Taxation

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 - Creates a lawful prospective immigrant status for a qualifying alien present in the United States, as well as for such alien's qualifying spouse and children who may be outside the United States. Provides for status adjustment to lawful permanent resident. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2011 or the DREAM Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who: (1) entered the United States on or before his or her 15th birthday and has been present in the United States for five years preceding this Act's enactment; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; (5) has not been convicted of certain offenses under federal or state law; (6) has been admitted to an institution of higher education (IHE) in the United States or has earned a high school diploma or general education development certificate in the United States; and (7) was age 35 or younger on the date of this Act's enactment. Provides for status adjustment to lawful permanent resident. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ) to stay the removal proceedings of an alien who meets certain requirements and who is at least five years of age and enrolled full-time in a primary or secondary school. Limits the eligibility of an alien in conditional permanent resident status for higher education assistance. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2011 or the AgJOBS Act of 2011 - Confers "blue card status" upon an alien who has fulfilled specified periods of agricultural employment in the United States, is otherwise admissible, and has not been convicted of specified crimes. Provides for adjustment to permanent resident status if the alien has fulfilled other specified periods of agricultural employment in the United States. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Establishes the Commission on Agricultural Wage Standards under the H-2A program. Revises unlawful presence inadmissibility provisions, including family-unity based exceptions. Establishes in the Treasury: (1) the Department of Homeland Security Legalization Program Account, and (2) the Immigration Reform Penalty Account. Sets forth immigration-related worksite enforcement provisions, including provisions regarding: (1) unlawful employment of aliens, (2) document verification, (3) the employment verification system, and (4) responsibilities of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Permits the disclosure of certain taxpayer information to DHS. Requires the issuance of: (1) fraud-, tamper-, and wear-resistant Social Security cards; and (2) machine-readable, tamper-resistant employment authorization documents with biometric identifiers. Makes it an unfair immigration employment practice to discriminate based on national origin or citizenship status. Revises immigration-related activities of the SSA and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Authorizes appropriations for responsibilities under this Act for: (1) DHS, (2) SSA, (3) the DOJ, and (4) the Department of State. Prohibits the adjustment of an alien in lawful prospective immigrant status to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence until specified border related enhancements in personnel and resources are established, funded, and operational. Provides for additional: (1) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel; (2) Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) personnel; (3) DHS personnel assigned to investigate alien smuggling; (4) immigration litigation attorneys; (5) ports of entry along the northern and southern borders; and (6) equipment and assets along the borders, including unmanned aerial systems, cameras, sensors, satellites, and radar coverage. Directs the Secretary of State to report annually regarding the exchange of North American immigration, law enforcement, and security information among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Provides for: (1) increased border-related cooperation with Mexico, and (2) expansion of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs. Provides reimbursement for state and county prosecutors in border states for prosecuting federally initiated and referred drug cases. Authorizes border relief grants for tribal, state, or local law enforcement and related agencies in proximity to the border or in a designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Establishes the Immigration and United States-Mexico Border Enforcement Commission. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set out the scope of state and local immigration-related enforcement authority. Directs the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Commerce to develop a border protection strategy. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every Border Patrol sector on the southern or northern border. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a visa exit tracking system, and (2) equip all U.S. ports of entry with the United States-Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology system (US-VISIT). Increases: (1) civil penalties for illegal entry; (2) fines and penalties for the reentry of previously removed aliens; and (3) penalties concerning stowaways, vessels, and aircraft. Revises voluntary departure provisions. Authorizes appropriations for the state criminal alien assistance program (SCAAP). Sets forth provisions regarding issuance of detainers by DHS personnel for aliens apprehended by state or local law enforcement officials for controlled substance violations. Revises passport, visa, and immigration fraud provisions. Directs: (1) the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate or amend passport fraud sentencing guidelines, and (2) the Attorney General to develop immigration fraud prosecution guidelines. Expands the definition of conveyances subject to forfeiture for smuggling. Requires commercial vehicles transporting passengers from outside the United States to a U.S. airport or seaport to provide arrival/departure manifests. Authorizes DHS to share manifest and passenger name information with other government authorities, including foreign governments. Subjects an operator of a vessel or motor vehicle to fine and/or imprisonment for evading a federal checkpoint. Authorizes grants for Indian tribes adversely affected by illegal immigration. Authorizes Department of State 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. Makes inadmissible and deportable convicted alien: (1) sex offenders who fail to register, and (2) street gang members. Sets forth, with respect to immigration-related enforcement activities: (1) protections for vulnerable populations, (2) apprehension procedures of more than 10 people involving children, and (3) detention procedures for families with children. Requires the creation of secure alternatives to detention (excluding alien terrorists). Enumerates humane detention conditions, including conditions for children and vulnerable populations. Requires the appointment of a detention commission. Authorizes access to counsel for aliens in removal proceedings. Directs the Attorney General to establish a National Legal Orientation Support and Training Center to ensure quality and consistent implementation of group legal orientation programs nationwide. Sets forth protections for: (1) refugees, including designation of refugee groups; and (2) stateless persons in the United States, including mechanisms for regularizing status. Establishes in DHS a position of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ombudsman. Eliminates the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. Establishes the Standing Commission on Foreign Workers, Labor Markets, and the National Interest to establish employment-based immigration policies that promote economic growth while minimizing job displacement, wage depression, and unauthorized employment in the United States. Revises family and employment based immigrant visa provisions. Recaptures unused FY1992-FY2007 visas. Increases immigration visas for: (1) sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and (2) brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. Provides a specified visa allocation for the unmarried sons and unmarried daughters of permanent resident aliens. Exempts certain aliens with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics from numerical limits. Revises the definition of "immediate relative" to include the spouse and child of a lawful permanent resident. Establishes a status adjustment process for certain military family members. Redefines "child" to include a stepchild under 21 years old. Provides specified relief for orphans and widows/widowers. Authorizes the status adjustment of a fiance/fiancee or alien spouse and any minor children (K-visa) to conditional permanent resident status if such alien marries a petitioner within three months after U.S. admission. Exempts children of certain naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant limitations. Permits workers who are eligible for permanent resident status adjustment but for whom a visa number is unavailable to apply for adjustment. Uniting American Families Act of 2011 - Includes a "permanent partner" within the scope of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Creating American Jobs Through Foreign Capital Investment Act - Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 to make the EB-5 visa (alien investor) regional center program permanent. Eliminates sunset provisions for: (1) the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program, and (2) the special immigrant nonminister religious worker program. Extends the H-1C visa program providing nonimmigrant nurses in health professional shortage areas. Revises entry provisions for H-1B visa foreign medical graduates and provides for an increase under specified conditions in the annual per-state cap of 30 foreign doctors. Exempts from worldwide immigration numerical limitations alien physicians who have completed state waiver or exemption service requirements, including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act. Includes nationals of Ireland coming to the United States under a treaty of commerce to perform specialty occupation services in the nonimmigrant E-3 visa category. Authorizes: (1) temporary workers (E, H, I, L O, or P visas) who have not violated their status to renew their same category visa from within the United States; and (2) alien spouses of nonimmigrant H-visa aliens to work in the United States. Gives an alien who ceases to be employed by his or her petitioning employer 60 days to leave the United States or apply for a change of status. Protect Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation Act or the POWER Act - Excludes from the definition of "immigrant" a nonimmigrant alien who files a petition for status if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that the alien: (1) has suffered abuse or harm as a result of having been a victim of criminal activity, (2) has suffered substantial abuse or harm related to specified labor or employment violations related to a workplace claim (workplace violation), (3) is a victim of specified criminal activity and would suffer extreme hardship upon removal, (4) has suffered a workplace violation and would suffer extreme hardship upon removal, (5) has been helpful to specified authorities investigating a workplace violation, or (6) is a material witness or is likely to be helpful in the investigation of a workplace claim and fears retaliatory activities by the employer. Sets forth provisions governing procedural requirements and protections in an enforcement action leading to a removal proceeding taken against an alien: (1) as a result of information provided to DHS in retaliation against an individual for exercising employment or other legal rights, (2) at a facility about which a workplace claim has been filed, or (3) who has filed a workplace claim or who is a material witness in any proceeding involving a workplace claim. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to allow state leadership activity grants to be used to provide technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations. Directs the National Institute for Literacy to disseminate information regarding integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs. Provides grants to states for integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) tax credits to teachers of English language learners, (2) tax deductions for the expenses of becoming certified as such teachers, and (3) tax credits for employers' expenses in making adult education and literacy services available to their employees. 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. 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 of DHS as the Office of Citizenship and New Americans. Authorizes the Office to make grants to states and subgrants to local governments to assist them in integrating immigrants. Establishes the New Citizens Award program. Provides for the status adjustment to lawful permanent resident of certain: (1) Haitian orphans, and (2) Liberian nationals. Provides grants to state courts for programs to assist individuals with limited English proficiency to access and understand state court proceedings. Provides permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying alien who was, on September 10, 2001, the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien who died as a direct result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist activity against the United States. Makes such provisions inapplicable to an alien who is inadmissible or deportable under criminal or security grounds, including September 11, 2001, terrorist activity. Directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand programming that prioritizes alternatives to emigration from countries with the highest rates of irregular migration to the United States. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should review U.S. policy toward Latin America in order to strengthen hemispheric security through the reduction of poverty, expansion of equitable trade, and support for democratic institutions, citizen security, and the rule of law.

Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) and the Secretaries of each military department to acquire real property and carry out military construction projects in specified amounts at specified installations and locations. Authorizes each department Secretary to construct or acquire family housing units and to improve existing military family housing in specified amounts. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) and each military department for fiscal years after 2011 for military construction, land acquisition, and military family housing functions. Extends or modifies certain prior-year construction projects. Rescinds specified prior-year military department construction funds. Authorizes the Secretary to make contributions for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program and authorizes appropriations for fiscal years after 2011 for such Program. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years after 2011 for: (1) military construction and land acquisition for chemical demilitarization; (2) National Guard and reserve forces for acquisition, architectural and engineering services, and construction of facilities; (3) base closure and realignment activities funded through the Department of Defense Base Closure Accounts of 1990 and 2005; and (4) overseas contingency operations military construction. Rescinds specified prior-year funds for such purposes. Terminates all authorizations contained in this Act on October 1, 2014, or the date of enactment of an Act authorizing funds for military construction for FY2015, whichever is later, with an exception. Provides that amounts authorized shall be available for programs, projects, and activities in the amounts specified in the funding table accompanying this Act.

Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2012. Authorizes appropriations to DOD for: (1) procurement, including aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, and other procurement; (2) research, development, test, and evaluation; (3) operation and maintenance; (4) active and reserve military personnel; (5) Working Capital Funds; (6) the National Defense Sealift Fund; (7) the Defense Health Program; (8) chemical agents and munitions destruction; (9) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (10) the Defense Inspector General; (11) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; and (12) overseas contingency operations. Sets forth provisions or requirements concerning: (1) military personnel policy, including education and training, military justice, and sexual assault prevention and response; (2) military pay and allowances; (3) military health care; (4) acquisition policy and management, including major defense acquisition programs; (5) DOD organization and management, including space, intelligence, and cybersecurity matters; (6) financial matters, including counter-drug activities and detainee matters; (7) civilian personnel matters; (8) matters relating to foreign nations, including assistance and training; and (9) cooperative threat reduction. Revises and adds new offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) relating to rape, sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct. Provides procedures for the judicial review of decisions concerning the correction of military personnel records. Consolidates and revises DOD travel and transportation authorities. Establishes: (1) the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund, and (2) the Global Security Contingency Fund. Requires a DOD plan to acquire capabilities to detect previously unknown cyber attacks.

Women WIN Jobs

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Women and Workforce Investment for Nontraditional Jobs or Women WIN Jobs - Requires the Secretary of Labor, in any fiscal year in which the total authorization of appropriations to carry out this Act exceeds $50 million, to allocate grants to states with approved state plans to provide funding to eligible entities (partnerships) to increase low-income women's participation in high-wage, high-demand occupations in which women make up less than 25% of the current workforce. Authorizes states to use grants for statewide activities, including to: (1) provide technical assistance to eligible entities and to state registered apprenticeship programs and sponsors and joint apprenticeship training councils in meeting their enrollment goal for low-income women in nontraditional occupations, (2) develop policies and protocols that set goals for hiring specific percentages of women into registered apprenticeships and permanent employment openings in publicly assisted projects, and (3) engage in outreach activities and provide training to overcome stereotypes about women in nontraditional occupations as well as gender inequity among employers. Authorizes the allocation of grant funds to eligible entities to support the recruitment, training, placement, and retention of low-income women in nontraditional occupations. Directs the Secretary to convene a national commission to examine and make recommendations for improving the status of women in high-demand, high-wage nontraditional occupations. Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to collect data on the status of women's participation in underrepresented sectors of the economy, and examine the status of women in relation to that of men. Directs the Secretary to establish a national clearinghouse to collect and distribute best practices.

Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part III

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part III - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through July 22, 2011, increased excise taxes on aviation fuels, the excise tax on air transportation of persons and property, and the expenditure authority for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Increases the authorization of appropriations for the period beginning on October 1, 2010, and ending on July 22, 2011, for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects (known as airport improvement projects [AIPs]). Extends through July 22, 2011, the authority of the Secretary of Transportation to make new AIP grants. Extends until July 23, 2011: (1) the pilot program for passenger facility fee authorizations at non-hub airports, and (2) disclosure requirements for large and medium hub airports applying for AIP grants. Directs the Secretary to extend through July 22, 2011, the termination date of insurance coverage for domestic or foreign-flag aircraft. Grants the Secretary discretionary authority to further extend such coverage through October 31, 2011. Extends through October 31, 2011, the authority of the Secretary to limit air carrier liability for claims arising out of acts of terrorism. Extends through July 22, 2011: (1) grant eligibility for airports located in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau; (2) grants to state and local governments for land use compatibility AIPs; and (3) authority for approving an application of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for an airport development grant or for permission to impose a passenger facility fee. Amends the Vision 100 - Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act to extend through Junly 22, 2011: (1) the temporary increase to 95% of the federal government's share of certain AIP costs, and (2) funding for airport development at Midway Island Airport.

Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to reauthorize through FY2016 the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. Modifies the scope of the AFG program, including by permitting the use of grant funds for volunteer, non-fire service emergency medical services organizations and for certifying fire and building inspectors employed by a fire department or serving as a volunteer building inspector with a fire department. Prohibits providing program funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or allied organizations. Increases: (1) funding for fire prevention and firefighter safety programs, and (2) maximum AFG grant amounts. Lowers matching and maintenance of expenditure requirements and authorizes the Administrator of FEMA to waive or reduce such requirements for applicants facing demonstrated economic hardship. Revises grant allocation requirements to require 25% of grant amounts for a fiscal year to be allocated to each of: (1) career fire departments, (2) volunteer fire departments, and (3) combination fire departments. Requires remaining amounts to be awarded on a competitive basis among such fire departments. Revises grant limits based on jurisdiction populations. Sets forth new limits on awards to state fire training academies. Limits grant amounts used to obtain training to training that complies with applicable national voluntary consensus standards. Amends SAFER program provisions to: (1) limit the period of program grants to three years; (2) require grantees to commit to retaining firefighters hired for the entire grant period, with an economic hardship exception; and (3) limit to 80% the portion of the cost of hiring firefighters for each fiscal year that may be provided under a grant. Directs the Administrator of FEMA to make grants directly to career, volunteer, and combination fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments that antedate the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association, to conduct and report to Congress on a study to: (1) define the current roles and activities associated with the fire services on a national, state, regional, and local level: (2) identify the equipment, staffing, and training required to fulfill such roles and activities; (3) conduct an assessment to identify gaps between what fire departments currently possess and what they require on a national and state-by-state basis; and (4) measure the impact of the AFG program in meeting the needs and filling the gaps identified.

America Rx Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

America Rx Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the America Rx program to provide qualified residents with access to discounted prices for outpatient prescription drugs through rebate agreements that the Secretary negotiates with prescription drug manufacturers. Makes eligible only those residents that are not covered under any public or private program that provides substantial benefits towards the purchase of outpatient prescription drugs. Requires rebates to be payable to the Secretary at least quarterly and to be paid, directly or through states, to participating pharmacies that provide discounts to qualified residents. Denies manufacturers who do not participate in the rebate program a tax deduction for advertising and marketing expenses of drugs. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend or terminate the America Rx program if the Secretary determines that American Health Benefit Exchanges (health insurance exchanges) are operational, and the America Rx program is no longer needed to ensure that qualified residents have access to outpatient prescription drugs at affordable prices.

Renewable Energy Parity Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Renewable Energy Parity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate after 2012 the reduction in the rate of the tax credit for electricity produced from open-loop biomass, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash combustion, and hydropower facilities (thus allowing the same credit rate for all renewable resource facilities).

Offshoring Prevention Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Offshoring Prevention Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include in foreign base company income, for purposes of determining the foreign trade income of controlled foreign corporations, imported property income. Defines "imported property income" as, with certain exceptions, income attributable to property manufactured outside of the United States and imported for sale into the United States. Provides for a separate application of limitations on the foreign tax credit for imported property income.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2219) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2011

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2219) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012.

Manufacturing Reinvestment Account Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011

Manufacturing Reinvestment Account Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt manufacturing reinvestment accounts (MRAs) for taxpayers engaged in a manufacturing business. Allows such manufacturers to make tax deductible cash payments into an MRA of the lesser of their domestic manufacturing gross receipts for the taxable year or $500,000. Permits expenditures from an MRA for expenses for property to be used in the manufacturing business and expenses for employee job training and workforce development. Imposes a 10% tax on amounts in an MRA that are not distributed within 7 years. Terminates the tax deduction for payments to an MRA 10 years after the enactment of this Act.

Unemployed Tax Relief Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011

Unemployed Tax Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an employee who is separated from employment due to a reduction in force the last regular payment of wages prior to such separation and any severance pay received in connection with such separation. Exempts such wages and severance pay from employment-related taxation. Requires transfers from the Treasury to employment-related trust funds to compensate for revenues lost by such trust funds due to this Act.

Unemployment Assistance Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2011

Unemployment Assistance Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts distributed from tax-exempt retirement plans, health savings accounts, Roth individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and qualified tuition programs to pay for certain living, health care and education or job training expenses of a taxpayer during a period of unemployment not exceeding two years.

Partners for Stable Families and Foster Youth Affected by Methamphetamine or Other Substance Abuse Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2011

Partners for Stable Families and Foster Youth Affected by Metamphetamine or Other Substance Abuse Act - Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to reauthorize grants to assist children affected by methamphetamine or other substance abuse. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to renew a five-year grant for up to an additional two years. Specifies the federal share of services or activities covered by such a grant for the sixth and seventh fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to reserve a certain portion of appropriations for awarding grants for each of FY2012-FY2016 to regional partnerships that have not been awarded such a grant in any of FY2007-FY2011. Limits the amount of funds reserved for awarding such grants that may be used for the Secretary's administrative expenses. Requires the Secretary to evaluate the effectiveness of such grants awarded to regional partnerships and report the results on the HHS website.

Commercial Motor Vehicle Advanced Safety Technology Tax Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2011

Commercial Motor Vehicle Advanced Safety Technology Tax Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a general business tax credit for 50% of the cost of placing in service any qualified commercial vehicle advanced safety system. Defines "qualified commercial vehicle advanced safety system" as a manufacturer-certified brake stroke monitoring system, lane departure warning system, collision warning system, or vehicle stability system identified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as significantly enhancing the safety or security of commercial drivers, vehicles, or passengers. Terminates such credit after 2016.

DATA Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2011 or DATA Act - Requires each person, state, local, or tribal government (recipient) that receives federal appropriated funds, either directly or as a subcontractor or subgrantee, to report at least once quarterly each receipt and use of such funds to the Federal Accountability and Spending Transparency Board established by this Act. Requires each executive agency to report all federal obligations and expenditures to the Board. Exempts an individual recipient from such reporting requirements if: (1) the total amount of federal funds received does not exceed $100,000 in the current calendar or fiscal year; and (2) no transaction in which the recipient has received federal funds during the current calendar year or fiscal year has exceeded $24,999. Authorizes the Board to grant additional exemptions for classes or categories of recipients. Requires the Board to designate: (1) common data elements for information required to be reported, and (2) data reporting standards. Requires the Board to establish one or more websites for the publication of all information submitted by recipients and agencies to serve as a public portal for federal financial information. Requires the Board to establish a federal accountability portal (an integrated Internet-based system, consisting of one or more websites) to: (1) combine information submitted by recipients and agencies with other compilations of information; (2) permit executive agencies to verify the eligibility of recipients to receive federal funds; and (3) permit executive agencies, Inspectors General (IGs), and law enforcement agencies to track federal awards to find waste, fraud, and abuse. Establishes the Board in the executive branch. Transfers all functions of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to the Board, including its employees. Makes conforming amendments to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to terminate the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board on October 1, 2013. Repeals the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.

Fulfilling U.S. Energy Leadership Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Fulfilling U.S. Energy Leadership Act of 2011 - Sets forth energy production programs for: (1)advanced and plug-in vehicle deployment, (2) research and development (R&D) for advanced batteries and raw materials, (3) tax credits for advanced and fuel-efficient motor vehicles, (4) oil and gas development on the outer Continental Shelf (OCS), (5) alternative fuel deployment, (6) clean sources of electricity, (7) financing clean energy initiatives, and (8) rural energy savings. Directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to conduct an R&D and commercial application program for alternative fuel transportation technology. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Secretary promulgate regulations governing reduced petroleum consumption by the federal fleet Establishes within the Department of Energy (DOE) a national plug-in electric drive vehicle deployment program. Directs the Secretary to implement a national assessment and develop a national plan for plug-in electric drive vehicle deployment. Establishes a communities program for targeted plug-in electric drive vehicle deployment. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an R&D funding program for technologies supporting the development, manufacture, and deployment of plug-in electric drive vehicles and related charging infrastructure; (2) a clean energy standard that promotes the use of renewable and other low-carbon sources of electricity; and (3) the Next Step Energy Storage Research Center. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the supply of raw materials. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act to require electric utilities to develop a plan to support the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles, including medium- and heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicles. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require the Secretary to guarantee loans for specified automotive battery purchases that use advanced battery technology. Authorizes loan guarantees also for renewable fuel pipelines. Establishes the Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Technical Advisory Committee. Directs the President to establish the Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Interagency Task Force. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) modify criteria for consumer tax credits for advanced vehicles; (2) allow a tax credit for certain new fuel-efficient motor vehicles; (3) allow an idling reduction tax credit; (4) revise excise tax credits based on the price of crude oil; (4) modify the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit; (5) extend the tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel; (6) prescribe a special rule for systems installed on coal-fired electric generation units; (7) allow a tax credit for carbon sequestration from coal facilities; (8) modify the tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration; (9) create a clean energy coal bond; (10) allow seven-year accelerated depreciation for new nuclear power facilities; (11) allow a tax credit for advanced energy manufacturing; (12) modify and extend the tax credit for steel industry fuel; and (13) extend the tax credit for producing fuel from coke or coke gas. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to offer for leasing any moratorium area in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles off the coastline. Prohibits the export of oil and natural gas produced on the OCS. Establishes the Alternative Fuel Trust Fund. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) instruct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a seismic inventory of oil and natural gas, and prepare a summary of marine resources on the OCS in the Atlantic Region, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska Region; (2) authorize appropriations for bioenergy research and development, (3) set forth a large-scale carbon storage program, (4) authorize appropriations for nuclear energy workforce training, and (5) require a small modular reactor initiative. Amends the OCSLA to establish the Offshore Safety Bureau. Increases loan guarantees for nuclear power and other innovative sources. Establishes an interagency working group to promote a domestic manufacturing base for nuclear components and equipment. Establishes: (1) the Clean Energy Investment Fund, and (2) the Clean Energy Deployment Administration. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to instruct the Secretary of Agriculture to make loans to eligible entities that agree to use such funds to make loans to qualified consumers for the purpose of implementing energy efficiency measures. Extends the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings and the tax credits for energy-efficient homes (new and existing) and energy-efficient appliances.

To provide an election to terminate certain capital construction funds without penalties.

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Permits any person who entered into a capital construction fund agreement (an agreement to provide replacement vessels, additional vessels, or reconstructed vessels) with respect to certain vessels operated in the fisheries of the United States to make an election to terminate the capital construction fund established under such agreement. Sets forth provisions concerning the effect of such election, including the distribution and taxation of such funds, on individuals and entities.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the incentives for the production of biodiesel, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel used as fuel to: (1) allow a $1.00 tax credit for each gallon of biodiesel produced, (2) provide for an increased income tax credit for small biodiesel producers, (3) revise the definitions of "biodiesel" and "small biodiesel producer," (4) treat renewable diesel in the same manner as biodiesel for income tax purposes, and (5) treat biodiesel as a taxable fuel for excise tax purposes. Extends the biodiesel income and excise tax credits through December 31, 2014. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress by June 30, 2015, on tax preferences for the production of fuel and electricity from renewables and fossil fuels and their benefits and costs to the environment and the economy.

Ethanol Modernization and Deficit Reduction Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Ethanol Modernization and Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to advance the termination date of the income and excise tax credits for ethanol from December 31, 2011, to June 30, 2011; (2) extend the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures and the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit; (3) extend the bonus depreciation allowance for cellulosic biofuel plant property; and (4) revise the definition of cellulosic biofuel for purposes of the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit. Exempts the budgetary effects of this Act from PAYGO scorecard requirements under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on each Internet gambling licensee equal to 2% of all funds deposited by Internet gambling customers of such licensee for placing a bet or wager and an additional 50% tax on unauthorized bets or wagers; (2) require such licensees to keep daily records of gambling deposits and file informational returns identifying themselves and the individuals placing bets or wagers with them; (3) require licensees to pay state and Indian tribal governments an amount equal to the monthly pro rata state and Indian tribal government online gambling tax; (4) require withholding of tax on net Internet gambling winnings and on the gross amount of winnings of nonresident aliens; and (5) extend the excise tax on wagers to include wagers placed within the United States or any commonwealth, territory, or possession by a U.S. citizen or resident. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make grants to states to carry out an American Heritage Program through state arts agencies. Allocates .5% of the tax revenues received after December 31, 2010, that are attributable to Internet gambling to the American Heritage Block Grant Fund to finance the American Heritage Program. Amends the Social Security Act to establish the Transitional Assistance Trust Fund to finance state plans for transitional education and job training assistance to individuals who are, or were formerly, in foster care. Allocates 25% of the tax revenues received after December 31, 2010, that are attributable to Internet gambling to the Trust Fund.

Steel Industry Support Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Steel Industry Support Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources, to: (1) extend through FY2018 the credit period for the production of steel industry fuel; (2) extend through June 30, 2012, the placed-in-service date requirement for refined coal production facilities; (3) revise the definition of "steel industry fuel" to allow mixtures of petroleum coke or other coke feedstock in such fuel; and (4) set forth ownership requirements for coal production facilities for purposes of such tax credit.

Derek M. Hodge Virgin Islands Improvement Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Derek M. Hodge Virgin Islands Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a reduction of taxes on distributions from certain retirement savings plans designated by an individual under the age of 61 as being under investment by the Virgin Islands Investment Program for at least 30 years. Defines "Virgin Islands Investment Program" for purposes of this Act as a fund with managed amounts of $50 billion or less. Imposes a 1.5% annual tax for 10 years, and 1% thereafter, on managed funds to benefit Virgin Island infrastructure development.

Debt Elimination By Tax-Deductible Contribution Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2011

Debt Elimination By Tax-Deductible Contribution Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate a specified portion  (not less than $1) of their income tax liability for deposit in the general fund of the Treasury to reduce the public debt.  Allows any such gift to the United States for reduction of the public debt to be treated as a tax deductible charitable contribution.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

United States · United States Senate · 15 June 2011

Refugee Protection Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Refugee Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim; and (2) permit, and set forth the requirements for, reopening a claim that was denied because of failure to file within one year. Revises the definition of terrorist activity for purposes of alien inadmissibility. Excludes activity committed under duress from such definition. Revises: (1) the definition of refugee, and (2) the criteria for granting asylum. Authorizes the Attorney General to appoint counsel to represent an alien in a removal proceeding. Prohibits an alien from being removed during the 30-day petition for review period unless the alien indicates in writing that he or she wishes to be removed before the expiration of such period. Makes discretionary certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, (2) establish specified conditions of detention, (3) file notice of immigration charges with the court and the individual within 48 hours of detention, and (4) establish procedures to ensure the accuracy of statements taken by DHS employees exercising expedited removal authority. Authorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority with regard to aliens apprehended after entering the United States. Authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who: (1) is or was employed by the U.S. government or a U.S. government contractor for not more than one year overseas and worked on behalf of the U.S. government for such time, and (2) returns immediately to the United States upon such employment's conclusion. Exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum. Sets forth protections for: (1) refugees; (2) aliens interdicted at sea; and (2) stateless persons in the United States, including mechanisms for regularizing status. Authorizes the President to designate refugee groups. Permits applicants for refugee admission to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. Authorizes the spouse or child of a refugee or asylee to bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. States that if the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. Directs the Secretary of State to notify Congress regarding the amount of funds that will be provided in Reception and Placement Grants in the coming fiscal year. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required U.S. physical presence. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs. Revises the refugee grant and contract assistance allocation formula. Directs the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Refugee and Asylee Resettlement (HHS) to: (1) report to Congress regarding states experiencing departures and arrivals due to secondary migration; and (2) expand the Office's data analysis, collection, and sharing activities to include data on mental and physical medical cases, housing needs, and refugee employment. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend the eligibility of certain aliens (including asylees and refugees) and victims of trafficking in persons for supplemental security income (SSI) assistance.

A bill to provide an election to terminate certain capital construction funds without penalties.

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Permits any person who entered into a capital construction fund agreement (an agreement to provide replacement vessels, additional vessels, or reconstructed vessels) with respect to certain vessels operated in the fisheries of the United States to make an election to terminate the capital construction fund established under such agreement. Sets forth provisions concerning the effect of such election, including the distribution and taxation of such funds, on individuals and entities.

Southeastern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Southeastern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2011 - Extends certain disaster-related tax relief provisions to the Southeastern disaster area.  Defines "Southeastern disaster area" as an area with respect to which a major disaster has been declared by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act due to severe storms, tornados, or flooding occurring after April 13, 2011, and before June 7, 2011, in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Rescinds $12 billion of appropriated discretionary unexpired and unobligated federal funds to implement this Act.

Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2011 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to condition continued approval of a state plan upon state assessment of its policies with respect to barriers to employment and financial support of children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for an employment demonstration project involving a court- or state child support agency supervised-employment program for noncustodial parents who have barriers to employment and a history of nonpayment, so that they can pay their child support obligations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants for transitional jobs programs and for public-private career pathways partnerships. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) funding for responsible fatherhood programs, (2) activities promoting responsible fatherhood, and (3) elimination of a separate TANF work participation rate for two-parent families. Prohibits a state from conditioning receipt of TANF or certain other benefits on: (1) participation in a healthy marriage or responsible fatherhood program, or (2) assignment to the state of certain support rights. Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to prohibit a state from collecting any amount owed it by reason of costs it has incurred for the birth of a child for whom support rights have been assigned. Requires a state to make a full distribution of collected child support to the family. Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 with respect to: (1) deductions from family income for child support received in order to qualify for food stamps, (2) verification of child support payments, and (3) inclusion of economic opportunities programs in qualifying work programs. Amends SSA title IV part A with respect to: (1) grants to healthy family partnerships for domestic violence intervention and prevention, and (2) grant recipients and their procedures for responding to the risks of domestic violence. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit percentage under the earned income tax credit for eligible individuals with no qualifying children.

Justice for Rape Victims and Improving Use of DNA Evidence Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Justice for Rape Victims and Improving Use of DNA Evidence Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase by 10% grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program for states or local governments that had in effect for the previous fiscal year: (1) a process to provide a victim of sexual assault with an examination by a qualified sexual assault nurse examiner for purposes of collecting a rape kit from such victim and to provide the results of rape kit testing to the victim within 180 days, and (2) an online rape kit database containing specified information. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to conduct an annual study and report to Congress on the extent of the backlog in the United States relating to the analysis of DNA samples collected from crime scenes, victims, suspects, arrestees, and convicted offenders.

Refugee Protection Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Refugee Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim; and (2) permit, and set forth the requirements for, reopening a claim that was denied because of failure to file within one year. Revises the definition of terrorist activity for purposes of alien inadmissibility. Excludes activity committed under duress from such definition. Revises: (1) the definition of refugee, and (2) the criteria for granting asylum. Authorizes the Attorney General to appoint counsel to represent an alien in a removal proceeding. Prohibits an alien from being removed during the 30-day petition for review period unless the alien indicates in writing that he or she wishes to be removed before the expiration of such period. Makes discretionary certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, (2) establish specified conditions of detention, (3) file notice of immigration charges with the court and the individual within 48 hours of detention, and (4) establish procedures to ensure the accuracy of statements taken by DHS employees exercising expedited removal authority. Authorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority with regard to aliens apprehended after entering the United States. Authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who: (1) is or was employed by the U.S. government or a U.S. government contractor for not more than one year overseas and worked on behalf of the U.S. government for such time, and (2) returns immediately to the United States upon such employment's conclusion. Exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum. Sets forth protections for: (1) refugees; (2) aliens interdicted at sea; and (2) stateless persons in the United States, including mechanisms for regularizing status. Authorizes the President to designate refugee groups. Permits applicants for refugee admission to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. Authorizes the spouse or child of a refugee or asylee to bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. States that if the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. Directs the Secretary of State to notify Congress regarding the amount of funds that will be provided in Reception and Placement Grants in the coming fiscal year. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required U.S. physical presence. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs. Revises the refugee grant and contract assistance allocation formula. Directs the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Refugee and Asylee Resettlement (HHS) to: (1) report to Congress regarding states experiencing departures and arrivals due to secondary migration; and (2) expand the Office's data analysis, collection, and sharing activities to include data on mental and physical medical cases, housing needs, and refugee employment. Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend the eligibility of certain aliens (including asylees and refugees) and victims of trafficking in persons for supplemental security income (SSI) assistance.

FREE Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Federal Renewable Energy Expansion Act or FREE Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with respect to renewable energy purchase requirements for the federal government. Directs the President, utilizing the Western Area Power Administration for electric energy procurement when practicable, to increase the maximum percentage of electric energy the federal government consumes during any fiscal year which must be renewable energy. Specifies increasing percentages from FY2014 up to FY2025 and beyond. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to seek to maximize the amounts of renewable energy produced on federal lands and Indian land for compliance with this Act.

To limit assistance to Honduras unless the President certifies to Congress that the Government of Honduras has settled all outstanding expropriation claims brought by United States companies against the Government of Honduras.

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Limits fiscal year assistance to Honduras unless the President certifies to Congress for such fiscal year that the government of Honduras has settled all outstanding expropriation claims brought by U.S. companies against the government of Honduras.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the alternative tax liability limitation for small property and casualty insurance companies.

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2011

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the eligibility of certain small insurance companies (other than life insurance companies) for the alternative corporate income tax by increasing the premium limitation used to determine such eligibility to $2.025 million (from $1.2 million), with an annual inflation adjustment after 2012.

Passport Fee Relief Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2011

Passport Fee Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit for the cost of obtaining travel documents necessary to comply with the terrorist travel and effective screening plan developed under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative).

Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011

Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) link the amount of  the volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC) for calendar quarters beginning after June 30, 2011, to the average price of crude oil in a calendar quarter, (2) modify the rates of the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel and extend such credit through 2014, (3) extend the alternative fuel refueling property tax credit and the special depreciation allowance for cellulosic biofuel plant property, and (4) make permanent the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit. Modifies the definition of "cellulosic biofuel" for purposes of the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit and the special depreciation allowance to mean any liquid fuel that is derived solely by or from qualified feedstocks. Defines "qualified feedstocks" as any lignocellulosic or hemicellulosic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis and any cultivated algae, cyanobacteria, or lemna.

DATA Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011

Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2011 or DATA Act - Requires each person, state, local, or tribal government (recipient) that receives federal appropriated funds, either directly or as a subcontractor or subgrantee, to report at least once quarterly each receipt and use of such funds to the Federal Accountability and Spending Transparency Board established by this Act. Requires each executive agency to report all federal obligations and expenditures to the Board. Exempts an individual recipient from such reporting requirements if: (1) the total amount of federal funds received does not exceed $100,000 in the current calendar or fiscal year; and (2) no transaction in which the recipient has received federal funds during the current calendar year or fiscal year has exceeded $24,999. Authorizes the Board to grant additional exemptions for classes or categories of recipients. Requires the Board to designate: (1) common data elements for information required to be reported, and (2) data reporting standards. Requires the Board to establish one or more websites for the publication of all information submitted by recipients and agencies to serve as a public portal for federal financial information. Requires the Board to establish a federal accountability portal (an integrated Internet-based system, consisting of one or more websites) to: (1) combine information submitted by recipients and agencies with other compilations of information; (2) permit executive agencies to verify the eligibility of recipients to receive federal funds; and (3) permit executive agencies, Inspectors General (IGs), and law enforcement agencies to track federal awards to find waste, fraud, and abuse. Establishes the Board in the executive branch. Transfers all functions of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to the Board, including its employees. Makes conforming amendments to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to terminate the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board on October 1, 2013. Repeals the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to establish a Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program (VITA grant program) for the development, expansion, or continuation of volunteer tax preparation programs to assist low-income taxpayers and members of underserved populations. Establishes the National Center to Promote Quality, Excellence, and Evaluation in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. Requires such Center to: (1) promote the adoption of a universally accessible volunteer training platform for the preparation of federal income tax returns, (2) provide technical assistance to tax return preparation program managers, (3) identify and disseminate best practices related to tax site management, (4) support outreach and marketing efforts, and (5) provide evaluation of programs and activities funded under this Act.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2112) making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2011

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2112) making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012.

Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011

Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification, for depreciation purposes, of any motorsports entertainment complex as seven-year property.

Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011

Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from an employee's gross income employer-provided accident and health plan benefits extended to a domestic partner or non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiary eligible to receive such benefits under an employer plan (i.e., "eligible beneficiary"); (2) exempt such benefits paid to eligible beneficiaries from otherwise applicable employment and unemployment taxes; (3) allow self-employed individuals a tax deduction for the health insurance costs of their eligible beneficiaries; (4) allow tax-exempt voluntary employees' beneficiary associations to provide sick and accident benefits to the domestic partners and non-dependent, non-spouse beneficiaries of their members; (5) allow reimbursement of the medical expenses of an eligible beneficiary from a health savings account (HSA); and (6) extend tax-exempt medical benefits to the eligible beneficiaries of retired employees Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide guidance relating to reimbursements from a flexible spending arrangement and a health reimbursement arrangement attributable to an eligible beneficiary as defined by this Act.

Afghan Responsibility for Afghan Security Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011

Afghan Responsibility for Afghan Security Act - Directs the President to: (1) establish, and update, benchmarks to evaluate progress being made toward the transition of security responsibilities in Afghanistan to the government of Afghanistan; and (2) include the most current benchmarks with each report on progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan submitted to Congress pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.

Transportation Empowerment Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2011

Transportation Empowerment Act - Declares the purposes of the Act, including returning maximum discretionary authority and fiscal responsibility to the states for all elements of the national surface transportation systems (excluding the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways). Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for FY2014-FY2018 for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: (1) the interstate maintenance program, (2) emergency relief for highways and roads, (3) the interstate bridge program, (4) the federal lands highways program, (5) highway safety programs, (6) surface transportation research, and (7) administrative expenses. Authorizes a state to transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Revises the apportionment of federal-aid highway funds under the interstate maintenance component. Requires 1% of such funds to be apportioned to the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, with the remaining 99% of funds apportioned to the states based on certain formulae. Limits federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Repeals the authorization of federal assistance to states for non-federal bridges and highways. Declares that, beginning with FY2013, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: (1) unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of such project, (2) solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or (3) upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2018. Requires the Secretary of Treasury to transfer from the HTF amounts equivalent to motorboat and aviation fuel taxes collected before October 1, 2020, to: (1) the Land and Water Conservation Fund, (2) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and (3) the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to pay from the HTF into the general fund of the Treasury amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2021. Prescribes a motor fuel tax rate schedule for financing of core highway programs. Terminates, on September 30, 2013, the authority of the Secretary to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account. Establishes in the HTF the Infrastructure Special Assistance Fund, $1 billion of which shall be available during FY2014-FY2017 to states for transportation-related program expenditures. Directs the Secretary to allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2014-FY2017. Reduces the excise taxes imposed on: (1) gasoline from 18.3 cents to 3.7 cents, (2) diesel fuel or kerosene from 24.3 cents to 5.0 cents, and (3) diesel-water fuel emulsion from 19.7 cents to 4.1 cents. Requires credits or refunds of certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2017. Declares that this Act shall become effective only if the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) certifies that it is deficit neutral.

FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

United States · United States Senate · 8 June 2011

Department of Energy Administrative Improvement Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2011

Department of Energy Administrative Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to submit annually to Congress a five-fiscal year future-years DOE program that reflects estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations included in the President's proposed budget. Revises the Secretary's authority to enter into transactions for research, development, or demonstration projects other than procurement contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, grants, and certain arrangements. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress regarding DOE use of authorities under this Act, including the ability to attract nontraditional government contractors. Defines "nontraditional government contractor" as the same as a nontraditional defense contractor under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, namely an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least one year before a DOD solicitation of sources for a procurement or transaction, any: (1) DOD contract or subcontract subject to full coverage under specified cost accounting standards, or (2) other DOD contract in excess of $ 500,000 under which the contractor is required to submit certified cost or pricing data. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide protections for five years against dissemination of information developed in any authorized DOE transaction; (2) recruit and directly appoint highly qualified scientists, engineers, or critical technical personnel into the competitive service in the event of a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need for particular positions; (3) fix the compensation of, and appoint individuals to, critical positions to implement DOE functions; and (4) approve the reemployment of a civilian retiree to a particular position without reduction or termination of annuity if necessary to implement a critical function for which DOE has encountered exceptional difficulty in recruiting or retaining qualified candidates. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to declare the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory a National Laboratory under such Act.

Honoring Promises to Service-Disabled Veterans Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2011

Honoring Promises to Service-Disabled Veterans Act of 2011 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the head of each executive department to submit a quarterly report to the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) containing the percentage of the total value of all prime contracts awarded by the executive department during the preceding three-month period to small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, including, along with other specified percentages, for contracts awarded to certain contractors required to submit a subcontracting plan, the negotiated percentage goal for utilization of such subcontractors and the total value of subcontracts entered into by the contractor awarded to service-disabled veteran small business concerns. Requires the Administrator to: (1) annually rank the executive departments and contractors concerned based on specified contracting and subcontracting percentages; (2) publish and update at least quarterly, on a publicly accessible website, subject to exceptions for information detrimental to national security, such information reported by the executive departments and the Administrator's annual rankings; and (3) submit to Congress an annual report on the progress of each executive department toward meeting the government-wide goal for service-disabled veterans (a government-wide goal that at least 3% of the total value of all prime contracts and subcontracts be awarded to small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans each fiscal year) established in the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999.

Empowering More Productive and Lasting Opportunity Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011

Empowering More Productive and Lasting Opportunity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow states, for a five-year period, to implement an employment assistance voucher program, in lieu of paying unemployment compensation directly to e mployees, under which an individual who is eligible for unemployment compensation and is likely to exhaust such compensation is issued an employment assistance voucher and is hired by a participating employer who receives a subsidy from the state for the wages paid to the employee.

FUEL Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011

Fulfilling U.S. Energy Leadership Act or FUEL Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to conduct a seismic inventory of oil and natural gas resources for waters of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Atlantic Region, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska Region. Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, Division C of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, to repeal the moratorium upon oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Deems to be final and in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and all other federal laws the 2012-2017 oil and gas leasing program issued by the Secretary of the Interior on March 31, 2010. Sets forth a scheme for the disposition of bonuses, rents, and royalties received by the United States for OCS oil and gas leases. Establishes: (1) the Institute for Ocean Energy Safety, (2) the Federal Onshore Energy Development Task Force, and (3) the Next Generation Energy and Efficiency Fund. Expresses the sense of Congress that industry should be encouraged to voluntarily disclose and publicize the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the Secretary of the Interior, as part of the Federal Permit Streamlining Pilot Project, to designate one field office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in each of specified states to serve as a Renewable Energy Permit Coordination Office. Requires deposit of the federal share of payments from wind or solar development on BLM land in a special BLM Wind and Solar Energy Permit Processing Improvement Fund. Extends funding for the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 through FY2022. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the BLM, with respect to BLM lands, and the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System (NFS) lands, to complete programmatic environmental impact statements to analyze the potential impacts of a program to develop solar, wind, and geothermal energy on such lands. Instructs such Secretary to: (1) arrange with the National Academy of Sciences to study the siting, development, and management of projects for the production of wind, solar, and geothermal energy on all such lands available for energy development. Directs the DOE Secretary to provide technical assistance to designated stakeholders to expedite renewable energy production from certain brownfield sites. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a wind and solar leasing pilot program on BLM and NFS lands. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to count each gallon of renewable fuel produced from algae in a specified manner. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) make eligible for loan guarantees specified substitute natural gas production facilities; and (2) extend the authorization for programs of civilian nuclear energy research, development, demonstration, and commercial application. Expands nuclear energy research programs to replace the Nuclear Power 2010 Program, the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative, and research in designs for high-temperature reactors capable of producing large-scale quantities of hydrogen with research, development, demonstration, and commercial application programs for: (1) advanced reactor designs and nuclear technologies, (2) small modular reactors, (3) steam-side improvements to nuclear power plants, and (4) certain fuel cycle options. Directs the Secretary of Energy to support the integration of activities that target nuclear energy enabling technologies. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) report to Congress on the quantitative risks associated with the potential of a severe accident arising from the use of civilian nuclear energy technology, (3) arrange with the National Academies to evaluate scientific and technological challenges to the long-term maintenance and safe operation of currently deployed nuclear power reactors, and (3) prepare a database of non-federal user facilities receiving federal funds that may be used for unclassified nuclear energy research. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the requirement that the prototype nuclear reactor and associated plant for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant project be sited at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho. Requires the plant to be constructed at a location determined by the consortium of appropriate industrial partners through an open and transparent competitive selection process. Instructs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a nuclear energy standards committee. Confers responsibility upon DOE for disposal of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel generated under this Act. Amends the Federal Power Act to: (1) declare U.S. policy regarding the national interstate electricity transmission system, (2) direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to coordinate regional planning for integration of an Interconnection-wide transmission plan, (3 ) authorize FERC to permit construction of a high-priority national transmission project, and (4) designate the Secretary of the Interior as the lead agency for coordinating federal authorizations.

Savings Account for Every American Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011

Savings Account for Every American Act of 2011 - Allows employees and self-employed individuals with a Social Security number to elect to participate in a S.A.F.E. account. Defines such an account as a trust created exclusively for the benefit of an individual or his or her beneficiaries. Requires: (1) employers of electing employees to establish a payroll deduction program to make employee contributions (6.2% of wages) to such accounts, and (2) employer matching contributions after a participating employee has maintained an account for 15 years. Imposes penalties on employers who fail to make required payroll deductions or pay deducted wages to S.A.F.E. accounts. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to study how to extend S.A.F.E. Accounts to federal civilian and military employees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt S.A.F.E. Accounts from income taxation. Allows a tax deduction from gross income for cash contributions to such an account. Includes distributions from such an account in employee gross income, with specified exceptions for distributions after the Social Security retirement age or death, for purchase of certain insurance contracts, and for rollovers. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to exempt S.A.F.E. Account participants from Social Security taxes and exclude such participants from OASDI coverage.

Transportation Infrastructure Improvements on Federal Lands Act of 2011

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2011

Transportation Infrastructure Improvements on Federal Lands Act of 2011 - Makes eligible for federal-aid highway assistance preventive maintenance activities on federal lands highways the appropriate federal land management agency demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) are a cost-effective means of extending the useful life of such a highway. Authorizes the use of Federal Lands Highway Program funds for: (1) trails used primarily for transportation; and (2) maintenance of highways, roads, parkways, and trails used primarily for transportation located on public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations, provided such maintenance will improve the asset management of such facilities. Sets the federal share of the cost of a high priority project located on public lands or an Indian reservation, or in a national park or wildlife refuge, at 100%. Makes eligible for federal-aid highway assistance any projects in the vicinity of a federally owned or managed park, refuge, or recreational area open to the general public (Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program) that: (1) are part of an alternative transportation program in which implementation is expected to last more than one year; or (2) involve capital investment grants financing operating costs of fixed guideway projects and systems, buses and related equipment, and bus-related facilities for which capital investment grant assistance has been provided. Earmarks 60% of funds made available to the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program each fiscal year for qualified alternative transportation projects in national parks.