United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Every Student Counts Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require, beginning by the 2011-2012 school year, states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and secondary schools annually to include on the report cards required under title I of the Act: (1) their four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; (2) the final number of students in their four-year adjusted cohort and their total number of four-year graduates; (3) their cumulative graduation rate; (4) the number and percentage of students graduating in more than four years with a regular secondary school diploma; (5) the number and percentage of students who have been removed from the adjusted cohort; (6) the number and percentage of students from each previous adjusted cohort who remain in secondary school after four years; and (7) the percentage of secondary school students in each grade, except the graduating grade, prepared to advance to the next grade. Requires such data, except for data on students who remain in secondary school after four years, to be disaggregated and cross tabulated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged. Directs states, LEAs, and secondary schools in states that lack a statewide longitudinal data system with individual student identifiers to make certain annual interim graduation rate calculations; but prohibits the use of such interim calculations after the 2012-2013 school year. Requires the use of aggregate and disaggregated four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates or cumulative graduation rates in determining the success of each secondary school and LEA in making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards under the Act. Requires states, LEAs, and schools that do not have a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate or a cumulative graduation rate above 90% overall and for all of the student subgroups, to make specified yearly progress in improving such rate or be deemed as failing to make AYP.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission to plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and to carry out other specified duties. Directs the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities to award grants for appropriate activities relating to the Civil War sesquicentennial and to consider and give priority to programs carried out by institutions of higher education, museums, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and state sesquicentennial commissions that support the duties of the Commission, including those that concentrate on the role of African Americans in the Civil War.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Employment Non-Discrimination Act - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation. Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations, and (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces. Declares that this Act does not repeal or modify any federal, state, territorial, or local law creating a special right or preference concerning employment for a veteran. Provides for the construction of this Act regarding: (1) enforcement by employers of rules and policies, (2) sexual harassment, (3) certain shared facilities such as showers or dressing facilities, (4) construction of new or additional facilities, (5) dress and grooming standards, and (6) provision of employee benefits to married vs. unmarried couples. Declares that, in this Act, "married" refers to marriage as that term is defined in the Defense of Marriage Act (a legal union between one man and one woman). Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from collecting statistics from covered entities on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or compelling the collection by covered entities of such statistics. Provides for enforcement, including giving the EEOC, the Librarian of Congress, the Attorney General, and U.S. courts the same enforcement powers as they have under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and other specified laws. Allows actions and proceedings, subject to exception, against the United States and the states.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) candidate benefits of fair elections financing of House of Representatives election campaigns; (2) allocations to candidates from the Fair Elections Fund established by this Act; (3) 500% matching payments to candidates for certain small dollar contributions; (4) Fund allocation eligibility requirements; (5) certification of a federal election candidate as a participating candidate; (6) contribution, expenditure, and fundraising requirements; (7) a public debate requirement; (8) remission to the Fair Elections Fund of unspent funds after an election; (9) establishment of the Fair Elections Fund and of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (10) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; and (11) transfer of a portion of collected civil money penalties into the Fair Elections Fund. Prohibits: (1) use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign, and (2) establishment of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee. Prescribes a limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates. Amends FECA to empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action. Requires all 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.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education for Alzheimer's Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease and related dementia diagnosis and services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an excise tax credit through 2016 for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures involving compressed or liquefied natural gas; (2) allow an income tax credit through 2016 for alternative fuel motor vehicles powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas and make Indian tribal governments eligible for such credit; (3) modify the tax credit percentage for alternative fuel vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; (4) allow a new tax credit for the production of vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; and (5) extend through 2016 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures for refueling property relating to compressed or liquefied natural gas and allow an increased credit for such property. Requires the Secretary of Energy to provide funding to improve the performance, efficiency, and integration of natural gas powered motor vehicles and heavy-duty on-road vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to manufacturers of light and heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the development of engines that reduce emissions, improve performance and efficiency, and lower cost. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should streamline the process for certification of natural gas vehicle retrofit kits to promote energy security and provide incentives to encourage and reward manufacturers who produce natural gas powered vehicles. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allocate funds for vehicles that are repowered or converted to operate on an alternative fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Josh Miller Helping Everyone Access Responsive Treatment in Schools Act of 2011 or Josh Miller HEARTS Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for use in their schools, and/or (2) provide training to meet the grant requirement that at least five adult employees or volunteers at each school where an AED is to be used successfully complete training in its use and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Requires LEA grant applicants also to demonstrate that: (1) the AEDs are integrated into the schools' emergency response procedures, and (2) emergency services personnel are notified of their locations. Gives grant priority to schools that: (1) lack an AED; (2) typically have a significant number of students, staff, and visitors present during the day; (3) generally have a longer wait for emergency medical services than other public facilities in the community; and (4) have not received funds under the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant that replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or that changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. government should promote policies related to the nation's manufacturing sector intended to promote growth, sustainability, and competitiveness, create well-paying jobs, enable innovation and investment, and support national security; and (2) the President and Congress should act promptly to pursue policies consistent with a National Manufacturing Strategy (Strategy). Directs the President, every four years, to submit to Congress, and publish on a public website, a Strategy. Directs the President to establish the President's Manufacturing Strategy Board to: (1) advise the President and Congress on issues affecting the nation's manufacturing sector; (2) conduct a comprehensive analysis of such sector; (3) develop a Strategy; and (4) report annually to the President and Congress on the current state of U.S. manufacturing. Directs the Comptroller General, in each of 2013, 2017, and 2021, to submit to Congress an assessment and analysis of the Strategy. Directs the President, in developing each Strategy, to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study concerning U.S. manufacturing and related assessments and reviews. Requires the NAS to report each study's results to Congress and the President. Requires the President, in preparing each annual budget, to include information regarding that budget's consistency with the goals and recommendations included in the latest Strategy.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Local Taxpayer Relief Act - Amends the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies [LEAs] for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property when appropriations for a fiscal year are insufficient to provide them with full compensation. Prohibits an LEA from being paid amounts for federal ownership of property that exceeds its total current expenditures in the second prior fiscal year. Changes the method for calculating the value of federal property located in an LEA's area. Alters the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for eligible federally-connected children. Includes not only children in average daily attendance, but also those enrolled pursuant to a state open enrollment policy. Continues an LEA's eligibility for such payments while activities associated with military base closures and realignments or force structure changes or relocations are ongoing. Allows the calculation of such payments using current student counts instead of prior fiscal year data when LEAs experience a specified influx of new federally-connected students due to federal activities or the closure of an LEA that was receiving Impact Aid due to federally-connected children. Requires the Secretary of Education to allow LEAs to count their federally-connected children using the date they register their students for the fiscal year for which their application is filed. Alters the formula for determining the construction payments due LEAs that are eligible for other Impact Aid payments. Divides 80% of the construction funds evenly between LEAs impacted by military dependent children and LEAs impacted by children residing on Indian lands, with the remainder reserved for emergency repair and modernization grants to LEAs serving Indian lands or experiencing a specified influx of new students due to federal activities. Alters the formula for determining whether a state's plan for equalizing assistance to its LEAs will except it from the prohibition on state aid to LEAs being affected by Impact Aid payments. Requires new LEAs applying for Impact Aid to have boundaries established by state law and the authority to tax or receive an imputed local tax. Directs the Secretary to complete Impact Aid payments to eligible LEAs within three fiscal years of their appropriation. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Impact Aid program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011 - Prescribes the "average pay" and the appropriate percentage thereof to be used in determining annuities for civilian employment with the United States Postal Service (USPS) for purposes of provisions relating to future benefits attributable to such employment in order to calculate the amount of any USPS surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): (1) within six months after enactment of this Act, to determine (or, if applicable, redetermine) the amount of such surplus or liability as of the close of the most recently ending fiscal year using the methodology required under this Act; and (2) if the result is a surplus, to transfer the surplus amount to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund within 15 days after the determination of a surplus. Provides for an alternate determination of an USPS surplus or supplemental liability for FY2016-FY2020. Requires transfer of certain surplus postal retirement contributions in FY2011 to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund or the Employees' Compensation Fund under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA). Expresses the intent of Congress that this Act