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United States · Official source
4,339 records where Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R-FL-27] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
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 · 9 December 2011
Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 - Title I: Job Creation Incentives - North American Energy Security Act - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State, to grant a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project application filed on September 19, 2008. Waives such requirement if the President determines that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest. Requires the President, in that case, to report to certain congressional committees and officials a justification for his determination, including consideration of economic, employment, energy security, foreign policy, trade, and environmental factors. Declares that a permit for such pipeline shall take effect by operation of law if after 60 days following enactment of this Act the President fails to: (1) determine that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest, or (2) grant the permit. 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 and finalize on the date that is 15 months after enactment of this Act 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 a date for compliance with standards and requirements under such regulations, which shall be no earlier than five years after such a regulation's effective date, 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. Treats the date on which the Administrator proposes such a regulation establishing an emission standard as the proposal date for purposes of applying the definition of a "new source" to hazardous air pollutants requirements or of a "new solid waste incineration unit" to solid waste combustion requirements under the Clean Air Act. Requires the Administrator, in promulgating such regulations, to: (1) adopt the definitions of "commercial and industrial solid waste incineration unit," "commercial and industrial waste," and "contained gaseous material" in the rule entitled "Standards for Performance of New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units"; (2) identify non-hazardous secondary material to be solid waste only if the material meets such a definition; (3) 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, taking into account variability in actual source performance, source design, fuels, inputs, controls, ability to measure the pollutant emissions, and operating conditions; and (4) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2012 the increased (100%) bonus depreciation allowance for depreciable business assets; and (2) expand the election to accelerate alternative minimum tax (AMT) credits in lieu of bonus depreciation by allowing corporate taxpayers to claim 20% of depreciation not claimed as bonus depreciation, limited to the lesser of unused AMT credit amounts from taxable years ending before January 1, 2012, or 50% of the AMT credit for the first taxable year ending after December 31, 2011. Title II: Extension of Certain Expiring Provisions and Related Measures - Amends the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 to extend through 2012 the 2% reduction in employment tax rates for employees and the self-employed. Extended Benefits, Reemployment, and Program Integrity Improvement Act - Amends title III (Grants to States for Unemployment Compensation Administration) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state unemployment compensation laws to require, as a condition of eligibility for regular compensation for any week, that an unemployment compensation claimant be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work. Requires a claimant to meet minimum educational requirements, that is, to: (1) have earned a high school diploma, (2) have earned the General Educational Development (GED) credential or other state-recognized equivalent (including by meeting recognized alternative standards for individuals with disabilities), or (3) be enrolled and making satisfactory progress in classes leading to satisfaction of one of the latter requirements. Authorizes waiver of such requirements for an individual by a state agency if they would be unduly burdensome. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to enter into agreements with up to 10 states to conduct demonstration projects to test and evaluate measures designed to: (1) expedite the reemployment of individuals who establish initial eligibility for unemployment compensation under state law, or (2) improve the effectiveness of a state in carrying out its state law with respect to reemployment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop model language that may be used by states in enacting self-employment assistance programs; (2) provide technical assistance to states in establishing, improving, and administering them; and (3) establish reporting requirements for states in regards to such programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the SSA title III to require states (which, currently, are merely authorized) to reduce current unemployment benefits to recover prior unemployment benefit overpayments. Amends the SSA to authorize a state to reduce current unemployment benefits to recover prior federal additional compensation overpayments and prior unemployment benefit overpayments of another state. Amends the SSA title IX (Miscellaneous Provisions Relating to Employment Security) to require the Secretary to designate standard data elements for any category of information required for data matching in the federal-state unemployment insurance system. Amends the SSA title III to declare that nothing in any federal law shall be considered to prevent a state from: (1) testing an applicant for unemployment compensation for the unlawful use of controlled substances as a condition for receiving such compensation, or (2) denying the compensation on the basis of test results. Unemployment Benefits Extension Act of 2011 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (SSA, 2008) with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through January 31, 2013. Repeals current transitional requirements for an individual's remaining EUCA payments. Revises the formula for crediting Tier-1 and Tier-2 amounts to an applicant's EUCA. Eliminates Tier-3 and Tier-4 augmentation to an individual's EUCA. Repeals requirements authorizing a state governor in an extended benefit period, if state law permits, to provide for the payment of EUC before extended compensation to individuals who otherwise meet EUC requirements. Denies the application of a federal-state agreement to a state upon a determination by the Secretary that, under the state law or its applicable rule, the payment of extended compensation for which an individual is otherwise eligible may or must be deferred until after the payment of any EUC under the SSA, 2008, as amended by this Act, for which the individual is concurrently eligible. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until January 31, 2013, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and January 31, 2013, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2011, to January 31, 2013, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, to extend through January 31, 2012, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service as well as for those with less than 10. Amends the SSA, 2008 to allow a state agency to make EUC payments to individuals who are able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work. Includes in a federal-state agreement a requirement that a state provide reemployment services and reemployment eligibility assessment activities to certain recipients of EUC. Conditions an individual's continuing eligibility for EUC for any week on whether such individual: (1) meets the minimum SSA title III educational requirements; (2) participates in referred reemployment services; (3) is actively seeking work; and (4) has been referred to such services or activities and participated, or has completed such participation, unless there is justifiable cause for failure to do so. Authorizes a state to withhold up to $5 from an individual's weekly EUC payment for optional funding for such services and activities. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a state to allow it to divert, in any month, up to 20% of EUC beneficiaries, attributable to such state and receiving EUC for the first week of such month, to conduct demonstration projects to test and evaluate measures designed to: (1) expedite the reemployment of individuals who establish initial eligibility for unemployment compensation under state law, or (2) improve the effectiveness of a state in carrying out its state law with respect to reemployment. Requires a state agency (which, currently, is merely authorized) to recover an EUC overpayment to an individual by deductions from such individual's EUC payment during the three-year period after such individual received the EUC payment to which he or she was not entitled. Requires each deduction to be at least (currently, at most) 50% of the weekly benefit amount from which it is made, unless the amount to be repaid is less than 50% of that amount. Repeals the requirement (nonreduction rule) that makes a federal-state agreement inapplicable for a state upon a determination by the Secretary that the method governing the computation of regular compensation under state law has been modified in a certain manner. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish at 1.0% for 2012 and 2013 only the Medicare physician payment update to the single conversion factor in the formula for determining relative values for physicians' services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to examine options for bundled or episode-based payments to cover physicians' services, currently paid under the Medicare physician fee schedule, for one or more prevalent chronic conditions (such as cancer, diabetes, and congestive heart failure) or episodes of care for one or more major procedures (such as medical device implantation). Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to examine initiatives of private entities offering or administering health insurance coverage, group health plans, or other private health benefit plans to base or adjust physician payment rates under such coverage or plans for performance on quality and efficiency as well as demonstration of care delivery improvement activities. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to examine the feasibility of aligning private payer quality and efficiency programs with those in the Medicare program. Directs specified congressional committees each to study value-based measures and practice arrangements which may improve health outcomes and efficiency in the Medicare program to the end of replacing the Medicare sustainable growth rate in a fiscally responsible manner and establishing a sustainable payment system. Extends through 2012 the temporary increase for ground ambulance services. Extends through 2012 the increase in the assistance for rural providers furnishing (super rural ambulance) services in low population density areas. Directs the Comptroller General to update the GAO report GAO-07-383 (relating to Ambulance Providers: Costs and Expected Medicare Margins Vary Greatly) to reflect current costs for ambulance providers. Directs MEDPAC to study the add-on payments for ambulance providers. Applies additional requirements with respect to Medicare payment for outpatient therapy services. Directs MEDPAC to make recommendations on how to improve the outpatient therapy benefit under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Extends through 2012 the floor at 1.0 on the work geographic index in the formula for determining relative values for physicians' services for the Medicare physician payment. Directs MEDPAC to assess whether any geographic adjustment is needed under Medicare to distinguish the difference in work effort by geographic area, and if so, what that level should be and were it should be applied. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to extend: (1) the qualifying individual (QI) program through 2012, and (2) the total amount available for allocation under such program. Extends transitional medical assistance (TMA) through 2012. Modifies requirements for qualifying for exception to the Medicare prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the limitation on recapture of excess advance payments of the tax credit for health insurance premiums. Reduces the funding to the Prevention and Public Health Fund for FY2013, and eliminates it for FY2014-FY2015 and subsequent fiscal years. Revises the formula for determining the Medicare hospital outpatient department (OPD) payment amount for specified evaluation and management services. Amends SSA title XVIII to reduce the amount of bad debt treated as an allowable cost in the determination for FY2013-FY2014 and subsequent fiscal years of reasonable costs for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) under Medicare. Amends SSA title XIX to authorize rebasing (reduction) of state disproportionate share hospital (DHS) allotments for FY2021. Welfare Integrity and Data Improvement Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSA title IV to extend the TANF program through FY2012. Directs the Secretary of HHS to designate standard data elements for any category of information required to be reported under TANF. Requires states to maintain policies and practices necessary to prevent the use of state TANF assistance in any transaction in any: (1) liquor store; (2) casino, gambling casino, or gaming establishment; or (3) retail establishment which provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state for entertainment. Title III: Flood Insurance Reform - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA) to extend the National Flood Insurance Program through FY2016. Amends the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to authorize the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to suspend temporarily the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement for areas with special flood hazards, if they meet certain eligibility requirements. Requires a lender or servicer who receives confirmation of a borrower's existing flood insurance coverage to terminate force-placed insurance and refund to the borrower all force-placed insurance premiums. Requires each federal entity for lending regulation to direct regulated lending institutions to accept private flood insurance if it meets federal flood insurance requirements. Requires each federal agency lender, as well as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), to accept private flood insurance as satisfaction of the flood insurance purchase requirement if it meets such requirements. Amends NFIA to prescribe minimum annual flood insurance deductibles for subsidized rate and for actuarial rate properties. Revises the requirement that additional flood insurance in excess of specified limits be made available to any residential building for which the risk premium is determined in accordance with certain requirements so as to enable the insured or insurance applicant to receive coverage up to an aggregate liability of $250,000. Specifies that such additional flood insurance be made available only to a residential building designed for the occupancy of from one to four families. Applies the $250,000 aggregate flood insurance liability to any single building of that description. Makes technical revisions to analogous requirements for additional flood insurance in the case of any nonresidential building, including a church. Prescribes optional coverage for loss of use of personal residence and business interruption. Requires flood insurance regulations to allow installment payments of flood insurance premiums. Specifies the coverage of a new flood insurance policy on properties affected by floods in progress during the 30-day waiting period before the policy's effective date. Raises the annual limitation on premium increases from 10% to 20% of the average of the risk premium rates. Schedules a five-year phase-in of chargeable risk premium rates for flood insurance coverage for a newly mapped risk premium rate area. Prohibits extension of subsidized rates for policies lapsed as a result of policy holder's choice. Declares communities making adequate progress at reconstruction or improvement to 100-year frequency flood protection systems eligible for premium flood insurance rates that would apply if the reconstruction or improvement were completed. Revises requirements for special flood hazard rates for a community in the process of restoring flood protection afforded by a system previously accredited as providing 100-year frequency flood protection. Allows nonfederal, including private, entities that own, operate, maintain, or repair flood protection systems to determine whether a flood protection system is restorable. Establishes the Technical Mapping Advisory Council to develop new mapping standards for 100-year flood insurance rate