United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2012
Authorizes TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities for the import of crude oil and other hydrocarbons at the United States-Canada Border at Phillips County, Montana, in accordance with a certain application filed with the Department of State on September 19, 2008. Declares that no permit pursuant to Executive Order 13337 or any other similar Executive Order regulating such activities at the U.S. border, and no additional environmental impact statement (EIS), shall be required for such Pipeline. Deems a certain EIS issued by the Department of State to satisfy all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as well as any other law requiring federal agency consultation or review regarding such cross-border facilities. Sets forth conditions governing construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of the cross-border facilities in connection with the Pipeline. Deems sufficient for the purposes of this Act any route and construction, mitigation, and reclamation measures for the Pipeline in the state of Nebraska that is identified by Nebraska and submitted to the Secretary of State. States that any action taken to implement this Act does not constitute a major federal action requiring an EIS under NEPA. Restricts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit any federal judicial review over actions and facilities implemented under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2012
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any guideline or regulation issued relating to the coverage of preventive health services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or any other provision of PPACA to: (1) require any individual or entity to offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or related education or counseling, to which that individual or entity is opposed on the basis of religious belief; or (2) require any individual or entity opposed by reason of religious belief to provide coverage of a contraceptive or sterilization service or to engage in government-mandated speech regarding such a service. Declares that nothing in PPACA and no regulations or guidelines issued under PPACA shall be construed to authorize the imposition of a sanction or otherwise disadvantage an individual or entity on the basis of a religiously based decision made by that individual or entity to not offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or to engage in a government-mandated speech regarding such service.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2012
Budget Before Borrowing Act of 2012 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any bill or joint resolution, amendment, or conference report to increase or modify the public debt limit unless a concurrent resolution on the budget has been agreed to and is in effect for the fiscal year during which such measure is being considered. Permits: (1) waiver or suspension of such prohibition in either chamber only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of its Members, and (2) its successful appeal from the ruling of the Chair in the Senate only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of its Members.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2012
National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2015. Directs the Secretary to hold a competition to design the common obverse of the coins, with such design being emblematic of the game of baseball. Requires the design on the common reverse side to depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2011
Pays tribute to the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in support of operations in Iraq. Calls on the people of the United States to reflect on the service of those members, veterans, and their families, and honor their sacrifices. Commemorates and honors the contributions made by such members and their families as the official combat mission in Iraq draws to a close.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2011
FHA Bailout Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the National Housing Act (NHA) to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take action to ensure that the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund attains and maintains a capital ratio of at least 2%. Includes among such actions: (1) increasing mortgage insurance premiums, (2) establishing more stringent underwriting standards, and (3) increasing the amount of cash (or its equivalent) required to be paid on account of the property subject to a mortgage. Directs the Secretary to raise annual insurance premiums and charge an additional risk-based annual insurance premium if: (1) the Fund fails to attain a capital ratio of 2% by a specified date or maintain it, or (2) the Fund's expected claims rate as set forth in the quarterly independent actuarial study is 10.0 or higher. Directs the Secretary to require a mortgagee to indemnify HUD for losses resulting from payment of an insurance claim with respect to a mortgage: (1) executed under the direct endorsement program or insured by the mortgagee pursuant to a delegation of authority, but (2) not originated or underwritten in accordance with HUD requirements. Requires indemnification also in the event that fraud or misrepresentation was involved in an origination or underwriting. Directs the Secretary of HUD to take any actions required to seek indemnification for any early term delinquency on a mortgage which: (1) is an obligation of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund; and (2) at the time of origination was not in compliance with NHA requirements. Directs the Secretary of HUD to establish a program to review the cause of each early term delinquency on such a mortgage. Converts from annual to quarterly the frequency of an independent actuarial study of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Amends the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 to prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from entering into specified transactions with the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2011
Supporting Home Owner Rights Enforcement Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), when deciding whether to issue a hydropower project license, to give equal consideration to private landownership by any nonlicensee and private use of land. Requires a hydropower project licensee, in developing any recreational resource within the project boundary, to consider private landownership by any nonlicensee as a means to encourage and facilitate private investment and increased tourism and recreational use.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2011
No More IMF Bailouts Act - Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to repeal authority to: (1) provide certain loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including loans related to the New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB); (2) increase the U.S. quota in the IMF; and (3) approve the sale of IMF gold. Prohibits U.S. loans to the IMF for assistance to any European Union (EU) member state: (1) until the ratio of the total outstanding public debt of each member state to its gross domestic product (as of the end of the most recent fiscal year of the member state ending in the preceding calendar year) is not more than 60%; or (2) for any new credit or liquidity facility, or any new special purpose vehicle, related to European financial stability. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the IMF to use U.S. influence to oppose any IMF financing: (1) to any EU member state until the ratio of the total outstanding public debt of each member state to its gross domestic product (as of the end of the most recent fiscal year of the member state ending in the preceding calendar year) is not more than 60%; or (2) for any new credit or liquidity facility, or any new special purpose vehicle, related to European financial stability. Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should not approve legislation to implement the December 15, 2010, vote of the IMF Board of Governors to double the U.S. quota in the IMF.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2011
Taxpayers Right to Know Act - Requires the head of each federal agency in each fiscal year to: (1) identify and describe every program administered by such agency; (2) determine the total administrative expenses and expenditures for services for each program; (3) estimate the number of clients served by each program and the beneficiaries who received assistance under each program; (4) estimate the number of full-time federal and contract employees who administer each program; and (5) identify federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds. Requires agency heads to publish on agency websites the information required by this Act, the latest performance reviews of each agency program, improper payment rates, the total amount of unspent and unobligated program funds held by the agency and grant recipients, and recommendations for consolidating duplicative programs, eliminating waste and inefficiency, and terminating lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives. Expands the scope of information required in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance to include: (1) programs providing assistance to foreign nations, international organizations, and services provided or funded by agencies operating outside the United States; (2) information required by this Act; and (3) budget functions and authorization and appropriation amounts for each assistance program in the Catalog.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
Implementation of Simpson-Bowles Spending Reductions Act of 2011 - Prohibits the total amount of appropriations to: (1) the White House for the Executive Office of the President and to the President for FY2012-FY2016 from exceeding 85% of the total amount of such appropriations for FY2011, and (2) Congress for such fiscal years from exceeding such a percentage of its FY2011 appropriations as well. Eliminates cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments for Members of Congress during FY2013-FY2015. Amends the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 to extend through December 31, 2015, the freeze on any COLA to the pay of certain federal civilian employees (thus extending such freeze from two to five calendar years). Extends through such date also the prohibition against receipt by a senior executive or senior-level employee of any increase in the rate of basic pay absent a change of position that results in a substantial increase in responsibility or a promotion. Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) take appropriate measures to ensure that the total number of federal employees, beginning in FY2015, does not exceed 90% of the total number of federal employees on September 30, 2011; (2) continuously monitor all agencies, make a determination on whether the total number of federal employees in any quarter of a fiscal year exceeds the maximum number allowed by this Act, and notify the President and Congress if the number exceeds the maximum; and (3) ensure that there is no increase in the procurement of service contracts due to this Act unless a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be financially advantageous to the federal government. Allows the President to waive the workforce limitations imposed by this Act in specified circumstances. Requires OMB to take appropriate measures through FY2014 to ensure that agencies shall appoint no more than one employee for every three employees retiring or otherwise separating from government service. Prohibits the total amount of funds appropriated for travel expenses for each agency for each of FY2012-FY2016 from exceeding 80% of the total amount of funds appropriated for FY2011. Directs OMB to coordinate with federal departments and independent agencies to take certain steps to limit government printing costs. Reduces to 80% of the amount for FY2010 the amount made available to the General Services Administration (GSA) for FY2012 and each succeeding fiscal year to acquire new vehicles for the federal fleet. Requires OMB, by sale or auction, to dispose of a quantity of real property worth at least $100 million altogether (with specified exceptions) that is not being used, and will not be used, to meet the needs of the federal government for FY2011-FY2015. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in either chamber to consider a bill, resolution, or any other measure that includes an earmark or limited tax or tariff benefit. Permits waiver of such prohibition in the Senate only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members. Exempts from such prohibition any authorization of appropriations to a federal entity if such authorization is not specifically targeted to a state, locality, or congressional district.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2011
March of Dimes Commemorative Coin Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the mission and programs of the March of Dimes. Permits issuance of such coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2014. Requires all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins to be promptly paid to the March of Dimes to help finance research, education, and services aimed at improving the health of women, infants, and children. Subjects the March of Dimes to federal audit requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
North American Energy Security Act - Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State, to grant a permit under Executive Order 13337 (relating to issuance of permits for certain energy-related facilities and land transportation crossings on the international boundaries of the United States) for the Keystone XL pipeline project application filed on September 19, 2008. Declares that the President shall not be required to grant such permit upon a determination that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest. Requires the President, within 15 days after making such a determination, to report to certain congressional committees as well as to the majority and minority leadership of the Senate and the House a justification for it, including consideration of economic, employment, energy security, foreign policy, trade, and environmental factors. States that if the President does not make a determination that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest, and take action within 60 days after enactment of this Act, the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline shall be in effect by operation of law. Sets forth permit requirements, including: (1) the reconsideration of routing of the Keystone XL pipeline within Nebraska, and (2) a review period during which routing within Nebraska may be reconsidered and the route of the pipeline through the state altered. Declares that, if the President does not approve the route within Nebraska submitted by the governor of Nebraska within 10 days after submission, the route submitted by the governor shall be considered approved by operation of law.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2011
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins in commemoration of Mark Twain. Limits issuance of such coins to calendar year 2016. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be promptly paid, in specified percentages, to: (1) the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support restoration of the house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain; (2) the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study and promote the legacy of Mark Twain; (3) the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, for the same purposes; and (4) the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites relating to Mark Twain and help support study and promote the legacy of Mark Twain.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2011
Cabin Fee Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to set an annual fee for, and requires the payment of such fee to the United States by, an authorized owner of a privately built and owned recreational cabin located on National Forest System land. Reduces such fee to $100 annually if access to a cabin is significantly impaired, either by natural causes or governmental actions, such that the cabin is rendered unsafe or unable to be occupied. Requires payment of a transfer fee to the United States upon the transfer of a cabin between private parties for consideration.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2011
Welfare Reform Act of 2011 - Welfare Reform Restoration Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise the TANF program by: (1) eliminating the temporary modification of the caseload reduction credit, and (2) reducing funding of state family assistance grants. Restores the former name of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and restores its text as if the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 had not been enacted; and (2) renames the supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits as the food stamp program. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to revise work requirements for the food stamp program and require able-bodied work eligible adult members of a family unit to participate in a work activation program during a full month of participation in the food stamp program, fulfilling specified levels of work activity during that month. (Work activation means, not employment, but supervised job search, community service activities, education and job training, workfare, or drug and alcohol treatment.) Specifies a financial reward for any state that reduces its food stamp caseload below calendar 2006 levels. Declares that a food, food product, meal, or other specified item shall be considered a food under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 only if it is a bare essential. Requires the President to include means-tested welfare spending in every budget submission. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to define and establish an aggregate cap for means-tested welfare spending. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to states to reward reductions in poverty and government dependence and increases in self-sufficiency. Prohibits the expenditure for abortions, with certain exceptions, of any funds authorized or appropriated by federal law, and funds in any trust fund to which funds are authorized or appropriated by federal law. Prohibits funding for health benefits plans that cover abortion. Prohibits the allowance of any tax credit with respect to amounts paid or incurred for an abortion or with respect to amounts paid or incurred for a health benefits plan (including premium assistance) that includes coverage of abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2011
Jobs and Premium Protection Act - Repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on each entity that provides health insurance for any U.S. health risk based on net premium income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2011
Designates January 27, 2012, as a national day of remembrance for Americans who, during the Cold War, worked and lived downwind from nuclear testing sites and were adversely affected by the radiation exposure generated by the above-ground nuclear weapons testing.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2011
American Growth, Recovery, Empowerment, and Entrepreneurship Act or the AGREE Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend certain tax expenditure provisions for business taxpayers, including: (1) bonus depreciation and expensing of business and investment assets, (2) the 100% exclusion from gross income of gain from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock, and (3) the tax credit for increasing research expenses. Increases to 20% the rate of the alternative simplified research tax credit and makes such credit permanent. Increases the research tax credit for the research expenses of manufacturers whose domestic production gross receipts exceed 50% of their total production gross receipts. Allows a business-related tax credit of up to $100,000 for 25% of the franchise fees paid or incurred by a veteran for the purchase of a franchise. Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to exempt certain small issuers of securities from the internal control reporting and assessment requirements of such Act. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas. Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual People's Republic of China immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act. Sets forth a transition period for employment-based immigrant visas and per country distribution rules for reserved and unreserved visas. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to share information and provide: (1) unredacted samples of the products, packaging, and labels, or related photos with trademark right holders if United States Customs and Border Protection suspects an import or export violation under specified provisions of the Lanham Act relating to copied or simulated marks or names; and (2) samples to affected parties upon the seizure of material imported in violation of specified federal copyright laws prohibiting the circumvention of technological measures that control access to or protect a copyrighted work.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2011
United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act of 2011 - Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations (U.N.) on a variety of issues, including to shift the funding mechanism for the regular budget of the U.N. from an assessed to a voluntary basis. Withholds up to 50% of nonvoluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the U.N. unless the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that 80% of the total regular budget of the U.N. is apportioned on a voluntary basis. Requires the annual congressional budget justification to include a detailed itemized request in support of the U.S. contribution of the regular budget of the U.N. Sets forth requirements for the Comptroller General (GAO) with respect to audits and investigations of U.S. contributions to the U.N. and such contributions' use by U.N. entities. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of a U.S. contribution to any U.N. entity unless the entity has provided the Comptroller General with a transparency certification and is in compliance with such certification. Prohibits making funds available: (1) to international organizations for any purpose other than an assessed U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; (2) to international organizations and programs for any purpose other than a voluntary U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; and (3) for international peacekeeping activities for any purpose other than a U.S. contribution to U.N. peacekeeping activities, to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), or to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Directs the Secretary to withhold from the regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount of U.S. overpayments to the U.N. States that is U.S. policy to oppose any proposals on expansion of the Security Council that would: (1) diminish U.S. influence on the Security Council, or (2) include veto rights for new Security Council members. Withholds from U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the United Nations amounts that are proportional to the percentage of such budget that are expended for a U.N. human rights treaty monitoring body or committee that was established by a convention or an international covenant to which the United States is not party. Directs the Secretary to withhold U.S. contributions from any U.N. entity that recognizes a Palestinian state or upgrades the status of the Palestinian observer mission at the U.N., the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority (PA), or any other Palestinian administrative organization or governing entity prior to the achievement of a final peace agreement with Israel. Provides that until the Secretary makes a specified certification to Congress: (1) the Secretary shall withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), (2) the Secretary shall not make a voluntary contribution to UNHRC, and (3) the United States shall not run for a UNHRC seat. Directs the Secretary to withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for: (1) the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; and (2) any other U.N. Special Procedures used to display bias against the United States or Israel or to provide support for any member state which is subject to Security Council sanctions, under a Security Council-mandated human rights investigation, has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, or is a country of particular concern for religious freedom. States that it is U.S. policy to oppose any legitimization of the Goldstone Report and to lead a diplomatic campaign supporting its revocation. Prohibits funds from being used for U.S. participation in the Durban III meeting or any part of the Durban process. Withholds U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or to any successor or related entity unless the Secretary makes specified certifications to Congress. Prohibits any U.S. contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from being used to support Technical Cooperation program assistance to any country, including North Korea, that: (1) has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism; or (2) is in breach of, or under investigation for breach of, obligations regarding its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or any relevant Security Council resolution. Directs the Secretary to withhold from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the IAEA an amount proportional to that spent by the IAEA in 2007-2008 on Technical Cooperation program assistance to such countries. Sets forth U.S. policy regarding reform of U.N. peacekeeping operations. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the U.N. to oppose the creation of new, or expansion of existing, U.N. peacekeeping operations until the Secretary certifies to Congress that specified peacekeeping reforms have been adopted by the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations or the General Assembly.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2011
Declares that if, by 45 days after a state Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office has submitted a Federal Register notice to the Washington, DC, office of the BLM for review by the Department of the Interior, the review has not been completed: (1) the notice shall consider to be approved, and (2) the state BLM office shall immediately forward the notice to the Federal Register for publication.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2011
Representation Fairness Restoration Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to revise requirements for determination by the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) of an appropriate bargaining unit before an election of collective bargaining representation. (In effect reverses the NLRB's August 26, 2011, decision in Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation of Mobile and its June 22, 2011, rulemaking regarding proposed changes to procedures involving the election of collective bargaining representation.) Replaces the current restriction in the meaning of collective bargaining unit to employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision. Requires the NLRB, instead, to determine a unit as appropriate for collective bargaining if it consists of employees that share a sufficient community of interest. Specifies factors the NLRB must consider when making such determinations. Prohibits exclusion of employees from the unit unless the group's interests are sufficiently distinct from those of other employees to warrant the establishment of a separate unit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2011
Designates November 26, 2011, as Small Business Saturday. Supports efforts to: (1) encourage consumers to shop locally, and (2) increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2011
Rebuilding America Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the tax rate on current and accumulated foreign earnings of U.S. corporations reinvested in the United States from 35% to 5% and make such lower rate permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2011
Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require amounts received through FY2020 (currently, through FY2010) from leases under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to be available to the Secretary of the Interior for implementing the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as well as the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. Requires the Secretary to: (1) complete and finalize the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to analyze the potential impacts of a program to develop solar energy on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and any necessary amendments to land use plans for such land, and (2) amend any land use plans to provide for the development of renewable energy. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) prepare and publish a notice of intent to prepare a programmatic EIS to analyze the potential impacts of a program to develop solar and wind energy on National Forest System land and any necessary amendments to land use plans for such land, and (2) amend such plans to provide for the development of renewable energy on completion of the programmatic EIS. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit a report that: (1) identifies locations on land withdrawn from the public domain and reserved for military purposes that could be developed for renewable energy production, and (2) describes the administration of public land withdrawn for military purposes for the development of commercial-scale renewable energy projects. Requires the Secretary of Interior to establish a wind and solar leasing pilot program on: (1) public land administered by the Secretary or National Forest System land administered by the Secretary of Agriculture; and (2) land not excluded from the development of solar or wind energy under a land use plan established under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the National Forest Management Act of 1976, or other law. Requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) make a joint determination on whether to establish such program within two years, (2) establish such program unless they determine that the program is not in the public interest and does not provide an effective means of developing such energy, and (3) require as a condition for any authorization for the development of such energy on such land the payment of a royalty. Establishes in the Treasury the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior in regions impacted by the development of wind or solar energy for addressing and offsetting the impacts of such development on federal land, securing recreational access to federal land to provide enhanced public access to existing federal land that is inaccessible or significantly restricted, and carrying out activities authorized under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965. Requires such Secretaries to determine the feasibility of carrying out a conservation banking program. Prohibits wind or solar generation projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts or more that are issued a lease, right-of-way, permit, or other authorization from being subject to the rental fee exemption for rights-of-way under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2011
Withholding Tax Relief Act of 2011 - Repeals the provision of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 requiring federal, state, and local governmental entities to withhold 3% of payments due to vendors providing goods and services to such entities. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include social security benefits that are excluded from gross income in the calculation of modified adjusted gross income for purposes of determining eligibility for the tax credit for coverage under a qualified health plan.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2011
Supports the goals and ideals of National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. Recognizes that every child in foster care should have a permanent and loving family.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2011
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to exclude manure from the definition of "hazardous substance" and "pollutant or contaminant" for purposes of such Act. Defines "manure" to mean: (1) digestive emissions, feces, urine, urea and other excrement from livestock; (2) any associated bedding, compost, raw materials or other materials commingled with such excrement from livestock; (3) any process water associated with such items; and (4) any byproducts, constituents, or substances contained in, or originating from, such items or any emissions relating to such items. Amends the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 to exempt from notification requirements applicable to releases from facilities of hazardous substances any release associated with manure as defined under CERCLA.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2011
Stolen Valor Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject an individual who, with intent to obtain anything of value, knowingly makes a misrepresentiation regarding his or her military service to: (1) a fine, one year's imprisonment, or both if the misrepresentation is that such individual served in a combat zone or in a special operations force or was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; and (2) a fine, six months' imprisonment, or both, in any other case. Provides that: (1) this Act shall not apply to a misrepresentation that an individual did not serve in the Armed Forces, and (2) it is a defense to prosecution that the thing of value is de minimis.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2011
