zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Look-back Elimination Act of 2011 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate the requirement that, to be eligible for foster care maintenance payments, a child would have been eligible for aid under the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program (predecessor of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF] program under part A of SSA title IV) at the time of removal from the home. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the AFDC eligibility requirement for federal foster care and adoption assistance benefits should be eliminated and replaced with income eligibility standards that are based on modern, balanced criteria that treat all children equally; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) should collaborate with Members of Congress and child welfare advocates in developing any modification standards.

Date: 2011-05-31
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
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.

Date: 2011-06-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Families Beyond Bars Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to qualified organizations to carry out, directly or through subgrants to other entities, child-parent visitation programs that foster and develop familial ties between eligible children and their incarcerated parents.

Date: 2011-07-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2011 - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) an Office of Elder Justice, which shall address issues relating to elder abuse. Requires the Director of such Office to: (1) provide information, training, and technical assistance to assist states and local governments in preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and mitigating the impact of elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect and in addressing the physical and psychological trauma to victims of such abuse; (2) evaluate the efficacy of measures intended to prevent, detect, respond to, or redress elder abuse and the extent to which the needs of the victims in each state are met by crime victim services, programs, and sources of funding; (3) evaluate training models to determine best practices for investigating elder abuse, addressing evidentiary and legal issues, and interacting with victims; and (4) conduct, and regularly update, a study of state laws and practices relating to elder abuse.Directs the Attorney General to annually: (1) collect from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices statistical data relating to the incidence of elder abuse; (2) identify common data points among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices that would allow for the collection of uniform national data related to elder abuse; (3) publish a summary of the data collected; (4) identify the types of elder abuse data that should be collected and what entity is most capable of collecting it; and (5) develop recommendations for collecting additional data.Authorizes the Director to provide grants and technical assistance to assist not more than 15 states in establishing and operating programs designed to improve: (1) the response to elder abuse in a manner that limits additional trauma to victims, and (2) the investigation and prosecution of cases of elder abuse. Requires eligible states to: (1) have a qualified crime victims compensation program; and (2) establish or designate a multidisciplinary task force on elder justice.Amends the Social Security Act to include the Director as the alternate for the Attorney General as a member of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council.

Date: 2011-07-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act or the HELP Separated Children Act - Sets forth: (1) apprehension procedures for immigration enforcement-related activities engaged in by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or by other entities under agreement with DHS, and (2) related protections for apprehended persons who belong to specified vulnerable population groups. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) authorize an alien who has been arrested or detained pending a removal determination to be represented by counsel (at no cost to the government), and (2) require that an alien who has been in such custody for more that 48 hours be brought for a custody determination not later than 72 hours after commencement of detention. Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require that state plans for foster care and adoption assistance include provisions regarding foster care children with a parent, legal guardian, or primary caregiver relative who is in immigration detainment or has been removed from the United States. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) mandate vulnerable population and child welfare training for immigration enforcement personnel, and (2) ensure that immigration detention facilities take steps to preserve family unity.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Immigration
Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make formula grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish or enhance educational programs and related services that enable pregnant and parenting students to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school. Requires state grantees to: (1) designate a Coordinator for Education of Pregnant and Parenting Students who is to develop and implement a state plan for educating pregnant and parenting students, and (2) develop and implement high-quality professional development programs for LEAs and school personnel. Requires subgrantees to: (1) provide academic support services to pregnant and parenting students; (2) assist such students in accessing quality, affordable child care, and early childhood education services; (3) provide transportation services or assistance to such students and their children; (4) educate students, parents, and community members regarding the educational rights of such students; (5) train school personnel regarding the challenges facing pregnant and parenting students and their educational rights; (6) revise school policies and practices that hinder or discourage such students from continuing their education; (7) provide student parents with training and support in parenting, healthy relationship, and other life skills; and (8) provide educational and career mentoring services and peer groups to pregnant and parenting students. Gives subgrant priority to LEAs in geographic areas with teen birth rates that: (1) exceed the state average; or (2) are below the state average, but higher than the state average for one or more racial or ethnic groups. Directs the Secretary to conduct national activities that include: (1) providing technical assistance to states and reviewing their plans for educating pregnant and parenting students, (2) evaluating subgrantees' programs and education program service delivery models for such students, and (3) gathering and disseminating information regarding the education of such students and best practices in facilitating it.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Education
Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for programs to provide youth in racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities the information and skills needed to avoid teenage pregnancy and develop healthy relationships. Allows up to 10% of amounts made available for this Act to be allotted for a rigorous, independent evaluation of grant activities. Requires the Secretary to award grants for multimedia campaigns to provide public education and increase public awareness regarding teenage pregnancy and related social and emotional issues. Requires the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make grants for research on teenage pregnancy, dating violence, and healthy relationships among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities. Requires the Secretary to direct the interagency adolescent health workgroup within the Office of Adolescent Health to include in the work of the group strategies for teenage dating violence prevention and healthy teenage relationships, with a particular focus among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities, in consultation with the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Violence in the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Date: 2011-07-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization of 2012 - Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise requirements relating to the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program to direct the Attorney General to: (1) award competitive grants to assist nonprofit organizations in paying for the costs of locally based, proactive programs to protect and locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; and (2) give a preference for such grants to national nonprofit organizations that have experience working with patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their families (currently, the Attorney General is directed to award a single grant to a national voluntary organization to operate the Program). Authorizes appropriations for such grants through FY2017.

