United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules to prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, a person from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that: (1) such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide such services, or (2) such person is not a provider of abortion services if such person does provide such services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2011
No Child Left Inside Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, as a prerequisite to receiving implementation grants, to develop environmental literacy plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Directs the Secretary to award Environmental Education Professional Development Grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to partnerships that include a local educational agency (LEA) and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the development of more rigorous environmental education curricula that advance the teaching of interdisciplinary courses. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, IHEs, other educational entities, federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, or park and recreation departments, for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards, and (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2011
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure Elimination Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, as part of the National Toxicology Program, to: (1) establish and implement a research program designed to strengthen the scientific basis of information used by federal agencies to understand the effects of, and reduce human exposure to, endocrine-disrupting chemicals; (2) establish an Endocrine Disruption Expert Panel to report to the Director on issues related to identification, classification, or evaluation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals; (3) for each chemical determined by the Director to be a potential or actual endocrine-disrupting chemical, identify the level of evidence that such chemical is or may be an endocrine-disrupting chemical, the level of concern that such chemical may disrupt the human endocrine system, and the pathways of exposure to the chemical for humans and animals; and (4) provide to Congress and each relevant federal agency and make publicly available every two years an up-to-date list of potential or actual endocrine-disrupting chemicals and a report on the Program's activities and on federal agencies' activities with respect to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Requires the Panel to: (1) report to the Director on issues related to identification, classification, or evaluation of not more than 10 endocrine-disrupting chemicals or groups of chemicals; (2) evaluate existing research aimed at understanding the biological pathways in humans by which such chemicals operate and identify future research priorities; and (3) maintain a list that identifies chemicals of concern for endocrine disruption effects. Authorizes any federal agency, state, local or tribal government, or person to petition the Director to: (1) determine whether a chemical should be identified by the Program as a potential or actual endocrine-disrupting chemical and included in the list; or (2) reclassify a chemical, revise a finding, or amend any other determination of the Program based upon new information. Provides that a listing, finding, or other determination shall not be subject to judicial review or to correction under the Information Quality Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director to conduct and support an Endocrine Disruption Research Program. Authorizes the Director to conduct workshops and forums and provide information on the health effects associated with chemicals that may disrupt the endocrine system. Requires each federal agency with regulatory authority over any chemical included on the list to prepare and publish a written response to each biennial list. Specifies actions each such agency must take if: (1) the Director determines there is a minimal level of concern that a chemical may disrupt the human endocrine system (e.g, developing a strategy for reducing human exposure to the chemical, including methods to promote voluntary actions by industry for reducing such exposure), and (2) the Director finds there is a high level of concern (e.g., prohibiting the use of the chemical in a manner in or affecting interstate commerce unless the pathway to human exposure is mitigated before or in conjunction with such use). Provides for citizen suits to restrain the prohibited use of chemicals under this Act. Requires: (1) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include findings and determinations of the Program in the Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource databases to the extent permitted by law, and (2) the Director to establish a program to support graduate and postdoctoral training in fields related to the study and prevention of endocrine disruption.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Calls on U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to support strict adherence to international environmental standards for any financial assistance to hydropower dam projects on the Mekong River. Encourages greater U.S. engagement with the Mekong River countries through the Lower Mekong Initiative. Applauds the decision of the Mekong River Commission to delay endorsement of the Xayaburi Dam, and supports further delay of the construction of mainstream hydropower dams along the Mekong River until the studies by the government of Laos have been completed. Calls on: (1) riparian states along the Mekong River, including China, to respect the rights of other River basin countries; and (2) the governments of Burma and China to improve cooperation with the Mekong River Commission. Supports assistance to the Lower Mekong River riparian states to analyze the impacts of proposed development.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2011
Recognizes September 11, 2011, as a day of solemn commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001, and as a day to come together as a nation. Offers deepest and most sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Honors the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of first responders, law enforcement personnel, state and local officials, volunteers, and countless others who aided the innocent victims of those attacks and, in doing so, bravely risked and often gave their own lives. Recognizes the valiant service, actions, and sacrifices of U.S. personnel, including members of the Armed Forces and their families, to support the cause of freedom and defend the security of the United States. Reaffirms that the people of the United States will never forget the challenges our country endured on and since September 11, 2001, and will work tirelessly to defeat those who attacked the United States. Calls upon all people and institutions of the United States, on the 10th anniversary of this tragic day in U.S. history, to observe a moment of remembrance on September 11, 2011. Encourages the observance of the moment of remembrance to last for one minute beginning at 1:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2011
Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act or SKILLS Act - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require the inclusion of effective school library programs in school improvement programs. Defines an "effective school library program" as one that: (1) is staffed by a state sanctioned school librarian; (2) has up-to-date materials and technology, including broadband; (3) includes regular collaboration between teachers and school librarians concerning school reform efforts; and (4) supports the development of digital literacy skills. Replaces the existing program under subpart 4 (Improving Literacy Through School Libraries) of part B of title I of the ESEA with a new program (Improving Literacy and College and Career Readiness Through Effective School Library Programs) awarding competitive three-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop and enhance effective school library programs. Makes LEAs eligible for such grants only if at least 20% of their students are impoverished. Amends part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to rename part A the Teacher, School Librarian, and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund. Requires states and LEAs to use funds under the program to train school librarians, and recruit and retain highly effective school librarians.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2011