Jobs Through Growth Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that S.J. Res. 10 (a balanced budget amendment) should be passed and submitted to the states for ratification within 90 days after the enactment of this Act. 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. Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of proposed rescissions. Directs the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means to report legislation that will lower, consolidate, and simplify: (1) the individual income tax system, with not more than three tax rates, the highest being 25%; and (2) the corporate income tax system, with a top tax rate of 25% and a consolidation of the system into two tax rates. Withholding Tax Relief Act of 2011 - Repeals the provision of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 requiring federal, state, and local governmental entities to withhold 3% of payments due to vendors providing goods and services to such entities. Rescinds $39 billion in offsetting appropriated but unobligated discretionary funds. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to identify the appropriation accounts to which such rescissions shall apply. Exempts unobligated funds of the Department of Defense (DOD) or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act or provisions. Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2011 or the MCAP Act - Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims related to the provision of health care services, including provisions shortening the statute of limitations, setting limits on noneconomic and punitive damages, restricting contingency fees, prescribing qualifications for expert witnesses, and reducing damaged based on collateral source benefits. Repeals the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), and revives or restores the provisions of law amended by it as if Dodd-Frank had not been enacted. REINS Act - Rewrites provisions relating to 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. Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act - Prohibits any federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7%. Defines a "significant regulatory action" as an action that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect in a material way the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, small entities, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with another agency's action; (3) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if the President notifies Congress that a waiver is necessary on the basis of national security or a national emergency. Allows judicial review of all claims under this Act. Freedom from Restrictive Excessive Executive Demands and Onerous Mandates Act of 2011 - Amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) to revise the regulatory process (rulemaking) with respect to small entities (e.g., small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions). Defines "economic impact" with respect to a proposed or final rule to mean: (1) the economic effects on small entities directly regulated by the rule, and (2) the reasonably foreseeable economic effects of the rule on small entities resulting from their transactions with other businesses and entities directly regulated by the rule. Expands judicial review of agency rulemaking to permit small entities to seek judicial review of initial regulatory flexibility analyses and to obtain an injunction of a proposed rule that is noncompliant with RFA requirements. Requires each agency to establish a plan for the periodic (every nine years) review of: (1) its rules that have a significant adverse economic impact on small entities, and (2) any small entity compliance guide required to be published by an agency. Sets forth criteria for review of a rule, including the continued need for the rule, the complexity of the rule, and the impact of the rule on small entities. Expands to all agencies the procedures for gathering comments on rules that will have a significant economic impact on small entities. Extends RFA requirements to informal agency guidance documents. Amends the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to require each agency to review on a periodic basis the civil penalties it imposes on small entities for violations of statutory or regulatory requirements. Imposes certain additional requirements on agencies prior to the issuance of a final rule, including requirements for: (1) publication of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis, (2) a determination of the average cost of a rule for affected small entities and the number of small entities affected or reasonably presumed to be affected, and (3) consultation with the Chief Counsel for Advocacy for the Small Business Administration (SBA) with respect to the accuracy of information relating to the cost and impact of a final rule. Authorizes appropriations to SBA for FY2012-FY2014 to carry out this Act. Repeals certain provisions of the Small Business Act and the Energy Security and Efficiency Act of 2007 to offset the costs of carrying out this Act and to reduce the federal deficit. Unfunded Mandates Accountability Act - Amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to: (1) require regulatory impact analyses for rules that do not involve a legislative mandate and for final rules that do not have a prior notice of proposed rulemaking; (2) require federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final rule that may have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or that may result in the expenditure of $100 million or more in any one year by state, local, and tribal governments; (3) require such agencies to identify and consider regulatory alternatives before promulgating any proposed or final rule and select the least costly, most cost-effective, or least burdensome alternative; (4) define "cost" as the cost of compliance and any reasonably foreseeable indirect cost resulting from agency rulemaking; (5) exempt rules concerning monetary policy proposed or implemented by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Open Market Committee from provisions of such Act relating to regulatory accountability and reform, review of federal mandates, and judicial review; and (6) expand provisions relating to judicial review of regulatory impact analyses. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require independent regulatory agencies to conduct regulatory impact analyses. Government Litigation Savings Act - Revises provisions of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) and the federal judicial code relating to the fees and other expenses of parties in agency proceedings and court cases against the federal government to: (1) restrict awards of fees and other expenses under such Act to prevailing parties with a direct and personal monetary interest in an adjudication, including because of personal injury, property damage, or an unpaid agency disbursement; (2) require the reduction or denial of awards commensurate with pro bono hours and related fees and expenses to parties who have acted in an obdurate, dilatory, mendacious, or oppressive manner or in bad faith; (3) limit awards to not more than $200,000 in any single adversary adjudication or for more than three adversary adjudications in the same calendar year (unless the adjudicating officer or judge determines that a higher award is required to avoid severe and unjust harm to the prevailing party); and (4) expand the reporting requirements of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States with respect to fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties during the preceding fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the implementation of EAJA for the years 1995 through the end of the calendar year in which this Act is enacted. Employment Protection Act of 2011 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) analyze the impact on employment levels and economic activity prior to promulgating a regulation, policy statement, guidance document, or endangerment finding, implementing any new or substantially altered program, or issuing or denying any permit (action); (2) hold public hearings on such action; and (3) provide notice, prior to such action taking effect, to the congressional delegation, governor, and state legislature upon determining it will have more than a de minimis negative impact. Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 - Exempts nuisance dust (defined as particulate matter generated from natural sources and agricultural activities typically conducted in rural areas or consisting primarily of soil, windblown dust, or other natural materials) from the Clean Air Act (CAA) and excludes nuisance dust from references in such Act to particulate matter. Makes exceptions with respect to geographical areas where such dust is not regulated under state, tribal, or local law to the extent that the Administrator finds that: (1) nuisance dust causes substantial adverse public health and welfare effects at ambient concentrations; and (2) the benefits of applying CAA standards and other requirements to such dust outweigh the costs. Prohibits the Administrator, for one year after enactment of this Act, from proposing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation revising the national primary ambient air quality standard or the national secondary ambient air quality standard applicable to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter greater than 2.5 micrometers under the CAA. National Labor Relations Board Reform Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to deny the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) any power to: (1) order an employer (or seek an order against an employer) to restore or reinstate any work, product, production line, or equipment; (2) rescind any relocation, transfer, subcontracting, outsourcing, or other change regarding the location, entity, or employer engaged in production or other business operations; or (3) require any employer to make an initial or additional investment at a particular plant, facility, or location. Applies this denial of power to any complaint for which a final adjudication by the NLRB has not been made by enactment of this Act. 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 forbid a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor to enter into or adhere to agreements with a labor organization with respect to that construction project or another related construction project; or (2) otherwise discriminate against 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. Directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement this Act with respect to the applicable federal contracts. Financial Regulatory Responsibility Act - Prohibits a federal financial regulatory agency from issuing notices of proposed or final rulemakings unless specified analyses have been included in them. Prohibits an agency from publishing a notice of final rulemaking if it determines that the quantified costs are greater than the quantified benefits. Requires an agency to make available on its public website sufficient information about the data, methodologies, and assumptions underlying its analyses so that its analytical results are capable of being substantially reproduced. Requires the chief economist of an agency, within five years after publication in the Federal Register of a notice of final rulemaking, to report to certain congressional committees on the economic impact of the subject regulation, including its direct and indirect costs and benefits. Requires each federal agency to develop, report to certain congressional committees, and post on its public website a plan to modify, streamline, expand, or repeal existing regulations so as to make the agency's regulatory program more effective or less burdensome in achieving its regulatory objectives. Authorizes judicial review for a person adversely affected or aggrieved by a regulation. Establishes the Chief Economists Council to report to certain congressional committees on activities of the financial regulatory agencies. Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to report separately to certain congressional committees their plans for subjecting to the requirements of this Act the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and registered national securities associations on the one hand, and registered futures associations on the other. Regulatory Responsibility for our Economy Act - Sets forth general requirements for the federal regulatory system, including the protection of public health, welfare, safety, and the environment, the promotion of predictability in the regulatory process, and the consideration of benefits and costs of regulations. Requires federal agencies to: (1) propose or adopt regulations only upon a reasoned determination that the benefits of such regulations justify their costs; (2) tailor regulations to impose the least burden on society and to maximize economic and other benefits; (3) involve the public and parties affected by regulations in the regulatory process; (4) develop regulatory actions that promote innovation, flexibility, and objectivity; (5) consider methods to promote retrospective analysis of rules that may be outmoded, ineffective, insufficient, or excessively burdensome; and (6) develop plans for reviewing on a periodic basis significant regulation actions (i.e., those having an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or otherwise adversely affecting the economy). 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 authorized for sale, distribution, or use under FIFRA, or the residue of such a pesticide, resulting from the application of such pesticide. Makes exceptions with respect to: (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 if the amount of pesticide or pesticide residue in the discharge is greater than would have occurred without the violation; and (2) stormwater discharges, municipal or industrial effluent discharges, treatment works effluent discharges, and discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel that are regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act - 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. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a lease sale in each outer Continental Shelf planning area (except the North Atlantic Planning Area) for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas production leases, and (2) hold lease sales for specified areas in the Central Gulf of Mexico, Western Gulf of Mexico, and the state of Virginia. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to require the Secretary to approve or disapprove a drill permit application within 20 days after submission. Grants 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. Amends the Oil Shale, Tar Sands, and Other Strategic Unconventional Fuels Act of 2005 to require (current law authorizes) the Secretary to conduct lease sales under commercial leasing program regulations in any state if the Secretary finds sufficient support and interest exists in such state for the development of tar sands and oil shale resources. Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to require completion of the review of environmental impact statements within 270 days after commencement of such review 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 such 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 Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, upon a state governor's declaration of an emergency, to exempt from the prohibition against taking and the prohibition against adverse modification of critical habitat any action reasonably necessary to avoid or ameliorate the impact of the emergency. 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 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. 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. Jobs and Energy Permitting Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to require any air quality impact of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) sources to be measured or modeled and determined solely with respect to the impacts in the corresponding onshore area. Revises requirements for controlling air pollution from OCS sources located offshore of the states along the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Coasts, and along the U.S. Gulf Coast off Florida. Exempts any direct emission from any vessel servicing or associated with an OCS source from any emission control requirement applicable to such source. Declares that an OCS source, for platform or drill ship exploration, is established when drilling commences at a location and ceases to exist when drilling activity ends at such location or is temporarily interrupted because the platform or drill ship relocates. Requires: (1) final agency action on a permit application for platform or drill ship exploration for an OCS source under such Act to be taken no later than 180 days after the filing of such application;(2) such final agency action to be considered to be nationally applicable under judicial review; and (3) judicial review of such action to be without additional administrative review or adjudication. Denies the Environmental Appeals Board of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) any authority to consider any matter regarding the consideration, issuance, or denial of such permit. Prohibits extension of any administrative stay of the effectiveness of such permit beyond 180 days after the date of filing of such application. American Energy and Western Jobs Act - Rescinds and declares without force or effect: (1) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Instruction Memoranda numbered 2010-117 (Oil and Gas Leasing Reform -- Land Use Planning and Lease Parcel Reviews) and 2010-118 (Energy Policy Act Section 390 Categorical Exclusion Policy Revision), both issued on May 17, 2010; and (2) Secretarial Order No. 3310 (Wild Lands Policy) issued by the Secretary of the Interior on December 22, 2010. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to instruct the Secretary to automatically issue a lease 60 days after the date of the payment by the successful bidder of the remainder of the bonus bid and the annual rental for the first lease year, unless the Secretary can issue the lease before that date. Directs the Secretary, before modifying and implementing any onshore oil or natural gas preleasing or leasing and development policy, or a policy relating to protecting the wilderness characteristics of public land, to complete an economic impact assessment and determine that the proposed policy modification will not: (1) result in a detrimental impact on employment opportunities relating to oil- and natural gas-related development, (2) contribute to an increase in the domestic use of imported petroleum resources, or (3) contribute to an aggregate loss of oil and natural gas receipts. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to submit and publicize an annual report detailing for each field office the revenues generated by specified uses of public land. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a domestic strategic production goal for the development of oil and natural gas managed by the federal government; and (2) hold a lease sale offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources in accordance with a specified solicitation of bids for leases. Applies the final rule entitled "Oil Shale Management-General" to all commercial leasing for the management of federally owned oil shale and associated minerals located on federal land. Mining Jobs Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to repeal provisions that require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consult with the Secretary of the Army before denying or restricting the use of specified areas as disposal sites for discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. Requires the Administrator to provide to the Secretary notice of any concerns with respect to a specification for a disposal site proposed to be issued under a permit to discharge into navigable waters and the reasons for any disapproval of permits. Removes the Administrator's authority to prohibit the specification of any defined area as a disposal site: (1) 60 days after the Administrator receives the proposed specification from the Secretary for review; and (2) once the Secretary has issued a permit for dredged or fill material. Authorizes the Secretary to reevaluate and reissue, or to elect not to reissue, a specification in any case in which, before the enactment of this Act, the Administrator disapproved it after it was issued by the Secretary. Sets forth requirements that must be met before the Administrator or the head of another agency requests that a proposed permit for dredged or fill material receive a higher level of review by the Secretary. Energy Tax Prevention Act - Amends the Clean Air Act, subject to exemptions, 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. 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 by the Administrator before the enactment of this Act of, the prohibition against states 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. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the prohibition against any federal agency contract for procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel for any mobility-related use (other than for research or testing) unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle GHG emissions associated with the production and combustion of the fuel supplied under the contract must, on an ongoing basis, be less than or equal to greenhouse gas emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. Public Lands Job Creation Act - Declares that if, by 45 days after a state Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office has submitted a Federal Register notice to the Washington, DC, office of the BLM for review by the Department of the Interior, the review has not been completed: (1) the notice shall consider to be approved, and (2) the state BLM office shall immediately forward the notice to the Federal Register for publication. Creating American Jobs through Exports Act of 2011 - Amends the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002 to authorize the President to enter into trade agreements with foreign countries regarding tariff and nontariff trade barriers: (1) on and after enactment of this Act and before June 1, 2013; or (2) on and after June 1, 2013, and before December 31, 2013, if certain congressional trade authorities procedures for implementing trade bills are extended for such period. Applies certain congressional and presidential (fast track) trade authorities requirements with respect to agreements on tariff and nontariff barriers to a trade agreement establishing a Trans-Pacific Partnership that resulted from negotiations commenced before enactment of this Act. Revises the standard for the application of certain congressional trade authorities procedures to implementing bills for trade agreements regarding tariff and nontariff trade barriers. Treats as an implementing bill subject to such procedures any bill containing provisions necessary to the implementation and enforcement of a trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2011
Strengthening Medicare And Repaying Taxpayers Act of 2011- Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to any settlement, judgment, award, or other payment between a Medicare claimant and an applicable plan involving a payment made for items and services by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Declares that, in the case of a payment to the claimant by the Secretary, and beginning 120 days before the reasonably expected date of a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment, the claimant or applicable plan may at any time but only once: (1) notify the Secretary that a payment is reasonably expected, and (2) request a statement of the conditional payment reimbursement amount for any payments subject to the required reimbursement. Requires the Secretary to respond to such a request, within 65 days after receiving it, with a statement of reimbursement amount. Prescribes procedures for the claimant, an applicable plan, or specified related entities to follow if the Secretary fails to provide such a statement. Specifies circumstances: (1) in which the claimant, an applicable plan, or specified related entities are shielded from liability for certain payments; and (2) in which the Secretary shall be exempt from any obligation for a statement of reimbursement. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations establishing a right of appeal and appeals process, with respect to any determination for a payment made under such title for an item or service under a primary plan, under which the applicable plan involved, or an attorney, agent, or third party administrator on behalf of such applicable play, may appeal such determination. Exempts a primary plan, and an entity receiving payment from a primary plan, from any obligation to reimburse the appropriate Trust Fund for a Medicare payment by the Secretary with respect to any settlement, judgment, award, or other payment by an applicable plan constituting a total payment obligation to a claimant of not more than the single threshold amount calculated by the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Requires the Chief Actuary to calculate and publish the single threshold amount annually. Makes discretionary rather than mandatory the current civil money penalty for an applicable plan's noncompliance with requirements to submit insurance information about a claimant. Requires the severity of each penalty to be based on the knowing, willful, and repeated nature of the violation. Prescribes requirements for the specification of practices for which sanctions will not be imposed on a plan (safe harbors). Directs the Secretary to modify insurance information reporting requirements so that a plan, in complying with them, is permitted but not required to access or report beneficiary Social Security account numbers or health identification claim numbers. Sets a three-year statute of limitations on a Medicare secondary payer claim by the Secretary for reimbursement against an applicable plan that becomes a Medicare primary payer pursuant to a settlement, judgment, award, or other judicial action.
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 2011
Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act - Prohibits, in any case arising out of the administration of laws and benefits by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), considering any person who is mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness from being considered adjudicated as a mental defective for purposes of the right to receive or transport firearms without the order or finding of a judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such person is a danger to himself or herself or others.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2011
County Payments Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Secure Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to establish, for FY2012 and each following fiscal year, an amount that is equal to 95% of the full funding amount used for the previous fiscal year to make secure payments to eligible states and counties that contain certain lands. Permits a resource advisory committee under the Act to propose using up to 10% of certain project funds of an eligible county for administrative expenses associated with that committee's operations. Keeps the annual percentage for FY2010-FY2011 in place under the merchantable timber contracting pilot program for the implementation of approved projects in participating counties involving the sale of merchantable timber using separate contracts through FY2016. Extends the Act's provisions through FY2016. Entitles counties or other eligible units of local government in which U.S.-owned entitlement land is located to certain payments under the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program through FY2017.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2011
Buffett Rule Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to donate an amount (not less than $1), in addition to any tax owed, which shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury and transferred to an account used to reduce the public debt. Requires such donation to be designated on a taxpayer's income tax return at the time such return is filed.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2011
Repeals the termination date in the Jobs Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 for provisions reducing individual tax rates on capital gains and dividend income.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011 - Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take appropriate measures to ensure that: (1) the total number of federal employees, beginning in FY2015, does not exceed 90% of the total number of such employees as of September 30, 2011; (2) agencies do not appoint, until the end of FY 2014, more than one employee for every three employees retiring or otherwise separating from government service; and (3) there is no increase in the procurement of service contracts due to this Act unless a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be financially advantageous to the federal government. Requires OMB to continuously monitor all agencies and make a determination whether the total number of federal employees exceeds the limitation imposed by this Act. Prohibits a federal agency from filling any vacancy unless OMB provides written notice to the President and Congress that the number of federal employees does not exceed the limitation established by this Act. Allows the President to waive the workforce limitations imposed by this Act if the President determines that the existence of a state of war or other national security concern or the existence of an extraordinary emergency threatening life, health, public safety, property, or the environment so requires. Allows the President additional discretion to waive such workforce limitations if the President determines that the efficiency of a federal agency or the performance of its critical mission so requires.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Cement Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Provides that the following rules shall have no force or effect and shall be treated as though they had never taken effect: (1) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants; and (2) the Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units, and the rule entitled "Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials that are Solid Waste," to the extent that such rules apply to the Portland cement manufacturing industry and Portland cement plants. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in lieu of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months (or such later date as may be determined by the Administrator) regulations for the Portland cement manufacturing industry and Portland cement plants subject to such rules, that: (1) establish maximum achievable control technology standards, performance standards, and other requirements for hazardous air pollutants or solid waste combustion under the Clean Air Act; and (2) identify nonhazardous secondary materials that, when used as fuels in combustion units of that industry and those plants, qualify as solid waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act for purposes of determining the extent to which such combustion units are required to meet emission standards for such pollutants under such Act or the Clean Air Act. Requires the Administrator, after considering the costs of achieving emission reductions, non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements, feasibility of implementation, the availability of equipment, suppliers, and labor, and potential net employment impacts, to establish dates for compliance with standards and requirements under such regulations no earlier than five years after the effective date of the regulation. Sets forth guidelines for such rules and regulations, including requiring the Administrator to: (1) ensure that emission standards for existing and new sources can be met under actual operating conditions consistently and concurrently with emission standards for all other air pollutants covered by regulations applicable to the source category, and (2) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative for each regulation promulgated.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2011
Changing How America Reduces Greenhouse Emissions (CHARGE) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles to include vehicles that are powered by an alternative electrical energy storage device other than a battery.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Prohibits funding for the United Nations (U.N.) if the Security Council or General Assembly of the U.N. grants Palestine, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), or the state of Palestine a change in U.N. status from a permanent observer entity before the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that a comprehensive peace agreement has been reached with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2011
Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act - Directs The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of the Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or personal representative of Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Greater Research Opportunities with Tax Help Act or GROWTH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase from 14% to 20% the rate of the tax credit for increasing research activities, (2) modify rules for calculating such credit, and (3) make such credit permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Energy-Efficient Cool Roof Jobs Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify any qualified energy-efficient cool roof replacement property as 20-year property for depreciation purposes. Defines "qualified energy-efficient cool roof replacement property" as any roof system that: (1) is placed in service above conditioned or semi-heated space on an eligible commercial building during the period between the enactment of this Act and December 31, 2013, (2) has a slope equal to or less than 2:12, (3) replaces an existing roof system, and (4) includes insulation meeting specified standards and a primary roof covering that has a cool roof surface.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2011
Expresses profound sorrow at the death of the Honorable Charles H. Percy, former Senator of Illinois. Conveys the Senate's condolences to his family. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 19, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Percy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2011
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Malcolm Wallop, a former Senator from Wyoming. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 15, 2011, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Wallop.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2011
Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exempt from such Act the taking of any grizzly bear by an individual in self-defense, in defense of another individual, or because of a reasonable belief of imminent danger posed by the grizzly bear to any individual.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2011
Taiwan Air Power Modernization Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a critical element to maintaining peace and stability in Asia in the face of China's military expansion is ensuring a militarily strong Taiwan, (2) the United States has a statutory obligation under the Taiwan Relations Act to help Taiwan maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities, and (3) the proposed fighter aircraft sale to Taiwan would have significant economic benefits to the U.S. economy. Directs the President to carry out the sale of no fewer than 66 F-16C/D multirole fighter aircraft to Taiwan.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to exempt nuisance dust from the CAA and excludes nuisance dust from references in the CAA to particulate matter, except with respect to geographic areas where such dust is not regulated under state, tribal, or local law to the extent the Administrator finds that: (1) nuisance dust (or any subcategory of nuisance dust) causes substantial adverse public health and welfare effects at ambient concentrations; and (2) the benefits of applying CAA standards and other requirements to such dust outweigh the costs. Defines "nuisance dust" as particulate matter: (1) generated from natural sources, unpaved roads, agricultural activities, earth moving, or other activities typically conducted in rural areas; or (2) consisting primarily of soil, other natural or biological materials, windblown dust, or some combination of such materials. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from proposing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation revising the national primary ambient air quality standard or the national secondary ambient air quality standard applicable to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter greater than 2.5 micrometers under the CAA for one year.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2011
Authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the Montford Point Marines, U.S. Marine Corps, in recognition of their service during World War II. (Camp Montford Point, North Carolina, was the site for the training of the first African-American Marines.) Provides for 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 Montford Point Marines. 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 · 8 September 2011
Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to deny the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) any power to: (1) order an employer (or seek an order against an employer) to restore or reinstate any work, product, production line, or equipment; (2) rescind any relocation, transfer, subcontracting, outsourcing, or other change regarding the location, entity, or employer who shall be engaged in production or other business operations; or (3) require any employer to make an initial or additional investment at a particular plant, facility, or location. Applies the amendment made by this Act to any complaint for which a final adjudication by the NLRB has not been made by the date of enactment.
![Official portrait of Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000584_200.jpg)