United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2012
Domestic Energy and Jobs Act - Title I: Keystone XL Permit Approval - Declares that no presidential permit shall be required for a specified pipeline application filed on May 4, 2012, by TransCanada Corporation to the Department of State for the northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline from the Canadian border to the South Dakota/Nebraska border. Title II: Impacts of EPA Rules and Actions on Energy Prices - Gasoline Regulations Act of 2012 - Requires the President to establish the Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee to analyze and report on the cumulative impacts of certain covered rules and actions under the Clean Air Act. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing the following rules until at least six months after the Committee submits its final report: (1) "Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles: Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards" and any successor or substantially similar rule; (2) any rule proposed after March 15, 2012, establishing or revising a performance or emission standard for new stationary sources or hazardous air pollutants that is applicable to petroleum refineries; and (3) any rule revising or supplementing the national ambient air quality standards for ozone under the Clean Air Act. Requires the EPA Administrator to consider feasibility and cost in revising or supplementing any such standards for ozone. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator to waive temporarily a control or prohibition governing the use of a regulated fuel or fuel additive following a determination that unusual and extreme fuel additive supply circumstances are the result of a problem with distribution or delivery equipment necessary for the transportation or delivery of fuel or fuel additives, and (2) grant a presumptive approval to a request for a waiver if the Administrator does not approve or deny such request within three days after its receipt. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Administrator and the Secretary of Energy to include biofuels in their joint Fuel System Requirements Harmonization Study, as well as an assessment of the effect of such requirements upon achievement of the renewable fuel standard. Extends from June 1, 2008, to June 1, 2014, the deadline for the report to Congress on the results of the Study. Title III: Quadrennial Strategic Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy - Planning for American Energy Act of 2012 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to publish every four years a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy, which shall direct federal land energy development and department resource allocation in order to promote the energy security of the United States. Requires the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources from federal onshore lands. Expresses the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of the Strategy. Title IV: Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Certainty - Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2012 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary, in conducting lease sales, to offer for sale at least 25% of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Shields such acreage from review and the test of extraordinary circumstances. Makes such acreage eligible for certain categorical exclusions under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in connection with review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). (A categorical exclusion is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which, as a consequence, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required.) Directs the Secretary to consider leasing only federal lands that are available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) withdrawing approval of any covered energy project involving a lease issued under the Act without finding a violation by the lessee of lease terms; (2) delaying indefinitely issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights-of-way for activities under a lease; or (3) cancelling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel. Directs the Secretary to complete the review of any appeal of a lease sale within 60 days after its receipt. Declares without force or effect Bureau of Land Management Instruction Memorandum 2010-117. Title V: Streamlined Energy Permitting - Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2012 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise requirements for the issuance of permits to drill in energy projects on federal lands. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to extend the initial 30-day permit application review period for up to 2 periods of 15 days each, if the Secretary has given written notice of the delay to the applicant. Deems a permit application approved if the Secretary has made no decision on it 60 days after its receipt. Directs the Secretary to collect a single $6,500 permit processing fee per application from each applicant at the time the decision is made whether or not to issue a permit. Requires that 50% of fees collected as annual wind energy and solar energy right-of-way authorization fees be retained by the Secretary for use by: (1) the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to process permits, right-of-way applications, and other activities necessary for renewable energy development; and (2) either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or other federal agencies involved in wind and solar permitting reviews in order to facilitate the processing of wind energy and solar energy permit applications on BLM lands. Requires the Secretary to collect a $5,000 documentation fee to accompany each appeal of an action on a lease, right-of-way, or application for permit to drill. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in each BLM Field office with responsibility for issuing permits energy projects on federal land; and (2) enter into a related memorandum of understanding to this end with the Secretary of Agriculture, the EPA Administrator, and the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers. Authorizes the Secretary to request the governor of any state with energy projects on federal lands to be a signatory to the memorandum of understanding. Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a finding of extraordinary circumstances related to a categorical exclusion in administering the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with respect to review under NEPA. Directs the Secretary, when practicable, to encourage the use of U.S. workers and equipment manufactured in the United States in all construction related to mineral resource development under this title. Declares venue for any covered civil action to lie in the U.S. district court in which the project or leases exist or are proposed. Prescribes judicial review procedures for leasing federal lands for the exploration, development, production, processing, or transmission of oil, natural gas, wind, or any other energy source. Title VI: Expeditious Oil and Gas Leasing Program in National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska - National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) in Alaska remains explicitly designated to provide oil and natural gas resources to the United States, and (2) it is national policy to actively advance oil and gas development within the NPR. Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require that the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the NPR include at least one lease sale annually in those NPR areas most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year during 2011-2021. Directs the Secretary to facilitate and ensure, according to a specified timeline, permits for all surface development activities (including pipelines and road construction) in order to: (1) develop and bring into production areas within the NPR that are subject to oil and gas leases, and (2) transport oil and gas from and through the NPR to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska. Instructs the Secretary to approve, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, and after public comment and consultation with the state of Alaska, right-of-way corridors for the construction of two separate additional bridges and pipeline rights-of-way to facilitate oil and gas development in the NPR. Requires the Secretary, through the U.S. Geological Survey, to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas. Declares without force or effect with respect to this title the designation by EPA of the Colville River Delta as an Aquatic Resource of National Importance. Title VII: Internet-Based Onshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales - BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales through Internet-based bidding methods. Title VIII: Advancing Offshore Wind Production - Advancing Offshore Wind Production Act - Exempts projects determined by the Secretary to be an offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project from environmental impact statement requirements under NEPA. Defines an "offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project" as a project administered by the Department of the Interior and carried out on or in the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to test or monitor weather (including wind, tidal, current, and solar energy) using towers, buoys, or other temporary ocean infrastructure and that meets specified other requirements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that any applicant seeking to conduct an offshore meteorological site testing and monitoring project on the OCS obtain a permit and right of way for the project; and (2) decide whether to issue such a permit and right of way within 30 days after receiving an application. Title IX: Critical Minerals - Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, to publish in the Federal Register a draft methodology for determining which minerals qualify as critical minerals, based upon an assessment of whether they are subject to potential supply restrictions and important in use. Directs the President to coordinate federal agency actions to facilitate development and production of domestic resources to meet national critical minerals needs. Directs the Secretary to conduct a specified national assessment of critical minerals. Establishes within the Department of the Interior the Critical Minerals Working Group to facilitate federal agency: (1) efforts to optimize efficiencies associated with the permitting of activities that will increase exploration and development of domestic critical minerals; and (2) review of laws, regulations, and policies that discourage investment in domestic critical minerals. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to conduct research and development to promote the efficient production, use, recycling of, and alternatives to critical minerals. Instructs the Secretary of Labor to assess the domestic availability of technically trained personnel necessary for critical mineral enterprises, including skills in the shortest supply. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and of Labor to arrange jointly with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to coordinate with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on a study to design an interdisciplinary program on critical minerals that will support the critical mineral supply chain. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the NSF to conduct jointly a competitive program of four-year grants to institutions of higher education to implement programs addressing integrated critical mineral education, training, innovation, and workforce development. Directs the Secretary of State to promote international cooperation with U.S. allies regarding critical mineral supply chain issues. Repeals the National Critical Materials Act of 1984. Title X: Miscellaneous - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from transferring to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement any responsibility or authority to perform any function performed on the day before enactment of this Act under the solid minerals leasing program of the Department of the Interior. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to: (1) shorten from FY2055 to FY2022 the time period during which the maximum amount of distributed qualified OCS shelf revenues available for distribution to certain states remains $500 million, and (2) increase to $750 million the maximum amount of distributed qualified OCS revenues for each of FY2023-FY2055. Directs the Secretary to carry out Lease Sale 220 off the coast of Virginia within the proposed OCS oil and gas leasing program for the 2012-2017 period. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to work jointly to: (1) preserve the ability of the Armed Forces to maintain an optimum state of readiness through their continued use of OCS energy resources; and (2) allow effective exploration, development, and production of U.S. oil, gas, and renewable energy resources. Prohibits any exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas off the coast of Virginia that would conflict with any military operation agreed upon in a certain Memorandum. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior, before December 31, 2013, from issuing or approving any proposed or final regulation under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 that would adversely impact employment in coal mines in the United States, or cause reductions in the quantity of coal in the United States available for mining or in federal, state, local, and tribal revenues from coal mining.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2012
Offshore Petroleum Expansion Now Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Proposed Oil & Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017 in accordance with the schedule for conducting oil and gas lease sales set forth in it and in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Directs the Secretary to conduct each of specified oil and gas lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning Areas, including certain ones in the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2010-2015), during its specified year. Requires the Secretary to offer for sale, no later than December 31, 2013, leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara or Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area. Directs the Secretary to revise a specified Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement map, dated January 2010, to ensure that the square footage of the leasable area in the Mid-Atlantic planning area is directly proportional to the length of the tidal shoreline of the Mid-Atlantic States (Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia). Retains the authority of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to designate national defense areas on the OCS. Requires the Secretary to prepare a multisale environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for lease sales required under this Act that are not included in the Proposed Leasing Program (2012-2017). Declares that nothing in this Act affects restrictions on oil and gas leasing under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. Requires all lease sales conducted pursuant to this Act, with specified exceptions, to be area-wide lease sales. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, for each of FY2012-FY2022, to deposit in a special account in the Treasury 37.5 % of all revenues due and payable to the United States from OCS areas not scheduled for lease sale under Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2012-2017. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to disburse such funds to coastal states and coastal political subdivisions. Prescribes an allocation formula for coastal states and coastal political subdivisions. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to repeal limitations placed upon the amount of distributed qualified OCS revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2012