maps. Prohibits the Administrator, until the Council submits proposed new mapping standards, from making effective any new or updated rate maps for flood insurance coverage under the Program that were not in effect as of enactment of this Act, or otherwise revising, updating, or changing the flood insurance rate maps in effect as of such date. Exempts from mandatory flood insurance purchase and compliance requirements property located in a special flood hazard area if the property owner submits an elevation certificate showing that the lowest level of the primary residence on such property is at least 3 feet higher than the elevation of the 100-year floodplain. Prohibits the Administrator from: (1) charging a fee for reviewing the flood hazard data, or (2) issuing flood insurance maps or making effective updated flood insurance maps that either omit or disregard the actual protection afforded by certain existing flood protection features. Requires the Administrator and the Comptroller General each to study strategies for privatizing the Program. Authorizes the Administrator to secure reinsurance of flood insurance program coverage from private market insurance, reinsurance, and capital market sources. Requires the Administrator to assess annually the Program's claims-paying ability, including its utilization of private sector reinsurance and reinsurance equivalents, with and without reliance on FEMA borrowing authority. Instructs the Administrator to report annually to Congress on the financial status of the Program and of the National Flood Insurance Fund (NFI Fund). Modifies the mitigation assistance grant program. Repeals the authority for planning assistance grants. Directs the Administrator to: (1) give priority to funding activities that will result in the greatest savings to the NFI Fund, including repetitive and severe repetitive loss structures; and (2) consider as an activity eligible for mitigation assistance the demolition and rebuilding of properties to at least base flood levels or higher, if required by either the Administrator or any governmental ordinance. Limits to $40 million per fiscal year the amount of funding for severe repetitive loss structures. Eliminates: (1) the grants program for repetitive insurance claims properties, and (2) the pilot program for mitigation of severe repetitive loss properties. Increases the amounts available from the NFI Fund to the National Flood Mitigation Fund (NFM Fund) for specified activities. States that amounts made available in the NFM Fund shall not be subject to offsetting collections through premium rates for flood insurance coverage. Revises requirements for additional flood insurance coverage for the costs of compliance with community land use and control measures to eliminate coverage for properties for which an offer of mitigation assistance is made under the repetitive loss priority program and the individual priority property program. Amends the FDPA to direct the Administrator to notify residents of special flood hazard areas annually of the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement and the rate phase-ins for such properties. Amends the NFIA to require the Administrator to notify: (1) Members of Congress whose districts or states would be affected of any significant action relating to any revision or update of any floodplain area or flood-risk zone, (2) tenants of the availability of contents insurance for property located in a special flood hazard area, and (3) policy holders annually regarding direct management by FEMA of their flood insurance policy and of the option to purchase flood insurance directly administered by an insurance company. Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA) to require a lender's good faith estimate for loan applicants to disclose: (1) the availability of flood insurance for residential real estate both in and out of a special flood hazard area, and (2) that the escrowing of flood insurance payments is required for many loans. Directs the Administrator, when updating flood insurance maps, to communicate with communities located in areas where flood insurance rate maps have not been updated in 20 years or more and state emergency agencies to resolve outstanding issues, provide technical assistance, and disseminate all necessary information to reduce the prevalence of outdated maps in flood-prone areas. Authorizes the Administrator to refuse to accept the transfer of the administration of flood insurance policies that are written and administered by any insurance company, other insurer, or any insurance agent or broker. Directs the Administrator to: (1) notify local public media when establishing projected flood elevations with respect to certain communities; and (2) grant an additional 90-day extension of the initial 90-day period for appeals if an affected community certifies that there are property owners or lessees who are unaware of the statutory period to appeal proposed flood elevation determinations, and the community will use the time extension to notify those affected. Directs the Administrator to establish a separate National Flood Insurance Reserve Fund to meet expected future obligations of the Program. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize community development block grants to supplement existing municipal funding for local administration of building code enforcement. Directs the Administrator to: (1) report to Congress on procedures to limit the percentage of flood insurance policies directly managed by FEMA to a maximum of 10% of the aggregate number of all flood insurance policies in force under the Program, and (2) reduce to a 10% maximum the number of flood insurance policies directly managed by either FEMA or its non-insurer direct servicing contractor. Directs the Administrator and Comptroller General each to study strategies for offering and incorporating voluntary community-based flood insurance policy options into the Program. Directs the Administrator to study the feasibility of amending the NFIA to include widely used and nationally recognized building codes as part of the floodplain management criteria. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to study methods for understanding graduated risk behind levees and the associated land development, insurance, and risk communication dimensions. Requires the Administrator to: (1) review the processes and procedures for determining that a flood event has commenced or is in progress for flood insurance purposes, and for providing public notification that such an event has commenced or is in progress; and (2) plan how to repay within 10 years all amounts owed pursuant to NFIA on notes and obligations approved by the President, including any previously borrowed but not yet repaid. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, upon request of a governmental entity, to evaluate a levee system that was designed or constructed by the Secretary for the purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program. Title IV: Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum Act of 2011 - Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum Act of 2011 or the JOBS Act of 2011 - Requires, within specified deadlines and subject to exceptions, that: (1) the President withdraw or modify the assignment of specified ranges of electromagnetic spectrum now assigned to federal government stations, and (2) the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocate certain spectrum and paired frequencies and reallocate the 700 MHz public safety narrowband and guard band spectrums for commercial use through competitive bidding auctions. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize the FCC to encourage spectrum licensees to voluntarily relinquish usage rights to permit the assignment of new initial licenses subject to flexible-use service rules by sharing with such licensees a portion of the proceeds from competitive bidding auctions. Requires the FCC, as a condition to such auctions, to first conduct a reverse auction with at least two competing licensees to determine the amount of compensation licensees would accept in return for such voluntary relinquishment. Sets forth restrictions particular to broadcast television spectrum auctions and the valuation of voluntarily relinquished broadcast television spectrum. Authorizes the FCC, subject to specified conditions, to reassign and reallocate broadcast television spectrum for such auctions. Requires that certain relocation cost reimbursements be made to reassigned broadcast television licensees and related multichannel video programming distributors. Authorizes waivers from FCC flexible use service rules in lieu of such reimbursements. Prohibits the FCC from involuntarily reassigning a broadcast television licensee from: (1) an ultra high to a very high frequency television channel, and (2) a television channel between 174-216 megahertz to a channel between the 54-88 megahertz frequencies. Extends the FCC's auction authority until September 30, 2021. Prohibits the FCC, in assigning licenses through competitive bidding, from: (1) limiting a licensee's ability to manage the applications, services, and priority of traffic on its network; and (2) requiring the licensee to sell network access on a wholesale basis. Requires the FCC to assess allowing unlicensed U-NII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) devices in the 5 GHz band. Directs: (1) the FCC to establish a Public Safety Communications Planning Board to develop proposals for a National Public Safety Communications Plan, and (2) the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to select an Administrator of the Plan. Requires the FCC to assign the Administrator a renewable 10-year license for exclusive use of the public safety broadband and 700 MHz D block spectrums to authorize the operation of state public safety broadband communications networks in accordance with the Plan. Directs each state desiring such a network to establish or designate a State Public Safety Broadband Office (SPSBO). Authorizes grants to SPSBOs for eligible activity costs and contracts with private-sector entities for the construction, management, maintenance, and operation of such networks. Authorizes borrowing from the Treasury's general fund: (1) by the FCC for the relocation of television broadcasters, and (2) by the Assistant Secretary to enter a contract with a Plan Administrator and make SPSBO grants. Establishes the Public Safety Trust Fund. Requires that various auction proceeds be deposited in such Fund and used, through FY2021, according to a specified order of priority, to: (1) carry out programs and activities under this Act, (2) repay amounts borrowed from the Treasury's general fund, and (3) dedicate specified amounts toward deficit reduction. Directs amounts remaining in the Fund after FY2021 to be deposited in the general fund for the sole purpose of deficit reduction. Next Generation 9-1-1 Advancement Act of 2011 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to reestablish and extend matching grants, through October 1, 2021, to eligible state or local governments or tribal organizations for the implementation, operation, and migration of various 9-1-1, E9-1-1 (wireless telephone location), Next Generation 9-1-1 (voice, text, video), and IP-enabled emergency services and public safety personnel training. Directs the Assistant Secretary and the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to establish a 9-1-1 Implementation Coordination Office. Provides immunity and liability protection, to the extent consistent with specified provisions of the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999, to various users and providers of Next Generation 9-1-1 and related services, including for the release of subscriber information. Directs the FCC to: (1) initiate a proceeding to create a specialized Do-Not-Call registry for public safety answering points, and (2) establish penalties and fines for autodialing (robocalls) and related violations. Requires that federal entities operating federal government stations within certain frequencies be paid for specified relocation or sharing costs incurred in planning for an auction or relocating from federal to exclusive nonfederal or shared use. (Current law requires payments only for certain relocations to exclusive nonfederal use.) Requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to give priority to exclusive nonfederal use. Conditions any sharing on feasibility and cost constraints. Revises the composition of the Telecommunications Development Fund (TDF) (provides capital to small businesses in the telecommunications industry) board of directors to establish an independent board. (Current law requires that the board include representatives from the FCC, the Small Business Administration [SBA], and the Department of the Treasury.) Requires that interest from an auction escrow account be dedicated to deficit reduction, thereby eliminating the deposit of such interest in the TDF. Title V: Offsets - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to require the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require each government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) (the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac]) to charge a guarantee fee in connection with any guarantee of the timely payment of principal and interests on securities, notes, and other obligations based on or backed by mortgages on residential real properties designed principally for the occupancy of from one to four families. Requires the FHFA Director to prohibit a GSE from consummating any offer for a guarantee to a lender for mortgage-backed securities if: (1) the guarantee is inconsistent with the requirements of this Act; or (2) the risk of loss is allowed to increase, through the lowering of the underwriting standards or other means, for the primary purpose of meeting the requirements of this Act. Requires direct deposit into the Treasury of any amounts received from fee increases imposed by this Act that are necessary to comply with the minimum increase required by this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary of the Treasury, in the case of any employer deferred compensation plan of a state or local government or of any of their agencies or instrumentalities, to require identification of any designated distribution paid to any plan participant or beneficiary based in whole or in part upon an individual's earnings for service in the employ of that governmental entity. Requires disclosure of any such designated distribution to the Social Security Administration for purposes of its administration of the Social Security Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require taxpayers to provide their social security number on their tax return in order to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit; and (2) impose a 100% tax on excess unemployment compensation, as defined by this Act, received by certain high-income taxpayers in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2011. Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to render ineligible for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) any household in which a member receives income or assets with a fair market value of at least $1 million. Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of 2011 - Increases the employee contribution to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) for calendar years 2013, 2014, and 2015. Establishes new annuity computation rules for federal employees hired after December 31, 2012, with less than five years of civilian service creditable under CSRS or any other federal employee retirement system. Eliminates the FERS annuity supplement for federal employees whose entitlement to an annuity is based on separation from service after December 31, 2012. Amends the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 to extend through 2013 the cost of living freeze on the pay of federal employees, including Members of Congress and legislative branch employees. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to reduce limits of discretionary spending, and revised limits, for FY2013-FY2021. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to revise requirements for the reduction in premium subsidy, and consequent increase in premium, based on income, for Medicare parts B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) and part D (Prescription Drugs) premiums for high-income Medicare beneficiaries. Increases on a graduated basis the applicable percentage used to calculate such premiums. Modifies the temporary adjustment in income thresholds for the calculation of such premiums which currently extends the 2010 thresholds through December 31, 2019. Terminates such adjustment, instead, on December 31 of the first year after the year in which at least 25% of part B and part D enrollees are subject to a premium subsidy reduction. Makes a conforming amendment to the inflation adjustment to such premiums. Title VI: Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals certain provisions requiring an acceleration in installments of corporate estimated tax. Amends the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 to repeal a requirement for prepayment of merchandise processing fees. Provides that it shall not be in order in the Senate to: (1) consider any measure extending the payroll tax holiday period in the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010; and (2) allow an emergency designation in any bill, resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report. Allows such restrictions to be waived by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members of the Senate. Provides that the budgetary effects of this Act shall not be included on the scorecards maintained by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 if such budgetary effects do not increase the deficit during FY2012-FY2021.
