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 · 5 April 2011
Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2011 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Energy for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles and related technologies for FY2012-FY2016. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a program of basic and applied research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities on materials, technologies, and processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and related emissions of the nation's passenger and commercial vehicles; (2) ensure that the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to support research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities and maintains competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies with potential to achieve deep reductions in petroleum use and emissions; (3) carry out activities under this Act in collaboration with automotive manufacturers, heavy commercial, vocational, and transit vehicle manufacturers, qualified plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers, compressed natural gas vehicle manufacturers, vehicle and engine equipment and component manufacturers, manufacturing equipment manufacturers, advanced vehicle service providers, fuel producers and energy suppliers, electric utilities, universities, national laboratories, and independent research laboratories; (4) coordinate research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities among relevant programs of the Department and other federal agencies and ensure that there is no duplication of activities among programs; (5) seek opportunities to leverage resources and support state and local initiatives in developing and promoting advanced vehicle technologies, manufacturing, and infrastructure; (6) coordinate with other agencies to conduct research, development, engineering, and demonstration activities on connectivity of vehicle and transportation systems; (7) carry out a research, development, demonstration, engineering, and commercial application program of advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and practices; and (8) report annually on the technologies developed as a result of the activities authorized by this Act, with emphasis on whether the technologies were successfully adopted for commercial applications and whether products relying on those technologies are manufactured in the United States. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles and appoint a Director to coordinate such activities; (2) conduct a competitive grant program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class 8 truck and trailer platforms with a goal of improving overall freight efficiency by 50%; (3) develop standard testing procedures and technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions; and (4) evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work performance-based metrics, other than those based on miles per gallon, and appropriate metrics based on the work performed by nonroad systems. Requires the Secretary to undertake a pilot program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad equipment and to seek opportunities to transfer research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors.
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 · 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 · 1 April 2011
Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act of 2011 - Requires the government: (1) to provide leadership to negotiate a multilateral treaty or other international agreement that provides for the dismantlement and elimination, under strict international control, of all nuclear weapons in every country by 2020; (2) once the President certifies that all countries have eliminated such weapons or begun such elimination under established legal requirements, to redirect resources that are being used for nuclear weapons programs to addressing human and infrastructure needs and to converting nuclear weapons industry employees, processes, plants, and programs to constructive, ecologically beneficial peacetime activities; (3) to undertake efforts to eliminate war, armed conflict, and all military operations; and (4) to promote policies to induce all other countries to join in such commitments.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2011 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance to: (1) support the achievement of universal access to sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and to ensure that individuals and couples can freely and responsibly determine the number, timing, and spacing of their children and have the means to do so; (2) reduce the incidence of unsafe abortion in developing countries and provide care for women experiencing injury or illness from complications of unsafe abortion; (3) ensure that sexual and reproductive health services are provided in developing countries at every phase of a humanitarian emergency; and (4) ensure access to sexual and reproductive health care for young people in developing countries. Directs the President to implement a strategy to improve and create linkages among the various components of sexual and reproductive health to ensure that individual men and women are provided with a continuum of appropriate sexual and reproductive health services. States that assistance under this Act shall: (1) promote coordination between and among donors, the private sector, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and governments in order to support sexual and reproductive health programs in developing countries; and (2) be used for the conduct of formative research and to monitor and evaluate program effectiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2011
Earned Retiree Healthcare Benefits Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish an enforceable obligation on sponsors of group health plans to restore health benefits previously taken away from plan participants to the extent such benefits were cancelled or altered after their retirement. Prohibits group health plans from reducing retiree health benefits after the retirement of a plan beneficiary. Requires such plans to adopt provisions barring post-retirement reductions in retiree health benefits. Requires group health plan sponsors to grant benefit restoration to retired plan participants. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to waive or vary requirements for benefit restoration if compliance with such requirements would: (1) be adverse to the interests of plan participants in the aggregate, (2) not be administratively feasible, and (3) cause substantial business hardship to plan sponsors. Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil penalties for violations of this Act.
