United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Riya Wilson Act - Amends title IV (Grants to States for Aid and Services to Needy Families with Children and for Child-Welfare Services) of the Social Security Act to require an approved state plan that is required in order to be eligible for federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to provide that such state has in effect procedures that require the state child welfare agency to promptly report information on missing or abducted children to law enforcement authorities for entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require a state reporting a missing child under the age of 21 to the NCIC to: (1) require the state law enforcement agency that entered the report to include a recent photograph in information updating a record, and (2) notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report received relating to a child reported missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2011
Farmers Disaster Assistance Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to make supplemental payments to agricultural producers receiving direct payments for covered commodities, direct payments for peanuts, or average crop revenue election (ACRE) payments in disaster counties that had qualifying losses for the 2011 crop year. Sets forth related insurance requirements. Directs the Secretary to provide grants to qualifying states through September 30, 2012, to assist specialty crop producers for losses due to excessive rainfall and related conditions affecting the 2011 crops. Eliminates numerical and durational limitations on operating loan waivers for a farm or a ranch in a county which in 2011: (1) has been substantially affected by a natural disaster, or (2) is included in a presidentially-designated major disaster or emergency area. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to suspend through December 31, 2013, the limitation on the period for which borrowers are eligible for guaranteed farm operating loans in a county which in 2011: (1) has been substantially affected by a natural disaster, or (2) is included in a presidentially-designated major disaster or emergency area.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the low-income housing tax rate for new buildings that are not federally subsidized, and (2) establish a minimum 4% low-income tax credit rate for existing buildings that are not federally subsidized.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
Permanently Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2011 - Amends the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 to repeal its sunset date December 31, 2012 (thus making the Act permanent). Establishes a private right of action to enforce compliance with such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
End Racial Profiling Act of 2011 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Defines "racial profiling" to mean the practice of a law enforcement agent or agency relying, to any degree, on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion in selecting which individual to subject to routine or spontaneous investigatory activities, or in deciding upon the scope and substance of law enforcement activity following the initial investigatory activity, except when there is trustworthy information relevant to the locality and timeframe that links a person of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or religion to an identified criminal incident or scheme. Authorizes the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling to enforce this Act in a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires: (1) federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling; and (2) state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations to ensure that administrative complaint procedures and independent audit programs provide an appropriate response to allegations of racial profiling by law enforcement agents or agencies. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires: (1) the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling, and (2) the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics to analyze the data collected for any statistically significant disparities. Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports on racial profiling by law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act - Requires a business enterprise that employs 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees, or 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, exclusive of overtime, in a call center to notify the Secretary of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States. Subjects violators to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 a day. Directs the Secretary to maintain and make publicly available a list of all such employers that relocate a call center. Requires such an employer to remain on the list for up to three years after each relocation. Makes such an employer ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, except where the employer demonstrates that a lack of such loan or grant would threaten national security, result in substantial job loss in the United States, or harm the environment. Requires the head of federal or state executive agency or military department, when awarding a civilian or defense-related contract, to give preference to a U.S. employer that does not appear on the list. Requires a business entity that initiates or receives a customer service communication to require each of its employees or agents participating in the communication to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each such communication unless all involved employees or agents are located in the United States. Exempts any communication: (1) initiated by a consumer if the consumer knows or reasonably should know that the employee or agent is located outside the United States, or (2) related to the provision of emergency services. Requires such a business entity, upon request, to transfer a customer to a customer service agent who is physically located in the United States. Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exclude certain classes or types of business entities or customer services communications from the requirements of this Act under exceptionally compelling circumstances. Sets forth enforcement provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Transit System Flexibility Protection Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the operating costs of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation systems as follows: (1) not exceeding 50 percent in systems that operate 75 or fewer buses during peak service hours in an urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000, and (2) not exceeding 25 percent in systems that operate a minimum of 76 buses and a maximum of 100 buses during peak service hours in such an urbanized area.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2011 - Directs the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates in federal prisons and upon reentry into the community. Requires such policy to include provisions for: (1) testing of inmates upon intake and counseling; (2) HIV/AIDS prevention education; (3) HIV testing of prisoners annually upon request or upon exposure to HIV; (4) HIV testing of pregnant inmates; (5) comprehensive medical treatment of inmates who test positive for HIV and confidential counseling on managing their medical condition and preventing its transmission to other persons; (6) protection of confidentiality; (7) testing, counseling, and referral prior to reentry into the community; (8) allowing inmates the right to refuse routine HIV testing; (9) excluding as "routine" the testing of an inmate who may have transmitted HIV to any U.S. officer or employee or to any person lawfully present but not incarcerated in a correctional facility; and (10) timely notification of test results. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) require HIV testing for all federal prison inmates upon intake regardless of length of sentence or risk factors, (2) allow inmates to decline testing prior to release from incarceration, and (3) make HIV testing part of the routine health screening conducted at intake. Requires the Bureau to report on: (1) testing, treatment, and prevention education programs for hepatitis and other diseases transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use; and (2) the incidence among prison inmates of diseases transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Veterans Education Equity Act of 2011 - Revises the formula for the payment by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of tuition and fees for individuals entitled to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program and pursuing programs of education at public institutions of higher learning to include, as an additional payment formula, the greater of: (1) the actual net costs for in-state tuition after applying the receipt of any tuition waivers, reductions, scholarships, or other assistance; or (2) $17,500 for the academic year beginning on August 1, 2011 (such amount to be increased each subsequent year by the average percentage increase in undergraduate tuition costs).
