United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Refugee Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim; and (2) permit, and set forth the requirements for, reopening a claim that was denied because of failure to file within one year. Revises the definition of terrorist activity for purposes of alien inadmissibility. Excludes activity committed under duress from such definition. Revises: (1) the definition of refugee, and (2) the criteria for granting asylum. Authorizes the Attorney General to appoint counsel to represent an alien in a removal proceeding. Prohibits an alien from being removed during the 30-day petition for review period unless the alien indicates in writing that he or she wishes to be removed before the expiration of such period. Makes discretionary certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, (2) establish specified conditions of detention, (3) file notice of immigration charges with the court and the individual within 48 hours of detention, and (4) establish procedures to ensure the accuracy of statements taken by DHS employees exercising expedited removal authority. Authorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority with regard to aliens apprehended after entering the United States. Authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who: (1) is or was employed by the U.S. government or a U.S. government contractor for not more than one year overseas and worked on behalf of the U.S. government for such time, and (2) returns immediately to the United States upon such employment's conclusion. Exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum. Sets forth protections for: (1) refugees; (2) aliens interdicted at sea; and (2) stateless persons in the United States, including mechanisms for regularizing status. Authorizes the President to designate refugee groups. Permits applicants for refugee admission to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. Authorizes the spouse or child of a refugee or asylee to bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. States that if the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. Directs the Secretary of State to notify Congress regarding the amount of funds that will be provided in Reception and Placement Grants in the coming fiscal year. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required U.S. physical presence. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs. Revises the refugee grant and contract assistance allocation formula. Directs the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Refugee and Asylee Resettlement (HHS) to: (1) report to Congress regarding states experiencing departures and arrivals due to secondary migration; and (2) expand the Office's data analysis, collection, and sharing activities to include data on mental and physical medical cases, housing needs, and refugee employment. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend the eligibility of certain aliens (including asylees and refugees) and victims of trafficking in persons for supplemental security income (SSI) assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011
Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) link the amount of the volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC) for calendar quarters beginning after June 30, 2011, to the average price of crude oil in a calendar quarter, (2) modify the rates of the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel and extend such credit through 2014, (3) extend the alternative fuel refueling property tax credit and the special depreciation allowance for cellulosic biofuel plant property, and (4) make permanent the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit. Modifies the definition of "cellulosic biofuel" for purposes of the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit and the special depreciation allowance to mean any liquid fuel that is derived solely by or from qualified feedstocks. Defines "qualified feedstocks" as any lignocellulosic or hemicellulosic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis and any cultivated algae, cyanobacteria, or lemna.
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 · 6 June 2011
Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (CEJA) of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to grant jurisdiction over and impose penalties on federal contractors and employees who commit certain crimes outside of the United States while employed by or accompanying any agency of the United States other than the Department of Defense (DOD). Sets forth the crimes under federal law that are covered by this Act. Exempts an authorized intelligence activity that is carried out by or on behalf of any element of the intelligence community and conducted in accordance with law. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) assign personnel and resources through task forces to investigate allegations of criminal offenses by federal contractors and employees overseas, and (2) report to Congress annually on the number of prosecutions and actions taken. Grants the Attorney General principal authority for the enforcement of this Act. Provides for an optional venue for offenses under this Act involving federal employees and contractors overseas in the district in which is headquartered the U.S. agency that: (1) employs the offender, or any one of two or more joint offenders; or (2) the offender is accompanying, or that any one of two or more joint offenders is accompanying. Requires the statute of limitations for an offense under this Act to be computed without regard to any time the alleged offender is outside the United States or is a fugitive from justice.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Fairness for Struggling Students Act of 2011 Amends federal bankruptcy law to make privately issued student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy. Under current law, student loans (whether issued privately or by a governmental unit) are dischargeable only if excepting the loans from dischargeability would impose undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor's dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Combating Autism Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and reauthorize appropriations through FY2014 for programs established under the Combating Autism Act of 2006, including: (1) the developmental disabilities surveillance and research program; (2) the autism education, early detection, and intervention program; and (3) the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a progress report on: (1) activities related to autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, and (2) implementation of the Combating Autism Act of 2006. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2014 for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research on autism spectrum disorders and reviews of centers of excellence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
USA PATRIOT Act Improvements Act of 2011 - Amends provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, the National Security Act of 1947, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) concerning national security letters to, effective December 31, 2013, make such provisions read as they read on October 25, 2001. Repeals a separate related FCRA provision. Amends FISA to revise requirements for applications for access to business records and other tangible things in counterterrorism investigations to require an applicant to present a statement of facts and circumstances relied upon to justify the applicant's belief that the records sought are relevant to an investigation. Repeals the presumption in favor of the government that an application for records is relevant to an investigation. Imposes similar requirements for access to bookseller records or library records containing personally identifiable information, and for orders for pen registers and trap and trace devices. Defines and requires "minimization procedures" for minimizing the retention and dissemination of information obtained from such records and devices. Revises requirements for obtaining orders to prohibit disclosure of the receipt of a national security letter. Requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or other appropriate agency to notify persons challenging a nondisclosure order if facts supporting such order no longer exist. Amends FISA to eliminate: (1) the requirement that recipients of any order to produce records wait one year before challenging such order or a nondisclosure requirement in court, and (2) the conclusive presumption that disclosure of an order for tangible things would endanger national security or a person's life or safety or would interfere with a criminal or terrorist investigation or with diplomatic relations. Revises procedures for obtaining judicial review of national security letter nondisclosure orders. Allows the recipient of a nondisclosure order to request judicial review of the order and requires the government to respond by setting forth specific facts in a certification that justify the need for nondisclosure based upon national security and other concerns. Requires courts, in considering whether to grant a nondisclosure order, to give substantial weight to the facts alleged by the government in its certification. Modifies the standard for obtaining a national security letter to require the FBI or other agency issuing a national security letter to provide a written statement of specific facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the information sought is relevant to an authorized investigation. Modifies reporting requirements for national security letters to require a breakdown of the types of persons targeted (e.g., U.S. persons and non-U.S. persons) and whether such persons are subjects of authorized national security investigations. Amends FISA to require the Attorney General to submit an annual unclassified report summarizing how the authorities under such Act are used, including the impact of such use on the privacy of U.S. persons. Extends through 2013 provisions requiring the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct audits on investigative authority provided to the FBI under FISA and on the effectiveness and use of national security letters. Repeals a requirement for such audits to include information on bureaucratic or procedural impediments to the use of such letters. Directs the Inspector General to report to Congress on the results of such audits: (1) by March 31, 2012, for audits conducted for 2007, 2008, and 2009; (2) by March 31, 2013, for audits conducted for 2010 and 2011; and (3) by March 31, 2015, for audits conducted for 2012 and 2013. Requires reports by the inspectors general of each element of DOJ assessing the use and value of information obtained through such investigative authority and national security letters. Sets forth similar audit and reporting requirements regarding the use of pen registers and trap and trace devices and requires submission to the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence as well as Congress. Amends the federal criminal code to reduce from 30 to 7 days the period for giving delayed notice of the execution of a search warrant in a criminal investigation when the warrant permits the giving of such delayed notice. Directs the Attorney General to periodically review and revise the procedures adopted by the Attorney General on October 1, 2010, for the collection, use, and storage of information obtained in response to a national security letter, with due consideration to the privacy interests of individuals and the need to protect national security. Rescinds specified unobligated balances available in the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Military Families Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust the status of an eligible alien to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien: (1) applies for adjustment (with a time limit for an alien applying as a family member of a deceased Armed Forces member), (2) is admissible to the United States as an immigrant, and (3) is physically present in the United States. Applies such provision to an alien who is: (1) a parent, spouse, child, son, daughter, or the legal guardian of a child of a living Armed Forces member or of a deceased Armed Forces member who died as a result of service-incurred injury or disease; or (2) the spouse, child, son, or daughter of an alien described in clause (1). Defines "Armed Forces member" as a person who: (1) is, or was at the time of the person's death, a U.S. national or lawfully admitted permanent resident; (2) served honorably on or after October 7, 2001, as a member of the National Guard or the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, or in an active-duty status in the U.S. military; and (3) if separated from service was separated under honorable conditions. Waives specified grounds of inadmissibility and authorizes the waiver of additional grounds of inadmissibility. Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 or other specified federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Designates June 27, 2011, as National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day. Urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to continue working to educate servicemembers, veterans, their families, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011 - Requires each state to have in effect within two years a law, or each state department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) an explicit policy statement, that requires all federal-aid highway projects, with certain exceptions, to accommodate the safety and convenience of all users in accordance with certain complete streets principles. Defines "complete streets principles" as federal, state, local, or regional level transportation laws, policies, or principles which ensure that the safety and convenience of all users of a transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, children, older individuals, motorists, freight vehicles, and individuals with disabilities, are accommodated in all phases of project planning and development. Allows such law or policy to make project-specific exemptions from such principles, subject to proper approval, only if affected roadways prohibit specified users by law from using them, the cost of a compliance project would be excessively disproportionate to the need, or the population and employment densities, traffic volumes, or level of transit service around a roadway is so low that the expected roadway users will not include pedestrians, public transportation, freight vehicles, or bicyclists. Revises federal-aid highway project standards to require the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that project plans provide for highway facilities that are consistent with the complete street principles. Requires the construction design for a highway on the National Highway System to take into account certain criteria, including the need to balance design speed, right-of-way needs, and community livability. Directs the Secretary (who currently is merely authorized) to develop criteria for such design. Requires the Secretary also, in developing such criteria, to consider roadway design guidelines issued jointly by Congress for the New Urbanism and the Institute of Transportation Engineers in developing such criteria. Requires the Secretary to establish a method for ensuring compliance by state departments of transportation and MPOs with complete streets principles. Requires the Access Board to issue final standards for accessibility of new construction and alterations of pedestrian facilities for public rights-of-way. Requires the Secretary to conduct research regarding complete streets to: (1) assist states, MPOs, and local jurisdictions in developing and implementing complete streets-compliant plans, projects, procedures, policies, and training programs; and (2) establish benchmarks for, and provide technical guidance on, implementing complete streets policies and principles.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Veterinarian Services Investment Act - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out a matching grant program with qualified en tities to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services. Requires a qualifying entity to carry out programs that: (1) relieve veterinarian shortage situations, (2) support private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities, or (3) support practices of veterinarians who are participating in or have successfully completed a specified service requirement. Makes such grants available for: (1) assistance for establishing or expanding veterinary practices or establishing mobile veterinary facilities; (2) veterinarian, technician, and student recruitment; (3) grants to attend training programs in food safety or food animal medicine; (4) grants to establish or expand accredited education, internship, residency, and fellowship programs; (5) grants to assess veterinarian shortage situations; and (6) grants for continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education.
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 · 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
National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011 - Reestablishes the position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Vice Chief). Terminates the position of Director of the Joint Staff of the National Guard Bureau (Director) and transfers existing duties of the Director to the Vice Chief. Adds the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Chief) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to continue the Task Force for Emergency Readiness (TFER) pilot program as a permanent FEMA program. Requires the Administrator to carry out the program in at least five states in addition to the five states in which the program is carried out as of the enactment of this Act. Requires the Chief to: (1) identify, using catastrophic disaster response plans for each state developed under the program, any gaps in state civilian and military response capabilities that federal military capabilities are unprepared to fill; (2) notify the Secretary of Defense and the respective Commanders of the U.S. Northern and Pacific Commands of any such gaps; and (3) assist, acting through the Adjutants General of the States, states in developing state plans on responses to catastrophic disaster emergencies. Directs the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into a memorandum of understanding on coordination between Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and between such departments and the states, in the use of military forces in response to domestic emergencies. Authorizes appropriations for the DOD for FY2012 for National Guard: (1) continuity of operations, continuity of government, and consequence management in connection with response to terrorist and other attacks and catastrophes; (2) emergency preparedness and response activities; and (3) staffing of joint operations coordination centers in response to terrorist and other attacks and catastrophes. States that the U.S. Northern and Pacific Commands shall be the combatant commands principally responsible for the military support of civil authorities in the United States. Requires the Commander of each Command and the Chief to enter into a memorandum of understanding setting forth the operational relationships, and individual roles and responsibilities, during responses to domestic emergencies among such Commands and the National Guard Bureau. Requires the officers serving as Commander of Army North Command and Commander of Air Force North Command to be officers in the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, respectively. Directs the Secretary of Defense to modify specified regulations prescribed pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 to provide for the use of available appropriated State Partnership Program funds for contacts between members of the National Guard and civilian personnel of foreign governments outside the ministry of defense on matters within the core competencies of the National Guard.
