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Bill· HRH.R. 2794 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2011
Continuum of Learning Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to coordinate school improvement and professional development activities with early childhood development and education programs. Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the ESEA to require states to create or revise early learning guidelines for preschool age children and early learning standards for children in kindergarten through grade three. Requires the guidelines and standards to be developmentally appropriate and cover all domains of child development and learning. Requires states to encourage local educational agencies (LEAs) and elementary schools to use school improvement funds to offer early childhood education programs from birth to school entry. Requires LEAs to: (1) assist their elementary schools in conducting a ready school needs review, at least once every three years, that is used to create a school environment that supports children's transition to school and achievement of state and grade level expectations; (2) ensure, to the extent feasible, starting with the 2015-2016 school year, that teachers placed in the early elementary school grades have a specialized early childhood education teaching license, credential, or endorsement; and (3) work with early childhood education programs to establish a continuity of curricular objectives and developmental expectations that support children's transition to school. Limits the use of child assessments for children from birth through grade two. Amends part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to require states to incorporate knowledge regarding early childhood development and learning into teacher and principal certification or licensing requirements. Requires professional development activities to include: (1) training in early child development and learning, and (2) joint training for elementary school staff and early childhood education program staff.
Bill· HRH.R. 2799 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2011
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.
Bill· SS. 1509 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Promoting Accountability and Excellence in Child Welfare Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a child welfare innovation grant program that provides eligible entities with the necessary flexibility and financial incentives to implement comprehensive reforms to existing child welfare programs under parts B (Child and Family Services) and E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act in order to: (1) achieve significant results that improve the well-being of all children in the child welfare system; and (2) incorporate higher standards of accountability for state and local agencies and organizations that provide child welfare services. Directs the Secretary to establish an interagency working group that includes representatives from the Department of Education,, the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other federal agencies administering programs that affect the child welfare system to identify existing federal financial resources that may be used to provide supplemental funding to eligible entities awarded grants under this Act.
Bill· SS. 1495 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Early Intervention for Graduation Success Authorization Act of 2011 - Amends the School Dropout Prevention program under part H of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Replaces the existing grant program with a program awarding competitive, renewable, five-year early intervention grants to states and, through them, subgrants to partnerships between local educational agencies (LEAs) and early childhood education providers that serve a high percentage of students who bear the risk factors for dropping out of school. Requires state grantees to: (1) create and periodically update a research-based Statewide Graduation Success Plan addressing the factors associated with the risk of not graduating from high school; (2) provide technical assistance to subgrantees; and (3) implement a Statewide Dropout Early Warning System to identify and direct effective services to children, from birth through elementary school, who are at risk of not graduating from high school. Permits states to use grant funds to: (1) provide tuition assistance to students who agree to teach in an early childhood education program, (2) increase and monitor the quality of early childhood education, (3) design and implement a progression of aligned performance standards across all domains of learning from prekindergarten through postsecondary education, and (4) expand access to high-quality early childhood education for children most at risk of low proficiency in school. Requires subgrantees to: (1) use the Statewide Dropout Early Warning System to implement research-based, individualized interventions for at-risk students; (2) develop and implement individual learning plans for each at-risk early childhood or elementary school student; (3) provide teacher training; (4) integrate community and family support services; and (5) foster students' high expectations and improve their chances for academic success. Reauthorizes the program through FY2017.
Bill· SS. 1481 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Medical Education Development Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program of grants to newly accredited allopathic and osteopathic medical schools to support scholarships, develop residencies, build infrastructure, recruit and retain faculty, and develop research programs, for the purpose of increasing the supply of physicians. Directs the Secretary to: (1) give first priority to schools accredited to admit students from FY2009-FY2014, (2) provide increased funding to schools that enroll larger classes while maintaining competitive faculty-to-student ratios, and (3) allocate funds to only schools that provide accountability and transparency in expending such funds. Requires: (1) each school to report annually on the specific uses of funds received and on how the grant has benefited the region and the nation; and (2) the Secretary to report annually on the extent to which such grants have increased the supply of physicians, resulted in greater access to health care, enabled the creation of new care models, provided economic regional benefits, and increased the focus on medical students' communications skills.
Bill· SS. 1480 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program of grants to allopathic or osteopathic medical schools for the purposes of constructing, renovating, or improving school facilities and increasing the supply of physicians. Sets forth criteria for the allocation of funds, with priority given to new schools, schools looking to create a new branch of an existing school, and schools that serve medically underserved areas.
Bill· HRH.R. 2792 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2011
African Higher Education Advancement and Development Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the importance to transformational state and socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa of support for the improvement of primary, secondary, and tertiary education in that region. States that it is this country's policy to provide sub-Saharan Africa with long-term assistance to improve the capacity of its institutions of higher education (IHEs) through partnerships with our IHEs. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide long-term assistance to sub-Saharan Africa that improves higher education by: (1) building the capacity of IHEs in sub-Saharan Africa; (2) building linkages and partnerships between sub-Saharan IHEs and our IHEs; and (3) assisting efforts to recruit and retain women students, faculty, and administrators. Requires the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to designate a Director for Higher Education in sub-Saharan Africa, who is to carry out such activities. Establishes a Sub-Saharan African Higher Education Advisory Board within USAID, which is appointed by the Administrator and composed of individuals from the private sector who have the requisite experience with sub-Saharan Africa and higher education to assist the Director. Requires the Director and the Board, to the extent practicable, to use any federal funding appropriated for this Act's assistance program to leverage equal or greater sources of private sector funding for such assistance.
Bill· SS. 1465 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Joining Forces for Military Mental Health Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, through community partnerships with private nonprofit organizations, to carry out a three-year pilot program assessing the enhancement of Department of Defense (DOD) efforts in research, treatment, education, and outreach on mental health and substance use disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in members of the National Guard and Reserves and their family members and caregivers. Allows the Secretary, using a competitive or merit-based award process, to award up to five grants to such community partners, provided that the awardee agrees to make matching contributions from nonfederal sources (whether public or private) of at least $3 for each $1 provided under the grant. Requires grant-seeking organizations to submit an application including a description of proposed collaboration initiatives and existing research efforts.
Bill· SS. 1464 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Measuring and Evaluating Trends for Reliability, Integrity, and Continued Success (METRICS) Act of 2011 or METRICS Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), or consortia of high-need LEAs that partner with external entities to improve access to, and the sharing and use of, education data to improve student outcomes. Requires states to use such grants to: (1) implement aligned statewide education longitudinal data systems; (2) define policies and procedures for the collection of, access to, and use of education data; (3) protect the privacy, security, and confidentiality of student and educator data; (4) link education data with workforce data; (5) match teachers with teacher preparation and certification information; (6) standardize education data through the use of openly developed common education data standards; and (7) meet federal reporting requirements. Requires high-need LEAs to use such grants to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to: (1) provide interested parties and the public with access to student education data in a manner that ensures its integrity and respects student and educator privacy; (2) improve the ability of school leaders to use student data to improve schools and classroom instruction; and (3) improve the ability of teachers effectively to use student data through on-going, sustainable, and high-quality training. Defines "aligned statewide education longitudinal data systems" as statewide data systems that house and link the longitudinal data of individual students, including their early childhood, elementary and secondary school, postsecondary education, and workforce data. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified national activities to improve the collection, quality, and use of education data. Directs the Secretary to make publicly available, within one year of this Act's enactment, a comprehensive and searchable description of all Department of Education reporting requirements that apply to states, LEAs, or schools.
Bill· SS. 1462 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Schools Utilizing Comprehensive and Community Engagement for Success Act or Success Act - Amends part A of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require local educational agencies (LEAs) to work with public and private state and local entities to provide children and families with services that are integrated with services from specialized instructional support personnel and LEA homeless liaisons to address the academic and nonacademic factors that affect student achievement. Amends title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovation Programs) of the ESEA to establish a Parent and Community Outreach and Engagement program. Directs the Secretary of Education to award formula grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to: (1) LEAs to assist their public elementary and secondary schools to hire and maintain Parent and Community Outreach Coordinators; and (2) community-based organizations or institutions of higher education that work in partnership with public schools to connect integrated services and comprehensive supports to students and families to enhance students' social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Requires Parent and Community Outreach Coordinators to: (1) build relationships, bridge gaps, and create partnerships among school staff, families, and community members; and (2) provide support and resources to increase family and community engagement in schools. Requires Coordinators to be supervised and evaluated by the principal or headmaster of the school and evaluated annually by a committee composed of school personnel, parents, and at least one community partner. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a nonprofit organization that has effective and extensive experience in providing integrated student supports to: (1) provide technical assistance and training to this Act's grantees and subgrantees; and (2) establish a national clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of information on effective parent, family, and community engagement practices and programs.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 247 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Commends John I. Wilson, executive director of the National Education Association, for his services to educators and efforts to improve our education system. Congratulates him on his retirement. Supports the continued efforts of education leaders to aid and improve our education system.
Bill· HRH.R. 2751 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Joining Forces for Military Mental Health Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, through community partnerships with private nonprofit organizations, to carry out a three-year pilot program assessing the enhancement of Department of Defense (DOD) efforts in research, treatment, education, and outreach on mental health and substance use disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in members of the National Guard and Reserves and their family members and caregivers. Allows the Secretary, using a competitive or merit-based award process, to award up to five grants to such community partners, provided that the awardee agrees to make matching contributions from nonfederal sources (whether public or private) of at least $3 for each $1 provided under the grant. Requires grant-seeking organizations to submit an application including a description of proposed collaboration initiatives and existing research efforts.
Bill· HRH.R. 2769 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Parental Consent Act of 2011 - Prohibits federal funds from being used to establish or implement any universal or mandatory mental health, psychiatric, or socioemotional screening program. Prohibits federal education funds from being used to pay any local educational agency or other instrument of government that uses the refusal of a parent or legal guardian to provide consent to mental health screening as the basis of a charge of child abuse, child neglect, medical neglect, or education neglect until the agency or instrument demonstrates that it is no longer using such refusal as a basis of such charge. Defines a screening program under this Act as any mental health screening program in which a set of individuals is automatically screened without regard to whether there was a prior indication of a need for mental health treatment, including: (1) any program of state incentive grants to implement recommendations in the July 2003 report of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, the State Early Childhood Comprehensive System, grants for TeenScreen, and the Foundations for Learning Grants; and (2) any student mental health screening program that allows mental health screening of individuals under 18 years of age without the express, written, voluntary, informed consent of the parent or legal guardian of the individual involved.
Bill· HRH.R. 2732 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Student Loan Simplification and Opportunity Act of 2011 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal the Secretary of Education's authority, under the Direct Loan (DL) program, to purchase or enter into forward commitments to purchase: (1) Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) from lenders, upon the determination that there is an inadequate availability of loan capital to meet the demand for such loans; and (2) rehabilitated loans that eligible lenders purchased under the FFEL default reduction program. (Currently, the Secretary's authority to purchase or enter into forward commitments to purchase such loans is set to expire in July 2010, as is the FFEL program.) Authorizes the Secretary to offer borrowers FFEL Debt Conversion Loans, until October 2012, that cover FFELs that have not been purchased under the program this Act repeals, provided such borrowers: (1) are not in default or delinquent for 270 days or more on such loans, and (2) have an outstanding DL or an outstanding FFEL that was purchased pursuant to the program this Act repeals. (FFEL Debt Conversion Loans pay the holder of the FFEL the outstanding principal and interest on the loan, which the borrower is then obligated to repay to the Secretary under the terms of the converted FFEL.) Authorizes the Secretary to offer benefits to borrowers of FFEL Debt Conversion Loans in an amount up to 2% of the amount advanced on the FFEL Debt Conversion Loan. Requires federal proceeds from this Act's temporary authorization of FFEL Debt Conversion Loans to be used for the Pell grant program.
Bill· HRH.R. 2721 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth Promise Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention and intervention. Directs the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
Bill· HRH.R. 2754 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Textile and Apparel Policy and Programs (TAPP) division of the Office of International Trade within CBP should ensure that seizures, detentions, special operations, and Textile Product Verification Teams (TPVTs) remain the primary focus of their efforts to enforce U.S. customs laws with respect to imports of textile or apparel articles, particularly as they relate to enforcement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and other free trade agreements and trade preference programs to prevent transshipments and origin fraud. Requires the seizure and forfeiture of an imported textile or apparel article for which a trade preference has been claimed in cases where the importer: (1) has either misdescribed, not verified the article's country of origin, or used accompanying false documentation; or (2) provides false information as to his or her address or does not meet certain documentation or informational requirements upon entry of an article. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), the CBP Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of articles due to violations of the U.S. customs laws to pay for expenses directly related to the investigation and enforcement of such violations, including expenses related to training and education of certain specialists who participate in the enforcement of such laws. Authorizes the use of such amounts also to pay for a reward of the lesser of at least 20% of that amount or $20,000 to any person who furnishes information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of articles due to violations enforced by the Secretary, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Commissioner to ensure specified staffing of the Textile Operations Branch of TAPP, of TAPP, and of the Quota Branch of TAPP. Requires the Commissioner to certify, with respect to the 15 largest U.S. ports of entry for textile or apparel articles, that a certain number of Import Specialists are trained in preventing textile or apparel importer fraud, trade preference verification, and undervaluation. Requires the Commissioner also to increase the number of dedicated textile and import specialists at such ports by 25%. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury (who is now merely authorized) to publish in the Federal Register: (1) the names of persons located outside of the U.S. customs territories against whom the CBP has issued a penalty claim for violating U.S. customs laws, including for violations of quotas, duties, or trade preferences; and (2) a list of high-risk countries involved in the transshipment of textile or apparel products. Requires the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic verification system for tracking textile or apparel articles imported or exported under the CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, or any other free trade agreement to which the United States is a party to ensure compliance with such agreements. Directs the Commissioner to establish a new textile and apparel importer program that requires the CBP to adjust bond amounts for new importers of textile and apparel goods based on the level of assessed risk. Requires the Commissioner to establish a nonresident importer declaration program for the import of textile or apparel articles. Directs the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Supplier Registry pilot program.
Bill· HRH.R. 2749 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, if $100 million is made available from the private sector for establishing a Nanomanufacturing Investment Partnership, to establish such a Partnership to provide funding for precommercial nanomanufacturing research and development projects. Allows the Partnership to provide funding through direct investments in specified mechanisms designed to advance nanomanufacturing. Requires return on investment of amounts resulting from the commercialization of developed technologies to the Partnership. Requires establishment of an advisory board to assist the Secretary in carrying out the Partnership. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a tax credit for the purchase of qualified nanotechnology developer stock. Authorizes establishment within the Technology Administration of a grant program to support the establishment and development of incubators (entities affiliated with or housed in degree-granting institutions that provide space and coordinated and specialized services to certain entrepreneurial businesses). Establishes a Nanotechnology Startup Advisory Council. Directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for the development of computer aided design tools for nanotechnology applications. Requires the establishment of nanotechnology research grant programs by the: (1) Secretary of Energy (DOE) to address the need for clean, cheap, renewable energy; (2) Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address technologies for remediation of pollution and other environmental protection technologies; (3) Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to address the need for sensors and other materials related to homeland security needs; and (4) Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address health related applications of nanotechnology. Requires the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office to transmit a nanotechnology research strategy that establishes priorities for the federal government and industry. Amends the IRC to: (1) allow a tax credit for nanotechnology education and training program expenses; and (2) revise, for purposes of Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits, the definition of "eligible educational institution" to include commercial nanotechnology training providers. Directs the NSF to establish: (1) a grant program for the development of curriculum materials for interdisciplinary nanotechnology courses at institutions of higher education, and (2) establish a program to encourage manufacturing companies to enter into partnerships with occupational training centers for the development of training to support nanotechnology manufacturing. Directs the Secretary of Energy to transmit a strategy for increasing interaction on nanotechnology issues between scientists and engineers at the Department of Energy's national laboratories and in the informal science education community.
Bill· HRH.R. 2727 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
People's Act of 2011 - Amends the Budget Control Act of 2011 to prohibit the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction from proposing any reductions in eligibility, payments, or benefits, or that would otherwise reduce outlays of budget authority for: (1) Social Security benefits under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) or under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI); (2) the Medicare program under SSA title XVIII; (3) the Medicaid program under SSA title XIX; or (4) the Head Start Act or any program administered by the Secretary of Education, including any program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Higher Education Act of 1965, or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Bill· HRH.R. 2726 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Education Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Budget Control Act of 2011 to prohibit the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction from proposing any reductions in eligibility, payments, or benefits, or anything that otherwise reduce outlays of budget authority under, the Head Start Act or any program administered by the Secretary of Education, including any program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Higher Education Act of 1965, or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 386 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Commends John I. Wilson, executive director of the National Education Association, for his services to educators and efforts to improve our education system. Congratulates him on his retirement. Supports the continued efforts of education leaders to aid and improve our education system.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 385 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Expresses support for the designation of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. Encourages people across the United States to support programs to assist those in need of adult education and family literacy programs. Requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing the importance of adult education and family literacy programs, calling upon the federal government, states, localities, schools, libraries, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, consumer advocates, institutions of higher education, labor unions, and businesses to support increased access to adult education and family literacy programs to ensure a literate society.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 384 (112th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2011
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (S. 365) to make a technical amendment to the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 244 (112th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Congratulates Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. for 100 years of service to communities throughout this country and the world. (Omega Psi Phi was the first international fraternal organization founded on the campus of an historically black college.) Commends Omega Psi Phi for upholding its cardinal principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 243 (112th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Calls for the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with leaders in the medical community to explore ways to improve medical research, screening and prevention methods, and surveillance efforts to prevent and manage atrial fibrillation, including by: (1) advancing the development of process and outcome measures for the management of atrial fibrillation by national developers; (2) facilitating the adoption of evidence-based guidelines by the medical community to improve patient outcomes; (3) advancing atrial fibrillation research and education by encouraging basic science research to determine causes and optimal treatments, exploring development of screening tools and protocols to determine the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, and enhancing current surveillance and tracking systems to include atrial fibrillation; and (4) improving access to appropriate medical care for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation by encouraging education programs that promote collaboration among federal health agencies and that increase public and clinician awareness.
Bill· HRH.R. 2700 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Global Autism Assistance Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish and administer a health and education grant program (Global Autism Assistance Program) to: (1) support activities by nongovernmental organizations and other service providers, including advocacy groups, focused on autism in developing countries; and (2) establish a "teach the teachers" program to train health and education professionals working with autistic children in developing countries.
Bill· HRH.R. 2704 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Justice for the Unprotected Against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act or the JUSTICE Act - Requires the Attorney General to direct the Bureau of Prisons to allow community organizations to distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and to engage in sexually transmitted infection (STI) counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Prohibits a federal correctional facility from taking adverse action against a prisoner who possesses or uses a sexual barrier protection device. Expresses the sense of Congress that states should allow for the legal distribution of sexual barrier protection devices in their correctional facilities. Amends the Social Security Act to provide for automatic reinstatement of Medicaid benefits for ex-offenders upon their release from a public institution if such an offender: (1) was enrolled under the state plan immediately before becoming an inmate of such institution, or (2) is diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus. Increases the federal matching payments made to a state by five percentage points for a one-year period to provide for such benefits. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct a survey of all educational, testing, and other programs in federal and state correctional facilities for reducing the spread of STIs; and (2) develop and implement a five-year strategy to reduce the prevalence and spread of STIs in such facilities.
Bill· HRH.R. 2694 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Medicare Firewall Act of 2011 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, to defund as of the end of FY2011: (1) the convening of multi-stakeholder groups for input into the selection of health care quality measures, (2) the Independence at Home Demonstration Program, (3) the Community-Based Care Transitions Program, (4) the demonstration project on separate payments under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for complex diagnostic laboratory tests, (5) outreach and assistance for specified state and local low-income programs, (6) the Independent Medicare Advisory Board, (7) evaluation of community-based prevention and wellness programs, and (8) the pilot program for care of certain individuals residing in emergency declaration areas. Restores to the Medicare Trust Funds unobligated amounts that were originally transferred from them for such programs and activities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress on demonstration, pilot, or similar projects undertaken with funding from any of the Medicare Trust Funds, especially those for which the initial period of the project has: (1) not demonstrated that the project has met its objectives, or (2) resulted in net expenditures from the Medicare Trust Funds. Requires the Secretary to include with this report a plan for termination or modification of each such project.
Bill· HRH.R. 2705 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2011
Education for All Act of 2011 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to state that it is U.S. policy to work with foreign countries and international and civil society organizations to achieve universal basic education by: (1) assisting developing countries and nongovernmental and multilateral organizations to provide all children with a quality basic education, and (2) promoting education as the foundation for communities' development. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive U.S. strategy to promote quality universal basic education. Authorizes the President to provide funds and other assistance to qualifying foreign countries to create the policies, processes, and infrastructure to develop national basic quality education plans. Directs the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to designate a Coordinator of United States Government Actions to Provide Basic Education Assistance who shall have primary responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all U.S. government resources and international activities to promote quality universal basic education.
Bill· SS. 1440 (112th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Reauthorization Act or the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH activities with respect to research on the causes of preterm labor and delivery, tools to detect, prevent, or reduce prevalence of preterm labor and delivery, and the care and treatment of preterm infants. Establishes within NIH a multicenter clinical program to investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, improve the care and outcomes of neonates, and enhance the understanding of DNA and proteins as they relate to the underlying processes that lead to preterm birth. Requires the Director to award grants for planning, establishing, improving, and providing basic operating support for transdisciplinary research centers for prematurity. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Surgeon General, to establish and implement a national science-based provider and consumer education campaign on promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing preterm birth. Reauthorizes provisions related to research on prematurity and preterm births and sets forth specific areas for such research. Requires the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth to award grants to establish demonstration projects for: (1) obstetrical services for high risk women of child bearing age remotely using telehealth; and (2) educational activities regarding risk factors for preterm birth. Expands a demonstration project to inform health care providers and the public and improve treatment and outcome for babies born preterm. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. Requires a study on hospital readmissions of preterm births.
Bill· SS. 1439 (112th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Ready Schools Act of 2011 - Amends part A of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require local educational agencies to describe how they will assist each of their elementary schools that receive school improvement funds in conducting a ready school needs review at least once every three years. Requires schools to use that review in developing and implementing policies and procedures that create a school environment and classroom practices that: (1) help each child reach state and grade level expectations, including state academic content and achievement standards; and (2) support successful transitions for children. Requires the review to assess a school's needs for: (1) developmentally appropriate curricula, classroom materials, teaching practices, instructional assessments, and accommodations; (2) services and supports for disabled and limited English proficient children; (3) family and community engagement policies and practices; (4) building and maintaining a school climate that supports positive development and learning; (5) school staff leadership and support; and (6) outreach to, and collaboration with, early childhood education and service providers.
Bill· SS. 1447 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Stop Abuse for Every Teen Act or SAFE Teen Act - Amends title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include dating violence prevention among the drug and violence prevention efforts funded under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program. Authorizes local educational agencies (LEAs) to use program funds for peer support groups that provide an emotionally safe and confidential setting for youth to learn and practice healthy relationship skills under the supervision of school personnel or community organizations specializing in domestic and sexual violence prevention. Allows perpetrators of dating violence to participate in such groups, but not in the same groups as victims of such violence. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use program funds to: (1) develop and disseminate innovative and high-quality healthy relationship skill-building programs as a way to reduce unhealthy or abusive teen relationships; and (2) disseminate information on dating violence education and prevention, and data on the incidence of dating violence in the school environment and relevant behavioral indicators of exposure to violence. Directs the Secretary to collect and publicly disseminate data on the incidence of dating violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse, and relevant behavioral indicators of exposure to such types of violence, among individuals aged 11 through 19. Requires states to provide technical assistance to LEAs and schools in their efforts to prevent and appropriately respond to incidents of dating violence. Authorizes the Secretary to use program funds to establish a Teen Dating Violence Prevention Innovation Fund to replicate, refine, and test model strategies and projects directed to youth to prevent and respond to dating violence.
Bill· SS. 1437 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for programs to provide youth in racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities the information and skills needed to avoid teen pregnancy and develop healthy relationships. Allows up to 10% of amounts made available for this Act to be allotted for a rigorous, independent evaluation of grant activities. Requires the Secretary to award grants for multimedia campaigns to provide public education and increase public awareness regarding teenage pregnancy and related social and emotional issues. Requires the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make grants for research on teen pregnancy, dating violence, and healthy relationships among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities. Requires the Secretary to direct the interagency adolescent health workgroup within the Office of Adolescent Health to include teen dating violence prevention and healthy teen relationship strategies in the work of such group, with a particular focus among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities, in consultation with the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Violence chaired by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Bill· HRH.R. 2691 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged Act or Keeping PACE Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Act to enable such LEAs to assist public elementary and secondary schools to hire and maintain Parent and Community Outreach Coordinators responsible for improving family and community involvement in such schools. Gives subgrant priority to LEAs targeting schools with the highest proportions of needy students or students failing to meet state academic performance standards. Requires each assisted school to appoint a committee of school officials, parents, and community members to screen Coordinator applicants and evaluate Coordinator performance. Directs state grantees to award competitive subgrants to partnerships between community-based organizations and public schools to connect integrated services and comprehensive supports to students and families to enhance student performance. Gives priority to applicants targeting schools with the highest proportions of needy students or students failing to meet state academic performance standards. Requires state grantees to award competitive matching subgrants to consortia composed of a school, LEA, mayor, and at least one other community partner to redesign schools as centers of communities that encourage family and community participation in students' education and provide community education. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a nonprofit organization experienced in providing integrated student supports to: (1) provide technical assistance and training to this Act's grantees and subgrantees; and (2) establish a national information clearinghouse on effective parent, family, and community engagement practices and programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 2689 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Stop Abuse for Every Teen Act or SAFE Teen Act - Amends title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include dating violence prevention among the drug and violence prevention efforts funded under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program. Authorizes local educational agencies (LEAs) to use program funds for peer support groups that provide an emotionally safe and confidential setting for youth to learn and practice healthy relationship skills under the supervision of school personnel or community organizations specializing in domestic and sexual violence prevention. Allows perpetrators of dating violence to participate in such groups, but not in the same groups as victims of such violence. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use program funds to: (1) develop and disseminate innovative and high-quality healthy relationship skill-building programs as a way to reduce unhealthy or abusive teen relationships; and (2) disseminate information on dating violence education and prevention, and data on the incidence of dating violence in the school environment and relevant behavioral indicators of exposure to violence. Directs the Secretary to collect and publicly disseminate among individuals aged 11-19 data on the incidence of dating violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse, and relevant behavioral indicators of exposure to such types of violence. Requires states to provide technical assistance to LEAs and schools in their efforts to prevent and appropriately respond to incidents of dating violence. Directs the Secretary to establish the Innovation Fund to replicate, refine, and test model strategies and projects to prevent and respond to dating violence for youth.
Bill· HRH.R. 2684 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
P.E. for the 21st Century Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies and charter schools to improve physical fitness education and curricula in elementary and secondary schools. Requires each grantee to carry out a pilot program for one school year that: (1) makes technology a key component of assessing students' physical fitness and improvement; (2) creates partnerships with local businesses to ensure community support for the program, and their financial and professional assistance; and (3) incorporates physical fitness education (in addition to regular physical fitness education classes) into multiple areas of the curriculum. Limits such grants to one grantee in each state.
Bill· HRH.R. 2693 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Budget Control Act of 2011 - Prescribes discretionary spending limits for FY2012-FY2021, and makes it out of order for either house of Congress to consider any measure that would cause them to be exceeded. Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to revise requirements relating to specified authorities for the repurposing of spectrum frequencies from federal to exclusive non-federal use or to shared federal and non-federal use. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to disburse a portion of auction proceeds to a radio station licensee that has relinquished voluntarily some or all of its licensed spectrum usage rights in order to permit: (1) the assignment of new initial licenses through a competitive bidding process, or (2) the designation of new spectrum for unlicensed use. Establishes the Incentive Auction Relocation Fund. Prescribes requirements for assignment of mobile satellite services spectrum licenses on certain frequencies for terrestrial broadband use. Repeals the termination of FCC auction authority to grant a radio broadcast license or permit, thus making that authority permanent. Directs the FCC to use competitive bidding to auction licenses, construction permits, reservations, or similar authorizations or modifications, for domestic satellite services, including satellite-based television or radio services. Directs: (1) the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to identify for reallocation at least 15 megahertz of certain contiguous spectra from the October 2010 National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) report on wireless broadband systems, and (2) the FCC to auction various specified spectrum ranges. Directs the NTIA to report to Congress on the status of its plan to implement the recommendations on improving spectrum management contained in the "President's Memorandum on Improving Spectrum Management for the 21st Century." Increases the allocation of electromagnetic spectrum for public safety entities by: (1) directing the FCC to reallocate to such entities specified frequencies of the 700 MHz D block spectrum; and (2) authorizing flexible use of narrowband spectrum, including for public safety broadband communications, subject to exceptions. Establishes the Public Safety Trust Fund for deposit of proceeds of spectrum auctions. Makes certain FY2012 funds available for use by the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to carry out a research program on public safety wireless communications. Requires the deposit of up to $1 billion in the Incentive Auction Relocation Fund. Directs the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to establish rules to allow public safety entities licensed or otherwise permitted to use spectrum allocated to the Public Safety Broadband Corporation and other non-federal users of spectrum to have access to those components of federal infrastructure appropriate for: (1) the construction and maintenance of a nationwide public safety interoperable broadband network (to be established under this Act), or (2) operation of a commercial or other non-federal wireless networks. Requires the FCC to study and report to Congress on the efficient use of public safety spectrum. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the FY2012-FY2013 authorization of appropriations for federal Pell Grants. Terminates authority to make interest subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans to graduate and professional students as of July 1, 2012. Increases the maximum annual and aggregate amounts for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for such students. Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, with respect to agricultural commodity support programs, to revise the definition of payment acres, in the case of direct support payments for the 2012 crop year, including payment acres for peanuts, to mean 59% of the base acres for the covered commodity on a farm on which direct payments are made. Establishes the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to make recommendations that will significantly improve the short-term and long-term fiscal imbalance of the federal government, with the goal of reducing the federal deficit to 3% or less of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Increases the U.S. public debt ceiling from $14.294 trillion to $16.994 trillion.
Bill· HRH.R. 2679 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Reauthorization Act or the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH activities with respect to research on the causes of preterm labor and delivery, tools to detect, prevent, or reduce prevalence of preterm labor and delivery, and the care and treatment of preterm infants. Establishes within NIH a multicenter clinical program to investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, improve the care and outcomes of neonates, and enhance the understanding of DNA and proteins as they relate to the underlying processes that lead to preterm birth. Requires the Director to award grants for planning, establishing, improving, and providing basic operating support for transdisciplinary research centers for prematurity. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Surgeon General, to establish and implement a national science-based provider and consumer education campaign on promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing preterm birth. Reauthorizes provisions related to research on prematurity and preterm births and sets forth specific areas for such research. Requires the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth to award grants to establish demonstration projects for: (1) obstetrical services for high risk women of child bearing age remotely using telehealth; and (2) educational activities regarding risk factors for preterm birth. Expands a demonstration project to inform health care providers and the public and improve treatment and outcome for babies born preterm. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. Requires a study on hospital readmissions of preterm births.
Bill· HRH.R. 2678 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for programs to provide youth in racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities the information and skills needed to avoid teenage pregnancy and develop healthy relationships. Allows up to 10% of amounts made available for this Act to be allotted for a rigorous, independent evaluation of grant activities. Requires the Secretary to award grants for multimedia campaigns to provide public education and increase public awareness regarding teenage pregnancy and related social and emotional issues. Requires the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make grants for research on teenage pregnancy, dating violence, and healthy relationships among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities. Requires the Secretary to direct the interagency adolescent health workgroup within the Office of Adolescent Health to include in the work of the group strategies for teenage dating violence prevention and healthy teenage relationships, with a particular focus among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities, in consultation with the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Violence in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 378 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it should give strong consideration to the role of science education in the educational accountability system as it works to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Report· HearingH.Hrg.112published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 27 July 2011
Report· HearingS.Hrg.112published
United States · United States Senate · 27 July 2011
Bill· SS. 1430 (112th)open
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Maritime Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to report to Congress on the status of the nation's coastal and inland waterways infrastructure. Requires the Maritime Administration to assess the potential for using container-on-barge transportation on the inland waterways system. Revises the purposes of the short sea transportation program to include promoting more efficient use of the U.S. navigable waters. Amends the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946 to allow the Secretary to use National Defense Reserve Fleet and Ready Reserve Force vessels for civil contingency operations and Maritime Administration promotional and media events when in the best interests of the U.S. government. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a green ships program to identify, evaluate, test, demonstrate, or improve emerging marine technologies likely to achieve environmental improvements by reducing air or water emissions or other ship discharges, increasing fuel economy or use of alternative fuels, or controlling aquatic invasive species. Declares that certain maritime law limitations shall not affect the Maritime Administration's authority to dispose of National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels or shipyards for recycling. Amends the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 to direct the Secretary to provide briefings, upon request, to Congress on progress made to recycle National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels. Extends through FY2025 the Maritime Security Fleet Program. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to the concurrence with the Secretary of Defense (DOD), to acquire certain Maritime Security Fleet vessels being retired for inclusion in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Directs the Comptroller General to study the training needs of the maritime workforce. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for FY2012 for the Maritime Administration for: (1) operations and training activities, including specific amounts for U.S. Merchant Marine Academy capital improvements and maintenance and repair for State Maritime Schools training ships; (2) administrative expenses related to maritime guaranteed loan commitments; and (3) the disposal of non-retention vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