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
Protect America from U.S. Military Expenses in Libya Act of 2011 - Directs the President, in order to ensure that the cost of military operations in Libya does not increase the federal deficit or reduce the capability of U.S. Armed Forces, to submit to Congress a list of recommendations for specific rescissions of nonsecurity discretionary appropriations for FY2011, for purposes of reappropriation to accounts of the Department of Defense (DOD) to replace amounts obligated for such operations. Requires the aggregate amount of the recommended rescissions to be at least equal to the projected cost of such operations. Directs the Secretary of Defense to determine and submit to the President and Congress the projected cost of such operations through May 15, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enhance the suicide prevention program of the Department of Defense (DOD) through the provision of suicide prevention information and resources to members of the Armed Forces from their initial enlistment or appointment through their final retirement or separation. Requires the Secretary of each military department (Secretary concerned) to include a training component on suicide prevention, which shall include: (1) methods for recognizing suicide risk factors; (2) protocols for responding to crisis situations involving members who may be at high risk for suicide; and (3) information about available suicide prevention services and best practices for suicide prevention. Directs the Secretary concerned to notify members of the the availability of and access to suicide prevention services during their preseparation counseling. Requires medical evaluations for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury in members who were deployed overseas in support of a contingency operation to also include the provision of information on the availability of suicide prevention services and the member's right of access to such services.
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 · 30 March 2011
Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2011 - Establishes the U.S. Office for Native Hawaiian Relations within the Office of the Secretary of the Interior. Establishes the Native Hawaiian Interagency Coordinating Group. Recognizes the right of the qualified Native Hawaiian constituents to reorganize the single Native Hawaiian governing entity to provide for their common welfare and to adopt appropriate organic governing documents. Establishes a Commission to: (1) prepare and maintain a roll of such constituents, and (2) certify that individuals on the roll meet the definition of qualified Native Hawaiian. Outlines the process for the reorganization, which includes forming a Native Hawaiian Interim Governing Council. Reaffirms the special political and legal relationship between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people upon the Secretary's approval of the organic governing documents and the installation of officers elected to the Native Hawaiian governing entity. Extends federal recognition to the governing entity as the representative sovereign governing body of the Native Hawaiian people. Authorizes the United States, upon the reaffirmation of such political and legal relationship, together with the state of Hawaii, to enter into negotiations with the governing entity for an agreement addressing matters that include: (1) land, natural resource, and asset transfers; (2) governing powers and responsibilities; and (3) grievances. Prohibits Native Hawaiians or their governing entity from conducting gaming activities as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority of federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Nuclear Power Plant Safety Act of 2011 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to revise nuclear power plant safety regulations to ensure that each licensed utilization facility can withstand and adequately respond to: (1) an earthquake, tsunami (for a facility located in a coastal area), strong storm, or other event that threatens a major impact to the facility; (2) a loss of the primary operating power source for at least 14 days; and (3) a loss of the primary backup operating power source for at least 72 hours. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005, in connection with loan guarantees, to require the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to ensure, in the case of a guarantee for advanced nuclear energy facilities, that the cost of the obligation is calculated using a consideration of the Tohoku earthquake of 2011 to estimate the risk characteristics of the project.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Restoring Essential constitutional Constraints for Libyan Action Involving the Military Act or RECLAIM Act - Directs the President to cease the use of force in, or directed at, Libya by U.S. Armed Forces, unless a subsequent Act specifically authorizes such use of force. Prohibits any funds available to any U.S. department or agency from being used for such use of force, unless a subsequent Act specifically so authorizes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2011 - Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2016 for, and revises provisions of, the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act. Replaces provisions establishing within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program with provisions establishing the Marine Debris Program. Revises provisions governing such Program, including by requiring the Administrator of NOAA to: (1) investigate, identify sources of, assess, reduce, remove, and prevent the occurrence of marine debris and to address and prevent adverse impacts of such debris on the marine environment, navigation safety, and the economy; (2) address land-based sources of marine debris, develop fishing gear modifications or alternatives to conventional fishing gear posing a threat to the marine environment, and develop effective nonregulatory measures and incentives to cooperatively reduce the volume of lost and discarded fishing gear and to aid in its recovery; (3) undertake national and regional coordination to assist states, Indian tribes, and regional organizations to address marine debris issues that are particular to their areas; (4) develop tools and products to improve efforts to address marine debris and make them available to researchers, the marine debris community, and the general public; and (5) lead the development and implementation of a strategy to promote international action to reduce the incidence of marine debris. Requires the Administrator to host a Global Marine Debris Coordination Conference in 2015 and at least every four years thereafter. Defines "marine debris" to mean any man-made object that: (1) intentionally or unintentionally, is discarded, disposed of, or abandoned; and (2) enters the coastal or marine environment directly from a vessel, a facility, or shore or indirectly, by being carried via a river, stream, or storm drain or by other means.
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
American Health Security Act of 2011 - Establishes the State-Based American Health Security Program to provide every U.S. resident who is a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful resident alien with health care services. Requires each participating state to establish a state health security program. Eliminates benefits under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and (3) TRICARE. Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) related to health insurance coverage, including provisions concerning state health insurance exchanges. Requires each state health security program to prohibit the sale of health insurance in that state that duplicates benefits provided under the program. Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to: (1) develop policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements to carry out this Act; (2) establish uniform reporting requirements and quality performance standards; (3) provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council and an Advisory Committee on Health Professional Education; and (4) establish a national health security budget specifying the total federal and state expenditures to be made for covered health care services. Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to: (1) review and evaluate practice guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (2) develop minimum competence criteria. Establishes the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Creates the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to it specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts, including premium assistance credits under PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Campus Fire Safety Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or consortiums of such institutions for: (1) initiating, expanding, or improving fire safety education programs; and (2) increasing fire safety awareness among enrolled students. Directs the Secretary to give priority to institutions that plan to use funds to initiate, expand, or improve fire safety education programs that include educational material specifically prepared for students with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Sets forth provisions regarding grant periods, limits on awards, and matching and other requirements. Requires an institution to use grant funds to initiate, expand, or improve a fire safety education program that: (1) reaches all enrolled students; (2) ensures maximum exposure to and increased awareness of, and that effectuates change in behavior regarding, fire safety by students through conducting outreach to students a minimum of twice per academic year and through measures that provide fire safety information to any student upon request; (3) includes minimum instruction regarding fire behavior, fire injury and death, ignition scenarios, fire safety systems and equipment, the importance of means of egress, fire prevention techniques, and actions to be taken if a fire occurs to minimize the potential for death, injury, and property damage; and (4) includes a mechanism for carrying out evaluations of program effectiveness. Requires the Secretary to publish a report of best practices for initiating, expanding, or improving fire safety education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Transparency and Openess in Government Act - Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to require appointments to 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 agency heads to make available on the agency's Internet site specified information about the advisory committee and its activities. Requires the Comptroller General to review compliance by agencies with FACA. Amends the Presidential Records Act to require the Archivist of the United States, when making available any presidential record not previously made publicly available, 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 such a record to be made available upon the expiration of a specified period, 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 publicly available a presidential record that is subject to a privilege claim asserted by the incumbent President unless: (1) the incumbent President withdraws the privilege claim, or (2) the Archivist is otherwise directed 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. Requires any presidential library fundraising organization to submit quarterly reports to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and specified congressional committees on contributors who gave such organization $200 or more for the quarter. Requires the Archivist to: (1) promulgate, periodically review, and amend, as necessary, regulations governing federal agency preservation of electronic messages that are federal records; (2) establish standards for the management of presidential records during a President's term of office, including records management controls necessary for the capture, management, and preservation of electronic messages and for ensuring that electronic messages are readily accessible for retrieval through electronic searches; (3) certify annually whether records management controls established by a President meet the requirements of the Presidential Records Act; (4) prescribe internal procedures to prevent the unauthorized removal of classified records from NARA or the destruction or damage of such records; and (5) prohibit access to presidential records by individuals who have been convicted of a crime relating to the review, retention, removal, or destruction of NARA records. Authorizes the Comptroller General to obtain agency records required for performing audit, evaluation, and investigative duties.
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
Encourages the teaching of civics and civil discourse in our schools. Expresses the House of Representatives' belief that education about civics and civil discourse is a fitting way to honor and memorialize the life of Christina-Taylor Green. (Christina-Taylor Green was the nine-year old child who was one of the six people killed in the attack in Tucson, Arizona, that wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Small Business Credit Card Act of 2011 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to cover any qualified small business as a consumer with respect to a credit card account under an open end credit plan (thereby extending credit card protections under such Act to small businesses). Defines "qualified small business" under the Act as any business concern having 50 or fewer employees, whether or not: (1) the credit card account is in the name of an individual or a business entity, and (2) any credit transaction involving such account is for business or personal purposes. Permits a qualified small business to elect to opt out of coverage by the Act. Exempts from coverage by the Act any credit transaction in which the total amount financed exceeds $50,000 (currently $25,000). Requires certain creditor disclosures before opening any account under an open end consumer credit plan for a qualified small business. Prohibits a creditor from: (1) discriminating against any business concern having 50 or fewer employees in connection with any credit card account under an open end credit plan; or (2) requiring any qualified small business to make an opt-out election as a condition for opening a credit card account, or for providing more advantageous terms for such an account.
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 · 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
Constitutional Alternative to the War Powers Afghanistan Withdrawal Resolution - Directs the President, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, to remove the U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan: (1) by no later than 30 days after this joint resolution is enacted; or (2) if the President determines that it is not safe to remove them by such date, by no later than December 31, 2011, or such earlier date that the President determines that they can be safely removed.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President is required to obtain in advance specific statutory authorization for the use of U.S. Armed Forces in response to civil unrest in Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2011- Provides that: (1) specified diseases, including heart disease, lung disease, tuberculosis, hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus, and specified cancers, of federal employees in fire protection activities shall be presumed to be proximately caused by such employment if the employee is diagnosed with the disease within 10 years of the last active date of employment in fire protection activities; (2) the disability or death of such an employee due to such a disease shall be presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty; and (3) such presumptions may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence. Defines an "employee in fire protection activities" as a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker, who: (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility of his or her job. Directs the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to examine the implementation of this Act and appropriate scientific and medical data related to the health risks associated with firefighting and to report to Congress on: (1) an analysis of the injury claims made under this Act; (2) an analysis of the available research related to the health risks associated with firefighting; and (3) recommendations for any administrative or legislative actions necessary to ensure that those diseases most associated with firefighting are included in the presumption created by this Act.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2011 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) establishment of one or more Medicare operated prescription drug plan options; and (2) an appeals process for denials of benefits under a Medicare operated prescription drug plan.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Declares that all private and public sector workers must have a basic right to organize and bargain collectively for a fair and just outcome. Supports the rights of workers, including their right to form a union and to bargain collectively in good faith with an employer. Urges Americans to work towards cessation of the constant attacks on workers and recognize that a strong middle class is the only way to ensure the United States remains a strong economic engine.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2011
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Directs specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the implementation of such a withdrawal of approval.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2011
Calls for the amendment of: (1) the Constitution to subordinate the political rights of corporations to the rights of individuals; and (2) U.S. laws to include a public federal election campaign finance system, a social and environmental responsibility education initiative, and a new federal corporate charter statute to facilitate environmentally and socially responsible corporate practices.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2011
Directs the President, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, to remove the U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan: (1) by no later than 30 days after this resolution is adopted; or (2) if the President determines that it is not safe to remove them by such date, by no later than December 31, 2011, or such earlier date that the President determines that they can be safely removed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2011
K-9 Companion Corps Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the K-9 Companion Corps program for the awarding of grants to nonprofit organizations to assist them in establishing programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain disabilities. Defines the term "assistance dog" to mean a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of such a disability, except that such term does not include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2011
Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate program countries; (2) replace visa refusal rates with visa overstay rates in determining program participation; (3) set a maximum 3% visa overstay rate for program countries; and (4) revise probationary status and program termination provisions. Directs the Comptroller General to review the Secretary of Homeland Security's methods for tracking aliens entering and exiting the United States and for detecting visa overstays.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2011
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, second session. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the necessary number of additional states.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states and Indian tribes to carry out programs to increase quality colorectal cancer screening. Requires such a program to include: (1) providing recommended colorectal cancer screening to individuals who are over 50 years of age or at high risk for such cancer; (2) providing case management and referrals for medical treatment; (3) ensuring the full continuum of follow-up and cancer care for individuals screened; (4) carrying out activities to improve the education, training, and skills of health professionals to ensure the use of evidence-based recommended and quality screening and follow-up in the prevention, detection, and control of colorectal cancer; and (5) developing and disseminating public information and education programs for the prevention, detection, and control of colorectal cancer and promoting the benefits of receiving screenings through this program. Gives priority to low-income individuals who lack adequate coverage under health insurance and health plans with respect to screenings for colorectal cancer. Allows the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and operation of programs funded by a grant under this Act. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical assistance to individuals who have been screened for colorectal cancer under this Act and who need treatment for complications due to screening or colorectal cancer. Applies provisions related to breast and cervical cancer programs to programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for: (1) mandatory reporting to the state department of health by health care providers and other entities of pregnancy-related deaths; (2) establishment of a state maternal mortality review committee on pregnancy-related deaths occurring within such state; (3) implementation and use of the comprehensive case abstraction form by such committee to preserve the uniformity of the information collected; and (4) annual public disclosure of committee findings. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to: (1) organize a national workshop to identify definitions for severe maternal morbidity and make recommendations for a research plan to identify and monitor such morbidity in the United States; and (2) develop uniform definitions of severe maternal morbidity, a research plan, and possible data collection protocols to assist states in identifying and monitoring such cases. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to carry out specified research and demonstration activities to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Stop Asian Carp Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to study the watersheds of the Illinois, Chicago, and Calumet Rivers, including their tributaries, that drain directly into Lake Michigan to determine the feasibility and best means of implementing the hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basins to prevent the introduction or establishment of populations of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Area Water System (CAWS) and other aquatic pathways. Requires the study to: (1) include options to address flooding, Chicago wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, waterway safety operations, and barge and recreational vessel traffic alternatives; and (2) contain a detailed analysis of the environmental benefits and costs of each option. Directs: (1) the Secretary to carry out this Act at full federal cost; and (2) the President, or the Council on Environmental Quality as a designee to the President, to oversee the study to ensure its thoroughness and timely completion. Requires the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to: (1) monitor and survey all waters that connect to the Great Lakes Basin or could connect to it due to flooding, underground hydrological connection, or human-made diversion to identify additional threats that could allow Asian Carp to enter the Basin; and (2) prioritize each threat and help identify means to impede the passage of Asian Carp to the Basin.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Marshals Service, to mint and issue $5 gold and $1 silver coins emblematic of the 225 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of the U.S. Marshals Service. Requires all such coin sales to include a surcharge of: (1) $35 per $5 coin; and (2) $10 per $1 coin. Requires distribution of the first $5 million to the U.S. Marshals Service National Museum for the preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents of the U.S. Marshals Service. Requires distribution of one-third of the remainder each to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in support of the National Law Enforcement Museum and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the $5 gold coins.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act or Work Opportunities and Revitalizing Our Communities Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Full Employment National Trust Fund with two separate accounts for: (1) Employment Opportunity Grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes for job-creating activities in communities whose economy is not at a level of full employment; and (2) Workforce Investment programs. Directs the Secretary to convene a national employment conference to bring together leaders of small, medium, and large businesses, labor, government, and other parties to discuss employment, with particular attention to structural unemployment and the plight of disadvantaged youth. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise member composition requirements for state and local workforce investment boards to include at least 25% of the chief executive officers of minority-serving, community-based organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on certain covered securities transactions, payable by trading facilities that deal in such transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Adult Day Achievement Center Enhancement Act - Requires the Assistant Secretary for Aging to initiate a comprehensive survey of current adult day programs that provide care and support to individuals living with neurological diseases or conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, or traumatic brain injury. Requires the Assistant Secretary to identify ongoing successful adult day programs and develop a set of best practices to help guide the establishment and replication of additional successful adult day programs. Directs the Assistant Secretary to establish a competitive grant program for awarding grants annually to fund adult day programs. Defines an "adult day program" as a program that provides comprehensive and effective care and support services to individuals living with neurological diseases or conditions and to their family caregivers and that may assist participants in ways that: (1) maintain or improve their functional abilities or otherwise help them adjust to their changing functional abilities; (2) prevent the onset of complications associated with severe forms of the disease or condition; (3) promote alternatives to placement in nursing homes; (4) reduce the strain on family caregivers taking care of a family member living with such diseases or conditions; (5) focus on supporting the emotional, social, and intellectual needs of a younger adult population; or (6) address the needs of veterans living with such diseases or conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2011
Authorizes the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate the formation of the Peace Corps and the ideals of world peace and friendship upon which it was founded.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2011
Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or Keep Our PACT Act - Makes appropriations for: (1) school improvement programs under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for FY2011-FY2015; and (2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including specified amounts for FY2011-FY2015 and an amount determined pursuant to a specified formula (based on the number of children who received special education, the average per-pupil expenditure, and the rate of change in a state's population) for FY2016 and thereafter. Requires such appropriated amounts to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kucinich, Dennis J. [D-OH-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000336_200.jpg)