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United States · Official source
4,380 records where Rep. Kucinich, Dennis J. [D-OH-10] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Recognizes the valuable contributions community colleges make in revitalizing, inspiring, and training this country's workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2011
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified maps as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character. Authorizes the Forest Service to modify such maps for the sole purpose of improving their accuracy or inclusiveness. Requires any substantial modification of those maps to be made through the national forest management planning process and documented in an environmental impact statement.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2011
Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act or STOP Act - Establishes a Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Council, composed mainly of civilians, as an independent entity from the chain of command of the Department of Defense (DOD). Directs the Council to: (1) appoint personnel to the Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office, and advise such Office; (2) appoint the Director of Military Prosecutions (Director); (3) review each request of the Director with respect to a case stemming from a sexual-related offense that has been referred to a military appellate court or to the Department of Justice (DOJ); and (4) submit to the Secretary of Defense, Congress, and the Attorney General a report on each Director request for referral to a higher court. Requires the Council to advise on the development of sexual assault reporting protocols, risk-reduction and response training, and policy. Establishes within DOD the Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office, headed by an Executive Director, to undertake specified duties and responsibilities relating to the investigation, prevention, and reduction of sexual assault incidents within the Armed Forces. Requires the Office to establish protocols to ensure that all reports of sexual assault are taken out of the chain of command and reported directly to the Office. Establishes the position of Director of Military Prosecutions, appointed by the Council, to have independent and final authority to oversee the prosecution of all sexual-related offenses committed by a member of the Armed Forces, and to refer such cases to trial by courts-martial. Amends the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 to require the Secretary to implement a centralized database, known as the Military Sexual Registry, for the collection of information regarding sexual assaults within the military, including the nature of the assault, the victim, the offender, and the outcome of associated legal proceedings. Requires the Registry to be housed and maintained within the Office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2011
Pathways Back to Work Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Treasury the Pathways Back to Work Fund, with an initial appropriation of $5 billion. Requires the Secretary of Labor to make certain Fund allocations to states with approved plans, qualifying outlying areas (U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau), and Native American program grantees to provide: (1) subsidized employment to unemployed, low-income adults; and (2) summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to local entities for work-based training and other work-related and educational strategies and activities of demonstrated effectiveness to provide unemployed, low-income adults and low-income youths with skills that will lead to employment. Subjects activities funded under this Act to federal labor standards and nondiscrimination protections.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2011
Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education, and Awareness Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants for: (1) improving state comprehensive death scene investigations for sudden unexplained infant death (SUID) and sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC), and (2) increasing the rate of comprehensive and standardized autopsies for such deaths. Requires the Director to: (1) develop national guidelines for a standard autopsy protocol for such deaths, and (2) commission a study on the benefits and appropriateness of genetic testing for infant and early childhood deaths that remain unexplained after investigation and autopsy. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) award grants for death scene investigation training specific for SUID and SUDC, (2) establish a population-based case registry for SUID and SUDC deaths, (3) conduct a needs assessment for investigations and determinations of such deaths, and (4) develop public education and prevention programs to reduce stillbirths and address the racial and ethnic disparities in occurrence. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to: (1) award grants for child death review programs and prevention strategies; (2) establish a public health awareness and education campaign on SUID and SUDC; and (3) award grants for support services to families who have experienced SUID, SUDC, or stillbirth. Provides for surveillance and data collection on stillbirths. Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to develop a national research plan to determine the causes of, and how to prevent, stillbirths.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a long-term national-scale mercury monitoring program that monitors long-term changes in: (1) mercury levels in air and watersheds, and (2) mercury and methylmercury levels in water and soil and in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Requires the Administrator to: (1) select multiple monitoring sites representing different U.S. ecoregions that include national parks, wildlife refuges, national estuarine reserves, and other sensitive ecological areas in which substantive changes are expected from reductions in domestic mercury emissions; (2) establish and publish standardized measurement protocols for the program; and (3) establish a centralized database for environmental mercury data. Establishes a Mercury Monitoring Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on the establishment, site selection, measurement, recording protocols, data integration, standardization protocols, reporting, funding, and operation of the program. Requires the Administrator to report on the program every two years and include, every four years, an assessment of the reduction in mercury deposition rates that must be achieved in order to prevent adverse human and ecological effects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Latin America Military Training Review Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army to suspend operation of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Institute). Suspends the authority of the Secretary of Defense to operate such an education and training facility until submission of a report containing the results of an investigation in response to violations of human rights to which training at such Institute contributed. Establishes: (1) a joint congressional task force to assess appropriate education and training for DOD to provide to military personnel of Latin American nations; and (2) a commission to investigate activities of the United States Army School of the Americas and its successor institution, the Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit an exhibitor from allowing for the participation of an exotic or wild animal (including a non-human primate) in an animal act if, during the 15-day period preceding such participation, such animal was traveling in a mobile housing facility, unless the use of such animal is: (1) in an exhibition at a non-mobile, permanent institution or facility; (2) a part of an outreach program for educational or conservation purposes by an accredited zoo or aquarium and such animal is not kept in a mobile housing facility for more than 12 hours a day; (3) by a university, college, laboratory, or other research facility registered with the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA); (4) in film, television, or advertising if such use does not involve a live public exhibition; or (5) in a rodeo. Subjects a traveling circus or exhibitor that fails to comply with this Act to specified penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act - Designates specified National Forest System lands, National Park System lands, and public lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and as components or additions to existing components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Sets forth provisions for the management of the lands designated as wilderness by this Act, including regarding water rights, tribal rights, fish and wildlife, and grazing permits and leases. Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior and of Agriculture (USDA) to take necessary measures for the control of fire, insects, and disease on such lands. Establishes a Northern Rockies Fish and Wildlife Habitat and Corridors Information Program. Requires the development of a Northern Rockies Habitat and Corridors Information System. Sets forth specified additional provisions with regard to Indian tribes. Permits provisions of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to be applied, as appropriate, in the implementation of this Act. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that any action taken by the Department of Justice should be consistent with the following goals: (1) the mortgage servicers who engage in fraudulent behavior should not be granted criminal or civil immunity for potential wrongdoing related to illegal mortgage and foreclosure practices; (2) the federal government and state attorneys general should proceed with full investigation into claims of fraudulent behavior by mortgage servicers; and (3) any financial settlement reached with mortgage servicers should appropriately compensate for, and accurately reflect, the extent of harm to all victims, including homeowners and state pension beneficiaries, caused by the mortgage servicer's fraudulent behavior.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Recognizes: (1) the disparate impacts of climate change on women and the efforts of women globally to address it, and (2) the need for balanced participation of men and women in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Encourages the use of gender-sensitive frameworks in developing climate change policies. Affirms Congress's commitment to: (1) support women who are particularly vulnerable to prepare for and adapt to climate change impacts; (2) empower women in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of climate change strategies; and (3) include women in economic development planning, policies, and practices that directly improve conditions that result from climate change. Encourages the President to: (1) integrate a gender approach in all U.S. policies and programs that are globally related to climate change; and (2) ensure that those policies and programs support women globally to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2011
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out programs to provide adolescents with comprehensive sex education that: (1) replicate evidence-based sex education programs, (2) substantially incorporate elements of evidence-based sex education programs, or (3) create a demonstration project based on generally accepted characteristics of effective sex education programs. Sets forth provisions regarding evaluation of such programs. Requires the Secretary to establish a common set of performance measures to assess the implementation and impact of grant programs funded under this Act. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to: (1) enable institutions of higher education to provide young people with comprehensive sex education with an emphasis on reducing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy; and (2) eligible entities to train targeted faculty and staff in order to increase effective teaching of comprehensive sex education for elementary and secondary school students. Prohibits programs funded under this Act from discriminating on the basis of actual or perceived sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. Prohibits federal funds provided under this Act from being used for health education programs that: (1) deliberately withhold life-saving information about HIV; (2) are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; (3) promote gender stereotypes; (4) are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of sexually active youth or lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender youth; or (5) are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. Amends the Public Health Service Act to repeal a provision that prohibits the use of funds appropriated for the prevention of AIDS to provide education or information designed to promote or encourage, directly, homosexual or heterosexual activity or intravenous substance abuse. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to repeal a provision that prohibits the use of funds authorized under such Act to operate a program of contraceptive distribution in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2011
Supporting State Systems of Early Learning Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive, matching Quality Pathways grants to states that demonstrate the greatest progress toward establishing a high-quality system of early learning that includes: (1) state early learning standards; (2) preservice and ongoing training for staff; (3) the systematic review, rating, and monitoring of early learning programs for ameliorative purposes; (4) parental involvement; (5) health, disability, and family support services and referrals for participating children; (6) an early learning data system; and (7) a process for evaluating children's school readiness and ensuring their effective transition to the public school system. Requires the grant to be used to further such progress and move more disadvantaged children into higher quality programs. Permits grantees to apply to the Secretary to reserve up to 25% of their grant to expand disadvantaged children's access to the highest quality early learning programs offering full-day, full-year services. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive Development grants to states that were not awarded a Pathways grant, but commit to developing a high-quality system of early learning that includes the components listed above. Directs the Secretary to establish indicators to measure state progress in meeting grant objectives, and states to establish Secretary-approved benchmarks for success that are based on those indicators. Requires the Secretary to use certain reserved funds to: (1) establish a competitive grant demonstration program for Native American school readiness programs; (2) provide technical assistance to states to help them qualify for, apply for, and maintain this Act's grants; and (3) support the Institute of Education Sciences' research into, and evaluation of, this Act's grant-related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2011
Half in Ten Act of 2011 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty, which shall develop a National Plan or Strategy to reduce the number of persons living in poverty in America in half within 10 years after release of the 2011 Census report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2011
Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act of 2011 - Provides for the inclusion of locally or regionally produced agricultural food products under specified agricultural, rural development, agricultural research, crop insurance, and nutrition programs. Directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to offer a whole farm adjusted revenue risk management insurance plan that allows a producer to qualify for an indemnity if actual gross farm revenue is below 85% of the producer's average gross farm revenue. Prohibits the Corporation from requiring organic crop insurance premium surcharges. Directs the Corporation to offer organic crop producers price elections that reflect actual retail or wholesale prices. Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (formerly known as the Food Stamp Act of 1977) to require state agencies to treat wireless retailers in the same manner as wired program retail food stores for purposes of supplemental nutrition assistance (SNAP, formerly food stamp) benefits. Defines "wireless retailer" to include: (1) a farmers market, (2) a farm stand, (3) a green cart, (4) a route vendor, (5) an entity operating a community-supported agriculture or fishery program, (6) a buying club, and (7) a farmer affiliated with such entities. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a wireless retailer electronic benefit transfer pilot program for smartphone technology. Extends: (1) the program of fresh fruit and vegetable purchases for distribution to schools and service institutions; (2) the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) farmers' market nutrition program; (3) the seniors farmers' market nutrition program; (4) the rural business opportunity grant program; (5) the value-added agricultural product market development grant program; (6) the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative; (7) the specialty block grant program; and (8) the national organic certification cost-share program. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to permit schools to use an amount equal to 15% of their commodity dollars for purchases of locally grown food. Increases the annual fiscal year limit for community food project grants. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary to make and guarantee loans for the production of locally or regionally produced agricultural food products. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to evaluate how the credit needs of young, beginning, and small farmers and local and regional farm and food systems are being met by the Farm Credit System, USDA, the Department of the Treasury, and any other federal agencies. Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct: (1) the Secretary to distribute price reporting of locally or regionally produced agricultural food products, and (2) the Under Secretary to establish a special initiative to coordinate USDA research relating to classical plant and animal breeding. Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary to increase technical assistance for sustainable local and regional food systems. Amends the the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to establish the local marketing promotion program (in lieu of the farmers market promotion program) to promote producer-to-consumer marketing, including farmers markets and other local and regional food markets. Directs the Secretary to establish in the Food Safety and Inspection Service technical assistance divisions to provide directly or through grants outreach, education, and training to very small or certain small meat and poultry processing plants. Directs the Secretary to establish an electronic option for meat and poultry label preapproval. Amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to provide funding for the national food safety training, education, outreach, and technical assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2011
Recognizes the importance labor unions play in ensuring a strong middle class by advocating for more equitable wages, humane working conditions, improved benefits, and increased civic engagement by everyday workers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2011
Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Authorizes appropriations for grants for the national resource center on workplace responses to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence for FY2012-FY2016. Establishes limits on the use of funds for administrative costs. Requires the center to provide information and assistance to enable victim service organizations to provide resource materials or other assistance to employers, labor organizations, or employees. Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to set forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking (domestic or sexual violence). Prohibits: (1) any employer from interfering with the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) discrimination against any individual for exercising any such right, opposing any practice made unlawful by this Act, or instituting any proceeding under this Act. Establishes a private right of action to enforce this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to receive, investigate, and attempt to resolve complaints of violations of this Act. Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for victims of domestic or sexual violence on emergency leave. Adds provisions to VAWA, entitled the Victims' Employment Sustainability Act, to prohibit certain discriminatory practices against victims of domestic or sexual violence by: (1) employers with respect to the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment; or (2) public agencies with respect to the terms or conditions of public assistance. Authorizes civil actions by individuals or the Attorney General to enforce such provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit denial of unemployment compensation to individuals separated from employment due to their experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to require training of unemployment compensation and TANF personnel to provide necessary services to victims of domestic or sexual violence. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a grant to a national victim services organization to develop and disseminate a model training program. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage (including termination of health insurance coverage) or addition of a premium differential based on the status of the applicant or insured as a victim of abuse by a household or family member, intimate partner, or caretaker. Provides for enforcement of such prohibitions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and by a private cause of action.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2011
Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations to carry out lifespan respite care programs for FY2012-FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2011
Save Our Climate Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on the carbon content of any taxable fuel sold by a manufacturer, producer, or importer. Sets the amount of such tax at $10 per ton of the carbon dioxide produced by combustion in such fuel, with annual increases in the amount of such tax until the level of carbon dioxide emissions for a calendar year does not exceed 20% of the level of such emissions for calender year 1990 (target attainment year). Exempts from such tax the sale or in-kind exchange of fuel for deposit in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and certain exports or resales of such fuel. Defines "taxable fuel" as coal (including lignite and peat), petroleum and any petroleum product, natural gas, biomass, municipal solid waste, and any organic material other than coal, petroleum, and natural gas that is sold for the purpose of energy production, which is extracted, manufactured, or produced in the United States or entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2011
Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility (an offshore facility using wind to produce electricity), and (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a qualifying credit for offshore wind facilities program to consider and award certifications for investments eligible for such a credit to qualifying offshore wind facility sponsors. Requires the Secretary to review credits allocated under this Act and authorizes the Secretary to reallocate such credits upon determining that: (1) there is an insufficient quantity of qualifying applications for certification pending at the time of the review, or (2) scheduled placed-in-service dates of previously certified facilities have been significantly delayed and the applicant will not meet the required timeline.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Employee Misclassification Prevention Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require every person to: (1) keep records of non-employees (contractors) who perform labor or services (except substitute work), including through an entity such as a trust, estate, partnership, association, company, or corporation, for remuneration; and (2) provide certain notice to each new employee and new non-employee, including classification as an employee or non-employee and information concerning their rights under the law. Makes it unlawful for any person to: (1) discharge or otherwise discriminate against an individual (including an employee) who has opposed any practice, or filed a complaint or instituted any proceeding related to this Act, including with respect to an individual's status as an employee or non-employee; and (2) fail to classify accurately an employee or non-employee. Doubles the amount of liquidated damages for maximum hours, minimum wage, and notice of classification violations by an employer. Subjects a person who: (1) violates such requirements (including recordkeeping requirements) to a civil penalty of up to $1,100, or (2) repeatedly or willfully violates such requirements to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a webpage on the Department of Labor website that summarizes the rights of employees under this Act and other appropriate information. Amends the Social Security Act to require, as a condition for a federal grant for the administration of state unemployment compensation, for the state's unemployment compensation law to include a provision for: (1) auditing programs that identify employers that have not registered under the state law or that are paying unreported compensation where the effect is to exclude employees from unemployment compensation coverage, and (2) establishing administrative penalties for misclassifying employees or paying unreported unemployment compensation to employees. Requires any office, administration, or division of the Department of Labor to report any misclassification of an employee by a person subject to the FLSA that it discovers to the Department's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Authorizes the WHD to report such information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Local Flexibility for Transit Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make urbanized area formula grants for the operating costs of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation in an urbanized area with a population over 200,000 to a designated recipient, direct recipient, or subrecipient that provides public transportation in the area operating less than 100 buses in fixed-route service in the area during peak service hours. Authorizes a designated recipient or direct recipient that operates at least 100 buses in fixed-route service during peak service hours in an urbanized area with a population of more than 200,000 to use grant funds for the operating costs of public transportation equipment and facilities in such projects if: (1) the recipients are certified by the Secretary as being in a crisis period; and (2) the recipients' percentage of revenue for the operating costs of public transportation equipment and facilities from non-federal sources (excluding system-generated revenue) is equal to the previous fiscal year's revenue, or the revenue is derived from dedicated sources. Specifies percentage limitations on the use of funds for urbanized areas with populations between 200,000 and 500,000, between 500,000 and 1 million, and over 1 million. Defines "crisis period" to mean that: (1) the unemployment rate within the recipients' service area is 7% or higher for the preceding month, or (2) the national average retail price of regular gasoline during a quarter has increased by more than 10%.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Amends the Budget Control Act of 2011 to repeal: (1) establishment of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction; and (2) the mandatory reduction in discretionary appropriations and direct spending unless a joint committee bill achieving more than $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction is enacted by January 15, 2012 (enforcement of the budget goal).
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Smuggled Tobacco Prevention Act of 2011 or the STOP Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restrict the sale, lease, export or import, or delivery of tobacco production machines to persons lawfully engaged in: (1) the sale, lease, export or import, or delivery of such machines; (2) the manufacture or packaging of tobacco products or processed tobacco; or (3) the application of unique identification markings onto tobacco products or processed tobacco packages. Defines "tobacco production machine" as a machine used to manufacture or package tobacco products or processed tobacco or to apply unique identification markings or other tax-payment indicia to packages of tobacco products or processed tobacco. Extends record keeping requirements to wholesalers and retailers of tobacco products and processed tobacco. Requires manufacturers and importers of tobacco products to affix a unique identification marking to each package of tobacco products or processed tobacco prior to sale or distribution in the United States or prior to export. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design a system of unique identification markings that does not interfere with state, local, or tribal tax stamps and markings. Requires wholesalers of tobacco products to obtain permits for selling or exporting tobacco products. Establishes new criminal offenses relating to the licensing and distribution of tobacco products or processed tobacco. Increases the civil penalty for tobacco-related infractions from $1,000 to $10,000. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to coordinate with other federal agencies and officials to prevent and reduce tobacco tax evasion and contraband trafficking in tobacco products and processed tobacco. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose a civil penalty for the importation of tobacco products and cigarette papers and tubes by fraudulent means. Provides for the enforcement of this Act in Indian tribal areas.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Honors Reverend Fred Lee Shuttlesworth (established the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, helped organize the march from Selma to Montgomery to protest voting discrimination in Alabama, and worked with the Congress of Racial Equality to organize the Freedom Rides) for his efforts in the fight against segregation and commitment to the civil rights of all people.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2011
