zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Select Agent Program and Biosafety Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 to reauthorize appropriations for the Select Agent Program, which lists and controls biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety. Requires appropriate training of individuals handling or using such agents and toxins. Includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) among the federal agencies limited in the disclosure of information related to listed agents or toxins.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to review and make recommendations for improving the Select Agent Program.Sets forth additional factors that the Secretary must consider in determining whether to list an agent or toxin, including whether the agent or toxin is endemic to the United States.Requires the Secretary to issue guidance on inventorying and monitoring listed biological agents.Directs the Attorney General to issue guidance regarding the scope of the statutory definition of "variola virus." Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for how laboratories and laboratory personnel that do not regularly test for listed agents and toxins may be rapidly accessed and utilized during emergencies; and (2) evaluate national needs of, and oversight of, high containment biological laboratories.Provides for the development of minimum standards for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity training for relevant personnel of high containment biological laboratories.Requires the Secretary to establish a Biological Laboratory Incident Reporting System.

Date: 2009-02-26
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Health
Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a survey of, and report to Congress on, the compliance of fire departments in the United States with national voluntary consensus standards for staffing, training, safe operations, personal protective equipment, and fitness. Requires the Secretary to establish a Task Force to Enhance Firefighter Safety to: (1) consult with the Secretary to conduct such survey; and (2) develop a plan to enhance firefighter safety by increasing compliance with such standards, including by reviewing and evaluating the report to determine the extent of and barriers to achieving compliance and by considering ways the federal government, states, and local governments can promote, encourage, or require compliance.

Date: 2009-03-16
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to authorize the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to exercise certain employment and employment-related authorities currently permitted for the heads of temporary organizations established by law or executive order.

Date: 2009-03-17
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Government operations and politics
See Something, Say Something Act of 2009 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to grant immunity from civil liability to persons who, in good faith and based on an objectively reasonable suspicion, report suspicious activity indicating that an individual may be engaging, or preparing to engage, in a violation of law relating to an act of terrorism. Grants qualified immunity from civil liability to any authorized official who observes, or receives a report of, such activity and takes reasonable action in good faith to respond, consistent with applicable law in the relevant jurisdiction. Provides that an authorized official not entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity shall nonetheless be immune from civil immunity if that official takes reasonable action, in good faith, to respond to the reported activity.

Date: 2009-04-23
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Law
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive or modify certain restrictions on the term and use of grants to fire departments for hiring, rehiring, or retaining firefighters under the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for recipients of grants awarded during FY2009 or FY2010.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Local Homeland Event Response Operations Grant Act of 2009 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to make grants to a law enforcement agency or fire department for overtime expenses relating to preparation for, and activities during or directly following, a special event. Authorizes the President or the Secretary to designate an event as a special event if it is an event of significant national importance that may require consultation, technical advice, and support to specific functional areas in which the state or local government agencies may lack expertise or key resources, designation of a Federal Coordinator, and development of an integrated Federal Support Plan and either: (1) extensive federal interagency security and incident management preparedness and predeployment of federal assets; or (2) direct national-level federal support and situational awareness and limited predeployment of federal assets.

Date: 2009-06-04
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Maritime Hazardous Cargo Security Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promote the establishment within the International Maritime Organization of an international committee for the safe and secure handling and transportation of especially hazardous cargo to the United States. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement a voluntary program under which foreign ports and facilities can certify their compliance with International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPFC) standards (including a program under which independent, third-party entities are certified to validate such ports' and facilities' compliance with such standards); and (2) establish a strategic plan (under current law, program) to utilize assistance programs to assist foreign ports and facilities that lack effective antiterrorism measures in implementing port security antiterrorism measures. Authorizes the Coast Guard (CG) to lend, lease, donate, or otherwise provide equipment and technical training and support to foreign ports and facilities to assist them in complying, and validating such compliance, with ISPFC standards. Directs the Secretary, acting through the CG Commandant, to: (1) initiate a national study to identify measures to improve the security of maritime transportation of liquefied natural gas and other especially hazardous cargoes; and (2) coordinate with other federal agencies, the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, and appropriate state and local government officials through the Area Maritime Security Committees and other coordinating committees to evaluate, and provide a national strategy for, the waterside security of vessels carrying, and waterfront facilities handling, especially hazardous cargo. Includes the establishing of regional response and recovery protocols to prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover from a transportation security incident in area maritime transportation security plans. Directs the Secretary to ensure that federal, state, and local personnel responsible for the safety and security of vessels in port carrying especially hazardous cargo complete Department of Homeland Security incident command system training. Directs the Secretary to ensure that interoperable communications technology is deployed at all interagency operational centers for port security located at high-priority ports.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Emergency Port of Entry Personnel and Infrastructure Funding Act of 2009 - Amends the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 to allocate certain FY2010 appropriations to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to pay the salaries and related compensation for an additional 250 CBP officers and 25 associated support personnel who shall be devoted to new inspection lanes at new land ports of entry along the Southern border between the United States and Mexico. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to hire, train, and assign to duty, by the end of FY2013, an additional: (1) 2,500 full-time CBP officers to serve on all inspection lanes and enforcement teams at U.S. lands ports of entry on the Northern border between the United States and Canada and the same number of CBP officers for the same purposes on the Southern border; and (2) 350 full-time support staff for all U.S. ports of entry. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on DHS plans for placing sufficient CBP officers on outbound inspections and agriculture specialists at all Southern border land ports of entry, respectively. Authorizes the Secretary to make incentive payments of $5,000 to $10,000, during FY2010-FY2015, to recruit and retain qualified CBP port of entry officers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) equip each CBP officer with a secure two-way communication and satellite-enabled device that allows communication between ports of entry and inspection stations, and with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement entities; and (2) establish a grant program for the purchase of detection equipment at land ports of entry and mobile, hand-held, two-way communication and biometric devices for state and local law enforcement officers along the Southern border. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to allocate certain construction funds for infrastructure improvements, expansion, and new construction (or reimbursement for new construction costs incurred during FY2007-FY2009) of high-volume ports of entry in Texas, regardless of port ownership. Grants the CBP additional authority for port of entry construction along the Northern and Southern U.S. borders.

Date: 2009-11-10
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Immigration
Strengthening and Updating Resources and Equipment Act or the SURE Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act to permit grants awarded under the State Homeland Security Grant Program or the Urban Area Security Initiative to be used for maintenance agreements, user fees, or sustainment costs for purchased equipment related to preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and responding to acts of terrorism. Prohibits the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from imposing: (1) a limit on the amount of any such award that may be used to pay for equipment purchase and maintenance costs; and (2) any additional limitation, including any fiscal year limitation, on the amount of any such award that may be used for a specific type, purpose, or category of equipment purchase or maintenance cost.

Date: 2009-11-18
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Security Clearance Modernization and Reporting Act of 2009 - Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend national security clearance report requirements to the earlier of two years after the Comptroller General has removed all security clearance-related items from the list known as the High-Risk List, or 2017. (Under current law, such report requirement runs through 2011.) Adds to required report information a description of the full range of time required to complete initial clearance applications. Establishes the Security Clearance and Suitability Performance Accountability Council to perform specified duties, and oversee the development of techniques, relating to the enhancement of applicant suitability determinations and security clearances, including holding each U.S. agency accountable for its security procedures. Directs the Council to develop and submit to Congress a strategic plan that identifies the causes of problems with the issuance of security clearances and a description of corrective actions to address such problems. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit to Congress an information technology strategy for expediting the security clearance process and for providing security clearance and suitability determination reform consistent with the Report of the Joint Security and Suitability Reform Team, dated December 20, 2008.

Date: 2009-12-03
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Defense Against Infectious Diseases Act of 2009 - Directs the President: (1) to convene a consortium of representatives of state, local, and tribal governments to assess the adequacy of guidance for state and local government planning in the National Strategy for Pandemic Flu and the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan; and (2) within one year after convening such consortium and every four years thereafter, to convene another consortium to review and update such Strategy and Plan. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), to conduct a survey to identify appropriate alternative medical care facilities capable of meeting medical surge capacity needs for the prophylaxis for, and treatment of, infectious diseases outbreaks. Directs the Secretary of DHS to identify specific resources, including subsistence supplies and personnel, that may be required to support the implementation of strategies for social distancing and medical surge during a federally declared emergency or major disaster to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable disease and ensure the proper delivery of crisis and medical care. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the appropriate Senate and House committees describing the roles and responsibilities, capabilities, and coordination of federal assets for medical response to infectious disease outbreaks or biological attacks.