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 · 6 December 2011
Condemns the crackdown in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam against community organizers, bloggers, and democracy activists. Calls on the government of Vietnam to: (1) repeal articles 79 and 88 of the Vietnamese penal code and similar vague national security measures used to persecute peaceful political dissent; and (2) release all political prisoners, especially activists, writers, and bloggers who have been detained or sentenced under articles 79 and 88. Urges the Department of State to monitor rule of law developments in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Amends the Railway Labor Act to require the National Mediation Board to apply the same procedures, including voting standards, to the direct decertification of a labor organization as are applied to elections to certify a representative.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to add provisions concerning cyber threat intelligence and information sharing. Defines "cyber threat intelligence" as information in the possession of an element of the intelligence community directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity, including information pertaining to the protection of a system or network from: (1) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or (2) theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information. Requires the Director of National Intelligence to: (1) establish procedures to allow intelligence community elements to share cyber threat intelligence with private-sector entities, and (2) encourage the sharing of such intelligence. Requires the procedures established to ensure that such intelligence is only: (1) shared with certified entities or a person with an appropriate security clearance, (2) shared consistent with the need to protect U.S. national security, and (3) used in a manner that protects such intelligence from unauthorized disclosure. Provides for guidelines for the granting of security clearance approvals to certified entities or officers or employees of such entities. Authorizes a cybersecurity provider (a non-governmental entity that provides goods or services intended to be used for cybersecurity purposes), with the express consent of a protected entity (an entity that contracts with a cybersecurity provider) to: (1) use cybersecurity systems to identify and obtain cyber threat information in order to protect the rights and property of the protected entity; and (2) share cyber threat information with any other entity designated by the protected entity, including the federal government. Regulates the use and protection of shared information, including prohibiting the use of such information to gain a competitive advantage and, if shared with the federal government, exempts such information from public disclosure. Prohibits a civil or criminal cause of action against a protected entity, a self-protected entity (an entity that provides goods or services for cybersecurity purposes to itself), or a cybersecurity provider acting in good faith under the above circumstances. Directs the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to submit annually to Congress a review of the sharing and use of such information by the federal government, as well as recommendations for improvements and modifications to address privacy and civil liberties concerns. Preempts any state statute that restricts or otherwise regulates an activity authorized by the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act of 2011 - Amends the Hate Crime Statistics Act to include crimes against the homeless in the crime data collected by the Attorney General under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 18 November 2011
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2011 - Amends provisions of federal civil service law to extend employment-related and retirement benefits to domestic partners of federal employees and to set forth requirements for establishing a domestic partnership, including the filing of an affidavit attesting to the existence and legitimacy of the partnership. Modifies provisions relating to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to extend eligibility for annuity and survivor benefits to domestic partners of federal employees on the same basis as married employees. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prescribe regulations to provide that domestic partners and former domestic partners shall be considered as spouses or former spouses for purposes of creditable service determinations under CSRS and FERS. Makes domestic partners of federal employees eligible for: (1) the federal employee group life insurance (FEGLI) program, (2) federal employees health benefits (FEHB), (3) dental and vision benefit plans, and (4) long-term care insurance coverage. Grants the head of an federal agency authority to reimburse an employee for taxes incurred the domestic partner of such employee for travel or transportation reimbursements. Modifies provisions of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) to make domestic partners of federal employees eligible for worker compensation benefits under such Act. Adds "domestic partner" to the list of relatives subject to restrictions on federal employment of relatives and related prohibitions. Includes a biological, adopted, or foster child of a domestic partner as a "son or daughter" for purposes of federal employee family and medical leave provisions. Allows a federal employee family and medical leave to care for a domestic partner. Requires the President to prescribe regulations necessary to ensure that specified provisions relating to the following are administered in a manner consistent with the purposes of this Act: (1) the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; (2) travel, transportation, and related payments and benefits under the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and for civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD); (3) certain benefits for members of the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and (4) benefits related to federal employees or annuitants and benefits necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to make provisions of that Act applicable to domestic partners of federal employees to the same extent as married employees, including provisions relating to financial disclosure, government-wide limitations on outside earned income and employment, gifts to superiors and to federal employees, bribery, acceptance of travel expenses from nonfederal sources, taxes on self-dealing, and disqualification of a justice, judge, or magistrate judge. Requires reporting by: (1) the President on the implementation of this Act, and (2) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the effect of this Act on premiums or other periodic charges under FEHB and the impact of extending benefits to domestic partners on federal employee retention and recruitment efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 17 November 2011
Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act - Establishes a museum to be known as the Smithsonian American Latino Museum in the Smithsonian Institution. Designates the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution, which is located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, including a new underground annex facility, as the location of the Museum. Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan and construct the Museum and to prepare a plan of action for the Museum. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Board of Regents to enter into an agreement that allows for the construction of the underground annex facility by the Board in a manner that is harmonious with, and protects the open space and visual sight lines of, the National Mall.