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Project Rebuild Act of 2011 - Appropriates funds for assistance to eligible entities including state and local governments, and qualified nonprofit organizations, businesses or eligible consortia for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties and for stabilization of affected neighborhoods (Project Rebuild). Allows the use of funds to: (1) establish financing mechanisms for the purchase and redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties; (2) purchase and rehabilitate such properties; (3) establish and operate land banks for them; (4) demolish blighted structures (except public housing); and (5) redevelop abandoned, foreclosed, demolished, or vacant properties. Requires each state to receive at least $20 million of formula funds, all of which shall be used with respect to low and moderate-income individuals and families. Requires each state and local government grantee to establish procedures to create preferences for development of affordable rental housing. Allows a grantee to use up to 10% to create jobs by establishing and operating a program to maintain eligible neighborhood properties. Sets forth Buy American requirements. Requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at the locally prevailing rates (Davis-Bacon Act).
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2011
Eva M. Clayton Fellows Program Act - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Eva M. Clayton Fellows Program to provide for fellowships to conduct research and education on the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition. Requires the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations (U.N.) to urge the creation within the Food and Agriculture Organization of fellowship positions for Clayton Fellows to conduct research and education programs on the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2011
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2011 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 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 3, 2013. Postpones the termination of the program until June 8, 2013. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until January 4, 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 June 10, 2013, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act 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 Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to authorize a state by law to apply certain requirements of the Act, with specified substitutions, for determining an extended unemployment compensation period. Requires the state's "on" and "off" indicators to be based on its rate of insured unemployment and rate of total unemployment for the period between enactment of this Act (or, if later, the date established pursuant to state law), and ending on or before December 31, 2012. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2012, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for those with less than 10. Amends title XII (Advances to State Unemployment Funds) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend through FY2012 the waiver on payment of interest by a state in repayment to the federal Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF) of advances from it. Denies this extension, however, to any state that has not entered a voluntary agreement with the Secretary of Labor to refrain from modifying state unemployment compensation law to lower its unemployment compensation benefits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to reductions in credits against the federal unemployment tax for an employer's contributions to a state unemployment fund in a state which has received advances from the UTF. Postpones the commencement of such reductions until January 1, 2013, for any state entering such an agreement with the Secretary. Amends SSA title IX (Employment Security Administrative Financing) to require the payment of a solvency bonus for any quarter to the book account in the UTF of the state unemployment compensation agency of a solvent state (whose outstanding balance of advances from the UTF is zero). Makes the bonus equal to two percentage points above the average rate of interest of special obligations of the United States in which the UTF is invested.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2011
Recognizes the unprecedented impact on the pursuit of social equity for marginalized communities, underserved populations, and above all disenfranchised women. Honors and pays tribute to Mrs. Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm, on the occasion of the 87th year of her birth, for a lifetime of exemplary public service.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2011
Stop Online Piracy Act - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to seek a court order against a U.S.-directed foreign Internet site committing or facilitating online piracy to require the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, to cease and desist further activities constituting specified intellectual property offenses under the federal criminal code including criminal copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation and trafficking of sound recordings or videos of live musical performances, the recording of exhibited motion pictures, or trafficking in counterfeit labels, goods, or services. Sets forth an additional two-step process that allows an intellectual property right holder harmed by a U.S.-directed site dedicated to infringement, or a site promoted or used for infringement under certain circumstances, to first provide a written notification identifying the site to related payment network providers and Internet advertising services requiring such entities to forward the notification and suspend their services to such an identified site unless the site's owner, operator, or domain name registrant, upon receiving the forwarded notification, provides a counter notification explaining that it is not dedicated to engaging in specified violations. Authorizes the right holder to then commence an action for limited injunctive relief against the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or against the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, if: (1) such a counter notification is provided (and, if it is a foreign site, includes consent to U.S. jurisdiction to adjudicate whether the site is dedicated to such violations), or (2) a payment network provider or Internet advertising service fails to suspend its services in the absence of such a counter notification. Requires online service providers, Internet search engines, payment network providers, and Internet advertising services, upon receiving a copy of a court order relating to an AG action, to carry out certain preventative measures including withholding services from an infringing site or preventing users located in the United States from accessing the infringing site. Requires payment network providers and Internet advertising services, upon receiving a copy of such an order relating to a right holder's action, to carry out similar preventative measures. Provides immunity from liability for service providers, payment network providers, Internet advertising services, advertisers, Internet search engines, domain name registries, or domain name registrars that take actions required by this Act or otherwise voluntarily block access to or end financial affiliation with such sites. Permits such entities to stop or refuse services to certain sites that endanger public health by distributing prescription medication that is adulterated, misbranded, or without a valid prescription. Expands the offense of criminal copyright infringement to include public performances of: (1) copyrighted work by digital transmission, and (2) work intended for commercial dissemination by making it available on a computer network. Expands the criminal offenses of trafficking in inherently dangerous goods or services to include: (1) counterfeit drugs; and (2) goods or services falsely identified as meeting military standards or intended for use in a national security, law enforcement, or critical infrastructure application. Increases the penalties for: (1) specified trade secret offenses intended to benefit a foreign government, instrumentality, or agent; and (2) various other intellectual property offenses as amended by this Act. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review, and if appropriate, amend related Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Requires the Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce to appoint at least one intellectual property attache to be assigned to the U.S. embassy or diplomatic mission in a country in each geographic region covered by a Department of State regional bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2011
Eliminate Auto Test (EAT) Act of 2011 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to exclude the value of vehicles used for household transportation, or to obtain or continue employment, from the resource limitation for purposes of supplemental nutrition assistance (SNAP, formerly food stamps) eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2011
Community Agriculture Development and Jobs Act - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Office of Community Agriculture to: (1) promote agriculture in nontraditional communities (communities or areas with limited or no traditional agricultural production), and (2) improve nutrition in such communities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for initiatives in nontraditional communities to: (1) strengthen local food production, processing, and distribution; (2) create sustainable food systems; (3) encourage food assistance recipients to purchase locally grown or produced foods; (4) convert vacant land to agricultural production; and (5) support education and training. Amends the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to provide loans, loan guarantees, and grants to expand farmers markets. Gives assistance priority to nontraditional communities. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the seniors farmers market nutrition program. Gives assistance priority to: (1) nontraditional communities, and (2) farmers markets with an operational seniors farmers market program. Amends the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 to require as part of each agriculture census an evaluation of the state of farmers markets in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
Honors Reverend Fred Lee Shuttlesworth (established the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, helped organize the march from Selma to Montgomery to protest voting discrimination in Alabama, and worked with the Congress of Racial Equality to organize the Freedom Rides) for his efforts in the fight against segregation and commitment to the civil rights of all people.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2011
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2011 - Directs the President to establish the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to: (1) identify opportunities and ideas within government and the private sector that are key components in achieving the end of breast cancer and which have been overlooked, yet are ripe for collaboration and investment; (2) recommend projects to leverage such opportunities and ideas in the areas of the primary prevention of breast cancer and the causes and prevention of breast cancer metastasis; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine for an evaluation of the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
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 · 15 September 2011
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand the collection and analysis of data in programs of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Sets forth provisions to improve cultural competence in federal health care programs and services, including by establishing the Robert T. Matsui Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to engage in activities to improve health workforce diversity, including by: (1) establishing a working group, a technical clearinghouse, and an advisory committee; (2) awarding grants to academic institutions, (3) establishing a health and health care disparities education program, and (4) providing for scholarships, loan repayment and loan forgiveness, and research fellowships. Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2011 - Provides for the establishment of health empowerment zones in communities that experience disproportionate disparities in health status and health care. Requires the Secretary to engage in activities to improve the quality of and access to health care, including by expanding access to health care and health care insurance for immigrants, increasing Medicaid payments to territories and to Native Hawaiian health centers, and providing for border health grants. Sets forth programs to reduce health disparities affecting minorities and rural residents. Establishes an Office of Minority Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs Sets forth provisions to improve health for women and children, including by expanding access to federal programs for immigrant women and children, creating public awareness campaigns, engaging in activities to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes, and establishing programs to reduce teenage pregnancies. Expands Medicare coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services. Provides for community mental health services to be offered through federally-qualified behavioral health centers. Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary to implement the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Program to achieve a reduction of at least 25% in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2017. Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access, and Treatment Effectiveness Act of 2011 or the PROSTATE Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take action to address prostate cancer, including by establishing the Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force. Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary to implement programs to address hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research and Treatment Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary to establish the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry. Requires the Secretary to carry out activities to expand the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative. National Black Clergy for the Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act of 2011 - Provides for a program of grants to public health agencies and faith-based organizations to address HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. Justice for the Unprotected Against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act or the JUSTICE Act - Permits community organizations to distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and to engage in sexually transmitted infection counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2011 - Requires the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates. Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Requires the Secretary to conduct research and other activities with respect to diabetes in minority populations. Sets forth provisions regarding the use of health information technology to reduce health disparities. Prohibits discrimination in federal health programs or activities. Requires the Secretary to establish the Office of Health Disparities in the Office for Civil Rights and to establish civil rights compliance offices in each HHS agency that administers health programs. Directs the President to enforce Executive Order 12898 (requires federal agencies to take actions to achieve environmental justice) as federal law. Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Fix America's Schools Today (FAST) Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to allocate grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities. Requires the Secretary to allocate grants directly to the 100 LEAs with the largest numbers of children aged 5-17 living in poverty to modernize, renovate, or repair such facilities. Requires allocation of such funds among these LEAs in proportion to each LEA's respective share of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires states to give subgrant priority to projects that comply with certain green building standards. Prohibits the use of such grants for new construction or routine maintenance costs. Reserves funds for a survey, by the National Center for Education Statistics, of nationwide public school construction, modernization, renovation, and repair needs. Directs the Secretary to allocate grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair existing facilities at community colleges. Prohibits the use of such grants: (1) for routine maintenance costs, (2) on facilities used for events for which the public is charged admission, or (3) on facilities which are used for sectarian purposes. Requires states, in providing assistance to community college projects, to consider the extent to which the project complies with certain green building standards. Limits the amount of time states and LEAs have to obligate this Act's grants and subgrants. Requires, with certain exceptions, the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded by this Act to be domestic. Applies the prevailing wage rate requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to projects assisted pursuant to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 August 2011
National Jazz Preservation and Education Act of 2011 - Establishes a National Jazz Preservation Program, to be carried out by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution through the National Museum of American History and in collaboration with other Smithsonian museums, to preserve knowledge and promote education about jazz. Requires the Secretary to: (1) record audio and video interviews with leading jazz artists; (2) acquire, preserve, and interpret jazz artifacts; (3) continue to recognize Jazz Appreciation Month; and (4) establish collaborative agreements with specified entities for the sharing of such artifacts. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow certain funds to be made available under the Act for programs to promote jazz education, which may include: (1) a Jazz Artists in the Schools program; (2) a program for the development of lesson plans and other educational materials about jazz, the distribution of such materials, and teacher training on jazz education; and (3) an Ambassadors of Jazz program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth Promise Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention and intervention. Directs the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Presidential Dollar Coin Efficiency Act of 2011 - Repeals the requirement that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury take steps to ensure that designated institutions are able to obtain, during an introductory period, unmixed supplies of newly-issued design of $1 coins. Limits the number of presidential $1 coins produced in a year to the aggregate number of such coins produced for the previous year. Authorizes the Secretary, however, to waive such limitation upon a determination that demand for a particular design during the year will exceed the amount of coins able to be produced under such limitation. Changes from mandatory to discretionary the authority of the Director of the U.S. Mint to work closely with designated entities to ensure adequate publicity regarding inauguration of the presidential $1 Coin Program. Requires the Secretary to reduce the number of $1 coins minted and issued honoring each of the Presidents of the United States and Native Americans until excess stockpiles of $1 coins have been eliminated. Directs the Secretary and the Board to include in their annual joint report to Congress the steps taken to reduce excess stockpiles of $1 coins. Amends the Coin Modernization, Oversight, and Continuity Act of 2010 with respect to testimony before certain congressional committees on required reports on coin production costs and content.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Commends John I. Wilson, executive director of the National Education Association, for his services to educators and efforts to improve our education system. Congratulates him on his retirement. Supports the continued efforts of education leaders to aid and improve our education system.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2011
Neighborhood Preservation Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to authorize any depository institution (or affiliate) to lease, including lease with an option to purchase, to any individual for up to five years an interest in residential property which: (1) was or is security for an extension of credit by such depository institution (or affiliate), and (2) came under the institution's or affiliate's ownership or control through foreclosure (or a deed in lieu of foreclosure) on the extension of credit. Directs the federal banking agencies to jointly prescribe specified safety and soundness regulations, including minimum capital requirements for such institutions or affiliates. Permits extension of such a lease beyond five years if any federal or state law, including the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, so permits. Applies this Act only to leases entered into during the three-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. Declares it is the intent of Congress that: (1) no permanent change in policy on leasing foreclosed property is being established with respect to depository institutions and depository institution holding companies, and (2) bank leasing of foreclosed property authorized under this Act should not apply to leases entered into after such three-year period. Authorizes a government-sponsored enterprise (the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac]) to market for rental, before sale, any of its real estate owned properties and assets as the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) determines appropriate. Restricts lease agreements to five years.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2011
Commends: (1) the Administration for providing assistance in response to the drought and famine-like conditions in the Horn of Africa, and (2) the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for providing assistance in Somalia in order to mitigate conflict and promote stability. Encourages international humanitarian organizations to continue to provide food and humanitarian assistance to the regions in need, mindful of the need for relief workers' safety. Calls on: (1) the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and other local Somali authorities to make additional efforts to provide support and humanitarian relief to the people of Somalia; and (2) the U.S. government and the international community to remain focused on those most vulnerable to the current drought and famine-like conditions, especially women and children. Encourages increased water conservation. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to promoting the safety, health, and well-being of refugees around the world.
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 · 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 · 13 July 2011
Calls for Congress to consider and pass critical jobs legislation to address: (1) the crisis facing communities of color disproportionately, and (2) the nationwide economic crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Lymphedema Diagnosis and Treatment Cost Savings Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend coverage to lymphedema diagnosis and treatment services. including lymphedema compression treatment items.
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
Balancing Act of 2011 - Family Leave Insurance Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to direct the Secretary of Labor to establish a Family and Medical Insurance Program, which may involve contracts with state programs, under which, for specified reasons, an eligible employee of a covered employer shall be entitled to family and medical leave insurance benefits for a total of 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month program. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to establish a similar Civil Service Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program for federal employees. Creates in the Treasury the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a family and medical leave premium on employees and employers. Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act - Amends the FMLA to increase the number of employers to which it applies by reducing from 50 to 25 employees the threshold number triggering application of the Act. Entitles eligible employees and federal employees to take specified additional leave for parental involvement and family wellness. Domestic Violence Leave Act - Entitles eligible employees, including federal employees, to leave to address domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Includes within the purview of FMLA same-sex spouses and domestic partners and their children. Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers to provide paid sick time to their employees, including time to address domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits such employers from discriminating against employees for their legitimate use of paid sick time. Directs the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to compile specified information relating to use of paid sick time. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize additional funds for expanding child care activities for young children under age three. Authorizes the Secretary to allot funds to eligible states, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations for the federal share of access to affordable health benefits coverage for eligible child care providers. Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Development and Retention Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program. Healthy Early Education Workforce Grant Program Act - Requires a state receiving certain funds to expend them for the federal share of the cost of providing access to affordable health benefits coverage for eligible child care providers and, at state discretion, their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. Child Care Facilities Financing Act - Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive technical and financial assistance grants to Department of the Treasury-certified community development financial institutions and other specified organizations for the acquisition, construction, or renovation of child care facilities. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to award competitive grants to assist states in providing incentive funds to encourage the establishment and operation of employer-operated child care programs. Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary to make grants to state agencies to develop high-quality full-day, full-year universal prekindergarten programs for all children three, four, and five years old. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the school breakfast program to provide free breakfasts to school children without regard to family income. Afterschool Education Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 with respect to requirements for state applications for 21st century community learning center grants. Repeals the restriction in such applications to students attending schools: (1) eligible for certain schoolwide programs; (2) serving a high percentage of students from low-income families; or (3) in need of academic improvement. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require that certain employees working at less than full-time under participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans be treated as meeting full-time year-of-service criteria. Qualifies such workers for group health plans. Extends ERISA coverage to certain individuals whose services are leased or contracted for. United States Business Telework Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to conduct a pilot program in up to five states to raise awareness about telework among employers and to encourage them to offer telework options to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Center to Advance, Monitor, and Preserve University Security Safety Act of 2011 or CAMPUS Safety Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety. Tasks the Center with strengthening the safety and security of institutions of higher education (IHEs) by: (1) training IHE public safety agencies and their collaborative partners; (2) fostering relevant research; (3) collecting, coordinating, and disseminating information and best practices regarding campus safety; (4) developing protocols to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made emergencies that threaten the campus community; and (5) increasing cooperation between IHEs and the law enforcement, mental health, and other agencies and jurisdictions that serve them. Authorizes the Director to award grants to IHEs and other nonprofit organizations for activities that will assist the Center in performing its functions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Fair Sentencing Clarification Act of 2011 - Directs: (1) a court, in cases in which a sentence has not yet been imposed with respect to the application of the penalty amendments of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to cocaine base offenses committed prior to the enactment of such Act, to impose such sentence as if such amendments were in effect on the date the offense was committed; and (2) the Court of Appeals to remand for resentencing consistent with such amendments such cases in which a sentence has already been imposed, if subject to a pending appeal on or after August 3, 2010. Authorizes the sentencing court, in the case of a defendant who has been convicted of such an offense committed before August 3, 2010, for which a term of imprisonment has been imposed, to reduce the term of imprisonment for that crime consistent with the amendments made by that Act on motion of the defendant or the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, or on its own motion.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011
Lions Clubs International Century of Service Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue as legal tender $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Lions Clubs International. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the centennial. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during calendar 2017. Requires sales of the coins to include a surcharge of $10 per coin, to be paid by the Secretary to the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2011
Medical Debt Responsibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from making any report containing information related to a single fully paid or settled medical debt of $2,500 or less that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection for credit reporting purposes, which, from the date of payment or settlement, antedates the report by more than 45 calendar days.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2011
Supports the goals and ideals of Caribbean-American Heritage Month (in the month of June). Affirms that: (1) the contributions of Caribbean-Americans are a significant part of the history, progress, and heritage of the United States; and (2) the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2011 - Amends the federal bankruptcy code to limit the non-dischargeability, except in cases of undue hardship, of educational loans to those made, insured, or guaranteed by a governmental unit, or made under any program funded by a governmental unit or any program for which substantially all of the funds are provided by a nonprofit institution (thus allowing the discharge of private educational loan indebtedness without the need to show an undue hardship).
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Transportation Opportunity and Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to ensure administrative compliance with title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting discrimination by recipients of federal transportation funding. Allows a person aggrieved by violation of such nondiscrimination regulations to bring a civil action in federal or state court for equitable or legal relief, including reasonable attorney's fees, expert fees, and costs. Directs the Secretary to carry out research and demonstration activities relating to the impact of transportation planning, investment, and operations on low-income and minority populations, including populations that are transit dependent. Directs the Secretary to assess the extent to which nondiscrimination and equal opportunity exist in the United States in the construction and operation of federally-funded transportation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Community College Energy Training Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to create a program awarding grants to community colleges to provide workforce training and education in sustainable energy industries and practices, such as: (1) alternative energy; (2) high-performance green building construction, design, and redevelopment; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water, energy, and resource conservation; (5) recycling and waste reduction; and (6) sustainable agriculture and farming. Requires at least one-half of the grant funds to be awarded to community colleges with existing sustainability programs leading to certificates, credentials, or degrees in one or more of these industries or practices.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Status Report on the 30th Anniversary of HIV/AIDS Act - Directs the President to transmit to Congress and make publicly available: (1) a report on the status of the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and (2) a report on the status of international progress towards achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity and enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution, a federal or state statute, or related public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Lena Horne Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Lena Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.
![Official portrait of Rep. Watt, Melvin L. [D-NC-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000207_200.jpg)