Date: 2011-08-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Foster Youth Financial Security Act of 2011 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, to: (1) require states to take certain additional steps to assist children in foster care in making the transition to independent living, such as providing credit reports and helping a child age 14 or older obtain a driver's license; (2) establish individual development accounts and custodial accounts; (3) require state evaluations of specific services provided to assist the transition to independent living; (4) eliminate the use of a Social Security number as an identifier for a foster child; and (5) authorize additional appropriations to enable states to take such additional steps. Directs the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to develop a process for the assignment of alternative taxpayer identification numbers for foster children for use in tax returns in a manner similar to those used in the case of adopted children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), on request, to provide the state agency with technical assistance in carrying out this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to and enter into contracts with qualified nonprofit or other community-based service providers with substantive expertise to provide the assistance.

Date: 2011-09-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Social Security Child Protection Act of 2011 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to issue a new Social Security number to a child in cases where confidentiality has been compromised by reason of theft of related documentation.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Securing American Families by Educating and Training Youth (SAFETY) Through Nonviolence Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to state or local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of community violence by educating, mentoring, and counseling youth regarding the principles and application of nonviolence in conflict resolution. Gives grant priority to applicants that agree to use the funds in communities experiencing an increase in violence, but lacking the resources to address violence prevention.

Date: 2011-09-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Education
Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Authorizes appropriations for grants for the national resource center on workplace responses to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence for FY2012-FY2016. Establishes limits on the use of funds for administrative costs. Requires the center to provide information and assistance to enable victim service organizations to provide resource materials or other assistance to employers, labor organizations, or employees. Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to set forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking (domestic or sexual violence). Prohibits: (1) any employer from interfering with the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) discrimination against any individual for exercising any such right, opposing any practice made unlawful by this Act, or instituting any proceeding under this Act. Establishes a private right of action to enforce this Act. Directs the Secretary of Labor to receive, investigate, and attempt to resolve complaints of violations of this Act. Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for victims of domestic or sexual violence on emergency leave. Adds provisions to VAWA, entitled the Victims' Employment Sustainability Act, to prohibit certain discriminatory practices against victims of domestic or sexual violence by: (1) employers with respect to the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment; or (2) public agencies with respect to the terms or conditions of public assistance. Authorizes civil actions by individuals or the Attorney General to enforce such provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit denial of unemployment compensation to individuals separated from employment due to their experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to require training of unemployment compensation and TANF personnel to provide necessary services to victims of domestic or sexual violence. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a grant to a national victim services organization to develop and disseminate a model training program. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage (including termination of health insurance coverage) or addition of a premium differential based on the status of the applicant or insured as a victim of abuse by a household or family member, intimate partner, or caretaker. Provides for enforcement of such prohibitions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and by a private cause of action.

