United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Energy-Efficient Cool Roof Jobs Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify any qualified energy-efficient cool roof replacement property as 20-year property for depreciation purposes. Defines "qualified energy-efficient cool roof replacement property" as any roof system that: (1) is placed in service above conditioned or semi-heated space on an eligible commercial building during the period between the enactment of this Act and December 31, 2013, (2) has a slope equal to or less than 2:12, (3) replaces an existing roof system, and (4) includes insulation meeting specified standards and a primary roof covering that has a cool roof surface.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Expresses profound sorrow at the death of the Honorable Charles H. Percy, former Senator of Illinois. Conveys the Senate's condolences to his family. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 19, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Percy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
State and Local Law Enforcement Hatch Act Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the Hatch Act to: (1) allow state and local law enforcement officers to be candidates for the office of sheriff; and (2) allow sheriffs to engage in campaign activities by attending or speaking at political campaign rallies or events, holding or sponsoring political fundraisers, or appearing on political advertisements. Establishes a limitation period of six months after the later of the date of the alleged violation or the date of enactment of this Act for presenting charges against a law enforcement officer for Hatch Act violations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Malcolm Wallop, a former Senator from Wyoming. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 15, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Wallop.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2011
Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to establish: (1) a process for the review of proposed investments by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); (2) an Acquisition Review Board to carry out that process; and (3) an acquisition professional career program for selected professionals to foster the recruitment, training, certification, and retention of qualified acquisition personnel throughout DHS. Requires the Secretary to develop a long-term strategic human capital plan for the recruitment, retention, and training of DHS's acquisition workforce. Requires the Secretary to notify specified congressional committees at least three business days before: (1) making a contract award, other transaction agreement, or task and delivery order exceeding $10 million; or (2) announcing the intention to make such an award. Makes an exception where compliance would pose a substantial risk to human life, health, or safety. Directs the Chief Procurement Officer of DHS to issue guidance on use of independent verification and validation to provide a process for the independent evaluation of the integrity and quality of major acquisitions. Establishes within DHS a Cost Analysis Division, which shall evaluate and report on acquisition program cost estimates. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize special emergency procurement authority in a domestic emergency operation to provide support for: (1) an emergency or major disaster, or (2) any instance for which the Secretary determines federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the United States. Directs the Secretary to submit an efficiencies report and implementation plan that: (1) examines and provides recommendations and a cost-benefit analysis for the consolidation of facilities and administrative and logistics functions of DHS components within designated geographic areas; and (2) reduces the aggregate expenditures on all DHS facilities, administrative and logistics functions, and operational activities located near each other by 5% by consolidating facilities and support functions. Directs the Secretary to consolidate all DHS youth preparedness educational programs. Provides for the establishment within DHS of an Under Secretary for Policy. Permits the incumbent Assistant Secretary for Policy to serve until such Under Secretary is appointed. Reestablishes the Office of International Affairs as a separate Office within DHS, headed by the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, to coordinate international activities. Eliminates the Office for Domestic Preparedness, the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement, the Office of Cargo Security Policy, the Border and Transportation Security Directorate, and the Office of State and Local Government Coordination. Requires the Secretary to consolidate the location of the headquarters of DHS and the headquarters of components of DHS at the West Campus and East Campus of Saint Elizabeths Hospital in the District of Columbia by the end of FY2018. Directs the Secretary to designate a DHS official to coordinate efforts to counter violent extremism in the United States, particularly the ideology that gives rise to Islamist terrorism as identified in the 9/11 Commission Report. Modifies the Secretary's authority to reorganize DHS in the future. Renames the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) as the Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Directorate. Places the Federal Protective Service and Office of Infrastructure Protection within such Directorate. Authorizes the Secretary to assess and collect fees and security charges for the costs of providing protective service. Amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Act of 2006 to require the President to ensure that there are comprehensive plans to prevent, prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters throughout the federal government. Requires: (1) the President to identify and prioritize risks of catastrophic incidents, ensure that federal agencies coordinate to conduct comprehensive and effective catastrophic incident planning to address prioritized catastrophic risks, and review plans for catastrophic incidents developed by federal agencies to ensure their effectiveness; and (2) the Secretary to appoint a senior official within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who shall be responsible for catastrophic incident planning. Directs the Administrator of FEMA to enhance and promote preparedness for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters and coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments and private sector and nongovernmental organizations in these efforts. Establishes within FEMA a Disaster Reserve Workforce. Directs the senior official responsible for catastrophic incident planning to develop communications plans for providing information to the public relating to preparing for, protecting against, and responding to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. Directs the Secretary to develop and make available to state, local, and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector guidelines for responding to an explosion or release of nuclear, biological, radiological, or chemical material. Directs the Secretary to develop and disseminate integrated plume models to enable rapid response activities following a nuclear, radiological, chemical, or biological explosion or release. Directs the President to include in each annual federal budget a description of resources identified to support the preparedness, response, and recovery responsibilities of each federal agency with responsibilities under the National Response Framework and the National Disaster Recovery Framework. Reestablishes within DHS a Metropolitan Medical Response System to support states, local governments, and Indian tribes in preparing for, protecting against, and responding to mass casualty incidents by systematically enhancing cooperation and integration of emergency response providers and public health and medical personnel. Directs the Secretary to periodically develop a workforce staffing plan that details the optimal staffing level required to carry out the responsibilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Authorizes the Commissioner of CBP to deploy existing surge teams to proactively respond to intelligence-related, high-risk threats or to assist or augment agency operations at ports of entry in the United States during emergencies. Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that CBP has instituted an outbound inspections program at land, air, and maritime ports of entry and that outbound inspections do not add significantly to wait times for crossing the border; and (2) submit a plan for improving situational awareness over the northern border, including CBP's ability to identify illegal entries. Establishes within DHS an Office of International Travel Security and Screening, headed by an Assistant Secretary responsible for the integrated entry and exist data system (US-VISIT), the visa waiver program, and the Screening Coordination Office, as well as coordinating DHS activities and preventing the travel of terrorists to the United States. Directs: (1) the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Secretary, to deploy an electronic system to notify airlines of the cancellation of any traveler's visa for entry into the United States; and (2) the Secretary to develop an electronic system for remotely reviewing visa applications and supporting documentation at diplomatic and consular posts at which visas are issued. Deems funds authorized or made available for DHS intelligence activities to be specifically authorized for purposes of the National Security Act of 1947 during FY2012. Establishes a Classified National Security Information Program, which shall be designed to safeguard and govern access to classified information shared by the federal government with states, local governments, Indian tribes, and private sector entities. Authorizes the Secretary to convert competitive service positions within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis to excepted service positions, and to establish new positions, as necessary to carry out DHS's intelligence functions. Establishes a Directorate of Science Technology within DHS, headed by an Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and a Director of Testing and Evaluation within that Directorate. Directs the Under Secretary to: (1) develop a Five-Year Research and Development Investment Plan that shall guide all expenditures by DHS for basic, advanced, or applied research and technology development activities; and (2) establish a process for evaluating the readiness, performance, and suitability of any technologies or systems that DHS acquires or develops to carry out its mission. Authorizes the Under Secretary to make available to any person or entity, for an appropriate fee, the services of any center or other testing facility owned and operated by DHS for the testing of items designed to advance the homeland security mission. Provides for the confidentiality of test results. Includes within the mission of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to coordinate strategic planning and investments within DHS and with other federal agencies and state and local governments to: (1) detect and prevent illegal trafficking in nuclear weapons-making materials or technologies, and (2) reduce the risk of a nuclear terrorist attack. Requires the Director of that Office, in coordination with relevant federal agencies, to develop a plan to integrate and strengthen the nation's capabilities to deter, detect, and prevent nuclear terrorist threats in the domestic portion of the global nuclear detection architecture within 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2011
Designates the week beginning September 11, 2011, as National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week. Recognizes the dedication and vital role of direct support professionals in enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities. Commends direct support professionals as integral in supporting the long-term support and services system of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Regulatory Time-Out Act of 2011 - Suspends the effective date of certain covered regulations for one-year beginning on the enactment of this Act. Defines a "covered regulation" as a final regulation that did not take effect before September 1, 2011, that increases costs on businesses in a manner that will have an adverse effect on job creation, job retention, productivity, competitiveness, or the efficient functioning of the economy, and that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) adversely affect in a material way the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (3) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action by another agency; (4) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients; or (5) raise novel legal or policy issues. Allows agency heads to exempt covered regulations that: (1) are necessary due to an imminent threat to human health or safety or any other emergency; (2) are necessary to enforce criminal laws, (3) foster private sector job creation; (4) encourage economic growth; (5) reduce regulatory burdens; (6) pertain to a military or foreign affairs function; or (7) are limited to interpreting, implementing, or administering the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Closing Regulatory Loopholes Act of 2011 - Requires federal agency guidance documents and major guidance documents to be submitted for congressional review prior to implementation. Defines: (1) "guidance document" as an agency statement of general applicability and future effect that sets forth a policy on a statutory, regulatory, or technical issue or an interpretation of a statutory or regulatory issue; and (2) "major guidance document" as a guidance document that has resulted in or is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, a major increase in costs or prices, or a significant adverse effect on competition, employment, investment, productivity, or innovation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 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 service during World War II. (Camp Montford Point, North Carolina, was the site for the training of the first African-American Marines.) Provides for 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 Montford Point 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 · 6 September 2011
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to 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). 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 · 6 September 2011
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Mark Hatfield, a former member of the Senate from Oregon. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 6, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Hatfield.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) who are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2011-FY2015. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies, and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use).
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Ethical Shipping Inspections Act of 2011 - Amends federal shipping inspection laws to prohibit the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating from delegating (and to require revocation of an existing delegation of) certain inspection, certification, and related services to a foreign classification society if the Secretary of State determines that such society provides comparable services: (1) in Iran, North Korea, North Sudan, or Syria; or (2) for the government of such countries.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Medicare Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to recognize state-licensed or -registered health care professionals who are certified diabetes educators in an outpatient setting as authorized providers of Medicare diabetes outpatient self-management training services, including as part of telehealth services, under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Directs the Comptroller General to study the barriers that exist for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in accessing diabetes self-management training services under the Medicare program. Directs the Director of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a series of recommendations on effective outreach methods to educate primary care physicians and the public about the benefits of diabetes self-management training.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Reauthorization Act or the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH activities with respect to research on the causes of preterm labor and delivery, tools to detect, prevent, or reduce prevalence of preterm labor and delivery, and the care and treatment of preterm infants. Establishes within NIH a multicenter clinical program to investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, improve the care and outcomes of neonates, and enhance the understanding of DNA and proteins as they relate to the underlying processes that lead to preterm birth. Requires the Director to award grants for planning, establishing, improving, and providing basic operating support for transdisciplinary research centers for prematurity. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Surgeon General, to establish and implement a national science-based provider and consumer education campaign on promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing preterm birth. Reauthorizes provisions related to research on prematurity and preterm births and sets forth specific areas for such research. Requires the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth to award grants to establish demonstration projects for: (1) obstetrical services for high risk women of child bearing age remotely using telehealth; and (2) educational activities regarding risk factors for preterm birth. Expands a demonstration project to inform health care providers and the public and improve treatment and outcome for babies born preterm. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. Requires a study on hospital readmissions of preterm births.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Condemns: (1) the terrorist attacks that occurred in Norway on July 22, 2011, causing many deaths and injuries; and (2) all terrorist actions, including those motivated by hatred and religious or cultural intolerance. Expresses sympathy to the victims of the atrocious acts, their families, and the people and government of Norway. Emphasizes the bonds of friendship and shared heritage between the United States and Norway. Calls on all people to join together to denounce acts of hatred and fear and promote peace and tolerance in their communities and around the world.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Authorizes the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate the mission of the Peace Corps and the ideals on which it was founded.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2011
Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act - Requires the Public Printer to establish and maintain a website accessible by the public for obtaining electronic copies of all congressionally mandated reports in one place. Requires each federal agency to provide the Public Printer with an electronic copy of congressionally mandated reports for publication on the website.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2011
Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) identify, on an annual basis, a list of high-priority federal programs for greater levels of oversight and review of improper payments; (2) coordinate with agencies responsible for administering high-priority programs to establish semi-annual or quarterly targets and actions for reducing improper payments; and (3) provide guidance to agencies for improving estimates of improper payments. Requires federal agencies to: (1) report to their Inspectors General on a quarterly basis on any high-dollar improper payments identified by such agencies, and (2) review prepayment and preaward procedures and available databases to determine program or award eligibility and prevent improper payments before releasing any federal funds. Establishes a Do Not Pay List based on information from databases maintained by the federal government, including the database of the Social Security Administration (SSA) reporting deaths of social security recipients. Requires the Director to: (1) determine the current and historical rates and amounts of recovery of improper payments and targets for recovering improper payments, and (2) establish a plan for at least 10 Recovery Audit Contracting programs to identify and recover overpayments and underpayments in 10 agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2011
Air Ambulance Medicare Accreditation and Accountability Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to condition Medicare payment for air ambulance services upon: (1) provision by the supplier or service provider for appropriate medical oversight by a physician, and (2) accreditation of the air ambulance as level III or higher. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish a process for accrediting air ambulances according to three specified levels of accreditation, from lowest to highest; (2) consider certain factors in designating accreditation organizations; (3) establish criteria for use by an accreditation organization to evaluate an air ambulance; and (4) establish certain requirements for the collection of related data. Prohibits reimbursement for air ambulance services under a state plan under SSA title XVII (Medicaid) unless the state develops licensing and regulatory requirements for such services that comply with federal guidelines. Directs the Secretary to establish a revised air ambulance rate structure under the Medicare fee schedule. Requires sole community air ambulance services originating in a rural area to be reimbursed at a higher rate than for services by a non-sole community air ambulance. Requires the Secretary to reduce the update for ambulance services for the failure of suppliers and providers to submit certain quality data to the Secretary . Authorizes the Secretary to arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study ground critical care transport.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2011
Recognizes September 11, 2011, as a day of solemn commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001, and as a day to come together as a nation. Offers deepest and most sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Honors the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of first responders, law enforcement personnel, state and local officials, volunteers, and countless others who aided the innocent victims of those attacks and, in doing so, bravely risked and often gave their own lives. Recognizes the valiant service, actions, and sacrifices of U.S. personnel, including members of the Armed Forces and their families, to support the cause of freedom and defend the security of the United States. Reaffirms that the people of the United States will never forget the challenges our country endured on and since September 11, 2001, and will work tirelessly to defeat those who attacked the United States. Calls upon all people and institutions of the United States, on the 10th anniversary of this tragic day in U.S. history, to observe a moment of remembrance on September 11, 2011. Encourages the observance of the moment of remembrance or prayer to last for one minute beginning at 1:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2011
Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility (an offshore facility using wind to produce electricity), and (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a qualifying credit for offshore wind facilities program to consider and award certifications for investments eligible for such a credit to qualifying offshore wind facility sponsors. Requires the Secretary to review credits allocated under this Act periodically and authorizes the Secretary to make additional allocations and reallocations of such credits upon determining that: (1) the limit on the total amount of megawatt capacity for offshore facilities with respect to which credits may be allocated under the program has not been attained, or (2) scheduled placed-in-service dates of previously certified facilities have been significantly delayed and the applicant will not meet the required timeline.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2011
EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Provides that the following rules shall have no force or effect and shall be treated as though they had never taken effect: (1) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters; (2) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers; (3) the Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units; and (4) Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That are Solid Waste. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in place of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months regulations for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters and commercial and industrial solid waste incinerator units subject to such rules, that: (1) establish maximum achievable control technology standards, performance standards, and other requirements for hazardous air pollutants or solid waste combustion under the Clean Air Act; and (2) identify non-hazardous secondary materials that, when used as fuels or ingredients in combustion units of such boilers, heaters, or incinerator units, are solid waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act for purposes of determining the extent to which such combustion units are required to meet emission standards for such pollutants under such Act. Requires the Administrator to establish compliance dates for such standards and requirements after considering compliance costs, non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements, the feasibility of implementation, the availability of equipment, suppliers, and labor, and potential net employment impacts. Sets forth guidelines for such rules and regulations, including requiring the Administrator to: (1) ensure that emissions standards for existing and new sources can be met under actual operating conditions consistently and concurrently with emission standards for all other air pollutants regulated by the rule for the source category; and (2) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative for each regulation promulgated. Requires the Administrator to publish a list of nonhazardous secondary materials that are not solid waste when combusted in units designed for energy recovery. Specifies material to be included in such list.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2011
Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee. Requires the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health regarding the manner in which such officials can: (1) ensure interagency coordination and communication and minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne diseases; (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other federal agencies and private organizations addressing such diseases; (3) ensure interagency coordination and communication with constituency groups; (4) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints are represented in public heath policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is balanced; and (5) advise relevant federal agencies on priorities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Directs the Committee to regularly review published public and private treatment guidelines and evaluate such guidelines for effective representation of a wide variety of views. Requires the Secretary, acting as appropriate through various federal officials, to provide for the coordination of all federal programs and activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and the conduct or support of specified activities, including: (1) developing sensitive and accurate diagnostic tools and tests, (2) improving the efficient utilization of diagnostic testing currently available; (3) surveillance and reporting of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases; (4) providing and promoting access to a clearinghouse of information on such diseases; (5) increasing public education related to such diseases; (6) creating a physician education program to educate health professionals on the latest research and diversity of treatment options for Lyme disease; (7) establishing epidemiological research objectives; and (8) determining the effectiveness of different treatment modalities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
No Child Left Inside Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, as a prerequisite to receiving implementation grants, to develop environmental literacy plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Directs the Secretary to award Environmental Education Professional Development Grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to partnerships that include a local educational agency (LEA) and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the development of more rigorous environmental education curricula that advance the teaching of interdisciplinary courses. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, IHEs, other educational entities, federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, or park and recreation departments, for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards, and (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring a permit under national pollutant discharge elimination system permitting requirements for a discharge resulting from the conduct of any silvicultural activity, such as nursery operations, site preparation, reforestation, thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control, harvesting operations, surface drainage, or road use, construction, and maintenance, from which there is runoff. Specifies that nothing in this Act exempts silvicultural activity from permit requirements for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2011
Transportation Security Administration Efficiency and Flexibility Act of 2011 - Excludes officers and employees of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the right of federal employees to bargain collectively. Subjects also to such exclusion the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel management system as it applies to TSA employees. Amends the Aviation and Transportation Security Act to provide that, notwithstanding the authority of the TSA Administrator to fix the terms and conditions of employment of TSA screeners, nothing shall prohibit such an employee from joining a labor organization. Authorizes screeners to: (1) appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board adverse actions brought against them which are finalized after enactment of the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, and (2) seek judicial review of any resulting Board orders or decisions. Requires the FAA Administrator to provide to TSA screeners with a collaborative, integrated employee engagement mechanism to address workplace issues. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2003 to apply certain whistleblower protections to DHS employees.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2011
Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) establish the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Advisory Board, (2) develop a system to collect data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases, and (3) establish the National PF Registry. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in developing the Registry, to: (1) expand and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; and (2) provide for research access to pulmonary fibrosis data. Directs the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information are made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of CDC to prepare the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Education and Awareness Plan, which shall: (1) focus on strategies to increase public education and awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, (2) address the need for new physician education strategies to improve diagnosis and treatment standards, and (3) assess and monitor the costs of pulmonary fibrosis and its burden on patients and families. Encourages the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute pulmonary fibrosis research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Recognizes September 11, 2011, as a day of solemn commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001, and as a day to come together as a nation. Offers deepest and most sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Honors the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of first responders, law enforcement personnel, state and local officials, volunteers, and countless others who aided the innocent victims of those attacks and, in doing so, bravely risked and often gave their own lives. Recognizes the valiant service, actions, and sacrifices of U.S. personnel, including members of the Armed Forces and their families, to support the cause of freedom and defend the security of the United States. Reaffirms that the people of the United States will never forget the challenges our country endured on and since September 11, 2001, and will work tirelessly to defeat those who attacked the United States. Calls upon all people and institutions of the United States, on the 10th anniversary of this tragic day in U.S. history, to observe a moment of remembrance on September 11, 2011. Encourages the observance of the moment of remembrance to last for one minute beginning at 1:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Pilot's Bill of Rights - Requires National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) proceedings for the review of decisions of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deny, amend, modify, suspend, or revoke an airman's certificate to be conducted, to the extent practicable, in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence. Requires the Administrator to: (1) advise the subject of an investigation involving the approval, denial, suspension, modification, or revocation of an airman certificate of specified information pertinent to the investigation; and (2) provide him or her with access to relevant air traffic data. Allows an individual to elect to file an appeal of a certificate denial, a punitive civil action, or an emergency order of revocation in the U.S. district court in which individual resides, in which the action in question occurred, or the district court for the District of Columbia. Allows an adversely affected individual who elects not to file an appeal in a federal district court to file such appeal with the NTSB. Directs the Administrator to begin a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) Improvement Program to improve the system of providing airmen with pertinent and timely information before a flight in the national airspace system. Makes Flight Service Station briefings and other air traffic services performed by Lockheed Martin or any other government contractor available to airmen under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Requires the Administrator to review the FAA system for the medical certification of airmen in order to: (1) revise the medical application form, (2) align medical qualification policies with present-day qualified medical judgment and practices, and (3) publish objective medical standards to advise the public of the criteria determining an airman's medical certificate eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 29 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 · 29 June 2011
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require each Department of State regional bureau to annually submit a list of goals for combating trafficking in persons (trafficking) for each country in its geographic area of responsibility. Authorizes the Secretary of State to appoint anti-trafficking officers at U.S. embassies who shall: (1) collaborate with other countries to eliminate human trafficking, (2) enhance Department of State anti-trafficking efforts, (3) monitor regional trafficking trends, and (4) assist U.S. embassies to prepare the annual Trafficking in Persons Reports. Directs the President to establish programs with foreign governments and civil society to enhance anti-trafficking capacity. Authorizes the Secretary of State, through the Ambassador-at-Large of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to: (1) establish a fund to assist foreign governments in meeting urgent needs in trafficking prevention, victim protection, and prosecution of trafficking offenders; and (2) provide assistance for each country with a high prevalence of trafficking that enters into a child protection compact with the United States. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require that a video about U.S. legal rights and resources be developed and shown in embassies and consulates with the greatest concentrations of aliens applying for employment- or education-based nonimmigrant visas. Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to include labor contract fraud under the scope of such Act. Amends the federal criminal code to subject a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien who resides overseas and engages in illicit sexual conduct, including sex trafficking, with a person under 18 years old to fine and/or imprisonment. Subjects a person to fine and/or imprisonment for the knowing destruction, concealment, removal, confiscation, or possession of certain immigration documents. Increases the statute of limitations to 10 years for a person to bring a civil action for an injury received while a minor that was caused by specified sexual- or forced labor-related violations of federal criminal law. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to: (1) make certain alien trafficking victims who had been in the United States to cooperate with law enforcement but because of serious threats fled the United States eligible for a nonimmigrant T visa (trafficking victims cooperating with law enforcement), and (2) make an alien who was the victim of foreign labor contracting fraud eligible for a nonimmigrant U visa (victims of certain crimes). Revises certain trafficking-related reporting requirements for the Attorney General (DOJ) and the Secretary of Labor. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of State to provide the Department of Labor with information relating to child labor and forced labor in the production of goods in violation of international standards. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding the use of foreign labor contractors. Authorizes the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make renewable one-year block grants to four eligible state or local government entities in different regions of the United States to combat sex trafficking of minors. Authorizes FY2012-FY2015 appropriations. Terminates the program four years after enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations through FY2015 for grants for local law enforcement investigations and prosecutions of trafficking and commercial sex act violations. Includes in the model state criminal provisions protections for persons under 18 years old who have been arrested for engaging in commercial sex acts. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations through FY2015 for: (1) the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, (2) the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts To Combat Trafficking in Persons, (3) the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, (4) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, (5) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for trafficking victim assistance, (6) the Secretary of State to combat trafficking, (7) the Attorney General for trafficking victim assistance in the United States and for assistance to foreign countries to combat trafficking, (8) the President for foreign trafficking victims assistance and to foreign countries to meet minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, (9) the Secretary of Labor for trafficking victim assistance in the United States, (10) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for trafficking investigations, and (11) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) for trafficking investigations by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize appropriations through FY2015 for studies and conferences addressing trafficking and sex trafficking in the United States. Amends INA to extend specified asylum and removal protections to aliens who are under the age of 18 as of a qualifying event. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to direct: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish specified child advocate programs at immigration detention sites for trafficking victims and vulnerable unaccompanied alien children; and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to individuals who reach the age of 18 and are transferred to DHS, to consider placement in the least restrictive setting available, including alternative detention programs. Makes a child granted U visa status eligible for certain assistance for refugee children. Directs GAO to: (1) conduct a study of the effectiveness of the HHS child advocate program, and (2) conduct a study of the effectiveness of DHS border screening of unaccompanied alien children to determine whether they are trafficking victims.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2011
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Prohibits total outlays for any fiscal year from exceeding 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the preceding calendar year unless Congress, by a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess over such 18%. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Prohibits any bill from becoming law that imposes a new tax or increases the statutory rate of any tax or the aggregate amount of revenue, unless approved by a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber. Requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber to increase the federal debt limit. Authorizes waivers of these requirements: (1) when a declaration of war is in effect against a nation-state and Congress, by a majority roll call vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess; or (2) under other specified circumstances involving military conflict, if Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber, authorizes such waiver. Prohibits a federal or state court from ordering any increase in revenue to enforce this article.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Interagency Personnel Rotation Act of 2011 - Establishes a Committee on National Security Personnel (Committee) within the Executive Office of the President. Requires such Committee to issue a National Security Human Capital Strategy to develop the national security and homeland security personnel necessary to accomplish national security and homeland security objectives that require integration of personnel and activities from multiple executive branch agencies to maximize mission success and minimize cost. Requires the Committee to identify a National Security Interagency Community of Interest (ICI) for purposes of carrying out this Act and to provide for employees serving in an ICI position to be assigned on a rotational basis to another ICI position that is within a related agency or within an interagency body. Defines "ICI position" as a position whose duties primarily relate to national security or homeland security policy formulation or execution. Provides for a system of interagency rotational service by which employees with national security and homeland security expertise serve for a period of time in other agencies with a national security mission. Makes such interagency rotational service a requirement for selection to the Senior Executive Service. Requires employees serving in an ICI position to participate in orientation training and education on national security and homeland security strategy. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a course for political appointees relating to the objectives, history, and functioning of the senior-level interagency process and strategies for ensuring maximum interagency cohesion and the accomplishment of national security and homeland security objectives in an efficient and effective manner.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2011
Amends the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to exclude appraisers of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) from the the meaning of a fiduciary subject to ERISA.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Gestational Diabetes Act of 2011 or the GEDI Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a multisite gestational diabetes research project within the diabetes program of the CDC to expand and enhance surveillance data and public health research on gestational diabetes. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand and intensify public health research on gestational diabetes, including; (1) developing and testing novel approaches for improving postpartum testing or screening and for preventing type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes; and (2) conducting research to further understanding of the factors and health systems that influence the risk of gestational diabetes and the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes. Requires the Director to: (1) award grants for demonstration projects to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes, the recurrence of such disease in subsequent pregnancies, and the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes; and (2) work with state and Indian tribal-based diabetes prevention and control programs assisted by the CDC to encourage postpartum follow-up after gestational diabetes to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and its recurrence, the development of type 2 diabetes in at-risk women, and related complications.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Directs specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the implementation of such a withdrawal of approval.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2011
All-American Flag Act - Requires any flags of the United States acquired for use by the federal government to be entirely manufactured in the United States, from articles, materials, or supplies entirely grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2011
Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access, and Treatment Effectiveness Act of 2011 or the PROSTATE Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force, with duties to include: (1) developing a summary of advances in federal prostate cancer research and compile a list of best practices that warrant broader adoption in health care programs; (2) considering establishing guidance to enable physicians to allow screening of men over age 74; (3) coordinating information on federal research and health care program activities relating to prostate cancer; and (4) submitting recommendations regarding federal research and health care programs. Directs the Secretary to establish and carry out a program to coordinate and intensify prostate cancer research, including by developing advances in diagnostic and prognostic methods and tests, better understanding the etiology of the disease, and establishing clinical registries for prostate cancer and awarding research grants. Establishes in the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a Prostate Cancer Scientific Advisory Board to be responsible for accelerating real-time sharing of the latest research data and accelerating movement of new medicines to patients. Directs the Secretary of VA, the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish four-year telehealth pilot projects to analyze the clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness associated with telehealth services in a variety of geographic areas that contain high proportions of medically underserved populations and those in rural areas. Requires the Secretary of VA to develop a national education campaign for prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011
Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a national mercury monitoring program that monitors: (1) long-term changes in mercury levels and important ancillary measures in the air, and (2) long-term changes in mercury and methyl mercury levels and important ancillary measures in the water and soil or sediments and in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Requires the Administrator to: (1) select multiple monitoring sites representing multiple ecoregions that include national parks, wildlife refuges, National Estuarine Research Reserve units, and other sensitive ecological areas in which substantive changes are expected from reductions in domestic mercury emissions; (2) establish and publish standardized measurement protocols for the program; and (3) establish a centralized database for environmental mercury data. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish a Mercury Monitoring Advisory Committee to advise the Administrator on the establishment, site selection, measurement, recording protocols, and operation of the program; (2) report on the program every two years and include, every four years, an assessment of the reduction in mercury deposition rates that are required to be achieved in order to prevent adverse human and ecological effects; and (3) make all data obtained under this Act available to the public through a dedicated website and on written request.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction that is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition. Increases the cap on the amount of appropriations that may be used to carry out such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011
Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from an employee's gross income employer-provided accident and health plan benefits extended to a domestic partner or non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiary eligible to receive such benefits under an employer plan (i.e., "eligible beneficiary"); (2) exempt such benefits paid to eligible beneficiaries from otherwise applicable employment and unemployment taxes; (3) allow self-employed individuals a tax deduction for the health insurance costs of their eligible beneficiaries; (4) allow tax-exempt voluntary employees' beneficiary associations to provide sick and accident benefits to the domestic partners and non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiaries of their members; (5) allow reimbursement of the medical expenses of an eligible beneficiary from a health savings account (HSA); and (6) extend tax-exempt medical benefits to the eligible beneficiaries of retired employees Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide guidance relating to reimbursements from a flexible spending arrangement and a health reimbursement arrangement attributable to an eligible beneficiary as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011
States that: (1) it is U.S. policy to support Israel in maintaining secure, recognized, and defensible borders; and (2) it is contrary to U.S. policy and our national security to have Israel's borders return to the armistice lines that existed on June 4, 1967.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act of 2011 - Prohibits the head of an executive agency from: (1) requiring a contractor to submit political information as part of a soliticitation, request for bid, request for proposal, or any other communiction in connection with the award of a contract for procurement of property or services or during the course of the contract performance until the completion of a contract; (2) using such political information as a factor or consideration in the source selection process used to award a competitive or non-competitive contract; or (3) including such political information in a contracting past performance database. Defines "political information" as information relating to political spending, including any payment for an electioneering communication, by a contractor or persons related to such contractor to a candidate for federal office, a political commitee, a political party, or to a third party entity for political purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Preservation of Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through 2013 the minimum payment amount for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) services for bone mass measurement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Caring for an Aging America Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include geriatrics and gerontology within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act - Reauthorizes the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 for FY2012-FY2016. Directs the Secretary of State to act through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs in awarding grants or entering agreements with Special Olympics for activities outside the United States. Includes community-based prevention among the activities for which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants or enter into agreements with Special Olympics. Requires grant or agreement applications to include a description of specific measurable annual benchmarks, as well as long-term goals and objectives, to be achieved through specified activities, which must include: (1) activities to increase the full participation of people with intellectual disabilities in inclusive school and community activities with people without disabilities, (2) education programs that dispel negative stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities, and (3) activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in Special Olympics outside of the United States. Requires annual reports by Special Olympics to describe demographic data about Special Olympics participants. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to promote the expansion of Best Buddies, including activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in social relationships and other aspects of community life, including education and employment, within the United States. Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to establish Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institutes for Sport and Social Impact. Requires recipients to use grant funds to advance the quality of life and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities through research and evaluation, technical assistance, training, data collection, evaluation, collaboration, and dissemination of evidence-based best practices.
![Official portrait of Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001035_200.jpg)