United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2012
Reinforcing Existing Permit Sanctions On Leases Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any lease for federal lands (including submerged lands) to: (1) any person who has violated the Trading with the Enemy Act, (2) any person who conducts business with a state sponsor of terrorism, or (3) any person at least 5% of which is owned or controlled by at least one person who conducts business with a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2012
State Waters Partnership Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) should take into account the effect of numeric nutrient criteria for nitrogen or phosphorus developed to meet the water quality requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) on the economy, job creation, consumers, municipalities, agriculture, small business, and other affected sectors; and (2) should not promulgate or enforce any nutrient criteria that would result in a negative economic impact of at least 15% on any such sector. Prohibits the Administrator from proposing, promulgating, or enforcing numeric nutrient criteria for streams, lakes, springs, canals, estuaries, or marine waters of Florida until the Administrator makes a final determination in accordance with such Act regarding the Florida amended rule approved for adoption by the Environmental Regulation Commission on December 8, 2011. Provides that if the Administrator determines that such rule meets the requirements of such Act: (1) the Administrator shall withdraw specified regulations concerning site-specific alternative criteria; and (2) the Administrator shall be prohibited from proposing or promulgating numeric nutrient criteria for streams, lakes, springs, canals, estuaries, or marine waters of Florida based on EPA's January 14, 2009, determination regarding numeric nutrient criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2012
Mourns the loss of Vaclav Havel and offers condolences to the Havel family and the people of the Czech Republic. Recognizes Vaclav Havel's: (1) courage and commitment to democratic values in the face of communist repression, (2) historical legacy in defeating communism and building a democratic Europe, and (3) solidarity with democratic dissidents throughout the world and support for the expansion of freedom. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the causes of freedom, democracy, and human rights for which Vaclav Havel stood.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
Adjusted Residency for Military Service Act or the ARMS Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional nonimmigrant status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her 16th birthday and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding this Act's enactment; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; (5) has not been convicted of certain offenses under federal or state law; (6) has been admitted to an institution of higher education or has earned a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States; (7) has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal unless the alien has remained in the United States under color of law after such order's issuance, or received the order before attaining the age of 16; and (8) was under age 30 on the date of this Act's enactment. Authorizes the Secretary to waive specified grounds of inadmissibility or deportability for humanitarian, family unity, or public interest purposes. Provides for a $525 application surcharge (in addition to other applicable application fees). Requires an alien to apply for cancellation of removal and conditional nonimmigrant status within one year after the later of: (1) earning a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States, or (2) the effective date of related interim regulations. Requires prior to cancellation of removal or granting of conditional nonimmigrant status: (1) an alien to submit biometric and biographic data, and (2) completion of security and law enforcement background checks. Requires an alien applying for relief to: (1) register under the Military Selective Service Act if so required, and (2) undergo a medical examination. Prohibits the Secretary from removing an alien with a pending application who establishes prima facie eligibility for cancellation of removal and conditional nonimmigrant status. Establishes an initial five-year period of conditional nonimmigrant status which shall include employment and military enlistment authorization. Terminates such status if the alien: (1) fails to be accepted for enlistment within nine months of receiving conditional nonimmigrant status; (2) becomes a public charge; (3) receives a dishonorable or other than honorable military discharge; or (4) ceases to be a person of good moral character, becomes inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds, has participated in racial, religious, social, or political persecution, or has been convicted of certain federal or state offenses. Extends such conditional status for an additional five-year period if the alien: (1) has demonstrated good moral character; (2) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds, has not participated in racial, religious, social, or political persecution, and has not been convicted of certain federal or state offenses; (3) has not abandoned U.S. residency; and (4) has served as a member of a regular or reserve component of the Armed Forces on active duty for at least two years or as a member of a reserve component in active status for at least four years, and, if discharged, received an honorable discharge. Provides for a $2,000 extension application surcharge (in addition to other applicable application fees). Authorizes a conditional nonimmigrant to file an application to adjust his or her status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Requires such application to be filed during the period beginning on the date of extension and ending on either the date that is 10 years after the date of the granting of initial conditional nonimmigrant status or any other expiration date as extended by the Secretary. Requires such application to show that the alien: (1) has demonstrated good moral character; (2) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds, has not participated in racial, religious, social, or political persecution, and has not been convicted of certain federal or state offenses; (3) has not abandoned U.S. residency; and (4) if granted a hardship exception with respect to extension of conditional status, has subsequently complied with the appropriate requirements. Requires an alien, prior to adjusting from conditional to permanent resident status, to: (1) satisfy citizenship and federal tax requirements, (2) submit biometric and biographic data, and (3) have had security and law enforcement background checks completed. Authorizes an alien who adjusts to permanent resident status (and meets other specified requirements) to apply after three years in such status for naturalization. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to cancel removal and grant conditional nonimmigrant status to an alien who has satisfied the conditional status requirements prior to enactment of this Act, and (2) an alien who has met the appropriate requirements during the entire period of conditional nonimmigrant status to apply for permanent resident status. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) jurisdiction of the Secretary and the Attorney General (DOJ), (2) penalties for false application statements, (3) confidentiality of information, (4) military enlistment, and (5) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2012