Date: 2011-10-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the refundable portion of the child tax credit to taxpayers who use individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs) issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instead of social security account numbers to claim such credit on their tax returns.

Date: 2011-10-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out programs to provide adolescents with comprehensive sex education that: (1) replicate evidence-based sex education programs, (2) substantially incorporate elements of evidence-based sex education programs, or (3) create a demonstration project based on generally accepted characteristics of effective sex education programs. Sets forth provisions regarding evaluation of such programs. Requires the Secretary to establish a common set of performance measures to assess the implementation and impact of grant programs funded under this Act. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to: (1) enable institutions of higher education to provide young people with comprehensive sex education with an emphasis on reducing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy; and (2) eligible entities to train targeted faculty and staff in order to increase effective teaching of comprehensive sex education for elementary and secondary school students. Prohibits programs funded under this Act from discriminating on the basis of actual or perceived sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. Prohibits federal funds provided under this Act from being used for health education programs that: (1) deliberately withhold life-saving information about HIV; (2) are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; (3) promote gender stereotypes; (4) are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of sexually active youth or lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender youth; or (5) are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. Amends the Public Health Service Act to repeal a provision that prohibits the use of funds appropriated for the prevention of AIDS to provide education or information designed to promote or encourage, directly, homosexual or heterosexual activity or intravenous substance abuse. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to repeal a provision that prohibits the use of funds authorized under such Act to operate a program of contraceptive distribution in schools.

Date: 2011-11-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Healthy Kids Outdoors Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue one cooperative agreement per state to eligible entities to implement and update a five-year Healthy Kids Outdoors State Strategy for encouraging Americans, especially children, youth, and families, to be physically active outdoors. Requires each Strategy to provide for subgrants to local partners for the implementation of the strategy through one or more of the program activities relating to outdoor recreation as described in this Act. Requires eligible entities to provide a 25% match of the funding that they receive under this Act through in-kind contributions or cash. Directs the President to issue a national strategy for encouraging Americans to be physically active outdoors. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a study of national significance on the health impacts of the strategies under this Act. Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grantees and to disseminate best practices that emerge from the state strategies funded by this Act.

Date: 2011-11-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Allowing Local Emergency Response Technicians to Accept Cellular Texts Act or the ALERT ACT - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complete a rulemaking requiring that if a consumer unsuccessfully attempts to communicate with a public safety answering point by sending a text message to 9-1-1 using a commercial mobile service, the provider of such service will respond with an error message to ensure that the consumer knows that the message has not been received by the answering point and to instruct the consumer on proper steps to reach emergency assistance. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that at least 10% of the federal funds awarded after enactment of this Act for emergency management performance grants authorized by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 be used to test or implement equipment or services allowing members of the public to send 9-1-1 text messages to obtain emergency assistance.

Date: 2011-12-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Emergency management
Childcare Accountability and Responsibility Act of 2012 or the CARE for Kids Act of 2012 - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to require a national criminal background check for an individual who is a child care staff member, a family child care provider, or an adult who resides in the home of a family child care provider in any state that receives funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program. Requires that such background check include: (1) a search of the national Sex Offender Registry, the National Crime Information Center, state criminal registries, and state-based abuse and neglect registries and databases; and (2) a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint check. Makes a child care provider ineligible for Program funds if the criminal background check reveals an adult felony conviction of any such individual for: (1) child abuse or neglect; (2) spousal abuse; (3) a crime against children (including child pornography); (4) a violent crime; or (5) distribution, possession with intent to distribute, or importation of a controlled substance committed within the previous five years. Allows: (1) a child care provider or an individual subject to a background check to appeal the results to the appropriate designated state agency, and (2) a state to collect a fee from providers for such background checks to defray costs.

Date: 2012-01-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Domestic Violence Judicial Support Act of 2012 - Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, as amended by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to state and local governments, Indian tribal governments, courts and other specified providers for: (1) supervised visitation and safe visitation exchange of children and youth by and between parents in situations involving domestic violence, dating violence, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; and (2) court-related and child protective services workers education on the dynamics of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault (including child sexual abuse), and stalking. Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to: (1) ensure that by January 1, 2015, a court-appointed special advocate shall be available to every victim of child abuse or neglect in the United States that needs one; and (2) reauthorize through FY2017 the court-appointed special advocate program and the child abuse training programs for judicial personnel and practitioners.

