United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2011
Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that residents of rural and frontier communities should have access to affordable, quality health care. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2) extension of the temporary increase in payments to certain rural hospitals (Medicare hold harmless provision); (3) the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals; (4) Medicare wage index reclassifications for certain hospitals; (5) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospitals in certain rural areas; (6) elimination of the isolation test for the cost-based ambulance reimbursement for critical access hospitals; (7) the capital infrastructure revolving loan program; (8) the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas; (9) extension of the 1.00 floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment to payments for physician services; (10) permission for physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services or hospice care; (11) Medicare home health care planning; (12) rural health clinics; (13) a temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area; (14) extension of increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services; and (15) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to provide for the extension of the payment for the technical component of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to encourage and facilitate the adoption of provisions allowing for multistate practitioner practice across state lines. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage and payment, on a reasonable cost basis, to anesthesia services furnished by a physician anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in such hospitals. Establishes the floor at 1.00 on the practice expense geographic index for services furnished during a specified period in certain rural areas outside of frontier states under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Revises the standard for designation of sole community hospitals. Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, as amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, to include standby and on-call time costs for CRNAs in determination of the reasonable costs incurred by a hospital or critical access hospital for CRNA services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to states for operation of offices of rural health.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Safeguarding American Agriculture Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Office of Agriculture Inspection within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which shall be headed by the Assistant Commissioner for Agriculture Inspection. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to: (1) identify career paths for customs and border protection agriculture specialists, and (2) develop a plan to recruit and retain qualified customs and border protection agriculture specialists. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an interagency rotation program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
End Racial Profiling Act of 2011 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. Requires state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling and for the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Preparing Students for Success in the Global Economy Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to allot formula grants to states and, through them, award competitive subgrants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) or educational service agencies serving such LEAs to improve preschool and elementary and secondary school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Allots such grants to states pursuant to a formula that takes into account each state's share of elementary and secondary school students and each state's share of such students who are impoverished. Awards the grants to states on a competitive basis if this Act's funding falls below a specified amount. Authorizes the Secretary to award capacity-building grants to states to help them qualify for competitive grants. Requires subgrants to be used for activities that include: (1) recruiting, supporting, evaluating, and training STEM teachers; (2) developing and improving high-quality STEM curricula and instructional supports to improve student achievement in those subjects; and (3) integrating STEM instruction with instruction in reading, English language arts, or other academic subjects. Authorizes states to require subgrantees to obtain a commitment from one or more outside partners to match, from nonfederal funds, a portion of the subgrant funds. Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants to partnerships between states or LEAs and outside entities experienced in improving the effectiveness or retention of STEM teachers, to establish and operate STEM master teacher corps programs. Requires the partnerships to: (1) select a group of highly-rated STEM teachers to serve as corps members in high-need schools; (2) provide corps members with instructional leadership responsibilities, research-based training, and a salary supplement; and (3) build a community of practice among corps members. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, to establish performance metrics and use those metrics to evaluate this Act's programs and identify best practices to improve STEM instruction.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Travel Regional Investment Partnership Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a competitive grant program to promote domestic regional tourism growth and new domestic tourism markets. Limits grant amounts to a minimum of $100,000 and a maximum of $1 million. Allows such grants to be awarded to state tourism offices, local destination marketing organizations, and partnerships between a state or local government and local tourism entities. Requires matching funds from grant recipients. Directs the Secretary to report annually to Congress on travel-generated expenditures, receipts, and employment related to the use of such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2011
Designates October 2011 as Filipino American History Month. Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans and a time of remembrance of the many contributions Filipino Americans have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Designates September 24, 2011, as National Estuaries Day. Acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining employment and U.S. economic well-being and prosperity. Expresses the intent of the Senate to continue working to understand, protect, and restore U.S. estuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2011
Recognizes the goals and achievements of Hispanic-serving institutions across this country. Recognizes the achievements of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities throughout the 25 years of its existence. Designates the week beginning September 19, 2011, as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make public and report biannually to Congress on international monetary policy and currency exchange rates; and (2) appear, if requested, before certain congressional committees to testify regarding such reports. Prescribes report contents, including: (1) an analysis of currency market developments and the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the currencies of major economies and trading partners of the United States, (2) a review of the economic and monetary policies of major economies and trading partners of the United States and an evaluation of how such policies impact currency exchange rates, and (3) a list of currencies designated as fundamentally misaligned currencies. Instructs the Secretary to: (1) analyze semiannually the prevailing real effective exchange rates of foreign currencies; (2) determine whether any such currency is in fundamental misalignment; and (3) designate it for priority action if the issuing country engages in specified behavior, including excessive and prolonged official or quasi-official accumulation of foreign assets for balance of payments purposes. Prescribes procedures for: (1) negotiations and consultations; and (2) actions in response to failure, including persistent failure, to adopt appropriate policies, or take identifiable action to eliminate the fundamental misalignment. Requires the Secretary, before the United States approves a proposed change in the governance arrangement of any international financial institution, to determine whether any member of the international financial institution that would benefit from the proposed change, in the form of increased voting shares or representation, has a currency designated for priority action. Requires U.S. opposition to the proposed change if the Secretary renders an affirmative determination. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930, for purposes of an antidumping investigation or review, to require an adjustment in the price used to establish export (and constructed export) prices, in the case of a fundamentally misaligned currency designated for priority action, by reducing such price by the percentage by which the domestic currency of the producer or exporter is undervalued in relation to the U.S. dollar. Requires the administering authority, upon the filing of a petition by an interested party, to initiate a countervailing duty investigation or review to determine whether currency undervaluation by the government of, or any public entity within, a foreign country is providing, directly or indirectly, a countervailable subsidy to its exporters or products. Requires the same kind of countervailing duty investigation upon the designation of a foreign currency as a fundamentally misaligned currency for priority action. Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding. Adds as a factor the administering authority must take into account in determining whether a foreign country is a nonmarket economy country the question of whether its currency is designated, or has been designated at any time over the five years before review of any nonmarket economy status, for priority action under this Act. Establishes the Advisory Committee on International Exchange Rate Policy. Repeals the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Livable Communities Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC). Requires the OSHC Director to establish a program to make comprehensive planning grants to eligible entities (partnerships between a consortium of units of general local government and an eligible partner or an Indian tribe that meets specified requirements). Defines "eligible partner" as a metropolitan planning organization, a rural planning organization, or a regional council, or one of these and a state, an Indian tribe, a state and an Indian tribe, or an institution of higher education. Requires the use of a comprehensive planning grant to carry out a project to: (1) coordinate locally defined planning processes, across jurisdictions and agencies; (2) identify regional partnerships for developing and implementing a comprehensive regional plan; (3) conduct or update assessments to determine regional needs and promote economic and community development; (4) develop or update a comprehensive regional plan or goals and strategies to implement an existing comprehensive regional plan and other related activities; and (5) identify local zoning and other code changes necessary to implement a comprehensive regional plan and promote sustainable development. Requires the use of a community challenge grant to: (1) promote integrated planning and investments across policy and governmental jurisdictions, and (2) implement projects identified in a comprehensive regional plan. Authorizes the Secretary of HUD to make or guarantee (up to 75% of) loans to eligible governmental, corporate, or partnership borrowers for infrastructure development projects used to support transit-oriented development. Requires the Director of the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control to lead the federal initiative to support healthy housing and eradicate housing-related health hazards. Requires the Secretary to study how sustainable building features in housing, such as energy efficiency, affect: (1) the quality of the indoor environment, (2) the prevalence of housing-related health hazards, and (3) the health of such occupants. States that no housing assisted using a grant under this Act may be made available to an individual who is not lawfully present in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend through FY2012 the eligibility period for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act for certain aliens and victims of trafficking. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a diversity immigrant VISA petition fee of $25, which shall be deposited directly in the general fund of the Treasury. Applies such fees only to petitions filed before October 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 5% to 10% the allowable ownership interest in real estate investment trust (REIT) stock for purposes of tax exemptions allowed by the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act relating to foreign investment in United States real property interests.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act of 2011 or HOME Act of 2011 - Amends the Fair Housing Act, with respect to prohibited discrimination in housing sales and rentals, residential real estate-related transactions, and brokerage services, to specify that the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin basis of discrimination may be actual or perceived. Adds to the list of prohibited actual or perceived bases sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and source of income. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1968, with respect to prohibited intimidation, interference, or injury of individuals, to specify that the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin basis of discrimination may be actual or perceived. Adds also to the list of prohibited actual or perceived bases sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or source of income. Redefines "discriminatory housing practice" to specify that the definition: (1) applies regardless of whether the discriminatory practices occur pre- or post-acquisition; and (2) includes a failure to comply with administrative requirements of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including related regulations, in a manner affirmatively to further nondiscrimination policies. Redefines "familial status" to include individuals (under age 18) residing with: (1) a foster parent or another person having lawful physical custody of such individuals; or (2) anyone standing in loco parentis of such individuals (currently, the designee of such parent or other person having such custody, with the parent's or other person's written permission). Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act to grant the Attorney General pre-litigation subpoena power if there is reason to believe that any person may be in possession, custody, or control of any documentary material or information relevant to an investigation under the respective Act. Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination against credit applicants on the basis of actual or perceived race or color, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. States that discrimination against a person because of a handicap includes the failure, in connection with a real estate-related transaction, to make reasonable accommodations for such persons. Revises the limitations on filing complaints and commencing civil actions by certain individuals alleging discriminatory housing practices to deem that the failure to design and construct a dwelling that meets requirements for reasonable modifications for handicapped persons shall continue (and with it the alleged discriminatory housing practice) until such time as the dwelling conforms to them.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Designates October 30, 2011, as a national day of remembrance for U.S. nuclear weapons program workers, including uranium miners, millers, and haulers. Encourages the people of the United States to support and participate in appropriate ceremonies, programs, and other activities to commemorate such date as a national day of remembrance for past and present workers in the U.S. nuclear weapons program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Fix America's Schools Today Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to allocate grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities. Requires the Secretary to allocate grants directly to the 100 LEAs with the largest numbers of children aged 5-17 living in poverty to modernize, renovate, or repair such facilities. Allocates such funds among these LEAs in proportion to each LEA's respective share of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires states to give subgrant priority to projects that comply with certain green building standards. Prohibits the use of such grants for new construction, routine janitorial costs, or on facilities used for events for which the public is charged admission. Reserves funds for a survey, by the National Center for Education Statistics, of our public school construction, modernization, renovation, and repair needs. Directs the Secretary to allocate grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair existing facilities at community colleges. Prohibits the use of such grants: (1) for routine janitorial costs, (2) on facilities used for events for which the public is charged admission, or (3) on facilities which are used for sectarian purposes. Requires states, in providing assistance to community college projects, to consider the extent to which the project complies with certain green building standards. Limits the amount of time states and LEAs have to obligate this Act's grants and subgrants. Requires, with certain exceptions, the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded by this Act to be domestic. Applies the prevailing wage rate requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to projects assisted pursuant to this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide payments to owners and operators of qualifying muck land (as determined by the Secretary) in agricultural production to conserve and improve such land's soil, water, and wildlife resources.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (formerly known as the Food Stamp Act of 1977) to require state electronic benefit transfer contracts to treat wireless program retail food stores in the same manner as wired program retail food stores for purposes of supplemental nutrition assistance (SNAP, formerly food stamp) benefits. Defines "wireless retailer" to include: (1) a farmers market, (2) a farm stand, (3) a green cart, (4) a route vendor, (5) an entity operating a community-supported agriculture program, and (6) an individual farmer affiliated with such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Agricultural Credit Expansion Act - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for Farm Service Agency operating loans, farm ownership loans, conservation loans, and emergency loans. Deems specified embedded entities (an entity owned wholly or in part by another entity) eligible for farm ownership and operating loans. Deems specified operating-only entities eligible for farm ownership loans. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to determine that an entity that is an owner-operator or operator meets the direct ownership loan requirement if it is owned in whole or in part by other entities and each individual that is an owner of the family farm involved has an ownership interest in each of the other entities. Permits direct loans to be used to refinance Farm Service Agency loans or guaranteed loans. Eliminates the 15-year limitation on the period operating loan borrowers are eligible for guaranteed assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act - Directs The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of the Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or personal representative of Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2011
Global Democracy Promotion Act - Declares that foreign nongovernmental organizations: (1) shall not be ineligible for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 solely on the basis of health or medical services (including counseling and referral services) provided by them with non-U.S. government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided and would not violate U.S. federal law if provided in the United States, and (2) shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Greater Research Opportunities with Tax Help Act or GROWTH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase from 14% to 20% the rate of the tax credit for increasing research activities, (2) modify rules for calculating such credit, and (3) make such credit permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Assessing Progress in Haiti Act - Directs the President to report to Congress on the status of post-earthquake humanitarian, reconstruction, and development efforts in Haiti, including efforts to prevent the spread of cholera and treat persons infected with the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Expresses profound sorrow at the death of the Honorable Charles H. Percy, former Senator of Illinois. Conveys the Senate's condolences to his family. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 19, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Percy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Malcolm Wallop, a former Senator from Wyoming. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 15, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Wallop.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Revises the membership eligibility requirements of the federal charter for the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. Redefines "mother" to mean a woman who filled the role of birth mother. Adds, in addition to adoptive mother and stepmother (as in the current charter), foster-mother, grandmother, or legal guardian of a person who is serving in the Armed Forces or has served in, or has been honorably discharged from it (as in the current charter). Repeals the limitation to service in World War II or the Korean hostilities of the Armed Forces service of the eligible mother's son or daughter. Allows the eligible mother to be a U.S. citizen living outside the United States. (Currently the charter limits membership to eligible mothers living in the United States.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2011
National September 11 Memorial and Museum Act of 2011- Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept from the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc., the donation of title to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. Requires approval of the donation by the governor of New York, the governor of New Jersey, and the mayor of New York City. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide technical and financial assistance to the Board that is related to the operation of the Memorial; and (2) consult with and seek technical assistance from the Secretaries of Defense (DOD), Education, Homeland Security (DHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Administrator of General Services (GSA) in providing such technical and financial assistance to the Board.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Foodborne Illness Reduction Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act (the Acts) to include in the definition of "adulterated" a product containing an emerging pathogen associated with actual or potential human illnesses or death, including pathogens such as antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella or enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) Shiga toxin-producing serotypes of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to: (1) define specified food safety terms, and (2) set forth civil penalties for food safety law violations. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) identify significant foodborne disease pathogens, (2) determine levels of food product contamination, (3) establish public health goals to reduce foodborne illness, (4) prescribe pathogen reduction performance standards and implement a sampling program to determine food establishment compliance, (5) establish an accredited meat and meat food product testing program, and (6) implement adulterated food tracing protocols. Requires certain food establishments to sample for the presence of identified pathogens at any production or processing point. Permits banning food imports from countries refusing inspections by the Secretary. Sets forth notice and recall provisions. Defines a "foodborne illness outbreak" as the occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from the ingestion of a certain food. Requires the Secretary to: (1) enhance foodborne illness surveillance systems through the coordination and integration of such systems, the development of improved epidemiological tools, and the provision of timely public information; (2) establish guidelines for a system to take and analyze food samples; (3) establish a national public education program on food safety; and (4) conduct specified research concerning food safety. Establishes penalties under the Acts for the introduction into commerce of unsafe or misbranded products of up to $100,000, 20 years' imprisonment, or both. Requires studies concerning: (1) the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point-based Inspection Models Project, and (2) worker safety in the meat packing and poultry processing industry, including the relationship between line speed and worker safety.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the Montford Point Marines, U.S. Marine Corps, in recognition of their service during World War II. (Camp Montford Point, North Carolina, was the site for the training of the first African-American Marines.) Provides for the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the Montford Point Marines. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an additional tax deduction for the cost of installing mechanical insulation property. Limits the amount of such deduction to the lesser of 30% or the reduction in energy loss from the installed mechanical insulation property compared to property that meets the minimum requirements of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standard 90.1-2007. Allows the cost of replacing mechanical insulation property to be treated as a deductible business expense in the current taxable year. Defines "mechanical insulation property" as insulation materials, facings, and accessory products: (1) placed in service in connection with a mechanical system which is located in the United States and of a character subject to an allowance for depreciation; and (2) utilized for thermal, acoustical, and personnel safety requirements for mechanical piping and equipment, hot and cold applications, and heating, venting and air conditioning applications which can be used in a variety of facilities. Allows a tax deduction for capital expenditures related to mechanical insulation property.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide emergency conservation program assistance and emergency watershed protection program assistance to agricultural producers in qualifying counties adversely affected by Hurricane Irene and related weather conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Pan Am Flight 103 Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the President to continue any federal investigative activities regarding the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and any other terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens attributable to the government of Muammar Qaddafi. Directs the President to: (1) urge the Transitional National Council (TNC) and any successor government of Libya to cooperate with such investigative activities, and (2) consider such cooperation when making decisions about U.S. assistance to the successor government. Prohibits the President from distributing property confiscated from Muammar Qaddafi, his family, and the government of Libya to the TNC or any successor government of Libya until the President certifies to Congress that the TNC or successor government is cooperating with such investigative activities. Exempts property distributions for humanitarian purposes from such restriction. Authorizes the President to waive such restriction if in the U.S. national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2011
Building upon Unique Indian Learning and Development Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish an in-school facility innovation program contest to encourage institutions of higher education (IHEs) to solve the problem of how to improve Indian school facilities for problem-based learning. Requires the Secretary of Education (Secretary) and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Department of the Interior and Department of Education Joint Oversight Board to coordinate Indian education policies and assistance. Amends part A (Indian Education) of title VII (Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish a program awarding grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), IHEs, or nonprofit organizations to create or expand teacher and administrator pipelines for teachers and administrators of Native American students. Amends the school improvement program, under part A of title I of the ESEA, to require states to develop standards-based assessments and classroom lessons that accommodate diverse learning styles. Directs: (1) the Secretary to expand programs for Native American school children that support learning in their Native language and culture and provide English language instruction, and (2) the Comptroller General to conduct research on culture- and language-based education to identify the factors that improve education and health outcomes. Excepts Native language teachers from the requirement that teachers be highly qualified. Requires states to develop alternative licensure or certification requirements for those teachers. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program providing grants to public and nonprofit private agencies to assist Native Americans in ensuring the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages. Requires Department of Education assistance programs for elementary and secondary schools or early learning programs to reserve at least 0.5% of their funding for Indian elementary and secondary schools or early learning programs. Requires the Secretary to establish a Safe and Healthy Schools for Native American Students program under title IV (21st Century Schools) of the ESEA. Authorizes and appropriates additional funds for the Impact Aid program, under title VIII of the ESEA, through FY2014. (The Impact Aid program compensates LEAs for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their school districts.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2011
Authorizes the President, on behalf of Congress, to award a gold medal of appropriate design to Elouise Pepion Cobell in recognition of her outstanding and enduring contributions to the welfare of individual Indians in this country and her inspiration to indigenous peoples across the globe.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2011
Amends title XII (Advances to State Unemployment Fund) of the Social Security Act, as added by the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, to extend through December 31, 2012, the waiver of certain interest payments on advances made to states from the federal unemployment account in the Unemployment Trust Fund. (Thus continues temporary assistance for states with such advances.) Denies application of this waiver, between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, to any state that, between January 1, 2011 and enactment of this Act, imposed any tax, assessment, or other charge on any taxpayer to pay interest otherwise due from the state, unless the state makes all reasonable efforts to fully reimburse taxpayers that were subject to such interest assessment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2011
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Mark Hatfield, a former member of the Senate from Oregon. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 6, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Hatfield.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Newtown Battlefield Special Resource Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, subject to the availability of appropriations, to conduct a special resource study to evaluate the significance of the Newtown Battlefield in Chemung County, New York (where the Battle of Newtown was fought on August 29, 1779, during the Revolutionary War), as well as the suitability and feasibility of the Battlefield's inclusion in the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Syria Sanctions Act of 2011 - Directs the President to impose three or more sanctions on a person that knowingly: (1) makes an investment of at least $20 million that contributes to Syria's ability to develop petroleum resources; (2) makes a combination of such investments in a 12-month period if each is of at least $5 million and they equal or exceed $20 million in the aggregate; or (3) sells, leases, or provides to Syria goods, services, technology, information, or support, any of which has a fair market value of at least $1 million or that during a 12-month period have an aggregate fair market value of at least $5 million. Directs the President to impose three or more sanctions on a person that knowingly sells, leases, or provides to Syria goods, services, technology, information, or support that could facilitate Syria's domestic production of refined petroleum products: (1) any of which has a fair market value of at least $1 million, or (2) that during a 12-month period have an aggregate fair market value of at least $5 million. Authorizes the President to impose three or more sanctions on a person that knowingly: (1) sells or provides to Syria refined petroleum products that have a fair market value of at least $1 million or during a 12-month period have an aggregate fair market value of at least $5 million; or (2) sells, leases, or provides to Syria goods, services, technology, information, or support that could contribute to Syria's ability to import refined petroleum products any of which has a fair market value of at least $1 million or that during a 12-month period have an aggregate fair market value of at least $5 million. (Exempts underwriters and insurance providers exercising due diligence from such provisions.) Directs the President to impose three or more sanctions on a person that knowingly purchases Syrian-developed petroleum resources or provides specified services related to the exportation of petroleum resources for processing outside of Syria if: (1) the government of Syria was involved in the development or sale of the petroleum resources in Syria; and (2) the fair market value of the petroleum resources is at least $1 million or during a 12-month period has an aggregate fair market value of at least $5 million. (Exempts underwriters and insurance providers exercising due diligence from such provisions.) Directs the President to impose three or more sanctions on a person that knowingly facilitates the issuance of sovereign debt of the government of Syria for the purpose of: (1) contributing to Syria's ability to develop petroleum resources, (2) facilitating Syria's domestic production of refined petroleum products, or (3) contributing to Syria's ability to import refined petroleum products or to export petroleum resources. Defines sanctions to include: (1) prohibitions on Export-Import Bank assistance, (2) prohibitions on loans from U.S. financial institutions and other financial services, (3) prohibitions on foreign exchange and other banking transactions, (4) prohibitions on property transactions, (5) export and procurement sanctions, and (6) import restrictions imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Sets forth exceptions to such sanctions for: (1) the procurement of certain defense articles or services; (2) eligible products to designated countries or instrumentalities; (3) products, technology, or services under contracts entered into before the date on which the President publishes in the Federal Register the name of the person on which the sanctions are to be imposed; (4) spare or component parts or information and technology that are essential to U.S. products or production, and related servicing and maintenance; or (5) medicines, medical supplies, or other humanitarian items. Requires a certification from a prospective federal contractor that such contractor, and any controlled person, does not engage in sanctionable activity. Directs the head of an executive agency who determines that a person has submitted a false certification to: (1) terminate a contract with such person, or (2) suspend such person from federal contract eligibility for up to three years. Authorizes the President to waive such certification requirement if in the U.S. national interest. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary of State to issue upon request an advisory opinion with respect to whether a proposed activity would be sanctionable, and (2) a person to rely in good faith on such opinion and proceed without being subject to sanctions. Allows a delay of up to 90 days in the imposition of sanctions to permit the President to initiate consultations with the government with primary jurisdiction over a foreign person to whom sanctions are made applicable. Imposes sanctions, to remain in effect for two years, unless the President certifies to Congress that such government has taken specific and effective actions to terminate the involvement of the foreign person in the sanctionable activities. Authorizes the President to terminate sanctions after one year if: (1) the sanctioned person is no longer engaging in sanctionable activity, and (2) the President has received reliable assurances that the person will not knowingly engage in such future activity. Authorizes the President to waive imposition of sanctions for one 12-month period if in the national security interests of the United States. Terminates the requirement to impose sanctions and any sanctions imposed on the date the President submits to Congress a certification that the government of Syria is democratically elected and representative of the people of Syria and a certification under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 that the Syrian government has: ceased support for international terrorist groups; ended its occupation of Lebanon; ceased development and deployment of ballistic missiles and biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons and agreed to verification measures; and ceased all support for, and facilitation of, terrorist activities in Iraq. States that a determination to impose sanctions under this Act shall not be reviewable in any court. Exempts intelligence activities subject to reporting requirements of the National Security Act of 1947 from application of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2011 - Declares it an unlawful practice for certain employers with at least 15 employees for each working day in each of at least 20 calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year to: (1) fail or refuse to consider for employment or to hire an individual as an employee based on present or past unemployment regardless of the length of time such individual was unemployed; (2) publish an advertisement or announcement for any job with provisions indicating that such an unemployed status disqualifies an individual and that an employer will not consider or hire an individual based on such status; and (3) direct or request that an employment agency account for such status when considering, screening, or referring applicants. Prohibits an employment agency (including agents and persons maintaining a website publishing job advertisements or announcements), based on such an individual's status as unemployed, from: (1) failing or refusing to consider, screen, or refer an individual for employment; (2) limiting, segregating, or classifying individuals in any manner limiting access to job information; or (3) publishing an advertisement or announcement for any job vacancy that includes provisions indicating that such an individual is disqualified and that an employer will not consider or hire such individuals. Prohibits similar employment practices by defined federal employing agencies covered under specified family and medical leave provisions for certain government employees. Allows consideration of an individual's status as unemployed if an individual's employment in a similar or related job for a period of time reasonably proximate to the hiring of such individual is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to successful performance of the job being filled. Authorizes, subject to possible termination upon the filing of certain complaints by the Secretary of Labor, one or more persons for and in behalf of the affected individual, or the affected individual and other individuals similarly situated, to bring actions in federal or state court for specified actual damages, punitive damages, and equitable relief, including employment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) receive, investigate, and attempt to resolve complaints according to specified provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; and (2) pay directly to each affected individual applicable sums recovered in any civil actions brought by the Secretary under this Act. Requires, with respect to the Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Library of Congress (LOC), that the Secretary's authority be exercised respectively by the Public Printer and Librarian of Congress. Sets forth a two-year statute of limitations period (three years for willful violations) for specified civil actions under this Act, subject to tolling when against the defendant involved.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act - Directs a presidentially-designated federal agency to report annually to Congress assessing: (1) the extent and nature of foreign cybercrime activities, their impact on the U.S. government, U.S. persons, or U.S. electronic commerce, and the adequacy of the legal, judicial, and law enforcement systems in such countries to combat cybercrime; and (2) multilateral efforts to prevent, investigate, and prosecute cybercrime, including U.S. efforts to encourage such cooperation. Directs the President to give priority for assistance to improve legal, judicial, and enforcement capabilities to countries with low capacities to combat cybercrime. Directs the President to develop an action plan (with legislative, institutional, or enforcement benchmarks) and an annual compliance assessment for each country determined to be a country of cyber concern: (1) from which there is a pattern of cybercrime incidents against the U.S. government, private U.S. entities, or U.S. persons; and (2) whose government is uncooperative with efforts to combat cybercrime. Urges the President to take specified trade, assistance, and financing actions against a country that has not complied with the appropriate benchmarks. Authorizes the President to waive the requirements to develop an action plan or make a determination of cyber concern if in the U.S. national interest. Directs the Secretary of State to designate a high-level Department of State employee to coordinate anti-cybercrime activities. Directs the President to: (1) ensure that there is a federal employee with primary responsibility for cybercrime policy in each country or region significant to U.S. anti-cybercrime efforts, and (2) take into consideration a country's anti-cybercrime efforts before finalizing or modifying any trade agreement with such country. .
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Expresses support for: (1) improvement in the collection, processing, and consumption of recyclable material throughout the United States in order to create well-paying jobs, foster innovation and investment in recycling infrastructure, and stimulate the economy; (2) strengthening the U.S. manufacturing base in order to rebuild the domestic economy; (3) a competitive marketplace for recyclable materials; (4) the trade of recyclable commodities; (5) U.S. policies that promote recycling and recyclable materials, that promote using recyclable materials as feedstock to produce new basic materials and finished products, and that establish the equitable treatment of recycled materials; (6) research and development of new technologies to more efficiently and effectively recycle materials such as automobile shredder residue and cathode ray tubes and to remove materials that are impediments to recycling; (7) Design for Recycling to ensure that a good can be recycled safely and economically at the end of its useful life; and (8) the participation of U.S. households, businesses, and governmental entities in recycling programs. Recognizes that the U.S. scrap recycling industry is critical to the future of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Joining Forces for Military Mental Health Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, through community partnerships with private nonprofit organizations, to carry out a three-year pilot program assessing the enhancement of Department of Defense (DOD) efforts in research, treatment, education, and outreach on mental health and substance use disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in members of the National Guard and Reserves and their family members and caregivers. Allows the Secretary, using a competitive or merit-based award process, to award up to five grants to such community partners, provided that the awardee agrees to make matching contributions from nonfederal sources (whether public or private) of at least $3 for each $1 provided under the grant. Requires grant-seeking organizations to submit an application including a description of proposed collaboration initiatives and existing research efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Made in America Block Grant Program Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Made in America Block Grant Program under which the Secretary is authorized to make grants to eligible entities to support the U.S. manufacturing industry. Allows such grants to be used, with respect to small and medium-sized manufacturers, for: (1) retooling or retrofitting, (2) business plan diversification, (3) improving energy or process efficiency, (4) employee training and retraining, (5) the provision of capital and technical expertise, and (6) a revolving loan fund for such manufacturers to finance the costs of such activities. Outlines provisions concerning eligible entities, the allocation of grant funds, and requirements for grant recipients, including the submission of a proposed manufacturing enhancement strategy. Requires: (1) the Secretary, to the degree practicable, to carry out the program through the Hollings Manufacturing Partnership Program; and (2) a manufacturer receiving funds for an activity to only use such funds to carry out such activity in the United States. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory committee for advice in implementing and evaluating the program. Authorizes the Secretary to review and evaluate recipient performance under the program. Requires the Comptroller General to study the program, and report study results to Congress. Expresses the sense of Congress that program amounts should supplement and not supplant other funding provided by federal agencies to support the manufacturing industry.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011 or Mariah's Act - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2012 and FY2013 for specified highway safety programs. Requires state highway safety programs to comply with certain uniform guidelines that meet specified criteria, including requirements for an effective accident record system. Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) from approving a state highway program which does not, beginning FY2013, provide for a robust, data-driven traffic safety enforcement program in areas most at risk for accidents. Repeals authority for a grant to states that use a comprehensive computerized safety recordkeeping system designed to correlate data regarding traffic accidents, drivers, motor vehicles, and roadways. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary establish an approval process by which a state may apply for all highway safety grants for which a single consolidated application process with one annual deadline is appropriate. Directs the Secretary to require a state to submit for Secretary approval annual highway safety plans that comply with certain safety performance measures and reporting requirements. Authorizes a state to use federal funds to implement a teen traffic safety program. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out collaborative research and development (R&D) projects to encourage innovative solutions to highway safety problems. Requires the Secretary to make continual improvements to modernize the National Driver Register's data processing system. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states that adopt and implement combined occupant protection programs (for both high seat and lower seat belt use) to reduce highway deaths and injuries. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states that adopt and implement: (1) impaired driving programs to reduce driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or (2) alcohol-ignition interlock laws. Directs the Secretary to award a grant to a state that enacts and enforces a law that: (1) prohibits drivers from texting while driving through a personal wireless communications device (including a cell phone, but not a global navigation satellite [GPS] system receiver), (2) prohibits drivers age 18 or younger from using a cell phone while driving, (3) makes violation of the law a primary offense, and (4) establishes certain minimum fines and increased civil and criminal penalties. Revises eligibility criteria for state motorcyclist safety grants. Directs the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to carry out a collaborative research effort to continue to explore the feasibility and potential benefits of, and the public policy challenges associated with, more widespread deployment of in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving. Directs the Secretary to award incentive grants to states with graduated driver licensing laws that include, for novice drivers under age 21, a two-stage licensing process before the grant of an unrestricted driver's license. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council. Subjects a motorcycle helmet to federal motor vehicle equipment safety requirements. Prohibits a motor vehicle safety standard from requiring a manufacturer to comply with the standard by using a safety belt interlock designed to prevent starting or operating a motor vehicle if an occupant is not using a safety belt. Increases the maximum civil penalties for persons who commit a related series of daily violations of federal motor vehicle safety requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct motor vehicle safety R&D activities. Increases civil penalties (including damages) for violations of federal prohibitions against tampering with motor vehicle odometers. Prohibits a person from selling, offering for sale, introducing in interstate commerce, or importing into the United States motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment containing a safety defect about which a notice or order of noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety requirements has been issued, unless it receives a required recall remedy before being sold to a U.S. consumer. Directs the Secretary to: (1) improve public accessibility to information on the NHTSA vehicle safety databases; (2) require motor vehicle safety recall information be made available to the public; and (3) establish a NHTSA passenger vehicle safety defect hotline for manufacturer, dealer, and mechanic personnel. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to require: (1) public disclosure of possible defects of motor vehicles or related equipment reported to the Secretary by motor vehicle manufacturers (Early Warning data); and (2) passenger motor vehicle manufacturers to affix, in a readily accessible location, a device that provides information on how to submit a safety-related motor vehicle defect complaint to NHTSA. Requires certain motor vehicle manufacturer communications to include all notices to dealerships of software upgrades and recommended vehicle modifications. Directs the Secretary to require the senior official of a company responsible for safety to certify certain information submitted to the Secretary in response to requests for information in NHTSA safety defect or compliance investigations. Prescribes civil penalties for knowingly and willfully submitting false, misleading, or incomplete information. Establishes whistleblower protections for motor vehicle manufacturer, part supplier, and dealership employees. Prohibits a motor vehicle manufacturer or other person who is subject to federal motor vehicle safety regulation from employing NHTSA employees for the two-year period following the employee's termination of employment with NHTSA. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of such prohibition. Declares that filing for bankruptcy shall not negate a manufacturer's duty to comply with motor vehicle safety requirements for the recall of defective motor vehicle and motor vehicle equipment. Establishes within NHTSA a Council for Vehicle Electronics, Vehicle Software, and Emerging Technologies. Directs the Secretary to prescribe federal motor vehicle safety standards that: (1) mitigate unintended acceleration in passenger motor vehicles through a brake override system; (2) mitigate potential obstruction of pedal movement in passenger motor vehicles; (3) require electronic systems in passenger motor vehicles to meet minimum performance standards; (4) establish standards for the operation of passenger motor vehicles equipped with push-button ignition systems, particularly in emergency situations when the vehicle is in motion; and (5) prohibit electronic visual entertainment screens visible to the driver while driving. Directs the Secretary to modify federal motor vehicle safety standards to: (1) require new passenger motor vehicles sold in the United States to be equipped with an event data recorder (EDR) that records vehicle operational data that can be stored and accessed for retrieval and analysis, (2) establish frontal crash protection requirements for child restraint systems for children weighing over 65 pounds, (3) improve the protection of children seated in child restraint systems during side impact crashes, (4) improve visibility and accessibility to child restraint anchorage systems as well as establish a maximum allowable weight of the child and child restraint for use of such systems, and (5) provide a safety belt use warning system for designated seating positions in the rear seat. Requires the Secretary to complete research to develop performance requirements to warn drivers that a child or other unattended passenger remains in the rear seating position after the vehicle motor is turned off.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Congratulates Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. for 100 years of service to communities throughout this country and the world. (Omega Psi Phi was the first international fraternal organization founded on the campus of an historically black college.) Commends Omega Psi Phi for upholding its cardinal principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Reauthorization Act or the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH activities with respect to research on the causes of preterm labor and delivery, tools to detect, prevent, or reduce prevalence of preterm labor and delivery, and the care and treatment of preterm infants. Establishes within NIH a multicenter clinical program to investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, improve the care and outcomes of neonates, and enhance the understanding of DNA and proteins as they relate to the underlying processes that lead to preterm birth. Requires the Director to award grants for planning, establishing, improving, and providing basic operating support for transdisciplinary research centers for prematurity. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Surgeon General, to establish and implement a national science-based provider and consumer education campaign on promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing preterm birth. Reauthorizes provisions related to research on prematurity and preterm births and sets forth specific areas for such research. Requires the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth to award grants to establish demonstration projects for: (1) obstetrical services for high risk women of child bearing age remotely using telehealth; and (2) educational activities regarding risk factors for preterm birth. Expands a demonstration project to inform health care providers and the public and improve treatment and outcome for babies born preterm. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. Requires a study on hospital readmissions of preterm births.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2011 - Makes it unlawful for a rental company, unless the defect or noncompliance has already been remedied, to rent, lease, or sell a covered vehicle on or after the earlier of: (1) the receipt by the company of a Secretary of Transportation (DOT) ordered notification from the manufacturer that the vehicle or equipment is defective or is noncompliant with federal motor vehicle safety standards; or (2) when the vehicle or equipment manufacturer gives notice to owners, purchasers, and dealers that the vehicle or equipment contains a defect or is noncompliant. Requires a rental company that receives a notification of a vehicle or equipment defect or noncompliance during the vehicle rental or lease period to: (1) contact the renter or lessee and any authorized driver of the covered vehicle about the defect or noncompliance; and (2) offer to provide them, at no additional cost, with a comparable alternative vehicle until the defect or noncompliance has been remedied. Treats violations of the requirements of this Act as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Subjects persons who violate such requirements to certain penalties. Requires the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to report to Congress on: (1) sales of motor vehicles to rental companies without standard safety features, and (2) sales by rental companies of covered vehicles known to include safety defects before they are recalled.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Condemns: (1) the terrorist attacks that occurred in Norway on July 22, 2011, causing many deaths and injuries; and (2) all terrorist actions, including those motivated by hatred and religious or cultural intolerance. Expresses sympathy to the victims of the atrocious acts, their families, and the people and government of Norway. Emphasizes the bonds of friendship and shared heritage between the United States and Norway. Calls on all people to join together to denounce acts of hatred and fear and promote peace and tolerance in their communities and around the world.
![Official portrait of Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000555_200.jpg)