United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2011
Energy Security and Transportation Jobs Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to make available for leasing and to conduct lease sales including: (1) at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources (on a total btu basis) based upon the most recent national geologic assessment of the OCS, with an emphasis on offering the most geologically prospective parts of the planning area; and (2) any state subdivision of an OCS planning area that the Governor of such state requests be made available for leasing. Directs the Secretary, in the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to make available for leasing OCS planning areas that: (1) are estimated to contain more than 2.5 billion barrels of oil; or (2) are estimated to contain more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary, in developing a 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to determine a domestic strategic production goal for the development of oil and natural gas. Makes the production goal for the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program an increase by 2027 in daily production of at least: (1) 3 million barrels of oil, and (2) 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary to conduct proposed offshore oil and gas Lease Sales 216 and 222 (in the central Gulf of Mexico) and Lease Sale 220 (on the OCS offshore Virginia). Authorizes the Secretary to hold additional lease sales for areas with the greatest potential for new oil and gas development as a result of local support, new seismic findings, or nomination by interested persons. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium upon oil and gas leasing, or preleasing, or any related activity in: (1) any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico; (2) any area in the Eastern Planning Area that is within 125 miles of the Florida coastline; or (3) specified areas within the Central Planning Area and within 100 miles of the Florida coastline. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to include within the OCS any submerged lands lying within the United States exclusive economic zone and the Continental Shelf adjacent to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or other territories of the United States. Prescribes requirements for the disposition of new leasing revenues among coastal states.
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 · 2 November 2011
American Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit Extension Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2016 the date by which specified alternative or renewable energy facilities (i.e., wind, biomass, geothermal or solar energy, landfill gas, trash, qualified hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities) must be placed in service to qualify for the electricity production tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2011
Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from applying a multiple procedure payment reduction policy to the professional component of imaging services furnished: (1) in 2012; or (2) in 2013 or a subsequent year unless the reduction is based on the data, analysis, and conclusions of a study completed by an expert panel of physician members from a national medical speciality society expert in the field of diagnostic imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2011
Amends the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 to revise exemptions from federal maximum driving and on-duty time motor carrier regulations for drivers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies during planting and harvest periods. Extends the exemptions to drivers transporting agricultural farm supplies: (1) from a wholesale or retail distribution point of the farm supplies to a farm or other location where such supplies are intended to be used within a 100 air-mile radius from the distribution point, or (2) from a wholesale distribution point of the farm supplies to a retail distribution point of the farm supplies within a 100 air-mile radius from the wholesale distribution point.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
March of Dimes Commemorative Coin Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the mission and programs of the March of Dimes. Permits issuance of such coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2014. Requires all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins to be promptly paid to the March of Dimes to help finance research, education, and services aimed at improving the health of women, infants, and children. Subjects the March of Dimes to federal audit requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Marketplace Equity Act of 2011 - Authorizes states to require all sellers making remote sales to collect and remit sales and use taxes with respect to such sales into the state, without regard to the location of the seller, if such states implement a simplified system for administration of sales and use tax collection for remote sellers. Requires such a system to include, at a minimum: (1) an exception for remote sellers with gross annual receipts in the preceding calendar year from remote sales not exceeding $1 million in the United States or not exceeding $100,000 in the state, (2) a single sales and use tax return for use by remote sellers and a single revenue authority within the state with which remote sellers are required to file a tax return, and (3) a uniform tax base throughout the state. Defines "remote sale" as a sale of goods or services attributed to a state with respect to which a seller does not have adequate physical presence to establish a nexus so as to allow such state to require such seller to collect and remit taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Provides that: (1) the final rule published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 3, 2010, entitled "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines" and any subsequent regulation that is substantially the same shall have no force or effect with respect to existing stationary compression ignition reciprocating internal combustion engines operated for generating electricity or operating a water pump by a state or local government, a public or cooperative utility, or persons or entities engaged in the production of agricultural commodities, including livestock; and (2) the final rule of the same title published by EPA on August 20, 2010, the direct final action published by the EPA on March 9, 2011, entitled "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines," and any subsequent regulation that is substantially the same shall have no force or effect with respect to existing stationary spark ignition reciprocating internal combustion engines operated for such purposes by such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to revise requirements for determination by the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) of an appropriate bargaining unit before an election of collective bargaining representation. (In effect reverses the NLRB's August 26, 2011, decision in Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation of Mobile and its June 22, 2011, rulemaking regarding proposed changes to procedures involving the election of collective bargaining representation.) Replaces the current restriction in the meaning of collective bargaining unit to employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision. Requires the NLRB, instead, to determine a unit as appropriate for collective bargaining if it consists of employees that share a sufficient community of interest. Specifies factors the NLRB must consider when making such determinations. Prohibits exclusion of employees from the unit unless the group's interest are sufficiently distinct from those of other employees to warrant the establishment of a separate unit. Requires the NLRB, upon due notice, to provide a hearing at least 14 days after the filing of an election petition for collective bargaining representation to investigate those petitions the NLRB has reasonable cause to believe have a question of representation affecting commerce. Requires such hearings be non-adversarial. Requires the NLRB to: (1) direct an election by secret ballot as soon as practicable, but in any event not before 35 calendar days following the filing of an election petition, in cases where a question of representation exists; and (2) acquire, at least 7 days after its final determination of the appropriate bargaining unit, a list of all eligible voters (including certain informational data) from the employer and make it available to all parties.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2011
Repeals the termination date in the Jobs Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 for provisions reducing individual tax rates on capital gains and dividend income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Companionship Exemption Protection Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, with respect to the exemption from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements of domestic service employment to provide companionship services for individuals who because of age or infirmity are unable to care for themselves, to specify that such companionship services include third party non-medical in-home care companionship, light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, assistance to appointments, laundry, medication reminders, bathing, and assistance with incontinence and grooming.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Superfund Common Sense Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" and "pollutant or contaminant" for purposes of such Act. Defines "manure" to mean: (1) digestive emissions, feces, urine, urea and other excrement from livestock; (2) any associated bedding, compost, raw materials or other materials commingled with such excrement from livestock; (3) any process water associated with such items; and (4) any byproducts, constituents, or substances contained in, or originating from, such items or any emissions relating to such items. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt from notification requirements releases associated with manure.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Directs the Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers to revise the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System Master Water Control Manual to ensure that the System's flood control storage allocation has been: (1) recalculated so that it is based on the vacated space required to control the largest flood experienced in the System and the associated serious downstream flooding; and (2) adjusted, prior to each runoff season, such that the space allocated for flood control purposes in the Exclusive Flood Control Zone and the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use Regulation Zone is increased by an amount necessary to ensure that the storage capacity of the two zones is adequate to avoid contributing to serious downstream flooding.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Charitable Agricultural Research Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a tax deduction for a charitable contribution to an agricultural research organization directly engaged in the continuous active conduct of agricultural research, and (2) make prohibitions against expenditures to influence legislation applicable to such organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7%. Defines as "significant" any regulatory action that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, small entities, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with another agency's action; (3) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if the President notifies Congress that a waiver is necessary on the basis of national security or a national emergency. Allows judicial review of all claims under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Employer Free Choice Act - Repeals the final rule on "Notification of Employee Rights under the National Labor Relations Act" published by the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) in the Federal Register on August 30, 2011. Prohibits the NLRB from promulgating or enforcing any rule that requires employers to post notices informing employees of their rights to bargain collectively under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) on or after enactment of this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an employer from voluntarily posting such notices.
United States · United States Congress · 26 August 2011
Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, with respect to the regulation and registration of municipal advisors. Limits the term "municipal advisor" to such advisors formally engaged, in writing and for compensation, by a municipal entity. (Current law pertains to persons who provide advice to or on behalf of a municipal entity or obligated person.) Adds to the list of entities excluded from such registration and related requirements: (1) brokers, dealers, or municipal securities dealers (currently, only those serving as underwriters); (2) investment advisers registered with a state (currently, only advisers registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940); (3) swap dealers, major swap participants, futures commission merchants or introducing brokers registered under the Commodity Exchange Act (currently, only commodity trading advisors registered under that Act); (4) security-based swap dealers or major security-based swap participants registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 who are providing advice related to, engaging in, or arranging any security-based swap; (5) persons associated with such newly added entities; (6) any financial institution or person associated with a financial institution; and (7) any elected or appointed member of a governing body of a municipal entity, with respect to such member's role on the governing body. Excludes certain activities related to investment strategies from such requirements. Revises the definition of "solicitation of a municipal entity" to specify that communications on behalf of a fund or other collective investment vehicle shall not be deemed to be on behalf of any investment adviser that advises or manages such fund or investment vehicle. Eliminates fiduciary duty standards for municipal advisors under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (thereby eliminating federal standards while existing state and local fiduciary duties would remain). Directs the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board to: (1) limit the duties of municipal advisors in relation to municipal entities to the activities specified in this Act, (2) specify when such duties begin and terminate, and (3) not prohibit principal transactions by municipal advisors.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Medicare Cost Contract Extension Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through December 31, 2015, the indefinite extendability or renewability of Medicare reasonable cost reimbursement contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Condemns the terrorist attacks in Oslo and Utoya, Norway, on July 22, 2011, and expresses condolences to the families and friends of those individuals who were killed or injured in the attacks. Reaffirms the joint mission of the United States and Norway to seek peace and reconciliation around the world.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
340B Program Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make revisions to the 340B drug discount program (a program limiting the cost of covered outpatient drugs to certain federal grantees). Includes drugs used in connection with an inpatient or outpatient service by enrolled hospitals as covered drugs under the program (currently, only outpatient drugs are covered under the program). Requires hospitals enrolled in the 340B program to provide to each state a credit on the estimated annual purchases by such hospitals of covered drugs provided to Medicaid recipients for inpatient use. Sets forth a formula for calculating the credit. Allows a hospital to avoid paying such credits under certain circumstances. Eliminates the requirement that hospitals enrolled in the 340B program report the National Drug Code numbers for drugs administered by a physician if the state is precluded from seeking a rebate on such drugs because they were purchased at a discount under the 340B program. Removes the exclusion that prohibited covered entities added to the 340B program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from purchasing drugs for a rare disease or condition as covered outpatient drugs. Treats a facility or organization that is eligible for the 340B program as satisfying any geographic location requirements in relation to a hospital or a critical access hospital for purposes of determining provider-based status under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2011
Requires the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to take into account all available hydrologic data in conducting Missouri River basin operations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that would cause the discretionary spending limits established in this Act to be exceeded. Establishes the discretionary spending limits for FY2012 as $1,019,402,000,000 in new budget authority and $1,224,568,000,000 in outlays. Authorizes the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget to adjust such limits, budgetary aggregates in the most recently adopted concurrent budget resolution, and CBA committee allocations if a bill or joint resolution is reported making appropriations for FY2012 that provides funding for the global war on terrorism. Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that includes any provision that would cause total direct spending to exceed the spending limit specified in this Act. Exempts from such spending limits: (1) Social Security, function 650; (2) Medicare, function 570; (3) Veterans Benefits and Services, function 700; and (4) Net Interest, function 900. Makes $680.73 billion the limit on total combined outlays for all non-exempt direct spending for FY2012. Amends the CBA to prescribe requirements for implementing sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to enforce the discretionary and direct spending caps in this Act. Exempts from any sequestration orders: (1) payments for military personnel accounts (within subfunctional category 051), (2) TRICARE for Life, (3) Medicare (functional category 570), (4) military retirement, (5) Social Security (functional category 650), (6) veterans (functional category 700), (7) net interest (functional category 900), and (8) discretionary appropriations. Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider legislation which waives, modifies, or in any way alters a sequestration order unless the chair of the House or Senate Committee on the Budget certifies that the measure achieves the same levels of reductions in new budget authority and outlays for the applicable year in such order. Amends the CBA to prescribe requirements for enforcing GDP outlay limits. Requires: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish in the President's budget the GDP outlay limit for the budget year, and (2) total federal outlays to include all on-budget and off-budget outlays. Amends the CBA to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that would cause the most recently reported current GDP outlay limits set forth in this Act to be exceeded. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from exercising additional borrowing authority until the date that the Archivist of the United States transmits to the states for their ratification H.J. Res. 1 (as reported on June 23, 2011), S.J. Res. 10 (as introduced on March 31, 2011), or H.J. Res. 56 (as introduced on April 7, 2011), a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, or a similar amendment if it requires that total outlays not exceed total receipts, contains a spending limitation as a percentage of GDP, and requires that tax increases be approved by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Increases the public debt from $14.294 trillion to $16.7 trillion on the date such legislation is transmitted to the states.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2015. Directs the Secretary to hold a competition to design the obverse of the coins. Requires the design on the reverse side to depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Mark Twain. Limits issuance of such coins to calendar year 2016. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be promptly paid, in specified percentages, to: (1) the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the continued restoration of the house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain; (2) the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study and promote Mark Twain's legacy; (3) the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, for the same purposes; and (4) the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites related to Mark Twain and help support study and promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Labor (Secretary), from January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2014, to provide for monthly payments, through the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), of up to 12 months of retraining assistance, except as specified, to certain veterans from 35 to 60 years of age applying by October 1, 2013, who: (1) were last discharged from Armed Forces active duty service with an honorable discharge, (2) have been unemployed for a designated period of time, and (3) are ineligible for specified veterans' benefit educational assistance. Sets forth the maximum number of eligible veterans who may participate in the program and the permitted forms of education and training. Revises guidelines for stationing Transition Assistance Program personnel to require the Secretary to contract with a private entity or entities to provide specified counseling, employment, and training services. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of the Transportation (DOT) to require participation of all Armed Forces members eligible for employment assistance and other transitional services unless a documented urgent operational requirement prevents attendance. Modifies the demonstration project on credentialing for Armed Forces active duty service members transitioning to civilian employment by requiring the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training to: (1) select at least 5 but not more than 10 (currently, at least 10) military occupational specialties, and (2) enter a contract with an appropriate entity representing a coalition of state governors to identify credentialing, certification, and licensing requirements incorporating the necessary skills for such specialties. Establishes a new period, ending on September 30, 2014, for carrying out the demonstration project and limits funding to $180,000 each fiscal year from specified sources. Creates a three-year pilot program requiring the Secretary to make grants and enter contracts for veterans employment and training services with any of the ten states with the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Prohibits full-time disabled veterans' outreach program specialists and local veterans' employment representatives from performing non-veteran related duties and services beyond the scope of their specified duties. Revises the definition of "benefit," "benefit of employment," and "rights and benefits" under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. Extends by five years certain automatically guaranteed loans to veterans purchasing stock or membership in a cooperative housing corporation entitling such veteran to occupy for dwelling purposes a single family residential unit in a development, project, or structure owned or leased by such corporation, in accordance with specified criteria. Extends: (1) various housing loan fees through specified closing periods on, after, or before October 1, 2021; (2) the temporary maximum home loan guaranty amount, as adjusted by the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008, until December 31, 2014; and (3) appropriation authorizations for homeless veterans reintegration programs at existing levels through FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
State and Local Funding Flexibility Act - Amends part A of title IV (Flexibility and Accountability) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to replace the existing program under subpart 2 with a new Funding Flexibility for State and Local Educational Agencies program. Allows states to use funds that they receive under certain ESEA and Education Jobs Fund programs to carry out state activities authorized or required under the following ESEA programs: school improvement programs, under part A of title I; the Reading First program, under subpart 1 of part B of title I; the Education of Migratory Children program, under part C of title I; Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk, under part D of title I; the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program, under part A of title II; the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program, under part B of title II; Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students programs, under title III; the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, under part B of title IV; Innovative programs, under part A of title V; Accountability programs, under subpart 1 of part A of title VI; the Rural and Low-Income School program, under subpart 2 of part B of title VI; and Special Programs and Projects to Improve Educational Opportunities for Indian Children, under subpart 2 of part A of title VII. Allows local educational agencies (LEAs) to use funds that they receive under certain ESEA and Education Jobs Fund programs to carry out local activities authorized or required under the following programs: school improvement programs, under part A of title I; the Reading First program, under subpart 1 of part B of title I; the Education of Migratory Children program, under part C of title I; Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk, under part D of title I; the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program, under part A of title II; the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program, under part B of title II; the English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act program, under part A of title III; the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, under part B of title IV; Innovative programs, under part A of title V; the Rural and Low-Income School program, under subpart 2 of part B of title VI; and Indian Education programs, under part A of title VII of the ESEA; and the Early Intervening Services program, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Prohibits states and LEAs from transferring the funds to such programs if the ESEA requires them to: (1) reserve, allocate, or spend the funds for required activities; (2) provide them to eligible entities; or (3) use them for technical assistance or monitoring.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Makes final, and not subject to judicial review, federal agency decisions to: (1) issue a permit, license, or approval for a highway or public transportation capital project; and (2) prepare supplemental environmental impact statements for projects in cases where the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) considers new information received after the close the comment period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011 - Authorizes an employee to elect for an employer to deduct and withhold upon the payment of his or her wages amounts to be used to reduce the public debt. Disallows an itemized deduction under the Internal Revenue Code for such withholding. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) modify withholding exemption certificates (Form W-4) to include such an election, and (2) include on the certificate a reasonably conspicuous statement that any amounts deducted and withheld from such wages are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Amends the Code to redefine "wages" to exclude any amount deducted and withheld pursuant to an election under this Act for purposes of employment taxes and collection of income taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Prioritize Spending Act of 2011 - Requires amounts necessary for incurred federal obligations, in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit, to be made available to certain obligations, in prioritized order, before all other obligations. Prioritizes such obligations in the following descending order: (1) amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on public debt; (2) amounts determined by the Secretary of Defense (DOD) (and the Secretary of Homeland Security [DHS] in the case of the Coast Guard) to be necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances (without interruption) to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including their reserve components, who perform active service; (3) amounts certified to Congress by the President as necessary to carry out vital national security priorities; (4) amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly old-age, survivors', and disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (SSA); and (5) amounts necessary to make payments under the Medicare program under SSA title XVIII.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2011
Authorizes the American Legion under its federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to the individual Departments and Posts. Prohibits it from controlling or otherwise influencing the specific activities and conduct of independent, autonomous Departments and Posts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2011 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that any enterprise or institution owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its lands is not considered an employer (thus excluding such enterprises or institutions from coverage by such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" as the termination of a pregnancy with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, remove a dead unborn child who died as the result of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauma, or a criminal assault on the pregnant female or her unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011
EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Provides that the following rules shall have no force or effect and shall be treated as though they had never taken effect: (1) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters; (2) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers; (3) the Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units; and (4) Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That are Solid Waste. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in place of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months, or on such later date as may be determined by the Administrator, regulations for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters and commercial and industrial solid waste incinerator units subject to such rules, that: (1) establish maximum achievable control technology standards, performance standards, and other requirements for hazardous air pollutants or solid waste combustion under the Clean Air Act; and (2) identify non-hazardous secondary materials that, when used as fuels or ingredients in combustion units of such boilers, heaters, or incinerator units, are solid waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act for purposes of determining the extent to which such combustion units are required to meet emission standards for such pollutants under such Act. Requires the Administrator to establish compliance dates for such standards and requirements after considering compliance costs, non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements, the feasibility of implementation, the availability of equipment, suppliers, and labor, and potential net employment impacts. Sets forth guidelines for such rules and regulations, including requiring the Administrator to: (1) ensure that emissions standards for existing and new sources can be met under actual operating conditions consistently and concurrently with emission standards for all other air pollutants regulated by the rule for the source category; and (2) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative for each regulation promulgated.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel used as fuel to: (1) allow a $1.00 tax credit for each gallon of biodiesel produced, (2) provide for an increased income tax credit for small biodiesel producers, (3) revise the definitions of "biodiesel" and "small biodiesel producer," (4) treat renewable diesel in the same manner as biodiesel for income tax purposes, and (5) treat biodiesel as a taxable fuel for excise tax purposes. Extends the biodiesel income and excise tax credits through December 31, 2014. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress by June 30, 2015, on tax preferences for the production of fuel and electricity from renewables and fossil fuels and their benefits and costs to the environment and the economy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Ethanol Modernization and Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to advance the termination date of the income and excise tax credits for ethanol from December 31, 2011, to June 30, 2011; (2) extend the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures and the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit; (3) extend the bonus depreciation allowance for cellulosic biofuel plant property; and (4) revise the definition of cellulosic biofuel for purposes of the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit. Exempts the budgetary effects of this Act from PAYGO scorecard requirements under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Debt Elimination By Tax-Deductible Contribution Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate a specified portion (not less than $1) of their income tax liability for deposit in the general fund of the Treasury to reduce the public debt. Allows any such gift to the United States for reduction of the public debt to be treated as a tax deductible charitable contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2011
Utilizing America's Federal Lands for Wind Energy Act - Exempts projects determined by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Forest Service to be meteorological site testing and monitoring projects from environmental impact statement requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Defines a "meteorological site testing and monitoring project" as a project that is carried out on land administered by BLM or the Forest Service to test or monitor weather using towers or other devices, that is decommissioned within five years of its commencement, that provides meteorological information to such agencies, that causes less than one acre of soil or vegetation disruption at the location of each meteorological tower or other device and no more than five acres of soil or disruption within the proposed right-of-way for the project, and that is installed: (1) using existing access roads, (2) in a manner that does not require off-road motorized access other than one installation activity and one decommissioning activity along an identified off-road route approved by the BLM Director or the Chief of the Forest Service, (3) without construction of new roads other than upgrading of existing minor drainage crossings for safety purposes, and (4) without the use of digging or drilling equipment vehicles other than rubber-tired vehicles with gross weight ratings under 8,500 pounds. Requires the BLM Director or Chief of the Forest Service to: (1) decide whether to issue a permit for such a project within 30 days after receiving an application for such permit, and (2) provide to the applicant reasons why an application was denied and an opportunity to remedy any deficiencies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2011
World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011
Government Litigation Savings Act - Revises provisions of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) and the federal judicial code relating to the fees and other expenses of parties in agency proceedings and court cases against the federal government to: (1) restrict awards of fees and other expenses under such Act to prevailing parties with a direct and personal monetary interest in an adjudication, including because of personal injury, property damage, or an unpaid agency disbursement; (2) require the reduction or denial of awards commensurate with pro bono hours and related fees and expenses to parties who have acted in an obdurate, dilatory, mendacious, or oppressive manner or in bad faith; (3) limit awards to not more than $200,000 in any single adversary adjudication or for more than three adversary adjudications in the same calendar year (unless the adjudicating officer or judge determines that a higher award is required to avoid severe and unjust harm to the prevailing party); and (4) expand the reporting requirements of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States with respect to fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties during the preceding fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the implementation of EAJA for the years 1995 through the end of the calendar year in which this Act is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Refundable Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Reform Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers to provide their social security number on their tax return in order to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011
Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011 - Declares that it is U.S. policy to deny Iran the ability to support acts of foreign terrorist organizations and develop unconventional weapons and ballistic missiles. Urges the President to initiate diplomatic efforts to expand the multilateral sanctions regime regarding Iran. Directs the President to initiate an investigation into the imposition of sanctions upon receipt of credible information that a person is engaged in a sanctionable activity under this Act. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions on a person who knowingly: (1) makes specified investments with respect to Iran's ability to develop petroleum resources; (2) sells, leases, or provides to Iran goods, services, technology, information, or support that could facilitate Iran's domestic production of refined petroleum products; (3) sells or provides to Iran refined petroleum products, or provides goods, services, technology, information, or support that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum products; or (4) exports or otherwise facilitated transshipment to Iran of any goods, services, technology, or other items that would contribute to Iran's ability to acquire or develop chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, or acquire or develop destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. Sets forth exceptions to such sanctions for: (1) the procurement of certain defense articles or services; (2) eligible products to designated countries or instrumentalities; (3) products, technology, or services under contracts entered into before the date on which the President publishes in the Federal Register the name of the person on which the sanctions are to be imposed; (4) spare or component parts, or information and technology that are essential to U.S. products or production, and related servicing and maintenance; or (5) medicines, medical supplies, or other humanitarian items. Defines sanctions to include: (1) prohibitions on Export-Import Bank assistance, (2) prohibitions on loans from U.S. financial institutions and other financial services, (3) prohibitions on foreign exchange and other banking transactions, (4) prohibitions on property transactions, and (5) export and procurement sanctions. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary of State to issue, upon request, an advisory opinion with respect to whether a proposed activity would be sanctionable, and (2) a person to rely in good faith on such opinion and proceed without being subject to sanctions. Imposes sanctions under this Act for at least two years. Authorizes the President to terminate sanctions after one year if the sanctioned person is no longer engaging in a sanctionable activity and the President has received reliable assurances that the person will not knowingly engage in such future activity. Authorizes the President to waive imposition of sanctions if in the national security interest of the United States. States that a determination to impose sanctions under this Act shall not be reviewable in any court. Repeals the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. Authorizes the President to provide financial and political assistance to certain foreign and domestic individuals, organizations, and entities that support democracy in Iran. Imposes visa, property, and financial sanctions on persons identified as officials of the government of Iran, security services, or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were complicit in the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Iran or their family members on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran. Directs the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the promotion of Internet freedom and information access in Iran. Imposes specified sanctions on a person that knowingly assisted in the exportation of petroleum, oil, or natural gas produced by the IRGC or its affiliates. Blocks the U.S. property interests of foreign persons or their affiliates that have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of violence threatening the peace or economic stability of Iraq or Afghanistan. Directs the President to develop a National Strategy to Counter Iran. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to require any person owned or controlled by a domestic financial institution to certify that such person is not engaged in corresponding relations or business activity with the IRGC. Requires a report on the Central Bank of Iran's activities to facilitate Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear missile capacities and promote terrorism. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require securities issuers to disclose in their mandatory annual or quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whether they or their affiliates have: (1) engaged in certain activities relating to Iran, terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; (2) knowingly engaged in specified activities, or knowingly violated certain regulations prescribed under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; (3) knowingly conducted any transaction or dealing with a person whose property and interests in property are blocked by certain Executive Orders; or (4) knowingly conducted a transaction or dealing with any person listed in the Iranian Transactions Regulations. Requires the President to: (1) initiate an investigation into the possible imposition of sanctions when the SEC receives a report that an issuer or its affiliate has engaged in the cited activities, and (2) determine whether sanctions should be imposed on the issuer or the affiliate concerned. States that, except to meet U.S. international obligations, the Secretary of State shall deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) shall exclude from U.S. entry, a person who is an agent, official, or a representative of the government of Iran; and (2) presents a threat to the United States or is affiliated with terrorist organizations. Restricts the movement of such persons in the United States. Terminates the provisions of this Act when Iran: (1) has dismantled its efforts to develop or acquire nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons; (2) no longer provides support for acts of international terrorism; and (3) poses no threat to U.S. national security, interests, or allies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011
Amends the Clean Air Act to redefine "renewable biomass" as: (1) materials (including trees, wood, brush, thinnings, and chips) or invasive species from certain National Forest System land and public lands, including slash and other materials, that would not otherwise be used for higher-value manufactured forest products and that are removed to reduce hazardous fuels, to reduce or contain disease or insect infestation, or to restore or maintain ecosystem health or that are removed from a federally approved vegetation management project, and that are harvested in accordance with applicable law and land management plans and specified requirements for old-growth forests; (2) any organic matter, including specified renewable plant material and waste material (including vegetative, animal, food, and yard waste), that is available on a renewable or recurring basis from non-federal land, land belonging to an Indian or Indian tribe that is held in trust by the United States or subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States, or any Indian reservation; and (3) residues or byproducts from wood, pulp, or paper product facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011
Reaffirms support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a democratic Palestinian state living in peace and mutual recognition. States that any Palestinian unity government must forswear terrorism, accept Israel's right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel. Opposes any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians. Urges Palestinian leaders to cease efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including through a unilateral declaration of statehood or by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations or the United Nations (U.N.). Supports the Administration's opposition to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. Affirms that Palestinian efforts to circumvent direct negotiations will harm U.S.-Palestinian relations and will have implications for U.S. assistance programs for the Palestinians and the Palestinians Authority (PA). Reaffirms the U.S. statutory requirement precluding assistance to a PA that includes Hamas unless that PA and all its ministers accept Israel's right to exist and all prior agreements and understandings with the United States and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2011 - Prohibits a state or local jurisdiction from imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on or with respect to the sale or use of digital goods or services delivered or transferred electronically to a customer. Excludes from the definition of "digital service" telecommunications service, Internet access service, or audio or video programming service. Restricts taxation of digital goods and services to the retail sale of such goods and services and by the jurisdiction encompassing a customer's tax address. Prohibits the use of existing regulations or administrative rulings relating to the taxation of tangible personal property or other services to impose any tax on the sale or use of digital goods or services. Grants jurisdiction to federal district courts to prevent a violation of this Act, without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties. Expresses the sense of Congress that each state shall take reasonable steps to prevent multiple taxation of digital goods and services where a foreign country has imposed a tax on such goods and services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
One Percent Spending Reduction Act of 2011 - Amends the Balance Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to establish the aggregate projected outlay (outlay cap) (less net interest payments) for FY2012 at $3.382 billion, less 1%. Reduces each outlay cap for FY2013-FY2017 by 1% of the previous fiscal year's outlay cap. Requires the outlay cap for FY2018 and each subsequent fiscal year to be 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for that fiscal year as estimated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prohibits the outlay caps from being less than those for the preceding fiscal year for FY2019 and any ensuing fiscal year. Requires a sequestration by OMB within 45 days after the beginning of a fiscal year to eliminate any excess outlay amount. Prescribes requirements for Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and OMB sequestration preview reports and an OMB final sequestration report, accompanied by a presidential order detailing uniform spending reductions equal to the excess outlay amount. Requires the House and the Senate budget committees to report a resolution directing the committees of their respective chambers to change existing law to achieve the spending reductions outlined in the OMB August 20 report to meet the outlay limits, if a sequestration is projected. States that if, after November 15, a bill resulting in outlays for the current fiscal year is enacted that causes excess outlays, the excess outlays for the next fiscal year shall be increased by the amount or amounts of that breach. Repeals provisions of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act terminating Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) enforcement mechanisms under such Act. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that includes any provision that would cause the most recently reported, current outlay limits in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to be exceeded. Prescribes procedures for waiver or suspension of this rule.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Stolen Valor Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject an individual who, with intent to obtain anything of value, knowingly makes a misrepresentiation regarding his or her military service to: (1) a fine, one year's imprisonment, or both if the misrepresentation is that such individual served in a combat zone or in a special operations force or was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; and (2) a fine, six months' imprisonment, or both, in any other case. Provides that: (1) this Act shall not apply to a misrepresentation that an individual did not serve in the Armed Forces, and (2) it is a defense to prosecution that the thing of value is de minimis.
![Official portrait of Rep. Noem, Kristi L. [R-SD-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/n000184_200.jpg)