Affirms that it is U.S. policy to support the Republic of Georgia's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as regions of Georgia illegally occupied by the Russian Federation. Calls on: (1) the Russian Federation to end the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and (2) the Russian Federation, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Nauru to reverse their recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent. Supports: (1) strengthened U.S. engagements with Georgia aimed at helping Georgia enhance its security and to restore its territorial integrity through exclusively peaceful means, (2) implementation of the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, and (3) Georgia's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership aspirations. Encourages Georgia to continue strengthening its democracy. Affirms that a peaceful resolution to this conflict is a U.S. priority in the Caucasus region.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2012
District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion within the District of Columbia except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater. Makes an exception where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions or any claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct intended to result in her death. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such exception only in the manner which provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless termination of the pregnancy in that manner would pose a greater risk of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman than would other available methods. Prescribes penalties for violations. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act, but authorizes such a woman or the father or maternal grandparent of the unborn child to obtain appropriate relief through a civil action. Provides for injunctive relief to prevent violations. Sets forth specified privacy protections in court proceedings for the woman upon whom an abortion has been performed. Requires any physician who performs an abortion within the District to report it to the Department of Health of the District of Columbia, which shall issue annual public reports.
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 · 18 January 2012
Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to use all elements of national power to counter Iran's growing presence and hostile activity in the Western Hemisphere. Directs the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a strategy to address Iran's growing presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere.
United States · United States Congress · 23 December 2011
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of two gold medals to the First Special Service Force (a joint American-Canadian unit), collectively, in recognition of their World War II service. Directs one such gold medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution and the other to the First Special Service Force Association in Helena, Montana. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates with proceeds deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund. Declares that medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of specified coins and currency provisions.
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 · 20 December 2011
Welcomes: (1) the historic meeting between Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I; and (2) the positive gestures by the government of Turkey towards the Ecumenical Patriarch, including allowing the liturgical celebration by the Ecumenical Patriarch at the historic Sumela Monastery and returning the former Greek Orphanage on Buyukada Island to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Urges the government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School of Halki and to address other longstanding concerns relating to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2011
Medicare Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase criminal penalties for both felony and misdemeanor fraud under SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid). Adds a new offense of distribution of two or more Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary identification numbers or billing privileges with the intent to defraud. Applies civil monetary penalties to: (1) conspiracy to make false statements or commit other specified offenses with respect to Medicare or Medicaid claims; and (2) knowing creation or use of false records or statements with respect to the transmission of money or property to a federal health care program. Extends the statute of limitations from six to 10 years after presentation of a claim. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare), as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to revise screening requirements. Amends SSA title XI, as amended by PPACA, to require the access to claims and payment data granted to Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General to include access to real time claims and payment data. Requires the HHS Inspector General to implement mechanisms for the sharing of information about suspected fraud relating to the federal health care programs under Medicare, Medicaid, and SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP) with other appropriate law enforcement officials. Directs the HHS Secretary to carry out a five-year pilot program that implements biometric technology to ensure that individuals entitled to benefits under Medicare part A or enrolled under Medicare part B are physically present at the time and place of receipt of certain items and services for which payment may be made.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2011
Equitable Treatment for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act - Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to: (1) determine the validity and amount of plaintiff claims for loss of wages and other property in the case Bruce D. Abbott et al. v. Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , (2) publish notice in the Federal Register of the time within which such claims may be filed, and (3) consider such claims as soon as practicable after filing. Requires such claims to be paid from the appropriate Treasury fund before any corporate claims are paid from such fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Down Payment to Protect National Security Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine the number of full-time employees employed in each federal agency. Prohibits a federal agency head from hiring more than 1 employee for every 3 full-time employees who leave employment in such agency until the OMB Director makes a determination that the number of full-time federal employees is 10% less than the initial level as determined by OMB. Allows a waiver of such workforce limitation by the President for national security reasons or in the case of an extraordinary emergency. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, to offset mandatory sequestration in security and nonsecurity categories in FY2013 with revenues resulting from reductions in the federal workforce under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2011
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 401 Old Dixie Highway in Jupiter, Florida, as the "Roy Schallern Rood Post Office Building."