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
Medicare and Medicaid Fighting Fraud and Abuse to Save Taxpayers' Dollars Act or Medicare and Medicaid FAST Act - Amends part D (Prescription Drug Benefits) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit sponsors of prescription drug plans (PDPs) from paying claims for prescription drugs that do not include the valid National Provider Identifier for the drug's prescriber. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish procedures and rules to restrict access to the National Provider Identifier Registry in order to deter fraudulent use of it. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid), for any state that has established a State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program meeting certain requirements, to decrease by 10% the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) with respect to any amounts recovered by or paid to the state related to an overpayment due to fraud, waste, or abuse. Allows the state to use such amounts to support its State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Directs the Secretary of HHS and the Attorney General jointly to establish a Commission to examine interoperability and other issues related to State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) update daily the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) database of persons registered to manufacture, distribute, or dispense a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act to reflect any changes in the information in the Death Master File of the Social Security Administration; (2) agree with the Commissioner of Social Security to obtain death information in order to update such database; (3) establish procedures and rules to restrict access to the database to deter its fraudulent use; and (4) establish procedures and rules to review and investigate pharmacy claims under Medicare part D that contain a registration number not assigned to a practitioner by the Attorney General under the Controlled Substances Act. Amends SSA title XVIII to require certain annual reports to describe the types and financial costs to the Medicare program of improper payment vulnerabilities identified by Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs). Requires the Secretary of HHS to develop a plan to revise the beneficiary incentive program under the Health Instance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to encourage greater participation by individuals in reporting fraud and abuse in the Medicare program. Requires the Secretary of HHS to: (1) establish and implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of Social Security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries; and (2) ensure that each newly issued Medicare identification card meets specified requirements. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a pilot program utilizing smart card technology to evaluate its applicability to the Medicare program and whether such cards would be effective in preventing Medicare fraud. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish policies and procedures for a process to require prior authorization for initial claims for reimbursement for standard power wheelchairs. Requires the Secretary of HHS, the HHS Inspector General, and the Attorney General to increase coordination and data sharing. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish: (1) automated prepayment review of all Medicare claims, (2) a plan to facilitate the inclusion of states in the Medicare-Medicaid Data Match Program, and (3) a plan that allows each state Medicaid agency access to relevant data on improper or erroneous Medicare payments for items or services for dual eligible individuals. Prohibits Medicaid payments as well as payments under SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP) unless a claim contains a valid beneficiary identification number and a valid National Provider Identifier. Directs the Secretary to establish Medicare administrative contractor error reduction incentives. Requires the provider enrollment process and provider screening to be separate from any contract to serve as a Medicare administrative contractor. Directs the Secretary of HHS to report to Congress on measurable metrics for improving Medicare contractor performance. Amends SSA title XI to establish penalties for the illegal distribution of a Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP beneficiary identification number or billing privileges.
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 · 4 November 2011
Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 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 · 6 October 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should take diplomatic steps to express gratitude to Greece for upholding the rule of law in preventing hostile forces from violating a legal naval blockade of Gaza by Israel and thereby advancing the security of its ally Israel. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on whether any support organization that participated in the planning or execution of the recent Gaza flotilla attempt should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
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
Creating Hope Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the priority review voucher program for tropical diseases to: (1) include rare pediatric diseases; (2) allow unlimited transfers of vouchers under the program; and (3) require a sponsor intending to use a voucher to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at least 90 days (currently, 365 days) before submission of the application. Revises provisions regarding the priority review user fee, including to make it payable upon notification of the Secretary of intent to use the voucher. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request of the manufacturer or sponsor of a new drug, to designate that a new drug is: (1) for a rare pediatric disease, and (2) an eligible treatment. Requires the Secretary to deem a rare pediatric disease product application to be incomplete if it does not contain a description of the sponsor's plan to market the product in the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to issue a priority review voucher upon the approval of a rare pediatric disease application if the Secretary finds that the sponsor lacks a good faith intention to market the product in the United States. Directs the Secretary to issue a guidance document setting forth the evidentiary support necessary to demonstrate such a good faith intention. Requires sponsors of applications under the priority review voucher program to report to the Secretary within five years after the approval of the application on the demand and distribution of the product within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or personal representative of Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 14 September 2011