Condemns the atrocities that occurred in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. Offers condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed. Expresses hope for the rapid and complete recovery of the wounded. Applauds the hard work and dedication exhibited by the hundreds of officials and others who offered support and assistance. Honors the resilience of the community of Aurora and Colorado.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2012
Reaffirms U.S. support for the 2002 declaration of conduct of parties in the South China Sea among the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. Urges all parties to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate disputes and stability, including refraining from inhabiting presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, and other features. Supports a diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving outstanding territorial and jurisdictional disputes. Supports U.S. Armed Forces operations in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea, in support of freedom of navigation, the maintenance of peace, respect for international law, and unimpeded lawful commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012
Government Transparency and Recordkeeping Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to Congress and the public all records of individual payments made since January 1, 2003, from a permanent appropriation of funds (commonly referred to as the Judgment Fund) available to the federal government to pay certain final judgments, awards, and compromise settlements (including appropriate attorney's fees, interest, and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act [EAJA]) resulting from claims against the United States. Requires the publicly available records to be updated annually to include payments made during the previous year. Requires such records, including a payment breakdowns showing the specific amount of the damages, interest, and attorneys' fees, to be maintained on a publicly accessible Internet website. Prohibits records from being made available under this Act if: (1) the payment was not the result of any executive branch, federal agency, or instrumentality statutory or regulatory approval or permit related case, court order, consent decree, or settlement; or (2) the disclosure of the information is otherwise prohibited by law or court order, or is not in the best interest of national security.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2012
Disapproves and nullifies the rules submitted by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) relating to the reporting requirements for interest that relates to deposits maintained at U.S. offices of certain financial institutions and that is paid to certain nonresident alien individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2012
Declares that the Senate should observe a minute of silence to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack and remember those who lost their lives. Urges the International Olympic Committee to: (1) take the opportunity afforded by that anniversary to remind the world that the Olympics were established to send a message of hope and peace through sport and athletic competition, and (2) recognize those who lost their lives at the 1972 Munich Olympics with a minute of silence at the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony in an effort to reject and repudiate terrorism as antithetical to the Olympic goal of peaceful competition.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2012
Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 - Applies universal intercountry adoption accreditation standards under the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, and related regulations, to the same extent as they apply to the offering or provision of adoption services in connection with an adoption under the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, to any person offering or providing adoption services in connection with a foreign orphan under age 16 adopted or to be adopted by a U.S. citizen. Gives the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), the Attorney General, and the accrediting entities the duties, responsibilities, and authorities under the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 and related regulations with respect to a person offering or providing such adoption services, regardless of whether such services are offered or provided in connection with a Convention adoption. Amends the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to repeal the prohibition against, and so make available, collected fees to accrediting entities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2012
Protecting Adoption and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2012 - Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and maintain an automated National Responsible Father Registry. Requires the Registry to: (1) contain specified kinds of information sufficient to identify a possible father, and (2) provide a mechanism for men to register such identifying information directly with the Registry. Limits access to Registry information to eligible parties, including: (1) public and licensed private adoption or child placement agencies, (2) licensed attorneys representing a party in a planned or pending adoption or in the termination of rights of one or more possible fathers, (3) state agencies or entities responsible for the placement of children, and (4) state courts. Directs the Secretary to establish a nationwide campaign designed to inform possible fathers, unwed mothers, possible adoptive parents, and eligible parties of the National Registry, the advantages of possible fathers registering either in the National Registry or State Responsible Father Registries, or both, the rights and responsibilities of such parties with regard to a proceeding, and the role of such Registries in a proceeding. Directs the Secretary to use all reasonable efforts to encourage states to enter into agreements to establish automated State Responsible Father Registries and centers that make registration forms easily accessible to possible fathers. Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant to a state to establish a State Registry or modify an existing one to meet the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2012
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2012 - Imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex or gender of the child, (2) use force or the threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection abortion, (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion, or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. Defines "sex-selection abortion" as an abortion undertaken to eliminate an unborn child based on the sex or gender of the child. Excludes from the definition of "abortion" actions taken to terminate a pregnancy if the intent is to save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion, or remove an ectopic pregnancy. Authorizes civil actions, for verifiable money damages for injuries and punitive damages, by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of an abortion performed or attempted through any of the above violations; and (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection abortion. Authorizes, to prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further abortions in violation of this Act, injunctive relief to be obtained by the women upon whom such an abortion is performed or attempted, spouses or parents of a woman upon whom such an abortion is performed, or the Attorney General (DOJ). Deems a violation of this Act to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Violators of title VI lose federal funding.) Requires a medical or mental health professional to report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. Imposes criminal penalties for a failure to so report. Prohibits a woman having such an abortion from being prosecuted or held civilly liable. Prohibits this Act from being construed to require that a healthcare provider has an affirmative duty to inquire as to the motivation for the abortion, absent the healthcare provider having knowledge or information that the abortion is sought based on the sex or gender of the child.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2012
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Attorney General (AG) should: (1) delegate to an outside special counsel (counsel) all AG authority relating to investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of any and all unauthorized disclosures of classified and highly sensitive information related to various military and intelligence plans, programs, and operations as reported in recent publications; and (2) direct the counsel to exercise such authority independently of the supervision or control of any DOJ officer. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the counsel should investigate any and all such disclosures and, where appropriate, prosecute those responsible; and (2) the President should assess whether any such disclosures damaged the national security and how such damage can be mitigated.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2012
Pilot's Bill of Rights - Requires National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) proceedings for the review of decisions of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deny, amend, modify, suspend, or revoke an airman's certificate to be conducted, to the extent practicable, in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence. Requires the Administrator to: (1) advise the subject of an investigation involving the approval, denial, suspension, modification, or revocation of an airman certificate of specified information pertinent to the investigation; and (2) provide him or her with access to relevant air traffic data. Allows an individual to elect to file an appeal of a certificate denial, a punitive civil action, or an emergency order of revocation in the U.S. district court in which individual resides, in which the action in question occurred, or the district court for the District of Columbia. Allows an adversely affected individual who elects not to file an appeal in a federal district court to file such appeal with the NTSB. Directs the Administrator to begin a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) Improvement Program to improve the system of providing airmen with pertinent and timely information before a flight in the national airspace system. Makes Flight Service Station briefings and other air traffic services performed by Lockheed Martin or any other government contractor available to airmen under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Requires the Administrator to review the FAA system for the medical certification of airmen in order to: (1) revise the medical application form, (2) align medical qualification policies with present-day qualified medical judgment and practices, and (3) publish objective medical standards to advise the public of the criteria determining an airman's medical certificate eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2012
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Navy should provide an appropriate site at the former Navy Dive School at the Washington Navy Yard (District of Columbia) for the Man in the Sea Memorial Monument to honor members of the Armed Forces who have served as divers and whose service in defense of the United States has been carried out beneath the waters of the world.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2012
Celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and the vitality of the bilateral relationship. Confirms the alliance's centrality as one of the key pillars of peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States should use the U.S.-Philippines Bilateral Security Dialogue and the Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board to promote greater alliance cooperation and enhance bilateral security ties; (2) the United States should redouble efforts to expand the economic relationship with the Philippines; (3) the government of the Philippines should continue its efforts to strengthen democratic institutions to fight corruption, curtail politically motivated violence, expand economic opportunity, and tackle internal security challenges; (4) the United States should designate an appropriate U.S. entity to ensure ongoing maintenance of Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Philippines; and (5) the United States should continue efforts to assist the Philippines in the areas of maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and related communications infrastructure to enable enhanced information-sharing and overall military professionalization.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2012
Mourns the loss of Fang Lizhi and offers the Senate's condolences to his family and friends. Honors the life, scientific contributions, and service of Fang Lizhi to the cause of human freedom. Stands with the people of China as they strive to create a government that is democratic and respectful of human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2012
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such gold medal and to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the gold and bronze medals.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2012
Reaffirms that the U.S. government and the governments of other responsible countries have a vital interest in working together to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Warns that time is limited to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Urges economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran until it implements: (1) suspension of uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and is in compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions, (2) cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concerning Iran's nuclear activities, and (3) a permanent agreement that verifiably assures that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. Supports: (1) the P5+1 process, (2) the universal rights and democratic aspirations of the people of Iran, and (3) U.S. policy to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Joins the President in ruling out any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat. States that nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2012
Expresses profound sorrow and deep regret regarding the death of the Honorable James Abdnor, former member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for South Dakota, on May 16, 2012. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on May 24, 2012, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the former Member of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2012
Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012 - Requires the President on July 9, 2012, to submit to Congress a detailed report on the implementation of certain discretionary reductions (in security and nonsecurity categories) and nonexempt direct spending reductions in the sequestration ordered by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) for FY2013 on January 2, 2013. (The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act was amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011 to revise the discretionary spending limits and reduce the discretionary appropriations and direct spending specified in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act unless a joint committee bill achieving an amount greater than $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction would be enacted by January 15, 2012.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2012
Commends the exemplary and courageous service and sacrifice of each of the patriotic women of the United States who served in American Red Cross Clubmobiles during the Second World War, providing coffee, doughnuts, and a connection to home to U.S. soldiers. Honors Clubmobile women who lost their lives during such War. Calls upon War historians to recognize and describe the service of the Clubmobiles and to not let this important piece of U.S. history be lost. Urges the American Red Cross to publicly commemorate the stories of the Clubmobiles and the women who served in them.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2012
Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act or RAISE Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to declare that neither its prohibition against interference by an employer with employees' right to bargain collectively, nor the terms of a collective bargaining agreement entered into between employees and an employer after enactment of this Act, shall prohibit an employer from paying an employee higher wages, pay, or other compensation than the agreement provides for.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act with respect to mandatory fee disclosures on automated teller machines (ATMs) operated by a person other than a financial institution holding a consumer's account. Repeals the requirement that such a fee disclosure appear in a prominent and conspicuous location on or at the ATM. Limits such requirement to appearance of a fee disclosure on the ATM screen.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2012
Condemns the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine for the politically motivated imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Calls for Ms. Tymoshenko's release for medical reasons. Urges the Department of State to withdraw the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and suspend U.S. embassy operations in Kiev until Ms. Tymoshenko's release. Calls on: (1) the Department of State to institute a visa ban against President Yanukovych and other officials responsible for Ms. Tymoshenko's imprisonment, and (2) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to suspend all cooperative agreements with Ukraine until Ms. Tymoshenko's release.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2012
Recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children in the foster care system face. Encourages Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. Supports the designation of May as National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2012
Disapproves and nullifies the rule submitted by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) relating to the reporting requirements for interest that relates to deposits maintained at U.S. offices of certain financial institutions and that is paid to certain nonresident alien individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2012
Designates the week of May 20-May 26, 2012, as National Public Works Week. Recognizes the important contributions of public works professionals to improving U.S. public infrastructure and to the communities they serve.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2012
World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2012
Responsible Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer who is an alien and who is claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to attach to his or her tax return a photocopy of: (1) each page of the taxpayer's passport; (2) the taxpayer's nonimmigrant visa; (3) the taxpayer's employment authorization; (4) the taxpayer's arrival-departure documentation; and (5) the passport, visa, and arrival-departure documentation for each qualifying alien child of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2012
EPA Regional Oversight Act of 2012 - Requires each Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Permits individuals serving as Regional Administrators on the date of this Act's enactment to continue to serve until January 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2012
Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act or RAISE Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to declare that neither its prohibition against interference by an employer with employees' right to bargain collectively, nor the terms of a collective bargaining agreement entered into between employees and an employer after enactment of this Act, shall prohibit an employer from paying an employee higher wages, pay, or other compensation than the agreement provides for.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2012
Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2012 - Prohibits a federal agency (excluding the Federal Election Commission [FEC], the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation [FDIC], and the U.S. Postal Service [USPS]) from proposing or finalizing any midnight rule that would likely result in: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete internationally. Defines "midnight rule" as an agency statement of general applicability and future effect that is issued during the moratorium period, that is intended to have the force and effect of law, and that is designed to: (1) implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy; or (2) describe the procedure or practice requirements of an agency. Defines the "moratorium period" as the day after the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in every fourth year succeeding a presidential election through January 20 of the following year in which a President is not serving a consecutive term. Exempts any midnight rule that the President determines is necessary: (1) because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, (2) to enforce criminal laws, (3) to protect U.S. national security, or (4) to implement an international trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2012
Interest Rate Reduction Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, applicable to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to repeal provisions establishing and appropriating funds to the Prevention and Public Health Fund (a Fund to provide for expanded and sustained national investment in prevention and public health programs to improve health and help restrain the rate of growth in private and public sector health care costs). Rescinds any unobligated balances appropriated to such Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2012
Recognizes the contributions of Ducks Unlimited, Incorporated, and its members across the United States to the conservation of the habitats and the preservation of North American waterfowl during the past 75 years.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2012
North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act of 2012 - Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2017 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2012
CT Colonography Screening for Colorectal Cancer Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide Medicare coverage for screening computed tomography colonography (CTC) as a colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test, and (2) exclude screening CTC from the meaning of "imaging services" for which there is a special rule regarding outpatient services department (OPD) fee schedule payments. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a preliminary report to Congress on the status of coverage of CTC as a CRC screening test under Medicare, including the extent to which such coverage as required by this Act has been implemented.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2012
Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands Act - Grants any state sole authority to promulgate or enforce any regulation, guidance, or permit requirement with regard to the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to the hydraulic fracturing process, or any component of such process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under land within the boundaries of that state. Makes the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to such process, or any components of such process, relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on federal land subject to the law of the state in which that land is located.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2012
Preserve the Waters of the United States Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) finalizing the proposed guidance described in the notice of availability and request for comments entitled "EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Guidance Regarding Identification of Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act"; or (2) using such guidance, or any substantially similar guidance, as the basis for any decision regarding the scope of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or any rulemaking. Provides that the use of such guidance as the basis for any rule shall be grounds for vacation of such rule.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2012
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2012
Preserving America's Family Farms Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from finalizing or enforcing proposed rule "Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation; Child Labor Violations-Civil Money Penalties" (relating to child labor in agricultural and nonagricultural occupations) issued pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act and published on September 2, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2012
Condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for committing crimes against humanity and mass atrocities. Supports ongoing efforts by the United States, the African Union (AU), and countries in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders from the battlefield and protect civilians.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2012
Respecting States' Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, who is entitled and not prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence or who is carrying a valid state license or permit to carry a concealed weapon, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document, to carry a concealed handgun (which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, other than a machinegun or destructive device) in any state in accordance with the restrictions of that state. Provides that in a state that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms by individual license or permit holders, an individual carrying a concealed handgun under this Act shall be permitted to carry it according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or permit issued by such state.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2012
Second Amendment Sovereignty Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of Congress that U.S. sovereignty and the constitutionally protected freedoms of American gun owners must be upheld and not be undermined by a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. Prohibits funds from being obligated or expended to use U.S. influence, in connection with negotiations for a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, to restrict the rights of U.S. citizens under the second amendment to the Constitution, or to otherwise regulate domestic manufacture, assembly, possession, use, transfer, or purchase of firearms, ammunition, or related items.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2012
Exempts natural gas automobiles from the maximum fuel economy increase standards for dual fueled automobiles for model years 1993-2019. Revises the definition of a "dedicated automobile" (i.e., an automobile that operates only on alternative fuel) to prohibit the inclusion of a reserve gasoline tank for incidental or emergency use in the event of alternative fuel depletion from detracting from the dedicated nature of such an automobile.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2012
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2012
Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act - Calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the types of technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations that are the most beneficial to small and rural communities, based on their input. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) authorize appropriations to the Administrator of EPA for FY2012-FY2017 for such assistance; and (2) allow the Administrator to use such funds to provide technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance programs, onsite and regional training, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements. Directs the Administrator to give preference to nonprofit organizations that are determined to be the most qualified and experienced and that the small community water systems find to be the most beneficial and effective.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2012
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 - States that it is U.S. policy to: (1) reaffirm the commitment to Israel's security as a Jewish state, (2) provide Israel with the military capabilities to defend itself and help preserve its qualitative military edge, (3) expand military and civilian cooperation, (4) assist in a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side by side in peace and security, and (5) encourage Israel's neighbors to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should take specified actions to assist in Israel's defense. Amends the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 to extend authority to transfer certain obsolete or surplus Department of Defense (DOD) items to Israel. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to extend authority to make additions to foreign-based defense stockpiles. Amends the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003 to extend specified loan guarantee authority to Israel.
![Official portrait of Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/i000024_200.jpg)