shall apply to allocations of past, present, and future benefit liabilities between the USPS and the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Financial Crisis Criminal Investigation Act - Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2014 for the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to hire 1,000 FBI agents as well as additional forensic experts to investigate corporate, securities, and mortgage fraud, and associated violations of law relating to the U.S. financial markets. Authorizes the hiring also of additional employees by the Attorney General and by the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement to conduct related investigations and prosecutions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Requires the inclusion of the land and interests commonly known as Gettysburg Train Station and its immediate surroundings in the Borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the land and interests located along Plum Run in Cumberland Township, Pennsylvania, in Gettysburg National Military Park. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire publicly owned property within the area of the Train Station by purchase, from willing sellers only, if efforts to acquire such property without cost have been exhausted. Prohibits the acquisition of property within the areas of the Train Station and along Plum Run by eminent domain.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2011 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and federal civil service law relating to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to cover qualified acupuncturist services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Social Security Fairness Act of 2011 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the government pension offset requirement applicable to and reducing husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and divorced mother's and divorced father's insurance benefits with respect to federal, state, or local government employees who receive a government pension and did not pay Social Security taxes during their years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years. Repeals also the windfall elimination requirement with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount under which OASDI retirement or disability benefits are reduced if the individual receives a federal, state, or local government pension, did not pay Social Security taxes during the years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Recognizes the coordinated struggle of workers during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike to voice their grievances and reach a collective agreement for rights in the workplace. Honors the perseverance of the 1,300 members of Local 1733 in urging social and economic equality in the workplace. Recognizes the contributions of all those unnamed who participated in the fight for justice during the strike.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the sites in Tulsa, Oklahoma, relating to the 1921 Tulsa race riot, including the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, to determine the suitability and feasibility of including those sites as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Petersburg National Battlefield Boundary Modification Act - Modifies the boundary of Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia to include the properties identified on the map titled "Petersburg National Battlefield Boundary Expansion," and dated June 2007. Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior and the Army to transfer the administrative jurisdiction for approximately 1.171 acres under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior within the boundary of the Petersburg National Battlefield in exchange for approximately 1.170 acres under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army within the boundary of the Fort Lee Military Reservation adjacent to the Battlefield. Requires the conveyed land to be included within the boundary of Petersburg National Battlefield.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship, (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards, and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so by: (1) satisfying certain opportunity to learn indicators for all its schools, including highly effective teachers and equitable instructional resources; (2) providing educational services in local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in LEAs not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Fiscal Fairness Act - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to condition local educational agency (LEA) receipt of school improvement funds on: (1) an average state and local spending per pupil in each school receiving school improvement funds of at least 97% of such spending per pupil across all of the LEA's schools that are not receiving such funds; and (2) an average state and local spending per pupil in each higher poverty school of at least 97% of such spending per pupil across all lower poverty schools, if the LEA is serving all of its schools under part A. Allows LEAs to meet such requirement across all schools or among schools serving a particular grade span if they compare schools within no more than three grade spans. Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Education, in the fourth and fifth years after this Act's enactment, to audit 5 states and 10 LEAs to determine their progress in meeting these requirements. Requires annual LEA report cards to include certain information on state and local spending per pupil in schools. Requires states to provide the public with annual up-to-date school-by-school listings of per-pupil state and local spending.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to consider certain methods for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a member of the merchant marine during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such methods to include Social Security Administration (SSA) records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, or other official employment records. Requires the Secretary to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for the merchant marine or discharge therefrom, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Share America's Diverse History in the Capitol Act - Increases from two to three the number of statues a state may provide for placement in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol honoring deceased citizens of the state. Expresses the sense of Congress that, in light of the fact that statues of women and members of racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented in the U.S. Capitol, each state should use the opportunity provided by this Act to furnish a statue depicting such an individual who is a notable figure in the state's history.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
