Education

Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011

Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2011 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make competitive grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for green infrastructure. Defines "green infrastructure" as a stormwater management technique that preserves, restores, enhances, or mimics natural hydrology. Establishes the duties of each center, including: (1) researching green infrastructure; (2) developing manuals and setting industry standards on best management practices relating to state, local, and commercial green infrastructure; (3) providing information about its research and manuals to the national electronic clearinghouse center; (4) providing technical assistance and training on green infrastructure; and (5) evaluating regulatory and policy issues about green infrastructure. Requires one of the centers to be designated as the national electronic clearinghouse center, which shall, in addition to its other duties, operate a website and a public database on green infrastructure. Requires the Administrator to make competitive grants to eligible entities that manage stormwater, water resources, or waste water resources to: (1) plan and design and install green infrastructure projects; (2) develop standards and revisions to local zoning, building, or other local codes necessary to accommodate such projects; (3) develop fee structures to provide financial support for green infrastructure; (4) develop training and educational materials about green infrastructure; (5) develop and implement a green infrastructure portfolio standard program; (6) monitor and evaluate the environmental, economic, or social benefits of green infrastructure; and (7) implement a best practices standard for a green infrastructure program. Requires the Administrator to give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged; or (2) an eligible entity that will use 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community. Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that EPA's Office of Water, the Office of Enforcement and Compliance, the Office of Research and Development, and the Office of Policy promote the use of green infrastructure and coordinate the integration of green infrastructure into permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; (2) direct each EPA regional office to promote and integrate the use of green infrastructure within the region; (3) create a green infrastructure compliance assistance center; and (4) establish measurable goals, to be known as the green infrastructure portfolio standard, to increase the percentage of annual water managed by eligible entities that uses green infrastructure.

Autism Spectrum Disorders Services Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011

Autism Spectrum Disorders Services Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions related to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, including to: (1) expand activities to include coordinating efforts of all federal agencies (currently, only efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)); (2) include in the strategic plan services and supports for families of individuals with autism spectrum disorder; and (3) require the Committee to establish specified subcommittees. Requires the Comptroller General to report on: (1) federal progress in implementing the strategic plan for autism spectrum disorder research and services and supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and the families of such individuals; and (2) the provision of autism services and treatments and how such services and treatments are financed. Requires the Secretary of HHS to establish grant programs related to autism spectrum disorders, including programs to: (1) provide services to children, transitioning youth, and adults with autism spectrum disorders; (2) establish and maintain a national technical assistance center; (3) provide individuals with interdisciplinary training, continuing education, technical assistance, and information for the purpose of improving services rendered to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and the families of such individuals; and (4) establish new University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. Amends the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to require the Secretary to make grants to enable protection and advocacy systems to address the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

American Discoveries and American Jobs Commission Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2011

American Discoveries and American Jobs Commission Act of 2011 or Herb Vederman Commission on American Discoveries and American Jobs Act of 2011 - Establishes the Commission on American Discoveries and American Jobs to study: (1) the state of technology transfer from federally funded research to the private sector; (2) the possibilities for the federal government to collect royalties from early research that leads to the commercialization of a profitable product or technology; (3) the potential adverse consequences of such royalties on technology transfer, commercialization, and economic growth; and (4) the potential benefits of reinvesting revenues from federal royalties into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and seeding future federally funded research. Requires submission to Congress of recommendations of specified regulatory and statutory changes.

Honoring All Veterans Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011

Honoring All Veterans Act of 2011 - Increases, from 2,700 to 3,000 each fiscal year, the maximum number of participants in independent living and assistance programs for veterans with serious employment handicaps from certain service-connected disabilities and with respect to whom a vocational goal currently is not reasonably feasible. Authorizes veterans, during the one-year period after discharge or separation from service in the Armed Forces, to participate in the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), under specified conditions, to fund offices of veterans affairs at eligible institutions of higher learning for veterans' certification, outreach, recruitment, and special education programs. Requires the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy to: (1) provide technical assistance to employers and entities in the workforce development system to help veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder obtain and retain employment; (2) receive referrals from specified reserve components, business organizations, and federal agencies; (3) conduct outreach through regional offices of the Department of Labor; and (4) establish an interagency working group with representatives of federal agencies with such programs. Amends the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) to make permanent (currently, set to expire on December 31, 2012) specified extended protections for servicemembers relating to mortgages and foreclosures under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. (The HERA extended from 90 days to 9 months the period for staying proceedings, adjusting obligations, and prohibiting sales, foreclosures, and seizures of property.) Revises provisions concerning payments for providing services for homeless veterans to direct the VA Secretary to annually adjust the rate of such payment to reflect anticipated changes in the cost of furnishing services and to take into account the cost of providing services in a particular geographic area. Directs the VA Secretary to make such payments quarterly, while requiring quarterly statements from recipients on amounts expended. Directs the DOD and VA Secretaries to jointly: (1) establish a mental health care referral monitoring and reviewing mechanism for individuals identified as having a potential mental health condition during a DOD post deployment health assessment, and (2) develop a systemwide monitoring mechanism to address issues arising out of facilities and offices involved in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System. Requires the rehabilitation plans for veterans or Armed Forces members receiving VA rehabilitative hospital care or medical services for a traumatic brain injury to include independent living programs for certain veterans and specified employment support services. Sets forth provisions authorizing: (1) professional and family counseling, training, and mental health services to immediate family of deployed Armed Forces members; (2) graduates of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Care Sciences to perform civilian service with VA community-based outpatient clinics and centers for readjustment counseling and related veterans' mental health services; and (3) disclosing information, subject to exceptions, about a veteran or a veteran's dependant to state controlled substance monitoring programs to prevent misuse and diversion of prescription medicines. Specifies the circumstances under which a document shall be treated as a motion for reconsideration when a person adversely affected by a final decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, who has not filed a notice of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims within a specified period, files a document with the Board or the agency of original jurisdiction expressing disagreement with such decision. Authorizes the Comptroller General and the DOD and VA Inspectors General to form an independent board to review the process by which Armed Forces members transition from the DOD to the VA for the receipt of benefits and services. Increases to $31,305 the combined annual rate of pension for two married veterans meeting specified disability and service or age and service requirements when both such veterans need regular aid and attendance.

