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Bill· HRH.R. 1650 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Chesapeake Bay Science, Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2011 - Amends the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 to revise research, management, and program provisions of the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). States that the Director of the Office shall be responsible for the administration and operation of the Office and implementation of such Act. Requires the Director to: (1) implement the program activities of the Chesapeake Executive Council, (2) ensure that projects have scientific and technical merit and have undergone appropriate peer review, (3) consult with the Council, and (4) report biennially to Congress and to the Secretary of Commerce regarding activities to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Authorizes the Director to: (1) collaborate with scientific and academic institutions, state and federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and other constituents to support an integrated observations system for the Chesapeake Bay; (2) support the establishment and implementation of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail; (3) incorporate the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System into the Integrated Ocean Observing System regional network of observatories; (4) establish a Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training program (authorizes related grants); (5) establish a Chesapeake Bay coastal living resources management and habitat program to support management of priority Chesapeake Bay habitats and living resources, including oysters, blue crabs, and submerged aquatic vegetation; and (6) accept donations of funds, property, and services.
Bill· HRH.R. 1599 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Indian Country Economic Development Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that any enterprise or institution owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its lands is not considered an employer (thus excluding such enterprises or institutions from coverage by such Act). Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to exclude from gross income student loan repayments: (1) under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and (2) by the Bureau of Indian Education on behalf its employees whose responsibilities include working with or instructing students who attend schools the Bureau oversees. Amends the IRC and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to treat the pension plans of Indian tribal governments as other governmental pension plans are treated. (Currently, tribal government pension plans that include employees performing commercial activities are not considered to be governmental plans.) Permits the issuance of tax-exempt bonds by an Indian tribal government or subdivision if: (1) the obligation is part of an issue substantially all of whose proceeds are to be used in the exercise of an essential government function, or (2) at least 95% of the net proceeds are used to finance facilities on the Indian reservation. Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to exempt obligations issued by an Indian tribal government or subdivision from registration requirements. Amends the IRC to provide an employment tax credit to technology companies in Indian country that supply the federal government with domestic sole-sourced technology. Extends to any Indian tribe the discretion granted under current law only to the Navajo Nation to lease restricted lands without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior in specified circumstances. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide that the granting of a preference to a member of an Indian tribe by the tribe on account of such membership is not a violation of the prohibition against discrimination under federally assisted programs on the ground of a person's race, color, or national origin. Allows Indian tribes and tribal organizations to submit proposals to have assistance from more than one federal program integrated to support a community, economic, or business development project that is consistent with the goals of those programs. Requires the federal agency most affected by such a proposal to consult with the other agencies involved and the Department of the Interior in deciding whether or not to approve the proposal and facilitate its implementation. Authorizes federal agencies to enter into agreements with states for joint financing of such projects.
Bill· HRH.R. 1636 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states to enable them to award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between LEAs and other public or nonprofit entities to plan and implement expanded learning time initiatives at high-need schools that they serve. Requires such initiatives to: (1) increase the total number of school hours each year at participant schools by at least 300 hours, compared to the school hours per year that are standard for comparable schools served by their LEAs; and (2) expand learning time for all students in all grade levels in such schools, though on-site prekindergarten programs may be excepted. Directs states to give subgrant priority to entities that: (1) serve a high percentage of students from low-income families; (2) include a nonprofit community-based organization experienced in expanding learning opportunities or helping schools redesign their educational programs; (3) take certain steps to facilitate collaboration between high-need schools and community partners; and (4) will coordinate this Act's funding with other federal, state, local, and private funding to implement high-quality expanded learning time initiatives in high-need schools. Permits the Secretary to: (1) award planning and implementation grants directly to a partnership that serves more that one area in more than one state, and (2) provide technical assistance to grantees and subgrantees in developing and implementing expanded learning time initiatives. Requires the Secretary to contract with an independent organization with expertise in school improvement, program evaluation, and measurement to evaluate this Act's program and provide technical assistance to grantees and subgrantees in collecting data and evaluating their programs pursuant to specified performance measures.
Bill· HRH.R. 1617 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development Act of 2011 - Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (the Act) to allow state leadership activities grants to be used to provide technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations desiring grants under the Act. Directs the National Institute for Literacy to: (1) disseminate information regarding integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs; and (2) study the effectiveness of distance learning or self-study programs for English language learners. Makes integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs eligible for assistance under the Secretary of Education's national leadership activities program. Requires the Secretary to award grants to states for integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs, with each state's grant amount tied to the size and growth of their recent immigrant population. Amends the Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to replace references to individuals of limited English proficiency with references to English language learners. Requires the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research to establish a national research and development center for adult education and literacy, or include adult education if a center for adult literacy has already been established. Establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting United States Citizenship to be awarded to companies and other organizations that make extraordinary efforts in assisting their employees and members to learn English and increase their understanding of U.S. history and civics. Renames the Office of Citizenship within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration (the Office). Includes among its functions furthering the integration of immigrants into this country. Permits the Office to accept donations in support of its activities. Authorizes the Chief of the Office to provide grants to states to: (1) form State New American Councils to develop and implement comprehensive immigrant introduction plans and disseminate information pertaining to effective English acquisition and civics education programs; and (2) award subgrants, through such Councils, to local governments to assist them in integrating immigrants into communities pursuant to such plans. Establishes a New Citizens Award program authorizing the President to present a medal to up to 10 new citizens per year who make an outstanding contribution to this country.
Bill· HRH.R. 1579 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to require the Secretary of Labor (Secretary), in conducting health and safety related accident investigations in coal or other mines, to: (1) determine why an accident occurred and whether there were violations of law, mandatory health and safety standards, or other requirements; (2) in cases involving violations of federal criminal law, refer them to the Attorney General; and (3) make recommendations to avoid any recurrence. Requires an independent accident investigation by an independent panel appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for any accident: (1) involving three or more deaths, or (2) whose severity or scale merits an independent investigation. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary's representatives and attorneys to question any individual privately during an inspection or investigation; and (2) any individual willing to speak with or provide a statement to such representatives or attorneys to do so without the presence, involvement, or knowledge of the mine operator or mine operator's agents or attorneys. Allows the closest relative of a miner who is entrapped or otherwise prevented by an accident to designate a representative for the miner to participate in a mine inspection. Requires mine inspections to be conducted during various shifts and days of the week when miners are normally present. Directs the Secretary, upon the request of the mine operator, to review with appropriate mine officials the Secretary's most recent evaluation for pattern (of violation) status during the course of a regular mine inspection, or at the Secretary's discretion, during the pre-inspection conference. Prohibits an attorney from representing both a mine operator and miner during an inspection, investigation, or litigation, unless such miner knowingly waives all possible conflicts of interest. Prescribes requirements for mine operators having a pattern of recurring citations, withdrawal orders, accidents, or injuries. Requires the Secretary to assess and collect fees from mines in pattern status for the costs of additional inspections. Requires the Secretary to: (1) revoke the approval of mine operator plans or programs based on certain criteria; and (2) order withdrawal of all persons from a mine or mine area, and prohibit them from entering it, until the operator submits and the Secretary approves a new plan. Revises civil and criminal penalties and related administrative procedures. Revises certain miner protections against discrimination. Prohibits discriminating against a miner or other employee of a mine operator for refusing to perform duties out of a good-faith and reasonable belief that performing such duties would pose a safety or health hazard. Entitles a miner to full compensation by a mine operator at the regular rate of pay for the entire period (not to exceed 60 days) for which the miner is idled because of a Secretary's withdrawal order. (Under current law, miners are entitled to full compensation only for the time that they are idled, or for one week, whichever is the lesser, after all interested parties are given an opportunity for a public hearing and after such order is final.) Prohibits an underground coal mine operator whose mine has been in pattern status for three years from discharging (or constructively discharging) a miner paid on an hourly basis without reasonable job-related grounds based on certain failures to perform job duties satisfactorily if the miner has completed the employer's probationary period of up to six months. Allows a miner aggrieved by violation of this prohibition to file a complaint in federal district court for reinstatement and compensatory damages. Requires each underground coal mine operator to implement a communication program to ensure that each miner is orally briefed on and made aware of current mine conditions before traveling to or arriving at the mine work area and commencing assigned tasks. Prescribes additional requirements for the monitoring of coal dust in underground mines. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), acting through the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, to issue recommendations to the Secretary regarding the use of atmospheric monitoring systems in the underground coal mining industry. Revises mine operator health and safety training program requirements. Increases from 8 to 9 the minimum number of hours of refresher training all miners must receive at least once every 12 months, including 1 hour of training on miners statutory rights and responsibilities. Requires such training programs to include distribution of miners' rights as well as a toll-free hotline telephone number. Requires the Secretary to order a mine operator to provide additional training to miners if a serious or fatal accident has occurred at a mine or it has experienced above-average accident and injury rates, citations, or withdrawal orders. Amends the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 to require the Secretary to give special emphasis in the award of competitive grants for education and training (Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants) to programs and materials that provide underground mine accident rescue simulation training to workers in smaller mines. Requires the Secretary to issue mandatory standards to establish certification requirements and procedures for persons authorized by a mine operator to perform duties or provide training under such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to states to assist them in developing and implementing miner certification programs. Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to require a mine operator to deliver within 14 days a complete copy of the examining physician's report to any miner required to submit to a medical examination. Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) authorize the Director of NIOSH, acting through the Office of Mine Safety and Health, to enter into cooperative agreements with international institutions and private entities to improve mine safety and health through new interventions.
Bill· HRH.R. 1601 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Tax Cuts for America Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent: (1) the tax credit for differential wage payments for employees who are active duty members of the uniformed services, (2) the tax deduction for charitable contributions of book inventories to public schools, (3) the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, (4) the tax deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses, and (5) the tax deduction for state and local sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes. Amends the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to make permanent the exclusion from income of military basic housing allowances for purposes of the low-income housing tax credit. Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 relating to the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance and the tax deduction for interest on student loans.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 234 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the federal government should: (1) maintain its commitment to ensuring access to lifesaving breast cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services, particularly for medically underserved women, and to discovering and delivering the cures for cancer and encouraging the development of screening tools that are more accurate and less costly; and (2) increase awareness and improve education about breast cancer, the importance of early detection, and the availability of screening services for women in need.
Bill· SS. 857 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation's Teachers Act or TALENT Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require state assessments of student proficiency to be vertically scaled and capable of measuring student proficiency above the grade level in which the student is enrolled. Requires states to: (1) recognize local educational agencies (LEAs) that significantly increase the proportion of their students, overall and in specified student subgroups, that score at or above the advanced level of achievement on such assessments; (2) assist their LEAs and schools in providing additional educational assistance to advanced, gifted, and talented students; and (3) report annually the most recent two-year trend in student achievement for students scoring in the highest 10% on the state assessments in each subject area and grade level. Requires LEAs receiving school improvement funds to identify gifted and talented students and support their learning needs. Authorizes LEAs to use funding under: (1) the small rural school achievement program to support gifted and talented students, and (2) the rural and low-income school program to train teachers to meet the unique learning needs of gifted and talented students. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states or institutions of higher education (IHEs) that partner with other public or private educational entities to: (1) ensure that school personnel receive the training required to ensure that gifted and talented students' achievements are commensurate with their abilities; or (2) conduct field-based research to develop innovative practices, assessment tools, and materials that address the needs of such students. Authorizes the Secretary to award a competitive grant to a partnership between at least one IHE and one nonprofit organization to establish a National Research and Dissemination Center for the Education of the Gifted and Talented that researches, develops, and disseminates best practices for meeting the needs of such students. Repeals the Jacob K. Javits gifted and talented students education program.
Bill· SS. 853 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Financial Literacy for Students Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to: (1) integrate financial literacy and entrepreneurship education into their public middle and secondary schools, and (2) provide training to financial literacy or entrepreneurship teachers in such schools. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the provision of financial literacy and entrepreneurship training and assistance to parents and students. Directs the Secretary to encourage LEA grantees to: (1) partner with community organizations, financial institutions, or local businesses or entrepreneurs when implementing such program; and (2) find connections and foster mentorships between classroom-based programs and the local business and entrepreneurship community, where appropriate. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to coordinate the activities funded under this Act with the activities carried out by any financial education research center operated by a Federal Reserve bank.
Bill· SS. 851 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states to enable them to award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between LEAs and other public or nonprofit entities to plan and implement expanded learning time initiatives at high-need schools that they serve. Requires such initiatives to: (1) increase the total number of school hours each year at participant schools by at least 300 hours, compared to the school hours per year that are standard for comparable schools served by their LEAs; and (2) expand learning time for all students in all grade levels in such schools, though on-site prekindergarten programs may be excepted. Directs states to give subgrant priority to entities that: (1) serve a high percentage of students from low-income families; (2) include a nonprofit community-based organization experienced in expanding learning opportunities or helping schools redesign their educational programs; (3) take certain steps to facilitate collaboration between high-need schools and community partners; and (4) will coordinate this Act's funding with other federal, state, local, and private funding to implement high-quality expanded learning time initiatives in high-need schools. Permits the Secretary to: (1) award planning and implementation grants directly to a partnership that serves more that one area in more than one state, and (2) provide technical assistance to grantees and subgrantees in developing and implementing expanded learning time initiatives. Requires the Secretary to contract with an independent organization with expertise in school improvement, program evaluation, and measurement to evaluate this Act's program and provide technical assistance to grantees and subgrantees in collecting data and evaluating their programs pursuant to specified performance measures.
Bill· SS. 850 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Autism Services and Workforce Acceleration Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish a demonstration project for the implementation of an Autism Care Program to provide grants and other assistance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing comprehensive care to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Sets forth eligibility requirements for the Program. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to carry out the Program and facilitate coordination with local communities to be better prepared and positioned to understand and meet the needs of the communities served by autism care programs. Requires each grantee to establish an autism care program advisory council to advise the autism care program regarding policies, priorities, and services. Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program to provide appropriate services to youth with autism spectrum disorders who are transitioning from secondary education to careers or postsecondary education (transitioning youth) and to adults with autism spectrum disorders, including individuals who are typically underserved, to enable such individuals to be as independent as possible. Requires the Secretary to award: (1) grants for multimedia campaigns to increase public education and awareness and reduce stigma concerning developmental milestones for infants and children and autism spectrum disorders, and (2) multiyear national training initiative supplemental grants to entities for training and technical assistance and to disseminate information to address the unmet needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify the legal rights of parents or legal guardians under federal, state, or local law regarding the care of their children.
Bill· SS. 848 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
The Consumer Information Enhancement Act of 2011- Amends title XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the development of reports, based on Medicare data, data that is publicly available, or private data provided by a requesting entity in order to: (1) improve the quality and efficiency of health care; (2) enhance the education and awareness of consumers for evaluating heatlh care services; and (3) provide the public with reports on national, regional, and provider- and suppplier-specific performance, which may be in a provider- or supplier-identifiable format. Requires specified reporting procedures to provide for secure disclosure of Medicare data to Consumer Information Organizations meeting certain requirements under contract with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Directs the Secretary of HHS to permit researchers that meet criteria used to ensure the appropriateness of the release of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data for research purposes to: (1) have access to all Medicare data; and (2) report on the performance of service providers and suppliers.
Bill· SS. 844 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Race to the Top Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement reforms and innovations designed to improve educational outcomes significantly for all students and reduce achievement gaps significantly among specified student subgroups. Requires each grant applicant to have a comprehensive and coherent plan for doing so that includes, if applicable: (1) improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders and promoting their equitable distribution; (2) strengthening the use of data to improve education; (3) implementing internationally benchmarked, college- and career-ready elementary and secondary academic standards; (4) turning around its lowest-performing schools; (5) supporting, or coordinating with, early learning programs for high-need children from birth through third grade; and (6) creating or maintaining successful conditions for high-performing charter schools and other innovative, autonomous public schools. Requires each grantee to establish performance measures that track its progress in implementing its plan, and improving educational outcomes for students and specified student subgroups. Gives grant priority to LEAs with the highest number or percentages of impoverished children and those that serve rural schools. Requires each state grantee to use at least 50% of its grant for subgrants to LEAs that participate in its plan. Allows LEAs to receive a grant and subgrant for the same fiscal year.
Bill· SS. 834 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act or Campus SaVE Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in a title IV program to include in its annual security report on campus security policy and crime statistics a statement of current policies for reporting crimes or other emergencies in or on noncampus buildings or property (currently, only reporting of crimes on campus is required). Requires such report to include statistics concerning the occurrence of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking incidents reported to campus security authorities or local police. Requires schools to protect victim confidentiality when reporting criminal threats to the campus community. Directs IHEs to include in their annual security report a statement of policy regarding its programs to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and the procedures it follows when such an offense is reported. Requires such procedures to include: (1) the provision, in writing, to students or employees that report that they have been the victim of such an offense certain information regarding their rights, disciplinary processes, victim services, and safety planning; (2) a description of how the IHE will help enforce any protective order; and (3) information about how the IHE will protect victim confidentiality. Requires an IHE's policy regarding such offenses to include: (1) education that promotes awareness of the offenses; (2) possible sanctions or protective measures imposed following disciplinary action; (3) procedures victims should follow after such an offense occurs; (4) information about to whom the alleged offense should be reported; (5) institutional disciplinary procedures; and (6) the notification of victims regarding their options for, and assistance in, changing academic, living, transportation, and working situations. Directs the Secretary of Education to seek the counsel of the Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the development, and dissemination to IHEs, of best practices for preventing and responding to incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Bill· SS. 833 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Success in the Middle Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle grades needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to complete successfully the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous secondary school coursework; and (2) award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships of LEAs and institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, or educational nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Favors LEAs, or partnerships that include LEAs, that serve high proportions of poor children and children attending eligible schools. Defines "eligible schools" as those where: (1) a high proportion of middle grade students matriculate to secondary schools with graduation rates below 65%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade six, or the school's earliest middle grade level, exhibit key risk factors for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts. Permits states to make subgrants to LEAs and partnerships that did not receive a competitive subgrant to assist them in applying for competitive subgrants and developing comprehensive middle school improvement plans. Provides the Secretary with funding to: (1) contract for studies that identify promising practices for, and review existing research to identify factors that might lead to, the improvement of middle grades education; (2) create a national clearinghouse in best middle grade educational practices and a national database identifying factors that facilitate or impede middle grade student achievement; (3) require certain educational field research designed to enhance the performance of middle grade schools and students; (4) create a research and development center that addresses topics pertinent to the middle grades; and (5) provide grants to entities that partner with states and LEAs to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing middle grades.
Bill· SS. 830 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act - Authorizes the Director of the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to award certain planning, implementation, transitional, and supplemental grants to state pathways partnerships to carry out activities that will create and enhance educational and career pathways for high school students to postsecondary schools (including registered apprenticeship programs) and to 21st century careers, particularly in high skill, high demand industries. Requires the state partnerships to be appointed by state governors and include representatives from educational, business, labor, workforce, and economic development entities in their respective states. Establishes the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to: (1) support the efforts of the state partnerships and regional partnerships (which are to receive competitive implementation subgrants from state partnerships) to offer career pathways of proven effectiveness; (2) design and conduct performance evaluations of career pathways activities; and (3) administer, oversee, and evaluate all career pathways grants.
Bill· SS. 828 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE), acting through the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, to act as the lead federal agency for coordinating and disseminating information on existing federal programs and assistance that may be used to help initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out a review of existing programs and financing mechanisms available in or from appropriate federal agencies with jurisdiction over energy financing and facilitation that are currently used or may be used for such purposes; (2) establish a federal cross-departmental collaborative coordination, education, and outreach effort to streamline communication and promote available federal opportunities and assistance for such projects that enables states, local educational agencies, and schools to use existing federal opportunities more effectively and to form partnerships with governors, state energy programs, local educational, financial, and energy officials, state and local officials, nonprofit organizations, and other appropriate entities to support project initiation; (3) provide technical assistance for states, local educational agencies, and schools to help develop and finance projects that meet specified requirements; (4) develop and maintain a single online resource website with contact information for relevant technical assistance and support staff in the Office for states, local educational agencies, and schools to effectively access and use federal opportunities and assistance to develop such projects; and (5) establish a process for recognition of schools that have successfully implemented such projects and are willing to serve as resources for other local educational agencies and schools to assist initiation of similar efforts.
Bill· SS. 827 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or A PLUS Act - Allows each state to enter into a five-year performance agreement with the Secretary of Education permitting it to receive federal funds on a consolidated basis that would otherwise be directed toward specific programs furthering the stated purpose of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires each agreement to be approved by a combination of specified state parties, and list the programs for which consolidated funding is requested. Allows states to use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law, but requires them to make certain assurances that they will use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, abide by federal civil rights laws, and advance educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. Allows amendments to the scope of performance agreements. Requires each agreement state to: (1) maintain an accountability system measuring annual student progress toward state proficiency standards, (2) disseminate annually student performance data disaggregated by specified student groups, and (3) keep aggregate spending on elementary and secondary education at no less than 90% of such spending for the school year coinciding with this Act's enactment. Limits administrative expenses. Requires the inclusion of private schools and teachers in activities funded on a consolidated basis. Directs the Secretary to evaluate each performance agreement midway through its execution. Allows the Secretary to terminate an agreement whose terms are not met for three consecutive school years.
Bill· SS. 823 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Strengthening America's Public Schools Through Promoting Foreign Investment Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit a lawful alien who enters the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa (including Mexican and Canadian commuter students) to attend a U.S. public secondary school for longer than one year if such alien reimburses the local educational agency for the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of providing education at such school for the period of the alien's attendance.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 155 (112th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Designates April 23, 2011, as National Adopt A Library Day. Honors organizations that help facilitate donations to schools and libraries. Urges people in the United States who own unused books to donate them to local libraries.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 149 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Calls for recognition of: (1) national and community organizations and private sector supporters for their work in promoting awareness about sexual assault, providing information and treatment to survivors of sexual assault, and increasing the number of successful prosecutions of perpetrators of sexual assault; and (2) public safety, law enforcement, and health professionals for their hard work and innovative strategies to increase the percentage of sexual assault cases that result in the prosecution and incarceration of the offenders. Urges national and community organizations, private businesses, institutions of higher education, and the media to promote, through such Month, awareness of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 147 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Recognizes the celebration of National Student Employment Week at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Law· HRH.R. 1540 (112th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2012 for: (1) procurement, including for aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, and shipbuilding and conversion; (2) the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund; (3) research, development, test, and evaluation; (4) operation and maintenance; (5) military personnel; (6) Working Capital Funds; (7) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (8) the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund; (9) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (10) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (11) the Defense Inspector General; (12) the Defense Health Program; (13) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; (14) overseas contingency operations; (15) chemical demilitarization; (16) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program; (17) National Guard and reserve forces facilities; and (18) military base closure and realignment activities. Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2012 for military construction, military family housing, and energy conservation projects. Sets forth provisions or requirements concerning: (1) military personnel policy; (2) education and training; (3) military pay and allowances; (4) acquisition policy and management; (5) DOD organization and management; (6) civilian personnel; and (7) matters relating to foreign nations.
Bill· HRH.R. 1547 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Success in the Middle Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle grades needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to complete successfully the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous secondary school coursework; and (2) award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships of LEAs and institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, or educational nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Favors LEAs, or partnerships that include LEAs, that serve high proportions of poor children and children attending eligible schools. Defines "eligible schools" as those where: (1) a high proportion of middle grade students matriculate to secondary schools with graduation rates below 65%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade six, or the school's earliest middle grade level, exhibit key risk factors for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts. Permits states to make subgrants to LEAs and partnerships that did not receive a competitive subgrant to assist them in applying for competitive subgrants and developing comprehensive middle school improvement plans. Provides the Secretary with funding to: (1) contract for studies that identify promising practices for, and review existing research to identify factors that might lead to, the improvement of middle grades education; (2) create a national clearinghouse in best middle grade educational practices and a national database identifying factors that facilitate or impede middle grade student achievement; (3) require certain educational field research designed to enhance the performance of middle grade schools and students; (4) create a research and development center that addresses topics pertinent to the middle grades; and (5) provide grants to entities that partner with states and LEAs to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing middle grades.
Bill· HRH.R. 1534 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Small Businesses Add Value for Employees Act of 2011 or the SAVE Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to employer-established simple individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to: (1) repeal certain restrictions on rollovers from simple IRAs, (2) allow employers to elect to terminate qualified salary reduction arrangements at any time during the year, (3) repeal the enhanced 25% penalty on premature withdrawals made from simple IRAs within the first two plan years, (4) allow additional nonelective employer contributions to simple IRAs, (5) establish automatic deferral IRAs, (6) allow a transfer of unused balances in flexible spending arrangements to a qualified retirement or eligible deferred compensation plan, (7) increase the tax credit for small employer pension plan startup costs, and (8) establish multiple small employer retirement plans that provide for automatic employee contributions. Requires the Office of Financial Education of the Department of the Treasury to develop and implement an outreach plan to educate small businesses on the types and benefits of available retirement plans. Requires the Secretaries of the Treasury and Labor to develop recommendations for small businesses to improve retirement outcomes. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to develop age-appropriate financial literacy curricula for elementary and secondary schools. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to: (1) permit payroll deduction plans for individual retirement accounts or annuities, and (2) require disclosures relating to lifetime income from pension plans and annuities.
Bill· HRH.R. 1532 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Race to the Top Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement reforms and innovations designed to improve educational outcomes significantly for all students and reduce achievement gaps significantly among specified student subgroups. Requires each grant applicant to have a comprehensive and coherent plan for doing so that includes, if applicable: (1) improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders and promoting their equitable distribution; (2) strengthening the use of data to improve education; (3) implementing internationally benchmarked, college- and career-ready elementary and secondary academic standards; (4) turning around its lowest-performing schools; (5) supporting, or coordinating with, early learning programs for high-need children from birth through third grade; (6) assessing kindergarten students' readiness for school success; and (7) creating or maintaining successful conditions for high-performing charter schools and other innovative, autonomous public schools. Requires each grantee to establish performance measures that track its progress in implementing its plan, and improving educational outcomes for students and specified student subgroups. Gives grant priority to LEAs with the highest number or percentages of impoverished children and those that serve rural schools. Requires each state grantee to use at least 50% of its grant for subgrants to LEAs that participate in its plan. Allows LEAs to receive a grant and subgrant for the same fiscal year.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 227 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2011
Thanks and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week.
Bill· SS. 812 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Lead Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award a competitive grant to a partnership between a nonprofit organization and an institution of higher education (IHE) to establish a school leadership academy that develops and provides evidence-based leadership training to school leaders (turnaround leaders) and their supporting mentors (turnaround mentors) to transform and improve turnaround schools. Defines "turnaround schools" as schools that are subject to corrective action or restructuring under the ESEA or are secondary schools that have a graduation rate below 60%. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to partnerships between or among a nonprofit organization, IHE, or a nonprofit organization and an IHE, and state or local educational agencies to establish school leadership centers of excellence, after the initial cohort of turnaround leaders and mentors have been trained by the school leadership academy. Directs such centers to: (1) adopt and adapt the leadership training program developed by the school leadership academy so that such program is informed, on an ongoing basis, by evidence regarding effective school leadership and meets the needs of the local educational agencies they serve; and (2) work with the school leadership academy to best train and support program participants. Requires leadership training participants at the academy and the centers of excellence to receive a stipend for participating and agree to serve for at least four years at turnaround schools. Requires the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences to support: (1) research on identifying the skills and conditions necessary for school leaders to improve turnaround schools, and (2) evaluations of this Act's programs and activities.
Bill· SS. 809 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2011 or All-STAR Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to certain eligible entities and, through them, subgrants to successful public charter schools to allow such schools to expand or replicate to serve additional students. Lists, as eligible grantees, state and local educational agencies, authorized public chartering agencies, and tax-exempt organizations that have successfully supported the replication and expansion of such schools. Sets forth the attributes that are to give such entities grant priority, including their serving or planning to serve a large percentage of low-income students from public schools with low-graduation rates or schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the ESEA. Authorizes grantees to use up to 25% of a grant to establish a reserve account to assist them in acquiring and developing new facilities for successful public charter schools through: (1) credit enhancement initiatives, (2) the establishment of revolving loan funds, (3) direct spending or financing, or (4) partnerships with community development or other mission-based financial institutions. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent, comprehensive, and scientifically sound evaluation of the effect this Act's initiatives have on student achievement and other areas, as determined by the Secretary.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 144 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Declares that the Senate: (1) remains committed to ensuring access to lifesaving breast cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services, particularly for medically underserved women, and to discovering and delivering cures for breast cancer and encouraging the development of screening tools that are more accurate and less costly; and (2) supports increasing awareness and improving education about breast cancer, the importance of early detection, and the availability of screening services for women in need.
Bill· HRH.R. 1531 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Access to Complete Education Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to promote and strengthen as an integral part of the curriculum one or more of the subjects of music and arts, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, history, geography, and physical education and health. Gives priority to LEAs that have the greatest numbers or percentages of children from families below the poverty line. Requires grantees to coordinate, to the extent practicable, their programs to promote or strengthen education in such subjects with opportunities provided by public or private cultural entities, including museums, education associations, libraries, and theaters.
Bill· HRH.R. 1525 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2011 or All-STAR Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to certain eligible entities and, through them, subgrants to successful public charter schools to allow such schools to expand or replicate to serve additional students. Lists, as eligible grantees, state and local educational agencies, authorized public chartering agencies, and tax-exempt organizations that have successfully supported the replication and expansion of such schools. Sets forth the attributes that are to give such entities grant priority, including their serving or planning to serve a large percentage of low-income students from public schools with low-graduation rates or schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the ESEA. Authorizes grantees to use up to 25% of a grant to establish a reserve account to assist them in acquiring and developing new facilities for successful public charter schools through: (1) credit enhancement initiatives, (2) the establishment of revolving loan funds, (3) direct spending or financing, or (4) partnerships with community development or other mission-based financial institutions. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent, comprehensive, and scientifically sound evaluation of the effect this Act's initiatives have on student achievement and other areas, as determined by the Secretary.
Bill· HRH.R. 1524 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Lead Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award a competitive grant to a partnership between a nonprofit organization and an institution of higher education (IHE) to establish a school leadership academy that develops and provides evidence-based leadership training to school leaders (turnaround leaders) and their supporting mentors (turnaround mentors) to transform and improve turnaround schools. Defines "turnaround schools" as schools that are subject to corrective action or restructuring under the ESEA or are secondary schools that have a graduation rate below 60%. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to partnerships between or among a nonprofit organization, IHE, or a nonprofit organization and an IHE, and state or local educational agencies to establish school leadership centers of excellence, after the initial cohort of turnaround leaders and mentors have been trained by the school leadership academy. Directs such centers to: (1) adopt and adapt the leadership training program developed by the school leadership academy so that such program is informed, on an ongoing basis, by evidence regarding effective school leadership and meets the needs of the local educational agencies they serve; and (2) work with the school leadership academy to best train and support program participants. Requires leadership training participants at the academy and the centers of excellence to receive a stipend for participating and agree to serve for at least four years at turnaround schools. Requires the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences to support: (1) research on identifying the skills and conditions necessary for school leaders to improve turnaround schools, and (2) evaluations of this Act's programs and activities.
Bill· HRH.R. 1519 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 1529 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 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, legal counsel, or person staffing a helpline. Directs the Secretary to establish a system for tracking and maintaining for at least 100 years any medical, investigative, and other records prepared or obtained by DOD in connection with a sexual assault involving a member or dependent. Requires permanent access to such records by the victim. Requires the transfer from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of certain medical records in anticipation of a member's discharge, release, retirement, or medical treatment. 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 a curriculum 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.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 40 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2011
Supports the goals and ideals of the Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Encourages each state, city, and local education authority to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.
Bill· SS. 800 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act - Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to reauthorize appropriations for FY2012-FY2016 for the safe routes to school program. Revises program requirements to specify children kindergarten through 12th grade as the ones to be benefited by the program. Revises criteria used to determine state apportionment of program funds. Includes projects for other nonmotorized modes of transportation besides walking and bicycling as noninfrastructure-related projects. Authorizes states to set-aside up to 10% of apportioned funds for infrastructure improvements that create safe routes to bus stops located outside of the vicinity of schools. Requires each state that receives an apportionment to carry out an assessment of the economic and geographical distribution of funding to ensure that low-income schools are adequately able to access such funds. Defines "low-income school" to mean a school in which 65% or more of students qualify for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Requires each state receiving an apportionment for a fiscal year to use a sufficient amount of it to fund a full-time position of coordinator for the state safe routes to school program. Prescribes requirements for the treatment of noninfrastructure and infrastructure projects. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) develop and implement a comprehensive plan for evaluating the effectiveness of safe routes to school, and (2) make grants to an experienced national nonprofit organization to operate a national safe routes to school clearinghouse.
Bill· SS. 797 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
Bill· SS. 791 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund until 19 years after enactment of this Act. Prescribes additional periods of required presence in an affected area during atmospheric nuclear testing for individuals filing leukemia or specified disease claims. Increases the amount of compensation an individual filing a claim may receive to $150,000. Expands "affected area" to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico, as well as any county in Arizona, Nevada, or Utah. Extends to December 31, 1990, the period during which an individual employed at any time in a uranium mine or uranium mill is made eligible to receive compensation for a disease claim due to radiation exposure. Makes a core driller eligible to receive compensation upon filing of a disease claim. Makes miners, core drillers, and ore transporters who suffer renal cancer or any other chronic renal disease, including nephritis and kidney tubal tissue injury, eligible for compensation due to exposure to radiation while on the job. Requires the Attorney General to accept written affidavits meeting specified requirements regarding employment history, physical presence in an affected area, or participation at a nuclear testing site in determining the eligibility of claimants. Extends until 19 years after enactment of this Act the statute of limitations for the filing of such claims. Increases from 2% to 10% of the payment received by a claimant the maximum amount of attorneys fees that can be charged for the filing of an initial claim. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among non-occupationally exposed individuals, including family members of uranium miners and millers. Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include as a member of the Special Exposure Cohort entitled to compensation with respect to chronic beryllium disease under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program any Department of Energy (DOE) employee or contractor who contracted cancer after beginning employment between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1990, in a uranium mine or mill located in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, or any other state the Attorney General includes.
Bill· SS. 788 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Fair Pay Act of 2011 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on bona fide factors that the employer demonstrates are job-related or further legitimate business interests.) Prohibits the discharge of, or any other discrimination against, an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows any such action to be maintained as a class action. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to: (1) undertake studies and provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act; and (2) carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance with specified components related to the purposes of this Act. Makes conforming amendments relating to congressional and executive branch employees to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Presidential and Executive Office Accountability Act.
Bill· SS. 787 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 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.
Bill· HRH.R. 1490 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund until 19 years after enactment of this Act. Prescribes additional periods of required presence in an affected area during atmospheric nuclear testing for individuals filing leukemia or specified disease claims. Increases the amount of compensation an individual filing a claim may receive to $150,000. Expands "affected area" to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico, as well as any county in Arizona, Nevada, or Utah. Extends to December 31, 1990, the period during which an individual employed at any time in a uranium mine or uranium mill is made eligible to receive compensation for a disease claim due to radiation exposure. Makes a core driller eligible to receive compensation upon filing of a disease claim. Makes miners, core drillers, and ore transporters who suffer renal cancer or any other chronic renal disease, including nephritis and kidney tubal tissue injury, eligible for compensation due to exposure to radiation while on the job. Requires the Attorney General to accept written affidavits meeting specified requirements regarding employment history, physical presence in an affected area, or participation at a nuclear testing site in determining the eligibility of claimants. Extends until 19 years after enactment of this Act the statute of limitations for the filing of such claims. Increases from 2% to 10% of the payment received by a claimant the maximum amount of attorneys fees that can be charged for the filing of an initial claim. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among non-occupationally exposed individuals, including family members of uranium miners and millers. Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include as a member of the Special Exposure Cohort entitled to compensation with respect to chronic beryllium disease under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program any Department of Energy (DOE) employee or contractor who contracted cancer after beginning employment between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1990, in a uranium mine or mill located in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, or any other state the Attorney General includes.
Bill· HRH.R. 1493 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Fair Pay Act of 2011 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on bona fide factors that the employer demonstrates are job-related or further legitimate business interests.) Prohibits the discharge of, or any other discrimination against, an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows any such action to be maintained as a class action. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to: (1) undertake studies and provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act; and (2) carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance with specified components related to the purposes of this Act. Makes conforming amendments relating to congressional and executive branch employees to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Presidential and Executive Office Accountability Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 1482 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or nonprofits, educational service agencies, institutions of higher education, or states that enter into partnerships with such LEAs to: (1) recruit individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers, and (2) provide training and retention incentives to public elementary and secondary school teachers. Prohibits grants to applicants that do not serve schools that have difficulty recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as teachers. Gives priority to applicants that serve the most high-need schools and those that serve schools with high concentrations of poor, minority, disabled, or limited English proficient students. Requires the Secretary to evaluate the success of the grantees and compile a database of best practices for recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers.
Bill· HRH.R. 1491 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Safety for Americans from Nuclear Weapons Testing Act - Deems each of the following actions undertaken by a federal agency to be a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for which a detailed environmental impact statement is required in conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969: (1) any action having as a purpose the resumption of testing of one or more nuclear weapons (including other nuclear explosive devices producing a nuclear yield) at the Nevada National Security Site; or (2) use of any other location for such testing. Outlines information required to be included in such statement, including: (1) the possibility of radiation containment failure and the effects of such failure; (2) possible long-term effects on the water table from underground radiation leakage; and (3) information with respect to certain kiloton categories of weapons. Prohibits the United States from resuming any such testing unless authorized by a law enacted after the enactment of this Act. Requires: (1) advance public notice of each test by the President; (2) notice of each release of radiation beyond the boundaries of the Nevada National Security Site by the Secretary of Energy within one hour of detection of such radiation; and (3) public meetings in southern Utah, Arizona, and Nevada after each test to discuss test results. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the safety and health of citizens in the vicinity of the Nevada National Security Site. Directs the Secretary to establish a Nevada National Security Site Citizens Review Board. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to institutions of higher education to acquire and operate, for ten years, radiation detection equipment and sensors. Directs the Secretary of Energy, through the Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to monitor the nature and extent of any radiation released into the atmosphere as a result of such testing. Requires: (1) DOE radiation containment assessment; and (2) public notice of monitoring data. Requires the: (1) Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make a grant to establish the National Center for the Study of Radiation and Human Health; and (2) Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of individuals exposed to nuclear weapons tests. Deems any reference to the Nevada Test Site in any law to be a reference to the Nevada National Security Site.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 37 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2011
Sets forth the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2012, including the appropriate budgetary levels for FY2011, and FY2013-FY2021. Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2011-FY2021 with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) new budget authority, (3) budget outlays, (4) deficits (on-budget), (5) debt subject to limit, and (6) debt held by the public. Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority and outlays for specified major functional categories for FY2011-FY2021. Sets forth reconciliation instructions for the House Committees on: (1) Agriculture, (2) Education and the Workforce, (3) Energy and Commerce, (4) Financial Services, (5) Natural Resources, (6) Oversight and Government Reform, and (7) Ways and Means. Requires the House Committee on the Budget to report a reconciliation bill that slows the growth in mandatory spending and achieves deficit reduction. Requires each House Committees to identify savings amounting to 1% of total mandatory spending under its jurisdiction from activities determined to be wasteful, unnecessary, or lower-priority. Prohibits House legislation that would require advance appropriations, except for certain FY2013-FY2014 programs, projects, activities, or accounts. Prescribes requirements for legislation reported out of committee and designated as an emergency requirement. Requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to calculate the impact of any proposal to change federal revenues on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), total domestic employment, and other specified economic variables. Prohibits the chairman of the House Committee on the Budget from taking into account the provisions of any piece of legislation which propose to increase revenue or offsetting collections if the net effect of the bill is to increase the level of revenue or offsetting collections beyond the level assumed in this budget resolution. Requires the chairman to maintain a Budget Protection Mandatory Account and a Budget Protection Discretionary Account. Requires the Majority Leader to introduce rescission bills quarterly. Prescribes legislative procedures for their floor consideration. Expresses the sense of the House regarding: (1) baseline revenue projections, and (2) long-term budget projections. Establishes an earmark moratorium for FY2011-FY2012 for legislation providing or authorizing discretionary budget authority, credit or other spending authority, providing a federal tax deduction, credit, or exclusion, or modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule in FY2011-FY2012. Prohibits the House Committee on Rules from reporting a rule or order waiving such moratorium. Declares the policy of this resolution on: (1) health care law repeal, (2) bailouts of state and local governments, (3) means-tested welfare programs, and (4) reforming the federal budget process.
Law· HRH.R. 1473 (112th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2011
Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2011 - Appropriates funds for FY2011 to the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military personnel; (2) operation and maintenance, including for the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, environmental restoration, overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid, former Soviet Union cooperative threat reduction, and the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund; (3) procurement, including for aircraft, missiles, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and purchases under the Defense Production Act of 1950; (4) research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E); (5) Defense Working Capital Funds and the National Defense Sealift Fund; (6) the Defense Health Program; (7) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (8) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (9) the Office of the Inspector General; (10) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund; (11) the Intelligence Community Management Account; and (12) overseas contingency operations, including regular, reserve, and National Guard personnel, operation and maintenance, the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund, the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, the Iraq Security Forces Fund, the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund, procurement, National Guard and Reserve equipment, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Fund, RDT&E, and the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund. Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. Rescinds specified funds from various accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts. Reduces specified funds. Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2011. Appropriates amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2010 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: (1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010; (2) the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010; (3) the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010; (4) the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010; (5) the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2010; (6) the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010; and (7) that part of chapter 1 of title I of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010 that addresses guaranteed loans in the rural housing insurance fund. Provides funding under this division through FY2011. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including activities for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such fiscal year. Bars any language specifying an earmark in an appropriations Act for FY2010, or in a committee report or joint explanatory statement accompanying such an Act, from having legal effect with respect to funds appropriated by this Act. Prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer of, or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions of, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who: (1) is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces; and (2) is or was held by DOD on or after June 24, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Establishes the level of funding for specified agricultural and rural development programs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and related agencies programs. Establishes the level of funding for the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and for science, and related agencies. Authorizes, restricts, or prohibits specified uses of appropriated funds in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010, with respect to funds appropriated by this Act. Establishes the level of funding for: (1) energy and water development, and related agencies; (2) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); (3) certain loan guarantees under the Energy Policy Act of 2005; (4) financial services and general government; (5) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and (6) the Department of the Interior, the Environmental and Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. Requires specified federal departments and agencies to submit to the congressional appropriations committees a spending, expenditure, or operating plan for FY2011 at a detail level below the account level. Establishes the level of funding for: (1) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and related agencies; (2) the legislative branch; and (3) DOD military construction, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and related agencies. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the costs and processes of implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Eliminates the PPACA requirement that employers provide free (qualified health plan) choice vouchers to certain employees. Establishes the level of funding for: (1) the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs; and (2) the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and related agencies. Specifies authorized, restricted, and prohibited uses of appropriated funds. Rescinds and/or reduces specified funds from or within various accounts. Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act or SOAR Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to nonprofit organizations to carry out a program to provide expanded school choice opportunities to students who are District of Columbia (DC) residents and who come from certain qualifying low-income households. Repeals the DC School Choice Incentive Act of 2003.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 34 (112th)failed
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2011
Sets forth the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2012, including the appropriate budgetary levels for FY2013-FY2021. Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2012-FY2021 with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) new budget authority, (3) budget outlays, (4) deficits (on-budget), (5) debt subject to limit, and (6) debt held by the public. Lists the appropriate levels of new budget authority and outlays for specified major functional categories for FY2012-FY2021. Lists recommended budgetary levels and amounts for FY2030, FY2040, and FY2050 as a percent of the federal gross domestic product (GDP) with respect to: (1) federal revenues, (2) budget outlays, (3) deficits, and (4) debt held by the public. Authorizes adjustment of allocations to the House Committee on Appropriations for the costs of the global war on terrorism and other activities for FY2012 if legislation makes appropriations for such costs and it is designated under this resolution. Authorizes certain reserve funds for legislation for health care reform and the sustainable growth rate of the Medicare program. Authorizes certain deficit-neutral reserve funds for revenue measures and for rural counties and schools. Establishes specified discretionary spending limits in the House for FY2012-FY2021. Authorizes the chairman of the House Committee on the Budget, under specified conditions, to adjust allocations and aggregates in this resolution for the budgetary effects of: (1) measures extending the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001; (2) measures extending the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003; (3) measures that adjust the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) exemption amounts to prevent a larger number of taxpayers as compared with tax year 2008 from being subject to the ATM or of allowing the use of nonrefundable personal credits against it, or both as applicable; (4) extending the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax requirements of title III of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010; (5) measures implementing trade agreements; (6) repealing or reforming the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010; and (7) measures reforming the tax code and lower tax rates. Disqualifies measures from such adjustments that increase: (1) the federal deficit between FY2012-FY2021; or (2) revenues over such period, other than by repealing or modifying the individual mandate or by modifying the subsidies to purchase health insurance (both codified in the Internal Revenue Code). Makes it out of order in the House to consider legislation reported out of committee (other than the Committee on Appropriations) if it has the net effect of increasing mandatory spending in excess of $5 billion for any of the first four consecutive 10-fiscal-year periods beginning with the first fiscal year following the last fiscal year for which the applicable budget resolution sets forth appropriate budgetary levels. Requires the joint explanatory statement accompanying the conference report on any budget resolution to include in its allocation to the House Committee on Appropriations amounts for the discretionary administrative expenses of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and of the Postal Service. Authorizes the chairman to adjust allocations and aggregates for legislation reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that reforms the federal retirement system, but does not cause a net increase in the deficit for FY2012-FY2021. Declares the policy on this resolution on: (1) Medicare reform, (2) Social Security, and (3) budget enforcement. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives on: (1) a responsible deficit reduction plan must consider all programs, including those at the Pentagon and other national security agencies; and (2) the importance of child support enforcement.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 35 (112th)open
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2011
Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a correction in the enrollment of H.R. 1473 (Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011) to prohibit any funds under such Act or any previous Act from being used to carry out the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 or any amendments made by those Acts.
Bill· SS. 775 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2011
Tom Lantos Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, should continue aggressive work on pulmonary hypertension; and (2) the Director of the Institute should continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, pulmonary hypertension. Requires inclusion of information on the status of pulmonary hypertension research at NIH in biennial reports to Congress. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to carry out an educational campaign to increase public awareness of pulmonary hypertension, which may include information on pulmonary hypertension and its symptoms, the incidence and prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, diseases and conditions that can lead to pulmonary hypertension as a secondary diagnosis, the importance of early diagnosis, and the availability of a range of treatment options. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Director of CDC, to carry out an educational campaign to increase awareness of pulmonary hypertension among health care providers, which may include information on: (1) the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension, (2) the importance of early diagnosis, (3) current diagnostic criteria, and (4) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies for the disease. Requires such campaign to target health care providers, including cardiologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists, primary care physicians, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners.
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