National Women's History Museum Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to convey, by quitclaim deed, to the National Women's History Museum, Inc. (the Museum) specified property in the District of Columbia, on terms which the Administrator deems appropriate. Requires the purchase price for the property to be: (1) its market value based on its highest and best use, as determined by an independent appraisal; and (2) paid into the Federal Buildings Fund. Requires the property to be dedicated for use as a site for a national women's history museum for a 99-year period. Provides for the reversion of the property to the United States without any obligation for repayment of any amount of the purchase price if: (1) it is not used as a site for a national women's history museum during the 99-year period, and (2) the Museum has not commenced construction of a museum facility on such property in a 5-year period other than for reasons beyond the Museum's control.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Optometric Equity in Medicaid Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require coverage under Medicaid of services of optometrists.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Commodity Exchange Act to direct both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to prohibit purchase or sale of either securities, security-based swaps, or commodities for future delivery or swap by a person in possession of material nonpublic information regarding pending or prospective legislative action if the information was obtained: (1) knowingly from a Member or employee of Congress, (2) by reason of being a Member or employee of Congress, or (3) from other federal employees and derived from their federal employment. Amends the Code of Official Conduct of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit any Member, officer, or employee of the House from disclosing material nonpublic information relating to any pending or prospective legislative action relating to any publicly-traded company or to any commodity if such person has reason to believe that the information will be used to buy or sell the securities of that publicly traded company or that commodity for future delivery based on such information. Directs both the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives to hold hearings on the implementation by the CFTC and the SEC of such financial transaction prohibitions. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require formal disclosure of certain securities and commodities futures transactions to either the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to subject to its registration, reporting, and disclosure requirements, as well as requirements for identification of clients and covered legislative and executive officials, all political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants. Requires the Comptroller General to include political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants in its annual compliance audits and reports.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Holocaust Rail Justice Act - Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944; and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity. Declares that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action; and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the extent to which the public has access to records, including archived information, with respect to the deportation of such persons to Nazi concentration camps on such trains.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
IDEA Fairness Restoration Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to include expert witness fees, including the reasonable costs of any test or evaluation necessary for the preparation of the parents' or guardians' case in the action or proceeding, within the definition of "attorneys' fees" that may be awarded to the prevailing party in a civil action brought under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) include hydrogen sulfide in the list of hazardous air pollutants; (2) repeal the prohibition on aggregating emissions from any oil or gas exploration or production well and emissions from any pipeline compressor or pump station with emissions from other similar units to determine whether such units or stations are major sources of hazardous air pollutants; (3) repeal the prohibition on aggregating emissions from any oil or gas exploration or production well for any purpose relating to hazardous air pollutant emission standards; and (4) repeal the prohibition against the Administrator listing oil and gas production wells as an area source category of hazardous air pollutants.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Medicare Lung Cancer Early Detection Promotion Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prescribe an increased radiologist service payment for chest radiography (x-ray) services that use Computer Aided Detection technology for the early detection of lung cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund for the deposit of income, gift, and estate taxes paid by or on behalf of taxpayers: (1) who are designated conscientious objectors opposed to participation in war in any form based upon their sincerely held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or training (within the meaning of the Military Selective Service Act); and (2) who have certified their beliefs in writing to the Secretary. Requires that: (1) amounts deposited in the Fund be allocated annually to any appropriation not for a military purpose, (2) the Secretary report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the total amount transferred into the Fund during the preceding fiscal year and the purposes for which such amount was allocated, and (3) the privacy of individuals using the Fund be protected. Expresses the sense of Congress that any revenue increase resulting from the creation of the Fund be allocated in a manner consistent with its purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Artist-Museum Partnership Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers who create literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions or similar property a fair market value (determined at the time of contribution) tax deduction for contributions of such properties, the copyrights thereon, or both, to certain tax-exempt organizations, if such properties are properly appraised and are donated no sooner than 18 months after their creation. Limits the amount of such deduction based upon the donor's artistic adjusted gross income, as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Commends United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for creating the three-person panel to advise the Secretary-General on the implementation of the government of Sri Lanka's commitment to human rights accountability. Urges the government of Sri Lanka, the international community, and the United Nations (U.N.) to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka. Urges the government of Sri Lanka to allow humanitarian organizations, aid agencies, journalists, and international human rights groups greater freedom of movement, including in internally-displaced persons camps. Insists that the President develop a policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects U.S. interests.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Respect for Marriage Act - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where 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 where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Fair Employment Act of 2011 - Amends title VII (Equal Employment Opportunities) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to add unemployment status to the categories of prohibited discrimination. Defines "unemployment status" as being unemployed, having actively looked for employment during the then most recent four-week period, and currently being available for employment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
International Travelers Bill of Rights Act of 2011 - Requires an individual or entity that operates a website that provides access to international travel services to provide on its website, in a clear and conspicuous way, information regarding the health and safety risks of overseas vacation destinations marketed on the site, including (1) information compiled by the Department of State that includes country-specific travel warnings and alerts; and (2) information on the availability of onsite health and safety services or a disclaimer that such services may not be available and travel may pose an increased risk to health or safety. Requires a site operator to: (1) establish a process under which an overseas vacation destination will be suspended from its website as a result of consumer complaints regarding poor medical care, unsafe or unsanitary facilities, or other health-related issues; and (2) make all such complaints publicly available on its website. Allows an operator to modify complaints at the request of the complainant and to remove offensive language and personal identification information. Treats a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Critical Infrastructure Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a program to make grants to state and local governments to assist them in projects that improve the ability of trauma center hospitals and/or airports in hazardous seismic zones to withstand an earthquake. Directs the Administrator to require each state and local government, as a condition for receiving a grant, to submit to the Administrator: (1) a comprehensive strategic earthquake response plan for such facility, and (2) a list of grant activities that analyzes their impact.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Fairness in Taxation Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase individual income tax rates for taxpayers whose taxable income exceeds $1 million, and (2) provide for an adjustment in the capital gains tax of taxpayers whose taxable income is subject to the 45% tax bracket.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Social Security Protection Act of 2011 - Makes it out of order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any legislation that: (1) increases the retirement age or the early retirement age for individuals receiving benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act on or after the enactment of this Act; (2) reduces cost-of-living increases for them; (3) reduces benefit payment amounts for them; or (4) creates private retirement accounts for any of the OSADI benefits they receive.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress on policy issues associated with the recruitment for, and retention, research, and reinvestment in, the profession of social work. Directs the Commission to study and report to Congress on issues facing the social work profession, including: (1) fair market compensation, high social work educational debt, social work workforce trends, translating social work research to practice, and social work safety; and (2) state-level social work licensure policies and reciprocity agreements for providing services across state lines. Requires such study to assess the professional capacity of the social work workforce to serve and respond successfully to the increasing biopsychosocial needs of individuals, groups, and communities in certain areas, including aging and child welfare. Terminates the Commission 30 days after it submits such report within 18 months of its first meeting. Authorizes the Secretary to award: (1) workplace improvement grants to eligible entities and individuals to address workplace concerns for the social work profession, including caseloads, compensation, social work safety, supervision, and working conditions; and (2) research grants, education and training grants, and community-based programs of excellence grants. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a national social work entity to serve as a coordinating center and clearinghouse for information on activities funded under the grants, and (2) develop a multi-media outreach campaign and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the social work profession.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) consortia composed of one or more local educational agencies (LEAs) and one or more community-based, nonprofit, or other public or private entities to assist public elementary or secondary schools to function as full-service community schools; and (2) state collaboratives to support the development of full-service community school programs. Requires such schools to: (1) participate in community-based efforts to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships; and (2) provide access to such services to students, families, and the community. Gives local grant priority to consortia that: (1) will serve at least one full-service community school eligible for a schoolwide program under the Act, or include an LEA serving only small or rural schools; and (2) will be connected to a consortium comprising a broad representation of stakeholders or one that has a history of effectiveness. Establishes a Full-Service Community Schools Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Repealing Ineffective and Incomplete Abstinence-Only Program Funding Act of 2011 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate the abstinence-only education program, (2) rescind unobligated FY2010-FY2011 program appropriations, and (3) reprogram such rescinded appropriations for the personal responsibility education program (PREP) for FY2012-FY2014.