish a process for assessing and analyzing the risks of taxa that may have been imported into or found in interstate commerce; and (3) designate a wildlife taxon that was previously designated as injurious by statue or the Secretary of the Interior as an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon. Requires the Secretary, five years after enactment of this Act, to: (1) define the phrase “non-native wildlife taxa novel to the United States”; (2) establish a process to ensure that all such taxa are thereafter reviewed by FWS to determine whether they should be regulated as Injurious I or Injurious II taxa prior to allowing their importation; and (3) seek to avoid, in promulgating such regulation, creating a new incentive for animal importers to import novel taxa prior to the effective date of such regulation. Requires FWS, prior to designating a taxon as an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon, to prepare a risk determination. Authorizes FWS to immediately and temporarily designate a nonnative wildlife taxon as Injurious I if an emergency exists because such unregulated taxon poses an imminent threat of harm to individuals in, or wildlife of, the United States or to the U.S. economy or environment. Requires FWS to: (1) establish an electronic, publicly available database that describes all quantities of imports of all live wildlife and the regulatory status of such wildlife; (2) monitor and report on the identities and quantities of nonnative wildlife taxa being imported; and (3) make more rapid determinations on proposals for regulation of importations or shipments of injurious mammals, birds, fish, amphibia, and reptiles under the Lacey Act by requiring the Secretary to forego time-consuming optional administrative steps that are not essential and byauthorizing the Secretary to forego economic impact analyses. Gives the Secretary the primary authority to prevent the importation of, and interstate commerce in, wildlife pathogens and harmful parasites. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to impose import restrictions to prevent the importation of, and commerce in, such pathogens and parasites. Establishes exemptions to such requirement. Prohibits any person from: (1) importing or knowingly possessing such an Injurious I or Injurious II taxon, or the descendant of such an animal, that was imported in violation of this Act; (2) engaging in interstate commerce for or knowingly possessing such an animal that was transported in interstate commerce in violation of this Act; and (3) releasing any such taxon into the wild. Sets forth exemptions from such prohibitions. Authorizes FWS to issue permits to qualified institutions to authorize actions otherwise prohibited for such taxon. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires the Secretary to adopt a fee to be charged on imported live wildlife shipments. Establishes the Injurious Wildlife Prevention Fund to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2012
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 26 East Genesee Street in Baldwinsville, New York, as the "Corporal Kyle Schneider Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2012
National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS). Authorizes the issuance of coins under this Act only for a one-year period, beginning on January 1, 2016. Requires all sales of coins minted under this Act to include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar clad coin. Requires all of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins to be paid to the National Park Foundation for projects and programs to help preserve and protect resources under the stewardship of the NPS and to promote public enjoyment and appreciation of those resources. Prohibits the surcharges paid to the Foundation from being used for land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Voter Empowerment Act of 2012 - Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2012 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) to require each state to make available official public websites for online voter registration. Authorizes automated voter registration of certain individuals and establishes other initiatives to promote voter registration, such as same day registration and voter registration of individuals under 18 years of age. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to establish requirements for states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities, including a single office for providing related information. Directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to make grants to eligible states to conduct pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register to vote and vote privately and independently at their own residences (including by telephone). Amends HAVA to reauthorize the program of grants to state and local governments to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit state or local election officials from preventing an individual from registering or voting in any federal election (voter caging), or from permitting a formal challenge under state law to an individual's registration status or eligibility to vote, if the basis for such decision is evidence consisting of: (1) a voter caging document or voter caging list, (2) an unverified match list, (3) an error or omission on voter application or registration documents that is not material to an individual's eligibility to vote, or (4) any other evidence so designated by the Commission. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a person, including an election official, from knowingly and willfully attempting to or depriving or defrauding the residents of a state of their free and fair exercise of the right to vote by the communication of election-related information that is known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent. Increases the penalty for voter intimidation. Declares that the right of an individual U.S. citizen to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless he or she is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution at the time of the election. Prescribes enforcement of this right by public or private civil action. Requires each state to notify in writing any individual convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release from state custody or upon sentence to probation, that he or she has the right to vote in a federal election and so may register to vote. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2012 - Amends HAVA to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical character recognition device or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Prescribes requirements for: (1) publication of poll tapes, (2) treatment of ballots cast at early voting sites and of absentee ballots, and (3) the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. Prescribes laboratory conflict-of-interest requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Requires each state, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to EAC for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Amends HAVA to: (1) add requirements for counting provisional ballots, (2) require each state to allow early voting and facilitate the ability of voters to vote by mail. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) with respect to pre-election reports on availability and transmission of absentee ballots. Revises the 45-day absentee ballot transmission rule. Permits: (1) use of a single absentee ballot application for subsequent elections, and (2) application of the UOCAVA to Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. Entitles to leave a federal employee who serves as a poll worker. Directs the EAC to: (1) make a grant to each eligible state for poll-worker recruitment and training, and (2) develop materials for a model state poll worker training program. Amends HAVA to make available to any person aggrieved by a violation of uniform and nondiscriminatory election technology and administration requirements the option to file a complaint with the Attorney General or pursue a private right of action to enforce such requirements. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless he or she or a family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. Amends the NVRA to treat universities as voter registration agencies. Amends the HAVA to establish minimum notification requirements on behalf of voters affected by polling place changes. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) coordinate the establishment of a state-based response system for responding to questions and complaints from individuals voting or seeking to vote, or registering to vote or seeking to, in federal elections; (2) establish and operate a toll-free telephone service to connect directly to such response system; and (3) appoint a Voter Hotline Task Force. Amends HAVA to: (1) reauthorize and extend the EAC, and (2) repeal its exemption from certain government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2011 [ sic ] - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to revise requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical scanner or other counting device. Requires the voting system to provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires each paper ballot used to be: (1) suitable for a manual audit, and (2) counted by hand in any recount or audit conducted with respect to any federal election. Sets forth a special rule for treatment of disputes when paper ballots have been shown to be compromised. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Specifies additional voting system requirements and prohibitions. Requires the NSF Director to make grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Makes available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Provides for complaints to the Attorney General by persons aggrieved by violations of HAVA. Requires each state to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Makes an exception from this requirement for elections in which the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the vote total. Prescribes requirements for determination of the number of ballots counted under the audit. Prescribes the process for administering audits. Requires the Election Auditor of a state, as soon as practicable after the completion of an audit, to submit the results to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for publication. Prohibits certification of the results of any election until completion of audits. Provides for payments to states for the costs of conducting audits. Exempts from this Act any election for which a recount under state law will commence before certification of the election results. Repeals the EAC's exemption from certain federal government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Justice for the American Diplomats Held Hostage in Tehran Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a common fund to be administered by the class representatives and agents for the former American hostages in Iran and their survivors (case number 1:08-CV-00487 (EGS) of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) in order to pay claims to the American hostages and to family members identified as class members. Finances the fund from: (1) fines and penalties for violations of activities with respect to any government or person by reason of a connection with Iran, and (2) seized or frozen Iranian assets or assets from persons or entities subject to Iran-related sanctions. Sets forth payment priority and amount provisions. States that the United States shall be fully subrogated with respect to payments to all rights of each individual paid under this Act against the government of Iran or the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2012
Password Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject to a fine any employer who knowingly and intentionally: (1) compels or coerces any person to provide the employer with a password or similar information to access a protected computer not owned by such employer; or (2) discharges, disciplines, discriminates, or threatens to take such actions, against any person who fails to authorize access to such computer, has filed a complaint or instituted a proceeding regarding such action, or testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the authority of a court of competent jurisdiction to grant equitable relief in a civil action, if the court believes that the information sought to be obtained is relevant to protecting the intellectual property, a trade secret, or confidential business information of the party seeking relief. Exempts an employer's actions from such prohibition if: (1) the employer discharges or disciplines an individual for good cause; (2) a state enacts a law that specifically waives such prohibition with respect to a particular class of state or agency employees and the employer's action relates to an employee in such class; or (3) an executive agency, military department, or other executive branch entity specifically waives the prohibition with respect to a particular class of employees who may have access to classified information.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2012
Overdraft Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a depository institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with overdraft coverage, or in acts designed to evade the provisions of this Act. Requires each depository institution that provides overdraft coverage for transaction accounts clearly and conspicuously to disclose overdraft coverage fees and that, if a consumer does not opt-in to such overdraft coverage: (1) the consumer's transaction may be declined if there are insufficient funds in the related transaction account, and (2) the consumer will not be charged a fee if such transaction is declined. Subjects to the consumer's written, electronic, or other consent overdraft coverage fees in connection with use of an automatic teller machine (ATM) or point of sale transaction. Requires a depository institution to provide specified consumer disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including: (1) periodic statements for any transaction account that has an overdraft coverage program feature, (2) prompt notification of the account's overdraft status, and (3) the overdraft coverage fee as an annual percentage rate (APR), permitting consumers to compare meaningfully the overdraft coverage to alternative forms of overdraft options and other sources of credit. Prescribes overdraft coverage fee limits. Prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. Requires a depository institution to provide consumers who have not consented to participate in an overdraft coverage program transaction accounts with the same terms as those provided to consumers who have consented to participate in such program. Prohibits a depository institution from charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any ATM or debit card transaction. Prohibits a depository institution from reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program. Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to study whether consumers are being subjected to abusive practices with respect to prepaid card overdraft coverage.