Student Loan Simplification and Opportunity Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011

Student Loan Simplification and Opportunity Act of 2011 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal the Secretary of Education's authority, under the Direct Loan (DL) program, to purchase or enter into forward commitments to purchase: (1) Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) from lenders, upon the determination that there is an inadequate availability of loan capital to meet the demand for such loans; and (2) rehabilitated loans that eligible lenders purchased under the FFEL default reduction program. (Currently, the Secretary's authority to purchase or enter into forward commitments to purchase such loans is set to expire in July 2010, as is the FFEL program.) Authorizes the Secretary to offer borrowers FFEL Debt Conversion Loans, until October 2012, that cover FFELs that have not been purchased under the program this Act repeals, provided such borrowers: (1) are not in default or delinquent for 270 days or more on such loans, and (2) have an outstanding DL or an outstanding FFEL that was purchased pursuant to the program this Act repeals. (FFEL Debt Conversion Loans pay the holder of the FFEL the outstanding principal and interest on the loan, which the borrower is then obligated to repay to the Secretary under the terms of the converted FFEL.) Authorizes the Secretary to offer benefits to borrowers of FFEL Debt Conversion Loans in an amount up to 2% of the amount advanced on the FFEL Debt Conversion Loan. Requires federal proceeds from this Act's temporary authorization of FFEL Debt Conversion Loans to be used for the Pell grant program.

Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011

Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2011 - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to create an Office of Specialized Instructional Support within the Department of Education to improve specialized instructional support services in schools. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Reduced Barriers to Learning program authorizing the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states to: (1) establish or expand specialized instructional support services and programs at the state level that are designed to provide technical assistance, coordination, and support to specialized instructional support services and programs addressing barriers to learning within local educational agencies and individual schools; and (2) hire and support specialized instructional support services coordinators to provide such assistance, coordination, and support. Replaces references to pupil services and pupil services personnel with references to specialized instructional support services and specialized instructional support personnel. Defines such services as those provided by school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified professionals that provide assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other necessary services as part of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.

Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2011

Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to undertake certain national activities at the elementary and secondary school level that include: (1) expanding the collection and dissemination of information on effective foreign language education, (2) encouraging states to adopt nationally recognized standards for foreign language education and effective assessments that are aligned to such standards, and (3) providing scholarships to students and their teachers for study-abroad opportunities. Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants to states to improve their elementary and secondary school foreign language programs. Requires each state grantee to use its grant to: (1) develop foreign language and international education policy and programs, (2) appoint a state foreign language and international education advisory council to assist it in doing so, (3) designate a state language and international education coordinator or coordinators, (4) adopt nationally recognized standards for foreign language education and effective assessments that are aligned to such standards, (5) implement in- and pre-service foreign language teacher training programs, (6) provide scholarships and incentives to recruit new teachers and encourage existing teachers to receive training, and (7) provide technical assistance to elementary and secondary schools. Directs the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between state or local educational agencies and institutions of higher education to develop and maintain, or improve and expand, model programs that ensure the continuity of student progress in foreign language proficiency from kindergarten through grade 12. Requires each model program to include a research and evaluation component.

National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011

National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain full-time elementary and secondary school teachers of mathematics, science, engineering, or technology courses a refundable tax credit for 10% of their undergraduate tuition up to $1,000 in any taxable year, limited to a 10-year period. Increases such credit amount to $1,500 for teachers in schools serving disadvantaged children.

Veterinary Services Investment Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011

Veterinarian Services Investment Act - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out a matching grant program with qualified en tities to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services. Requires a qualifying entity to carry out programs that: (1) relieve veterinarian shortage situations, (2) support private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities, or (3) support practices of veterinarians who are participating in or have successfully completed a specified service requirement. Makes such grants available for: (1) assistance for establishing or expanding veterinary practices or establishing mobile veterinary facilities; (2) veterinarian, technician, and student recruitment; (3) grants to attend training programs in food safety or food animal medicine; (4) grants to establish or expand accredited education, internship, residency, and fellowship programs; (5) grants to assess veterinarian shortage situations; and (6) grants for continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education.

Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011

Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to replace the program providing incentive payments to public elementary schools for foreign language instruction with a partnership program in foreign languages that provides matching grants to partnerships composed of state or local educational agencies and institutions of higher education. Requires such partnerships to establish, improve, or expand model programs of foreign language learning from kindergarten through grade 12 that increase the number of high school graduates who attain advanced proficiency in at least one foreign language. Requires each model program to have a dimension allowing the student to gain an understanding of the historic, geographic, cultural, economic, and other contextual factors of countries whose people speak the language studied. Conditions a partnership's continued funding for two additional five-year periods, after an initial four-year funding period, on its demonstrating its program's effectiveness based on nationally recognized standardized foreign language assessments. Directs the Secretary of Education to collect and analyze data on such programs annually and disseminate aggregated program data nationally, as well as information on successful programs and practices.

Electing a Member to a certain standing committee of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2011

Elects a specified named Member to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

A resolution commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011

Commemorates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Honors the contributions made by the alumni, professors, and staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology throughout the past 150 years.

E 2 for Innovation Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011

Engineering Education for Innovation Act or E 2 for Innovation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award planning grants and matching implementation grants to states to integrate engineering education into kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) instruction and curricula. Requires each state that desires an implementation grant to develop quantifiable benchmarks for activities supported by such grants and submit them to the Secretary for approval. Requires states to use implementation grants to: (1) establish assessment tools and challenging academic content and achievement standards for engineering education, (2) develop or obtain effective engineering education curricula, (3) develop or improve engineering teacher training programs, and (4) recruit qualified engineering teachers for needy schools. Authorizes states to use such grants to: (1) facilitate distance learning and online education in engineering, and (2) invest in after-school engineering education programs. Directs the Institute of Education Sciences to support engineering education research and an evaluation of this Act's grant programs. Requires the Secretary to use the evaluation's findings to provide information to the public and technical assistance to states on best practices and promising innovations in K-12 engineering education.

Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011

Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act - Amends the Troops-to-Teachers program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (which provides veterans with teacher certification stipends in exchange for three years of service in a high-need local educational agency [LEA] or public charter school). Expands program eligibility to cover certain individuals: (1) who, on or after September 11, 2001, serve at least 90 continuous days on active duty in the Armed Forces before being honorably released from such service; or (2) who, on or after January 8, 2002, are separated or released from active duty after at least four (currently, six) years of continuous active duty immediately preceding such separation or release, and agree to serve in the Armed Forces Reserves for at least three years. Makes any LEA that is receiving school improvement funds eligible to host Troops-to-Teachers program participants. Directs the Secretary of Education to establish an Advisory Board, composed of federal, state, and veteran service organization representatives, to collect, study, and disseminate feedback from the program and report to Congress on how the program is operating and might be improved.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1216) to amend the Public Health Service Act to convert funding for graduate medical education in qualified teaching health centers from direct appropriations to an authorization of appropriations; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1540) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes; and waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules.

United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2011

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1216) to amend the Public Health Service Act to convert funding for graduate medical education in qualified teaching health centers from direct appropriations to an authorization of appropriations; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1540) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes; and waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules.

Maria E. Rengifo-Ruess, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring February 4, 2014, vice Julia L. Wu, term expired.

United States · United States Senate · 19 May 2011

Marcos Edward Galindo, of Idaho, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring April 17, 2014, vice Edward Alton Parrish, term expired.

United States · United States Senate · 19 May 2011

John H. Yopp, of Kentucky, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring October 13, 2017. (Reappointment)

United States · United States Senate · 19 May 2011

John H. Yopp, of Kentucky, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring October 13, 2011, vice Raquel Egusquiza, term expired.

United States · United States Senate · 19 May 2011

Charles R. Korsmo, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring October 13, 2017. (Reappointment)

United States · United States Senate · 19 May 2011

Charles R. Korsmo, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for a term expiring October 13, 2011, vice Michael Prescott Goldwater, term expired.

United States · United States Senate · 19 May 2011

Medicaid Improvement and State Empowerment Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2011

Medicaid Improvement and State Empowerment Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part B (Taxpayer Provided Pass-Through Funding of Health Care Grants to States for Pregnant Women, Low-Income Children, and Low-Income Families and for Long-Term Care Services and Supports for Low-Income Elderly or Disabled Individuals). Entitles each state that has submitted a plan for each 12-month period to receive a health grant from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide: (1) medical assistance to pregnant women, low-income children, and low-income families with children whose income and resources are insufficient to meet the costs of medical, rehabilitation, and other services necessary to help them attain or retain capability for independence or self-care; and (2) long-term care services and supports for low-income elderly or disabled individuals with insufficient income and resources to meet the costs of services to help them attain or retain such capability. Directs the Secretary to award grants to assist eligible states in implementing state-based medical malpractice reforms. Terminates funding under SSA titles XIX and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP). 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 or revives the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Acts as if they had not been enacted. Directs the Secretary to establish a new formula for payments made to or received from states under parts D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) and E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of SSA title IV that are based on the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) applicable to the state under Medicaid.

A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2012 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2013 through 2016.

United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2011

Sets forth the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2012, including the appropriate budgetary levels for FY2013-FY2016. Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2012-FY2016 with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) new budget authority, (3) budget outlays, (4) deficits, (5) public debt, and (6) debt held by the public. Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority, outlays, and administrative expenses for the Social Security Administration (SSA), including the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, U.S. Postal Service discretionary administrative expenses, and specified major functional categories for FY2012-FY2016. Authorizes certain deficit-reduction reserve funds for legislation for: (1) the sale of unused or vacant federal properties, (2) the sale of excess federal lands, (3) repeal of the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage laws, (4) the reduction of the federal vehicles fleet, and (5) the sale of financial assets purchased through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Makes it out of order to consider in the Senate any legislation that would cause the discretionary spending limits in this resolution to be exceeded, except by a supermajority waiver. Specifies such discretionary spending limits in the Senate for FY2012-FY2016. Authorizes adjustments to the discretionary spending limits, budgetary aggregates, and allocations for adjustments to support ongoing overseas deployments and other activities. Makes it out of order to consider in the Senate any legislation that would require advanced appropriations, except by a supermajority waiver. Sets forth requirements for the treatment of emergency legislation. Allows the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee to adjust the estimate of budgetary effects of legislation that: (1) amends or supersedes the system for updating physician payments under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, (2) amends the Estate and Gift Tax under the Internal Revenue Code, (3) extends the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) relief for individuals, and (4) extends middle-class tax cuts under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003 (JGTRRA). Permits the Chairman to make such adjustments only for points of order in specified legislation relating to: (1) pay-as-you-go, and (2) long- and short-term deficits. Requires Senate committees to: (1) review programs and tax expenditures in their jurisdiction to identify waste, fraud, and abuse or duplication, and to increase the use of performance data to inform committee work; (2) review the matters for congressional consideration identified on the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) High Risk list report; and (3) make recommendations to the Senate Budget Committee to improve governmental performance in their annual views and estimates reports. Requires the joint explanatory statement accompanying the conference report on any budget resolution in the Senate to include in its committee allocations to the Senate Committee on Appropriations amounts for the discretionary administrative expenses of the SSA and of the Postal Service. Sets forth reconciliation instructions for the Senate Committees on: (1) Foreign Relations; (2) Commerce, Science, and Transportation; (3) Agriculture, Nutrition, and Energy [ sic ]; (4) Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; (5) Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (6) Finance. Declares the policy of Congress on attainment of Social Security and Medicare solvency. Requires the Chairman to reduce committee allocations, aggregates, and other appropriate levels by the amount unobligated or unspent within 36 months after such funds are made available pursuant to any adjustments made under this resolution.

Secondary School Reentry Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011

Secondary School Reentry Act of 2011 - Amends part H (School Dropout Prevention) of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to make consortia of local educational agencies (LEAs) eligible to receive school dropout prevention grants and subgrants. Requires LEAs that receive a subgrant under part H to use at least 30% of the funds to implement reentry programs that assist school dropouts in returning to the educational system to obtain a secondary school diploma. Requires the reentry programs to be implemented through a partnership between a state, an LEA or consortium of LEAs, and at least one of the following: (1) a community-based organization, (2) an institution of higher education, (3) a local government agency, (4) a business group, (5) a community or national service program, (6) a qualified intermediary, or (7) other education provider. Sets forth reentry program requirements that include providing dropouts with outreach services and participants with: (1) a reenrollment counselor; (2) a rigorous, interdisciplinary education that is aligned to state standards; (3) internships, work experience, or service-learning that gives them secondary or postsecondary school credits; and (4) targeted support services. Directs the Secretary of Education to evaluate the effectiveness of reentry programs. Requires states to include certain student dropout and reentry information in their annual report cards under part A of title I of the ESEA. Amends part D of title I of the ESEA to require states to work with LEAs in developing and implementing school reentry programs for neglected, delinquent, and at-risk youth.