Date: 2012-02-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Mentor-Mentee Teen Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2012 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to local educational agencies or community-based organizations for the creation of school-based programs that provide mentoring to at-risk teenage girls to prevent and reduce teen pregnancy. Requires program mentors to be individuals who: (1) have received at least a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education; (2) are mentoring no more than two program mentees; and (3) are trained and screened to encourage mentees to engage in responsible, goal-orientated behavior, delay their sexual activity, and increase their participation in school. Authorizes the Secretary to provide student loan forgiveness, under the Federal Family Education Loan, Direct Loan, or Perkins Loan programs of the Higher Education Act of 1965, to program mentors who serve for at least 200 hours in an academic year.

Date: 2012-02-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Education
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow biological parents of handicapped children to exclude from their gross incomes difficulty of care payments made to them under a state or local foster care program.

Date: 2012-02-29
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to increase from 0.125% to 1.5% the allocation of appropriations to each of the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for grants to support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of rape crisis centers and other programs and projects to assist those victimized by sexual assault.

Date: 2012-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Servicemember Family Protection Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide that if a court renders a temporary order for custodial responsibility for a child based solely on a deployment or anticipated deployment of a parent-servicemember, then the court shall require that upon the return of that servicemember from deployment the custody order that was in effect preceding such deployment shall be reinstated, unless the court finds that reinstatement in not in the child's best interest. Prohibits a servicemember's deployment or possible deployment from being considered in the determination of a child's best interest in a motion seeking a permanent order to modify custody. Provides that under a temporary custody order, if a state law provides a higher standard of protection to the deploying parent-servicemember, then the appropriate court shall apply the higher standard.

Date: 2012-03-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to use the authorities otherwise provided by law to ensure U.S. compliance with any multilateral child support convention to which the United States is a party. Authorizes access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) by an entity designated as a Central Authority for child support enforcement in a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country (for which the 2007 Family Maintenance Convention is in force) so that foreign reciprocating countries will be notified of the state of residence of individuals sought for support enforcement. Gives the state the option to require individuals applying for services relating to establishment of paternity or child support obligations who reside in a foreign reciprocating country or foreign treaty country to apply for such services with respect to a child through the Central Authority for child support enforcement in the foreign country. Allows the state to accept or reject the application of any individual residing in a foreign country that is not a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country. Directs the Secretary of HHS to designate: (1) a nonproprietary and interoperable data exchange standard for any category of information required to be reported under SSA title IV part D, and (2) data exchange standards to govern reporting of such data. Increases from 24 to 48 months the length of time information entered into the data base maintained by the National Directory of New Hires shall remain before being deleted. Revises the authority of the Secretary of HHS to provide access to data in each component of the FPLS and to information reported by employers for certain research purposes. Limits such research to any undertaken by a state or federal agency for purposes likely to contribute to achieving the purposes of SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) or in SSA title IV part D. Authorizes the Secretary to provide access also for an evaluation or statistical analysis to assess the effectiveness of a federal program in achieving positive labor market outcomes (including through grant or contract) by specified federal departments and entities. Reverses the current prohibition against personal identifiers in such research to allow them if certain requirements are met.

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Anthony DeJuan Boatwright Act - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to require a state to include, as part of its regulatory process for issuance and renewal of licenses to providers of child care services, a recommendation to each provider that it carry current liability insurance. Requires state plans for the use of child care and development block grant funds to certify that there are in effect state or local health and safety requirements that each child care provider: (1) post publicly and conspicuously in the service area of its premises a notice specifying whether it carries current liability insurance; and (2) give written notice to parents about whether it carries such insurance, obtain the signature of at least one parent per child acknowledging receipt of such notice, and maintain records of such signed notice while a child receives services.

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Making Adoption Affordable Act of 2012 - Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 allowing an increased tax credit for adoption expenses and an increased exclusion from gross income for amounts paid by an employer for adoption expenses. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reinstate and make permanent: (1) the increase in the tax credit for adoption expenses and the increased exclusion from gross income for amounts paid by an employer for adoption expenses that were enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (2) the annual inflation adjustments for such increased amounts, and (3) the refundability of the tax credit for adoption expenses.

Date: 2012-04-17
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
End Abuse in Later Life Act of 2012 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to authorize appropriations for and revise provisions governing the grant program to end abuse of individuals age 50 and over that is authorized to be conducted by the Attorney General through the Director of the Office of Violence Against Women. Makes currently listed activities mandatory for grant recipients and sets forth as additional permissible activities: (1) providing training programs to assist attorneys, health care providers, faith-based leaders, or other community-based organizations in recognizing and addressing instances of such abuse; and (2) conducting outreach activities and public awareness campaigns to ensure that abuse victims receive appropriate assistance. Includes as eligible entities: (1) a population-specific organization with demonstrated experience in assisting individuals over 50 years of age; (2) a victim service provider with demonstrated experience in addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; or (3) a state, tribal, or territorial domestic violence or sexual assault coalition. Requires each eligible entity to demonstrate that it is a part of a multidisciplinary partnership that includes a law enforcement agency, a prosecutor's office, a victim service provider, and a nonprofit program or government agency with demonstrated experience in assisting individuals in later life. Directs the Attorney General to give priority to proposals providing population-specific services to racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations. Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to replace the term "elder law" with "abuse in later life."

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Supporting Child Maltreatment Prevention Efforts in Community Health Centers Act of 2012 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to eligible federally qualified health centers to fund a minimum of 10 demonstration projects to promote: (1) universal access to family centered, evidence-based interventions that prevent child maltreatment by addressing parenting practices and skills; and (2) behavioral health and family well-being for families from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds, including by addressing issues related to sexual orientation and individuals with disabilities. Sets forth permitted uses of grant funds, including to: (1) adapt and implement evidence-based parenting skills training programs for caregivers from all backgrounds who use the health center for health care and child well-visits; (2) adapt instruments and screen caregivers for child maltreatment risk factors such as depression, substance abuse, and intimate partner violence; and (3) provide access to mental health services to caregivers screened positive for child maltreatment risk factors. Requires the Secretary to award a contract for the provision of technical assistance, project coordination, and training for health care professionals for grantees under this Act.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2012 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements that states must follow to contact the adult relatives of a child removed from the custody of his or her parents. Requires the state, within 90 days after making a placement decision, to provide notice of the decision and the reasons for it to each parent of the child, each relative who has expressed an interest in caring for the child, the guardian, and other specified parties. Requires the state to establish procedures to: (1) allow a person who receives such a notice to request documentation of the reasons for the decision involved, (2) allow the attorney for the child to petition the court involved to review the decision, and (3) require the court to commence such a review on the record after receiving such a petition.

Date: 2012-06-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 - Applies universal intercountry adoption accreditation standards under the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, and related regulations, to the same extent as they apply to the offering or provision of adoption services in connection with an adoption under the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, to any person offering or providing adoption services in connection with a foreign orphan under age 16 adopted or to be adopted by a U.S. citizen. Gives the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), the Attorney General, and the accrediting entities the duties, responsibilities, and authorities under the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 and related regulations with respect to a person offering or providing such adoption services, regardless of whether such services are offered or provided in connection with a Convention adoption. Amends the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to repeal the prohibition against, and so make available, collected fees to accrediting entities.

Date: 2012-06-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: International affairs
Protecting Adoption and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2012 - Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and maintain an automated National Responsible Father Registry. Requires the Registry to: (1) contain specified kinds of information sufficient to identify a possible father, and (2) provide a mechanism for men to register such identifying information directly with the Registry. Limits access to Registry information to eligible parties, including: (1) public and licensed private adoption or child placement agencies, (2) licensed attorneys representing a party in a planned or pending adoption or in the termination of rights of one or more possible fathers, (3) state agencies or entities responsible for the placement of children, and (4) state courts. Directs the Secretary to establish a nationwide campaign designed to inform possible fathers, unwed mothers, possible adoptive parents, and eligible parties of the National Registry, the advantages of possible fathers registering either in the National Registry or State Responsible Father Registries, or both, the rights and responsibilities of such parties with regard to a proceeding, and the role of such Registries in a proceeding. Directs the Secretary to use all reasonable efforts to encourage states to enter into agreements to establish automated State Responsible Father Registries and centers that make registration forms easily accessible to possible fathers. Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant to a state to establish a State Registry or modify an existing one to meet the requirements of this Act.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2013: (1) the increase in the refundable portion of the child tax credit, (2) the increased percentage of the earned income tax credit for taxpayers with three or more qualifying children, and (3) the disregard of tax refunds in determining eligibility for means tested federal programs. Extends through 2013 provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 relating to the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit.

Date: 2012-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Parental Bereavement Act of 2012 or Sarah Grace Act of 2012 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitle an eligible employee to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of the death of a son or daughter. Allows such an employee to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay. Applies the same leave entitlement to federal employees.

Date: 2012-12-17
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Labor and employment
Family Economic Success Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should: (1) guarantee pay equity for women; (2) reward companies that promote flexible work environments for working parents with children and for workers who are caregivers; (3) guarantee paid family and medical leave and paid sick days; and (4) improve the quality and affordability of child care.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Labor and employment
Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act - Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act. Eliminates the terminating date in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act applicable to increases in the adoption tax credit and employer-provided adoption benefits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the tax credit for adoption expenses in the taxable year in which such expenses are paid or incurred.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor's state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor's abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on anyone who has committed an act of incest with a minor and knowingly transports such minor across a state line to obtain an abortion.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Child Support Protection Act of 2011 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to repeal the exclusion from federal matching payments of any amounts expended by a state from child support incentive payments it has received from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). (Thus reinstates federal matching of state spending of child support incentive payments.)

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2011 - Amends part B (Child-Welfare Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states to support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using networks of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care. Authorizes a grant award directly to a political subdivision if the subdivision serves a substantial number of foster care youth. Prescribes program implementation guidelines, including: (1) application requirements, (2) training, (3) screening, (4) educational requirements, (5) federal and nonfederal share of funds for the program, (6) considerations in awarding grants, and (7) use of funds. Sets forth a maximum grant amount to be awarded to a state or political subdivision. Authorizes the Secretary to award a competitive grant to an eligible entity to establish a National Hotline Service or website to provide information to individuals interested in becoming mentors to youth in foster care. Instructs the Secretary of Education to implement a program to provide for the discharge or cancellation of the federal student loan indebtedness of an eligible mentor.

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Education
Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2011 - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) an Office of Elder Justice, which shall address issues relating to elder abuse. Requires the Director of such Office to: (1) provide information, training, and technical assistance to assist states and local governments in preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and mitigating the impact of elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect and in addressing the physical and psychological trauma to victims of such abuse; (2) evaluate the efficacy of measures intended to prevent, detect, respond to, or redress elder abuse and the extent to which the needs of the victims in each state are met by crime victim services, programs, and sources of funding; (3) evaluate training models to determine best practices for investigating elder abuse, addressing evidentiary and legal issues, and interacting with victims; and (4) conduct, and regularly update, a study of state laws and practices relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Directs the Attorney General to annually: (1) collect from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices statistical data relating to the incidence of elder abuse; (2) identify common data points among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices that would allow for the collection of uniform national data; (3) publish a summary of the data collected; (4) identify the types of elder abuse data that should be collected and what entity is most capable of collecting it; and (5) develop recommendations for collecting additional data. Authorizes the Director to provide grants and technical assistance to assist not more than 15 states in establishing and operating programs designed to improve: (1) the response to elder abuse in a manner that limits additional trauma to victims, and (2) the investigation and prosecution of cases of elder abuse. Requires eligible states to: (1) have a qualified crime victims compensation program; and (2) establish or designate a multidisciplinary task force on elder justice. Amends the Social Security Act to include the Director as the alternate for the Attorney General as a member of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement