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![Official portrait of Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000571_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,398 records where Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 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 · 1 April 2011
Protect America from U.S. Military Expenses in Libya Act of 2011 - Directs the President, in order to ensure that the cost of military operations in Libya does not increase the federal deficit or reduce the capability of U.S. Armed Forces, to submit to Congress a list of recommendations for specific rescissions of nonsecurity discretionary appropriations for FY2011, for purposes of reappropriation to accounts of the Department of Defense (DOD) to replace amounts obligated for such operations. Requires the aggregate amount of the recommended rescissions to be at least equal to the projected cost of such operations. Directs the Secretary of Defense to determine and submit to the President and Congress the projected cost of such operations through May 15, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
3-D, Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act of 2011 - Considers that the Secretary of the Interior has approved the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015 as a final oil and gas leasing program under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Deems the Secretary to have issued a final environmental impact statement for such Program under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a lease sale in each outer Continental Shelf planning area for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas production leases, (2) approve or disapprove a drill permit application within 20 days after submission, and (3) hold lease sales for specified areas in the Central Gulf of Mexico, Western Gulf of Mexico, and the state of Virginia. Grants the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit exclusive jurisdiction over challenges to offshore energy projects and permits to drill carried out in the Gulf of Mexico. Directs the Secretary to implement an oil and gas leasing program in land within the 1002 Coastal Plain Area of Alaska. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a special area for preservation of its unique and diverse character. Directs the Secretary to: (1) administer the leasing program with respect to Coastal Plain environmental protection according to the no significant adverse effect standard, (2) issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas, and (3) convey specified surface estates to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation and to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Establishes the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Alternative Energy Trust Fund. Amends the Oil Shale, Tar Sands, and Other Strategic Unconventional Fuels Act of 2005 to require the Secretary to conduct related lease sales in any state during any period when there is sufficient state support and interest in the development of tar sands and oil shale resources. Grants the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia exclusive jurisdiction to hear all causes and claims arising from any covered project of federal land leasing for exploitation of oil, natural gas, or any other source or form of energy. Amends NEPA to require completion and review of environmental impact statements within 270 days after their commencement or the action concerned shall be considered a final agency action with no significant environmental impact. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) declare that carbon dioxide, methane from agriculture or livestock, and water vapor are not air pollutants; and (2) require an economic analysis of any requirement of the Act that results in an adverse effect on employment. Requires the Secretary of commerce to establish an economic review board to assess such an analysis. Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to require the the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, as appropriate, upon a state governor's declaration of an emergency, to exempt from the prohibition against taking, and against adverse modification of critical habitat, any action reasonably necessary to avoid or ameliorate the impact of the emergency, including the operation of any water supply or flood control project by a federal agency. Prohibits consideration of the impact of greenhouse gas on any species of fish or wildlife or plant for any purpose in the implementation of the ESA. Instructs the Administrator of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to approve the specification of the areas described in the notice entitled "Final Determination of the Assistant Administrator for Water Pursuant to Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act Concerning the Spruce No. 1 Mine, Logan County, WV." Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to issue or reissue each lease for the production of oil or gas in the state of Utah that was canceled during calendar years 2009 through 2011. Prohibits the Bureau of Reclamation of the Department of the Interior and any California state agency operating a water project in connection with the Central Valley Project from restricting operations of an applicable project pursuant to any biological opinion issued under ESA if it would result in a level of allocation of water less than the historical maximum allocation under the project. Directs the Secretary of State to expedite the permit request for the Keystone XL pipeline without considering greenhouse gas impacts during the permit review process. Instructs the EPA Administrator to issue without further review or analysis a permit to Shell Oil Company to drill for oil in the Beaufort Sea. Prohibits the award or federal payment of legal fees to an environmental nongovernmental organization in connection with any action: (1) preventing, terminating, or reducing access to production of energy, mineral resources, water by agricultural producers, a resource by commercial or recreational fishermen, or grazing or timber production on federal land; (2) diminishing a property owner's private property value; or (3) eliminating or preventing one or more jobs.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 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 (DOD), 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. Prohibits any such transfer after December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2011
Healthcare Fiscal Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to convert specified funding under such Act from a direct appropriation to an authorization of appropriations or from a transfer to an authorization of such transfer, including funding for: (1) the establishment of a temporary high-risk pool for uninsured individuals with preexisting conditions, (2) the establishment of a temporary reinsurance program for early retirees, (3) health insurance exchanges, and (4) the Prevention and Public Health Fund. Rescinds or restores the unobligated balances of funds available pursuant to such direct appropriations or transfers, respectively. Repeals provisions of PPACA, as if such provisions had not been enacted, that appropriate funds to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) for allotments to states, the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund, and outreach and enrollment grants. Repeals provisions of PPACA appropriating funds, except with respect to FY2010 or FY2011, for: (1) allotments to states for abstinence education, (2) special projects of regional and national significance for the development and support of family-to-family health information centers for families of children with disabilities or special health care needs, and (3) the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information. Rescinds the unobligated portion of funds available pursuant to such provisions for FY2010-FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
National Women's History Museum Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to convey, by quitclaim deed, to the National Women's History Museum, Inc. (the Museum) specified property in the District of Columbia, on terms which the Administrator deems appropriate. Requires the purchase price for the property to be: (1) its market value based on its highest and best use, as determined by an independent appraisal; and (2) paid into the Federal Buildings Fund. Requires the property to be dedicated for use as a site for a national women's history museum for a 99-year period. Provides for the reversion of the property to the United States without any obligation for repayment of any amount of the purchase price if: (1) it is not used as a site for a national women's history museum during the 99-year period, and (2) the Museum has not commenced construction of a museum facility on such property in a 5-year period other than for reasons beyond the Museum's control.
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 · 30 March 2011
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and a $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to make available for leasing and to conduct lease sales including: (1) at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources (on a total btu basis) based upon the most recent national geologic assessment of the OCS, with an emphasis on offering the most geologically prospective parts of the planning area; and (2) any state subdivision of an OCS planning area that the governor of such state requests be made available for leasing. Directs the Secretary, in the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to make available for leasing OCS planning areas that are estimated to contain more than 2.5 billion barrels of oil or more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary, in developing a 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to determine a domestic strategic production goal for the development of oil and natural gas. Makes the production goal for the 2012-2017 5-year oil and gas leasing program an increase by 2027 in daily production of at least 3 million barrels of oil and 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations providing for: (1) issuance of seismic surveying cost credits for the provision of data from seismic surveying of the OCS; and (2) use of such credits for payment of bonus bids owed for oil and gas lease sales in the planning area where the seismic survey was conducted.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior (who currently is only authorized) to require that any lessee operating under an approved exploration plan obtain: (1) a permit before drilling any well in accordance with such plan, and (2) a new permit before drilling any well of a design significantly different from the design for which an existing permit was issued. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing a permit without ensuring that the proposed drilling operations meet all: (1) critical safety system requirements including blowout prevention, and (2) oil spill response and containment requirements. Requires the Secretary to decide whether to issue a permit within 30 days after receiving an application. Allows up to two 15-day extensions of such deadline. Prescribes implementation procedures. Imposes a deadline for certain permit applications under existing leases. Establishes any district court within the 5th circuit as the exclusive venue for certain civil actions relating to covered energy projects in the Gulf of Mexico unless there is no proper venue within any 5th circuit court. Defines a covered action as one seeking relief (other than money damages) and stating a claim that an agency or an agency officer or employee acted or failed to act in an official capacity or under color of legal authority regarding such a project. Sets forth a time limitation governing: (1) filing a covered civil action, (2) judicial granting or approval of prospective relief, and (3) attorneys’ fees and other court costs. Specifies limitations upon: (1) prospective relief; and (2) attorneys' fees, expenses, and other court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct specified proposed offshore oil and gas lease sales as follows: (1) lease sale 216 in the Central Gulf of Mexico within four months after enactment of this Act; (2) lease sale 218 in the Western Gulf of Mexico within eight months after enactment of this Act; (3) lease sale 220 on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Virginia within one year after enactment of this Act; and (4) lease sale 222 in the Central Gulf of Mexico no later than June 1, 2012. Prohibits the Secretary from making any Offshore Virginia tract available for leasing if it would conflict with military operations. Declares that, for purposes of such proposed lease sales, specified Environmental Impact Statements are deemed to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Access to Professional Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative cost calculations for purposes of calculating the medical-loss ratio of a health insurance plan. Defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under the laws of the particular state to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), when a state requests an adjustment of a medical-loss ratio, to defer to the state's findings and determinations as to whether enforcing the required medical-loss ratio may destabilize the individual or small group markets for health insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Soda Ash Royalty Extension, Job Creation, and Export Enhancement Act of 2011 - Amends the Soda Ash Royalty Reduction Act of 2006 to extend from October 12, 2011, through October 12, 2016, the reduced (2%) royalty rate for soda ash.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2011 - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to: (1) state that it is the policy of Congress to recognize and reaffirm that alcohol is different from other consumer products and that it should continue to be regulated by the states, and (2) prohibit states or territories from discriminating against out-of-state producers of alcoholic beverages in favor of in-state or in-territory producers unless such states or territories can demonstrate that that such discrimination advances a legitimate local purpose that cannot be adequately served by reasonable nondiscriminatory alternatives. Amends the Wilson Act to eliminate the requirement that a state or territory regulate all fermented, distilled, or other intoxicating liquors or liquids transported into such jurisdiction to the same extent and in the same manner as such liquors or liquids produced in such jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to permit a health plan to decline coverage of specific items and services that are contrary to the religious beliefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan or the purchaser or beneficiary (in the case of individual coverage) without penalty. Declares that such plans are still considered to: (1) be providing the essential health benefits package or preventive health services, (2) be a qualified health plan, and (3) have fulfilled other requirements under PPACA. Declares that nothing in PPACA shall be construed to authorize a health plan to require a provider to provide, participate in, or refer for a specific item or service contrary to the provider's religious beliefs or moral convictions. Prohibits a health plan from being considered to have failed to provide timely or other access to items or services or to fulfill any other requirement under PPACA because it has respected the rights of conscience of such a provider. Prohibits an American Health Benefit Exchange (a state health insurance exchange) or other official or entity acting in a governmental capacity in the course of implementing PPACA from discriminating against a health plan, plan sponsor, health care provider, or other person because of an unwillingness to provide coverage of, participate in, or refer for, specific items or services. Creates a private cause of action for the protection of individual rights created under this Act. Authorizes any person or entity to assert a violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding. Designates the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints of discrimination based on this Act. Makes this Act effective as if it were included in PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Decrease Spending Now Act - Rescinds $45 billion of unobligated balances of current discretionary appropriations. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) determine which appropriation accounts the rescission shall apply to and the amount that each such account shall be reduced, and (2) report to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress a list of the accounts reduced by the rescission, including the amounts rescinded from each such account. Exempts from such rescission the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2011
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Declares that repetition of a recordkeeping violation, regardless of frequency, shall not be considered evidence that the licensee committed the violation knowingly and in intentional disregard of a legal duty. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, research and training, national security services, and motion picture or television production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Revises firearms licensee recordkeeping requirements, including by prohibiting: (1) the Attorney General from electronically recording firearms transaction information of a discontinued firearms or ammunition business by name or personal identification code; and (2) any rule or regulation or administration action from establishing any comprehensive or partial system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2011
Honor the Written Intent of our Soldier Heroes Act or Honor the WISH Act - Includes, as a person authorized to direct disposition of the remains of a member of the Armed Forces who dies while on active duty, the person identified by the decedent on the record of emergency data maintained by the Secretary of the military department concerned as the Person Authorized to Direct Disposition, regardless of the relationship of the designee to the decedent.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2011
Regulatory Openness, Accountability, and Disclosure to Jobs Act of 2011 or the ROAD to Jobs Act of 2011 - Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to require the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), no later than December 31 of each year, to report on: (1) the number of federal permits applied for but not issued during that year because an environmental impact statement (EIS) was not issued; and (2) descriptions of the federal permits for which EISs were issued that were rejected or otherwise disapproved in that year. Requires such report to include a description of the economic impact of not issuing each permit. Defines "permit" to mean any license, certificate, approval, registration, charter, membership, exemption, or other form of permission required by federal law for the conduct of activity.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2011
Discredit Eternal Listing Inequality of Species Takings Act or the DELIST Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to treat a limited listed species as extinct for purposes of this Act upon the expiration of the 15-year period beginning on the date it is determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be an endangered species, unless the Secretary publishes a finding that: (1) there has been a substantial increase in the population of the species during that period; or (2) the continued listing of the species does not impose any economic hardship on communities located in the range of the species. Defines "limited listed species" as any species that is listed as an endangered species for which it is not reasonably possible to determine whether the species has been extirpated from the range of the species that existed on the date the species was listed because not all individuals of the species were identified at the time of such listing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2011
Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of polar bear parts taken in a sport hunt in Canada, if legally harvested before: (1) February 18, 1997; or (2) May 15, 2008, from a bear population from which a sport-hunted trophy could be imported before such date. (Polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior on May 14, 2008.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2011
Rising Tides Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from 35% to 23% the maximum income tax rate for corporations, including personal service corporations; and (2) repeal certain requirements and limitations on the tax deduction for cash dividends received by a corporation which is a U.S. shareholder from a controlled foreign corporation and make such deduction permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
A Roadmap for America's Energy Future - Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015 to have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior as a final oil and gas leasing program in full compliance with specified environmental law. Directs such Secretary to conduct a lease sale every 270 days in each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning region for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas leases for OCS production. Requires the federal share of proceeds of lease sales from newly open areas to be deposited in the American-Made Energy Trust Fund (established by this Act). Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to: (1) modify the OCS leasing program; and (2) direct the Secretary to include, in each 5-Year Program, lease sales proposals offering for oil and gas leasing at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each OCS Planning Area. Prescribes requirements for coordination with adjacent states regarding pipeline construction for crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Prohibits, on either federal OCS or state waters, uses that are incompatible with: (1) oil and gas leasing, or (2) full oil or natural gas exploration and production on geologically prospective tracts. Requires the Secretary to accept, in satisfaction of mitigation requirements, proposals for mitigation measures on a site away from the area impacted by exploration and production activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a leasing program for oil, gas and oil shale within the Alaska Coastal Plain (ANWR). Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Allocates to the state of Alaska 50% of federal revenues derived from federal oil and gas leasing operations. Establishes in the Treasury the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund. Requires the Secretary to hold a lease sale offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for oil shale development. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to develop, construct, and operate a coal-to-liquid facility. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the limitation on federal contracting for procurement and acquisition of alternative fuels with respect to associated lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. States it is the policy of the United States to facilitate the continued development and growth of a safe and clean nuclear energy industry through reductions in financial, regulatory, and technical barriers to construction and operation. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to: (1) issue operating permits for 200 new commercial nuclear reactors, and (2) establish a process for licensing facilities for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Amends of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to eliminate the Office Of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. Requires the federal government to site and permit at least one radiological material geologic repository for the disposal of radiological material. Retains the repository site at Yucca Mountain (Nevada) as such a site unless the NRC determines that it is unsuitable. Directs the NRC to: (1) continue to review the pending Department of Energy (DOE) license application to construct the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain until a determination is made on the merits, and (2) make a determination within 90 days after enactment of this Act on the suitability of Yucca Mountain for the repository site. Removes all current statutory limitations upon the amount of radiological material that can be placed in Yucca Mountain. Requires the NRC to replace them with new limits based on scientific and technical analysis of the full capacity of Yucca Mountain for the storage of radiological material. Directs the Secretary of Energy to apply for an alternative geologic repository providing at least 120,000 tons of storage capacity if the NRC determines Yucca Mountain is not a suitable location. Requires DOE to report to Congress on the feasibility of establishing an independent radiological material management program. Authorizes DOE to: (1) award a contract to an eligible entity to manage the nation's activities regarding radiological material repositories; and (2) transfer to that entity control and ownership of all NRC-issued licenses, allowances, and responsibilities for the operation of the nuclear materials repository at Yucca Mountain. Prohibits the President from blocking or hindering spent nuclear fuel recycling activities. Directs DOE to: (1) inventory all materials it owns that could be used to power commercial nuclear reactors, (2) establish a nuclear fuel supply reserve, and (3) transmit to Congress a long-term plan for introducing nuclear fuel supplies from the reserve into the market. Directs the NRC to implement an expedited procedure for issuing a Combined Construction and Operating License. Instructs the NRC Chairman to report recommendations to Congress regarding development of technology-neutral plant design specifications. Directs the DOE Secretary to establish a National Nuclear Energy Council. Directs the DOE Secretary and the NRC Chairman to reevaluate and accelerate the Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant schedule. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from using the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to prevent uranium mining on federal lands unless the Secretary makes findings explaining the reason for such prevention. Instructs the Chairman of the NRC to make recommendations to Congress regarding streamlined licensing of small and modular nuclear reactors. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the American-Made Energy Trust Fund to receive certain revenues from oil, gas, and oil shale leases. Instructs the DOE Secretary to: (1) establish a reverse auction program to award funds from the American-Made Energy Trust Fund to eligible entities to generate an amount of electric energy, and (2) establish within DOE a Reverse Auction Authority to conduct such auctions. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) redefine greenhouse gas, and (2) prohibit regulation of a greenhouse gas for climate change purposes. Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit consideration of the climate change-related impact of a greenhouse gas upon any species of fish, wildlife, or plant.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas (GHG) to address climate change. Excludes GHGs from the definition of "air pollutant" for purposes of addressing climate change. Exempts from such prohibition: (1) implementation and enforcement of the rule, "Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards" and finalization, implementation, enforcement, and revision of the proposed rule, "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles"; (2) implementation of the renewable fuel program; (3) statutorily authorized federal research, development, and demonstration programs addressing climate change; (4) implementation and enforcement of stratospheric ozone protection to the extent that such implementation or enforcement only involves class I or II substances; and (5) implementation and enforcement of requirements for monitoring and reporting of carbon dioxide emissions. Provides that none of such exemptions shall cause a GHG to be subject to regulations relating to prevention of significant deterioration of air quality or considered an air pollutant for purposes of air pollution prevention and control permits. Repeals and makes ineffective specified rules and actions concerning permit requirements or emission standards for GHGs to address climate change. Prohibits the Administrator from waiving, and invalidates waivers given by the Administrator before the enactment of this Act, the ban on states from adopting or enforcing standards relating to the control of emissions from new motor vehicles or engines with respect to GHG emissions for model year 2017 or any subsequent model year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Stop Taxing American Assistance to Afghanistan Act - Prohibits U.S. assistance for Afghanistan unless the United States and Afghanistan enter into a bilateral agreement which provides that work performed in Afghanistan by U.S. contractors is exempt from taxation by the government of Afghanistan. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if in the U.S. national interest. Makes such prohibition inapplicable to a contract: (1) under which the contractor or subcontractor is not a U.S. national, or (2) involving commercial operations of U.S. diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Prohibits applying any criminal penalty for refusing or willfully neglecting to answer questions (except with respect to the respondent's name and contact information, the date of the response, and the number of people living or staying at the address) in connection with the American Community Survey conducted by the Secretary of Commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Zero Baseline Budget Act of 2011 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to eliminate sequential and cumulative adjustments for inflation from Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline projections for discretionary appropriations with respect to: (1) expiring housing contracts and social insurance administrative expenses, (2) offset pay absorption and pay annualization, (3) inflation, and (4) any accounting for changes required by law in the level of agency payments for personnel benefits other than pay. Exempts from the requirement that budgetary resources (other than unobligated balances) be at the level available in the current year any resources designated as an emergency requirement or provided in supplemental appropriations laws. Prohibits adjustments for inflation or any other factor. Amends the Act to extend indefinitely the formula used to calculate the baseline.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Amends Rule X (Organization of Committees) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each standing committee (except the Committee on Appropriations) with the proper jurisdiction, after the Comptroller General reports annually to Congress on federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities, to conduct hearings on the report's recommendations for consolidation and elimination of the program or agency.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Marshals Service, to mint and issue $5 gold and $1 silver coins emblematic of the 225 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of the U.S. Marshals Service. Requires all such coin sales to include a surcharge of: (1) $35 per $5 coin; and (2) $10 per $1 coin. Requires distribution of the first $5 million to the U.S. Marshals Service National Museum for the preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents of the U.S. Marshals Service. Requires distribution of one-third of the remainder each to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in support of the National Law Enforcement Museum and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation. Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the $5 gold coins.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state from requiring a permit under the CWA for a discharge from a point source into navigable waters of a pesticide registered under FIFRA, or the residue of such a pesticide, resulting from the application of such pesticide. Exempts from such prohibition the following discharges containing a pesticide or pesticide residue: (1) a discharge resulting from the application of a pesticide in violation of FIFRA that is relevant to protecting water quality, if the discharge would not have occurred but for the violation or the amount of pesticide or pesticide residue contained in the discharge is greater than would have occurred without the violation; (2) stormwater discharges regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); and (3) municipal or industrial discharges regulated under NPDES, including manufacturing or industrial effluent, treatment works effluent, and discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, including a discharge resulting from ballasting operations or vessel biofouling prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2011
Retirement Security for Today's Four-Year Olds Act of 2011 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to increase the age for retirement to 70 and the early retirement age to 65 as of January 1, 2069. Revises requirements accordingly for calculation of the first and the second retirement age increase factors.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2011
Establishes the House Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2011
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2011
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2011
Amends the Antiquities Act of 1906 to require, in addition to a presidential declaration, congressional approval prior to the establishment of a national monument.
United States · United States Congress · 18 February 2011
Disapproves the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relating to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2011
Davis-Bacon Repeal Act - Repeals the Davis-Bacon Act (which requires that the locally prevailing wage rate be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics working under federally-financed or federally-assisted contracts for construction, alteration, and repair of public buildings or public works). States that references in any law to a wage requirement of the Davis-Bacon Act after the enactment of this Act shall be null and void.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2011
Government Neutrality in Contracting Act - Directs the head of any federal agency that awards or obligates funds for any construction contract, or that awards grants, provides financial assistance, or enters into cooperative agreements for construction projects, to ensure that bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents do not: (1) require or prohibit a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor from entering into, or adhering to, agreements with a labor organization, with respect to that construction project or another related construction project; or (2) otherwise discriminate against or give preference to such a party because it did or did not become a signatory or otherwise adhere to such an agreement. Allows exemptions to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve national security. Allows additional exemptions for certain projects. Directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement this Act with respect to the applicable federal contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2011
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor collectively the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in recognition of their military service and exemplary record during World War II. Requires the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the CAP. Permits the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 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 · 14 February 2011
Legal Eligibility for Granting A Loan Act of 2011 - Requires each applicant for a single-family home mortgage to provide the lender information to verify the applicant's citizenship or alien status through the E-Verify program if the home mortgage is to be: (1) newly insured under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); (2) newly purchased by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac); or (3) newly made, insured, or guaranteed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) or by any other agency or entity of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 3% withholding requirement on payments due to vendors providing services to federal, state, and local governmental entities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
Federal Workforce Reduction Act of 2011- Prohibits the head of an executive agency from appointing any individual to a position in the agency in any fiscal year for which the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) projects a federal budget deficit. Makes an exception if: (1) there is a position available in the federal workforce hiring pool (to be established by the President); and (2) the President approves an agency head's request for the allocation of a position in the pool to the agency. Sets the number of positions in the hiring pool at zero as of the first day of FY2012, after which the number shall: (1) increase by .50 for each full time-equivalent position in any agency which subsequently becomes vacant; and (2) decrease by 1.0 for each request for a full time-equivalent position that is approved by the President. Authorizes the President to waive this limitation upon determining that such waiver is required by the existence of a state of war, other national security concern, or an extraordinary emergency threatening life, health, safety, or property. Exempts the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
Prohibits the President from making contributions on behalf of the United States to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2011
Retirement Savings Access Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals who have received federal or state unemployment compensation for 26 consecutive weeks to take penalty-free distributions from tax-exempt retirement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2011 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from having the authority to require broadcasters to present opposing viewpoints on controversial issues of public importance, commonly referred to as the Fairness Doctrine.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Second Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, transporting for legitimate purposes, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Declares that nothing in such prohibitions shall be construed to prohibit the District from regulating the carrying of firearms by a person, either concealed or openly, other than at the person's dwelling place, place of business, or on other land possessed by the person. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (FCRA) to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Includes also the frame or receiver of any such firearm, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a firearm into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; and (2) requirement that licensed firearms dealers keep records of ammunition received into inventory and ammunition sold or transferred. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Permits a licensed firearms dealer to sell or transfer ammunition, excluding restricted pistol bullets, to persons not otherwise prohibited from possessing or receiving ammunition. Declares that, in the case of a sale or transfer of a handgun to a District resident, a federally licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer of firearms in Maryland or Virginia shall be treated as a dealer licensed under this Act if: (1) the transferee meets in person with the transferor to accomplish the transfer; and (2) the sale, delivery, and receipt fully comply with the legal conditions of sale in both the District and the jurisdiction in which the transfer occurs. Amends FCRA to allow an individual to possess ammunition in the District if the individual owns (currently, holds the valid registration certificate for) a firearm of the same gauge or caliber as such ammunition. (In effect, repeals the handgun ammunition ban.) Repeals the requirement that firearms in the possession of individuals (other than law enforcement personnel) must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked, unless the firearm is kept at an individual's place of business, or while being used for lawful recreational purposes within the District . Continues current criminal penalties for allowing access of a minor (under age 16) to loaded firearms, except in specified circumstances. Repeals increased penalties for violations of the prohibition against allowing access of a minor to loaded firearms if injury or death results to the minor or another person. Requires the U.S. attorney, however, to consider both the extent of the minor's injuries and the effect of the minor's injury or death on both of the minor's parents when deciding whether to file charges. Prohibits any prosecution in such circumstances unless the person who committed the violation behaved in a grossly negligent manner, or unless similarly egregious circumstances exist. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends the District of Columbia Code to: (1) allow private persons or entities owning property in the District to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on their property (other than authorized law enforcement personnel or lessees occupying residential or business premises); (2) prohibit unauthorized carrying of rifles or shotguns in the District; (3) authorize certain individuals to carry firearms in certain places and for certain purposes; (4) prescribe requirements for lawful transportation of firearms; and (5) prohibit the use of toy and antique pistols to commit a violent or dangerous crime. Authorizes the District of Columbia to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms (except to lessees occupying residential or business premises) within any building or structure under its control, or in any area of it, which has implemented security measures to identify and exclude unauthorized or hazardous persons or articles. Amends the Office of Administrative Hearings Establishment Act of 2001 to grant jurisdiction to the Office of Administrative Hearings to hear cases pertaining to denial or revocation of firearm dealer licenses. Repeals the Firearms Registration Amendment Act of 2008 and the Inoperable Pistol Amendment Act of 2008. Restores and revives any provision of law amended or repealed by such Acts as if such Acts had not been enacted into law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Patients' Freedom to Choose Act - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 that: (1) restrict payments from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements for medications to prescription drugs and insulin only; and (2) impose a $2,500 limitation on salary reduction contributions to a health flexible spending arrangement under a cafeteria plan.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2011
Collectible Firearms Protection Act - Amends the Arms Export Control Act to allow the importation of certain firearms listed as curios or relics into the United States by a licensed importer without the requirement of an authorization from or payment to the Department of State or the Department of Defense (DOD) upon certification to the Attorney General that such firearms are lawfully possessed under the laws of the exporting country.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2011
Restoring Democracy in the Workplace Act - Declares that a specified rule prescribed by the National Mediation Board relating to representation election procedures shall have no force or effect.