Date: 2009-12-10
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Health
Continuing Chemical Facilities Antiterrorism Security Act of 2010 - Amends the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 to extend until October 4, 2015, the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for security of chemical facilities and requiring vulnerability assessments and the development and implementation of site security plans for such facilities. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and in coordination with the Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs, to: (1) establish a voluntary chemical security training program to enhance the capabilities of high-risk chemical facilities to prevent, prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other man-made disasters; and (2) develop a voluntary chemical security exercise program to offer voluntary testing and evaluation of the capabilities of the federal government, state governments, commercial personnel and management, emergency response providers, and the private sector to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies at chemical facilities.

Date: 2010-02-04
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Biosecurity and Vaccine Development Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to design, construct, and operate facilities to develop and produce biological products to meet critical national needs in response to potential bioterrorist attacks or naturally occurring pathogens for which private industry has not devoted adequate development effort or has not produced adequate stocks of such biological products. Requires the Secretary to ensure that there is competition. Allows the Secretary to: (1) establish a public-private partnership to design, construct, own, and operate such a facility; and (2) use the authority to enter into other transactions under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to establish such a facility.

Date: 2010-03-18
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Health
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a Chief Veterinary Officer, who shall: (1) head the division of DHS with primary responsibility for veterinary issues, food defense, and agriculture security; and (2) have primary responsibility within DHS for responsibilities relating to veterinary medicine and veterinary public health. Requires that such Officer: (1) be a veterinarian who possesses a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of veterinary public health and emergency preparedness; (2) be appointed by the DHS Secretary; and (3) report directly to the Chief Medical Officer (or to the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs if the Assistant Secretary is not serving as Chief Medical Officer).

Date: 2010-04-27
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations to the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Securing the Cities Initiative, including funding for: (1) each city in which the Initiative has been implemented by FY2009; and (2) additional Securing the Cities initiatives to be implemented in not fewer than two sites participating in the Urban Area Security Initiative.

Date: 2010-05-05
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
National Emergency Centers Establishment Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish at least six national emergency centers on military installations to use existing infrastructure to provide: (1) temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster; and (2) centralized locations for the training of first responders and the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Requires the Secretary to designate: (1) 2 military installations as sites for the establishment of the centers within 60 days of this Act's enactment; and (2) not fewer than 4 more within 18 months of enactment.Lists minimum requirements for sites for such centers, including that they be capable of: (1) meeting for an extended period the housing, health, transportation, education, public works, humanitarian, and other transition needs of a large number of individuals affected; (2) being scaled up or down to accommodate major disaster preparedness and response drills, operations, and procedures; (3) housing existing permanent structures necessary to meet training and first responders coordination requirements during non-disaster periods; and (4) hosting the infrastructure necessary to rapidly adjust to temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance needs.Sets forth center location requirements, including requiring the Secretary to give preference to military installations designated as Regional Joint Readiness Centers and to closed or materially affected military installations.

Date: 2010-06-10
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Secure Chemical Facilities Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth provisions for the regulation of security practices at chemical facilities. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate: (1) any chemical substance as a substance of concern and establish and adjust the threshold quantity for each such substance after considering the potential extent of death, injury, and serious adverse effects that could result from a chemical facility terrorist incident; and (2) a chemical facility as a covered chemical facility if the Secretary determines such facility is a sufficient security risk (e.g., a likely target of a chemical facility terrorist incident and close to large population centers). Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain a list of covered chemical facilities that are of sufficient security risk; (2) assign each covered facility to one of four risk-based tiers; (3) establish standards and procedures for security vulnerability assessments and site security plans; (4) require each facility owner or operator to submit and, once approved, to implement such an assessment and plan; and (5) establish risk-based chemical security performance standards for site security plans. Permits the Secretary, under specified circumstances, to: (1) accept an alternate security program submitted by the owner or operator of the facility; (2) conduct facility security inspections; and (3) obtain access to and copy records necessary for reviewing or analyzing a security vulnerability assessment or site security plan. Requires the Secretary to: (1) share threat information with owners, operators, or security officers of a covered chemical facility and with relevant state and local government authorities in a timely manner; and (2) disapprove a security vulnerability assessment or site security plan if the Secretary determines that such assessment or security plan does not comply with the requirements of this Act. Establishes whistleblower protections for employees of a covered chemical facility who report safety violations. Establishes in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an Office of Chemical Facility Security. Authorizes civil actions by individuals alleging violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a notification system to report, via telephonic and Internet-based means, a suspected security deficiency or suspected noncompliance with the requirements of this Act; and (2) assess the emergency response resources that would be required to feasibly respond to a worst-case chemical facility terrorist incident.

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2011, to: (1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection for salaries and expenses related to staffing on the Southwest Border of the United States, construction of up to two Border Patrol forward operating bases along the Southwest Border, and border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology along the Southwest border; (2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for salaries and expenses for law enforcement activities along the Southwest Border; and (3) Federal Law Enforcement Training Center training for new U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents. Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2012, for acquisition and deployment of unmanned aircraft systems. Rescinds from unobligated balances certain funds for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology. Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2011, for Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement activities related to the Southwest Border. Appropriates additional FY2010 amounts to remain available until September 30, 2011, for courts of appeals, district courts, and other judicial services. States that funding shall be available for transfer between Judiciary accounts to meet increased workload requirements resulting from immigration and other law enforcement initiatives. Designates each amount made available under this Act as an emergency requirement and necessary to meet emergency needs. Increases, for the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2014: (1) the L visa (intracompany transfer) nonimmigrant application filing fee and fraud prevention and detection fee by $2,250 for applicants that employ 50 or more employees in the United States if more than 50% of the applicant's employees are L visa or H-1b visa (nonagricultural specialty worker) nonimmigrants; and (2) the H-1b visa application filing fee and fraud prevention and detection fee by $2,000 for applicants that employ 50 or more employees in the United States if more than 50% of the applicant's employees are H-1b or L visa nonimmigrants. Provides that during such period all amounts collected pursuant to such fee increases shall be deposited in the General Fund of the Treasury.

Date: 2010-08-05
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Immigration
Economic Security Defense Act of 2010 - Establishes a Security Threats to Financial Markets and Economic Recovery Commission to examine and report to Congress on security threats and vulnerabilities to the U.S. economic recovery and financial markets. Requires the Commission to make legislative recommendations to Congress and the President designed to address: (1) potential threats to financial markets and economic recovery from both state and non-state actors; (2) vulnerabilities in financial markets that could be exploited and would result in major economic implications; (3) the divide between national security and economic concerns; and (4) national security vulnerabilities associated with current federal debt levels.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Cybersecurity Education Enhancement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Cybersecurity, to establish, in conjunction with the National Science Foundation, a program to award grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) cybersecurity professional development programs; (2) associate degree programs in cybersecurity; and (3) the purchase of equipment to provide training in cybersecurity for either professional development or degree programs. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to operate the program. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary to establish an E-Security Fellows program to bring state, local, tribal, and private sector officials to participate in the work of the National Cybersecurity Division in order to become familiar with Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity missions and capabilities.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Education
Federal Protective Service Improvement and Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain no fewer than 1,350 full-time equivalent positions in the Federal Protective Service inspector force, who shall be fully trained federal law enforcement officers. Directs the Secretary to classify the positions in the following categories: (1) Federal Facility Security Officers, responsible for security assessment; and (2) law enforcement officers, responsible for physical law enforcement and investigations. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) the Federal Protective Service contract oversight force; and (2) minimum training and certification standards for security guard services at facilities protected by the Service.Expresses the sense of Congress that specified security standards for federal facilities established by the Interagency Security Committee should be implemented for all federal facilities for which they were issued.Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the Federal Protective Service, to: (1) commence a one-year pilot program to research the advantages of converting guard positions at the highest-risk federal facilities protected by the Service from contract guard positions to positions held by federal employees; and (2) establish and hire individuals for a federal facility security guard position.Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) periodically review and report to Congress on the performance by federal facility security guards under the pilot program, and upon its completion submit a final report evaluating whether or not the performance of individuals in such positions was satisfactory (if so, directs the Secretary to replace contract guards at all highest risk facilities protected by the Service with federal employees); and (2) submit a review of the fee-based funding system in use by the Service and issue any recommendations for alternative approaches.

