United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Office of Rural Education Policy Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Office of Rural Education Policy (Office) in the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Requires the Office to be headed by a Director who advises the Secretary of Education on the characteristics and needs of rural schools, and the effects current policies and proposed statutory, regulatory, administrative, and budgetary changes have on states and local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve such schools. Requires the Director to: (1) establish and maintain a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating certain information on rural education; (2) identify innovative research and demonstration projects on topics of importance to rural schools; (3) coordinate rural education activities within the Department; (4) inform the Department of other federal agency activities related to rural education; (5) coordinate its activities with Indian schools and the Department of the Interior's responsibilities regarding such schools; (6) provide technical assistance and other support for rural education improvement efforts; and (7) produce an annual report, for Congress and the public, on the condition of rural education. Requires the Director to prepare regulatory impact analyses of the Secretary's proposed and final rules that may have a significant impact on states or LEAs that serve rural schools.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President and Administration should be commended for recognizing the severity of high gas prices and for taking appropriate actions to help reduce gas prices; (2) Congress should take additional actions to complement the efforts of the President; (3) the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should contribute to the stabilization of world oil markets and prices and reduce the burden of high gasoline prices by using existing idle oil production capacity to compensate for any supply shortages; and (4) U.S. economic, environmental, and national security depend on a sustained effort to reduce and eventually eliminate the dependence of the United States on oil. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny to oil companies with gross receipts in excess of $1 billion in a taxable year and an average daily worldwide production of crude oil of at least 500,000 barrels a year: (1) a foreign tax credit if such company is a dual capacity taxpayer, as defined by this Act; (2) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or primary products thereof; (3) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs; (4) the percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas wells; and (5) the tax deduction for qualified tertiary injectant expenses. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to grant royalty relief (suspension of royalties) for natural gas production from deep wells and deep water oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf. Dedicates any increased revenue generated by this Act to the reduction of a federal budget deficit or the public debt. Provides for compliance of the budgetary effects of this Act with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
Family Engagement in Education Act of 2011 - Amends title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize states to reserve school improvement funds to: (1) award grants to nonprofit organizations that partner with local educational agencies (LEAs) or schools to establish and operate Local Family Engagement Centers that assist families in becoming engaged in their childrens' education, (2) establish a State Family Engagement Coordinating Council to coordinate and integrate family engagement activities across the education spectrum, and (3) develop and implement a statewide family engagement in education plan. Requires each state school improvement plan to include a plan for strengthening family engagement in education. Requires each LEA and school receiving school improvement funds to develop policies and practices for family engagement in education that meet specified principles and standards. Increases the percentage of school improvement funds that LEAs must reserve for family engagement activities. Requires states and correctional facilities to work with family members and aftercare providers in developing educational services and transition plans for youth following their stay in state and local institutions for neglected or delinquent youth. Requires states to use part of their grant under part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to train teachers and principals to effectively engage families in their children's education. Replaces a Fund for the Improvement of Education program under title V of the ESEA that provided for the establishment of parental information and resource centers with a new program that awards matching grants to statewide nonprofit organizations to establish Statewide Family Engagement Centers that provide comprehensive training, technical assistance, and capacity building to states, LEAs, and organizations that support family-school partnerships to assist them in developing and implementing family engagement programs. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish Local Family Engagement Centers and a national Indian Family Engagement Coordinating Council for Indian schools. Requires the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences to develop recommended metrics on family engagement in education for states and LEAs, and make recommendations on the integration of those metrics into state accountability and longitudinal data systems. Directs the Secretary to conduct research on effective family engagement in education. Requires that there be established in the Department of Education dedicated staff, including a Director, for family and community engagement.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer to elect once every five years a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for use by the taxpayer or a dependent.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Medicare Hospice Care Access Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to recognize attending physician assistants as attending physicians to serve hospice patients.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Designates May 2011 as National Cancer Research Month. Recognizes the importance of cancer research and the invaluable contributions of cancer researchers and expresses support for efforts to make cancer research an international priority.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2011
Domestic Energy Promotion Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce the volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC) to 20 cents per gallon in 2012 and 15 cents per gallon in 2013; (2) link the amount of such credit to the price of crude oil for calendar quarters beginning after 2013; (3) modify the rates of the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel and extend such credit through 2016; and (4) extend through 2016 the alternative fuel refueling property tax credit, the cellulosic producers' tax credit, and the special depreciation allowance for cellulosic biofuel plant property. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to reduce by specified amounts through 2016 the additional duties on ethyl alcohol blends (ethanol) used as fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2011
Thanks teachers for their service. Promotes the teaching profession. Encourages students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2011
Reserve Retirement Deployment Credit Correction Act - Requires the days of active duty or active service used to reduce the minimum age at which a member of the reserves may retire for non-regular (reserve) service to occur in in any two consecutive fiscal years (under current law, in the same fiscal year).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide that the value of certain funeral and burial arrangements involving an irrevocable trust whose named beneficiary is the funeral provider are not to be considered, under the SSI program, as resources available to the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the cap on outpatient physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services of the type furnished by a physician or as an incident to physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Honors the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are serving or have served in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. Calls on the people of the United States to reflect on the service of those members and veterans and to hold them in a special place of honor, both now and in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2015 the qualified school construction bond program and the national limitation amounts for bonds issued under the qualified zone academy bond (QZAB) program, (2) allow the issuer of a QZAB to receive a direct payment in lieu of the tax credit for interest payments with respect to such bonds, and (3) permit private entities to waive the 10% matching requirement for QZABs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Requires that an appointee to the position of Chief of the Army Medical Specialist Corps be of a rank not less than lieutenant colonel. (Current minimum rank is captain.) Requires an appointee to such position holding a lower grade to be appointed in the regular grade of brigadier general.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2011
STEM Master Teacher Corps Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to consortia of local educational agencies (LEAs) or states, acting in partnership with institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to establish a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Master Teacher Corps program. Requires grantees to: (1) select exemplary elementary and secondary school STEM teachers for membership in the STEM Master Teacher Corps; (2) provide those teachers with compensation that supplements their base salaries, with higher compensation going to those teaching at high-need public schools; (3) provide, and track the effectiveness of, research-based training for Corps members; (4) provide discretionary resources for Corps members at high-need schools to use; (5) help coordinate instructional leadership and mentoring roles for Corps members; and (6) facilitate efforts by Corps members to inform STEM education policy at the national, state, and local levels. Gives grant priority to applicants that intend to include: (1) large numbers of teachers in the STEM Master Teacher Corps; and (2) rural schools, particularly high-need rural schools, in the area they serve. Requires grantees to ensure that at least 75% of their STEM Master Teacher Corps are teachers at high-need schools. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, to: (1) evaluate the STEM Master Teacher Corps program; (2) identify optimal strategies for designing and advancing such program; and (3) identify best practices for developing, supporting, and retaining STEM teachers based on lessons learned from the program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Congressional Retirement Age Act of 2011 - Prohibits a Member of Congress serving on or after the enactment of this Act from being eligible for an annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), unless he or she is separated from the service after attaining retirement age under the Social Security Act and completing five years of service. Makes a Member serving on or after the enactment of this Act ineligible for a CSRS or FERS deferred retirement annuity, unless the Member is separated from the service, or transferred to a position in which the individual does not continue subject to CSRS or FERS annuity requirements, after completing five years of service. Denies an early retirement annuity under FERS to any Member serving on or after enactment of this Act who otherwise meets FERS early retirement requirements. Delays entitlement to a FERS annuity until after attaining retirement age under the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2011
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and revise a research, training, and technical assistance resource center to prevent suicides (the Suicide Prevention Resource Center). Expands the program's focus from youth suicides to suicides among all ages, particularly among groups that are at high risk for suicide. Repeals provisions providing for grants to establish research, training, and technical assistance centers related to mental health, substance abuse and the justice system. Reauthorizes a program of grants for the development of state or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies. Reauthorizes and revises a grant program to enhance services for students with mental health or substance use disorders at institutions of higher education. Requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services, to award grants to enhance such services and to develop best practices for the delivery of such services. Permits grant funds to be used for the provision of such services to students and to employ appropriately trained staff. Requires the Secretary to give special consideration to applications for grants that describe programs that demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional mental and substance use disorder services and the greatest potential for replication.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, during a federal funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, to transfer to the Secretary of Defense (DHS), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the case of the Coast Guard, amounts necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including the reserves, who perform active service during the funding gap. Allows for the provision of such pay and allowances, at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, for: (1) civilian DOD personnel providing support to such members; and (2) DOD contractor personnel providing direct support to such members. Prohibits any such transfer after December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the face-to-face encounter framework in hospice care. Allows a clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, or other health professional (in addition to a hospice physician or a nurse practitioner, as under current law) to conduct the face-to-face encounter with an individual to determine continued eligibility for hospice care before the first 60-day (currently, 180-day) recertification period and each subsequent recertification period. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Medicare Hospice Payment Reform demonstration program to test any revisions to the methodology for determining payment rates for routine home care and other hospice care services. Sets at every three years the frequency of surveys of certified hospice program entities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Repeal the CLASS Entitlement Act - Repeals provisions of the Public Health Service Act enacted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (entitled the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act) which establish a national, voluntary insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and supports in order to provide individuals with functional limitations with tools that will allow them to maintain their personal and financial independence and live in the community. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to repeal provisions providing appropriations for the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information through FY2015.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act of 2011 or HEARTH Act of 2011 - Extends to any Indian tribe the discretion granted under current law only to the Navajo Nation to lease restricted lands for business, agricultural, public, religious, educational, recreational, or residential purposes without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. (The Secretary must still approve the tribal regulations under which those leases are executed and mining leases still require the Secretary's approval.) Sets forth the environmental review process required under tribal lease regulations before those regulations obtain the Secretary's approval. Requires the process to identify and evaluate any significant effects a proposed lease may have on the environment and allow public comment on those effects. Allows tribes to rely on a federal environmental review process rather than the tribal environmental review process if the project under review is federally funded. Directs the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to report to Congress on the history and experience of Indian tribes that have chosen to assume the BIA's responsibility for operating the Indian Land Title and Records Office.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Treats Vet Centers as Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities for purposes of authorized payments or allowances for beneficiary travel to or from a VA facility in connection with medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification of certain farming business machinery and equipment as five-year property for purposes of the tax deduction for depreciation.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces (military spouse) who moves with such member to another state under a permanent change of station order a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified relicensing costs incurred by such spouse. Defines "qualified relicensing costs" as costs for a state license or certification to engage in the profession that such military spouse engaged in while residing in the former state.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act - Prohibits a state that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution, or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires such redistricting to be conducted through a plan developed by the independent redistricting commission established in the state, or if such plan is not enacted into law, the redistricting plan selected by the state's highest court or developed by a U.S. district court. Prescribes requirements for: (1) establishment of a state independent redistricting commission (including provisions for holding each of its meetings in public and maintaining a public Internet site); (2) development of a redistricting plan (including soliciting and considering public comments) and its submission to the state legislature (with public notice of plans at least seven days prior to such submission); (3) selection of a plan, under specified conditions, by the state's highest court or the U.S. district court for the district in which the capital of the state is located; (4) special rules for redistricting conducted under a federal court order; and (5) Election Assistance Commission payments to states for carrying out redistricting.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. Recognizes the efforts of public health professionals, governments, and individuals in reducing injuries and promoting safety. Encourages increased efforts and resources to improve the health of people in the United States through the promotion of safety and reduction of injuries and the strengthening of the public health system.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Designates April 2011 as Financial Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the importance of personal financial education in the United States and the serious consequences that may result from a lack of understanding about personal finances.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Recognizes: (1) the health, economic, and national security benefits of the Clean Air Act; and (2) that Clean Air Act programs have a record of providing health and economic benefits that significantly exceed the initial investments made in pollution reduction technology. Expresses support for the protection of children and families from harmful pollution through continued implementation of that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
Amends the Act commonly known as the Indian Reorganization Act to apply the Act to all federally recognized Indian tribes, regardless of when any tribe became recognized. (This effectively overrules the Supreme Court's decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, which held that the Secretary of the Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the Act was enacted.) Ratifies and confirms any action taken by the Secretary pursuant to such Act for any Indian tribe that was federally recognized on the date of that action.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period classification for qualified leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property, for purposes of the depreciation tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the northern Rockies or the Dakotas. Requires the Fort Harrison Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, to be evaluated as a potential location for such a Center or Site.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Recognizes that Geraldine A. Ferraro's vice-presidential candidacy forever enriched the American political landscape and forged a new path for women of the United States. Pays tribute to Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro's work to improve the lives of women and families not only in the Ninth Congressional District of New York, whom she represented, but also the lives of women and families all across the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2011
Support for Survivors Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to identify the most appropriate and effective means for the preservation by the Department of Defense (DOD) of documentary evidence of incidents of sexual assault or harassment in which a member of the Armed Forces is the victim (covered incidents), which shall be a single means to be used by all the military departments. Requires the means identified to be in electronic form and to include the full protection of the victim's privacy and lifetime access to such evidence. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a joint task force to determine whether to establish a documentary evidence form, report, or document in lieu of forms, reports, and documents currently generated by DOD. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on the means of preservation identified; and (2) provide for the implementation of such means by the military departments within 18 months after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2011 - Calls for the United States to help undertake a global effort to bring sustainable access to clean water and sanitation to poor people throughout the world. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to designate a Senior Advisor for Water, who shall: (1) implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005; (2) develop and oversee implementation, in high priority countries, of country-specific water strategies and expertise to enable the goal of providing 100 million additional people with sustainable access to safe water and sanitation through direct funding, development activities, and partnerships within six years of this Act's enactment; (3) place primary emphasis on providing safe, affordable, and sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in a manner that is consistent with sound water resource management principles; and (4) integrate water strategies with country-specific or regional food security strategies. Requires the Secretary of State, in order to increase the capacity of the Department of State to address international issues regarding safe water, sanitation, integrated river basin management, and other international water programs, to establish a Special Coordinator for International Water to: (1) oversee and coordinate U.S. diplomatic policy with respect to global freshwater issues; and (2) ensure that international freshwater issues are represented within the U.S. government and in key diplomatic, development, and scientific efforts with other nations and multilateral organizations. Amends the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 to require such Special Coordinator to ensure that the safe water and sanitation strategy is integrated into any review or development of a federal strategy for global development, health, or food security that sets forth the U.S. mission for global development, guidelines for assistance programs, and how development policy will be coordinated with policies governing trade, immigration, and other relevant international issues. Requires the safe water and sanitation strategy to include: (1) an assessment of U.S. foreign assistance allocated to the drinking water and sanitation sector during the three previous fiscal years, including assessing whether U.S. efforts are supporting the goal of enabling first-time access to safe water and sanitation on a sustainable basis for 100 million people in high priority countries; (2) recommendations on actions needed to achieve such goals and support the United Nation's Millennium Development Goal on access to safe drinking water; and (3) an assessment of best practices for mobilizing and leveraging the capacity of business, governments, organizations, and civil society in forming public-private partnerships that measurably increase access to safe, affordable, drinking water sanitation. Requires the Secretary and the Administrator to establish a program to build the capacity of host country institutions and officials responsible for water and sanitation in countries that receive assistance to provide safe water and sanitation under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to establish such program in additional countries if the receipt of such capacity building would be beneficial for promoting access to safe drinking water and sanitation, with due consideration given to good governance. Requires the USAID Mission Director for each country receiving a high priority designation and for each region containing a country receiving such designation to report annually to Congress on the status of: (1) designating safe drinking water and sanitation as a strategic objective; and (2) integrating the water strategy into a food security strategy. Expands the list of activities that may be supported by assistance furnished by the President for programs in developing countries to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation. Requires the report regarding water for peace and security to include an assessment of political tensions over water sources and a multidisciplinary assessment of the expected impacts of changes to water supplies in 10, 25, and 50 years. Requires the Comptroller General to report on the effectiveness and efficiency of U.S. efforts to provide safe water and sanitation for developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2011 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, for purposes of determining cognitive, behavioral, and physical disability under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to amend specified Listings of Impairments by providing medical and evaluation criteria for Huntington's Disease. Amends SSA title II to waive the 24-month waiting period for coverage under the Medicare program for individuals diagnosed with Hunington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Supporting Community Schools Act of 2011 - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize local educational agencies (LEAs) to use school improvement funds to transform schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring into community schools. (Schools are identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring when they fail to make adequate yearly progress [AYP] toward state academic performance standards.) Defines a "community school" as a public elementary or secondary school that partners with community-based entities, both public and private, to address students' academic, health, and developmental needs while also serving as a community center that provides or hosts relevant community services. Requires such schools to be based on research into successful practices in: (1) improving student achievement or growth, (2) closing achievement gaps between groups of students, and (3) increasing student attendance and graduation rates. Authorizes LEAs to use funds under part D (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk) of title I of the ESEA to fund a community school coordinator who will support their community schools.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), particularly those provided in rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and in hospice programs. Amends Medicare part C (Miscellaneous) to exclude such services from the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system. Authorizes marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Impact Aid Timely Repayment Act of 2011 - Amends title VIII (Impact Aid) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to complete Impact Aid payments to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) within three fiscal years of their appropriation. (The Impact Aid program compensates LEAs for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their school districts.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress on policy issues associated with the recruitment for, and retention, research, and reinvestment in, the profession of social work. Directs the Commission to study and report to Congress on issues facing the social work profession, including: (1) fair market compensation, high social work educational debt, social work workforce trends, translating social work research to practice, and social work safety; and (2) state-level social work licensure policies and reciprocity agreements for providing services across state lines. Requires such study to assess the professional capacity of the social work workforce to serve and respond successfully to the increasing biopsychosocial needs of individuals, groups, and communities in certain areas, including aging and child welfare. Terminates the Commission 30 days after it submits such report within 18 months of its first meeting. Authorizes the Secretary to award: (1) workplace improvement grants to eligible entities and individuals to address workplace concerns for the social work profession, including caseloads, compensation, social work safety, supervision, and working conditions; and (2) research grants, education and training grants, and community-based programs of excellence grants. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a national social work entity to serve as a coordinating center and clearinghouse for information on activities funded under the grants, and (2) develop a multi-media outreach campaign and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the social work profession.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends part B (Rural Education Initiative) of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the Small, Rural School Achievement program, which gives rural local educational agencies (LEAs) federal formula grants and greater flexibility in the use of state educational funds. Limits eligibility to LEAs whose schools are all designated with a school locale code of Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural, unless located in an area the state defines as rural. Raises federal grant limits when funds available to implement the program equal or exceed $100 million. Alters LEA eligibility for federal funds under the Rural and Low-Income School program by requiring that: (1) at least 40% of the children ages 5 through 17 that LEAs serve be eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (2) all of their schools be designated with a school locale code of Distant Town, Remote Town, Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Mourns the loss of life from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011. Expresses the Senate's condolences to the victims' families and its sympathies to the survivors who are still suffering in the aftermath of this tragic natural disaster. Commends the government of Japan for its courageous and professional response to this natural disaster. Supports the efforts by the U.S. government, relief agencies, and private citizens to assist the government and people of Japan. Urges the United States and the international community to provide additional humanitarian assistance to aid the survivors and support reconstruction efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Securing America's Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to revise the renewable fuel program, including by: (1) redefining "advanced biofuel"; and (2) requiring the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to exempt from lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission requirements for advanced biofuel and biomass-based diesel up to the greater of 1 billion gallons or the program's volume mandate of biomass-based diesel annually from facilities that commenced construction before December 19, 2007. Sets forth provisions concerning emissions from indirect land use changes outside the country of origin of the feedstock of a renewable fuel, including requiring the Administrator and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to jointly arrange for the National Academies of Science to review and report on specified issues relating to indirect GHG emissions relating to transportation fuels. Sets forth provisions concerning modifying the the non-federal lands portion and the federal lands portion of the definition of "renewable biomass" in the Clean Air Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) in order to advance the goals of increasing U.S. energy independence, protecting the environment, and reducing global warming pollution. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to allow the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to make loan guarantees for renewable fuel pipelines and the installation of sufficient infrastructure to allow for the cost-effective deployment of clean energy technologies to each region of the United States. Requires each light-duty automobile manufacturer's annual covered inventory to be comprised of at least 30% fuel choice-enabling automobiles by 2013, 50% by 2015, 80% by 2017, and 100% by 2021 and thereafter. Prohibits any fuel containing ethanol or a renewable fuel that is used to operate an internal combustion engine from being deemed to be a defective product or subject to a failure to warn due to such ethanol or renewable fuel content unless such fuel violates a control or prohibition imposed by the Administrator under the Clean Air Act. Directs the Secretary to require each covered entity to install at each retail fueling station owned or managed by such entity a blender pump and blender pump fuel infrastructure as a replacement for each pump that requires replacement after January 1, 2013. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a new tax credit for the installation of blender pumps to store or dispense at least three different blends of gasoline and ethanol; (2) revise the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel to include within the credit amounts for qualified alcohol production, cellulosic biofuel production, and ethanol production by a small ethanol producer and extend such credit and the excise tax credit for ethanol used as fuel through December 31, 2016; (3) revise the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel production to allow a $1 per gallon credit and an enhanced credit for small biodiesel producers; (4) allow a business-related tax credit and payments in lieu of excise tax credits for renewable electricity integration; and (5) exempt renewable wind energy facilities from restrictions on tax write-offs for passive losses and treat income and gains from wind energy as qualifying income for publicly-traded partnerships. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend until 2016 the additional tariff on ethyl alcohol blends (ethanol) used as fuel. Amends PURPA to require: (1) electric utilities to obtain a specified minimum annual percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources (increasing from 10% in 2013 to 25% in 2025); (2) the Secretary to establish a renewable energy credit trading program; (3) a state renewable energy account program to be established in the Treasury for providing grants to the state agency responsible for developing energy conservation plans for promoting renewable energy production; and (4) the Secretary to establish a program which requires each retail electricity distributor to achieve specified cumulative energy savings (increasing from 1.5% in 2012 to 9.5% in 2020) and each retail natural gas distributor to demonstrate that it has achieved cumulative natural gas savings in each year. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations establishing performance standards for cumulative electricity savings and cumulative natural gas savings: (1) by December 31, 2015, for 2021-2030; and (2) by December 31 of the penultimate reporting period for which such standards have been established, for the following 10-calendar-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2011 - Places specified restrictions on the use of cluster munitions. Directs the President, within 90 days after the use of such munitions, to submit to the congressional defense, appropriations, and foreign relations committees a plan for cleaning up any such munitions or submunitions which fail to explode and continue to pose a hazard to civilians.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the tax exclusion of distributions from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for charitable purposes to: (1) make such exclusion permanent; (2) eliminate the $100,000 cap on such exclusion; (3) permit tax-free distributions from IRAs to a split-interest entity (i.e., a charitable remainder annuity or unitrust, a pooled income fund, and a charitable gift annuity); and (4) allow distributions to a split-interest entity to be made when the account beneficiary attains age 59-1/2 (otherwise, age 70-1/2 for IRA distributions to a charitable organization).
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2011
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
![Official portrait of Sen. Johnson, Tim [D-SD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c5d339296979dfed1ac5405574a1d7a5_200.jpg)