United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011
Iran, North Korea, and Syria Sanctions Consolidation Act of 2011- States that it is U.S. policy to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose three or more specified sanctions against a person that knowingly participates in a joint venture with respect to the development of petroleum resources outside of Iran: (1) in which Iran is a substantial partner or investor, or (2) through which Iran could receive technological knowledge or equipment that could contribute to its ability to develop petroleum resources in Iran. Includes certain infrastructure construction whose primary use is to support the transportation of refined petroleum products in the definition of "goods, services, technology, information, or support." Requires the President to respond within 60 days to a congressional request regarding a person's engagement in a sanctionable activity. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require securities issuers to disclose in their mandatory annual or quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whether they or their affiliates have: (1) engaged in certain activities relating to Iran, terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; (2) knowingly engaged in specified activities, or knowingly violated certain regulations prescribed under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; (3) knowingly conducted any transaction or dealing with a person whose property and interests in property are blocked by certain Executive Orders; or (4) knowingly conducted a transaction or dealing with any person listed in the Iranian Transactions Regulations. Specifies the contents of mandatory disclosures. Requires the President to: (1) initiate an investigation into the possible imposition of sanctions when the SEC receives a report that an issuer or its affiliate has engaged in the cited activities, and (2) determine within 180 days of initiating an investigation whether sanctions should be imposed on the issuer or the affiliate concerned. Requires promulgation regulations within 90 days after enactment of this Act governing financial institutions maintaining accounts for foreign financial institutions. Urges the President to initiate diplomatic efforts to expand multilateral sanctions against Iran. Directs the President to report to Congress on: (1) the Central Bank of Iran's involvement in Iran's development of weapons of mass destruction and support of terrorism, and (2) entities and countries providing refined petroleum products to Iran. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress listing all foreign investors in Iran's energy sector. Directs the President to: (1) identify each foreign person or foreign entity for which there is a reasonable basis for determining that the person or entity is an agent, front, instrumentality, official, or affiliate of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or is an IRGC representative; and (2) apply specified property sanctions to such person or entity. Gives priority to investigations of specified sensitive transactions. Sets forth mandatory and discretionary measures to be taken against a foreign person or entity that provides material support to the IRGC. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions against a person that provides shipping or refining services with respect to the exportation of petroleum, oil, or liquified natural gas to be refined or otherwise processed outside of Iran if: (1) the IRGC or any of its affiliates were involved in the development, extraction, production, transportation, or sale of such petroleum, oil, or liquefied natural gas in Iran, and the fair market value of such petroleum, oil, or liquefied natural gas is $1 million or more; or (2) during a 12-month period, the aggregate fair market value of such petroleum, oil, or liquefied natural gas is $5 million or more. Exempts certain underwriters and insurance providers from such provisions. Requires the President: (1) upon receipt of credible information that a person may have transferred to Iran goods or technologies, or provided post-transfer services, that may be used to commit human rights abuses to investigate and determine within 180 days whether the person engaged in such activity; (2) submit a list of such persons to Congress every 180 days or as new information becomes available; and (3) freeze the assets of a listed person. Amends the Iran Freedom Support Act to: (1) extend the President's authority to provide financial and political assistance to support democracy in Iran through December 31, 2016; and (2) expand the forms of such assistance. Requires the President to appoint a Special Representative on Human Rights and Democracy in the Islamic republic of Iran within the Department of State. Requires the President to submit to Congress a comprehensive strategy to promote Internet freedom and access to information in Iran. Amends the the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act to include in the scope of such Act a person that: (1) acquired materials mined or extracted within North Korea's territory or control; or (2) provided shipping services for the transportation of goods to or from Iran, North Korea, or Syria relating to such countries' weapons of mass destruction programs, support for acts of international terrorism, or human rights abuses. Excludes from such provisions shipping services for emergency or humanitarian purposes. Prohibits a vessel from knowingly landing at a U.S. port to load or unload cargo or engage in trade if the vessel entered a port in Iran, North Korea, or Syria during the 180-day period preceding the vessel's U.S. port arrival. Provides for enhanced vessel inspections. Directs: (1) the President to publish a list of each individual who is a senior government official of Iran (including the IRGC), North Korea, or Syria, or a close associate of such individual; and (2) the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to not grant an identified individual immigration status in, or admit the individual to, the United States. Requires a domestic or a foreign financial institution operating in the United States to report to the Secretary of the Treasury regarding any transactions with financial institutions, whose property or interests are blocked due to involvement with Iran, North Korea, or Syria, in activities supportive of international terrorism or weapons of mass destruction proliferation. Prohibits such an institution from continuing to operate in the United States if it: (1) continues to engage in transactions with such sanctioned institutions, or (2) fails to report or submits a false report. Directs the President to apply specified property, financial, or export sanctions against a person providing to, or acquiring from, Iran, North Korea, or Syria any good or technology that is used, or is likely to be used, for military applications.