Taiwan Policy Act of 2011 - States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to amend or supersede the Taiwan Relations Act. States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) support Taiwan and the human rights of its people, (2) permit senior leaders of Taiwan to enter the United States under conditions of appropriate respect and permit meetings between high level Taiwanese and U.S. officials in all U.S. executive departments, (3) sign a comprehensive extradition agreement, (4) accept a letter of request from Taiwan for price and availability data or for a formal sales offer regarding the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon aircraft, and (5) include Taiwan in the visa waiver program. States that in conducting relations with Taiwan and China the United States continues to assent to the six assurances provided to Taiwan in 1982. Directs: (1) the President to appoint a Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, (2) the Department of State to continue its program to ensure meaningful participation by Taiwan in international organizations, and (3) the Secretary of State to brief Congress about any potential defense-related transfers to Taiwan. Authorizes the President to make available to Taiwan defense items or defense services, including: (1) air, maritime, and ground capabilities; and (2) capacity for partnership with friendly foreign militaries. Expresses the sense of Congress that the goal of trade negotiations with Taiwan should be the negotiation of a free trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to prohibit: (1) an individual from serving more than two consecutive terms as a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, (2) each member serving on the date of enactment of this Act from being reappointed to more than one additional consecutive term, (3) a member attending less than 75% of the meetings during one of such member's terms from being eligible for reappointment, and (4) a member from being eligible to be elected as Chair of the Commission for a second, consecutive term. Establishes an Executive Committee of the Commission. Requires, for purposes of providing remedies and procedures to address alleged violations of rights and protections that pertain to various specified antidiscrimination laws, that all employees of the Commission be treated as employees whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives and that the Commission be treated as an employing office of the Senate or House. Increases to $250,000 the maximum amount the Commission may expend in any fiscal year to procure temporary or intermittent services contracts for the conduct of certain activities necessary to Commission functions. Extends the Commission's termination date to September 30, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an additional tax deduction for the cost of installing mechanical insulation property. Limits the amount of such deduction to the lesser of 30% or the reduction in energy loss from the installed mechanical insulation property compared to property that meets the minimum requirements of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standard 90.1-2007. Allows the cost of replacing mechanical insulation property to be treated as a deductible business expense in the current taxable year. Defines "mechanical insulation property" as insulation materials, facings, and accessory products: (1) placed in service in connection with a mechanical system which is located in the United States and of a character subject to an allowance for depreciation; and (2) utilized for thermal, acoustical, and personnel safety requirements for mechanical piping and equipment, hot and cold applications, and heating, venting and air conditioning applications which can be used in a variety of facilities. Allows a tax deduction for capital expenditures related to mechanical insulation property.
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 · 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 · 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
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
Holocaust Survivors Assistance Act of 2011 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to: (1) include specifically within its purview older Americans who are Holocaust survivors; (2) authorize the Assistant Secretary for Aging of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate within the Administration of Aging an individual who is to have responsibility for such individuals; and (3) create a grant program to increase and improve transportation services for older Americans, with preference for Holocaust survivors.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any person from offering billfish or billfish products for sale, selling them, or having custody, control, or possession of them for purposes of offering them for sale or selling them. Treats a violation of this Act as an act prohibited by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Subjects a person to a maximum civil penalty of $100,000 for each violation, with each day of a continuing violation constituting a separate offense. Exempts the state of Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area, except that billfish may be sold under such exemption only in Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area. Defines "billfish" as any of the following: (1) blue marlin, (2) striped marlin, (3) black marlin, (4) sailfish, (5) shortbill spearfish, (6) white marlin, (7) roundscale spearfish, (8) Mediterranean spearfish, or (9) longbill spearfish. Excludes swordfish from such definition.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Peace Corps Volunteer Service Improvement Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Peace Corps to establish a process for volunteers to make confidential reports of rape or sexual assault. Subjects any Peace Corps volunteer or member who breaches a duty of confidentiality regarding such a report to disciplinary action, including termination. Requires the Director to enter into with the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, and requires the Inspector of the Peace Corps to review, a memorandum of understanding that specifies the duties and obligations of the Peace Corps and the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security regarding the protection of Peace Corps volunteers and staff members serving in foreign countries. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of Peace Corps funds for volunteers' invitations for service or to deploy trainees overseas if such agreement has not entered into force within nine months after enactment of this Act, unless the Director certifies that: (1) significant progress is being made toward finalizing such memorandum, and (2) the Peace Corps is using best efforts to provide volunteers with the training, support, and information they need to stay safe. Exempts such Inspector General and officers and employees of the Inspector General's Office from certain length of appointment, reappointment, and reassignment limitations applicable to the Foreign Service. Requires the Director to: (1) annually submit a report on the safety of Peace Corps volunteers; and (2) perform, at least once every three years, a review to evaluate the allocation and delivery of resources across the countries the Peace Corps serves. Requires the Inspector General to perform an audit every five years of Peace Corps implementation of safety and security protocols.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Recognizes there are American and South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian abductees from the Korean War who are still alive in North Korea and who want to be repatriated. Calls upon the U.S. government to resume search and recovery operations in North Korea for remains of American POWs. Recommends that the United States and South Korea jointly investigate reports of sightings of American POW/MIAs. Encourages North Korea to repatriate American and South Korean POWs. Calls upon North Korea to: (1) admit to the abduction of more than 100,000 South Korean civilians and reveal the status of the abductees; and (2) agree to family reunions and repatriation of the abductees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2011
Designates room HVC 215 of the Capitol Visitor Center as the "Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room."