Clean Estuaries Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reauthorize the National Estuary Program. Revises the purposes of management conferences convened with respect to estuaries. Requires a management conference's membership to include, among other entities, not-for-profit organizations. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) evaluate, every five years, the implementation of each comprehensive conservation and management plan developed under the Program to determine the degree to which the goals of the plan have been met; (2) provide notice to the management conference of the basis of a finding that a plan in incomplete and allow the conference to resubmit a revised plan; (3) submit the results of the evaluation to the appropriate management conference for review and comment; and (4) report on the results of the evaluation and make such report available to the public in the Federal Register and on the Internet. Requires management conferences to update plans 18 months after they are evaluated. Authorizes the Administrator to consider a management conference to be in probationary status if the conference has not received approval for an updated plan within five years of the date of the evaluation's publication. Requires the Administrator to: (1) reduce a grant for the implementation of a plan developed by a management conference with probationary status; and (2) terminate a management conference and cease funding for the implementation of the plan if the conference has been in probationary status for two consecutive years. Requires, after the Administrator's approval of a plan for an estuary, any federal action or activity affecting such estuary to be conducted in a manner consistent with such plan. Makes EPA the lead coordinating agency for implementing plans. Requires an agency head, in making annual budget requests, to consider the agency's responsibilities under the Program. Repeals provisions authorizing the Administrator to give grants to individuals for the development and implementation of plans. Authorizes appropriations for management conferences, grants, and monitoring the administration of plans. Requires the Administrator to include measures to track the introduction and establishment of nonnative species within the trend assessment program that monitors variations in environmental parameters which may affect estuarine zones. Requires the Administrator to evaluate and report to the public on the Program every five years. Revises the definition of: (1) "estuary" to include near-coastal waters and other bodies of water within the Great Lakes similar in form and function to waters otherwise described in such definition; and (2) "estuarine zones" to include such waters and transitional areas, associated aquatic ecosystems, and those portions of tributaries.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2011
Asset Forfeiture Responsibility Act of 2011 - Establishes the Fisheries Investment Fund as a separate account in the general fund of the Treasury where all sums received by the United States as fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) or any other marine resource law enforced by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) shall be deposited and remain available until expended. Directs that fees deposited in the Fund be used to: (1) reimburse reasonable attorneys' fees to a person that the Secretary has directed to be remitted a fisheries enforcement penalty as recommended in the report of Special Master Swartwood or a person that submitted a complaint to the Special Master prior to May 7, 2011, seeking remittance of a fisheries enforcement penalty and whom the Secretary directs to receive at least a portion of such remittance; and (2) conduct Fund audits and specified enforcement and monitoring activities under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act amended by this Act. Authorizes the Secretary, during FY2012-FY2013, to reimburse reasonable attorneys' fees to such a person. Directs a person to apply for such reimbursement within 60 days after the Secretary directs a fisheries enforcement penalty be remitted to that person. Allows the Secretary to pay from sums appropriated from the Fund for monitoring activities selected by the Regional Fishery Management Councils, including at-sea observers and shoreside monitoring, preparing fishery impact statements, and other priorities established by a Council as necessary to rebuild or maintain sustainable fisheries, ensure healthy ecosystems, and maintain fishing communities. Removes a provision allowing expenses directly related to investigations and civil or criminal enforcement proceedings, including related expenses necessary for equipment, training, travel, witnesses, and contracting services, to be paid from sums received as fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Act or any other fishery resource law enforced by the Secretary. Authorizes certain other costs and enforcement expenses to be paid from sums appropriated from the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2011
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to require each Department of State regional bureau to annually submit a list of goals for combating trafficking in persons (trafficking) for each country in its geographic area of responsibility. Authorizes the Secretary of State to appoint anti-trafficking officers at U.S. embassies who shall: (1) collaborate with other countries to eliminate human trafficking, (2) enhance Department of State anti-trafficking efforts, (3) monitor regional trafficking trends, and (4) assist U.S. embassies to prepare the annual Trafficking in Persons Reports. Directs the President to establish programs with foreign governments and civil society to enhance anti-trafficking capacity. Authorizes the Secretary of State, through the Ambassador-at-Large of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to: (1) establish a fund to assist foreign governments in meeting urgent needs in trafficking prevention, victim protection, and prosecution of trafficking offenders; and (2) provide assistance for each country with a high prevalence of trafficking that enters into a child protection compact with the United States. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require that a video about U.S. legal rights and resources be developed and shown in embassies and consulates with the greatest concentrations of aliens applying for employment- or education-based nonimmigrant visas. Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to include labor contract fraud under the scope of such Act. Amends the federal criminal code to subject a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien who resides overseas and engages in illicit sexual conduct, including sex trafficking, with a person under 18 years old to fine and/or imprisonment. Subjects a person to fine and/or imprisonment for the knowing destruction, concealment, removal, confiscation, or possession of certain immigration documents. Increases the statute of limitations to 10 years for a person to bring a civil action for an injury received while a minor that was caused by specified sexual- or forced labor-related violations of federal criminal law. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to: (1) make certain alien trafficking victims who had been in the United States to cooperate with law enforcement but because of serious threats fled the United States eligible for a nonimmigrant T visa (trafficking victims cooperating with law enforcement), and (2) make an alien who was the victim of foreign labor contracting fraud eligible for a nonimmigrant U visa (victims of certain crimes). Revises certain trafficking-related reporting requirements for the Attorney General (DOJ) and the Secretary of Labor. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of State to provide the Department of Labor with information relating to child labor and forced labor in the production of goods in violation of international standards. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding the use of foreign labor contractors. Authorizes the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make renewable one-year block grants to four eligible state or local government entities in different regions of the United States to combat sex trafficking of minors. Authorizes FY2012-FY2015 appropriations. Terminates the program four years after enactment of this Act. Authorizes appropriations through FY2015 for grants for local law enforcement investigations and prosecutions of trafficking and commercial sex act violations. Includes in the model state criminal provisions protections for persons under 18 years old who have been arrested for engaging in commercial sex acts. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations through FY2015 for: (1) the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, (2) the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts To Combat Trafficking in Persons, (3) the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, (4) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, (5) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for trafficking victim assistance, (6) the Secretary of State to combat trafficking, (7) the Attorney General for trafficking victim assistance in the United States and for assistance to foreign countries to combat trafficking, (8) the President for foreign trafficking victims assistance and to foreign countries to meet minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, (9) the Secretary of Labor for trafficking victim assistance in the United States, (10) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for trafficking investigations, and (11) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) for trafficking investigations by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize appropriations through FY2015 for studies and conferences addressing trafficking and sex trafficking in the United States. Amends INA to extend specified asylum and removal protections to aliens who are under the age of 18 as of a qualifying event. Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to direct: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish specified child advocate programs at immigration detention sites for trafficking victims and vulnerable unaccompanied alien children; and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to individuals who reach the age of 18 and are transferred to DHS, to consider placement in the least restrictive setting available, including alternative detention programs. Makes a child granted U visa status eligible for certain assistance for refugee children. Directs GAO to: (1) conduct a study of the effectiveness of the HHS child advocate program, and (2) conduct a study of the effectiveness of DHS border screening of unaccompanied alien children to determine whether they are trafficking victims.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2011
Fisheries Fee Fairness Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, using sums received as fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act or other fishery resource laws enforced by the Secretary, to reimburse certain legal fees and costs to a person applying for reimbursement that: (1) the Secretary directed to be remitted a fisheries enforcement penalty in the Secretarial Decision Memorandum issued by the Secretary on May 17, 2011, entitled Decisions regarding Certain NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Cases Based on Special Master Swartwood's Report and Recommendations; or (2) received a Notice of Violation and Assessment for a fisheries enforcement penalty issued on or after March 17, 1994, that was settled or otherwise resolved prior to February 3, 2010, paid a civil penalty, submitted a complaint seeking remittance prior to May 7, 2011, and was directed by the Secretary to receive at least a portion of such remittance. Directs the Secretary to make a final determination on whether to provide a reimbursement within 90 days after receiving such an application. Prohibits providing more than $200,000 to such a person for appropriate legal fees and costs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2011
Expresses the sense of the Senate: (1) recognizing the opening of the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest, Hungary; (2) acknowledging the government of Hungary for honoring the legacy of Congressman Lantos; (3) supporting the principles of the Institute, including democracy, pluralism, and human and minority rights; (4) supporting the education of present and future generations in Central and Eastern Europe which will contribute to regional cooperation, historical reconciliation, and tolerance throughout the Euro-Atlantic region; and (5) encouraging the people and the governments of the United States and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to continue to deepen their relations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2011
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a domestic partner (including a same-sex spouse) or his or her child, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition. Amends federal civil service law to apply the same leave allowance to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2011
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2011 - Prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. Sets forth civil penalties for persons who knowingly violate such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Veteran Voting Support Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide mail voter registration application forms to each veteran who: (1) seeks to enroll in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system at the time of such enrollment; and (2) is already enrolled in such system when there is a change in the veteran's enrollment status or when there is a change in the veteran's address. Requires the Secretary to accept completed application forms for transmittal to appropriate state election officials. Instructs that forms accepted at VA medical centers, community living centers, community-based outpatient centers, and domiciliaries be transmitted within ten days of acceptance, unless a completed form is accepted within five days before the last day for registration to vote in an election in which case the application shall be transmitted to the appropriate state election official within five days of acceptance. Prohibits any information relating to registering to vote or a declination to register to vote under this Act from being used for any purpose other than voter registration. Requires each Director of a VA community living center, domiciliary, or medical center to provide assistance in voting by absentee ballot to resident veterans. Requires such assistance to include: (1) providing information relating to the opportunity to request an absentee ballot; (2) making available absentee ballot applications upon request, as well as assisting in completing such applications and ballots; and (3) working with local election administration officials to ensure the proper transmission of the applications and ballots. Directs the Secretary to permit nonpartisan organizations to provide voter registration information and assistance at facilities of the VA health care system. Prohibits the Secretary from banning any election administration official, whether state or local, party-affiliated or non-party affiliated, or elected or appointed, from providing voting information to veterans at any VA facility. Directs the Secretary to provide reasonable access to facilities of the VA health care system to state and local election officials for the purpose of providing nonpartisan voter registration services to individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
High School Data Transparency Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to collect the following information annually from each coeducational secondary school that receives federal financial assistance and that has an interscholastic athletic program: (1) the number, gender, and race or ethnicity of students that attended the school; and (2) for each team that competed in athletic competition, the number, gender, and race or ethnicity of participants, the total expenditures, the number, gender, and employment status of trainers, medical personnel, and coaches, the number of competitions, and postseason record. Requires such schools to: (1) make such information available to students and potential students, upon request, and to the public by October 15 of each school year; (2) ensure that all students at the school are informed of their right to request such information; and (3) annually provide such information to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that such information is posted on the Department of Education's website, (2) notify all secondary schools regarding the availability of the information, and (3) issue guidance on how to collect and report the information required under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2011
Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2011 - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Makes monies covered into the Fund available for expenditure to carry out the purposes of the Act without further appropriation. Requires not less than 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount to be made available for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 - Creates a lawful prospective immigrant status for a qualifying alien present in the United States, as well as for such alien's qualifying spouse and children who may be outside the United States. Provides for status adjustment to lawful permanent resident. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2011 or the DREAM Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who: (1) entered the United States on or before his or her 15th birthday and has been present in the United States for five years preceding this Act's enactment; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; (5) has not been convicted of certain offenses under federal or state law; (6) has been admitted to an institution of higher education (IHE) in the United States or has earned a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States; and (7) was age 35 or younger on the date of this Act's enactment. Provides for status adjustment to lawful permanent resident. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ) to stay the removal proceedings of an alien who meets certain requirements and who is at least five years of age and enrolled full-time in a primary or secondary school. Limits the eligibility of an alien in conditional permanent resident status for higher education assistance. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2011 or the AgJOBS Act of 2011 - Confers "blue card status" upon an alien who has fulfilled specified periods of agricultural employment in the United States, is otherwise admissible, and has not been convicted of specified crimes. Provides for adjustment to permanent resident status if the alien has fulfilled other specified periods of agricultural employment in the United States. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Establishes the Commission on Agricultural Wage Standards under the H-2A program. Revises unlawful presence inadmissibility provisions, including family-unity based exceptions. Establishes in the Treasury: (1) the Department of Homeland Security Legalization Program Account, and (2) the Immigration Reform Penalty Account. Sets forth immigration-related worksite enforcement provisions, including provisions regarding: (1) unlawful employment of aliens, (2) document verification, (3) the employment verification system, and (4) responsibilities of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Permits the disclosure of certain taxpayer information to DHS. Requires the issuance of: (1) fraud-, tamper-, and wear-resistant Social Security cards; and (2) machine-readable, tamper-resistant employment authorization documents with biometric identifiers. Makes it an unfair immigration employment practice to discriminate based on national origin or citizenship status. Revises immigration-related activities of the SSA and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Authorizes appropriations for responsibilities under this Act for: (1) DHS, (2) SSA, (3) the DOJ, and (4) the Department of State. Prohibits the adjustment of an alien in lawful prospective immigrant status to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence until specified border related enhancements in personnel and resources are established, funded, and operational. Provides for additional: (1) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel; (2) Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) personnel; (3) DHS personnel assigned to investigate alien smuggling; (4) immigration litigation attorneys; (5) ports of entry along the northern and southern borders; and (6) equipment and assets along the borders, including unmanned aerial systems, cameras, sensors, satellites, and radar coverage. Directs the Secretary of State to report annually regarding the exchange of North American immigration, law enforcement, and security information among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Provides for: (1) increased border-related cooperation with Mexico, and (2) expansion of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs. Provides reimbursement for state and county prosecutors in border states for prosecuting federally initiated and referred drug cases. Authorizes border relief grants for tribal, state, or local law enforcement and related agencies in proximity to the border or in a designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Establishes the Immigration and United States-Mexico Border Enforcement Commission. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set out the scope of state and local immigration-related enforcement authority. Directs the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Commerce to develop a border protection strategy. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every Border Patrol sector on the southern or northern border. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a visa exit tracking system, and (2) equip all U.S. ports of entry with the United States-Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology system (US-VISIT). Increases: (1) civil penalties for illegal entry; (2) fines and penalties for the reentry of previously removed aliens; and (3) penalties concerning stowaways, vessels, and aircraft. Revises voluntary departure provisions. Authorizes appropriations for the state criminal alien assistance program (SCAAP). Sets forth provisions regarding issuance of detainers by DHS personnel for aliens apprehended by state or local law enforcement officials for controlled substance violations. Revises passport, visa, and immigration fraud provisions. Directs: (1) the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate or amend passport fraud sentencing guidelines, and (2) the Attorney General to develop immigration fraud prosecution guidelines. Expands the definition of conveyances subject to forfeiture for smuggling. Requires commercial vehicles transporting passengers from outside the United States to a U.S. airport or seaport to provide arrival/departure manifests. Authorizes DHS to share manifest and passenger name information with other government authorities, including foreign governments. Subjects an operator of a vessel or motor vehicle to fine and/or imprisonment for evading a federal checkpoint. Authorizes grants for Indian tribes adversely affected by illegal immigration. Authorizes Department of State and Foreign Service special agents to investigate: (1) illegal passport or visa issuance or use, (2) Department-related identity theft and document fraud, and (3) federal offenses committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdictions (nonmilitary) of the United States. Makes inadmissible and deportable convicted alien: (1) sex offenders who fail to register, and (2) street gang members. Sets forth, with respect to immigration-related enforcement activities: (1) protections for vulnerable populations, (2) apprehension procedures of more than 10 people involving children, and (3) detention procedures for families with children. Requires the creation of secure alternatives to detention (excluding alien terrorists). Enumerates humane detention conditions, including conditions for children and vulnerable populations. Requires the appointment of a detention commission. Authorizes access to counsel for aliens in removal proceedings. Directs the Attorney General to establish a National Legal Orientation Support and Training Center to ensure quality and consistent implementation of group legal orientation programs nationwide. Sets forth protections for: (1) refugees, including designation of refugee groups; and (2) stateless persons in the United States, including mechanisms for regularizing status. Establishes in DHS a position of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ombudsman. Eliminates the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. Establishes the Standing Commission on Foreign Workers, Labor Markets, and the National Interest to establish employment-based immigration policies that promote economic growth while minimizing job displacement, wage depression, and unauthorized employment in the United States. Revises family and employment based immigrant visa provisions. Recaptures unused FY1992-FY2007 visas. Increases immigration visas for: (1) sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and (2) brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. Provides a specified visa allocation for the unmarried sons and unmarried daughters of permanent resident aliens. Exempts certain aliens with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics from numerical limits. Revises the definition of "immediate relative" to include the spouse and child of a lawful permanent resident. Establishes a status adjustment process for certain military family members. Redefines "child" to include a stepchild under 21 years old. Provides specified relief for orphans and widows/widowers. Authorizes the status adjustment of a fiance/fiancee or alien spouse and any minor children (K-visa) to conditional permanent resident status if such alien marries a petitioner within three months after U.S. admission. Exempts children of certain naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant limitations. Permits workers who are eligible for permanent resident status adjustment but for whom a visa number is unavailable to apply for adjustment. Uniting American Families Act of 2011 - Includes a "permanent partner" within the scope of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Creating American Jobs Through Foreign Capital Investment Act - Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 to make the EB-5 visa (alien investor) regional center program permanent. Eliminates sunset provisions for: (1) the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program, and (2) the special immigrant nonminister religious worker program. Extends the H-1C visa program providing nonimmigrant nurses in health professional shortage areas. Revises entry provisions for H-1B visa foreign medical graduates and provides for an increase under specified conditions in the annual per-state cap of 30 foreign doctors. Exempts from worldwide immigration numerical limitations alien physicians who have completed state waiver or exemption service requirements, including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act. Includes nationals of Ireland coming to the United States under a treaty of commerce to perform specialty occupation services in the nonimmigrant E-3 visa category. Authorizes: (1) temporary workers (E, H, I, L O, or P visas) who have not violated their status to renew their same category visa from within the United States; and (2) alien spouses of nonimmigrant H-visa aliens to work in the United States. Gives an alien who ceases to be employed by his or her petitioning employer 60 days to leave the United States or apply for a change of status. Protect Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation Act or the POWER Act - Excludes from the definition of "immigrant" a nonimmigrant alien who files a petition for status if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that the alien: (1) has suffered abuse or harm as a result of having been a victim of criminal activity, (2) has suffered substantial abuse or harm related to specified labor or employment violations related to a workplace claim (workplace violation), (3) is a victim of specified criminal activity and would suffer extreme hardship upon removal, (4) has suffered a workplace violation and would suffer extreme hardship upon removal, (5) has been helpful to specified authorities investigating a workplace violation, or (6) is a material witness or is likely to be helpful in the investigation of a workplace claim and fears retaliatory activities by the employer. Sets forth provisions governing procedural requirements and protections in an enforcement action leading to a removal proceeding taken against an alien: (1) as a result of information provided to DHS in retaliation against an individual for exercising employment or other legal rights, (2) at a facility about which a workplace claim has been filed, or (3) who has filed a workplace claim or who is a material witness in any proceeding involving a workplace claim. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to allow state leadership activity grants to be used to provide technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations. Directs the National Institute for Literacy to disseminate information regarding integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs. Provides grants to states for integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) tax credits to teachers of English language learners, (2) tax deductions for the expenses of becoming certified as such teachers, and (3) tax credits for employers' expenses in making adult education and literacy services available to their employees. Requires the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research to establish a national research and development center for adult education and literacy. Establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting United States Citizenship to be awarded to companies and other organizations that make extraordinary efforts in assisting their employees and members to learn English and increase their understanding of U.S. history and civics. Renames the Office of Citizenship of DHS as the Office of Citizenship and New Americans. Authorizes the Office to make grants to states and subgrants to local governments to assist them in integrating immigrants. Establishes the New Citizens Award program. Provides for the status adjustment to lawful permanent resident of certain: (1) Haitian orphans, and (2) Liberian nationals. Provides grants to state courts for programs to assist individuals with limited English proficiency to access and understand state court proceedings. Provides permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying alien who was, on September 10, 2001, the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien who died as a direct result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist activity against the United States. Makes such provisions inapplicable to an alien who is inadmissible or deportable under criminal or security grounds, including September 11, 2001, terrorist activity. Directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand programming that prioritizes alternatives to emigration from countries with the highest rates of irregular migration to the United States. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should review U.S. policy toward Latin America in order to strengthen hemispheric security through the reduction of poverty, expansion of equitable trade, and support for democratic institutions, citizen security, and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. Armed Forces and coalition partners who are engaged in military operations to protect the people of Libya have demonstrated extraordinary bravery and should be commended; (2) the U.S. government should continue to support the aspirations of the people of Libya for political reform and self-government based on democratic and human rights; (3) the goal of U.S. policy in Libya, as stated by the President, is to achieve the departure from power of Muammar Qaddafi and his family, including through the use of diplomatic and economic pressure, so that a peaceful transition can begin to an inclusive government that ensures freedom and opportunity; and (4) the Qaddafi regime's funds that have been frozen by the United States should be returned to the people of Libya for their benefit, and the President should explore the possibility with the Transitional National Council of using some of such funds to reimburse North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries for expenses incurred in Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Unified Protector. Authorizes the President to continue the limited use of the U.S. Armed Forces in Libya in support of U.S. security policy interests as part of the NATO mission to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, as requested by the Transitional National Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the Arab League. Terminates such authorization one year after the date of enactment of this joint resolution. States that Congress does not support deploying, establishing, or maintaining the presence of units and members of the U.S. Armed Forces on the ground in Libya unless the purpose of the presence is limited to the immediate personal defense of U.S. government officials (including diplomatic representatives) or to rescuing members of NATO forces from imminent danger. Directs the President to consult frequently with Congress regarding U.S. efforts in Libya, including by providing regular briefings and reports. Includes as elements in such briefings and reports: (1) an updated description of U.S. national security interests and policy objectives in Libya; (2) an updated list of U.S. Armed Forces activities in Libya; (3) an updated assessment of the opposition groups in Libya, including potential successor governments; and (4) an updated explanation of the President's legal and constitutional rationale for conducting military operations in Libya consistent with the War Powers Resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2011
Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended by the Second Chance Act of 2007, to revise and reauthorize through FY2016 grant programs for: (1) state and local adult and juvenile offender reentry projects; (2) effective alternatives to incarceration; (3) family-based substance abuse treatment; (4) evaluation and improvement of educational methods at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (5) technology careers training; (6) offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration; and (7) nonprofit organization mentoring programs. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to audit not less than 5% of all grantees awarded grants under reentry and drug treatment programs of the Second Chance Act of 2007. Prohibits grantees who are found by an audit to have made unauthorized expenditures from receiving future funding for a specified period of time. Repeals provisions of the Second Chance Act of 2007 authorizing: (1) the program for responsible reintegration of offenders, (2) the study of the effectiveness of depot naltrexone for heroin addiction, and (3) the Federal Remote Satellite and Reentry Training (ReStart) program. Extends through FY2016 the program under such Act for the reentry of elderly nonviolent offenders into their communities and reduces the eligibility age for such program from 65 to 60. Awards credits against the sentences of prisoners who participate in reentry programs demonstrated to reduce recidivism.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Lowell National Historical Park Land Exchange Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to exchange any federal land or interest within the boundaries of Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts for any non-federal land or interest owned by the state of Massachusetts, the city of Lowell, or the University of Massachusetts Building Authority. Requires, if facilities or infrastructure required for the management and operation of the Park are located on the federal land to be exchanged and the value of the federal and non-federal land is not of equal value, the value shall be equalized by the making of a cash equalization payment to the Secretary. Requires any such payments received by the Secretary to be credited to a special account in the Treasury and made available for the replacement of such facilities and infrastructure. Bars the Secretary from being required to equalize the value of the federal and non-federal land if the non-federal land exceeds the value of the federal land. Requires loans made by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission to the Lowell Development and Financial Corporation to enable the Corporation to provide low interest loans for the preservation, restoration, or development of certain property in the Park or Lowell Historic Preservation District because of its national historic or cultural significance to have a maturity of 60 years (under current law, 35 years).
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend coverage to custom fabricated breast prostheses after a mastectomy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health for Military Women Act or the MARCH for Military Women Act - Amends the prohibition on using funds available to the Department of Defense (DOD) to perform abortions by adding an exception for cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. (Current law provides an exception only where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term.) Repeals a statutory restriction on using a medical treatment facility or other DOD facility to perform an abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free). Declares the sense of the Senate that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future, and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Essex National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act - Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to: (1) extend the authority for the Secretary of the Interior to make grants or provide assistance respecting the Essex National Heritage Area until September 30, 2027, and (2) increase the total amount that may be appropriated for the Area under the Act to $20 million.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Directs specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the implementation of such a withdrawal of approval.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes, and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI).
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj's historic visit to Washington, DC, cements the growing friendship between the governments and peoples of the United States and Mongolia; (2) the continued commitment of the Mongolian people and the government of Mongolia to advancing democratic reforms and protecting investment deserves acknowledgment; and (3) the U.S. government should continue to promote economic, academic, and cultural cooperation with Mongolia, and support international financial assistance for Mongolia.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011
Libyan Assets for Humanitarian Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to authorize the President to: (1) confiscate and vest funds and other property of the government of Libya that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and (2) liquidate or sell any of such property. Limits the amount of funds that may be taken. Requires that confiscated and vested funds be deposited in an account for confiscated property (as required to be established by this Act). Authorizes the President to transfer account funds to: (1) executive agencies or other persons to be used for humanitarian relief for the people of Libya, and (2) a U.S.-recognized successor government of Libya. Prohibits fund transfers for weapons purchases or to organizations or persons involved in terrorism or human rights violations. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) congressional notification, (2) reporting and recordkeeping, (3) confiscation of property, and (4) judicial review. Defines "government of Libya" as the government of Libya on the date of enactment of this Act, including any agency or instrumentality of that government, any entity controlled by that government, and the Central Bank of Libya, while excluding any successor government of Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction that is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition. Increases the cap on the amount of appropriations that may be used to carry out such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011
Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from an employee's gross income employer-provided accident and health plan benefits extended to a domestic partner or non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiary eligible to receive such benefits under an employer plan (i.e., "eligible beneficiary"); (2) exempt such benefits paid to eligible beneficiaries from otherwise applicable employment and unemployment taxes; (3) allow self-employed individuals a tax deduction for the health insurance costs of their eligible beneficiaries; (4) allow tax-exempt voluntary employees' beneficiary associations to provide sick and accident benefits to the domestic partners and non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiaries of their members; (5) allow reimbursement of the medical expenses of an eligible beneficiary from a health savings account (HSA); and (6) extend tax-exempt medical benefits to the eligible beneficiaries of retired employees Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide guidance relating to reimbursements from a flexible spending arrangement and a health reimbursement arrangement attributable to an eligible beneficiary as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Trash Free Seas Act of 2011 - Amends the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act to: (1) restate a purpose of such Act to be to address the adverse impacts of marine debris on the marine environment, navigation safety, and the U.S. economy through research, source identification, assessment, reduction, removal, and prevention; and (2) rename the Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program as the Marine Debris Program. Revises Program components to include requiring the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to undertake: (1) marine debris research and assessment and reduction and prevention efforts, with a focus on marine debris posing a threat to living marine resources, the marine environment, navigation safety, or the U.S. economy; (2) efforts to prevent, reduce, and remove the occurrence and impacts of marine debris, including the adverse impacts of derelict fishing gear; and (3) outreach and education of the public on sources of marine debris, threats associated with marine debris, and approaches to identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, remove, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts. Requires the federal information clearinghouse on marine debris to include information on best practices. Defines "marine debris" as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes. Requires the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee ro report on progress in meeting the purposes of such Act every two (currently three) years. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such program and clearinghouse through FY2015.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Combating Autism Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and reauthorize appropriations through FY2014 for programs established under the Combating Autism Act of 2006, including: (1) the developmental disabilities surveillance and research program; (2) the autism education, early detection, and intervention program; and (3) the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a progress report on: (1) activities related to autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, and (2) implementation of the Combating Autism Act of 2006. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2014 for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research on autism spectrum disorders and reviews of centers of excellence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Preservation of Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through 2013 the minimum payment amount for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) services for bone mass measurement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Retiree Health Coverage Protection Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to increase from $5 billion to $10 billion the amount appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the temporary reinsurance program to reimburse participating employment-based group health benefits plans for a portion of the cost of providing health insurance coverage to early retirees (and their eligible spouses and dependents) between establishment of the program and January 1, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011
Recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children in the foster care system face. Encourages Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. Supports the designation of May as National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011
Affordable Footwear Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the reduction or elimination of duties on certain imported footwear will result in reduced retail prices for a wide range of U.S. consumers. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide for temporary duty-free or reduced-duty treatment of certain footwear (including children's shoes) made of rubber or plastics that are imported into the United States. Deems the outer sole of shoes made of rubber or plastics to which textile materials are attached or incorporated to be made only of rubber or plastics, with no account taken of the textile materials.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011
Sunscreen Labeling Protection Act of 2011 or the SUN Act - Requires the proposed rule issued by the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) pertaining to over-the-counter sunscreen drug products to take effect 180 days after enactment of this Act, unless the Commissioner issues a final rule that includes formulation, labeling, and testing requirements for both ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation protection before such time.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011 - Requires each state to have in effect within two years a law, or each state department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) an explicit policy statement, that requires all federal-aid highway projects, with certain exceptions, to accommodate the safety and convenience of all users in accordance with certain complete streets principles. Defines "complete streets principles" as federal, state, local, or regional level transportation laws, policies, or principles which ensure that the safety and convenience of all users of a transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, children, older individuals, motorists, freight vehicles, and individuals with disabilities, are accommodated in all phases of project planning and development. Allows such law or policy to make project-specific exemptions from such principles, subject to proper approval, only if affected roadways prohibit specified users by law from using them, the cost of a compliance project would be excessively disproportionate to the need, or the population and employment densities, traffic volumes, or level of transit service around a roadway is so low that the expected roadway users will not include pedestrians, public transportation, freight vehicles, or bicyclists. Revises federal-aid highway project standards to require the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that project plans provide for highway facilities that are consistent with the complete street principles. Requires the construction design for a highway on the National Highway System to take into account certain criteria, including the need to balance design speed, right-of-way needs, and community livability. Directs the Secretary (who currently is merely authorized) to develop criteria for such design. Requires the Secretary also, in developing such criteria, to consider roadway design guidelines issued jointly by Congress for the New Urbanism and the Institute of Transportation Engineers in developing such criteria. Requires the Secretary to establish a method for ensuring compliance by state departments of transportation and MPOs with complete streets principles. Requires the Access Board to issue final standards for accessibility of new construction and alterations of pedestrian facilities for public rights-of-way. Requires the Secretary to conduct research regarding complete streets to: (1) assist states, MPOs, and local jurisdictions in developing and implementing complete streets-compliant plans, projects, procedures, policies, and training programs; and (2) establish benchmarks for, and provide technical guidance on, implementing complete streets policies and principles.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011
Honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses during National Small Business Week beginning May 15, 2011. Applauds the efforts and achievements of small business owners and their employees. Recognizes the work of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its resource partners in providing assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Recognizes the importance of ensuring that: (1) guaranteed loans, including microloans and venture capital, are made available to all qualified small businesses; (2) necessary federal resources are provided to management assistance programs delivered by SBA resource partners; (3) SBA small business disaster assistance is provided in a timely and efficient manner; (4) affordable Internet access is available to all people in the United States so that small businesses can utilize such access; (5) regulatory relief is provided to small businesses through the reduction of duplicative or unnecessary regulatory requirements; and (6) leveling the playing field for small business contracting opportunities remains a primary focus.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011
Commemorates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Honors the contributions made by the alumni, professors, and staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology throughout the past 150 years.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011
Supports the aspirations of the Libyan people for political reform based on democratic and human rights. Commends the service of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and our coalition partners who are engaged in military operations to protect the Libyan people. Supports the limited use of military force by the United States in Libya as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, as requested by the Transitional National Council, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Agrees that the goal of U.S. policy in Libya is to achieve the departure from power of Muammar Qaddafi and his family so that a peaceful transition can begin to a government that ensures freedom, opportunity, and justice for the people of Libya. Affirms that the funds of the Qaddafi regime that have been frozen by the United States should be returned to the Libyan people, and calls for exploring with the Transitional National Council the possibility of using some of such funds to reimburse NATO countries for expenses incurred in Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Unified Protector. Calls on the President to: (1) submit to Congress a description of U.S. policy objectives in Libya, and (2) consult regularly with Congress regarding U.S. efforts in Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2011
National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011 - Reestablishes the position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Vice Chief). Terminates the position of Director of the Joint Staff of the National Guard Bureau (Director) and transfers existing duties of the Director to the Vice Chief. Adds the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Chief) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to continue the Task Force for Emergency Readiness (TFER) pilot program as a permanent FEMA program. Requires the Administrator to carry out the program in at least five states in addition to the five states in which the program is carried out as of the enactment of this Act. Requires the Chief to: (1) identify, using catastrophic disaster response plans for each state developed under the program, any gaps in state civilian and military response capabilities that federal military capabilities are unprepared to fill; (2) notify the Secretary of Defense and the respective Commanders of the U.S. Northern and Pacific Commands of any such gaps; and (3) assist, acting through the Adjutants General of the States, states in developing state plans on responses to catastrophic disaster emergencies. Directs the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into a memorandum of understanding on coordination between Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and between such departments and the states, in the use of military forces in response to domestic emergencies. Authorizes appropriations for the DOD for FY2012 for National Guard: (1) continuity of operations, continuity of government, and consequence management in connection with response to terrorist and other attacks and catastrophes; (2) emergency preparedness and response activities; and (3) staffing of joint operations coordination centers in response to terrorist and other attacks and catastrophes. States that the U.S. Northern and Pacific Commands shall be the combatant commands principally responsible for the military support of civil authorities in the United States. Requires the Commander of each Command and the Chief to enter into a memorandum of understanding setting forth the operational relationships, and individual roles and responsibilities, during responses to domestic emergencies among such Commands and the National Guard Bureau. Requires the officers serving as Commander of Army North Command and Commander of Air Force North Command to be officers in the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, respectively. Directs the Secretary of Defense to modify specified regulations prescribed pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 to provide for the use of available appropriated State Partnership Program funds for contacts between members of the National Guard and civilian personnel of foreign governments outside the ministry of defense on matters within the core competencies of the National Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011
Haiti Reforestation Act of 2011 - Authorizes the President to: (1) offer to enter into agreements with the government of Haiti to provide financial assistance, technology transfers, or capacity building assistance to reduce deforestation and increase reforestation in Haiti; and (2) establish a grant program to carry out such activities. Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to: (1) direct the President to invite the government of Haiti to submit a list of areas in which tropical forests are seriously degraded or threatened, and (2) authorize the President to make grants to nongovernmental organizations to purchase discounted commercial debt of the government of Haiti in exchange for government commitments to restore identified forests or to develop plans for their sustainable use.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011
Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act (Defense STRONG Act) - Amends the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to require the Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to be appointed from general or flag officers or Department of Defense (DOD) employees in a comparable Senior Executive Service position. Requires the assignment within each military brigade or equivalent unit level of at least one full-time Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and one full-time Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, allowing the Secretary of the military department concerned to assign additional coordinators and/or advocates based on the demographics or needs of the unit. Allows only members of the Armed Forces (members) or DOD civilian personnel to be assigned as coordinators or advocates as of October 1, 2013. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a professional training and certification program for such coordinators and advocates. Entitles any member, or dependent of a member, who is the victim of a sexual assault to legal assistance provided by a military legal assistance counsel and coordinator and advocate services, regardless of whether the member elects unrestricted or restricted (confidential) reporting of the assault. Makes privileged any communications between a member or dependent and a coordinator, advocate, or person staffing a helpline. Directs the Secretary to establish a system for tracking and permanently maintaining any medical, investigative, and other records prepared or obtained by DOD in connection with a sexual assault involving a member or dependent. Requires the transfer from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of certain medical information in anticipation of a member's discharge, release, retirement, medical treatment, or claim for disability. Provides for the expedited consideration of, and priority for, an application by victims of sexual assault for a permanent change of station or unit transfer based on humanitarian conditions. Requires each military department Secretary to develop curricula to provide sexual assault prevention and response training and education for members and civilian employees of that department. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the inclusion of a sexual assault prevention and response training module at each level of professional military education, and (2) require managers of specialty skills associated with first responders to integrate sexual assault response training in initial and recurring first responder training courses.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2011
Municipal Bond Market Support Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the small issuer exemption from interest expense allocation rules for financial institutions to: (1) permanently increase from $10 million to $30 million the annual limit on the amount of tax-exempt obligations that a small issuer may issue, and (2) allow an inflation adjustment to such increased limit amount after 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2011
Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive, matching Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants to nonprofit organizations that partner with a local educational agency (LEA) to implement a comprehensive continuum of supports and services that engage community partners in improving the academic achievement, health and social development, and college and career readiness of children that live in distressed neighborhoods with underperforming schools. Directs the Secretary to award competitive, matching Promise School grants to LEAs that partner with nonprofit organizations, and Indian or charter schools that partner with nonprofit organizations or institutions of higher education, to implement school-centered strategies and integrated student supports that leverage community partnerships to improve student achievement and development in schools with high concentrations of low-income children. Authorizes the Secretary to renew Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants and Promise School grants if the grantees demonstrate significant success in: (1) ensuring children's school readiness; (2) improving their academic outcomes; (3) increasing their college and career readiness; and (4) improving their health, mental health, and social and emotional well-being. Requires this Act's grantees to evaluate their programs continuously and improve them based on data and outcomes. Directs the Secretary to evaluate this Act's grant programs and disseminate research on best practices for improving the academic achievement of children living in our most distressed communities. Authorizes the Secretary to award matching planning grants to entities eligible for this Act's other grants.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2011 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity and enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution, a federal or state statute, or related public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and reauthorize appropriations for payments associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000148_200.jpg)