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Border Security Search Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) issue a rule regarding the scope of, and procedural and recordkeeping requirements associated with, border security searches of electronic devices; and (2) provide related officer training. Sets forth rule contents.

Date: 2011-01-07
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Chemical Facility Security Improvement Act of 2011 - Prohibits federal funds from being used by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to approve a site security plan for a chemical facility unless the facility meets or exceeds security standards and requirements to protect it against terrorist acts established by the state or local government for the area where it is located. Amends the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 to: (1) repeal a provision prohibiting the Secretary from disapproving a site security plan based on the presence or absence of a particular security measure; (2) require vulnerability assessments and site security plans to be treated as sensitive security information; and (3) repeal a provision limiting to the Secretary any right of action against a chemical facility owner or operator to enforce security measures.

Date: 2011-01-07
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
See Something, Say Something Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to grant immunity from civil liability to persons who, in good faith and based on an objectively reasonable suspicion, report suspicious activity indicating that an individual may be engaging, or preparing to engage, in a violation of law relating to an act of terrorism. Grants qualified immunity from civil liability to any authorized official who observes, or receives a report of, such activity and takes reasonable action in good faith to respond, consistent with applicable law in the relevant jurisdiction. Provides that an authorized official not entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity shall nonetheless be immune from civil liability if that official takes reasonable action, in good faith, to respond to the reported activity.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Law
FISA Sunsets Extension Act of 2011 - Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to extend until May 27, 2011, provisions concerning roving electronic surveillance orders and requests for the production of business records and other tangible things. Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend until May 27, 2011, a provision revising the definition of an "agent of a foreign power" to include any non-U.S. person who engages in international terrorism or preparatory activities ("lone wolf" provision).

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Anthrax Attacks Investigation Act - Establishes the National Commission on the Anthrax Attacks Upon the United States to: (1) conduct an investigation of the anthrax letter attacks of September and October 2001; and (2) submit interim reports to the President and Congress and a final report on its findings with recommendations for corrective measures to prevent and respond to acts of bioterrorism. Directs the Commission to hold public hearings and release its reports to the public.

Date: 2011-02-15
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to: (1) make communities that reconstruct and improve flood protection systems (in addition to constructing them) eligible for premium flood insurance rates under such Act; and (2) allow entities that own, operate, maintain, or repair flood protection systems (instead of a federal agency) to determine whether a flood protection system is restorable.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
South San Diego County Water Reclamation Project of 2011 - Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the Sweetwater Authority, Otay Water District, and the city of Chula Vista, California, to participate in phase one of a project to design, plan, and construct permanent facilities needed to reclaim, reuse, and treat groundwater and wastewater in the service area of Sweetwater Authority, Otay Water District, and the city of Chula Vista. Limits the federal share of the project to 25% of the total cost.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Water resources development
See Something, Say Something Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to grant immunity from civil liability to persons who, in good faith and based on an objectively reasonable suspicion, report suspicious activity indicating that an individual may be engaging, or preparing to engage, in a violation of law relating to an act of terrorism. Grants an authorized official who observes, or receives a report of, such activity and takes reasonable action in good faith to respond qualified immunity from civil liability for such action. Provides that an authorized official not entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity shall nonetheless be immune from civil immunity if that official takes reasonable action, in good faith, to respond to the reported activity. Entitles any authorized official or other person found to be immune from civil liability under this Act to recover all reasonable costs and attorney fees in any action against such official.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Law
Homeland Security Grant Management Improvement Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from requiring the recipient of a grant under the Urban Area Security Initiative or the State Homeland Security Grant Program to use a specified percentage of such grant for any one of the specified permitted uses.Directs the Administrator to: (1) study the use of grant funds for administrative expenses; (2) determine whether 3% of the grant amount is adequate to ensure proper oversight, management, and administration of the grant; and (3) report recommendations on whether such percentage should be adjusted to better reflect administrative costs to grant recipients. Requires the Administrator to study the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of issuing multiyear program guidance for such grants.