Domestic Violence Leave Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitle an eligible employee, his or her same-sex spouse, or domestic partner to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period: (1) to care for such individual's family member, if the family member is addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their effects; or (2) because such individual is addressing such matters, he or she is unable to perform any of the functions of his or her position. Authorizes such individual to substitute any of his or her accrued paid vacation leave, personal leave, family leave, or medical or sick leave for any of the 12-week period of such leave. Authorizes an employer to require an employee to certify with documentation the basis of the leave request. Declares that nothing in this Act shall require an employer to provide paid sick leave or paid medical leave in any situation in which such employer would not normally provide any such paid leave. Amends federal civil service law to entitle civilian federal employees, their same-sex spouses, or domestic partners to the same leave allowance. Provides for the substitution of accrued paid annual or sick leave for any part of the 12-week period. Authorizes the employing agency to require an employee to certify with documentation the basis of the leave request.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to require appointments to federal agency advisory committees to be made without regard to political affiliation or activity, unless otherwise required by federal statute. Directs the head of an agency, prior to appointing members to an advisory committee, to give interested persons an opportunity to suggest potential committee members. Requires an individual appointed to an advisory committee who is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee of the federal government to be designated as: (1) a special government employee if the individual is providing advice based on the individual's expertise or experience, or (2) a representative if the individual is representing the views of an entity outside of the federal government. Prohibits an agency from designating committee members as representatives to avoid subjecting them to federal ethics rules and requirements. Requires each agency head to ensure that advice and recommendations of an advisory committee that reports to the agency are the result of the advisory committee's judgment, independent from the agency. Provides that an individual who is not an officer or employee of the federal government shall be regarded as a member of an advisory committee if the individual regularly attends and participates in committee meetings as if the individual were a member, even if the individual does not have the right to vote or veto the advice or recommendations of the committee. Requires each agency head to make available on the agency's Internet site specified information about each of the agency's advisory committees and their activities and to designate an Advisory Committee Management Officer to be responsible for the establishment, management, and supervision of the agency's advisory committees. Requires the Comptroller General to review compliance by agencies with FACA.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2011 - Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to require each location of a covered program to meet specified minimum standards if individually or together with other locations it has an effect on interstate commerce. Defines "covered program" as one operated by a public or private entity that with respect to one or more children unrelated to the program owner or operator: (1) provides a residential environment; and (2) operates with a focus on serving children with emotional, behavioral, or mental health problems or disorders, or problems with alcohol or substance abuse. Directs the Assistant Secretary to: (1) implement an ongoing review process for investigating and evaluating reports of child abuse and neglect; (2) establish public websites with information about each covered program, as well as a national toll-free telephone hotline to receive complaints; (3) establish civil penalties for violations of standards; and (4) establish a process to ensure that complaints received by the hotline are promptly reviewed by persons with appropriate expertise. Requires the Assistant Secretary to refer any violation of such standards to the Attorney General for appropriate action. Authorizes the Attorney General to file such a complaint on his or her own initiative regardless of whether such a referral has been made. Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to establish additional eligibility requirements for grants to states to prevent child abuse and neglect at residential programs. Requires such states to develop policies and procedures to prevent child abuse and neglect at covered programs consistent with the standards specified by this Act. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study outcomes for children in both private and public covered programs under this Act encompassing a broad representation of treatment facilities and geographic regions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Congress Leads by Example Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to grant the General Counsel of the Office of Compliance (OOC) subpoena authority for inspections and investigations in the legislative branch under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA). Subjects each employing office in the legislative branch to OSHA recordkeeping requirements. Prohibits retaliation by any employing office against an employee for requesting the OOC General Counsel to take authorized action related to, or for instituting or testifying in, any proceeding that arises from the application of OSHA to that office. Applies the whistleblower rights, protections, and remedies of the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to legislative branch employees, including those of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Library of Congress. Prohibits legislative branch employing offices from: (1) discharging any employee because the employee's earnings have been subjected to garnishment for any one indebtedness; or (2) denying or terminating the employment of, or otherwise discriminating against, an employee for being a debtor or a bankrupt under the bankruptcy code. Requires employing offices to retain records necessary to administer certain rights and protections of employees under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Requires each employing office to post conspicuously all notices describing the rights and protections applicable to its employees under federal law. Amends the federal judicial code to cover legislative branch employees under prohibitions and requirements protecting jurors' employment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2011
Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Presidential Records Act to require the Archivist of the United States, upon determining to make available any presidential record not previously made available publicly, to: (1) promptly provide written notice of such determination to the former President during whose term of office the record was created and to the incumbent President, and (2) make the notice available to the public. Requires a presidential record to be made available to the public 60 days after the Archivist gives notice, except any record with respect to which the Archivist receives notification from a former or incumbent President of a claim of constitutionally based privilege against disclosure. Prohibits the Archivist from making a record that is subject to a privilege claim asserted by the incumbent President publicly available unless: (1) the incumbent President withdraws the claim; or (2) the Archivist is otherwise directed to do so by a final court order that is not subject to appeal. Prohibits the Archivist from making available any original presidential records to anyone claiming access to them as a designated representative of a President or former President if that individual has been convicted of a crime relating to the review, removal, or destruction of the Archives' records.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2011