Defense STRONG Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2011

Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act (Defense STRONG Act) - Amends the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to require the Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to be appointed from general or flag officers or Department of Defense (DOD) employees in a comparable Senior Executive Service position. Requires the assignment within each military brigade or equivalent unit level of at least one full-time Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and one full-time Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, allowing the Secretary of the military department concerned to assign additional coordinators and/or advocates based on the demographics or needs of the unit. Allows only members of the Armed Forces (members) or DOD civilian personnel to be assigned as coordinators or advocates as of October 1, 2013. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a professional training and certification program for such coordinators and advocates. Entitles any member, or dependent of a member, who is the victim of a sexual assault to legal assistance provided by a military legal assistance counsel and coordinator and advocate services, regardless of whether the member elects unrestricted or restricted (confidential) reporting of the assault. Makes privileged any communications between a member or dependent and a coordinator, advocate, or person staffing a helpline. Directs the Secretary to establish a system for tracking and permanently maintaining any medical, investigative, and other records prepared or obtained by DOD in connection with a sexual assault involving a member or dependent. Requires the transfer from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of certain medical information in anticipation of a member's discharge, release, retirement, medical treatment, or claim for disability. Provides for the expedited consideration of, and priority for, an application by victims of sexual assault for a permanent change of station or unit transfer based on humanitarian conditions. Requires each military department Secretary to develop curricula to provide sexual assault prevention and response training and education for members and civilian employees of that department. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the inclusion of a sexual assault prevention and response training module at each level of professional military education, and (2) require managers of specialty skills associated with first responders to integrate sexual assault response training in initial and recurring first responder training courses.

Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2011

Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to replace the program providing incentive payments to public elementary schools for foreign language instruction with a partnership program in foreign languages that provides matching grants to partnerships composed of state or local educational agencies and institutions of higher education. Requires such partnerships to establish, improve, or expand model programs of foreign language learning from kindergarten through grade 12 that increase the number of high school graduates who attain advanced proficiency in at least one foreign language. Requires each model program to have a dimension allowing the student to gain an understanding of the historic, geographic, cultural, economic, and other contextual factors of countries whose people speak the language studied. Conditions a partnership's continued funding for two additional five-year periods, after an initial four-year funding period, on its demonstrating its program's effectiveness based on nationally recognized standardized foreign language assessments. Directs the Secretary of Education to collect and analyze data on such programs annually and disseminate aggregated program data nationally, as well as information on successful programs and practices.

Alternative Fueled Vehicles Competitiveness and Energy Security Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2011

Alternative Fuel Vehicles Competitiveness and Energy Security Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to expand the types of innovative technology projects that are eligible for loan guarantees by including projects that reduce oil imports through the use of alternative fuel and projects that would produce and distribute alternative fuel or advanced biofuel. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to: (1) redefine "advanced technology vehicle," for purposes of the advanced technology vehicles manufacturing incentive program, to include certain vehicles that will reduce consumption of conventional motor fuel by 25% or more compared to existing surface transportation technologies that perform a similar function; (2) repeal the limit on the amount of appropriations that may be used for direct loans under such program; and (3) extend funding through FY2016 for such program. Directs the Secretary to: (1) assess the effectiveness of alternative fuel and alternative fuel vehicles in reducing oil imports; (2) provide technical assistance for the deployment of alternative fuel and alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure; and (3) award grants to provide training and education for vocational workforce development for the manufacture and maintenance of alternative fuel vehicles and the manufacture, installation, and inspection of alternative fuel recharging, refueling, and distribution infrastructure. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) redefine "idle reduction technology" to include a technology that uses an alternative fuel to reduce consumption of conventional fuel and environmental emissions; and (2) extend appropriations through FY2016 to reduce extended idling from heavy-duty vehicles and locomotives. Requires the Secretary to identify barriers and remedies in electric and natural gas and oil pipeline transmission and distribution systems to the distribution of alternative fuels and the deployment of alternative fuel recharging and refueling capability at economically competitive costs for consumers. Extends states' authority to allow inherently low-emission and energy-efficient vehicles to use high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Requires the Secretary to support research, development, and demonstration of alternative fuel vehicles and charging and refueling technology that will: (1) allow the United States to meet or exceed the petroleum import reduction goals of this Act; (2) develop technologies that minimize life-cycle energy use in the production and distribution of alternative fuels; and (3) maintain U.S. technological leadership in alternative vehicle technology. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to store the quantity of crude oil and petroleum fuels imported into the United States each year from countries that are not signatories to North American Free Trade Agreement during an average 90-day period during the most recent year. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary fill the SPR to its one billion-barrel capacity.

Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2011

Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive, matching Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants to nonprofit organizations that partner with a local educational agency (LEA) to implement a comprehensive continuum of supports and services that engage community partners in improving the academic achievement, health and social development, and college and career readiness of children that live in distressed neighborhoods with underperforming schools. Directs the Secretary to award competitive, matching Promise School grants to LEAs that partner with nonprofit organizations, and Indian or charter schools that partner with nonprofit organizations or institutions of higher education, to implement school-centered strategies and integrated student supports that leverage community partnerships to improve student achievement and development in schools with high concentrations of low-income children. Authorizes the Secretary to renew Promise Neighborhood Partnership grants and Promise School grants if the grantees demonstrate significant success in: (1) ensuring children's school readiness; (2) improving their academic outcomes; (3) increasing their college and career readiness; and (4) improving their health, mental health, and social and emotional well-being. Requires this Act's grantees to evaluate their programs continuously and improve them based on data and outcomes. Directs the Secretary to evaluate this Act's grant programs and disseminate research on best practices for improving the academic achievement of children living in our most distressed communities. Authorizes the Secretary to award matching planning grants to entities eligible for this Act's other grants.

Financial and Economic Literacy Improvement Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Financial and Economic Literacy Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award formula matching grants to states or partnerships between states and experienced nonprofit providers of financial literacy or personal finance education. Requires grantees to use 25% of the grant funds to: (1) develop financial literacy standards and assessments for at least three grade levels, (2) create teacher training programs to embed financial literacy or personal finance education into core academic subjects, and (3) evaluate the impact such education has on students' financial literacy. Requires the remaining grant funds to be used for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between LEAs and community organizations, local businesses, or other educational entities to implement such financial literacy activities, including student assessments and teacher training. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or partnerships between IHEs and experienced nonprofit providers of financial literacy or personal finance education for activities that increase student knowledge in consumer, economic, and personal financial concepts.

21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants to, and enter into agreements with, local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve the education of girls and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and prepare them to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields. Gives priority to LEAs that partner or coordinate with local, regional, or national entities experienced in increasing the participation of girls or underrepresented minorities in STEM. Requires the use of grant funds to: (1) involve the parents of girls and underrepresented minorities in stoking their children's interest in STEM, (2) provide tutoring and mentoring programs in such fields, (3) expose girls and underrepresented minorities to STEM role models, (4) enable such students and their teachers to attend STEM events outside the classroom, (5) provide after-school and summer programs for students in such fields, (6) purchase education materials or equipment to facilitate STEM instruction, (7) provide such students with academic advice and assistance in selecting high school courses, (8) pay up to 50% of the cost of a STEM internship for such students, and (9) train school personnel to facilitate students' progress in such fields.

SAY YEA

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Saving America's Youth: the Youth Employment Act of 2011 or SAY YEA - Amends the Workforce Act of 1998 regarding the work opportunity tax credit with respect to disconnected youth (who are not regularly attending school, not regularly employed, nor readily employable) hired in 2009 or 2010 under the youth opportunity grants program to lower the maximum eligibility age of such youth from 24 to 21. Directs the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to make certain allotments to states for summer jobs programs for disconnected youth. Requires the Secretary to award grants to states to carry out employment programs for the partial reimbursement of wages paid by employers of small or medium-sized business concerns for new hires or rehires of former employees. Requires states to give priority for payments to eligible employers who hire or rehire a disconnected youth. Requires the Secretary to make allotments and grants to states to carry out eligible on-the-job training programs for disconnected youth. Directs the President to establish a public service employment program to employ individuals to carry out works of a public nature in connection with parks, roads, schools, and after-school programs. Requires priority for such jobs to be given to individuals who are disconnected, low-income, and long-term unemployed youth. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the work opportunity tax credit through calendar 2016, (2) include as a member of a targeted group for purposes of such credit a qualified Title 1-B youth services recipient and rename a "qualified ex-felon" as a "qualified ex-offender" for purposes of the credit, (3) double the amount of allowable wages that may be considered in calculating such credit, (4) extend the designation period for tax-preferred empowerment zones, and (5) allow an employer tax credit through 2013 for the employment of disconnected youth. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to give preference to the hiring of individuals age 16 to 21 for federal park and forestry jobs. Authorizes contracting officers of executive agencies to give preference in the award of federal contracts for the procurement of goods and services to employers: (1) that employ, in a youth apprenticeship and in the performance of the contract, disconnected youth who reside in high unemployment areas; and (2) whose contracts are funded for FY2012 under a law enacted to create infrastructure, transportation, or green energy jobs.

Groundwork USA Trust Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Groundwork USA Trust Act of 2011 - Establishes the Groundwork USA Trust Program. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Groundwork USA national office, to award grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to: (1) facilitate the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or site preparation; (2) reclaim vacant and derelict lands; (3) cleanup and care for neglected areas; (4) return brownfields to productive use; (5) integrate environmental education, food security, health and fitness, resource management, and job training; (6) encourage and support business, local government, nonprofit, and community cooperation in sustainable environmental care and enhancement; (7) acquire, rehabilitate, and improve real property and buildings; and (8) develop programs that encourage partnering with other environmental organizations.

Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act - Amends the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 to exempt until September 30, 2014, petitions for employment-based immigrants who are qualified physical therapists or professional nurses from numerical limitations on worldwide levels of employment-based immigrants and numerical limitations on individuals from individual foreign states, subject to a cap of 20,000 visas. Establishes fees for such visas. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award annual grants to nursing schools to increase the numbers of faculty and students at such schools. Establishes the Domestic Nursing Enhancement Account in the Treasury with funds from visa fees under this Act a to fund such grant program. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) allow an alien who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence and who is a physician or other health care worker to work in a candidate country (defined to include a lower middle income country or one experiencing a natural disaster) without losing eligibility for naturalization; and (2) make inadmissible alien physicians or health care workers who have an outstanding obligation to their country of origin to work as a physician or other health care worker based upon financial assistance received from such country for medical training. Allows a waiver of inadmissibility under certain circumstances. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a partnership program to award grants to certain health care and training entities to provide education to nurses and create a pipeline to nursing for incumbent ancillary health care workers who wish to advance their careers. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect and report to Congress on specified data on alien workers employed as professional nurses.

Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to states and nonprofit entities for consumer education about opioid abuse, including methadone abuse. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to: (1) set forth training requirements for practitioners registered to prescribe or dispense methadone or other opioids; and (2) require each registered opioid treatment clinic to make acceptable arrangements for each patient who is restricted from having a take-home dose of a controlled substance related to treatment to receive a dose of that substance under appropriate supervision when the clinic is closed. Prohibits any individual or entity (except hospitals that provide direct patient supervision) from prescribing or dispensing a 40-mg diskette of methadone unless such prescription or dispensation is consistent with the current Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) methadone policy, until the date the Controlled Substances Clinical Standards Commission: (1) publishes dosing guidelines for methadone, and (2) finds that such 40-mg diskettes are safe and clinically appropriate. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish such Commission to develop and publish guidelines related to methadone use, including safe dosing guidelines for all forms of methadone and benchmark guidelines for the reduction of methadone abuse. Requires states receiving controlled substances monitoring program grants to: (1) provide information, upon request, to drug enforcement officials relating to an individual who is the subject of an active drug-related investigation; and (2) require opioid-related deaths to be reported to the Administrator. Directs the Administrator to develop a Model Opioid Treatment Program Mortality Report. Requires the Administrator to establish and implement, through the National Center for Health Statistics, a National Opioid Death Registry to track opioid-related deaths.

COPS Improvements Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

COPS Improvements Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to modify the public safety and community policing grant program (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program) to: (1) establish within the Department of Justice (DOJ), under the general authority of the Attorney General, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to be headed by a Director; and (2) authorize the Attorney General to carry out more than one such program. Repeals provisions authorizing: (1) the Attorney General to give preferential consideration to applications for hiring and rehiring additional career law enforcement officers that involve a non-federal contribution exceeding a 25% minimum; and (2) the use of such grants to develop and implement either innovative programs to permit members of the community to assist state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the prevention of crime in the community or new administrative and managerial systems to facilitate the adoption of community-oriented policing as an organization-wide philosophy. Authorizes the use of such grants to: (1) hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools; (2) establish and implement innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug manufacturing, distribution, and use; (3) meet emerging law enforcement needs; (4) hire former members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers for deployment in community-oriented policing; (5) pay for additional community prosecuting programs to handle cases from specific geographic areas and to address counter-terrorism problems and violent crime in local communities; and (6) develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training. Authorizes the Attorney General to extend grant periods and to renew grants if the grant recipient can demonstrate significant progress in achieving the objectives of the initial grant application. Includes officers for the Amtrak Police Department within the definition of "career law enforcement officer" for purposes of such grant program. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the program for FY2012-FY2017.

Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act - Repeals specified provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Lists the repealed provisions as certain provisions pertaining to: the Early Reading First program; the William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy programs; improving literacy through school libraries; demonstration projects of innovative practices for enabling children to meet state academic content and achievement standards; the Close Up Fellowship program; comprehensive school reform; school dropout prevention; school leadership; advanced certification or advanced credentialing for teachers; special education teacher training; early childhood educator professional development; teacher mobility; the National Writing Project; the teaching of traditional American history; enhancing education through technology; programs to improve language instruction for limited English proficient children; state grants for safe and drug-free schools and communities; grants to reduce alcohol abuse; mentoring programs; elementary and secondary school counseling programs; partnerships in character education; smaller learning communities; the Reading is Fundamental--Inexpensive Book Distribution program; gifted and talented students; the Star Schools program; the Ready to Teach program; the Foreign Language Assistance program; the Carol M. White Physical Education Program; community technology centers; educational, cultural, apprenticeship, and exchange programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and their historical whaling and trading partners in Massachusetts; excellence in economic education; grants to improve the mental health of children; parental assistance and local family information centers; combatting domestic violence; healthy, high-performance schools; additional assistance for certain local educational agencies impacted by federal property acquisition; the Women's Educational Equity Act; the Native Hawaiian Education program; and the Alaska Native Education program.

Bleeding Disorder Screening, Awareness, and Further Education (SAFE) Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2011

Bleeding Disorder Screening, Awareness, and Further Education (SAFE) Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take specified action, directly or through a grant program, with respect to blood disorders in adolescents, including: (1) developing a new, or identifying an existing, screening questionnaire that is evidence-based and in accordance with clinical guidelines for use in the diagnosis of bleeding disorders in adolescents and young adults; (2) disseminating and implementing the screening questionnaire and other screening tools relevant to the diagnosis of bleeding disorders in adolescents; (3) ensuring referral for further laboratory-based diagnostic testing if screening suggests the possibility of a bleeding disorder; and (4) ensuring referral for medical management if laboratory testing confirms diagnosis of a bleeding disorder. Requires the Secretary to conduct an education campaign to increase awareness about bleeding disorders among health professionals. Requires the the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants or contracts to public or nonprofit private entities to: (1) augment existing research efforts to evaluate, improve, and standardize methods for diagnosing bleeding disorders; and (2) expand ongoing efforts to determine the prevalence of bleeding disorders, identify symptoms, risk factors, and co-morbidities associated with bleeding disorders, and implement female-specific surveillance systems and conduct related research to improve bleeding symptoms and quality of life among adolescent and adult women with bleeding disorders.

National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement a staffing plan that includes a minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratio by unit, adjustments above the minimum ratio under appropriate circumstances, and compliance with minimum licensed practical nurse staffing requirements. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a national acuity tool to establish nurse staffing requirements above minimum ratios. Directs the Secretary to adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs incurred in providing services to Medicare beneficiaries that are attributable to compliance with such ratios. Gives a nurse the right to act as the patient's advocate, including by initiating action to improve health care or to change decisions or activities that are against the interests and wishes of the patient and by giving the patient an opportunity to make informed decision about health care before it is provided. Authorizes a nurse to refuse to accept an assignment if it would violate minimum ratios under this Act or if the nurse is not prepared by education, training, or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of any patient or jeopardizing the license of the nurse. Prohibits a hospital from: (1) taking specified actions against a nurse based on the nurse's refusal to accept an assignment for such a reason; or (2) discriminating against any patient, employee, or any other individual for good faith complaints or grievances relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or of any affiliated or related facilities. Prohibits actions by hospitals to restrain such rights. Includes stipends in the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program. Expands the nurse retention grant program to authorize programs to implement nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.

Land-In-Trust Schools and Local Governments Equitable Compensation Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Land-In-Trust Schools and Local Governments Equitable Compensation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to attempt to negotiate an agreement among a local educational agency (LEA) or local government, the Secretary, the state, and, if appropriate, a federally recognized Indian tribe or individual Indian under which the parties agree that payments representing property tax revenues lost as a result of the Secretary's taking land into trust for such tribe or Indian shall be: (1) waived in whole or in part; (2) limited for an agreed upon number of years; or (3) otherwise adjusted, including the timing of such payments. Directs the Secretary to pay each LEA or local government for each fiscal year for which such an agreement is not in effect amounts necessary to ensure that the LEA or local government receives full payment for the amount of property tax revenues lost as a result of lands being held in trust by the Secretary for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an individual Indian. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer the amounts necessary for such payments directly to the Secretary from the Treasury's general fund without further appropriation.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2012 for: (1) procurement, including aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and other procurement; (2) the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund; (3) purchases under the Defense Production Act of 1950; (4) research, development, test, and evaluation; (5) operation and maintenance; (6) active and reserve military personnel; (7) Working Capital Funds; (8) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (9) the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund (established under this Act); (10) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (11) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (12) the Defense Inspector General; (13) the Defense Health Program; (14) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; (15) overseas contingency operations; (16) chemical demilitarization construction; (17) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program; (18) Guard and reserve forces facilities; and (19) base closure and realignment activities. Sets forth provisions or requirements concerning: (1) military personnel policy, including education and training and military justice; (2) military pay and allowances; (3) military health care; (4) acquisition policy and management; (5) DOD organization and management, including intelligence-related matters; (6) financial matters; (7) civilian personnel matters; (8) matters relating to foreign nations; (9) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; and (10) reductions in DOD and Department of Energy (DOE) defense-related reporting requirements. Establishes in each of the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and National Guard a Reserve Component Technician Program. Revises and expands Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) provisions concerning offenses relating to rape, sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out a Troops-to-Teachers program. Consolidates and revises certain DOD travel and transportation authorities and allowances. Provides for commercial space launch cooperation between DOD, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the private sector. Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2012 for military construction for the Armed Forces and defense agencies.

Fighting Gangs and Empowering Youth Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Fighting Gangs and Empowering Youth Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) make grants to public and nonprofit private entities (including faith-based organizations) for projects involving innovative approaches to combat gang activity, (2) make grants to states and other entities to increase police presence and expand and improve cooperative efforts to address gang activity problems, and (3) designate high-intensity interstate gang activity areas. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to: (1) reauthorize programs for combating criminal gangs, including after-school programs and programs for safe and drug-free schools and communities; and (2) expand the grant program for workplace and community transition training for incarcerated youth offenders (30 years of age or younger). Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to add provisions entitled the Public and Assisted Housing Gang Elimination Act of 2010 which authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to public housing agencies and private, for-profit, and nonprofit owners of federally assisted low-income housing for use in eliminating gang-related crime. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to award grants to assist communities located in a high-intensity interstate gang activity area in developing and carrying out programs that target certain at-risk youth and juvenile offenders, (2) reauthorize the gang resistance education and training projects program, and (3) increase funding for the National Youth Gang Survey. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize and expand adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects. Directs the Attorney General to modify existing procedures and policies to improve the transition of federal prisoners into local communities. Reauthorizes the National and Community Grant Service Program. Amends the USA PATRIOT Act to provide funding to hire additional forensic examiners to fight gang activity. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) expand the definition of "criminal street gang", (2) prohibit the recruitment or solicitation of persons to participate in a criminal street gang, (3) impose enhanced penalties for committing violent crimes in furtherance or in aid of a criminal street gang and for use of firearms by felons with multiple felony convictions for violent crimes and drug offenses, (4) increase penalties for use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire or other felony crimes of violence, and (5) increase penalties for violent crimes in aid of racketeering activities. Requires the United States Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend guidelines relating to violent gang-related crimes. Amends the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1988 to require the Attorney General to create a separate category in the United Crime Reports to distinguish criminal offenses committed by juveniles.

E 2 for Innovation Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Engineering Education for Innovation Act or E 2 for Innovation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award planning grants and matching implementation grants to states to integrate engineering education into kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) instruction and curricula. Requires each state that desires an implementation grant to develop quantifiable benchmarks for activities supported by such grants and submit them to the Secretary for approval. Requires states to use implementation grants to: (1) establish assessment tools and challenging academic content and achievement standards for engineering education, (2) develop or obtain effective engineering education curricula, (3) develop or improve engineering teacher training programs, and (4) recruit qualified engineering teachers for needy schools. Authorizes states to use such grants to: (1) facilitate distance learning and online education in engineering, and (2) invest in after-school engineering education programs. Directs the Institute of Education Sciences to support engineering education research and an evaluation of this Act's grant programs. Requires the Secretary to use the evaluation's findings to provide information to the public and technical assistance to states on best practices and promising innovations in K-12 engineering education.

Bone Health Promotion and Research Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Bone Health Promotion and Research Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and implement a National Bone Health Program under which: (1) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may conduct, support, and promote the coordination of research, investigations, demonstrations, training, and studies relating to the control, prevention, and surveillance of osteoporosis and related bone diseases; (2) the Secretary may coordinate and carry out national education and outreach activities to support, develop, and implement education initiatives and outreach strategies appropriate for osteoporosis and related bone diseases; and (3) the Secretary may award grants to states and Indian tribes for comprehensive osteoporosis and related bone disease control and prevention programs. Requires the Director of CDC to establish the Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disease Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health on activities addressing such diseases. Directs the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify NIH research programs for osteoporosis and related bone diseases, including by awarding planning grants or contracts for the establishment or enhancement of research programs for such diseases. Authorizes the Director of CDC to award grants or enter into cooperative agreements for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on such diseases.

Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act of 2011 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require State part E plans to provide that the state shall have in effect such laws and procedures as are necessary to ensure that: (1) a child may not be placed in foster care under state responsibility solely because the family with which the child is living is homeless or living in substandard housing, and (2) the state will work with the family and state housing authorities to secure permanent housing for any family that includes a minor child and is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Requires the Comptroller General to report to appropriate congressional committees on state policies and practices regarding: (1) access to federally funded child welfare services by children who have attained age 13; and (2) consideration of runaway and homeless situations, as well as status as domestic minor victims of sex trafficking, as risk assessment factors for determining the appropriateness of placement in the child welfare system. Requires state part E plans to describe state policies and procedures regarding runaway or missing foster children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project to develop multi-state working groups to conduct research and develop policy recommendations for the support and enhancement of long-term permanency planning for children in foster care. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to revise certain regulations to provide that individuals who have been under the state foster care system but are no longer because they have attained the age of majority, and who have attained, as well, a bachelor's degree or higher from an institution of higher education in the United States, qualify to purchase a home through the Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a demonstration project to develop programs focused on improving family relationships and reducing homelessness for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Provides for extension of child welfare services to children between ages 18 and 21 who are under the responsibility of the state. Revises the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to revise the requirement that the state provide adult-supervised living arrangements for teenage parents not yet living in such an arrangement. Suspends the five-year time limit on TANF assistance for parents under age 21 who are involved in education or training. Prohibits the imposition of sanctions under TANF with respect to minor parents unless the state has established procedures that help TANF recipients understand, avoid, or end sanctions, and has applied the procedures to the recipient. Requires the Secretary to study: (1) TANF recipients who are parents and have not attained age 20, and (2) a representative sample of low-income teen parents who are not TANF recipients. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include homeless youth as a qualified targeted population for the work opportunity business income tax credit. Amends SSA title II and XVI (Supplemental Security Income [SSI]) to place specified limitations on the use of Social Security or SSI benefits paid to state or local government agencies serving as representative payees on behalf of foster children for state costs. Amends SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) to require state agency screening of foster children for eligibility for Social Security and SSI benefits. Amends SSA title XVI with respect to determination of the unearned income of an individual (and his eligible spouse, if any) living in another person's household and receiving support and maintenance in kind from that person.

STAR Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

School Turnaround and Rewards Act of 2011 or STAR Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require states to identify public elementary or secondary schools as Reward Schools if they are making significant progress in closing the achievement gap and increasing student academic achievement, growth, and high school graduation rates for students in the aggregate and for one or more of the poor, minority, disabled, or limited English proficient student subgroups. Allows Reward Schools to use ESEA funds, except those related to serving special populations, in a comprehensive and coordinated manner for innovative programs. Directs the Secretary of Education to award formula grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to make financial rewards to Reward Schools and their staff. Authorizes LEAs to provide Reward Schools with increased budgeting and staffing flexibility. Requires states to identify public schools as Persistently Low-Performing Schools if they are not making progress in improving the academic performance of their students and are performing in the bottom 5% of the state's elementary and secondary schools or have secondary school graduation rates below 60%. Requires the Secretary to make formula grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to LEAs to implement one of four intervention models at each Persistently Low-Performing School. Sets forth the intervention actions required under the transformational, restart, school closure, and turnaround models. Makes LEAs eligible for a subgrant extension if they make significant progress on certain core academic indicators and leading indicators.

Community College Energy Training Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Community College Energy Training Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to create a program awarding grants to community colleges to provide workforce training and education in sustainable energy industries and practices, such as: (1) alternative energy; (2) high-performance green building construction, design, and redevelopment; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water, energy, and resource conservation; (5) recycling and waste reduction; and (6) sustainable agriculture and farming. Requires at least one-half of the grant funds to be awarded to community colleges with existing sustainability programs leading to certificates, credentials, or degrees in one or more of these industries or practices.

Lifelong Learning Accounts Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Lifelong Learning Accounts Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish tax-exempt lifelong learning accounts to pay certain educational expenses, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, and information technology devices required for the education of, or courses of instruction of, the account beneficiary; (2) allow individuals between ages 18 and 71 an income-based tax credit for cash contributions to their lifelong learning accounts; (3) exclude from employee gross income employer contributions to a lifelong learning account; and (4) allow employers a tax credit for contributions made to the lifelong learning accounts of their employees and for administrative costs associated with small employer lifelong learning accounts.

Land-In-Trust Schools and Local Governments Equitable Compensation Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2011

Land-In-Trust Schools and Local Governments Equitable Compensation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to attempt to negotiate an agreement among a local educational agency (LEA) or local government, the Secretary, the state, and, if appropriate, a federally recognized Indian tribe or individual Indian under which the parties agree that payments representing property tax revenues lost as a result of the Secretary's taking land into trust for such tribe or Indian shall be: (1) waived in whole or in part; (2) limited for an agreed upon number of years; or (3) otherwise adjusted, including the timing of such payments. Directs the Secretary to pay each LEA or local government for each fiscal year for which such an agreement is not in effect amounts necessary to ensure that the LEA or local government receives full payment for the amount of property tax revenues lost as a result of lands being held in trust by the Secretary for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an individual Indian. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer the amounts necessary for such payments directly to the Secretary from the Treasury's general fund without further appropriation.

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

United States · United States Senate · 11 May 2011

DREAM Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2011

Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2011 or DREAM Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who: (1) entered the United States on or before his or her 15th birthday and has been present in the United States for five years preceding this Act's enactment; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; (5) has not been convicted of certain offenses under federal or state law; (6) has been admitted to an institution of higher education (IHE) in the United States or has earned a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States; and (7) was age 35 or younger on the date of this Act's enactment. Authorizes the Secretary to waive specified grounds of inadmissibility for humanitarian, family unity, or public interest purposes. Requires an alien to apply for cancellation of removal and conditional permanent resident status within one year after the later of: (1) earning a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States, or (2) the effective date of related final regulations. Requires prior to the granting of conditional permanent resident status that: (1) an alien submit biometric and biographic data, and (2) the Secretary has completed security and law enforcement background checks. Requires an alien applying for conditional permanent resident status to: (1) register under the Military Selective Service Act if so required, and (2) undergo a medical examination. Prohibits the Secretary or the Attorney General (DOJ) from removing an alien with a pending application who establishes prima facie eligibility for cancellation of removal and conditional permanent resident status. Directs the Attorney General to stay the removal proceedings of an alien who: (1) meets the requirements (other than that pertaining to secondary school diploma or post-secondary school) for cancellation of removal and conditional adjustment, and (2) is at least five years of age and enrolled full-time in a primary or secondary school. Establishes a six-year period of conditional permanent resident status. Terminates such status if the alien: (1) ceases to be a person of good moral character or becomes inadmissible under specified grounds, or (2) did not receive an honorable military discharge. Authorizes the Secretary to remove the conditional basis of an alien's permanent resident status if the alien: (1) has demonstrated good moral character; (2) is not inadmissible under specified grounds; (3) has not abandoned U.S. residency; (4) has earned an IHE degree (or has completed at least two years in a bachelor's or higher degree program) in the United States, or has served in the Armed Forces for at least two years ( and if discharged, was honorably discharged); and (5) has provided a list of each secondary school attended in the United States. Authorizes, and sets forth the criteria for, a hardship exception to such requirements. Requires an alien prior to having his or her conditional status removed to have: (1) satisfied citizenship requirements, (2) submitted biometric and biographic data, and (3) have had security and law enforcement background checks completed. Requires an alien seeking to have such conditional status removed to file an application during the period beginning six months prior to, and ending on, the date that is later of: (1) six years after the date the alien was initially granted conditional permanent resident status, or (2) any extended expiration date of the alien's conditional permanent resident status. Prohibits an alien from applying for naturalization while he or she is in conditional permanent resident status. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) confidentiality of information, (2) required disclosure, (3) application fraud, and (4) penalties for false application statements or misuse of information. Makes an alien in conditional permanent resident status eligible only for the following programs with respect to assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Assistance Act of 1965: (1) Ford or Perkins loans, (2) work-study programs, and (3) educational services. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence.