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United States · Official source
6,663 records where Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Approves the renewal of certain import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children in the foster care system face. Encourages Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. Supports the designation of May as National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011
Iran, North Korea, and Syria Sanctions Consolidation Act of 2011- States that it is U.S. policy to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose three or more specified sanctions against a person that knowingly participates in a joint venture with respect to the development of petroleum resources outside of Iran: (1) in which Iran is a substantial partner or investor, or (2) through which Iran could receive technological knowledge or equipment that could contribute to its ability to develop petroleum resources in Iran. Includes certain infrastructure construction whose primary use is to support the transportation of refined petroleum products in the definition of "goods, services, technology, information, or support." Requires the President to respond within 60 days to a congressional request regarding a person's engagement in a sanctionable activity. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require securities issuers to disclose in their mandatory annual or quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whether they or their affiliates have: (1) engaged in certain activities relating to Iran, terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; (2) knowingly engaged in specified activities, or knowingly violated certain regulations prescribed under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; (3) knowingly conducted any transaction or dealing with a person whose property and interests in property are blocked by certain Executive Orders; or (4) knowingly conducted a transaction or dealing with any person listed in the Iranian Transactions Regulations. Specifies the contents of mandatory disclosures. Requires the President to: (1) initiate an investigation into the possible imposition of sanctions when the SEC receives a report that an issuer or its affiliate has engaged in the cited activities, and (2) determine within 180 days of initiating an investigation whether sanctions should be imposed on the issuer or the affiliate concerned. Requires promulgation regulations within 90 days after enactment of this Act governing financial institutions maintaining accounts for foreign financial institutions. Urges the President to initiate diplomatic efforts to expand multilateral sanctions against Iran. Directs the President to report to Congress on: (1) the Central Bank of Iran's involvement in Iran's development of weapons of mass destruction and support of terrorism, and (2) entities and countries providing refined petroleum products to Iran. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress listing all foreign investors in Iran's energy sector. Directs the President to: (1) identify each foreign person or foreign entity for which there is a reasonable basis for determining that the person or entity is an agent, front, instrumentality, official, or affiliate of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or is an IRGC representative; and (2) apply specified property sanctions to such person or entity. Gives priority to investigations of specified sensitive transactions. Sets forth mandatory and discretionary measures to be taken against a foreign person or entity that provides material support to the IRGC. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions against a person that provides shipping or refining services with respect to the exportation of petroleum, oil, or liquified natural gas to be refined or otherwise processed outside of Iran if: (1) the IRGC or any of its affiliates were involved in the development, extraction, production, transportation, or sale of such petroleum, oil, or liquefied natural gas in Iran, and the fair market value of such petroleum, oil, or liquefied natural gas is $1 million or more; or (2) during a 12-month period, the aggregate fair market value of such petroleum, oil, or liquefied natural gas is $5 million or more. Exempts certain underwriters and insurance providers from such provisions. Requires the President: (1) upon receipt of credible information that a person may have transferred to Iran goods or technologies, or provided post-transfer services, that may be used to commit human rights abuses to investigate and determine within 180 days whether the person engaged in such activity; (2) submit a list of such persons to Congress every 180 days or as new information becomes available; and (3) freeze the assets of a listed person. Amends the Iran Freedom Support Act to: (1) extend the President's authority to provide financial and political assistance to support democracy in Iran through December 31, 2016; and (2) expand the forms of such assistance. Requires the President to appoint a Special Representative on Human Rights and Democracy in the Islamic republic of Iran within the Department of State. Requires the President to submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy to promote Internet freedom and access to information in Iran. Amends the the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act to include in the scope of such Act a person that: (1) acquired materials mined or extracted within North Korea's territory or control; or (2) provided shipping services for the transportation of goods to or from Iran, North Korea, or Syria relating to such countries' weapons of mass destruction programs, support for acts of international terrorism, or human rights abuses. Excludes from such provisions shipping services for emergency or humanitarian purposes. Prohibits a vessel from knowingly landing at a U.S. port to load or unload cargo or engage in trade if the vessel entered a port in Iran, North Korea, or Syria during the 180-day period preceding the vessel's U.S. port arrival. Provides for enhanced vessel inspections. Directs: (1) the President to publish a list of each individual who is a senior government official of Iran (including the IRGC), North Korea, or Syria, or a close associate of such individual; and (2) the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to not grant an identified individual immigration status in, or admit the individual to, the United States. Requires a domestic or a foreign financial institution operating in the United States to report to the Secretary of the Treasury regarding any transactions with financial institutions, whose property or interests are blocked due to involvement with Iran, North Korea, or Syria, in activities supportive of international terrorism or weapons of mass destruction proliferation. Prohibits such an institution from continuing to operate in the United States if it: (1) continues to engage in transactions with such sanctioned institutions, or (2) fails to report or submits a false report. Directs the President to apply specified property, financial, or export sanctions against a person providing to, or acquiring from, Iran, North Korea, or Syria any good or technology that is used, or is likely to be used, for military applications.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011
Requires the Defense Commissary Agency (DCA) to operate an enhanced commissary store (store) at Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine, and authorizes the DCA to operate a store at a military installation designated for closure or realignment under a defense base closure law. Allows such stores to sell, in addition to regularly-permitted merchandise, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and items in such other merchandise categories as the Secretary of Defense may authorize. Allows the Secretary to retain sale profits to offset the cost of store operation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2011
Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of State to publish and update a list of each person the Secretary has reason to believe: (1) is responsible for the detention, abuse, or death of Sergei Magnitsky, participated in related liability concealment efforts, or committed those frauds discovered by Sergei Magnitsky, including conspiring to defraud the Russian Federation of taxes on corporate profits through fraudulent transactions and lawsuits against the Hermitage foreign investment company and to misappropriate entities owned or controlled by Hermitage; or (2) is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other human rights violations committed against individuals seeking to promote human rights or to expose illegal activity carried out by officials of the government of the Russian Federation. Makes an alien on such list ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Revokes any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such prohibition if in the U.S. national interest. Requires congressional notification of any such waiver. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) instruct domestic financial institutions and agencies to take specified measures if the Secretary makes a money laundering determination relating to such conspiracy, and (2) freeze and prohibit U.S. property transactions of an individual who is on the list or who acts as an agent for a listed individual. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such actions if in the U.S. national interest. Requires congressional notification of any such waiver. Subjects a person who violates, attempts to violate, or causes a violation of such money laundering or asset provisions to specified penalties. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations requiring each financial institution that is a U.S. person to: (1) audit the assets within its possession or control to determine whether any such assets are required to be frozen pursuant to this Act, and (2) submit a report to the the Secretary containing the audit's results and a certification that such assets have been frozen. Subjects a financial institution that violates such regulations to specified penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2011
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) 100% expensing in a current taxable year of the cost of an automated fire sprinkler system, as defined by this Act; and (2) accelerated depreciation (i.e., a 15-year recovery period) of such an automated fire sprinkler systems that is installed in a building where the floor of any occupiable story is greater than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011
Haiti Reforestation Act of 2011 - Authorizes the President to: (1) offer to enter into agreements with the government of Haiti to provide financial assistance, technology transfers, or capacity building assistance to reduce deforestation and increase reforestation in Haiti; and (2) establish a grant program to carry out such activities. Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to: (1) direct the President to invite the government of Haiti to submit a list of areas in which tropical forests are seriously degraded or threatened, and (2) authorize the President to make grants to nongovernmental organizations to purchase discounted commercial debt of the government of Haiti in exchange for government commitments to restore identified forests or to develop plans for their sustainable use.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011
Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act (Defense STRONG Act) - Amends the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to require the Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to be appointed from general or flag officers or Department of Defense (DOD) employees in a comparable Senior Executive Service position. Requires the assignment within each military brigade or equivalent unit level of at least one full-time Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and one full-time Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, allowing the Secretary of the military department concerned to assign additional coordinators and/or advocates based on the demographics or needs of the unit. Allows only members of the Armed Forces (members) or DOD civilian personnel to be assigned as coordinators or advocates as of October 1, 2013. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a professional training and certification program for such coordinators and advocates. Entitles any member, or dependent of a member, who is the victim of a sexual assault to legal assistance provided by a military legal assistance counsel and coordinator and advocate services, regardless of whether the member elects unrestricted or restricted (confidential) reporting of the assault. Makes privileged any communications between a member or dependent and a coordinator, advocate, or person staffing a helpline. Directs the Secretary to establish a system for tracking and permanently maintaining any medical, investigative, and other records prepared or obtained by DOD in connection with a sexual assault involving a member or dependent. Requires the transfer from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of certain medical information in anticipation of a member's discharge, release, retirement, medical treatment, or claim for disability. Provides for the expedited consideration of, and priority for, an application by victims of sexual assault for a permanent change of station or unit transfer based on humanitarian conditions. Requires each military department Secretary to develop curricula to provide sexual assault prevention and response training and education for members and civilian employees of that department. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the inclusion of a sexual assault prevention and response training module at each level of professional military education, and (2) require managers of specialty skills associated with first responders to integrate sexual assault response training in initial and recurring first responder training courses.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011
States that the federal government should take no action to redeem, assume, or guarantee state debt, and that the Secretary of the Treasury should report to Congress negotiations to engage in actions that would result in an outlay of federal funds on behalf of creditors to a state.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2011
Reaffirms support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a democratic Palestinian state living in peace and mutual recognition. States that any Palestinian unity government must forswear terrorism, accept Israel's right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel. Opposes any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between leaders in Israel and the Palestinians. Urges Palestinian leaders to cease efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including through a unilateral declaration of statehood or by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations or the United Nations (U.N.). Supports the President's opposition to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. States that the Senate will consider restrictions on aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) should the PA persist in efforts to circumvent direct negotiations. Reaffirms the requirement under U.S. law precluding assistance to a PA that includes Hamas unless that PA and all its ministers accept Israel's right to exist and all prior agreements and understandings with the governments of the United States and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the new markets tax credit through 2016; (2) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limitation amount for such credit after 2012; and (3) allow an offset against the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for social security taxes paid for employee cash tips to employers of cosmetologists. Requires employers of cosmetologists to report income and tips of their cosmetologist employees and to provide income and tip information to self-employed cosmetologists to whom they pay more than $600 in the taxable year. Imposes similar reporting requirements upon individuals who rent chairs to cosmetologists. Requires such employers to provide their cosmetologist employees and self-employed cosmetologists with information on the tax and tip reporting obligations of employees and self-employed individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Medicare IVIG Access Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to evaluate the benefits of providing payment for items and services needed for the administration, within the homes of Medicare beneficiaries, of intravenous immune globin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases. Amends SSA title XVIII to treat as durable medical equipment (DME) any disposable drug delivery systems, including elastomeric infusion pumps, for the treatment of colorectal cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of 2011 - Establishes within the Department of Energy (DOE) a national plug-in electric drive vehicle deployment program. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) provide technical assistance upon request to state, local, and tribal governments with the deployment of plug-in electric drive vehicles; (2) make available to the public information regarding the cost, performance, usage data, and technical data regarding plug-in electric drive vehicles and associated infrastructure; (3) carry out a national assessment and develop a national plan for plug-in electric drive vehicle deployment; and (4) award grants for preparation of a community deployment plans and programs Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and publish guidance for model building codes for the inclusion of separate circuits for charging infrastructure in new construction and major renovations of buildings; and (2) award grants to institutions to provide training and education for vocational workforce development to ensure skills needed to work on and maintain, and provide emergency assistance relating to, plug-in electric drive vehicles and the infrastructure required to support them. Directs the DOE Federal Energy Management Program and the General Services Administration (GSA) to assess federal government fleets regarding the conversion to plug-in electric drive vehicles. Instructs the Administrator of General Services to acquire plug-in electric drive vehicles and the requisite charging infrastructure for deployment in a range of locations in the federal fleet during a five-year period. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Secretary to prioritize the acquisition of plug-in electric drive vehicles over nonelectric alternative fueled vehicles. Establishes within the national deployment program competitive grant programs for: (1) targeted plug-in electric drive vehicle deployment communities; and (2) plug-in electric drive vehicle private fleet upgrade. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to authorize loan guarantees for: (1) plug-in electric drive vehicle fleets; and (2) plug-in electric drive vehicle charging infrastructure and networks of charging infrastructure operational before December 31, 2016. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish programs to fund research, development, and demonstration of advanced batteries, plug-in electric drive vehicle components, plug-in electric drive infrastructure, as well as secondary use applications; (2) study recycling of materials from plug-in electric drive vehicles and their batteries; and (3) establish the Advanced Batteries for Tomorrow Prize for a 500-mile vehicle battery. Establishes in the Treasury the 500-mile Battery Fund. Requires the use of specified funds for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Research and Development Programs. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study: (1) the raw materials needed for the manufacture of components for plug-in electric drive vehicles; and (2) the infrastructure needed to support such vehicles. Requires the Secretary of Energy to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences to study the collection and preservation of data from plug-in electric drive vehicles. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require each electric utility to develop a plan to support the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles in its service area. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to direct the Secretary to guarantee loans to eligible entities for the aggregate purchase in a calendar year of at least 200 qualified automotive batteries (designed for use in qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles but is purchased for nonautomotive applications) with a total minimum power rating of one megawatt and using advanced battery technology. Requires disposal of advanced batteries in accordance with the Solid Waste Disposal Act (that is, not in landfills). Establishes the Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Technical Advisory Committee. Directs the President to establish the Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Interagency Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
National Oilheat Research Alliance Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Renames the National Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 the National Oilheat Research, Consumer Education, and Efficiency Act of 2011. Revises criteria for membership in the National Oilheat Research Alliance. Directs the Alliance to: (1) submit proposed biennial (currently, annual) budgets to the Secretary of Energy (DOE); and (2) maintain a data collection process to track equipment, service, and related safety issues. Authorizes the Secretary to recommend changes to budget programs and activities of the Alliance. Directs the Secretary to report biennially to Congress on certain Alliance activities. Prohibits assessments collected under this Act from being passed through to or otherwise required to be paid by either retail purchasers or ultimate consumers of oilheat. Requires a qualified state association to deposit in a separate account the funds received under this Act. Directs the Alliance to ensure that specified percentages of assessments collected for each calendar year are used to: (1) conduct research, development, and demonstration activities relating to oilheat; (2) implement consumer assistance programs; and (3) conduct consumer education activities relating to oilheat. Directs the Alliance to: (1) ensure that heating system conversion assistance is coordinated with administrators of a specified low-income home energy assistance program and with the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons; and (2) develop, with states, a coordinated heating oil efficiency and upgrade plan to implement cost-effective efficiency programs and activities. Repeals the mandate for an annual market survey and analysis of changes in the price of oilheat relative to other energy sources. Prohibits the use of funds derived from assessments collected by the Alliance to lobby. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a fine or take other action to ensure compliance with this Act (including referral to an appropriate law enforcement authority) if the Alliance, a qualified state association, or any other entity or person violates this Act. Extends the sunset date for the National Oilheat Research Alliance program to 19 years after the date on which it was established.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Supports the people of Syria as they seek to exercise universal rights and pursue peaceful democratic change. Condemns the human rights abuses of the government of Syria, including the use of lethal violence, torture, mass arrests, and the cut-off of basic services. Condemns the government of Iran for assisting the government of Syria in its campaign of repression against the Syrian people. Finds that the government of Syria, led by Bashar al-Assad, has lost legitimacy and expresses support for the people of Syria to determine their future for themselves. Commends President Obama for authorizing targeted sanctions on human rights abusers in Syria. Urges the President to: (1) in conjunction with international partners, ensure access of humanitarian relief organizations and international media to affected areas of Syria and to impose consequences on the government of Syria and its leaders if access by these organizations continues to be impeded; and (2) work with our allies and partners at the U.N. Security Council to hold accountable human rights abusers in Syria and to support the human rights of the Syrian people. Urges the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to: (1) implement UNHRC Resolution S-16/1 and to ensure that the investigation into violations by the government of Syria of international human rights law is undertaken immediately, and (2) reinforce the need for the U.N. General Assembly to reject Syria's candidacy for UNHRC membership.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a national infrastructure investment program to provide competitive grants (of $10-$500 million), secured loans, and loan guarantees to a state, local government, or transit agency for eligible transportation projects (including highway or bridge, public transportation, passenger or freight rail transportation, and port infrastructure projects) that would have a significant beneficial impact on a state, metropolitan area, region, or the United States. Requires the Secretary to give grant priority to eligible projects that require a contribution of federal funds to complete an overall financing package for such projects. Sets aside at least 20% of funds for grants for eligible projects located in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a competitive program to provide between three and seven grants of up to $3 million in each of three years to advance research and development and to demonstrate technologies, including plug-in hybrid technology, for advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles (vehicles with a gross weight between 14,000 and 33,000 pounds that are fueled, in part, by a rechargeable energy storage system). Requires grant recipients to: (1) conduct research and demonstrate advanced hybrid technology by producing or retrofitting advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles, and (2) demonstrate advanced manufacturing processes and technologies by producing or retrofitting 50 advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles. Requires the Secretary: (1) to conduct research into alternative power train designs for use in advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles; and (2) acting through the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Laboratories and Technology Centers, to establish a pilot program to research and test the effects on the domestic electric power grid of the widespread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including those that are advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles. Amends the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 to direct the Secretary to conduct an applied research program on energy storage systems to support vehicles with a gross weight over 16,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions allowing a tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local government by: (1) increasing the amount of benefits excludible, and (2) extending such tax exclusion through 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States Postal Service (USPS) should: (1) issue a semipostal stamp to support medical research relating to Alzheimer's disease, and (2) transfer to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for that purpose any amounts becoming available from the sale of that stamp.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2011
Urges the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) reject any efforts by the European Union to modify existing passenger name record (PNR) data sharing mechanisms in a way that would degrade the usefulness of the PNR data for identifying terrorists and other dangerous criminals, and (2) not enter into any agreement that would impose European oversight structures on the United States. Opposes any effort by the European Union to interfere with counterterrorism cooperation and information sharing between DHS and non-European countries.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Medicare Hospice Care Access Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to recognize attending physician assistants as attending physicians to serve hospice patients.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2011
Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to advance the termination date of the income and excise tax credits for alcohol fuel mixtures (ethanol) from December 31, 2011, to the later of June 30, 2011, or the enactment of this Act. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to allow, on or after June 30, 2011, duty-free treatment for ethyl alcohol or any mixture containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Combating Designer Drugs Act of 2011 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to include as a Schedule I controlled substance any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains: 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-ethylphenyl)ethanamine (2C-E); 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)ethanamine (2C-D); 2-(4-Chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-C); 2-(4-Iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-I); 2-[4-(Ethylthio)-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl]ethanamine (2C-T-2); 2-[4-(Isopropylthio)-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl]ethanamine (2C-T-4); 2-(2,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-H); 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-nitro-phenyl)ethanamine (2C-N); or 2-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylphenyl)ethanamine (2C-P).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Tax Return Due Date Simplification and Modernization Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to change tax return due dates for partnerships (from April 15 to March 15, with extensions until September 15), S corporations (from March 15 to March 31, with extensions until September 30), and C corporations (from March 15 to April 15, with extensions until October 15). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2011, to modify by regulation the due dates for extensions of tax returns for partnerships, estates, employee benefit plans, and tax-exempt organizations. Sets a due date of April 15 for the annual information return of a foreign trust with a U.S. owner and for the report of foreign bank and financial accounts (with extensions until October 15). Extends the automatic extension for corporation income tax returns from three to six months.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
SAFE Port Reauthorization Act - Amends the SAFE Port Act to authorize appropriations for FY2011-FY2016 for: (1) the automated targeting system for identifying and inspecting high-risk oceanborne container cargo, (2) the Container Security Initiative, and (3) the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Permits: (1) unannounced inspections of a C-TPAT participant's security measures, and (2) provision of voluntary supply chain security training. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to promote sharing of private sector security-related information. Requires the Secretary, prior to entering into an arrangement between the United States and a foreign government providing for mutual recognition of supply chain security programs, to: (1) notify Congress of such arrangement's terms, and (2) determine that the foreign government's program provides a C-TPAT level of security. Sets forth exemptions to the requirement that a container loaded on a vessel in a foreign port not be allowed into the United States unless it was scanned by nonintrusive imaging and radiation detection equipment prior to loading. Grants: (1) immunity from civil liability to any individual who, in good faith and based on objectively reasonable suspicion, makes a voluntary report of covered activity (any suspicious transaction, activity, or occurrence that indicates an individual may be engaging in a violation of law relating to a threat to a vessel, facility, port, or waterway or an act of terrorism) to an authorized official; (2) qualified immunity from civil liability to any authorized official who observes, or receives a report of, a covered activity and takes reasonable action in good faith to respond to such activity; and (3) immunity from civil liability to an authorized official not entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity if he or she takes reasonable action, in good faith, to respond to the reported activity. Entitles any such individual or authorized official granted immunity to recover from the plaintiff all reasonable costs and attorney fees. Exempts a report regarding such activity from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Directs the Secretary to report on the coordination of the America's Waterway Watch Program and similar critical infrastructure suspicious activity reporting programs within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Directs the Secretary to either approve or disapprove a complete application for a port security grant, a matching requirement, or a grant extension within 60 days of submission. Authorizes appropriations for port security grants for FY2011-FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on outpatient physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services of the type furnished by a physician or as an incident to physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE), acting through the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, to act as the lead federal agency for coordinating and disseminating information on existing federal programs and assistance that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out a review of existing programs and financing mechanisms available in or from appropriate federal agencies with jurisdiction over energy financing and facilitation that are currently used or may be used for such purposes; (2) establish a federal cross-departmental collaborative coordination, education, and outreach effort to streamline communication and promote available federal opportunities and assistance for such projects that enables states, local educational agencies, and schools to use existing federal opportunities more effectively and to form partnerships with governors, state energy programs, local educational, financial, and energy officials, state and local officials, nonprofit organizations, and other appropriate entities to support project initiation; (3) provide technical assistance for states, local educational agencies, and schools to help develop and finance projects that meet specified requirements; (4) develop and maintain a single online resource website with contact information for relevant technical assistance and support staff in the Office for states, local educational agencies, and schools to effectively access and use federal opportunities and assistance to develop such projects; and (5) establish a process for recognition of schools that have successfully implemented such projects and are willing to serve as resources for other local educational agencies and schools to assist initiation of similar efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Strengthening America's Public Schools Through Promoting Foreign Investment Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit a lawful alien who enters the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa (including Mexican and Canadian commuter students) to attend a U.S. public secondary school for longer than one year if such alien reimburses the local educational agency for the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of providing education at such school for the period of the alien's attendance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Uniting American Families Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should submit to Congress: (1) a detailed description of U.S. policy objectives in Libya; (2) a detailed plan to achieve those objectives; (3) a detailed estimate of the full cost of U.S. military operations in Libya and any other actions required to implement the plan; and (4) a detailed description of the limitations the President has placed on the nature, duration, and scope of U.S. military operations in Libya, as referenced in his March 21, 2011, letter to Congress. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the President should seek congressional authorization for the use of military force against Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Honors the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are serving or have served in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. Calls on the people of the United States to reflect on the service of those members and veterans and to hold them in a special place of honor, both now and in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act of 2011 - Prohibits: (1) conducting invasive research on great apes; (2) possessing, maintaining, or housing a great ape for the purpose of conducting invasive research; (3) using federal funds to conduct such research on a great ape or to support an entity conducting or facilitating invasive research on a great ape either within or outside of the United States; (4) knowingly breeding a great ape for the purpose of conducting or facilitating such research; (5) transporting, moving, delivering receiving, leasing, renting, donating, purchasing, selling, or borrowing a great ape in interstate or foreign commerce for conducting or facilitating such research; and (6) transferring federal ownership of a great ape to a non-federal entity unless the entity is a suitable sanctuary. Defines "great ape" as any chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon. Defines "invasive research" as research that may cause death, injury, pain, distress, fear, or trauma to great apes, including drug testing or exposure to a substance or isolation, social deprivation, or other experimental manipulations that may be detrimental to the ape's health or psychological well-being. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to effectuate the permanent retirement of all great apes that are owned by the federal government and that are being maintained in any facility for the purpose of breeding for, holding for, or conducting invasive research. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Great Ape Sanctuary System Fund to be administered by the Secretary for construction, renovation, and operation of the sanctuary system for surplus chimpanzees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 - Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation. Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) religious organizations, and (2) the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces. Declares that this Act does not repeal or modify any federal, state, territorial, or local law creating a special right or preference concerning employment for a veteran. Provides for the construction of this Act regarding: (1) enforcement by employers of rules and policies, (2) sexual harassment, (3) certain shared facilities such as showers or dressing facilities, (4) construction of new or additional facilities, (5) dress and grooming standards, and (6) provision of employee benefits to married vs. unmarried couples. Declares that, in this Act, "married" refers to marriage as that term is defined in the Defense of Marriage Act (a legal union between one man and one woman). Prohibits the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from collecting statistics from covered entities on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or compelling the collection by covered entities of such statistics. Provides for enforcement, including giving the EEOC, the Librarian of Congress (LOC), the Attorney General (DOJ), and U.S. courts the same enforcement powers as they have under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and other specified laws. Allows actions and proceedings, subject to exception, against the United States and the states.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act of 2011 or SERVE Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code concerning the prohibition on disruptions of funerals of members or former members of the Armed Forces to increase the period covered under such prohibition from one to two hours before and after a military funeral. Includes within such unlawful conduct any disturbance or disruption occurring within 500 feet of the residence of a surviving member of a deceased's immediate family. Provides civil remedies, including actual and statutory damages. Makes identical changes under federal veterans' provisions concerning the prohibition on certain demonstrations and disruptions at national cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Information Technology Investment Management Act of 2011 - Expands the responsibilities of agency heads with respect to the acquisition of information technology (IT) to require: (1) the development of an IT management and development program; and (2) the posting on agency websites of cost, schedule, and performance information regarding an agency's major IT investments. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure the effective operation of a website that provides monthly updated information on agency investment in IT projects. Requires a Chief Information Officer of an executive department that is primarily responsible for an IT project under review to: (1) take specified actions, including conducting performance reviews and taking corrective actions, after determining that an IT project has significantly or grossly deviated (i.e., a cost, schedule, or performance variance that is at least 20% or 40%, respectively, from the original baseline); and (2) designate, in consultation with the agency head, the most costly and critical major IT investment projects as core IT investment projects. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop policy and guidance for agencies in developing programs to recognize excellent employee performance in the acquisition of information systems and information technology for such agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
Supporting Employee Competency and Updating Readiness Enhancements for Facilities Act of 2011 or the SECURE Facilities Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to modify requirements relating to the Federal Protective Service (FPS) and the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) and to provide for the security of federal facilities, including facilities used for activities covered under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Requires the Director of FPS to: (1) secure federal facilities protected by FPS and safeguard all occupants, (2) provide adequate numbers of trained personnel to ensure that federal security standards are met, and (3) ensure that areas in and around such facilities are regularly patrolled by FPS officers. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that FPS maintains not fewer than 1,371 full-time equivalent employees in FY 2012, including not fewer than 950 in-service field staff. Requires the Director to: (1) establish minimum training requirements for all armed contract security guards procured by FPS, (2) establish a program to periodically assess the training of guards and the security of federal facilities, (3) update the Security Guard Information Manual and post orders within 180 days and every 2 years thereafter, (4) establish a database to monitor all contracts for guard services, and (5) increase the number of infrastructure security canine teams by up to 15 teams in each of FY2012-FY2015. Directs the Secretary to develop performance-based standards for checkpoint detection technologies for explosives and other threats at facilities protected by FPS. Authorizes the Secretary to assess and collect: (1) fees and security charges from agencies for the costs of providing protective services, and (2) additional charges for the costs of necessary security countermeasures for facilities determined to be noncompliant with ISC security standards. Directs ISC to: (1) prescribe regulations for determining federal facility security levels and to establish risk-based performance standards for facility security, (2) establish protocols for testing facility compliance with such standards, (3) prescribe regulations to determine minimum levels of training and certification of armed contract security guards and to establish a list of prohibited items for entry into federal facilities, (4) establish minimum requirements and a process for providing basic security training for members of Facility Security Committees (FSCs), (5) take necessary actions to enhance the quality and effectiveness of security and protection of federal facilites, and (6) establish an appeals board to consider appeals relating to facility security level and noncompliance determinations. Directs the Secretary to establish a process to authorize an agency to provide protective services for a federal facility instead of FPS. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe regulations on the carrying of firearms by FPS law enforcement officers while off-duty. Includes such FPS officers as federal employees for purposes of civil service retirement provisions. Requires reports on FPS personnel needs, retention rates within FPS, the feasibility of federalizing the FPS contract guard workforce, methods of funding for FPS, and detecting or preventing explosives from entering federal facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
Calls on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) members to reflect the author's repudiation of the Goldstone report's central findings, rescind the report, and reconsider further Council actions with respect to the report's findings. Urges United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to work with United Nations (U.N.) member states to reform UNRHC so that it no longer unfairly, disproportionately, and falsely criticizes Israel. Requests Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to do all in his power to redress the damage caused by the Goldstone report to Israel's reputation. Urges the United States to take a leadership role in getting the U.N. and its bodies to prevent any further action on the report's findings and limit the damage that this libelous report has caused to Israel and to the reputation of the U.N.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Federal Acquisition Institute Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to provide that the Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs shall: (1) be chosen on the basis of demonstrated knowledge and expertise in acquisition, human capital, and management; (2) be located in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy; and (3) implement acquisition workforce programs. Establishes a Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) and enumerates its purposes with respect to the development of a professional acquisition workforce. Requires: (1) the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to recommend to the Administrator of General Services (GSA) sufficient budget resources and authority for the FAI to support government-wide training standards and certification requirements necessary to enhance the mobility and career opportunities of the federal acquisition workforce, and (2) the GSA Administrator to provide FAI with amounts from the acquisition training fund sufficient to meet the annual budget for FAI requested by the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy. Directs: (1) the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, acting through FAI, to provide and update government-wide training standards and certification requirements; and (2) all federal civilian agency acquisition internship or acquisition training programs to follow guidelines provided by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy to ensure consistent training standards necessary to develop uniform core competencies throughout the federal government. Directs the GSA Administrator to manage the acquisition workforce training fund through FAI to support FAI activities and to ensure that funds collected are only used for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to direct the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) to establish a government-wide acquisition management fellows program for the purpose of investing in the long-term improvement and sustained excellence of the federal acquisition workforce. Lists as the program's objectives to: (1) develop a new generation of acquisition leaders with government-wide perspective, skills, and experience; (2) recruit individuals with the outstanding academic merit, ethical value, business acumen, and leadership skills to meet the government's acquisition needs; and (3) offer opportunities for advancement, competitive compensation, and leadership opportunities. Requires the program to consist of one academic year of full-time, on-campus training followed by two years of on-the-job and part-time training toward a Masters or equivalent graduate degree in related fields. Requires persons selected for the program to commit to employment with the government in the field of acquisition following program completion. Requires executive agencies to give priority to program graduates for purposes of hiring employees in the acquisition field. Establishes in the Treasury the OFPP Acquisition Fellows Development Fund to be used for the establishment and operations of the program. Requires the Administrator to establish a leadership development training program for federal employees to produce high performing individuals in the core acquisition disciplines of contracting, program management, and cost estimating.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
Crime Victim Restitution and Court Fee Intercept Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the chief justice of the highest court of any state that wishes to collect past-due, legally enforceable state judicial debts to designate a single state entity to communicate judicial debt information to the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Secretary, upon receiving notice from such an entity that a named person owes a past-due, legally enforceable state judicial debt, to pay such debt from any tax refund due to such person. Defines "state judicial debt" to include court costs, fees, fines, assessments, restitution to victims of crime, and other monies resulting from a judgment or sentence rendered by any court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction handling criminal or traffic cases in the state.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2011 - Expands the scope of whistleblower protections under federal law to provide that such protections shall apply to a disclosure of any violation of any law, rule, or regulation (currently, only to a violation of any law, rule, or regulation). Defines "disclosure" for purposes of this Act and expands the types of disclosures that are protected whistleblower disclosures. Includes as a prohibited personnel practice the implementation or enforcement of any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement that does not contain a specific statement that its provisions are consistent with requirements that preserve the right of federal employees to make disclosures of illegality, waste, fraud, abuse, or public health or safety threats. Adds the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Reconnaissance Office to the list of intelligence community entities excluded from coverage under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. Revises the standard of proof in disciplinary proceedings against an agency employee who takes an adverse personnel action against a whistleblower to require the Office of Special Counsel to show that the whistleblower's protected disclosure was a significant motivating factor in the decision to take an adverse action, even if other factors also motivated the decision. Requires that, during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act, a petition to review a final order or decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) that raises no challenge to the MSPB's disposition of allegations of a prohibited personnel practice be filed in any court of appeals of competent jurisdiction (rather than exclusively in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals). Extends whistleblower and other anti-discrimination protections to employees (and applicants for employment) of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Extends whistleblower protections to any current or prospective federal employee for disclosures that such employee reasonably believes are evidence of censorship related to research, analysis, or technical information. Extends whistleblower protections to intelligence community elements, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Reconnaissance Office. Requires federal agency heads to advise their employees on how to make a lawful disclosure of information that is required to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs. Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to: (1) allow federal agency employees who intend to report a complaint or information with respect to an urgent concern to Congress to report such complaint or information to the Inspector General of their agencies, and (2) provide for the appointment of a Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman in the Office of Inspector General to educate agency personnel about whistleblower rights. Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to require: (1) the development of policies and procedures that permit individuals who, in good faith, challenge a security clearance determination to remain employed while the challenge is pending; and (2) the development and implementation of uniform and consistent policies and procedures to ensure protections during the process for denying, suspending, or revoking a security clearance or access to classified information. Prohibits the revocation of a security clearance or access determination in retaliation for a protected whistleblower disclosure. Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide for the direct transmission of a complaint or information under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act to the Director of National Intelligence if the head of an establishment (i.e., cabinet level agency or department) determines that such complaint or information would create a conflict of interest for such head.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2011 - Allows a state to authorize a vehicle with a maximum gross weight (including enforcement tolerances) exceeding certain federal weight limitations to operate on Interstate Highway System (IHS) routes in the state if: (1) the vehicle is equipped with at least six axles, (2) the weight of any single axle does not exceed 20,000 pounds, (3) the weight of any tandem axle does not exceed 34,000 pounds, (4) the weight of any group of 3 or more axles does not exceed 51,000 pounds, and (5) the gross weight of the vehicle does not exceed 97,000 pounds. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a safe and efficient vehicle bridge infrastructure improvement program. Requires the Secretary to apportion amounts from the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund to states for eligible bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on any vehicles that exceed federal weight limitations operating on the IHS, and (2) establish the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education for Alzheimer's Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease and related dementia diagnosis and services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Responsible Consumer Financial Protection Regulations Act of 2011 - Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, title X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, to replace the position of Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection with a five-member Commission whose members are appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Prohibits the Chair of the Commission from making requests for estimates related to appropriations without the prior approval of the Commission. Revises procedures for funding the Bureau. Eliminates the Consumer Financial Protection Fund and the requirement that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System transfer funds to the Bureau from the combined earnings of the Federal Reserve System. Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, during a federal funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, to transfer to the Secretary of Defense (DHS), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the case of the Coast Guard, amounts necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including the reserves, who perform active service during the funding gap. Allows for the provision of such pay and allowances, at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, for: (1) civilian DOD personnel providing support to such members; and (2) DOD contractor personnel providing direct support to such members. Prohibits any such transfer after December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the face-to-face encounter framework in hospice care. Allows a clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, or other health professional (in addition to a hospice physician or a nurse practitioner, as under current law) to conduct the face-to-face encounter with an individual to determine continued eligibility for hospice care before the first 60-day (currently, 180-day) recertification period and each subsequent recertification period. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare Hospice Payment Reform demonstration program to test any revisions to the methodology for determining payment rates for routine home care and other hospice care services. Sets at every three years the frequency of surveys of certified hospice program entities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Repeal the CLASS Entitlement Act - Repeals provisions of the Public Health Service Act enacted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (entitled the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act) which establish a national, voluntary insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and supports in order to provide individuals with functional limitations with tools that will allow them to maintain their personal and financial independence and live in the community. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to repeal provisions providing appropriations for the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information through FY2015.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Commends public servants for their outstanding contributions to the nation during Public Service Recognition Week and throughout the year. Honors government employees who have given their lives in service to their country. Encourages efforts to promote public service careers.