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 · 7 December 2011
Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prepare for each major bill or resolution reported by any congressional committee (except the congressional appropriations committees), as a supplement to CBO cost estimates, a macroeconomic impact analysis of the costs of such legislation for: (1) the period for which the cost estimate is prepared, and (2) the 10-fiscal year period beginning with the first fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such estimate was prepared and each of the 2 next 10-fiscal year periods. Defines "major bill or resolution" as any bill or resolution whose budgetary effects, for any fiscal year in the period for which a CBO cost estimate is prepared, is estimated to be greater than .25% of the current projected U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for that fiscal year. Requires the analysis to describe: (1) the potential economic impact of the bill or resolution on major economic variables, including real GDP, business investment, the capital stock, employment, and labor supply; and (2) the potential fiscal effects of the measure, including any estimates of revenue increases or decreases resulting from changes in GDP.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) limit to one year or such period of time as appropriate the period of validity of a passport issued to a sex offender, and (2) revoke the passport or passport card of an individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) to rename the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking as the Office to Monitor and Combat Modern Slavery and Other Forms of Human Trafficking. Replaces the head of the Office (currently, a Director) with an Ambassador-at-Large for Combating Human Trafficking. Authorizes the Ambassador to provide assistance on an urgent basis for vulnerable populations at risk of severe forms of trafficking in persons in conjunction with post-conflict situations and humanitarian emergencies. Includes public-private partnerships to generate youth employment opportunities among the international initiatives to enhance economic opportunity for potential victims of trafficking that the President shall carry out as a method to deter trafficking. Authorizes the President to give priority to specified categories of persons who are potential trafficking victims, such as stateless persons. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Wilberforce Act) to extend an authorized fee increase for certain consular services through September 30, 2015. Amends the TVPA to direct the head of the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs to carry out specified additional activities to monitor and combat forced labor and child labor in the United States as well as foreign countries, including to develop and make available to the public and Congress a list of goods from the United States that the Bureau has reason to believe are produced by forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards Business Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act - Requires the Ambassador to encourage any publicly-traded or private entity wherever located, carrying out business operations in the United States, and having annual worldwide global receipts exceeding $100 million, to disclose annually on its website and to the Secretary any measures it has taken during the year to identify and address conditions of forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labor within its supply chains. Amends the federal criminal code to expand the scope of the prohibition against foreign travel and engagement in illicit sexual conduct by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien to include travel affecting foreign commerce even if an individual is residing temporarily or permanently in a foreign jurisdiction. Declares that it is not a defense that a defendant is not criminally liable or is subject to reduced criminal liability due to the de jure or de facto acceptance of the illicit conduct in the foreign jurisdiction in which the defendant travels or resides. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the measures taken by the government of Cambodia are insufficient in addressing the scope of Cambodia's human trafficking problem, and (2) Cambodia should be designated as a Tier 3 country. Amends the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 to prohibit peacekeeping operations assistance to governments of countries that recruit and use child soldiers. Revises requirements for the national interest waiver of such prohibition. Directs the Senior Policy Operating Group to report to Congress by January 1, 2013, on Internet-facilitated human trafficking. Amends the TVPA to eliminate the Secretary of Health and Human Services' (HHS) membership on the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. Transfers the HHS Secretary's duties to the Attorney General with respect to: (1) expanding benefits and services to victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons in the United States, and nonimmigrants, without regard to their immigration status; and (2) assisting U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens who are victims of severe forms of trafficking. Transfers the HHS Secretary's duty to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) with respect to providing training to state and local officials to improve identification and protection of victims of severe forms of trafficking, including juvenile victims. Makes the Director of the Peace Corps a member of the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. Sets forth reporting requirements regarding the activities of: (1) U.S. government contractors and subcontractors and establishes a zero tolerance policy for their trafficking in persons, and (2) Bureau of Justice Assistance grant assistance for human trafficking task forces and information about trafficking victims. Extends the authority of the DHS Secretary to permit an alien to remain in the United States to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for a severe form of trafficking. Allows the Secretary to permit the alien to remain even if the alien may be a victim of such trafficking (currently, only if the alien is such a victim). Requires a federal law enforcement official to respond to a request for continued presence in the United States within 15 days, and the Secretary to approve or deny the application for continued presence within 1 month. Prohibits knowingly destroying or concealing or confiscating for more than 48 hours the passport or other immigration or personal identification document of an individual: (1) in the course of violating, or with intent to violate, the prohibition against bringing in and harboring certain aliens; or (2) in order, without lawful authority, to maintain, prevent, or restrict the labor or services of the individual. Makes fraud in foreign labor contracting a predicate offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Amends the Wilberforce Act to: (1) provide that, to the extent feasible, unaccompanied alien children from countries that are contiguous with the United States should be housed and screened by an immigration officer with expertise in child welfare in separate child-friendly facilities conducive to disclosing information related to human trafficking or exploitation; and (2) require each federal agency to notify the HHS Secretary within 24 (currently 48) hours regarding the apprehension or discovery of an unaccompanied alien child or regarding any claim or suspicion that an alien in custody is under age 18. Amends Social Security Act provisions regarding federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to require state plans for such assistance, by January 1, 2013, to describe state child welfare existing practice and future plans regarding prevention measures and victim assistance related to the human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of foreign, U.S. citizen, and legal resident children. Directs the Attorney General to consult with the HHS Secretary to distribute information to enable grantees under the TVPA to publicize the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on their websites. Authorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2013 for the TVPA and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. Prohibits an organization, including a faith-based organization, that is otherwise eligible to receive assistance under any specified federal laws from being: (1) required, as a condition of receiving such assistance, to endorse, utilize, provide, make a referral to, become integrated with, or otherwise participate in any program, project, or activity to which the organization has a religious or moral objection; or (2) discriminated against in the solicitation or issuance of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or other federal funding under such laws for refusing to meet any such requirements. Grants jurisdiction to U.S. courts to prevent and redress actual or threatened violations of such prohibition by issuing any form of legal or equitable relief.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2011
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act - Amends the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 to require such stamp to be: (1) made available to the public for an additional four years; and (2) offered in a a choice of five versions depicting an African or Asian elephant, a rhinoceros, a tiger, a marine turtle, or a great ape.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2011
Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act - Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 to require a federal financial institutions regulatory agency to make a final examination report to a financial institution within 60 days of the later of: (1) the exit interview for an examination of the institution, or (2) the provision of additional information by the institution relating to the examination. Sets a deadline for the exit interview if a financial institution is not subject to a resident examiner program. Sets forth examination standards for financial institutions. Prohibits federal financial institutions regulatory agencies from requiring a well capitalized financial institution to raise additional capital in lieu of an action prohibited by the examination standards. Establishes in the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council an Office of Examination Ombudsman. Grants a financial institution the right to appeal a material supervisory determination contained in a final report of examination. Requires the Ombudsman to determine the merits of the appeal on the record, after an opportunity for a hearing before an independent administrative law judge. Declares the decision by the Ombudsman on an appeal to: (1) be the final agency action, and (2) bind the agency whose supervisory determination was the subject of the appeal and the financial institution making the appeal. Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require: (1) the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an independent intra-agency appellate process in connection with the regulatory appeals process; and (2) appropriate safeguards to protect an insured depository institution or insured credit union from retaliation by the CFPB, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board, or any other federal banking agency for exercising its rights.
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 · 10 November 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Navy should provide an appropriate site at the former Navy Dive School at the Washington Navy Yard (District of Columbia) for a memorial to honor members of the Armed Forces who have served as divers and whose service in defense of the United States has been carried out beneath the waters of the world.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2011
Foreign Oil Spill Liability Act of 2011 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to make the owner or operator of a facility liable for removal costs and specified damages that result from a discharge, or substantial threat of discharge, of oil from a foreign offshore unit that reaches or threatens to reach the navigable waters or adjoining shorelines of the exclusive economic zone. Treats such owners or operators as a responsible party with respect to the incident for the purposes of such Act in the same manner as a responsible party for an offshore facility. Requires the current liability limit to be multiplied by three when applied to a foreign offshore unit that is involved in such incident and is located in the territorial sea or on the continental shelf of a foreign country that is a state sponsor of terrorism. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) prohibit the discharge of oil from a foreign offshore unit that reaches the navigable waters of the United States, adjoining shorelines, or waters of the contiguous zone; and (2) subject the owner or operator of the unit to penalties under such Act; and (3) require maximum penalties under such Act to be multiplied by three when applied with respect to such unit located in the territorial sea or on the continental shelf of a foreign country that is a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2011
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2810 East Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, Florida, as the "Reverend Abe Brown Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2011
Congratulates H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and the Honorable Ben Gilman on receiving the 2010 World Peace Prize and for their humanitarian contributions to our society.
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 · 12 October 2011
Honors Reverend Fred Lee Shuttlesworth (established the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, helped organize the march from Selma to Montgomery to protest voting discrimination in Alabama, and worked with the Congress of Racial Equality to organize the Freedom Rides) for his efforts in the fight against segregation and commitment to the civil rights of all people.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. Recognizes that every child in foster care deserves a permanent and loving family.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2011 - Establishes the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be available for expenditures to the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas solely for: (1) coastal restoration projects and activities; (2) mitigation of damage to, and restoration of, fish, wildlife, or natural resources; (3) implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan; (4) programs to promote tourism, the consumption of seafood produced from the Gulf Coast region, and education regarding the natural resources of such region; (5) planning assistance and administrative costs; (6) workforce development, job creation, and other economic development projects ; (7) improvements to state parks in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; (8) mitigation of the ecological and economic impact of outer Continental Shelf activities and the impacts of such oil spill or promotion of the long-term ecological or economic recovery of the Gulf Coast region through the funding of infrastructure projects; and (9) coastal flood protection and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetland losses, beach erosion, or the impacts of such oil spill. Requires the Secretary to deposit in the Fund 80% of all administrative and civil penalties paid after this Act's enactment, pursuant to a court order, negotiated settlement, or other instrument in accordance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act), in connection with the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon. Amends the Clean Water Act to require 35% of amounts made available from the Fund in any fiscal year to be available to the Gulf Coast states in equal shares for ecological and economic restoration of the Gulf Coast ecosystem. Authorizes a governor of a Gulf Coast state, in awarding contracts for such a project or program, to give a preference to individuals and companies that reside in, are headquartered in, or are principally engaged in business in, a Gulf Coast state. Establishes the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to: (1) publish a Comprehensive Plan for, and to undertake, projects and programs to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region; (2) update such Plan every five years; (3) coordinate the development of consistent policies, strategies, plans, and activities addressing the restoration and protection of the Gulf Coast region and associated research; and (4) prepare an integrated financial plan and recommendations for coordinated budget requests for the amounts proposed to be expended by the federal agencies represented on the Council for projects and programs in the Gulf Coast states. Requires 60% of the total amount made available from the Fund to be disbursed to the Council to carry out the Plan and oil spill restoration projects, programs, and activities that will improve the ecosystems or economy of the Gulf Coast region. Establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology Program, under which the NOAA Administrator shall provide grants to establish and operate a center of excellence in each of the Gulf Coast states. Requires each center to focus its curriculum on science, technology, and monitoring in at least one of the following: (1) coastal and deltaic sustainability, restoration and protection; (2) coastal fisheries and wildlife ecosystem research and monitoring; (3) offshore energy development; (4) sustainable and resilient growth and economic and commercial development; and (5) comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping of the Gulf. Allocates 5% of Fund amounts to such Program. Establishes the Gulf of Mexico Research Endowment to be administered by the Secretary of Commerce for use in providing long-term funding for such Program. Prohibits the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund from being used: (1) for any existing or planned research headed by the NOAA, unless as agreed to in writing by the grant recipient entity; (2) to implement existing regulations or to initiate new regulations promulgated or proposed by NOAA; or (3) to develop or approve a new limited access privilege program (as defined under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act) for any fishery under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, New England, or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils. Requires: (1) the Council to establish a fishery and ecosystem endowment to ensure the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem, fish stocks, the fish habitat, and the recreational, commercial, and charter fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico; and (2) NOAA to administer such endowment. Prohibits funds made available under this Act from being used for federal land acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2011
Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to discontinue issuing to any new profit or non-profit or governmental entity special wage certificates (which permit individuals with disabilities, including individuals employed in agriculture, to be paid at lower than minimum wages). Prescribes requirements for a three-year phase-out of all certificates. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to repeal authority and requirements for the issuance of such certificates three years after enactment of this Act. Requires revocation of any certificates remaining at that time.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2011
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend through FY2012 the eligibility period for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act for certain aliens and victims of trafficking. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a diversity immigrant VISA petition fee of $30, which shall be deposited directly in the general fund of the Treasury. Applies such fees only to petitions filed before October 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Disaster Loan Fairness Act of 2011 - Requires that, when the President declares a major disaster, the interest rates for any loan programs or guarantees under the Small Business Act or Small Business Investment Act of 1958, including home disaster loans, business physical disaster loans, and economic injury disaster loans, shall be 1% for eligible applicants in the declared disaster area, with or without other available credit. Makes such rates applicable for the duration of all loans and guarantees made while the declaration is in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Condemns China's imprisonment, torture, and execution of its prisoners of conscience. Calls upon China to: (1) cease harassment and discrimination against all unregistered religious organizations and individual practitioners, (2) release its prisoners of conscience, (3) release information about the number of detained prisoners of conscience and the extent of organ harvesting among such prisoners, and (4) allow the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom or international humanitarian organizations access to current and former prisoners of conscience. Expresses sympathy to the families of prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned, tortured, and murdered by the Chinese government. Urges the Administration to raise the issue of the prisoners of conscience in diplomatic meetings with China. Supports the Tuidang movement.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
National Wildlife Refuge Review Act of 2011- Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from establishing any new national wildlife refuges, except as expressly authorized by a law enacted after September 30, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2011
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2011 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Benefits) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend the months of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant patients. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to make eligible for enrollment in Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), solely for the purpose of such drug coverage, every individual whose insurance benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) have ended by reason of a kidney transplant or the end of any requirement for a regular course of dialysis. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine a monthly premium rate for such individuals equal to 35% of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over. Prescribes a formula for detemination of a government contribution to such a premium.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction that is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition. Increases the cap on the amount of appropriations that may be used to carry out such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2011
Foreign Service Line of Duty Death Gratuity Act of 2011 - Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to provide increased group life insurance benefits for a Foreign Service or government executive branch employee killed in a location designated as a danger pay post. Directs the Secretary of State to provide a specified death gratuity payment to the surviving dependents of a Foreign Service or a government executive branch employee serving at a U.S. diplomatic or consular mission abroad without a regular salary who was killed in the August 7, 1998, bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Authorizes appropriations for such payments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2011
Amends the Cuban Adjustment Act to make an alien who returns to Cuba after admission or parole into the United States ineligible for such status adjustment. Rescinds such adjusted status in the case of an alien who returns to Cuba before being granted U.S. citizenship, and subjects the alien to all the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to the same extent as if the status adjustment had not been made.
United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2011
United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act of 2011 - Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations (U.N.) on a wide variety of issues, including to shift the funding mechanism for the regular budget of the U.N. from an assessed to a voluntary basis. Withholds up to 50% of nonvoluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the U.N. unless the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that 80% of the total regular budget of the U.N. is apportioned on a voluntary basis. Requires the annual congressional budget justification to include a detailed itemized request in support of the U.S. contribution of the regular budget of the U.N. Sets forth requirements for the Comptroller General with respect to audits and investigations of U.S. contributions to the U.N. and such contributions' use by U.N. entities. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of a U.S. contribution to any U.N. entity unless the entity has provided the Comptroller General with a transparency certification and is in compliance with such certification. Prohibits making funds available: (1) to international organizations for any purpose other than an assessed U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; (2) to international organizations and programs for any purpose other than a voluntary U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; and (3) for international peacekeeping activities for any purpose other than a U.S. contribution to U.N. peacekeeping activities, to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), or to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Directs the Secretary to withhold from the regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount of U.S. overpayments to the U.N. States that is U.S. policy to oppose any proposals on expansion of the Security Council that would: (1) diminish U.S. influence on the Security Council, or (2) include veto rights for new Security Council members. Directs the Secretary to withhold U.S. contributions from any U.N. entity that recognizes a Palestinian state or upgrades the status of the Palestinian observer mission at the U.N., the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority (PA), or any other Palestinian administrative organization or governing entity prior to the achievement of a final peace agreement with Israel. Provides that until the Secretary makes a specified certification to Congress: (1) the Secretary shall withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), (2) the Secretary shall not make a voluntary contribution to UNHRC, and (3) the United States shall not run for a UNHRC seat. Directs the Secretary to withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for: (1) the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; and (2) any other U.N. Special Procedures used to display bias against the United States or Israel or to provide support for any member state which is subject to Security Council sanctions, under a Security Council-mandated human rights investigation, has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, or is a country of particular concern for religious freedom. States that it is U.S. policy to oppose any legitimization of the Goldstone Report and to lead a diplomatic campaign supporting its revocation. Prohibits funds from being used for U.S. participation in the Durban III meeting or any part of the Durban process. Withholds U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or to any successor or related entity unless the Secretary makes specified certifications to Congress. Prohibits any U.S. contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from being used to support Technical Cooperation program assistance to any country, including North Korea, that: (1) has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism; or (2) is in breach of, or under investigation for breach of, obligations regarding its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or any relevant Security Council resolution. Directs the Secretary to withhold from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the IAEA an amount proportional to that spent by the IAEA in 2007-2008 on Technical Cooperation program assistance to such countries. Sets forth U.S. policy regarding reform of U.N. peacekeeping operations. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the U.N. to oppose the creation of new, or expansion of existing, U.N. peacekeeping operations until the Secretary certifies to Congress that specified peacekeeping reforms have been adopted by the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations or the General Assembly.
United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2011
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) limit to one year or such period of time as appropriate the period of validity of a passport issued to a sex offender, and (2) revoke the passport or passport card of an individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) to rename the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking as the Office to Monitor and Combat Modern Slavery and Other Forms of Human Trafficking. Authorizes the Office's Director to provide assistance on an urgent basis for vulnerable populations at risk of severe forms of trafficking in persons in conjunction with post-conflict situations and humanitarian emergencies. Includes public-private partnerships to generate youth employment opportunities among the international initiatives to enhance economic opportunity for potential victims of trafficking that the President shall carry out as a method to deter trafficking. Authorizes the President to give priority to specified categories of persons who are potential trafficking victims, such as stateless persons. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Wilberforce Act) to terminate an authorized fee increase for certain consular services on September 30, 2013. Directs the head of the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs to identify: (1) goods produced with forced labor or child labor, and (2) persons or businesses that produce goods with inputs from forced labor or child labor. Includes the United States among countries with respect to which the Bureau shall carry out activities to monitor and combat forced labor or child labor. Requires the list of goods the Bureau has reason to believe are produced by forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards to: (1) identify persons or businesses that produce such goods; and (2) be made available to the public and Congress by April 1, 2012, and updated at least every two years. Amends the federal criminal code to expand the scope of the prohibition against a U.S. citizen or alien admitted for permanent residence travelling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct to include such individuals engaging in travel affecting foreign commerce and to apply even if such an individual is residing temporarily or permanently in a foreign jurisdiction. Provides that it is not a defense that a defendant is not criminally liable or is subject to reduced criminal liability due to the de jure or de facto acceptance of the illicit conduct in the foreign jurisdiction in which the defendant travels or resides. Amends the TVPA to include the Director of the Peace Corps as a member of the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. Sets forth reporting requirements regarding the activities of: (1) U.S. government contractors and subcontractors and establishes a zero tolerance policy for their trafficking in persons, and (2) Bureau of Justice Assistance grant assistance for human trafficking task forces and information about trafficking victims. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to designate a Director of Anti-Trafficking Policies. Amends the TVPA to provide benefits and services for non-immigrants who are victims of criminal trafficking. Authorizes the Secretary to permit an alien to remain in the United States, if a federal law enforcement official files an application stating that an alien may be a victim of a severe form of trafficking and may be a potential witness to such trafficking, to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for such crime. Requires such official to respond to a request for continued presence in the United States within 15 days and to approve or deny the application for continued presence within 1 month. Directs the Secretary of State to include in specified required reports a description of U.S. efforts to comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Prohibits knowingly destroying or concealing or confiscating for more than 48 hours the passport or other immigration or personal identification document of an individual: (1) in violation of specified provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or (2) in order to, without lawful authority, maintain, prevent, or restrict the labor or services of the individual. Makes fraud in foreign labor contracting a predicate offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit the adjustment of status of a nonimmigrant to that of a person admitted for permanent residence if the activities rendering the alien inadmissible were caused by, or incident to, victimization under provisions regarding victims of trafficking in persons. Amends the Wilberforce Act to: (1) provide that, to the extent feasible, unaccompanied alien children from countries that are contiguous with the United States should be housed and screened by an immigration officer with expertise in child welfare in separate child-friendly facilities conducive to disclosing information related to human trafficking or exploitation; and (2) require each federal agency to notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within 24 (currently 48) hours regarding the apprehension or discovery of an unaccompanied alien child or regarding any claim or suspicion that an alien in custody is under age 18. Amends Social Security Act provisions regarding federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to require state plans for such assistance, by January 1, 2013, to describe state child welfare existing practice and future plans regarding prevention measures and victim assistance related to the human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of foreign, U.S. citizen, and legal resident children. Directs the Attorney General to consult with the HHS Secretary to distribute information to enable grantees under the TVPA to publicize the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on their websites. Requires any person who engages in foreign labor contracting activity to ascertain and disclose in writing in English and in the language of the worker being recruited specified information, including the identity of the employer and the recruiter and a signed copy of the work contract. Prohibits certain recruitment fees. Requires the Secretary to maintain a list of all foreign labor contractors registered. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a process for the receipt, investigation, and disposition of complaints. Authorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2015 for the TVPA and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 19 August 2011
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Miami-Dade County, Florida, federally owned land comprising the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Directs the County to pay specified costs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 2011
Revises the membership eligibility requirements of the federal charter for the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. Redefines "mother" to mean a woman who filled the role of birth mother. Adds, in addition to adoptive mother and stepmother (as in the current charter), foster-mother, grandmother, or legal guardian of a person who is serving in the Armed Forces or has served in, or has been honorably discharged from it (as in the current charter). Repeals the limitation to service in World War II or the Korean hostilities of the Armed Forces service of the eligible mother's son or daughter. Allows the eligible mother to be a U.S. citizen living outside the United States. (Currently the charter limits membership to eligible mothers living in the United States.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2011
Amends the Budget Control Act of 2011 to require each meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (except any discussing classified information) to be made open to the public and available for television coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based live bidding methods. Directs the Secretary to analyze the first 10 such lease sales, including estimates of: (1) increases or decreases in such lease sales, compared to sales conducted by oral bidding; and (2) the total cost or savings to the Department of the Interior as a result of such sales, compared to sales conducted by oral bidding.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Saving Fishing Jobs Act of 2011 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, with respect to multispecies fishing permits in the Gulf of Mexico, to remove a provision limiting the eligible signers (a group of fishermen constituting more than 50% of the permit holders, or holding more than 50% of the allocation in the fishery) of a petition to the Secretary of Commerce requesting that the relevant Regional Fishery Management Council or Councils be authorized to initiate the development of a limited access privilege program to only those participants who have substantially fished the species proposed to be included in the program. Sets forth procedures for: (1) certifying a fishery management plan (or amendment) requested by a percentage of eligible fisherman to establish a limited access privilege program to harvest in fisheries under the authority of the New England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; (2) terminating such a program established after enactment of this Act for a fishery under the authority of such Councils on the first date the number of eligible fishermen in the fishery in a year is at least 15% less than in the year preceding the program's establishment; and (3) collecting fees, including observer costs, pursuant to modified fee-setting requirements for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Increases to five years the period during which a Cuban national must be physically present in the United States in order to adjust to permanent resident status. Makes an alien who returns to Cuba after admission or parole into the United States ineligible for such status adjustment. Rescinds such adjusted status in the case of an alien who returns to Cuba before being granted U.S. citizenship and subjects the alien to all the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to the same extent as if the status adjustment had not been made.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend through FY2013 the special rule relating to eligibility for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act for certain aliens and victims of trafficking.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rivera, David [R-FL-25]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000590_200.jpg)