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United States · Official source
2,098 records where Rep. Walz, Timothy J. [D-MN-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Reserve Retirement Deployment Credit Correction Act - Removes the requirement that days of active duty or active service used to reduce the minimum age at which a member of the reserves may retire for non-regular (reserve) service must occur in the same fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to consider certain methods for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a member of the merchant marine during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such methods to include Social Security Administration (SSA) records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, or other official employment records. Requires the Secretary to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for the merchant marine or discharge therefrom, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2011 - Establishes the U.S. Office for Native Hawaiian Relations within the Office of the Secretary of the Interior. Establishes the Native Hawaiian Interagency Coordinating Group. Recognizes the right of the qualified Native Hawaiian constituents to reorganize the single Native Hawaiian governing entity to provide for their common welfare and to adopt appropriate organic governing documents. Establishes a Commission to: (1) prepare and maintain a roll of such constituents, and (2) certify that individuals on the roll meet the definition of qualified Native Hawaiian. Outlines the process for the reorganization, which includes forming a Native Hawaiian Interim Governing Council. Reaffirms the special political and legal relationship between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people upon the Secretary's approval of the organic governing documents and the installation of officers elected to the Native Hawaiian governing entity. Extends federal recognition to the governing entity as the representative sovereign governing body of the Native Hawaiian people. Authorizes the United States, upon the reaffirmation of such political and legal relationship, together with the state of Hawaii, to enter into negotiations with the governing entity for an agreement addressing matters that include: (1) land, natural resource, and asset transfers; (2) governing powers and responsibilities; and (3) grievances. Prohibits Native Hawaiians or their governing entity from conducting gaming activities as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under the authority of federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an S corporation-sponsored employer stock ownership plan (ESOP); and (2) allow a tax deduction for 50% of the interest incurred on loans to S corporation-sponsored ESOPs for the purchase of employer securities. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. Amends the Small Business Act to define "ESOP business concern" and allow such a concern to continue to qualify for loans, preferences, and other programs under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Commodity Exchange Act to direct both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to prohibit purchase or sale of either securities, security-based swaps, or commodities for future delivery or swap by a person in possession of material nonpublic information regarding pending or prospective legislative action if the information was obtained: (1) knowingly from a Member or employee of Congress, (2) by reason of being a Member or employee of Congress, or (3) from other federal employees and derived from their federal employment. Amends the Code of Official Conduct of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit any Member, officer, or employee of the House from disclosing material nonpublic information relating to any pending or prospective legislative action relating to any publicly-traded company or to any commodity if such person has reason to believe that the information will be used to buy or sell the securities of that publicly traded company or that commodity for future delivery based on such information. Directs both the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives to hold hearings on the implementation by the CFTC and the SEC of such financial transaction prohibitions. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require formal disclosure of certain securities and commodities futures transactions to either the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to subject to its registration, reporting, and disclosure requirements, as well as requirements for identification of clients and covered legislative and executive officials, all political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants. Requires the Comptroller General to include political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants in its annual compliance audits and reports.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Veterans Equal Treatment for Service Dogs Act or VETS Dogs Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from prohibiting the use of service dogs in or on any VA facility or property or any facility or property that receives VA funding.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Oleoresin Capsicum Spray Pilot Program of 2011 - Directs the Bureau of Prisons to conduct a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the routine issuance of Oleoresin Capsicum spray (pepper spray) to staff. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on an evaluation of such pilot program and on tools to improve officer safety in federal prisons.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Honors and recognizes the contributions of veterans who served in Vietnam. Encourages the people of the United States to observe Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Respect for Marriage Act - Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Combat Act - Increases, as of the beginning of FY2011, the maximum monthly rates of: (1) hostile fire or imminent danger pay from $225 to $260; (2) hazardous duty pay from $250 to $260; and (3) the monthly family separation allowance from $250 to $285.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Declares that repetition of a recordkeeping violation, regardless of frequency, shall not be considered evidence that the licensee committed the violation knowingly and in intentional disregard of a legal duty. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, research and training, national security services, and motion picture or television production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Revises firearms licensee recordkeeping requirements, including by prohibiting: (1) the Attorney General from electronically recording firearms transaction information of a discontinued firearms or ammunition business by name or personal identification code; and (2) any rule or regulation or administration action from establishing any comprehensive or partial system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or FIT Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs. Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, and parental involvement in their childrens' education. Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a study that: (1) assesses the effect health and physical education have on students' ability to learn; and (2) makes recommendations for improving, and measuring improvements to, their health and physical education in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2011
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Women's History Month. Recognizes and honors the women and organizations in the United States that have fought for and continue to promote the teaching of women's history.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Honors as a veteran any person entitled to retired pay for nonregular (reserve) service or, but for age, would be so entitled. Provides that such person shall not be entitled to any benefit by reason of such recognition.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2011
Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any person, during a proclaimed international crisis affecting the oil market, to sell gasoline or any other petroleum distillate at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; and (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage of the circumstances of the crisis to increase prices unreasonably. Authorizes the President to issue such a proclamation citing the geographic area, gasoline or other petroleum distillate, and time period (not to exceed 30 consecutive days) covered. Permits such a proclamation to be renewed as the President determines appropriate and to include a period of up to one week preceding a reasonably foreseeable emergency. Sets forth factors to be considered in determining if a violation of this Act has occurred. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce a violation of this Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice and to give priority to enforcement actions concerning companies with U.S. sales over $10 billion per year. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations, but limits the criminal penalty to criminal actions brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Authorizes a state to bring a civil action to enforce this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act preempts any state law.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2011
American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through December 31, 2012, the tax credit for increasing research activities; and (2) increase the rate of the alternative simplified tax credit to 20% and make such credit permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2011
Recognizes the importance of the school breakfast program and its overall positive effect on the lives of low-income children and families, as well as its effect on helping to improve a child's overall classroom performance. Expresses the support of the House of Representatives for states that have successfully implemented school breakfast programs in order to improve the test scores and grades of their participating students. Encourages states to: (1) strengthen their school breakfast programs by improving student access, (2) promote improvements in the nutritional quality of breakfasts served, and (3) inform students and parents of healthy nutritional and lifestyle choices. Recognizes: (1) that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 provides low-income children with greater access to nutritious breakfasts; (2) the role nonprofit and community organizations play in increasing awareness of, and access to, breakfast programs for low-income children; and (3) that National School Breakfast Week helps draw attention to the need for, and success of, the school breakfast program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 2011 - Excludes from annual income, for purposes of eligibility for pensions for veterans and their surviving spouses and children, reimbursements resulting from: (1) any accident; (2) any theft or loss; (3) any casualty loss; (4) medical expenses resulting from any such accident, theft, or loss; and (5) pain and suffering (including insurance settlement payments and general damages awarded by a court) related to such accident, theft, or loss.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Medication Therapy Management Benefits Act of 2011 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require that the annual comprehensive medication review include creation of a personal medication record and a recommended medication action plan in consultation with the individual and the prescriber. Requires medication therapy management (MTM) services to include targeted medication reviews furnished person-to-person by a licensed pharmacist offered at least once every quarter to: (1) assess medication use since the last annual comprehensive medication review, (2) monitor unresolved issues, or (3) identify problems with new drug therapies or if the individual has experienced a transition in care. Increases the number of diseases and conditions for which beneficiaries may be targeted for medication therapy management (MTM) services. Requires a prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsor to identify a process, subject to approval by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), that allows licensed pharmacists or other qualified providers to identify potential enrollees for MTM interventions where such individuals are not targeted beneficiaries or are not otherwise offered MTM services. Requires any MTM program to offer both comprehensive and targeted medication reviews to individuals dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (under SSA title XIX), regardless of whether they are MTM-targeted beneficiaries. Requires a PDP sponsor to offer any willing pharmacy in its network the ability to provide MTM services. Requires the PDP sponsor to reimburse pharmacists and other entities furnishing MTM services based on the resources used and the time required to provide such services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish measures and standards for data collection by PDP sponsors to evaluate performance of pharmacies and other entities in furnishing MTM services; and (2) support the continued development and refinement of performance measures. Provides pharmacies and other entities that furnish MTM services with additional incentive payments based on their performance in meeting quality measures established under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Stop Asian Carp Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to study the watersheds of the Illinois, Chicago, and Calumet Rivers, including their tributaries, that drain directly into Lake Michigan to determine the feasibility and best means of implementing the hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basins to prevent the introduction or establishment of populations of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Area Water System (CAWS) and other aquatic pathways. Requires the study to: (1) include options to address flooding, Chicago wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, waterway safety operations, and barge and recreational vessel traffic alternatives; and (2) contain a detailed analysis of the environmental benefits and costs of each option. Directs: (1) the Secretary to carry out this Act at full federal cost; and (2) the President, or the Council on Environmental Quality as a designee to the President, to oversee the study to ensure its thoroughness and timely completion. Requires the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to: (1) monitor and survey all waters that connect to the Great Lakes Basin or could connect to it due to flooding, underground hydrological connection, or human-made diversion to identify additional threats that could allow Asian Carp to enter the Basin; and (2) prioritize each threat and help identify means to impede the passage of Asian Carp to the Basin.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) from providing grants or funds to a state, county, town, or township, Indian tribe, municipal, or other local government for use in any program to check helmet usage or create checkpoints for a motorcycle driver or passenger.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Marshals Service, to mint and issue $5 gold and $1 silver coins emblematic of the 225 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of the U.S. Marshals Service. Requires all such coin sales to include a surcharge of: (1) $35 per $5 coin; and (2) $10 per $1 coin. Requires distribution of the first $5 million to the U.S. Marshals Service National Museum for the preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents of the U.S. Marshals Service. Requires distribution of one-third of the remainder each to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in support of the National Law Enforcement Museum and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the $5 gold coins.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state from requiring a permit under the CWA for a discharge from a point source into navigable waters of a pesticide registered under FIFRA, or the residue of such a pesticide, resulting from the application of such pesticide. Exempts from such prohibition the following discharges containing a pesticide or pesticide residue: (1) a discharge resulting from the application of a pesticide in violation of FIFRA that is relevant to protecting water quality, if the discharge would not have occurred but for the violation or the amount of pesticide or pesticide residue contained in the discharge is greater than would have occurred without the violation; (2) stormwater discharges regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); and (3) municipal or industrial discharges regulated under NPDES, including manufacturing or industrial effluent, treatment works effluent, and discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, including a discharge resulting from ballasting operations or vessel biofouling prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement). Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for matching subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires program participants to use their grants and subgrants to enhance the geographic literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12 by supporting specified activities, including: (1) educational research; (2) teacher training; (3) the development of effective teaching tools and learning materials; (4) the application of rigorous academic standards and assessment techniques; (5) comparative studies of world cultures, economies, and environments; and (6) the exchange of information regarding the state of geographic literacy and strategies for its improvement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Urges the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2011
Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit to mean recently discharged veterans and any veteran receiving specified benefits. Defines "recently discharged veteran" to mean: (1) any individual who has served on active duty (other than active duty for training) in the Armed Forces for more than 180 consecutive days, (2) any individual who has been discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability, and (3) any member of the National Guard who has served for more than 180 consecutive days in active duty, full-time National Guard duty, or duty in state status. Defines "veteran receiving specified benefits" as any veteran who is certified as being a member of a family receiving assistance under a supplemental nutrition assistance program and is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability. Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Guard to inform military personnel who are discharged or released from active duty of the work opportunity tax credit and provide them with documentation relating to eligibility for and use of such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2011
Honors Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) for his success in encouraging children to discover the joy of reading. Honors the 14th anniversary of Read Across America Day, which occurs on March 2, 2011. Encourages parents to read with their children for at least 30 minutes on Read Across America Day.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2011
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to promulgate a rule to: (1) improve the daytime and nighttime visibility of agricultural equipment operating on public roads, and (2) establish minimum lighting and marking standards for such equipment. Requires the Secretary to review and revise such standards at least once every five years to reflect the latest revision of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Standard 279 entitled "Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways."
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2011
Establishes the House Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2011
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2011
Government Shutdown Fairness Act - Prohibits Members of Congress and the President from receiving basic pay for any period in which: (1) there is more than a 24-hour lapse in appropriations for any federal agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution, or (2) the federal government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the public debt limit has been reached.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2011
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2011
Directs each Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) establish procedures to implement flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) for military health care and dependent care for active-duty military personnel on a pre-tax basis; and (2) consider life events of members of the Armed Forces that are unique to them, including changes relating to permanent changes of duty station and deployments to overseas contingency operations. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to Congress recommendations on the advisability of authorizing FSAs for members of the Selected Reserve.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2011
Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2011 - Allows a state to authorize a vehicle with a maximum gross weight (including enforcement tolerances) exceeding certain federal weight limitations to operate on Interstate Highway System (IHS) routes in the state if: (1) the vehicle is equipped with at least six axles, (2) the weight of any single axle does not exceed 20,000 pounds, (3) the weight of any tandem axle does not exceed 34,000 pounds, (4) the weight of any group of 3 or more axles does not exceed 51,000 pounds, and (5) the gross weight of the vehicle does not exceed 97,000 pounds. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a safe and efficient vehicle bridge infrastructure improvement program. Requires the Secretary to apportion amounts from the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund to states for eligible bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on any vehicles that exceed federal weight limitations operating on the IHS, and (2) establish the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2011
Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a Pancreatic Cancer Initiative to assist in coordinating activities to address the high mortality rate associated with pancreatic cancer. Requires the Secretary to establish the Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Coordinating Committee to: (1) provide advice on overall research objectives and benchmarks for pancreatic cancer research; (2) develop and update not less than every five years a strategic plan for pancreatic cancer research awareness; and (3) conduct evaluations and make recommendations as needed to the Secretary, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) regarding the prioritization and award of NIH research grants relating to pancreatic cancer. Requires the Secretary to develop a primary care provider education program on pancreatic cancer. Requires the Director of NCI and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a communication tool kit for patients and their families that focuses on specific pancreatic cancer issues relating to patient choices and patient care. Allows the Secretary to award grants to research institutions for use in developing innovative compounds or technologies for the prevention, early detection, or treatment of those cancers with five-year survival rates of less than 50%. Requires the Secretary to focus on pancreatic cancer during the initial five fiscal years of awarding such grants. Allows the Secretary to designate two additional Specialized Programs of Research Excellence focusing solely on pancreatic cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2011
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor collectively the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in recognition of their military service and exemplary record during World War II. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the CAP. 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 · 15 February 2011
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2011
Teacher Tax Deduction Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $250 to $500 the dollar limit on the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers and to extend such deduction through 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2011
Military Spouses Employment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include spouses of members of the Armed Forces on extended active duty (more than 90 days or for an indefinite period) as members of a targeted group for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit (thus giving employers a tax incentive for hiring military spouses).