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2011 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption from restrictions on underground injection of fluids or propping agents granted to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under such Act. Requires: (1) state underground injection programs to direct a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations to disclose to the state (or the Administrator if the Administrator has primary enforcement responsibility in such state) the chemicals intended for use in underground injections prior to the commencement of such operations and the chemicals actually used after the end of such operations; and (2) a state or the Administrator to make such disclosure available to the public. Requires a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations, when a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in such operations is necessary for medical treatment, to disclose such formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the Administrator, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Authorizes such person to require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Pediatric Research Consortia Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or nonprofit private entities to pay all or part of the cost of planning, establishing, and providing basic operating support for up to 20 national pediatric research consortia. Requires the Director of NIH to take unmet research needs into account when making awards under this Act. Declares that research conducted under this Act shall supplement, but not replace, research that is otherwise conducted or supported as part of the comprehensive pediatric research portfolio. Requires consortia to conduct basic, clinical, behavioral, social, or translational research, as well as training in, and demonstration of, advanced diagnostic and treatment methods relating to pediatrics. Requires the Director of NIH to: (1) provide for the coordination of information and ensure regular communication between consortia, and (2) require periodic reports on the activities of the consortia. Requires each consortium under this Act to be formed from a collaboration of cooperating institutions with a lead institution, meeting requirements that may be prescribed by the Director of NIH. Declares that payments made under this Act may be provided for a period of five years and extended for additional five-year periods with enhanced funding opportunities based on an appropriate scientific review of the operations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Strengthening Medicare And Repaying Taxpayers Act of 2011- Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to any settlement, judgment, award, or other payment between a Medicare claimant and an applicable plan involving a payment made for items and services by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Declares that, in the case of a payment to the claimant by the Secretary, and beginning 120 days before the reasonably expected date of a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment, the claimant or applicable plan may at any time but only once: (1) notify the Secretary that a payment is reasonably expected, and (2) request a statement of the conditional payment reimbursement amount for any payments subject to the required reimbursement. Requires the Secretary to respond to such a request, within 65 days after receiving it, with a statement of reimbursement amount. Prescribes procedures for the claimant, an applicable plan, or specified related entities to follow if the Secretary fails to provide such a statement. Specifies circumstances: (1) in which the claimant, an applicable plan, or specified related entities are shielded from liability for certain payments; and (2) in which the Secretary shall be exempt from any obligation for a statement of reimbursement. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations establishing a right of appeal and appeals process, with respect to any determination for a payment made under such title for an item or service under a primary plan, under which the applicable plan involved, or an attorney, agent, or third party administrator on behalf of such applicable plan, may appeal such determination. Exempts a primary plan, and an entity receiving payment from a primary plan, from any obligation to reimburse the appropriate Trust Fund for a Medicare payment by the Secretary with respect to any settlement, judgment, award, or other payment by an applicable plan constituting a total payment obligation to a claimant of not more than the single threshold amount calculated by the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Requires the Chief Actuary to calculate and publish the single threshold amount annually. Makes discretionary rather than mandatory the current civil money penalty for an applicable plan's noncompliance with requirements to submit insurance information about a claimant. Requires the severity of each penalty to be based on the knowing, willful, and repeated nature of the violation. Prescribes requirements for the specification of practices for which sanctions will not be imposed on a plan (safe harbors). Directs the Secretary to modify insurance information reporting requirements so that a plan, in complying with them, is permitted but not required to access or report beneficiary Social Security account numbers or health identification claim numbers. Sets a three-year statute of limitations on a Medicare secondary payer claim by the Secretary for reimbursement against an applicable plan that becomes a Medicare primary payer pursuant to a settlement, judgment, award, or other judicial action.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or FIT Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs. Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, and parental involvement in their childrens' education. Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a study that: (1) assesses the effect health and physical education have on students' ability to learn; and (2) makes recommendations for improving, and measuring improvements to, their health and physical education in schools.
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