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2011
PACE Assessment Protection Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Federal Housing Agency (FHA) to direct the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to issue guidance providing that the levy of a PACE (property assessed clean energy) assessment and the creation of a PACE lien do not constitute a default on any loan secured by one of its uniform instruments, and do not trigger the exercise of remedies with respect to any provision of the instrument, if the PACE assessment and the PACE lien meet specified requirements. Lists as PACE improvements any qualified clean energy improvements, energy conservation and efficiency improvements, and water conservation and efficiency improvements. Prohibits the FHA Director, the Comptroller of the Currency, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and all federal agencies and entities chartered or otherwise established under federal law from discriminating in any manner against state or local governments implementing or participating in a PACE program, or against any property that is obligated to pay a PACE assessment or is subject to a PACE lien. Specifies requirements a PACE program, and any related PACE assessment and PACE lien, must meet to be entitled to the protections of this Act. Details obligations of property owners with respect to PACE assessments, and requires the local government to disclose to the participating property owner the costs and risk associated with participating in the PACE program. Prescribes requirements for: (1) non-residential properties; and (2) qualifying PACE improvements, qualifying contractors, and financing terms for residential properties. Limits the total amount of PACE assessments for a property to 10% of its estimated value. Requires the property owner to have equity in the property of at least 15%.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2011
National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a payment for each fiscal year from FY2012-FY2018 to the State Lead Center in each state for implementation of the National Acquired Brain Injury Plan, as developed by the International Advisory Board of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2011
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes FY2012 appropriations for: (1) the Department of State (Department) for the administration of foreign affairs, (2) international organizations, (3) international peacekeeping, (4) international commissions, (5) migration and refugee assistance, and (6) the National Endowment for Democracy. Revises provisions regarding local guard and protective service contracts in high risk areas abroad. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding: (1) Israel; (2) microenterprise programs and development; (3) boundary, water, and fisheries commissions; (4) the Arab League boycott of Israel; (5) religious freedom in Vietnam; (6) Eritrea's support for armed insurgents in Somalia; (7) religious minorities in Egypt; (8) Sudan and South Sudan; (9) European Union (EU) arms exports to China; and (10) the Peace Corps. Extends passport surcharge authority. Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish a Tibet Section within the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, until such time as a U.S. consulate in Tibet is established. Revises Foreign Service member-related provisions. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) bilateral economic assistance; (2) the President, for operating expenses, the capital investment fund, and the Office of Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); (3) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; (4) the Democracy Fund; and (5) international broadcasting. Prohibits U.S. economic or development assistance from being provided to a country that does not meet the corruption performance indicator of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Urges the President to transfer to the Treasury at least 50% of all assets from the liquidation of: (1) the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund and the Western Newly Independent States Enterprise Fund, (2) the Baltic-American Enterprise Fund, and (3) the South African Enterprise Development Fund. Prohibits funds from being made available for: (1) any foreign nongovernmental organization that promotes or performs abortions, with certain exceptions; (2) USAID's Office of Budget and Resource Management; and (3) the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West. Authorizes the President to interdict imports into or exports from Iran with respect to materials, equipment, or technology for nuclear, biological, chemical, missile, or conventional arms programs. Supports the reunification of Cyprus. Limits assistance to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Calls on Turkey to grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate international recognition and ecclesiastic succession. Security Assistance Act of 2011 - Provides funding for: (1) the foreign military financing program, (2) Israel, (3) Iraq, and (4) international military education and training. Increases the aggregate value of excess defense articles that may be transferred in a fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary to establish the Global Security Contingency Fund to provide assistance to strengthen a foreign country's national and regional security interests consistent with U.S. foreign policy interests. Limits international education and training assistance to Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Zimbabwe. Increases specified congressional notification thresholds for specified foreign military sales and defense equipment. Makes it an unlawful act to knowingly violate military sales agent or arms export/import provisions under the Arms Export Control Act. Sets forth criminal penalty provisions. Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to Israel for the Iron Dome Air Defense Missile System. Conditions security assistance to: (1) Egypt, (2) Lebanon, (3) the Palestinian Authority (PA), and (4) Yemen. Revises: (1) conditions for the provision of assistance to Pakistan, and (2) Pakistan assistance strategy report requirements. Requires that such report be provided to Congress for each of FY2012-FY2014. Directs the Secretary to fully cooperate with audits and information requests from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). Authorizes peacekeeping assistance to be used: (1) to enhance the capacity of foreign civilian security forces, including gendarmes, to participate in peacekeeping operations; and (2) for programs to disarm and reintegrate former members of foreign terrorist organizations into civilian society. Authorizes appropriations for international peacekeeping activities in Somalia and for a U.S. contribution to the Multinational Force Observers Mission in the Sinai.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2011
Reaffirms the U.S. arms embargo on China. Calls upon the President, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, to clarify his policy towards Taiwan and to reaffirm support for U.S. allies in the region. Expresses concern over China's repression of political dissidents and religious and ethnic minorities. Reasserts that it should be U.S. policy to oppose any diminution of the European Union (EU) arms embargo against China.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Free File Program Act of 2011 - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to continue to implement and operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File program (free online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services provided by the private sector technology industry to lower income taxpayers).
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from requiring a payor of interest to file an information return on interest that is not effectively connected with a trade or business within the United States and that is paid to a nonresident alien on a deposit maintained at an office within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2011
Reaffirms U.S. support for the peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea. Condemns the use of naval force by China in the South China and East China Seas and by China's North Korean ally in the Yellow Sea. Welcomes the diplomatic efforts of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Taiwan, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to resolve these outstanding disputes. Supports U.S. Armed Forces operations in support of freedom of navigation rights in international waters and air space in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Yellow Sea.
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
Authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the Montford Point Marines, U.S. Marine Corps, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. (Camp Montford Point, North Carolina, was the site for the training of the first African-American Marines.) Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 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
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 600 Florida Avenue in Cocoa, Florida, as the "Harry T. and Harriette Moore Post Office."