Restoration of State Sovereignty Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-2917
Sponsor: Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7]
Introduced: 2011-09-14 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Appropriations
Budget deficits and national debt
Government information and archives
Intergovernmental relations
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-14
text: 
Restoration of State Sovereignty Act of 2011 - Provides that no federal authority shall enforce against any state authority, nor shall any state authority have any obligation to obey, any requirement imposed as a condition of receiving federal financial assistance under a federal grant program, nor shall such program operate within a state, unless the legislature of that state has expressly approved that program and, in doing so, waived the state's rights and authorities to act inconsistently with any requirement that might be imposed by the federal government as a condition of receiving that assistance. Authorizes a federal authority to release financial assistance under a federal grant program to a state only after the state's legislature has expressly approved the program or amended the requirements imposed by the federal government as conditions of receiving such assistance, provided such amendments are consistent with the federal law under which the assistance is provided. Excepts any grant program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Title 38 of the United States Code (Veterans Benefits). 
 
Requires a federal authority, upon determining that assistance under a federal grant program may not be released to a state for a fiscal year, to: (1) prepare a statement of the determination and the amount of excess grant funds involved, (2) provide such statement to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and (3) include the statement on the official public website of the federal agency involved. Requires that such amount be rescinded from funds made available for the grant program and used only for reducing the budget deficit. Requires the Director to report on the total amount of such rescissions made each fiscal year, delineated by appropriation Acts, accounts, and programs, projects, and activities.
 
Makes this Act inapplicable to states with a legislature that meets every other year (biennial legislature) for the year in which the legislature does not meet. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-10-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform     .
action_date: 2011-09-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-09-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-09-14
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-09-14
text: Introduced in House