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 · 16 May 2011
Reaffirms support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a democratic Palestinian state living in peace and mutual recognition. States that any Palestinian unity government must forswear terrorism, accept Israel's right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel. Opposes any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between leaders in Israel and the Palestinians. Urges Palestinian leaders to cease efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including through a unilateral declaration of statehood or by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations or the United Nations (U.N.). Supports the President's opposition to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. States that the Senate will consider restrictions on aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) should the PA persist in efforts to circumvent direct negotiations. Reaffirms the requirement under U.S. law precluding assistance to a PA that includes Hamas unless that PA and all its ministers accept Israel's right to exist and all prior agreements and understandings with the governments of the United States and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the government of Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and (2) the U.S. government should take a leading role in garnering international support for granting Taiwan observer status in the ICAO.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011
Office of Rural Education Policy Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Office of Rural Education Policy (Office) in the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Requires the Office to be headed by a Director who advises the Secretary of Education on the characteristics and needs of rural schools, and the effects current policies and proposed statutory, regulatory, administrative, and budgetary changes have on states and local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve such schools. Requires the Director to: (1) establish and maintain a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating certain information on rural education; (2) identify innovative research and demonstration projects on topics of importance to rural schools; (3) coordinate rural education activities within the Department; (4) inform the Department of other federal agency activities related to rural education; (5) coordinate its activities with Indian schools and the Department of the Interior's responsibilities regarding such schools; (6) provide technical assistance and other support for rural education improvement efforts; and (7) produce an annual report, for Congress and the public, on the condition of rural education. Requires the Director to prepare regulatory impact analyses of the Secretary's proposed and final rules that may have a significant impact on states or LEAs that serve rural schools.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2011
American Alternative Fuels Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the requirement that any federal agency procurement contract for an alternative or synthetic fuel, including those from nonconventional petroleum sources, for any mobility-related use (except research or testing) specify that lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fuel must, on an ongoing basis, be less than or equal to such emissions from equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) require the Secretary of Energy to report to certain congressional committees the reasons for any delayed approval of an application for a loan guarantee for a substitute natural gas, chemical feedstock, or liquid transportation fuel project; and (2) make certain substitute natural gas production facilities eligible for loan guarantees. Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as an algae-based fuel incentive when calculating the applicable volume of renewable fuel for each calendar year, to consider each gallon of renewable biomass produced from algae to be equal to three gallons of renewable fuel if the algae-based fuel was produced using carbon dioxide captured in a manner that prevented its uncontrolled release into the atmosphere during a separate energy production process. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD), the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for alternative fuels, subject to certain requirements. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the permitting authority, when establishing the best available control technology for a major emitting facility that is an electric generating facility located in a region in which demand for electricity has increased significantly due to the volume of electric vehicles, to take into account the extent to which emissions of a pollutant have been reduced as a result of the increased use of such vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2011
Mother's Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins emblematic of the 100th anniversary of President Wilson's proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins beginning on January 1, 2014, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2014. Requires coin sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, with distribution of such surcharges to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) U.S. military intervention in Libya, as explained by the President, is not in the vital interests of the United States; (2) the President should have consulted with Congress prior to committing the U.S. Armed Forces either independently or as a major part of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations; (3) the President should obtain authorization from Congress before providing further military and financial support to Libya operations and should not assume that such an authorization would equate to the U.S. Armed Forces leading any future strike or support operations; (4) prior to further U.S. military involvement NATO members and other nations with a vital regional interest should agree to provide a substantial portion of the military and financial burdens associated with Operation Unified Protector; and (5) members of the Arab League should ensure that all of their military resources are available to enforce U.N. Resolutions 1970 and 1973.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Honors the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are serving or have served in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. Calls on the people of the United States to reflect on the service of those members and veterans and to hold them in a special place of honor, both now and in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act of 2011 or SERVE Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code concerning the prohibition on disruptions of funerals of members or former members of the Armed Forces to increase the period covered under such prohibition from one to two hours before and after a military funeral. Includes within such unlawful conduct any disturbance or disruption occurring within 500 feet of the residence of a surviving member of a deceased's immediate family. Provides civil remedies, including actual and statutory damages. Makes identical changes under federal veterans' provisions concerning the prohibition on certain demonstrations and disruptions at national cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Title X Transparency and Verification Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disclose on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website the results of audits of entities that receive funds for activities under title X (Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs) of the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2011 - Provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States. Grants such an individual limited immunity under the federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the acquisition, possession, transportation, or alteration of such qualifying firearm at or before the time at which the individual registered the qualifying firearm. Extends such immunity to a veteran who attempts to register a qualifying firearm outside of the amnesty period if the veteran surrenders the firearm within 30 days after being notified of potential criminal liability for continued possession. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) transfer each curio or relic firearm that is forfeited to the United States to the first qualified museum that requests it, and (2) publish information identifying each such firearm which is available to be transferred to a museum. Requires that any firearm transferred to a qualified museum be registered to the transferee. Makes a prohibition against transfer or possession of a machine-gun inapplicable to a transfer to or by, or possession by, a museum which is open to the public and incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under applicable state law.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2011
Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, during a federal funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, to transfer to the Secretary of Defense (DHS), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the case of the Coast Guard, amounts necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including the reserves, who perform active service during the funding gap. Allows for the provision of such pay and allowances, at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, for: (1) civilian DOD personnel providing support to such members; and (2) DOD contractor personnel providing direct support to such members. Prohibits any such transfer after December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2011
Honors the coal miners who lost their lives in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, on April 5, 2010. Extends the continued heartfelt condolences of the Senate to the families of the deceased, who are still looking for answers to the tragedy. Recognizes the hardships faced by survivors of the tragedy and fellow miners who worked side-by-side with the deceased. Acknowledges the risks faced by all miners, as well as the important and often overlooked contributions that miners make to the United States. Expresses the appreciation of the Senate for the volunteers, first responders, and mine rescue teams who fearlessly risk their lives to save miners after tragedies. Reaffirms the Senate's commitment to keep miners safe and healthy on the job.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period classification for qualified leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property, for purposes of the depreciation tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2011
Recognizes that Geraldine A. Ferraro's vice-presidential candidacy forever enriched the American political landscape and forged a new path for women of the United States. Pays tribute to Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro's work to improve the lives of women and families not only in the Ninth Congressional District of New York, whom she represented, but also the lives of women and families all across the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Small Business Contracting Fraud Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Small Business Act to include under penalties for misrepresentation a business that misrepresents itself as a small business owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans. Includes under such penalties misrepresentation for purposes of the award of a grant or cooperative agreement through the Small Business Administration (SBA). (Current law addresses only awards of prime contracts or subcontracts.) Expands authorized remedies to include civil remedies available under the False Claims Act, as well as the amount actually received from the federal government under a contract, grant or cooperative agreement, or losses sustained. Provides additional events or instances under which a person shall be considered to have misrepresented its status. Requires an entity seeking status as a small business owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans to submit an annual certification of such status, and to register with specified databases that track veteran small businesses. Directs: (1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to verify such status; and (2) the head of a federal agency awarding a sole source contract to such business to use the appropriate database to verify such status. Provides for small business debarment and suspension for violations. Amends the 8(a) (SBA general small business loan) program to direct the Comptroller General, every three years, to evaluate the 8(a) program and report evaluation results to the congressional small business committees. Requires related 8(a) program oversight by the SBA Administrator. Directs the Administrator to: (1) ensure the accuracy and revision of HUBZone (heavily underutilized business zone) maps; (2) ensure that only small businesses determined to be qualified to participate in HUBZone programs are participating; and (3) develop measures and implement plans to assess the effectiveness of the HUBZone program. Requires an annual report from the Administrator on suspensions, debarments, and prosecutions related to unauthorized participation in, or misrepresentation under, SBA programs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2011 or David Mitchell Rozga Act - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to add as a schedule I controlled substance any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains specified cannabimimetic agents (or the salts, isomers, or salts of isomers thereof). Extends the period during which the Attorney General may temporarily schedule a substance in schedule I to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety to two years with a one-year extension (currently, one year with a six-month extension).
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2011
Coal Accountability and Retired Employee Act of 2011 or CARE Act - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to transfer specified excess funds derived from coal mine operator-paid reclamation fees to the trustees of the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan for use solely to pay pension benefits required under such Plan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from 2% to 1.39% the excise tax rate on the net investment income of tax-exempt private foundations, and (2) repeal the 1% reduction in such tax rate for private foundations that meet certain distribution requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Prohibits the use of federal funds to require a person licensed to deal in firearms to report information to the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the sale of multiple rifles or shotguns to the same person.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2011
Mourns the loss of life from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011. Expresses the Senate's condolences to the victims' families and its sympathies to the survivors who are still suffering in the aftermath of this tragic natural disaster. Commends the government of Japan for its courageous and professional response to this natural disaster. Supports the efforts by the U.S. government, relief agencies, and private citizens to assist the government and people of Japan. Urges the United States and the international community to provide additional humanitarian assistance to aid the survivors and support reconstruction efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 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
Recognizes the historic contributions of all U.S. veterans who served in the First World War. States that the Senate stands adjourned on March 3, 2011, as a further mark of respect to the memory of Frank W. Buckles, the longest surviving U.S. veteran of such War.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2011
Declares that, in recognition of the historic contributions of the U.S. veterans who served in World War I, the remains of Frank W. Buckles (the last surviving U.S. veteran of such War), should be permitted to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol from March 14, 2011, to March 15, 2011, so that U.S. citizens may pay their last respects to those great Americans.
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 · 1 March 2011
Commends United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for creating the three-person panel to advise the Secretary-General on the implementation of the government of Sri Lanka's commitment to human rights accountability. Calls on the government of Sri Lanka, the international community, and the United Nations (U.N.) to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka. Calls on the government of Sri Lanka to allow humanitarian organizations, aid agencies, journalists, and international human rights groups greater freedom of movement, including in internally-displaced persons camps. Calls upon the President to develop a policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects U.S. interests.
United States · United States Congress · 28 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 · 28 February 2011
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable James Albertus McClure, former Member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on February 28, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator McClure.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2011
Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act of 2011 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to include as a Schedule I controlled substance any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains 4-methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone) or 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) or their salts, isomers, or salts of isomers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2011
No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2011 or NOPEC - Amends the Sherman Act to declare it to be illegal and a violation of the Act for any foreign state or instrumentality thereof to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state or any other person, whether by cartel or any other association or form of cooperation or joint action, to limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product (petroleum), to set or maintain the price of petroleum, or to otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for petroleum, when such action has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect on the market, supply, price, or distribution of petroleum in the United States. Denies a foreign state engaged in such conduct sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction or judgments of U.S. courts in any action brought to enforce this Act. States that no U.S. court shall decline, based on the act of state doctrine, to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action in U.S. district court to enforce this Act. Prohibits any private right of action. Amends the federal judicial code to make an exception to the jurisdictional immunity of a foreign state in an action brought under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2011
Prohibits Members of Congress and the President from receiving basic pay for any period in which: (1) there is more than a 24-hour lapse in appropriations for any federal agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution, or (2) the federal government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the public debt limit has been reached. Prohibits retroactive payment of such forfeited pay.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2011
Comprehensive 1099 Taxpayer Protection and Repayment of Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal requirements for the reporting to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of payments of $600 or more to corporations that are not tax-exempt and of gross proceeds paid in consideration for any type of property, (2) repeal requirements for reporting payments made with respect to rental property which is not part of a trade or business, and (3) increase the limitation on recapture of excess advance payments of the tax credit for health insurance premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2011
Congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 190th anniversary of Greece's independence. Supports the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed. Notes the important role that Greece has played in the European region and in the community of nations since gaining its independence 190 years ago.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2011
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as a "countervailable subsidy" requiring action under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding the benefit conferred on merchandise imported into the United States from foreign countries with fundamentally undervalued currency. Defines "benefit conferred," in cases where the currency of a foreign country is exchanged for foreign currency (i.e., U.S. dollars) obtained from export transactions, as the difference between: (1) the amount of currency provided by a foreign country in which the subject merchandise is produced; and (2) the amount of currency such country would have provided if the real effective exchange rate of its currency were not fundamentally undervalued. Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding. Requires the administering authority to determine that the currency of a foreign country is fundamentally undervalued if for an 18-month period: (1) the government of the country engages in protracted, large-scale intervention in one or more foreign exchange markets; (2) the country's real effective exchange rate is undervalued by at least 5%; (3) the country has experienced significant and persistent global current account surpluses; and (4) the country's government has foreign asset reserves exceeding the amount necessary to repay all its debt obligations falling due within the coming 12 months, 20% percent of the country's money supply, and the value of the country's imports during the previous 4 months. Requires the use, for calculating a country's "real effective exchange rate undervaluation," of certain guidelines of the Consultative Group on Exchange Rate Issues of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or, if those guidelines are not available, generally accepted economic and econometric techniques and methodologies. Requires the use, also, of inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted exchange rates. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2011
Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011 or the REINS Act - Rewrites provisions regarding congressional review of agency rulemaking to require congressional approval of major rules of the executive branch before they may take effect (currently, major rules take effect unless Congress passes and the President signs a joint resolution disapproving them). Defines "major rule" as any rule, including an interim final rule, that has resulted in or is likely to result in: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or U.S. competitiveness. Provides that if a joint resolution of approval of a major rule is not enacted by the end of 70 session days or legislative days after the agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress, the rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take effect. Permits a major rule to take effect for 90 calendar days without such approval if the President determines such rule is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement. Sets forth House and Senate procedures for joint resolutions approving major rules and disapproving non-major rules.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2011
EPA Fair Play Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to remove the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prohibit the specification of any defined area as a disposal site for discharges of materials into waters of the United States, or to restrict the use of any defined area for specification as a disposal site, once the Secretary of the Army has issued a permit for dredged or fill material. Makes this Act effective as of October 18, 1972.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2011
Empowering States to Innovate Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2011
Commitment to American Prosperity Act of 2011 or CAP Act of 2011 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to require: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to estimate the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) outlay limit for the target fiscal year at the outset of the previous fiscal year, on April 30, on August 20, and 15 days after the conclusion of the fiscal year; (2) the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide advisory reports calculating the GDP outlay limit at identical times; and (3) a sequestration by OMB within 45 calendar days after the beginning of a fiscal year to eliminate the excess outlay amount. Prescribes requirements for CBO and OMB advisory sequestration preview reports and an OMB final sequestration report, accompanied by a presidential order detailing the uniform spending reduction. Requires the House and the Senate budget committees to report a resolution directing their committees to change the existing law to achieve the goals outlined in the OMB August 20 report if it projects a sequestration. Allows total federal outlays to exceed the GDP outlay limit if during the fiscal year the excess amount is being paid to reduce the public debt or the public debt is zero. States that if, after November 15, a bill resulting in outlays for the current fiscal year is enacted that causes excess outlays, the excess outlays for the next fiscal year shall be increased by the amount or amounts of that breach. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that includes any provision that would cause the most recently reported current GDP outlay limits in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to be exceeded. Prescribes procedures for waiver or suspension of this rule.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2011
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits, except in time of a congressionally declared war, federal fiscal year expenditures from exceeding: (1) federal revenues for that fiscal year, except revenue received from the issuance of bonds, notes, or other obligations of the United States; and (2) 20% of the gross national product for the preceding calendar year. Authorizes suspension of these prohibitions by concurrent resolution approved by a three-fifths vote of each chamber.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2011
Authorizes the use of the Capitol rotunda, during the 112th Congress, for a ceremony to honor the longest surviving veteran of the First World War, Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles, as a tribute and recognition of all U.S. military members who served in the First World War.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2011
Guardians of Freedom Act of 2011 - Directs the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Chief) to serve as an advocate and liaison for the National Guard of each state, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands (the states and such areas) and inform such National Guards of all actions that could affect their federal or state missions, including any equipment level or force structure changes. Requires the Chief to: (1) be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with responsibility for advocating for the National Guards of the states and such areas; and (2) consult with state governors and adjutants general before any changes are made in National Guard force structure or equipment levels.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2011
EPA Stationary Source Regulations Suspension Act - Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), until the end of the two-year period beginning after this Act's enactment, from taking any action under the Clean Air Act (CAA) with respect to any stationary source permitting requirement or requirement concerning standards of performance for new stationary sources relating to carbon dioxide or methane. Prohibits any action taken by the Administrator before the end of such period (including any action before enactment of this Act) from being considered to make carbon dioxide or methane a pollutant subject to regulation under the CAA for any source other than a new motor vehicle or new motor vehicle engine. Exempts from such prohibitions: (1) any action under the CAA's emission standards for motor vehicles, (2) any action relating to the preparation of a report or the enforcement of a reporting requirement, or (3) any action relating to the provision of technical support at a state's request.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2011
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) determine the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period with a biennial budget process based on such period; and (2) report the findings to the House and Senate Budget Committees.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2011
Establishes a standing order applicable to a notice of intent to object to a unanimous consent request (covered request) to: (1) proceed to a bill, resolution, joint resolution, concurrent resolution, conference report, or amendment (measure) between the chambers; (2) pass a measure or dispose of an amendment between the chambers; or (3) dispose of a nomination. Requires the majority and minority leaders of the Senate (or their designees) to recognize a notice of intent to object to a covered request of a Senator who is a member of their caucus if the Senator: (1) submits the notice in writing to the appropriate leader and grants in it permission for the leader (or designee) to object in the Senator's name; and (2) within two session days after such submission also submits to the Congressional Record and to the Legislative Clerk for inclusion in the applicable calendar a notice of the Senator's intent to object to the covered request. Prescribes a specific form for the notice of intent to object. Waives application of the notice requirement if a Senator objects on the Senate floor on behalf of another named Senator. Requires the Legislative Clerk to add the information from the notice of intent to object to the applicable calendar section entitled "Notices of Intent to Object to Proceeding," including, within two session days after objection is made on the Senate floor on behalf of another Senator, the information from that objection. Authorizes a Senator to have a notice of intent to object relating to that Senator removed from a calendar to which it was added by submitting to the Legislative Clerk a notice, in a specified form, stating that the Senator does not object to proceeding to the covered request in question. Requires the Legislative Clerk to list in the applicable "Notice of Intent to Object to Proceeding" calendar section the Senator who made the objection to a covered request if the Senator has notified his or her leader of the intent to object but fails to submit the required notice to the Legislative Clerk within two session days following the leader's (or designee's) objection on that Senator's behalf. Excepts from this requirement any objections made on the Senate floor on behalf of another Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2011
Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify provisions that prohibit the federal government and any state or local government that receives federal financial assistance from subjecting any health professional, a hospital, a provider sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities. Creates a cause of action for any violation of the abortion discrimination provisions. Gives federal courts jurisdiction to prevent and redress actual or threatened violations of such provisions by issuing any form of legal or equitable relief, including injunctions and orders preventing the disbursement of all or a portion of federal financial assistance until the prohibited conduct has ceased. Gives standing to institute an action to affected health care entities and the Attorney General. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of abortion discrimination provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2011
Robert C. Byrd Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (this Act) to require the Secretary of Labor (Secretary), in conducting health and safety related accident investigations in coal or other mines, to: (1) determine why an accident occurred and whether there were violations of law, mandatory health and safety standards, or other requirements; (2) issue citations and penalties in case of violations, and in cases involving possible criminal actions, refer them to the Attorney General; and (3) make recommendations to avoid any recurrence. Requires an independent accident investigation by an independent panel appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for any accident: (1) involving three or more deaths; or (2) whose severity or scale merits an independent investigation. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary's representatives and attorneys to question any individual privately during an inspection or investigation; and (2) any individual willing to speak with or provide a statement to such representatives or attorneys to do so without the presence, involvement, or knowledge of the mine operator or mine operator's agents or attorneys. Allows the closest relative of a miner who is entrapped or otherwise prevented by an accident to designate a representative for the miner to participate in a mine inspection. Requires mine inspections to be conducted during various shifts and days of the week when miners are normally present. Requires the Secretary to establish a publicly available electronic database containing the safety records of each mine. Prohibits an attorney from representing both a mine operator and miner during an inspection, investigation, or litigation, unless such miner knowingly waives all possible conflicts of interest. Prescribes requirements for mine operators having a pattern of recurring citations, withdrawal orders, accidents, injuries, or illnesses. Establishes in the Treasury the Mines in Pattern Status Inspection Fund for deposit of fees collected from mines in pattern (of violation) status for the costs of additional inspections. Requires the Secretary to: (1) revoke the approval of mine operator plans or programs based on certain criteria; and (2) order withdrawal of all persons from a mine, and prohibit them from entering it, until the operator submits and the Secretary approves a new plan. Revises civil and criminal penalties and related administrative procedures. Revises certain miner protections against discrimination. Prohibits discriminating against a miner or other employee of a mine operator for refusing to perform duties out of a good-faith and reasonable belief that performing such duties would pose a safety or health hazard. Entitles a miner to full compensation by a mine operator at the regular rate of pay for the entire period for which the miner is idled because of a Secretary's withdrawal order. (Under current law, miners are entitled to full compensation only for the balance of their shift, and up to four hours of the next working shift if an order is not terminated beforehand.) Requires each underground coal mine operator to implement a communication program to ensure that each miner entering a mine is made aware, at the start of a shift, of current mine conditions. Prescribes additional requirements for the monitoring of coal dust in underground mines. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), acting through the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, to issue recommendations to the Secretary regarding the use of atmospheric monitoring systems in the underground coal mining industry. Revises mine operator health and safety training program requirements. Increases from 8 to 9 the minimum number of hours of refresher training all miners must receive at least once every 12 months, including 1 hour of training on miners statutory rights and responsibilities. Requires the Secretary to order a mine operator to provide additional training to miners if a serious or fatal accident has occurred at a mine or it has experienced above-average accident and injury rates, citations, or withdrawal orders. Requires the Secretary to issue mandatory standards to establish certification requirements and procedures for persons authorized by a mine operator to perform duties or provide training under such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to states to assist them in developing and implementing miner certification programs. Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to require a mine operator to deliver within 14 days a complete copy of the examining physician's report to any miner required to submit to a medical examination. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the workforce needs of the mining industry and federal and state enforcement agencies, including the need for engineers and mine safety and health professionals. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and to Congress, and post on the Mine Safety and Health Administration's website, a five-year strategic plan for program activities, as well as an annual performance plan. Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to revise certain employee protections against discrimination. Prescribes an employee's victim rights before the Secretary or before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission with respect to: (1) inspections or investigations of employer violations of federal occupational safety and health standards; or (2) a work-related bodily injury or death. Prescribes administrative requirements for an employer's correction of a serious, willful, or repeated violation of federal occupational safety and health standards pending contest and procedures for a stay. Increases civil penalties for such violations. Subjects to certain increased criminal penalties an employer who knowingly violates a federal occupational safety and health standard, or regulation prescribed by such Act, that causes or contributes to the death of an employee. Adds penalties for a knowing violation that causes or contributes to serious bodily harm to any employee but does not cause any employee's death.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2011
Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2011 - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to transmit, within 45 calendar days after enactment of the funding in question, a message to Congress with specified information requesting any rescission the President proposes under the procedures in this Act. Prescribes requirements for timing and packaging of rescission requests. Authorizes OMB, subject to a specified time limit, to withhold funding from obligation temporarily if the President proposes a rescission. Prohibits the President from invoking such expedited procedures or such authority to withhold funding on more than one occasion for any Act providing funding. Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of proposed rescissions.
![Official portrait of Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001183_200.jpg)