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2011 - Directs the President to establish the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to: (1) identify opportunities and ideas within government and the private sector that are key components in achieving the end of breast cancer and which have been overlooked, yet are ripe for collaboration and investment; (2) recommend projects to leverage such opportunities and ideas in the areas of the primary prevention of breast cancer and the causes and prevention of breast cancer metastasis; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine for an evaluation of the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act, the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act, or the REPEAL Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with HIV/AIDS should: (1) not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status; and (2) demonstrate a public health-oriented, evidence-based, medically accurate, and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, health implications, treatment, and the impact of punitive HIV-specific laws and policies on affected people, families, and communities. Directs: (1) the Attorney General (AG), Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Secretary of Defense (DOD) to initiate a national review of federal (including military) and state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV/AIDS; and (2) the AG to transmit to Congress and make publicly available the results of such review with related recommendations. Requires the AG and HHS Secretary to: (1) develop and publicly release guidance and best practice recommendations for states, and (2) establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation system to measure state progress. Directs the AG and HHS and DOD Secretaries to transmit to the President and Congress any proposals necessary to implement adjustments to federal laws, policies, or regulations. Authorizes grants to eligible state and local entities, nongovernmental organizations, and public health departments to incorporate best practice recommendations within state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial decisions. Requires that such entities, departments, or organizations agree to abide with the sense of Congress statements set forth above as a condition of receiving such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2011 - Repeals death penalty provisions for a wide range of homicide-related offenses under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act, and other statutes relating to aircraft hijacking, espionage and treason, and offenses punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Prohibits the sentencing to death or execution of any person for any violation of federal law after the enactment of this Act. Commutes death penalties imposed prior to the enactment of this Act to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion Act of 2011 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Commissioner responsible for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to initiate, upon petition or a referral from another federal agency, an investigation into claims of evasion of antidumping or countervailing duties (including any cash deposits or other security) with respect to covered merchandise entered into the United States. Requires the Commissioner, in the case of an affirmative preliminary determination, to: (1) suspend liquidation of each unliquidated entry of the covered merchandise and extend the liquidation of covered merchandise entered before such determination, (2) review and reassess the amount of bond or other security required to be posted for each entry of covered merchandise, (3) require the posting of a cash deposit for each entry, and (4) take other appropriate measures to ensure the collection of any duties that may be owed on covered merchandise. Requires the Commissioner, in the case of an affirmative final determination, to: (1) suspend or continue to suspend liquidation of each entry of covered merchandise and extend the liquidation of covered merchandise entered before such determination, (2) notify the administering authority (Secretary of Commerce or other responsible U.S. officer) of the determination and request identification of the applicable antidumping or countervailing duties or cash deposit rate for such entries, (3) require the posting of cash deposits and assess duties, (4) review and reassess the amount of bond or other security required to be posted for covered merchandise entered on or after the date of such determination, and (5) take appropriate additional enforcement measures. Requires the administering authority to apply the highest applicable cash deposit or antidumping or countervailing duty in cases where the producer or exporter of covered merchandise is unknown. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico. Requires the Commissioner, to the maximum extent practicable, to ensure that CBP employs and assigns sufficient personnel to prevent the entry of covered merchandise in a manner that evades antidumping and countervailing duty orders or findings. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), the Commissioner, and the Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assess and properly allocate the resources of CBP and ICE to improve efforts to investigate and combat evasion. Directs the Comptroller General to report on: (1) efforts to prevent the entry of covered merchandise into the U.S. customs territory through evasion, and (2) the estimated amount of duties that could not be collected on covered merchandise that entered U.S. customs territory through evasion during FY2009-FY2010 because the Commissioner did not have the authority to reliquidate the entries of such merchandise.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to carry out, in cooperation with the government of India, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative comprised of educational, scholarly, and professional exchange programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Securing American Families by Educating and Training Youth (SAFETY) Through Nonviolence Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to state or local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of community violence by educating, mentoring, and counseling youth regarding the principles and application of nonviolence in conflict resolution. Gives grant priority to applicants that agree to use the funds in communities experiencing an increase in violence, but lacking the resources to address violence prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Community Transit Promotion Act of 2011 - Revises cost-sharing requirements for Department of Transportation (DOT) grants for job access service projects (designed to transport welfare recipients and eligible low-income individuals to and from jobs and employment-related activities), reverse commute projects (designed to transport residents of urbanized areas and other than urbanized areas to suburban employment opportunities), and new freedom program projects (that assist individuals with disabilities with public transportation services and alternatives, including transportation to and from jobs and employment support services). Increases the maximum operating assistance grant amount for such projects from 50% to 80% of the net operating project costs. Adds fare box revenues and service agreements with a transit provider as sources for the remainder of net project costs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Corporate Assets Should be used to Hire Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose on domestic corporations in taxable years beginning in 2011 or 2012 an additional 40% tax on the excess of their retained earnings over their average retained earnings for the preceding 3 taxable years. Exempts certain corporations from such tax, including corporations with retained earnings of less than $5 million in a taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or personal representative of Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
National Emergency Employment Defense Act of 2011 - Replaces Federal Reserve notes with United States Money. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to originate United States Money to address any negative fund balances resulting from a shortfall in available government receipts to fund government appropriations. Subjects to criminal and civil penalties any person who creates or originates United States Money by lending against deposits through "fractional reserve banking." Prohibits borrowing by the Secretary or by any federal agency or department, independent establishment of the executive branch, or any other instrumentality of the United States (other than a national bank, federal savings association, or federal credit union) from any source other than the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to begin to retire all outstanding instruments of U.S. indebtedness by payment in full of the amount legally due the bearer in United States Money. Prescribes requirements for the entry of United States Money into circulation. Directs the Secretary to purchase all net assets in the Federal Reserve System, including the Federal reserve banks. Requires return to any member bank in the form of United States Money of any reserves held by any Federal reserve bank. Establishes: (1) the Monetary Authority to establish monetary supply policy and monitor the nation's monetary status, (2) the Bureau of the Federal Reserve to administer the origination and entry into circulation of United States Money, (3) the Emergency Board to recommend to Congress when a national emergency requires the President to issue a certification of emergency for the exercise of authority by the Monetary Authority as lender of last resort, and (4) a revolving loan fund in the Treasury for relending to banking institutions. Sets forth a conversion process to replace fractional reserve banking with the lending of United States Money. Sets a ceiling on interest rates. Requires the Monetary Authority to instruct the Secretary to disperse monetary grants to states for public infrastructure, education, health care and rehabilitation, pensions, and paying for unfunded federal mandates. Directs the Secretary to make recommendations to Congress for payment of a tax-free Citizens Dividend to all U.S. citizens residing in the United States in order to provide liquidity to the banking system at the commencement of this Act, before governmental infrastructure expenditures have had a chance to work into circulation. Prescribes requirements for federal funding of education programs, coverage of any deficits in Social Security Trust Fund account, a universal health care plan, resolution of aspects of the mortgage crisis, and a program of interest-free lending of United States Money to state and local governmental entities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Human Trafficking Reporting Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons among "part 1 violent crimes" required to be reported by states for the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of Bureau of Justice Assistance Grants and Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction that is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition. Increases the cap on the amount of appropriations that may be used to carry out such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand the collection and analysis of data in programs of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Sets forth provisions to improve cultural competence in federal health care programs and services, including by establishing the Robert T. Matsui Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to engage in activities to improve health workforce diversity, including by: (1) establishing a working group, a technical clearinghouse, and an advisory committee; (2) awarding grants to academic institutions, (3) establishing a health and health care disparities education program, and (4) providing for scholarships, loan repayment and loan forgiveness, and research fellowships. Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2011 - Provides for the establishment of health empowerment zones in communities that experience disproportionate disparities in health status and health care. Requires the Secretary to engage in activities to improve the quality of and access to health care, including by expanding access to health care and health care insurance for immigrants, increasing Medicaid payments to territories and to Native Hawaiian health centers, and providing for border health grants. Sets forth programs to reduce health disparities affecting minorities and rural residents. Establishes an Office of Minority Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs Sets forth provisions to improve health for women and children, including by expanding access to federal programs for immigrant women and children, creating public awareness campaigns, engaging in activities to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes, and establishing programs to reduce teenage pregnancies. Expands Medicare coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services. Provides for community mental health services to be offered through federally-qualified behavioral health centers. Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary to implement the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Program to achieve a reduction of at least 25% in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2017. Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access, and Treatment Effectiveness Act of 2011 or the PROSTATE Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take action to address prostate cancer, including by establishing the Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force. Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary to implement programs to address hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research and Treatment Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary to establish the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry. Requires the Secretary to carry out activities to expand the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative. National Black Clergy for the Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act of 2011 - Provides for a program of grants to public health agencies and faith-based organizations to address HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. Justice for the Unprotected Against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act or the JUSTICE Act - Permits community organizations to distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and to engage in sexually transmitted infection counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2011 - Requires the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates. Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Requires the Secretary to conduct research and other activities with respect to diabetes in minority populations. Sets forth provisions regarding the use of health information technology to reduce health disparities. Prohibits discrimination in federal health programs or activities. Requires the Secretary to establish the Office of Health Disparities in the Office for Civil Rights and to establish civil rights compliance offices in each HHS agency that administers health programs. Directs the President to enforce Executive Order 12898 (requires federal agencies to take actions to achieve environmental justice) as federal law. Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Fix America's Schools Today (FAST) Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to allocate grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities. Requires the Secretary to allocate grants directly to the 100 LEAs with the largest numbers of children aged 5-17 living in poverty to modernize, renovate, or repair such facilities. Requires allocation of such funds among these LEAs in proportion to each LEA's respective share of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires states to give subgrant priority to projects that comply with certain green building standards. Prohibits the use of such grants for new construction or routine maintenance costs. Reserves funds for a survey, by the National Center for Education Statistics, of nationwide public school construction, modernization, renovation, and repair needs. Directs the Secretary to allocate grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair existing facilities at community colleges. Prohibits the use of such grants: (1) for routine maintenance costs, (2) on facilities used for events for which the public is charged admission, or (3) on facilities which are used for sectarian purposes. Requires states, in providing assistance to community college projects, to consider the extent to which the project complies with certain green building standards. Limits the amount of time states and LEAs have to obligate this Act's grants and subgrants. Requires, with certain exceptions, the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded by this Act to be domestic. Applies the prevailing wage rate requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to projects assisted pursuant to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
American Shoes for American Servicemembers Act - Includes footwear within the prohibition against the use of Department of Defense (DOD) funds to procure certain items not grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2011
Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among states on the basis of the relative portion of school improvement funds provided to local educational agencies (LEAs) in each state under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Reserves 2% of the grant funds for assistance to outlying areas and Indian schools. Reserves 5% of the grant funds for LEAs serving geographic areas: (1) with significant economic distress, (2) recovering from a natural disaster, or (3) containing a military installation selected for closure. Requires states to reallocate such grant funds to LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of school improvement funds received by LEAs in the state for the previous fiscal year. Allows LEAs to give priority to projects involving the abatement, removal, or interim control of asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, mold, mildew, lead-based hazards, or a proven carcinogen. Requires the iron and steel used in projects funded under this Act to have been produced in the United States, subject to specified exceptions. Directs LEA grantees to use their grants for public school modernization, renovation, repairs, construction, or maintenance that meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System standards, Energy Star standards, Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) criteria, Green Building Initiative environmental design and rating standards (Green Globes), or equivalent standards adopted by the entities that have jurisdiction over such LEAs. Requires the Secretary to work with grant recipients to promote appropriate opportunities for individuals enrolled in YouthBuild, Job Corps, junior or community college, or preapprenticeship programs to gain employment experience on projects funded under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) grants to institutions of higher education to provide an additional 250,000 part-time work-study jobs; (2) creation of an additional 100,000 Public Lands Corps positions; (3) the retention, rehiring, and hiring of 300,000 education jobs; (4) grants to state, local, and Indian tribal governments to hire and rehire overall an additional 40,000 career law enforcement officers; and (5) the hiring and rehiring of an additional 12,000 firefighters. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to eligible health care and long-term care (LTC) providers to hire and retain 40,000 health care and LTC professionals. Authorizes appropriations for state and local government units to establish a Community Corps to create an additional 750,000 jobs for unemployed individuals to carry out specified activities. Amends the Head Start Act to authorize appropriations to employ an additional 100,000 full-time infant and toddler Head Start specialists.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2011
Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to: (1) establish or support teacher preparation programs, and (2) establish or support teacher induction and retention programs. Requires the teacher preparation programs to: (1) require participants to complete at least one year of residency followed by at least three years of teaching at the LEA's high-need schools, and (2) award participants a teaching credential or degree that meets state requirements for a teaching license or certification upon their completion of the program. Requires the teacher induction and retention programs to provide teachers with: (1) high-quality professional development; (2) updated information on developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research; (3) a mentor teacher and other support if they are new teachers; and (4) leadership opportunities. Allows the grants to be used for certain other activities designed to improve the quality of education in high-need areas. Gives grant priority to partnerships that: (1) have a plan to recruit teachers from among minority and local candidates and the disabled; (2) use a valid and reliable teacher performance assessment; or (3) include an IHE eligible to participate in the TEACH Grant program, a Tribal College or University, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, an Hispanic-serving institution, or an historically Black college and university.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2011
Contingency Operation and Emergency Oversight Act of 2011 - Establishes the Office of the Special Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations (OSIG-OCO), headed by a Special Inspector General (SIG), who shall conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the treatment, handling, and expenditure of amounts appropriated for overseas contingency operations, and of the programs, operations, and contracts carried out with such funds, in order to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse. Directs the SIG to appoint an Assistant Special Inspector General for Auditing and another for Investigations. Requires such audits and investigations to include activities funded or undertaken outside the United States, by the Department of Defense (DOD) and either the Department of State or U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to: (1) build or rebuild physical infrastructure; (2) establish a political, security, or societal institution; (3) provide products or services to people of a foreign country; and (4) respond to emergencies, destabilization, armed conflict, or other circumstances requiring rapid response. Directs the SIG to report to Congress on the obligations, expenditures, and revenues of such operations (including a project-by-project, program-by-program accounting of incurred costs and an estimate of the costs to complete each project and program): (1) quarterly during overseas contingency operations, and (2) annually when the United States is not engaged in such operations. Requires such reports to be made public, subject to exceptions for national security, criminal investigations, and presidential waivers for national security reasons. Requires the SIG to establish the Center on Contingency Contracting to: (1) archive findings of the Commission on Wartime Contracting, reports by the Special Inspectors General for Iraq and Afghanistan Reconstruction, and reports by other Inspectors General and Congress on contracting for activities relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; (2) hold related symposia and events; and (3) support wartime contracting scholarship. Terminates the Office of the Special Inspector General for: (1) Iraq Reconstruction by September 30, 2012; and (2) Afghanistan Reconstruction by February 28, 2013. Transfers the assets and obligations of such offices to the OSIG-OCO.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Repeal of the Authorization for Use of Military Force - States that the Authorization for Use of Military Force (P.L. 107-40) has been used to justify an open-ended authorization for the use of military force and such an interpretation is inconsistent with the authority of Congress to declare war and make all laws for executing powers vested by the Constitution in the U.S. government. Repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force (P.L. 107-40), effective 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to require that, if for FY2012-FY2021 appropriations for discretionary accounts are enacted that Congress and the President designate as being for emergency job creation, the adjustment to discretionary spending limits for a fiscal year shall be the total of such appropriations for the fiscal year in discretionary accounts designated for emergency job creation.