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 3% withholding requirement on payments due to vendors providing services to federal, state, and local governmental entities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
States that the House of Representatives: (1) stands in solidarity with the people of Egypt in their democratic aspirations; (2) condemns the use of violence against unarmed protestors by the Egyptian security services and hired gangs of thugs, urges the release of any peaceful protestors who remain in custody, and calls for an end to the imposition of emergency or martial law; (3) deplores the targeted beatings and arrests of Egyptian and international journalists, as well as human rights and democracy advocates; (4) expresses its gratitude to the Egyptian army for its restraint and for remembering that its mission is to safeguard the Egyptian people; and (5) calls upon the government of Egypt and the political opposition to work together to transition Egypt to a credible democracy and a new era for the Egyptian people.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
Honors the legacy of the late Honorable Barbara Charline Jordan (American politician, leader of the Civil Rights movement, first African-American elected to the Texas Senate, first southern black woman elected to the House of Representatives, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award) on the 75th anniversary of her birth.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as a "countervailable subsidy" requiring action under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding the benefit conferred on merchandise imported into the United States from foreign countries with fundamentally undervalued currency. Defines "benefit conferred," in cases where the currency of a foreign country is exchanged for foreign currency (i.e., U.S. dollars) obtained from export transactions, as the difference between: (1) the amount of currency provided by a foreign country in which the subject merchandise is produced; and (2) the amount of currency such country would have provided if the real effective exchange rate of its currency were not fundamentally undervalued. Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding. Requires the administering authority to determine that the currency of a foreign country is fundamentally undervalued if for an 18-month period: (1) the government of the country engages in protracted, large-scale intervention in one or more foreign exchange markets; (2) the country's real effective exchange rate is undervalued by at least 5%; (3) the country has experienced significant and persistent global current account surpluses; and (4) the country's government has foreign asset reserves exceeding the amount necessary to repay all its debt obligations falling due within the coming 12 months, 20% percent of the country's money supply, and the value of the country's imports during the previous 4 months. Requires the use, for calculating a country's "real effective exchange rate undervaluation," of certain guidelines of the Consultative Group on Exchange Rate Issues of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or, if those guidelines are not available, generally accepted economic and econometric techniques and methodologies. Requires the use, also, of inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted exchange rates. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Collectible Firearms Protection Act - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to allow the importation of certain firearms listed as curios or relics into the United States by a licensed importer without the requirement of an authorization from or payment to the Department of State or the Department of Defense (DOD) upon certification to the Attorney General that such firearms are lawfully possessed under the laws of the exporting country.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2011
Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 to extend the period for the submission by members of the Armed Forces of claims for retroactive stop-loss special pay (paid to members whose enlistment or period of obligated service was extended, or whose eligibility for retirement was suspended, by the President in time or war or national emergency) from one to two years after the date on which implementing rules for such payments take effect. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to include in a required report concerning such payments a plan describing DOD outreach and informational efforts to promote and increase awareness of the special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2011
Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend from 90 days to 9 months after military service the period of protection against mortgage sale or foreclosure, as well as the stay of proceedings, in the case of an obligation on real property of a servicemember that originated before the period of military service. (Under current law, such period reverted from 9 months to 90 days on January 1, 2011.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2011
Military Families Financial Preparedness Act - Requires the following information to be included as part of preseparation counseling provided to members of the Armed Forces and their spouses: (1) survivor benefits available through the Secretary of Defense (DOD) or Veterans Affairs (VA); (2) budgeting, saving, credit, loans, and taxes; (3) home loan services and housing assistance available through DOD or the VA and counseling on responsible borrowing practices; and (4) additional counseling regarding the member's actual entitlement to benefits and how to apply for such benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2011
Kids Just Want to Ride Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to exempt off-highway vehicles from children's product lead limits. Defines "off-highway vehicle" as: (1) any motorized vehicle designed to travel on two, three, or four wheels and having a seat designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering control; and (2) a snowmobile. Allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to exempt a specific product or material from the limits if it finds that lead in the product or material will not result in the absorption of lead (under current law, of any lead) into the human body, taking into account normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product by a child.