Date: 2011-03-16
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Southern Borderlands Public Safety Communications Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to make competitive grants for public-private partnerships that finance equipment and infrastructure to improve the public safety of persons who are residents of rural areas of the United States near the border with Mexico by enhancing their access to reliable mobile communications. Directs the Secretary to focus on projects in areas impacted by the illegal smuggling and trafficking of people and drugs. Declares that persons eligible for grants include states, counties, municipalities, organizations representing agricultural producers and other rural Americans, and telecommunications providers. Repeals the International Forestry Cooperation Act of 1990 to offset sums appropriated under this Act.

Date: 2011-03-31
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Metropolitan Medical Response System Program Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a Metropolitan Medical Response System Program that shall assist state and local governments in preparing for and responding to public health and mass casualty incidents resulting from natural disasters, terrorist acts, and other man-made disasters. (Repeals provisions of the Post-Katrina Management Reform Act of 2006 regarding a Metropolitan Medical Response Program.)Authorizes the Secretary, through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to make grants to state and local governments for such purposes. Authorizes the use of grant funds to support the integration of emergency management, health, and medical systems into a coordinated response to mass casualty incidents caused by any hazard.Sets forth eligibility requirements. Directs the Administrator to ensure that each jurisdiction that receives a grant, as a condition of receiving such grant, is actively coordinating its preparedness efforts with surrounding jurisdictions, with the official with primary responsibility for homeland security (other than the governor) of the government of the state in which the jurisdiction is located, and with emergency response providers from all relevant disciplines, to effectively enhance regional preparedness.Requires the Administrator: (1) in coordination with the Assistant Secretary, Office of Health Affairs, and a National Metropolitan Medical Response System Working Group, to issue performance measures that enable objective evaluation of the performance and effective use of funds provided in any jurisdiction; and (2) together with the Assistant Secretary and the Working Group, to conduct a review of the Program.

Date: 2011-04-07
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) limit to 25 the number of Urban Area Security Initiative grants awarded; (2) require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), when weighing "threat," "vulnerability," and "consequences from acts of terrorism" in allocating funds, to assign to "threat" a value that is not less than 33%; and (3) apply minimum allocation requirements only to state Homeland Security grants.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
FISA Sunsets Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to extend through 2017 a provision granting roving electronic surveillance authority. Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to make permanent a provision revising the definition of an "agent of a foreign power" to include any non-U.S. person who engages in international terrorism or preparatory activities ("lone wolf" provision).

Date: 2011-05-06
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Build the Fence Now Act of 2011 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) construct two layers of reinforced fencing along the entire international land border between the United States and Mexico; (2) provide for the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, radars, and sensors along the entire length of the international border between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada; and (3) complete such work within two years along the U.S.-Mexico border and within five years along the U.S.-Canada border. Increases the FY2012 budget of the Tunnel Task Force (a joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE], Customs and Border Patrol [CBP], and Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] force tasked to pinpoint smuggling tunnels) by 100% above the FY2007 budget. Directs the Secretary to implement a program to fully integrate and utilize aerial surveillance technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles, to enhance the security of the international borders between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Immigration
Grants U.S. Customs and Border Protection access to federal lands (excluding state-owned land within federal land boundaries) for security activities, including: (1) routine motorized patrols, and (2) the deployment of temporary tactical infrastructure. Defines "federal lands" as all land, including a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, under the control of any federal department or agency with legal jurisdiction over such land that is located within 150 miles of the Southwest border region.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Border States Security Improvement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to provide funds to the governor of a state to employ units or members of that state's National Guard, state defense forces, and law enforcement agencies to help secure an international border that forms part of that state's border. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide the requested funds for such use of the National Guard even though the border security activities are conducted while National Guard members are not in federal service; and (2) pay a state an amount that the governor certifies is necessary for expenses of such activities from funds available to the Department of Defense (DOD) for homeland defense.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS): (1) within 180 days, to report on metrics to be used to gauge the incidents or occurrences of cross-border violence and on how the resulting findings shall be quantified for periodic reporting; and (2) every 90 days after submitting such report, to report on incidents or occurrences of cross-border violence, incorporating such metrics and including information and crime statistics from federal, state, local, and tribal sources. Requires such metrics to include: (1) border sheriff and state law enforcement reports on crime, vandalism, theft, burglary, apprehensions, accidents, and capital crimes; (2) reports from local hospitals in border states regarding the number of individuals treated for wounds obtained during acts of cross-border violence; (3) the impact to property values and businesses along the border as a result of factors such as acts of vandalism, theft, burglary, destruction of property, and intimidation; and (4) accounts of cross-border violence reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agencies.

Date: 2011-06-03
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Mass Transit Intelligence Prioritization Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to make it a priority to assign DHS officers and intelligence analysts, including from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), to participating state and urban area fusion centers located in high-risk jurisdictions with mass transit systems to enhance security of such systems by assisting law enforcement authorities in identifying, investigating, and otherwise interdicting persons, weapons, and contraband that pose a threat to homeland security. Makes it a primary responsibility of such officers and analysts to create mass transit intelligence products that: (1) assist law enforcement agencies in deploying their resources most efficiently to help detect and interdict terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, and contraband at U.S. mass transit systems; (2) promote more consistent and timely dissemination of mass transit security-relevant information among jurisdictions with such systems; and (3) enhance DHS's situational awareness with respect to the threat of terrorist acts at or involving U.S. mass transit systems.

Date: 2011-10-06
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Enhanced Border Security Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a counterinsurgency strategy that: (1) outlines the transnational criminal organizations in Mexico; (2) assesses Mexico's capabilities to counter such organizations; (3) describes such organizations' operations in the United States and at the U.S. and international borders, and presents a plan to combat their operations and financial networks; and (4) utilizes all such information to combat the terrorist insurgency in Mexico. Requires the Secretary and the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury to update such strategy reports quarterly.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: International affairs
Preserving Urban Area Security Initiative Capability Gains Act of 2011 or the Preserving UASI Capability Gains Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a competitive grant program to make funding available for preservation of homeland security capabilities achieved by high-risk urban areas that received Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding in FY2009 or FY2010 but were removed from the program thereafter. Directs the Administrator to give priority to grant applications that best: (1) preserve capabilities needed to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to the United States; (2) preserve core capabilities developed through previous UASI grant allocations; (3) align with strategies and principles of the National Preparedness Goal, including the promotion of national preparedness; and (4) support capabilities that enhance regional catastrophic planning that could be used nationally through mutual aid agreements. Prohibits any one applicant from receiving more than 7% of the total amount authorized for such grant program.

Date: 2011-12-09
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Urban Area Security Initiative Modernization Act of 2011 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to modify the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to include within the initial assessment of the relative threat, vulnerability, and consequences from acts of terrorism faced by each eligible metropolitan area, consideration of each area's past performance, and each area's potential, to contribute to a reduction or mitigation of the relative threat, vulnerability, and consequences from acts of terrorism faced either within such area or nationally. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to consider such past performance in allocating homeland security grant funds among states and high-risk urban areas.

Date: 2011-12-16
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Port Security Boots on the Ground Act - Authorizes the use of port security grant program funds for overtime and backfill costs for mandated Coast Guard security personnel, except that not more than 50% of funds received by a grantee for a fiscal year may be used for such costs.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Preparedness Coordination With Local Educational Agencies and School Districts Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide guidance to and coordinate with local educational agencies and school districts that are at a high risk of acts of terrorism or other incidents in order to enhance domestic preparedness for and the collective response to such incidents.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit the use of grant funds under the Urban Area Security Initiative or under the State Homeland Security Grant Program for training conducted in conjunction with a national laboratory or research facility.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management
Fostering Coordination in Federal Preparedness Grants Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with relevant Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components and other appropriate federal departments and agencies, to establish an interagency working group to better coordinate grants authorized under the Urban Area Security Initiative, the State Homeland Security Grant Program, and other federal preparedness grants.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Defense (Civil)
Subject: Emergency management