United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2011 - Allows federal employees to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay available for either the: (1) birth of a child; or (2) placement of a child with the employee for either adoption or foster care. Makes available (subject to specified requirements) for any of the 12 weeks of leave an employee is entitled to for such purposes: (1) four administrative weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth or placement involved; and (2) any accumulated annual or sick leave. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to promulgate regulations to increase the amount of paid parental leave available to such an employee to a total of eight administrative workweeks, based on the consideration of: (1) the benefits to the federal government, including enhanced recruitment and employee retention; (2) the cost to the government; (3) trends in the private sector and in state and local governments; (4) the federal government's role as a model employer; and (5) the impact of increased paid parental leave on lower-income and economically disadvantaged employees and their children. Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow the same substitution for covered congressional employees, Government Accountability Office (GAO) employees, and Library of Congress employees. Counts certain service by an employee of the executive branch, Congress, GAO, or the Library of Congress while on active duty as a member of the National Guard or Reserves as service for that branch or agency for purposes of determining such employee's eligibility to take or substitute leave as provided under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Build America Bonds to Create Jobs Now Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the Build America Bond program, to: (1) extend until December 31, 2012, the authority to issue such bonds and the authority for payments to issuers of such bonds, (2) reduce the percentage rate of payments to issuers in 2011 and 2012, (3) allow refundings of currently issued bonds, and (4) allow the use of Build America bonds to fund capital expenditures for levees and flood control projects.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2011
Jane's Law - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or a prison term of up to two years on any person who travels in interstate or foreign commerce to evade compliance with a court-ordered property distribution in a divorce proceeding involving more than $5,000. Requires payment of restitution equal to the total unpaid property distribution from any person convicted of evading payment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2011
Clean Ports Act of 2011 - Declares that federal preemption of state and local law relating to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier of property shall not apply to the authority of a state, local government, or the political authority of two or more states to adopt requirements for motor carriers providing services at port facilities that are reasonably related to the reduction of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, the improvement of highway safety, or the efficient utilization of such port facilities, provided adoption or enforcement of such requirements does not conflict with federal law. Declares that nothing in this Act shall limit the rights reserved to any state or political subdivision of such state under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2011
Medicare Decisions Accountability Act of 2011 - Repeals sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (and restores provisions of law amended by such sections) related to the establishment of an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop and submit detailed proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending to the President for Congress to consider.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2011
Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011 - Amends the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (HPPA) to modify, commencing October 1, 2017, certain statutory schedules governing contracts for delivery to specified localities in Arizona, California, and Nevada of hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) create, from certain apportioned allocations of contingent capacity and firm energy, a resource pool equal to 5% of the full rated capacity of 2.074 million kilowatts and associated firm energy; (2) offer Schedule D contingency capacity and firm energy to new allottees not receiving contingent capacity and firm energy for delivery commencing October 1, 2017; and (3) allocate through the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) for delivery, commencing October 1, 2017, 66.7% of Schedule D contingent capacity and firm energy to specified new allottees located within the marketing area for the Boulder City Area Projects. Requires each contract offered under HPPA to: (1) authorize and require WAPA to collect from new allottees a pro rata share of Hoover Dam repayable advances paid for by contractors before October 1, 2017, and to remit such amounts to the contractors that paid such advances in proportion to the amounts paid by them as specified in a certain Implementation Agreement; (2) permit transactions with an independent system operator; and (3) contain the same material terms included in those long-term contracts for purchases from the Hoover Power Plant that were made in accordance with HPPA and are in existence on the date of enactment of this Act. Subjects the contractual obligation of the Secretary to deliver contingent capacity and firm energy under HPPA to the availability of the water needed to produce such contingent capacity and firm energy. Continues through FY2067 the requirements of HPPA as the exclusive method for (in effect, congressional oversight of) the disposal of capacity and energy from Hoover Dam.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2011
High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct coeducational elementary and secondary schools that participate in any ESEA program to: (1) report annually certain information on equality in their school athletic programs to the Commissioner for Educational Statistics; and (2) make such information available, upon request, to their students, potential students, and the public. Directs the Commissioner to ensure that such data are posted on the Department of Education's Web site within a reasonable period of time.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2011
John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act - Prohibits a state that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution, or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires such redistricting to be conducted through a plan developed by the independent redistricting commission established in the state, or if such plan is not enacted into law, the redistricting plan selected by the state's highest court or developed by a U.S. district court. Prescribes requirements for: (1) establishment of a state independent redistricting commission (including provisions for holding each of its meetings in public and maintaining a public Internet site), (2) development of a redistricting plan (including soliciting and considering public comments) and its submission to the state legislature (with public notice of plans at least seven days prior to such submission), (3) selection of a plan, under specified conditions, by the state's highest court or the U.S. district court for the district in which the capital of the state is located, (4) special rules for redistricting conducted under a federal court order, and (5) Election Assistance Commission payments to states for carrying out redistricting.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2011
Urges the Secretary of State to remove the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from the Department of State's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and to lift all restrictions imposed on the MEK, its members, and its affiliates.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2011
Redistricting Transparency Act of 2011 - Requires states to carry out congressional redistricting in accordance with a process under which members of the public are informed of redistricting proposals via the Internet and have the opportunity to participate in the development of such proposals prior to their adoption. Requires each state redistricting entity to establish and maintain a public Internet site meeting specified requirements. Requires the state redistricting entity to: (1) solicit the input of members of the public in its work to develop initial congressional redistricting plans for the state; and (2) post the proposed final plan on the Internet site at least 10 days before its adoption, as well as no later than 7 days after its adoption, together with a map, the reasons for adoption, dissenting opinions, and certain other information.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2011
Equal Employment for All Act - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a current or prospective employer from using a consumer report or an investigative consumer report, or from causing one to be procured, for either employment purposes or for making an adverse action, if the report contains information that bears upon the consumer's creditworthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity. Makes exceptions to such prohibition for employment: (1) which requires a national security or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) clearance; (2) with a state or local government agency which otherwise requires use of a consumer report; or (3) in a supervisory, managerial, professional, or executive position at a financial institution.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2011
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act - Amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate a phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2011
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Amends the definition of the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires such service that is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer: (1) on or after enactment of this Act to be treated for all purposes other than retirement as service performed as a law enforcement officer; and (2) before, on, or after enactment of this Act to be treated for federal retirement purposes as service performed as such an officer only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) within five years after enactment of this Act or before separation from government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period following enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2011
Directs the Secretary of Defense to authorize a Department of Defense (DOD) law enforcement officer to: (1) execute and serve a warrant or other process; (2) make an arrest without a warrant for any offense committed in the presence of the officer, or for any felony if the officer has probable cause to believe that the person arrested has committed or is committing the felony; and (3) carry firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2011
Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit: (1) the transfer or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, except for its lawful possession within the United States on or before the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) the importation or bringing into the United States of such a device. Sets forth exceptions to such ban. Sets penalties for violations. Requires a large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after this Act's enactment to be identified by a serial number that clearly shows that the device was manufactured after enactment and such other identification as the Attorney General may prescribe.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2011
Border Security Search Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) issue a rule regarding the scope of, and procedural and recordkeeping requirements associated with, border security searches of electronic devices; and (2) provide related officer training. Sets forth rule contents.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2011
Supports the right of the citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to access websites of their choosing and to have the freedom to share and publish information over the Internet. Calls on Vietnam to: (1) repeal Circular 07, Article 88, and similar statutes that restrict the Internet, so as to be in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory; and (2) become a responsible member state of the international community by respecting individuals' freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of political association.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2011
Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program for assessing the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms through a therapeutic medium of service dog training and handling for veterans with disabilities. Requires such program to be carried out at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers that can provide training areas for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2011
Simplifying The Ambiguous Law, Keeping Everyone Reliably Safe Act of 2011 or the STALKERS Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the definition of stalking and impose criminal penalties on anyone who, with intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate a person or to place a person under surveillance with the intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate such person, travels in interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or enters or leaves Indian country and: (1) causes or attempts to cause bodily injury or serious emotional distress to another person; or (2) engages in conduct that would be reasonably expected to cause serious emotional distress to another person. Imposes the same criminal penalties on anyone who, with intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate a person, engages in a course of conduct in or substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce that: (1) causes or attempts to cause bodily injury or serious emotional distress to another person; or (2) occurs in circumstances where the conduct would be reasonably expected to cause another person serious emotional distress. Increases penalties for stalking offenses if: (1) the offense involves conduct in violation of a protection order; or (2) the victim of the offense is under the age of 18 or over the age of 65. Requires the annual report of the Attorney General to include an evaluation of efforts to enforce laws relating to stalking and to identify and describe elements of such efforts that constitute the best practices for the enforcement of such laws. Provides for compliance of the budgetary effects of this Act with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the current federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest paid on a first or second home should not be further restricted.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act - Directs the President to: (1) impose financial and immigration/entry sanctions on listed nationals of Vietnam who are complicit in human rights abuses committed against nationals of Vietnam or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Vietnam; and (2) submit to Congress a publicly available list of individuals determined to be complicit in such human rights abuses. Authorizes the President to waive sanctions to comply with international agreements. Terminates sanctions if the President certifies to Congress that the government of Vietnam has: (1) released all political prisoners; (2) ceased its practices of violence, detention, and abuse of citizens of Vietnam engaging in peaceful political activity; and (3) conducted a transparent investigation into the killings, arrest, and abuse of such political activists and prosecuted those responsible.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Extends through 2013 eligibility for the concurrent receipt of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation for veterans who were retired or separated due to physical disability, regardless of their disability rating or years of service.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
National Guardsmen and Reservists Parity for Patriots Act - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to back-date to September 11, 2001, the period of active duty or performed active service, in support of a contingency operation or in other emergency situations, for which members of Ready Reserve components of the armed forces shall receive credit in determining eligibility for early receipt of non-regular service retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Federal Protective Service Improvement and Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain no fewer than 1,350 full-time equivalent positions in the Federal Protective Service inspector force, who shall be fully trained federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Secretary to classify the positions in the following categories: (1) Federal Facility Security Officers, responsible for security assessment; and (2) law enforcement officers, responsible for physical law enforcement and investigations. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) the Federal Protective Service contract oversight force; and (2) minimum training and certification standards for security guard services at facilities protected by the Service. Expresses the sense of Congress that specified security standards for federal facilities established by the Interagency Security Committee should be implemented for all federal facilities for which they were issued. Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the Federal Protective Service, to: (1) commence a one-year pilot program to research the advantages of converting guard positions at the highest-risk federal facilities protected by the Service from contract guard positions to positions held by federal employees; and (2) establish and hire individuals for a federal facility security guard position. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) periodically review and report to Congress on the performance by federal facility security guards under the pilot program, and upon its completion submit a final report evaluating whether or not the performance of individuals in such positions was satisfactory (if so, directs the Secretary to replace contract guards at all highest risk facilities protected by the Service with federal employees); and (2) submit a review of the fee-based funding system in use by the Service and issue any recommendations for alternative approaches.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act - Declares that it is U.S. policy to protect and preserve living and other resources of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (Farallones NMS) and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Cordell Bank NMS) marine environments. Makes certain adjustments to expand the boundaries of the Farallones NMS and the Cordell NMS. Prohibits the issuance of a lease or permit authorizing mineral or hydrocarbon exploration, development, production, or transportation by pipeline within the boundaries of the sanctuaries, as modified by this Act. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to complete: (1) a draft supplemental management plan for each of the sanctuaries that focuses on management in the areas added by this Act; and (2) a revised management plan for each of the sanctuaries. Directs the Secretary to carry out an assessment of necessary revisions to the regulations for the sanctuaries, including considering regulations regarding the deposit or release of introduced species and the alteration of stream and river drainage into the sanctuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act - Designates specified lands within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act - Recognizes the suffering and the loyalty of the people of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were raped, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents). Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to specify injuries that would constitute a severe personal injury or a personal injury. Authorizes the Commission to adjudicate claims and determine payment eligibility. Requires: (1) claims to be filed within one year after the Commission publishes public notice of the filing period in the Federal Register; and (2) the Commission to make filing period information available to the public through the media in Guam. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program for research, educational, and media activities that memorialize the events surrounding the occupation of Guam during World War II or honor the loyalty of the people of Guam during such occupation, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the use of innovative assistance funds for programs to: (1) improve identification of students with eating disorders; (2) increase awareness of such disorders among parents and students; and (3) train educators with respect to effective eating disorder prevention and assistance methods. Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a program to broadcast public service announcements to improve public awareness, and to promote the identification and prevention, of eating disorders. Requires the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics to: (1) study the impact eating disorders have on educational advancement and achievement; (2) report on current state and local programs to educate youth on the dangers of eating disorders; and (3) recommend federal, state, and local measures that could be undertaken.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund for payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of a monthly benefit of $1,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Requires such individuals to: (1) apply for such benefit within one year after the enactment of this Act; and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. Requires the Secretary to include, in annual budget documents submitted to Congress, detailed information on the Fund's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Encourages the Department of State to place Vietnam on the list of "Countries of Particular Concern" for particularly severe violations of religious freedom. Condemns the ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom in Vietnam, including the detention of religious leaders and the long-term imprisonment of individuals engaged in peaceful advocacy. Calls on Vietnam to lift restrictions on religious freedom and implement necessary legal and political reforms to protect religious freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 - Provides for repeal of the current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, to be effective 60 days after the Secretary of Defense has received DOD's comprehensive review on the implementation of such repeal, and the President, Secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) certify to the congressional defense committees that they have considered the report and proposed plan of action, that DOD has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to exercise the discretion provided by such repeal, and that implementation of such policies and regulations is consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion, and military recruiting and retention. Provides that, until such time as the above conditions are met, the current policy shall remain in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2010
Condemns North Korea for its unprovoked November 2010 military attack against South Korea in violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and for causing civilian casualties. Expresses condolences to the South Korean victims and their families. Calls for North Korea to renounce further acts of aggression. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, the security of South Korea, and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Encourages cooperation between the United States and U.S. allies and other countries in the region in the interests of enhancing peace in the Asia-Pacific region. Calls upon China to restrain North Korea from further acts of belligerence and to work with the international community to promote regional stability. Calls upon North Korea to cease all uranium enrichment activities and take concrete steps to dismantle, under international verification, all sensitive nuclear facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2010
Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act - Directs the President to: (1) impose financial and immigration/entry sanctions on listed nationals of Vietnam who are complicit in human rights abuses committed against nationals of Vietnam or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Vietnam; and (2) submit to Congress a publicly available list of individuals determined to be complicit in such human rights abuses. Authorizes the President to waive sanctions: (1) to comply with international agreements; and (2) if in the U.S. national interest. Terminates sanctions if the President certifies to Congress that the government of Vietnam has: (1) released all political prisoners; (2) ceased its practices of violence, detention, and abuse of citizens of Vietnam engaging in peaceful political activity; and (3) conducted a transparent investigation into the killings, arrest, and abuse of such political activists and prosecuted those responsible.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2010
Recognizes Mark Twain as one of America's most famous literary icons and commemorates him on the 175th anniversary of his birth and the 100th anniversary of his death.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2010
Commends the city of Jacksonville, Arkansas, for its outstanding support in creating a unique and lasting partnership with Little Rock Air Force Base, members of the Armed Forces stationed there and their families, and the Air Force.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 337 West Clark Street in Eureka, California, as the "Sam Sacco Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Air Cargo Security Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), acting through the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (TSA), to: (1) establish at each U.S. airport federal air cargo screening centers to screen cargo transported on domestic and foreign passenger aircraft that operate in air transportation, including intrastate air transportation; (2) establish minimum standards for equipment, technology, procedures, personnel, and methods used to conduct such screening; and (3) ensure that air cargo screening is coordinated with the Certified Cargo Screening Program and any other established air cargo security program. Requires the Assistant Secretary to impose a fee for air cargo screening. Establishes the Air Cargo Security Fund for the deposit of such fees.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Sex Offender Notification of International Travel Act - Amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to require sex offenders required to register under such Act to notify their residential jurisdictions of their intent to travel from the United States to another country, regardless of the duration of the travel. Requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), to develop an international travel notification form to obtain information about sex offenders traveling outside the United States, including each such offender's name, address, social security number, email addresses, citizenship, passport or passport card number, and travel itinerary and the purpose of the trip. Establishes: (1) a Cyber Crimes Center (CCC) in the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of DHS to address criminal acts crossing U.S. borders through cyberspace; and (2) the Child Exploitation Investigations Center within the CCC to coordinate all agency child exploitation initiatives relating to child exploitation, child trafficking, and forced child labor. Authorizes the CCC to create and advance public awareness campaigns to further its mission. Directs the Attorney General, in consultation with the DHS Secretary, to conduct research and development activities for the prevention and investigation of child exploitation crimes. Amends the federal criminal code to extend the authority to issue administrative subpoenas in federal offenses involving the sexual exploitation or abuse of children to the DHS Secretary and the Postmaster General.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Joins with the Greek Embassy in Washington, DC, the people of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the people of Marathon, Greece, and the hundreds of thousands of runners participating in marathons throughout the United States, in celebrating the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, Greece, one of the most significant battles in human history.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 867 Stockton Street in San Francisco, California, as the "Tom Kongsgaard Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Housing Opportunity and Mortgage Equity Act of 2010 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises or GSEs) each to carry out a one-year program providing for the refinancing of qualified single-family housing mortgages it owns through a refinancing mortgage (and for the purchase of and securitization of such refinancing mortgages) in accordance with this Act and the policies and procedures of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Defines a qualified mortgage as one, regardless of whether the mortgagor is current on payments due or in default, that: (1) is an existing first mortgage for purchase of, or refinancing another first mortgage on, a one- to four-family dwelling, including a condominium or a share in a cooperative ownership housing association, that is occupied by the mortgagor as principal residence; (2) is owned or guaranteed by the particular GSE; and (3) was originated on or before enactment of this Act. Specifies the terms and conditions of a refinancing mortgage, including a 40-year term to maturity and a prohibition on borrower fees. Requires waiver or forgiveness of all fees and penalties related to any default or delinquency on the original mortgage. Requires a GSE to pay a fee of up to $1,000 to the servicer of a qualified mortgage refinance. Prohibits any requirement of a property appraisal.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the retirement age under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act should not be raised.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2010
Honors Latinos for their continued service in the U.S. Armed Forces. Recognizes past service of Latinos who have sacrificed their lives to defend freedom and democracy. Commends leading Latino members of the Armed Forces for their long-time commitment to securing and defending the United States. Recognizes the significant role of Latino members of the Armed Forces to the success of ongoing military operations. Urges the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to support and encourage Latino members of the Armed Forces and promote leadership amongst them.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2010
Supports the designation of National School Psychology Week. Recognizes the contributions of school psychologists to the success of students in schools across this country.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2010
Increases from $200 million to $500 million the aggregate allowable amount that can be awarded (liability cap) for a single passenger rail accident or incident that was proximately caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct of a defendant. (Current law limits to $200 million the aggregate allowable award to all rail passengers, against all defendants, for all claims, including claims for punitive damages, arising from a single accident or incident.) Increases from $200 million to $500 million per accident or incident the mandatory total minimum insurance or self-insurance liability coverage Amtrak must maintain.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Fair Playing Field Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: (1) repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Secretary of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; (2) direct the Secretary to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; (3) prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; (4) require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (5) eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor).
![Official portrait of Rep. Sanchez, Loretta [D-CA-46]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000030_200.jpg)