United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2012
Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2012 or DISCLOSE 2012 Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to redefine the term "independent expenditure" as an expenditure by a person that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, taking into account whether the communication involved mentions a candidacy, a political party, or a challenger to a candidate, or takes a position on a candidates, qualifications, or fitness for office. Expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications. Prescribes: (1) disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, and certain other entities; and (2) disclaimer requirements for campaign-related disbursements and for certain communications. Requires any communication transmitted through radio or television to include an individual or organizational disclosure statement, together with: (1) the Top Two Funders List of the persons providing the largest and second largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a radio communication, and (2) the Top Five Funders List of the five persons providing the largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a television communication. Repeals the prohibition against political contributions by individuals age 17 or younger. Requires a covered organization which submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders, members, or donors on its finances or activities to include in each report, in a clear and conspicuous manner, the information included in the statements it has filed about campaign-related disbursements the organization has made during the period covered by the report. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require semiannual reports on certain election campaign contributions filed with the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives by registered lobbyists (or persons or organizations required to register as lobbyists) to contain: (1) the amount of any independent expenditure of $1,000 or more made by each such person or organization, along with the name of each candidate being supported or opposed and the amount spent supporting or opposing that candidate; and (2) the amount of any electioneering communication of $1,000 or more made by such person or organization, along with the name of the candidate referred to in the communication and whether the communication involved was in support of or in opposition to the candidate.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2012
Authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for a ceremony to unveil a marker acknowledging the role of slave labor in the construction of the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2012
Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures Act - Prohibits using funds appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2013 or thereafter: (1) to arm a B-2 or B-52 aircraft with a nuclear weapon; (2) for the research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) or procurement of a long-range penetrating bomber aircraft; (3) to make the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons; or (4) for the B61 or W78 life extension program. Requires that, beginning in FY2013, the Navy shall include no more than eight operational ballistic-missile submarines available for deployment. Prohibits the use of DOD funds: (1) for FY2013-FY2023 to procure an SSBN-X submarine, and (2) for FY2024 and thereafter to procure more than eight such submarines. Prohibits using DOD funds for FY2013 or thereafter: (1) to maintain more than 200 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), (2) to maintain more than 250 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, (3) for the RDT&E or procurement of a new ICBM, or (4) for the medium extended air defense system. Prohibits using DOD or Department of Energy (DOE) funds for FY2013 or thereafter for: (1) the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility project, (2) the chemistry and metallurgy research replacement nuclear facility, and (3) the uranium processing facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Requires an initial and subsequent annual reports from the Secretaries of Defense and Energy to Congress outlining their respective plans to carry out the requirements of this Act. Directs the President to submit annually to Congress a comprehensive accounting by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the amounts obligated or expended by the federal government for each nuclear weapon and related nuclear program during the fiscal year covered by the report and the life cycle of such weapon or program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2012
Arsenic Prevention and Protection from Lead Exposure in Juice Act of 2012 or the APPLE Juice Act of 2012 - Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) to promulgate final regulations establishing tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to limit the quantity of total arsenic and lead in beverages containing fruit juice. Requires the limitations on total arsenic and lead in such beverages to be no less stringent than the allowable level for total arsenic and lead in bottled water under the FFDCA. Provides that if there are no such tolerances in effect within two years, a beverage containing fruit juice shall be deemed to be adulterated if the quantity of total arsenic or lead in the beverage exceeds the limits of the allowable level for total arsenic or lead, respectively, in bottled water.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2012
For the People Voter Protection Initiative - Condemns the passage of legislation that would unduly burden an American's ability to register and vote. Opposes any state election law or proposed legislation that would have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities across the country.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2012
Allows a current or former employee of a commercial passenger airline who receives a payment of any money or other property payable by an airline pursuant to a court order filed in a bankruptcy case after September 11, 2001, and before January 1, 2007 (airline payment amount), to: (1) make a tax-free rollover of such amount to a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) within 180 days of receipt (or within 180 days of the enactment of this Act, if later); and (2) transfer, without tax penalty, an airline payment amount contributed to a Roth IRA to a traditional IRA if such transfer is made within 180 days after the enactment of this Act. Excludes from the gross income of an airline employee amounts transferred to a traditional IRA under this Act. Imposes a limit on the aggregate amount transferrable to a traditional IRA.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Authorizes the award of a single gold medal to John H. Johnson (creator of Ebony magazine) in recognition of his outstanding work, leadership, and service. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the pioneers and participants of the civil rights movement in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country. Directs that the Medal be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be displayed. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian should make the Medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the civil rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Expresses support: (1) for the designation of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and (2) to communities in empowering teens to develop healthier relationships throughout their lives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2012
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, applicable to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students on or after July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
After School for America's Children Act of 2012 - Amends the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program under part B of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). (21st Century Community Learning Centers provide students with before and afterschool programs to improve their academic performance.) Requires the Centers to provide: (1) students with activities that are targeted to their academic needs and aligned with the instruction they receive during the school day, and (2) students' families with opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education. Includes Indian tribes or organizations among the local public or private entities that are eligible for grants from states to establish the Centers. Requires states to use at least 93% (currently 95%) of their allotment from the Secretary of Education to provide grants to those entities. Allows states to use up to 5% (currently, 3%) of their allotment for certain state activities. Requires states to use a rigorous peer review process in reviewing grant applications. Allows states to renew a grant under part B based on the grantee's performance during the original grant period. Prohibits the Secretary or states from giving funding priority to applicants that propose to use the funds to extend the regular school day. Includes among the activities grants may fund: (1) core academic subject education activities, including those that allow students to recover or attain credits; (2) literacy education programs; (3) programs that support a healthy, active lifestyle; (4) services for the disabled; (5) programs that support global education and competence; (6) social and emotional learning programming; and (7) programs that build science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills and support innovative STEM teaching methods. Reauthorizes the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program through FY2017.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 - Amends the Egg Products Inspection Act to revise housing and treatment of egg-laying hens and related enforcement provisions. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to delegate to the California Department of Food and Agriculture certain enforcement authority with respect to eggs produced, shipped, handled, transported or received in California prior to the date that is 18 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through February 17, 2012, increased excise taxes on aviation fuels, the excise tax on air transportation of persons and property, and the expenditure authority for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Extends through February 17, 2012: (1) the authorization of appropriations for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects (known as airport improvement projects [AIPs]), and (2) the authority of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make new AIP grants. Extends through February 17, 2012: (1) the pilot program for passenger facility fee authorizations at non-hub airports, and (2) disclosure requirements for large and medium hub airports applying for AIP grants. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary through February 17, 2012, to make agreements to provide small community air service assistance to underserved airports. Directs the Secretary to extend through February 17, 2012, the termination date of insurance coverage for domestic or foreign-flag aircraft. Grants the Secretary discretionary authority to further extend such coverage through May 17, 2012. Extends through May 17, 2012, the authority of the Secretary to limit air carrier liability for claims arising out of acts of terrorism. Extends through February 17, 2012: (1) grant eligibility for airports located in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau; (2) grants to state and local governments for land use compatibility AIPs; and (3) authority for approving an application of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for an airport development grant or for permission to impose a passenger facility fee. Amends the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act to extend through February 17, 2012: (1) the temporary increase to 95% of the federal government's share of certain AIP costs, (2) funding for airport development at Midway Island Airport, and (3) the effective period of final orders of the Secretary regarding the eligibility of small communities for essential air service subsidies. Authorizes appropriations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the period from October 1, 2011, through February 17, 2012, for: (1) FAA operations; (2) air navigation facilities and equipment; and (3) civil aviation research, engineering, and development. Authorizes appropriations out of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for the period from October 1, 2011, through February 17, 2012, for the essential air service (EAS) program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
Sympathizes with the families of women and children victimized by sexual and other forms of gender-based violence in Haiti. Urges treatment of the issue of violence against women and children as a priority for U.S. humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Haiti. Supports passage of Haiti's first comprehensive law on the prevention, punishment, and elimination of gender-based violence.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2012
Jobs Score Act of 2012 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of any public bill or resolution reported from a congressional committee (except on Appropriations of each chamber) to estimate the number of jobs which would be created, sustained, or lost in carrying out such measure in the fiscal year in which it is to become effective and in each of the four ensuing fiscal years, together with the basis for each such estimate. Requires such analysis, to the extent practicable, to include regional and state-level estimates of such jobs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2012
Haiti Empowerment, Assistance, and Rebuilding Act of 2012 - States that it is U.S. policy, in partnership with the government of Haiti and in coordination with the international community, to support the sustainable recovery and rebuilding of Haiti. Directs the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to submit to Congress a multi-year strategy to provide assistance in support of Haiti's reconstruction. Authorizes FY2013-FY2014 appropriations for assistance to Haiti under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2012
Honors: (1) those who lost their lives due to the tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010; and (2) the sacrifice of the men and women of the government of Haiti, the U.S. government, the United Nations (U.N.), and the international community for their response to the calamity. Expresses solidarity with the people of Haiti as they work to rebuild their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and country. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to support long-term Haitian reconstruction. Supports the Administration's efforts to prevent the spread of cholera, treat persons who contract the disease, provide technical assistance to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, and improve water, sanitation, and health systems. Urges the President and the international community to: (1) focus assistance on Haiti's public sector capacity to provide basic services, (2) develop and improve communications and participatory mechanisms to more substantially involve Haitian civil society at all stages of the cholera and post-earthquake responses, and (3) give priority to programs that protect vulnerable populations. Urges the President to: (1) make necessary resources available to U.S. and U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private volunteer organizations, and regional institutions; (2) assess long-term needs for investing in public health and building water and sanitation infrastructure, particularly in relation to the cholera epidemic; (3) lead humanitarian and development efforts with the government of Haiti, the Haitian Diaspora, and international actors; and (4) work with Haitian authorities and private landowners to prevent the forced eviction of internally displaced person communities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 - Title I: Temporary Payroll Tax Relief - Amends the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 to: (1) extend through 2012 the 2% reduction in the self-employment tax rate for self-employment income not exceeding the excess of $18,350 over any wages and compensation paid to a self-employed taxpayer, and (2) extend through February 29, 2012, the 2% reduction in employment tax rates for employee wages and compensation not exceeding $18,350. Title II: Temporary Extension of Unemployment Compensation Provisions - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through March 6, 2012. Postpones the termination of the program until August 15, 2012. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until March 7, 2012, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and August 15, 2012, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2011, to February 29, 2012, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, to extend through February 29, 2012, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service as well as for those with less than 10 years. Title III: Temporary Extension of Health Provisions -Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to set the update to the single conversion factor in the formula for the physicians' fee schedules for the first two months of 2012 at zero (thus freezing the physician payment update for the first two months of 2012). Requires the conversion factor for the remaining portion of 2012 and subsequent years to be computed as if the zero update for the first two months of 2012 had never applied. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as modified by other federal law, to extend section 508 hospital reclassifications for two months through November 30, 2011. ("Section 508" refers to Section 508 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 [MMA], which allows the temporary reclassification of a hospital with a low Medicare area wage index, for reimbursement purposes, to a nearby location with a higher Medicare area wage index, so that the "Section 508 hospital" will receive the higher Medicare reimbursement rate.) Extends through February 29, 2012, the 1.0 floor on geographic indexing adjustments to the work portion of the physician fee schedule. Extends through February 29, 2012, the process allowing exceptions to limitations on medically necessary therapy caps. Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to extend until February 29, 2012, an exception to a payment rule that permits laboratories to receive direct Medicare reimbursement when providing the technical component of certain physician pathology services that had been outsourced by certain (rural) hospitals. Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the bonus and increased payments for ground ambulance services until March 1, 2012. Amends the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) to extend the payment of certain urban air ambulance services until February 29, 2012. Extends increased payments for super rural ambulance services until March 1, 2012. Amends MIPPA to extend the physician fee schedule mental health add-on payment provision through February 29, 2012. Extends through February 29, 2012, hold harmless provisions under the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Extends the minimum payment for bone mass measurement through the first two months of 2012. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to extend the Qualifying Individual (QI) Program through February 29, 2012, at specified allocations. xtends the Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) Program through February 29, 2012. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to extend the TANF program through February 29, 2012. Title IV: Mortgage Fees and Premiums - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to require the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require each government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) (the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac]) to charge a guarantee fee in connection with any guarantee of the timely payment of principal and interest on securities, notes, and other obligations based on or backed by mortgages on residential real properties designed principally for the occupancy of from one to four families. Requires the FHFA Director to prohibit a GSE from consummating any offer for a guarantee to a lender for mortgage-backed securities if: (1) the guarantee is inconsistent with the requirements of this Act; or (2) the risk of loss is allowed to increase, through the lowering of the underwriting standards or other means, for the primary purpose of meeting the requirements of this Act. Requires direct deposit into the Treasury of any amounts received from fee increases imposed by this Act that are necessary to comply with the minimum increase required by this Act. Requires the Director to require each GSE, as part of its annual report, to: (1) describe changes made to up-front fees and annual fees as part of the guarantee fees negotiated with lenders, changes to the riskiness of the new borrowers compared to previous origination years or book years, and any adjustments required to improve for future origination years or book years, in order to be in complete compliance with guarantee fee requirements; and (2) assess how the changes in such guarantee fees met the requirements of this title. Amends the National Housing Act with respect to requirements for each mortgage secured by a 1- to 4-family dwelling that is an obligation of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in addition to other required or authorized premiums, to establish and collect through FY2021 annual premium payments of up to 10 basis points of the remaining insured principal balance for any mortgage for which the Secretary collects an annual premium on the remaining insured principal balance. Title V: Other Provisions - Subtitle A: Keystone XL Pipeline - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State, to grant a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project application filed on September 19, 2008. Waives such requirement if the President determines that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest. Requires the President, in that case, to report to certain congressional committees and officials a justification for his determination, including consideration of economic, employment, energy security, foreign policy, trade, and environmental factors. Declares that a permit for such pipeline shall take effect by operation of law if after 60 days following enactment of this Act the President fails to: (1) determine that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest, or (2) grant the permit. Subtitle B: Budgetary Provisions - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the Senate to consider a bill, resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that includes an emergency designation. Permits waiver or suspension of such prohibition, or successful appeals from a ruling of the Chair, only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60 votes) of the Senate. Prohibits the budgetary effects of this Act from being entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Riya Wilson Act - Amends title IV (Grants to States for Aid and Services to Needy Families with Children and for Child-Welfare Services) of the Social Security Act to require an approved state plan that is required in order to be eligible for federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that such state has in effect procedures that require the state child welfare agency to promptly report information on missing or abducted children to law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require a state reporting a missing child under the age of 21 to the NCIC to: (1) require the state law enforcement agency that entered the report to include a recent photograph in information updating a record, and (2) notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report received relating to a child reported missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
Back to Basics Job Creation Act of 2011 - Amends title XX (Block Grants to State for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to eligible entities to assist low-income individuals and individuals who have been unemployed for at least three months in developing self-employment opportunities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the low-income housing tax rate for new buildings that are not federally subsidized, and (2) establish a minimum 4% low-income tax credit rate for existing buildings that are not federally subsidized.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2011
Protect our Kids Act of 2011 - Establishes the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities to conduct a thorough study on reducing fatalities from child abuse and neglect.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2011
Investing in America's Small Businesses Act of 2011 - Amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to require the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to make grants to community development financial institutions to enable such institutions to establish a loan-loss reserve fund to defray the costs of a small business loan program. Defines "small business loan program" as a program in which a community development financial institution offers loans to small businesses that: (1) are made in amounts up to $25,000, (2) have no prepayment penalty, and (3) meet any affordability requirements established by Administrator of the Fund. Requires a community development financial institution to provide non-federal matching funds equal to 50% of the amount of any grant received. Prohibits the use of such grants to make direct loans to small businesses. Permits a community development financial institution to use such a grant to: (1) help recapture a portion or all of a defaulted loan made under its small business loan program, and (2) designate and utilize a fiscal agent for services the agent normally provides. Requires the Fund to make technical assistance grants to community development financial institutions to create, support, or maintain such a program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
LIHEAP Protection Act - Makes appropriations for FY2012 for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Expresses the sense of Congress that this Act should be implemented in a manner consistent with the Budget Control Act of 2011, and that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) should: (1) continue and expedite efforts to identify best practices used by LIHEAP grant recipients; (2) provide training and technical assistance to such grant recipients; (3) recommend policy changes, and assess and mitigate risk at governmental levels in order to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse; and (4) strengthen the Program so all funds reach the households who need them the most.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
End Racial Profiling Act of 2011 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Defines "racial profiling" to mean the practice of a law enforcement agent or agency relying, to any degree, on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion in selecting which individual to subject to routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, or in deciding upon the scope and substance of law enforcement activity following the initial investigatory activity, except when there is trustworthy information relevant to the locality and timeframe that links a person of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion to an identified criminal incident or scheme. Authorizes the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling to enforce this Act in a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires: (1) federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling; and (2) state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations to ensure that administrative complaint procedures and independent audit programs provide an appropriate response to allegations of racial profiling by law enforcement agents or agencies. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires: (1) the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling, and (2) the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics to analyze the data collected for any statistically significant disparities. Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports on racial profiling by law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
Part D Beneficiary Appeals Fairness Act - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to a prescription drug plan (PDP) that provides for any tiered cost-sharing within a formulary (including a structure that provides for different co-payment or coinsurance amounts for drugs in different tiers included within the formulary), to authorize a Medicare part D eligible individual enrolled in the plan to request an exception to the tiered cost-sharing structure. States that in no case may the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) allow a PDP sponsor to make any element of the tiered cost-sharing structure (including a tier used for very high cost or unique items) ineligible for lower-cost sharing through an exception.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2011- Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Safe Roads for America Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation to modify the target compliance dates for the following minimum retroreflectivity level standards: (1) implementation and continued use of an assessment or management method that is designed to maintain traffic sign retroreflectivity at or above the established minimum levels; (2) replacement of regulatory, warning, and post-mounted guide (except street name) signs identified using the assessment or management method as failing to meet the established minimum levels; and (3) replacement of street name signs and overhead guide signs that are identified using the assessment or management method as failing to meet the established minimum levels. Requires the Secretary to revise the notice of proposed amendments published in the Federal Register on August 31, 2011, to incorporate the new target compliance dates. Includes measures designed to meet a state-established performance standard, federal regulation, or requirement contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices relating to minimum levels of retroreflectivity as projects for purposes of the highway safety improvement program. Allows a maximum 100% federal share of the costs of construction related to maintaining minimum levels of retroreflectivity of highway signs or pavement markings. Directs the Secretary to issue standards for the use of funds apportioned to a state for highway safety improvement projects to upgrade highway signs and pavement markings in order to meet or exceed minimum maintained levels of retroreflectivity. Requires such standards to prohibit fund use for maintenance activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2011 - Directs the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates in federal prisons and upon reentry into the community. Requires such policy to include provisions for: (1) testing of inmates upon intake and counseling; (2) HIV/AIDS prevention education; (3) HIV testing of prisoners annually upon request or upon exposure to HIV; (4) HIV testing of pregnant inmates; (5) comprehensive medical treatment of inmates who test positive for HIV and confidential counseling on managing their medical condition and preventing its transmission to other persons; (6) protection of confidentiality; (7) testing, counseling, and referral prior to reentry into the community; (8) allowing inmates the right to refuse routine HIV testing; (9) excluding as "routine" the testing of an inmate who may have transmitted HIV to any U.S. officer or employee or to any person lawfully present but not incarcerated in a correctional facility; and (10) timely notification of test results. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) require HIV testing for all federal prison inmates upon intake regardless of length of sentence or risk factors, (2) allow inmates to decline testing prior to release from incarceration, and (3) make HIV testing part of the routine health screening conducted at intake. Requires the Bureau to report on: (1) testing, treatment, and prevention education programs for hepatitis and other diseases transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use; and (2) the incidence among prison inmates of diseases transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act of 2011 - Amends the Hate Crime Statistics Act to include crimes against the homeless in the crime data collected by the Attorney General under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
Family Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income-based tax credit for 50% of qualified infertility treatment expenses. Allows $26,720 of such expenses to be taken into account for purposes of such credit for all taxable years. Defines "qualified infertility treatment expenses" as amounts paid for the treatment of infertility via in vitro fertilization if such treatment is provided by a licensed physician, surgeon, or other medical practitioner and is administered with respect to a diagnosis of infertility by a physician licensed in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2011
Saving Money and Reducing Tragedies through Prevention Act of 2011 or the SMART Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Violence against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) to replace provisions regarding grants to assist children and youth exposed to violence with a Saving Money and Reducing Tragedies through Prevention (SMART Prevention) grant program. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants for the purpose of preventing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (such violence) by taking a comprehensive approach that focuses on youth, children exposed to violence, and men as leaders and influencers of social norms. Permits the use of grant funds to develop, maintain, or enhance programs that: (1) change attitudes and behaviors around the acceptability of such violence and provide education and skills training to young individuals and those who influence them; (2) are designed to prevent future incidents of such violence by preventing, reducing, and responding to children's exposure to violence in the home; and (3) work with men to prevent such violence by helping men to serve as role models and social influencers of other men and youth at the individual, school, community, or statewide levels. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) eligible entities to receive grants; (2) grantee requirements; and (3) fund allotments, including for Indian tribes or tribal organizations. Repeals provisions of: (1) VAWA regarding development of curricula and pilot programs for home visitation projects and regarding engaging men and youth in preventing such violence, and (2) the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 regarding a public awareness campaign regarding domestic violence against pregnant women.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2011
Requires at least 10% of the amounts made available for any program under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration to be expended through small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2011
Supports the goals and ideals of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), a peer-to-peer education, prevention, and activism organization dedicated to preventing destructive decisions involving underage drinking, drug use, and violence. Commends SADD on the positive effect it has had on individuals and communities in this country and abroad. Encourages people to commemorate SADD's 30th anniversary by participating in a special event called Celebrate 30 With SADD: Lighting the Way.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 2011
Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the face-to-face encounter framework in hospice care. Allows a clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, or other health professional (in addition to a hospice physician or a nurse practitioner, as under current law) to conduct the face-to-face encounter with an individual to determine continued eligibility for hospice care before the first 60-day (currently, 180-day) recertification period and each subsequent recertification period. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare Hospice Payment Reform demonstration program to test any revisions to the methodology for determining payment rates for routine home care and other hospice care services. Sets at every three years the frequency of surveys of certified hospice program entities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2011 - Amends provisions of federal civil service law to extend employment-related and retirement benefits to domestic partners of federal employees and to set forth requirements for establishing a domestic partnership, including the filing of an affidavit attesting to the existence and legitimacy of the partnership. Modifies provisions relating to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to extend eligibility for annuity and survivor benefits to domestic partners of federal employees on the same basis as married employees. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations to provide that domestic partners and former domestic partners shall be considered as spouses or former spouses for purposes of creditable service determinations under CSRS and FERS. Makes domestic partners of federal employees eligible for: (1) the federal employee group life insurance (FEGLI) program, (2) federal employees health benefits (FEHB), (3) dental and vision benefit plans, and (4) long-term care insurance coverage. Grants the head of an federal agency authority to reimburse an employee for taxes incurred the domestic partner of such employee for travel or transportation reimbursements. Modifies provisions of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) to make domestic partners of federal employees eligible for worker compensation benefits under such Act. Adds "domestic partner" to the list of relatives subject to restrictions on federal employment of relatives and related prohibitions. Includes a biological, adopted, or foster child of a domestic partner as a "son or daughter" for purposes of federal employee family and medical leave provisions. Allows a federal employee family and medical leave to care for a domestic partner. Requires the President to prescribe regulations necessary to ensure that specified provisions relating to the following are administered in a manner consistent with the purposes of this Act: (1) the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; (2) travel, transportation, and related payments and benefits under the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and for civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD); (3) certain benefits for members of the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and (4) benefits related to federal employees or annuitants and benefits necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to make provisions of that Act applicable to domestic partners of federal employees to the same extent as married employees, including provisions relating to financial disclosure, government-wide limitations on outside earned income and employment, gifts to superiors and to federal employees, bribery, acceptance of travel expenses from nonfederal sources, taxes on self-dealing, and disqualification of a justice, judge, or magistrate judge. Requires reporting by: (1) the President on the implementation of this Act, and (2) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the effect of this Act on premiums or other periodic charges under FEHB and the impact of extending benefits to domestic partners on federal employee retention and recruitment efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Veterans Education Equity Act of 2011 - Revises the formula for the payment by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of tuition and fees for individuals entitled to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program and pursuing programs of education at public institutions of higher learning to include, as an additional payment formula, the greater of: (1) the actual net costs for in-state tuition after applying the receipt of any tuition waivers, reductions, scholarships, or other assistance; or (2) $17,500 for the academic year beginning on August 1, 2011 (such amount to be increased each subsequent year by the average percentage increase in undergraduate tuition costs).
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 · 16 November 2011
Eva M. Clayton Fellows Program Act - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Eva M. Clayton Fellows Program to provide for fellowships to conduct research and education on the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition. Requires the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations (U.N.) to urge the creation within the Food and Agriculture Organization of fellowship positions for Clayton Fellows to conduct research and education programs on the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition.
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 · 15 November 2011
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2011 or the ABLE Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses. Defines "qualified disability expenses" to include expenses for education, a primary residence, transportation, obtaining and maintaining employment, health and wellness, and other personal support expenses. Treats a qualified ABLE program and an ABLE account in the same manner as a qualified tuition program for income tax purposes (i.e., allowing a tax exemption for such program and an exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to a contributor to or a beneficiary of a program account). Defines "qualified ABLE program" as a program established and maintained by a state agency under which a person may make contributions to an ABLE account established to pay for qualified disability expenses. Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources attributable to an ABLE account.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2011
Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of congressional gold medals in honor of the men and women who perished as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, and the Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates of such medals, with amounts received from the sale to be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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 · 4 November 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2012 the tax rule that excludes bonus depreciation allowed for certain depreciable business assets as a cost allocated to a contract under the percentage of completion method for long-term contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Recognizes the importance of empowering girls to lead with courage, confidence, and character. Congratulates Girl Scouts of the USA on its 100th anniversary. Expresses support for the Year of the Girl.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2011 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through January 3, 2013. Postpones the termination of the program until June 8, 2013. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until January 4, 2013, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and June 10, 2013, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to authorize a state by law to apply certain requirements of the Act, with specified substitutions, for determining an extended unemployment compensation period. Requires the state's "on" and "off" indicators to be based on its rate of insured unemployment and rate of total unemployment for the period between enactment of this Act (or, if later, the date established pursuant to state law), and ending on or before December 31, 2012. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2012, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for those with less than 10. Amends title XII (Advances to State Unemployment Funds) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend through FY2012 the waiver on payment of interest by a state in repayment to the federal Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF) of advances from it. Denies this extension, however, to any state that has not entered a voluntary agreement with the Secretary of Labor to refrain from modifying state unemployment compensation law to lower its unemployment compensation benefits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to reductions in credits against the federal unemployment tax for an employer's contributions to a state unemployment fund in a state which has received advances from the UTF. Postpones the commencement of such reductions until January 1, 2013, for any state entering such an agreement with the Secretary. Amends SSA title IX (Employment Security Administrative Financing) to require the payment of a solvency bonus for any quarter to the book account in the UTF of the state unemployment compensation agency of a solvent state (whose outstanding balance of advances from the UTF is zero). Makes the bonus equal to two percentage points above the average rate of interest of special obligations of the United States in which the UTF is invested.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Standard Data and Technology Advancement Act or Standard DATA Act - Amends part A of title XI of the Social Security Act to direct the head of the department or agency responsible for administering certain human services programs to designate, by rule, nonproprietary and interoperable standard data elements for any category of information required to be reported.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lewis, John [D-GA-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000287_200.jpg)