Bill· SS. 1426 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 - Transfers statutory responsibility for performing actuarial duties related to the Department of State's retirement systems from the Secretary of the Treasury to the Secretary of State (Secretary). Authorizes Department and Foreign Service special agents to investigate: (1) illegal passport or visa issuance or use, (2) Department-related identity theft and document fraud, and (3) federal offenses committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdictions (nonmilitary) of the United States. Authorizes the Department to use uniformed guards to protect buildings and areas in the United States for which the Department provides protective services. Revises provisions regarding local guard contracts abroad. Extends the U.S. reimbursement period with respect to seized commercial fishermen. Increases the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund maximum. Provides Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty employees with federal service parity of pay. Extends the International Broadcasting Bureau personal services contractor program. Eliminates the "pilot program" designation. Extend civil liability immunity to members of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) increase the number of scientific, medicine, research, educational, and cultural exchange activities; and (2) establish science and technology fellowship programs. Revises provisions regarding the Vietnam Education Foundation. Revises adjustment of refugee status to permanent resident status provisions. Authorizes a two-year pilot program that uses secure remote videoconferencing technology to conduct tourist visa interviews. Extends visa ineligibility for aliens involved in U.S. child abductions to situations in which the child is located in a foreign state that is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Provides for Foreign Service officer training in conflict resolution, and in the ability to function in unstable areas or areas without civil authority. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to Congress an assessment of current methods to monitor indicators of potential mass atrocities, and (2) establish a diplomatic facilities task force. Foreign Service Overseas Pay Equity Act of 2011 - Extends comparability pay adjustments on a phased-in schedule to (non-Senior) Foreign Service members assigned abroad. Treats such payments as basic pay. Revises provisions concerning the computation of the death gratuity payable to surviving dependents of Foreign Service employees who die from injuries sustained in the performance of duty abroad. Extends the Secretary's authority to recruit retired Foreign Service or Civil Service employees as reemployed annuitants to serve in Pakistan, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Includes members of the Response Readiness Corps in such group. Authorizes the Secretary to establish exchange programs under which Department officers or employees and members of the Foreign Service may be temporarily assigned to a position with any foreign government or international entity that permits an employee to be assigned to the Department. Establishes: (1) the Office for Global Women's Issues, which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; and (2) the Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. Extends the passport fee surcharge. Authorizes: (1) appropriations for the synchronization of U.S. contributions to international organizations, (2) the U.S. share of assessed contributions for each U.N. peacekeeping operation after 2010 at 27.5%, (3) the readmission and participation of the United States in the Inter-Parlimentary Union, and (4) U.S. membership in the International Renewable Energy Agency. Limits specified assistance to governments of countries in default to the United States. Increases authority for foreign law enforcement training. Authorizes Millenium Challenge Compact extensions and concurrent Compacts. Authorizes the Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to temporarily reemploy annuitants for positions in the Office of Inspector General in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Prohibits assistance to a country for production of agricultural commodities which would be available in surplus quantities on world markets and would adversely affect U.S. agricultural producers. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress regarding implementation of the Global Health Initiative. Urges the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to designate an officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. Directs the Secretary to: (1) monitor threats to users' rights over connection technologies, especially the Internet and mobile devices, and include such information in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; (2) implement efforts to protect communications freedom; and (3) develop a strategy to implement a global access to connective technologies strategy. Establishes within the office of the Secretary a Coordinator for Cyberspace and Cybersecurity Issues to develop a strategy for U.S. engagement on international cyber issues. Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to countries in crisis, or facing the threat of crisis, for the purpose of supporting transition to democracy and long-term development. Repeals specified reporting requirements. Authorizes the Administrator of USAID to establish a Working Capital Fund for administrative costs resulting from agency implementation and procurement reform efforts, Fund administration, and administrative contingencies. Directs the President to: (1) implement a system to evaluate U.S. foreign assistance effectiveness, and (2) coordinate with executive branch agencies to draft a National Action Plan that supports the rights and roles of women in conflict-affected and post-conflict regions. Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Peace Corps to report to Congress regarding: (1) the progress made toward implementing the recommendations of the Peace Corps Comprehensive Agency Assessment of 2010, and (2) the impact of the Portfolio Review on the distribution of Peace Corps volunteers throughout the world. R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Preservation Act of 2011 - Amends the R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 to set forth: (1) the scope and applicability of the Act, (2) prohibited activities and related liabilities, (3) authorities of the Secretary of Commerce, (4) civil and criminal enforcement provisions, (5) seizure and forfeiture provisions, (6) statute of limitations, and (7) authorization of appropriations. Authorizes (specified) FY2012 and (as necessary) FY2013 appropriations for: (1) Department administration of foreign affairs; (2) diplomatic and consular programs; (3) the Capital Investment Fund; (4) embassy security, construction, and maintenance; (5) conflict stabilization operations; (6) educational and cultural exchange programs; (7) representation allowances; (8) protection of foreign missions and officials; (9) diplomatic and consular emergencies; (10) repatriation loans; (11) the American Institute in Taiwan; (12) Office of the Inspector General; (13) international organizations; (14) international peacekeeping activities; (15) foreign currency exchange rate offsets; (16) the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico; (17) International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada; (18) the International Joint Commission; (19) the International Fisheries Commissions; (20) migration and refugee assistance; (21) U.S. emergency refugee and migration assistance; (22) the Asia Foundation; (23) the National Endowment for Democracy; (24) the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West; (25) international broadcasting operations; (26) broadcasting capital improvements; and (27) the Peace Corps. Prohibits the amount of funds which may be appropriated to the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Account which, when added to amounts previously appropriated but not yet obligated, would exceed $200 million (currently, $100 million).
Bill· SS. 1422 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2011
Students Taking Action for Road Safety Act of 2011 or STARS Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a teen traffic safety grant program to award formula grants to states to implement statewide programs to improve the traffic safety of teen drivers. Authorizes a state to use grant funds to implement such statewide program to improve the traffic safety of teen drivers, including activities to support peer-to-peer education and prevention strategies in schools and communities to increase safety belt use and reduce speeding, impaired and distracted driving, underage drinking, and other destructive teen driver decisions that lead to injuries and fatalities. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a national, nonprofit organization to establish a technical assistance center to provide training and technical assistance to state and local officials, student leaders, school advisors, and other entities associated with the grant program. Authorizes the center to operate a national teen traffic safety clearinghouse. Directs the Secretary to establish the National Teen Driver Advisory Council to study and develop an education and prevention strategy to reduce teen driver injuries and fatalities.
Bill· HRH.R. 2643 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2011
Medical Neutrality Protection Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of State to compile and update at least annually a list of those foreign governments that the Secretary determines have engaged in violations of medical neutrality and to provide a formal notification to a foreign government included in such list. Defines a “violation of medical neutrality” to mean: (1) militarized attacks on health care facilities, health care service providers, or individuals in the course of receiving medical treatment; (2) wanton destruction of medical supplies, facilities, records, or transportation services; (3) willful obstruction of medical ethics; (4) coercion of medical personnel to commit acts in violation of their ethical responsibilities; (5) deliberate misuse of health care facilities, transportation services, uniforms, or other insignia; (6) deliberate blocking of access to health care facilities and health care professionals; or (7) arbitrary arrest or detention of health care service providers or individuals seeking medical care. Prohibits specified presidential authorities, including the authority to transfer excess defense articles, furnish military training and education, or finance the procurement of defense articles, from being used to provide assistance to, and prohibits licenses for direct commercial sales of military equipment from being issued to, the government of a country that has engaged in a violation of medical neutrality. Makes such prohibition on assistance effective for a minimum of one fiscal year, after which the President may reinstate such assistance. Authorizes the President to temporarily waive the prohibitions in the interest of national security. Requires the Secretary to deny the issuance of a visa to any alien that is or was engaged in or has organized any act that is a violation of medical neutrality. Directs the heads of U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to investigate all reports of violations of medical neutrality.
Bill· SS. 1410 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2011
Life Sciences Jobs and Investment Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) an increased research tax credit for qualified initial life sciences research expenses; and (2) certain corporations a tax deduction for dividends received which are reinvested solely in the United States to hire scientists and researchers engaged in life science research, fund life science research at research consortia, eligible small businesses, universities, and federal laboratories, or build or lease new facilities to be used primarily for qualified life sciences research. Terminates such tax incentives after 2016. Defines "qualified initial life sciences research expenses" as amounts, up to $150 million, attributable to the study of biology, biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering, microbiology, genetics, or physiology, but excluding sociology or psychology. Directs the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to take necessary steps to ensure full compliance with the provisions of this Act and to report to Congress on the status of such compliance and related enforcement.
Bill· HRH.R. 2637 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2011
Developing Innovative Partnerships and Learning Opportunities that Motivate Achievement Act or DIPLOMA Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award renewable five-year grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local consortia that include a local educational agency (LEA) and other community partners to: (1) ensure the academic, physical, social, emotional, and civic development of disadvantaged youth; and (2) strengthen their families and communities. Requires each state grantee to develop and implement a state child and youth strategy that assesses children's needs and the assets within the state that can be mobilized, coordinated, and integrated to achieve quantifiable progress toward goals that include ensuring that: (1) children are ready for school; (2) students are engaged and achieving in school; (3) students are physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy; (4) schools and neighborhoods are safe and provide a positive climate for learning; (5) families are supportive and engaged in their children's education; (6) students are ready for postsecondary education and 21st Century careers; and (7) students are contributing to their communities. Directs the consortia to develop and implement a local child and youth strategy that integrates multiple private and public services into a comprehensive, coordinated continuum of services directed toward achieving quantifiable progress toward such goals. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants directly to local consortia if appropriated funds fall below a specified amount.
Bill· HRH.R. 2632 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2011
Life Sciences Jobs and Investment Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) an increased research tax credit for qualified initial life sciences research expenses; and (2) certain corporations a tax deduction for dividends received which are reinvested solely in the United States to hire scientists and researchers engaged in life science research, fund life science research at research consortia, eligible small businesses, universities, and federal laboratories, or build or lease new facilities to be used primarily for qualified life sciences research. Terminates such tax incentives after 2016. Defines "qualified initial life sciences research expenses" as amounts, up to $150 million, attributable to the study of biology, biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering, microbiology, genetics, or physiology, but excluding sociology or psychology. Directs the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to take necessary steps to ensure full compliance with the provisions of this Act and to report to Congress on the status of such compliance and related enforcement.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 371 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2011
Expresses the House of Representatives' support for a Hear My Cry Day in schools across this country to encourage the elimination of bullying from our schools. Encourages school children across the country to recite a pledge against bullying that will be administered by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at noon on that day.
Bill· HRH.R. 2628 (112th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2011
Eliminating Disincentives to ROTC Participation Act - Prohibits a four-year institution of higher education (IHE) from being awarded, or continuing to receive funds for performance under, a federal grant or contract unless it offers its students at least six credit hours for the successful completion of courses offered by the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. Requires an IHE to offer its students such credit hours even if successful completion of the ROTC courses occurs elsewhere.