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 · 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
Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 or the PROTECT IP Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) or an intellectual property right owner harmed by an Internet site dedicated to infringing activities (ISDIA) to commence an action against: (1) a registrant of an ISDIA's domain name, or (2) an owner or operator of an ISDIA accessed through a domain name. Allows the AG to commence actions against such individuals associated with nondomestic domain names (NDN). Permits the AG, if the specified individuals are unable to be found or have no address within a U.S. judicial district, to commence in rem actions (against domain names themselves, in lieu of individuals) against such domain names. Defines ISDIA as a site that: (1) has no significant use other than engaging in or facilitating copyright infringement, circumventing technology controlling access to copyrighted works, or selling or promoting counterfeit goods or services; or (2) is designed, operated, or marketed and used to engage in such activities. Allows the court, upon application by the relevant plaintiff, to issue temporary restraining orders or injunctions against further ISDIA activity under specified circumstances. Sets forth the preventative measures to be taken, upon being served with a court order, by: (1) operators of nonauthoritative domain name system servers, financial transaction providers (FTPs), Internet advertising services (IASs), and information location tools (ILTs) with respect to NDNs; or (2) FTPs and IASs with respect to domain names other than NDNs. Provides immunity from liability for: (1) FTPs or IASs voluntarily taking certain preventative actions against ISDIAs, and (2) domain name registries, FTPs, ILTs, or IASs withholding services from infringing sites that endanger public health by distributing prescription medication that is counterfeit, adulterated, misbranded, or without a valid prescription.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity and enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution, a federal or state statute, or related public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and reauthorize appropriations for payments associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Pilots Equitable Treatment Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), with regard to both single-employer and multiemployer plan guaranteed benefits, to require the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) , in the case of commercial airline pilots required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation to retire before age 65, to compute the actuarial value of monthly benefits in the form of a life annuity commencing at the required retirement age.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
State Ethics Law Protection Act of 2011 - Considers a state transportation department not to have violated federal contract requirements for the construction of a federal-aid highway project solely because the state in which the department is located, or a local government within that state, has in effect a law or order that limits the amount of money an individual or entity doing business with a state or local agency with respect to such a project may contribute to a political party, campaign, or elected official (pay to play).
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members; or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act. Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act. Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to annually compile information on paid sick time and the Comptroller General to study related matters. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2011 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees, (2) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (3) federal reservation of water rights, (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (5) authorized livestock grazing, and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act of 2011 - Requires a mortgage servicer to assign one case manager to each borrower that seeks a mortgage loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Requires the case manager to: (1) manage the communication between the servicer and the borrower, and (2) make decisions about the borrower's eligibility for a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Prohibits a servicer from initiating a foreclosure action against a borrower unless the servicer has performed specified tasks related to offering the borrower, if eligible, a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Requires a servicer to suspend a foreclosure action initiated before the enactment of this Act until such tasks have been performed. Prohibits a servicer, during the suspension period, from: (1) sending the borrower a notice of foreclosure, (2) conducting or scheduling a sale of the real property securing the mortgage, or (3) causing final judgment to be entered against the borrower. Prescribes requirements a servicer must meet in order to be deemed to have made a reasonable effort to obtain necessary information to determine a borrower's eligibility for a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure. Requires a servicer, before notifying a borrower of his or her ineligibility for a loan modification or an alternative to foreclosure, to obtain the services of an independent reviewer to review the borrower's file and determine whether or not the borrower is eligible. Makes a violation of this Act a bar to a foreclosure action. Allows a servicer in compliance with this Act, however, to bring or proceed with a foreclosure action, regardless of any prior violation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career of former Senator and former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey upon the occasion of his 100th birthday. Recognizes that his legislative achievements helped resolve many of this nation's most polarizing issues, such as civil rights, equal opportunity, and nuclear arms control. Acknowledges his numerous legislative achievements and lifetime of service.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Haitian-American Enterprise Fund Act - Authorizes the President, after congressional consultation, to designate a private, nonprofit organization as the Haitian-American Enterprise Fund to receive financial assistance and support under this Act. States that a grant agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Fund shall: (1) require the Fund to end its reinvestment cycle not later than December 31, 2021, unless extended by USAID; (2) provide for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing; and (3) require any remaining Fund assets to be returned to the Treasury for debt reduction purposes. States that the Fund's Board of Directors should adopt the best practices and procedures used by Enterprise Funds, including those for which funding has been made available pursuant to the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Hiring Heroes Act of 2011- Amends the Wounded Warriors Act to extend until January 1, 2015, the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide the same rehabilitation and vocational benefits to members of the Armed Forces with severe injuries or illnesses as are provided to veterans. Expands the authority of the VA Secretary to make payments to employers to provide on-job training to veterans to include veterans who have not been rehabilitated to the point of employability. Entitles certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who have exhausted their rights to unemployment benefits to participation in an additional VA rehabilitation program. Limits the duration of such a program to 24 months. Makes the 12-year period of eligibility for a VA rehabilitation program inapplicable under such an additional program. Instructs the VA Secretary to follow-up on the employment status of veterans who participate in a VA rehabilitation program. Requires (current law encourages) participation by eligible members in the Transitional Assistance Program (TAP) of the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires (under current law, authorizes) the provision of preseparation counseling to members whose discharge or release is anticipated. Instructs the Secretary of Labor to follow-up on the employment status of members who complete their participation in the TAP. Directs the VA Secretary to award grants to up to three nonprofit organizations under a collaborative veterans' training, mentoring, and placement program for eligible veterans seeking employment. Requires participants in the TAP to receive individualized assessments of civilian positions for which they may be qualified based on a joint DOD, VA, and Department of Labor study of the equivalencies between military skills and civilian employment requirements. Authorizes the appointment of an honorably discharged member of the uniformed services to a position in the civil service, without regard to specified civil service examination, certification, and appointment provisions, if otherwise qualified. Requires executive agencies to establish programs to provide employment assistance to members who are being separated from active duty. Directs the Secretary of Labor to carry out an outreach program to provide employment assistance to certain veterans who have been receiving assistance under the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers program. Authorizes a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing work experience to certain members of the Armed Forces who are on terminal leave. Requires (under current law, authorizes) a VA demonstration project on the credentialing and licensing of veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2011 or DREAM Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who: (1) entered the United States on or before his or her 15th birthday and has been present in the United States for five years preceding this Act's enactment; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; (5) has not been convicted of certain offenses under federal or state law; (6) has been admitted to an institution of higher education (IHE) in the United States or has earned a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States; and (7) was age 35 or younger on the date of this Act's enactment. Authorizes the Secretary to waive specified grounds of inadmissibility for humanitarian, family unity, or public interest purposes. Requires an alien to apply for cancellation of removal and conditional permanent resident status within one year after the later of: (1) earning a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States, or (2) the effective date of related final regulations. Requires prior to the granting of conditional permanent resident status that: (1) an alien submit biometric and biographic data, and (2) the Secretary has completed security and law enforcement background checks. Requires an alien applying for conditional permanent resident status to: (1) register under the Military Selective Service Act if so required, and (2) undergo a medical examination. Prohibits the Secretary or the Attorney General (DOJ) from removing an alien with a pending application who establishes prima facie eligibility for cancellation of removal and conditional permanent resident status. Directs the Attorney General to stay the removal proceedings of an alien who: (1) meets the requirements (other than that pertaining to secondary school diploma or post-secondary school) for cancellation of removal and conditional adjustment, and (2) is at least five years of age and enrolled full-time in a primary or secondary school. Establishes a six-year period of conditional permanent resident status. Terminates such status if the alien: (1) ceases to be a person of good moral character or becomes inadmissible under specified grounds, or (2) did not receive an honorable military discharge. Authorizes the Secretary to remove the conditional basis of an alien's permanent resident status if the alien: (1) has demonstrated good moral character; (2) is not inadmissible under specified grounds; (3) has not abandoned U.S. residency; (4) has earned an IHE degree (or has completed at least two years in a bachelor's or higher degree program) in the United States, or has served in the Armed Forces for at least two years ( and if discharged, was honorably discharged); and (5) has provided a list of each secondary school attended in the United States. Authorizes, and sets forth the criteria for, a hardship exception to such requirements. Requires an alien prior to having his or her conditional status removed to have: (1) satisfied citizenship requirements, (2) submitted biometric and biographic data, and (3) have had security and law enforcement background checks completed. Requires an alien seeking to have such conditional status removed to file an application during the period beginning six months prior to, and ending on, the date that is later of: (1) six years after the date the alien was initially granted conditional permanent resident status, or (2) any extended expiration date of the alien's conditional permanent resident status. Prohibits an alien from applying for naturalization while he or she is in conditional permanent resident status. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) confidentiality of information, (2) required disclosure, (3) application fraud, and (4) penalties for false application statements or misuse of information. Makes an alien in conditional permanent resident status eligible only for the following programs with respect to assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Assistance Act of 1965: (1) Ford or Perkins loans, (2) work-study programs, and (3) educational services. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence.
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
Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President and Administration should be commended for recognizing the severity of high gas prices and for taking appropriate actions to help reduce gas prices; (2) Congress should take additional actions to complement the efforts of the President; (3) the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should contribute to the stabilization of world oil markets and prices and reduce the burden of high gasoline prices by using existing idle oil production capacity to compensate for any supply shortages; and (4) U.S. economic, environmental, and national security depend on a sustained effort to reduce and eventually eliminate the dependence of the United States on oil. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny to oil companies with gross receipts in excess of $1 billion in a taxable year and an average daily worldwide production of crude oil of at least 500,000 barrels a year: (1) a foreign tax credit if such company is a dual capacity taxpayer, as defined by this Act; (2) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or primary products thereof; (3) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs; (4) the percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas wells; and (5) the tax deduction for qualified tertiary injectant expenses. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to grant royalty relief (suspension of royalties) for natural gas production from deep wells and deep water oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf. Dedicates any increased revenue generated by this Act to the reduction of a federal budget deficit or the public debt. Provides for compliance of the budgetary effects of this Act with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 5 May 2011
Recognizes May 15, 2011, as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Acknowledges the dedication and sacrifices made by law enforcement officers who have been killed or injured in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Recognizes the historical struggle for independence and freedom of the people of Mexico. Calls upon the people of the United States to observe Cinco de Mayo with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Supports the ideals of World Malaria Day, including the achievable target of ending malaria deaths by 2015. Recognizes the importance of reducing malaria to improve child and maternal health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Commends the progress made toward reducing global malaria deaths and prevalence, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Supports continued U.S. leadership and investment in efforts to combat malaria as a critical part of the President's Global Health Initiative. Encourages members of the international community to sustain and scale up their support for efforts to combat malaria.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2011
Declares the sense of the Senate that: (1) stable and affordable housing is an essential component of an effective strategy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, treatment, and care; and (2) the United States should make a commitment to providing adequate funding for developing housing as a response to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2011
Congratulates the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of charter schools across the country for their ongoing contributions to education and our public school system. Supports the ideals and goals of the eleventh annual National Charter Schools Week (May 1-May 7, 2011).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a rule that establishes: (1) the data that constitute the minimum data sets for chemical substances; and (2) requirements for chemical manufacturers and processors to submit and update their minimum data sets. Sets deadlines for the submission of minimum data sets for chemical substances placed on the prioritization list established by this Act and for new substances. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) require the testing of, and the submission of test results for, any chemical substance; (2) require submission of a sample of any substance for testing; and (3) impose restrictions on violators of testing requirements, including a prohibition against manufacturing, processing, or distributing chemical substances or mixtures. Prohibits any person from manufacturing or processing a new chemical substance unless the person notifies the Administrator about the person's intention to manufacture or process the substance and the Administrator finds that the manufacturers and processors have established that the substance meets the applicable safety standard or that it is not, and is not expected to be: (1) manufactured or released into the environment in excess of specified volumes; (2) a known, probable, or suspected reproductive, developmental, neurological, or immunological toxicant, carcinogen, mutagen, or endocrine disruptor; (3) persistent and bioaccumulative; or (4) found in human blood, fluids, tissue, food, drinking water, air, residential soil, or house dust at a level not naturally found in that medium. Prohibits any person from manufacturing or processing an existing chemical substance for a use that was not ongoing prior to this Act's enactment or at a volume that is significantly increased, unless the substance meets the applicable safety standard and other specified requirements. Requires the Administrator to develop, publish, and update a list of chemical substances warranting placement within one of three priority classes. Directs the Administrator to assign: (1) 20 to 30 substances as priority class 1 (requiring immediate risk management), applicable to a substance that is, or that is degraded and metabolized into, a persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substance with the potential for widespread exposure to humans and other organisms; (2) substances as priority class 2 (requiring a safety standard determination), if the Administrator finds it is uncertain such substance would satisfy such determination, prioritizing those substances that present the greater risks to human health or the environment; and (3) substances as priority class 3 (requiring no immediate action), applicable to a substance that does not and would not, at any stage of its lifecycle, pose any risk of adverse effects to human health or the environment under existing, proposed, or anticipated levels of exposure , production, or pattern of use. Requires substance manufacturers and processors to: (1) bear the burden of proving that chemical substances meet applicable safety standards; and (2) provide sufficient information for the Administrator to determine whether such standards have been met. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) notification of pending safety determinations; (2) requirements for substances that meet safety standards; (3) conditions on substance manufacturing, processing, use, distribution, or disposal that may be imposed in safety determinations; (4) chemical substances or mixtures that may present a substantial endangerment to health or the environment; and (5) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including a prohibition against any person manufacturing, processing, or distributing PCBs in other than a totally enclosed manner. Prohibits federal agencies from conveying, selling, or distributing elemental mercury. Requires the Administrator to: (1) publish a list of each chemical substance that is manufactured or processed in the United Sates; (2) establish an Internet-accessible, public database of information on the toxicity of, use of, and exposure to chemical substances; (3) establish a Children's Environmental Health Research Program within EPA; (4) minimize the use of animals in testing of chemical substances or mixtures; (5) create market incentives for the development of safer alternatives to existing substances; and (6) develop and publish action plans to reduce disproportionate exposure to toxic substances. Revises provisions concerning the disclosure of data by narrowing the conditions under which data about chemical substances may be treated as confidential business information. Authorizes the Administrator to prescribe regulations to carry out the provisions of the Stockholm Convention, the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, and the Rotterdam Convention.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Medicare Spending Transparency Act of 2011 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), consistent with applicable information, privacy, security, and disclosure laws, to make public on the Internet website of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the following data with respect to SSA title XVIII (Medicare): (1) a complete list of service providers and suppliers participating in the Medicare program, including their business addresses; and (2) certain aggregate information about each provider and supplier. Entitles a qualified individual or group, for health research and fraud detection purposes, to access to Medicare claims and payment data of both HHS and its contractors. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for the storage and use of data provided to such an individual or group.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Autism Services and Workforce Acceleration Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish a demonstration project for the implementation of an Autism Care Program to provide grants and other assistance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing comprehensive care to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Sets forth eligibility requirements for the Program. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to carry out the Program and facilitate coordination with local communities to be better prepared and positioned to understand and meet the needs of the communities served by autism care programs. Requires each grantee to establish an autism care program advisory council to advise the autism care program regarding policies, priorities, and services. Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program to provide appropriate services to youth with autism spectrum disorders who are transitioning from secondary education to careers or postsecondary education (transitioning youth) and to adults with autism spectrum disorders, including individuals who are typically underserved, to enable such individuals to be as independent as possible. Requires the Secretary to award: (1) grants for multimedia campaigns to increase public education and awareness and reduce stigma concerning developmental milestones for infants and children and autism spectrum disorders, and (2) multiyear national training initiative supplemental grants to entities for training and technical assistance and to disseminate information to address the unmet needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify the legal rights of parents or legal guardians under federal, state, or local law regarding the care of their children.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act or Campus SaVE Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in a title IV program to include in its annual security report on campus security policy and crime statistics a statement of current policies for reporting crimes or other emergencies in or on noncampus buildings or property (currently, only reporting of crimes on campus is required). Requires such report to include statistics concerning the occurrence of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking incidents reported to campus security authorities or local police. Requires schools to protect victim confidentiality when reporting criminal threats to the campus community. Directs IHEs to include in their annual security report a statement of policy regarding its programs to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and the procedures it follows when such an offense is reported. Requires such procedures to include: (1) the provision, in writing, to students or employees that report that they have been the victim of such an offense certain information regarding their rights, disciplinary processes, victim services, and safety planning; (2) a description of how the IHE will help enforce any protective order; and (3) information about how the IHE will protect victim confidentiality. Requires an IHE's policy regarding such offenses to include: (1) education that promotes awareness of the offenses; (2) possible sanctions or protective measures imposed following disciplinary action; (3) procedures victims should follow after such an offense occurs; (4) information about to whom the alleged offense should be reported; (5) institutional disciplinary procedures; and (6) the notification of victims regarding their options for, and assistance in, changing academic, living, transportation, and working situations. Directs the Secretary of Education to seek the counsel of the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the development, and dissemination to IHEs, of best practices for preventing and responding to incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
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
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
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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)