zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Local Jobs for America Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor, to provide for the allotment of funds to states, local government units, and community-based organizations to save and create local jobs through the retention, restoration, or expansion of services needed by local communities. Makes appropriations for this program. Prohibits the hiring of an individual for a position funded under this Act if: (1) it results in the layoff or partial displacement of an existing employee of a unit or organization, or (2) such individual will perform the same or substantially similar work that was performed by the previous employee of the unit or organization. Makes appropriations to: (1) the Department of Education for an Education Jobs Fund, (2) the Department of Justice for community oriented policing services, (3) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for firefighter assistance grants, and (4) the Department of Labor for ETA for on-the-job training and employment services.

Date: 2010-03-10
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Labor and employment
Adds the Tennessee counties of Giles, Hickman, Lincoln, Perry, and Wayne to the definition of "Appalachian region" for purposes of Appalachian regional development efforts.

Date: 2010-03-24
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Housing and community development
10th Amendment Regulatory Reform Act - Authorizes a designated state official to file with the head of a federal agency proposing a rule, during the period when the proposed rule is required to be open for public comment, a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of the rule under the Tenth Amendment. Directs the agency head: (1) to notify the designated official of each state within 15 days after such a brief is filed; (2) to post prominently on the agency's primary Web page a link to the brief; and (3) within 15 days after posting such link, to certify in writing that such rulemaking does not violate the Tenth Amendment and post the certification prominently on the front page of the agency's website, unless the agency determines it will not put the proposed rule into effect. Authorizes a state official who decides to challenge a federal rule on the grounds that it violates the Tenth Amendment to elect to file a legal action in U.S. district court for the district in which the official's place of business is located. Directs the relevant U.S. Court of Appeals, at the request of a designated state official, to grant expedited review of a decision by a district court in such a case.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Law
Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) related to: (1) the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment for Tennessee and Hawaii; (2) an adjustment to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for qualifying disaster-recovery states; (3) the establishment of a floor on the area wage index for a frontier state for purposes of a geographic adjustment to Medicare payments to hospitals for inpatient services; (4) the eligibility for Medicare coverage of certain individuals exposed to environmental health hazards; and (5) the appropriation of funds for debt service on, or direct construction or renovation of, a health care facility that provides research, inpatient, tertiary care, or outpatient clinical service. Amends PPACA to eliminate revisions to the formula for determining the wage index applicable to Section 508 hospitals. ("Section 508" refers to Section 508 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which allows the temporary reclassification of a hospital with a low Medicare area wage index, for reimbursement purposes, to a nearby location with a higher Medicare area wage index, so that the "Section 508 hospital" will receive the higher Medicare reimbursement rate.)

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Health
Utah Laboratory of Democracy Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretaries of Education, of Transportation, and of Health and Human Services to seek to enter into an agreement with the state of Utah under which the state will assume all responsibility for the administration within the state of federal programs in the areas of education, transportation, and Medicaid. Requires the transfer to Utah each calendar year, if such an agreement is entered into, of an amount equivalent to the portion of the estimated federal tax revenues to be paid that year by Utah citizens that would be returned to the state through federal education, transportation, and Medicaid programs in the absence of the agreement.

Date: 2010-05-06
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
National Activity Based Total Accountability Act of 2010 - Requires each state government that receives federal financial assistance in a federal fiscal year to submit a state fiscal accounting report for such fiscal year to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that includes: (1) a one-page summary listing the total funding and expenditures of each budget entity of the state government; and (2) a unit-cost summary for each such entity that includes a statement of funds available, a line-item listing for each agency activity that the entity began, attempted, continued, or completed, and a reconciliation of funds available with adjusted expenditures. Sets forth formulae for determining unit-cost and adjusted expenditures. Requires the Director to: (1) publish each report on an OMB website; (2) ensure that such state reports use a standardized form that permits the comparison of information; (3) establish a uniform system for classifying programs and activities; (4) identify conduct for each agency activity that constitutes a completed instance of such activity; and (5) identify performance measures for each agency activity. Requires the Director to inform each federal agency if a state fails to file such report and requires the agency to withhold 10% of any federal financial assistance provided to such state for the next fiscal year.

Date: 2010-06-10
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Private Property Rights Protection and Government Accountability Act - Makes any state or political subdivision thereof that carries out a public taking for any private purpose in or affecting interstate commerce ineligible for any federal economic development funds for ten fiscal years. Entitles any owner of private property subject to such a taking to injunctive and declaratory relief.

Date: 2010-06-23
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Restoration of State Sovereignty Act of 2010 - Provides that no federal authority shall enforce against any state authority, nor shall any state authority have any obligation to obey, any requirement imposed as a condition of receiving federal financial assistance under a federal grant program, nor shall such program operate within a state, unless the legislature of that state has expressly approved that program and, in doing so, waived the state's rights and authorities to act inconsistently with any requirement that might be imposed by the federal government as a condition of receiving that assistance. Authorizes a federal authority to release financial assistance under a federal grant program to a state only after the state's legislature has expressly approved the program or amended the requirements imposed by the federal government as conditions of receiving such assistance, provided such amendments are consistent with the federal law under which the assistance is provided. Excepts any grant program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Title 38 of the United States Code. Requires a federal authority, upon determining that assistance under a federal grant program may not be released to a state for a fiscal year, to: (1) prepare a statement of the determination and the amount of excess grant funds involved; (2) provide the statement to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and (3) include the statement on the official public website of the federal agency involved. Requires that such amount be rescinded from funds made available for the grant program and used only for reducing the deficit. Requires the Director to report on the total amount of such rescissions made each fiscal year, delineated by appropriation Acts, accounts, and programs, projects, and activities.

Date: 2010-07-28
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Stopping the Excessive Growth of the Federal Government Act - Imposes the following restrictions until the close of a Congress during which a bill or joint resolution that increases federal taxes is enacted: (1) no new appropriations may be made to a government agency; (2) no new positions may be created within a government agency; and (3) a government agency must abide by a five-to-three ratio of involuntary separations to appointments. Makes such restrictions inapplicable: (1) to positions within a small government agency (i.e., an agency that employs an average of not more than 500 employees) or the Departments of Defense (DOD), Homeland Security (DHS), or Veterans Affairs (VA); or (2) during a period of national emergency declared by the President.

Date: 2010-07-29
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Medical-Legal Partnership for Health Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a nationwide demonstration project to: (1) award matching grants or enter into contracts with medical-legal partnerships to assist patients and their families in navigating health-related programs and activities; and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of such partnerships. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grantees to support the establishment and sustainability of medical-legal partnerships. Requires amounts received under this Act to be used to achieve one or more of the following goals: (1) enhancing access to health care services; (2) improving health outcomes for low-income individuals; (3) reducing health disparities among health disparities populations; (4) enhancing wellness and prevention of chronic conditions and other health problems; (5) reducing cost of care to the health care system; (6) addressing the social determinants of health; and (7) addressing situational factors that contribute to poor health, such as poor housing. Prohibits funds under this Act from being used: (1) for any medical malpractice action or proceeding; (2) to provide any state or local public benefit to an alien who is not a qualified alien or a nonimmigrant under the Immigration and Nationality Act or an alien who is paroled into the United States under such Act for less than one year; or (3) to provide legal assistance with respect to any proceeding or litigation which seeks to procure an abortion or to compel any individual or institution to perform or assist in the performance of an abortion. Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the results of such project.

Date: 2010-07-29
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Health
Withdraws the consent of Congress to the Delaware River Port Authority interstate compact entered into between the state of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Prescribes conditions for waiver of such withdrawal. Directs the Authority to establish: (1) an Office of the Inspector General of the Delaware River Port Authority; and (2) the Delaware River Port Authority Citizens Advisory Board.

Date: 2010-09-23
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
SMART Research and Development Compact - Grants the consent of the Congress to the SMART (Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow) Research and Development Compact if such compact is entered into by at least two of the following states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Bed Bug Prevention and Mitigation Pilot Program Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a grant to the state of Ohio to support a pilot program under which its political subdivisions and housing authorities use grant funds to supplement ongoing bed bug prevention and mitigation activities. Conditions receipt of such grant on the state directing the Ohio Department of Agriculture, working in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Health, to distribute the funds to such subdivisions and authorities that are addressing persistent bed bug infestations and whose residents lack the financial resources to adequately mitigate them. Permits the use of grant funds to: (1) retain commercial applicators of pesticides to perform bed bug prevention and mitigation activities; (2) purchase and distribute mattress covers; (3) dispose of and replace infested material; (4) conduct monitoring activities; and (5) treat used mattresses and furniture using methods proven to control all life stages of bed bugs. Directs the Administrator: (1) after the end of FY2012, to collect data on the number of grant fund recipients and the funds awarded to each, the criteria used to award funds, the success achieved, and documented results of intervention efforts on infestation rates; and (2) to report to Congress by September 30, 2013.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Health
TARP Assistance for Local Governments Act of 2009 - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to use $10 billion of funds made available for the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) to assist public instrumentalities, such as counties and cities, that have suffered significant increased costs or losses due to investments with failed financial institutions. Restricts such assistance to public instrumentalities that have suffered due to investments that were highly rated in any failed financial institution, whether or not the financial institution is assisted under such Act.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Authorizes the International Boundary and Water Commission to reimburse state and local governments for expenses incurred in designing, constructing, and rehabilitating its Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood Control Project.

Date: 2009-01-22
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Water resources development
Limits to $150 billion in the aggregate all payments to any person (including affiliates) under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) under the Emergency Economic Assistance Act of 2008 (EESA) or any other federal emergency economic assistance program.

Date: 2009-03-24
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
TARP Recipient Ownership Trust Act of 2009 - Amends Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to delegate to a private entity management authority with respect to any entity assisted under the Act. Prohibits any expenditure of funds under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) until the Secretary transfers all voting, nonvoting, and common equity in any designated TARP recipient to a limited liability company, to be held and managed in trust on behalf of U.S. taxpayers. Requires the trustees to liquidate the trust, including the assets it holds, by December 24, 2011, unless the trustees report to Congress that liquidation would not maximize profitability of the company and the return on investment to the taxpayer.

Date: 2009-06-17
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
TARP Recipient Ownership Trust Act of 2009 - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to delegate to a private entity management authority over troubled assets with respect to any entity assisted under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Prohibits any expenditure of TARP funds until the Secretary transfers all voting, nonvoting, and common equity in any designated TARP recipient to a limited liability company, to be held and managed in trust on behalf of U.S. taxpayers. Requires the trustees to liquidate the trust and its assets by December 24, 2011, unless: (1) the trustees report to Congress that liquidation would not maximize profitability of the company and the return on investment to the taxpayer; and (2) Congress enacts into law a joint resolution disapproving the liquidation plan of the Secretary.

Date: 2009-09-29
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to Louisiana to pay the federal share of the cost of a pilot program to: (1) study the damage to wetlands in Louisiana caused by feral swine; and (2) develop methods to eradicate or control feral swine and to restore damaged wetlands. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the pilot program uses the knowledge and expertise gained through activities carried out under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act and the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003. Limits: (1) the federal share of total pilot program costs to 75%; and (2) the amount of the federal financial assistance that may for used for administrative expenses to 10%.

Date: 2009-10-28
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Water resources development
Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to repeal the Act's preemption of any state or local law that prohibits or regulates gaming or operation of bucket shops.

Date: 2009-11-10
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Secure Federal File Sharing Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance to: (1) prohibit the download, installation, or use by government employees and contractors of open-network peer-to-peer file sharing software on all federal computers, computer systems, and networks, unless approved in accordance with procedures under this Act; and (2) address the download, installation, or use by government employees and contractors of such software on home or personal computers as it relates to telework and remotely accessing federal computers, computer systems, and networks.Requires the Director to develop a procedure for receiving requests from heads or chief information officers of agencies for approval for use by government employees and contractors of specific open-network peer-to-peer file sharing software programs that are: (1) necessary for day-to-day business operations, for use in the course of a law enforcement investigation, or to perform official agency business; or (2) instrumental in completing a particular task or project that directly supports the agency's overall mission.Requires the Director to direct agencies to: (1) establish or update personal use policies to be consistent with the guidance issued under this Act; (2) require contracts to require contractor compliance with that guidance; (3) update their information technology security or ethics training policies to ensure that all employees are aware of the requirements of that guidance and the consequences of engaging in prohibited conduct; and (4) ensure that proper security controls are in place to prevent, detect, and remove file sharing software that is prohibited.Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the disclosure of any information relating to any confidential government operation or investigation.

Date: 2010-06-14
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Local Jobs for America Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor, to provide for the allotment of funds to states, local government units, and community-based organizations to save and create local jobs through the retention, restoration, or expansion of services needed by local communities. Prohibits the hiring of an individual for a position funded under this Act if: (1) it results in the layoff or partial displacement of an existing employee of a unit or organization; or (2) such individual will perform the same or substantially similar work that was performed by the previous employee of the unit or organization.

Date: 2010-06-16
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Labor and employment
Medical-Legal Partnership for Health Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a nationwide demonstration project to: (1) award matching grants or enter into contracts with medical-legal partnerships to assist patients and their families in navigating health-related programs and activities; and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of such partnerships. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grantees to support the establishment and sustainability of medical-legal partnerships. Requires amounts received under this Act to be used to achieve one or more of the following goals: (1) enhancing access to health care services; (2) improving health outcomes for low-income individuals; (3) reducing health disparities among health disparities populations; (4) enhancing wellness and prevention of chronic conditions and other health problems; (5) reducing cost of care to the health care system; (6) addressing the social determinants of health; and (7) addressing situational contributing factors. Prohibits funds under this Act from being used: (1) for any medical malpractice action or proceeding; (2) to provide any support to an alien who is not a qualified alien or a nonimmigrant under the Immigration and Nationality Act or an alien who is paroled into the United States under such Act for less than one year; (3) to provide legal assistance with respect to any proceeding or litigation which seeks to procure an abortion or to compel any individual or institution to perform or assist in the performance of an abortion; or (4) to initiate or participate in a class action lawsuit. Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the results of such project.

Date: 2010-07-29
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Health
Payment in Lieu of Taxes Amendments Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress by January 15 of each year a list of the states that have not submitted the data required to calculate federal payments in lieu of taxes made by the Secretary to each unit of local government in which entitlement land is located. Instructs the Secretary, by February 1 of each year, to publish in the Federal Register and on the Department of the Interior's website a list of the states that have not submitted the required data and to update the list published on such website to reflect any changes. Directs the Secretary to issue such payments by May 1 of each fiscal year.

Date: 2010-08-05
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Restoring the 10th Amendment Act - Authorizes a designated state official to file with the head of a federal agency proposing a rule, during the period when the proposed rule is required to be open for public comment, a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of the rule under the Tenth Amendment. Directs the agency head: (1) to notify the designated official of each state within 15 days after such a brief is filed; (2) to post prominently on the agency's primary Web page a link to the brief; and (3) within 15 days after posting such link, to certify in writing that such rulemaking does not violate the Tenth Amendment and post the certification prominently on the front page of the agency's website, unless the agency determines it will not put the proposed rule into effect. Authorizes a state official who decides to challenge a federal rule on the grounds that it violates the Tenth Amendment to elect to file a legal action in U.S. district court for the district in which the official's place of business is located. Directs the relevant U.S. Court of Appeals, at the request of a designated state official, to grant expedited review of a decision by a district court in such a case.

Date: 2010-12-09
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Law
End the Stimulus Advertisement Act - Prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for physical signage indicating that a project is funded by such Act. States that under appropriations Acts providing funds for each of FY2012 and FY2013, the total amount available for obligation for administrative expenses of an affected agency shall be the amount that would otherwise be available, reduced by 50% of the amount reported to have been expended before the enactment of this Act for such signage. Requires the head of each affected agency to report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a determination of such amount. Requires OMB to determine the allocation of such reduction among the accounts, and programs, projects, and activities within the accounts, of each affected agency. Requires the head of each affected agency to deposit such reduction amount in the general fund of the Treasury for purposes of deficit reduction.

Date: 2011-01-20
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Redistricting Transparency Act of 2011 - Requires states to carry out congressional redistricting in accordance with a process under which members of the public are informed of redistricting proposals via the Internet and have the opportunity to participate in the development of such proposals prior to their adoption. Requires each state redistricting entity to establish and maintain a public Internet site meeting specified requirements. Requires the state redistricting entity to: (1) solicit the input of members of the public in its work to develop initial congressional redistricting plans for the state; and (2) post the proposed final plan on the Internet site 10 days before its adoption, as well as seven days after its adoption, together with a map, the reasons for adoption, dissenting opinions, and certain other information.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Congress
10th Amendment Regulatory Reform Act - Authorizes a designated state official to file with the head of a federal agency proposing a rule, during the period when the proposed rule is required to be open for public comment, a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of the rule under the Tenth Amendment. Directs the agency head: (1) to notify the designated official of each state within 15 days after such a brief is filed; (2) to post prominently on the agency's primary Web page a link to the brief within 10 days after such brief is filed; and (3) within 15 days after posting such link, to certify in writing that such rulemaking does not violate the Tenth Amendment and post the certification prominently on the front page of the agency's website, unless the agency determines it will not put the proposed rule into effect. Authorizes a state official who decides to challenge a federal rule on the grounds that it violates the Tenth Amendment to elect to file a legal action in U.S. district court for the district in which the official's place of business is located. Directs the relevant U.S. Court of Appeals, at the request of a designated state official, to grant expedited review of a decision by a district court in such a case.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Law
Fairness for Texas Schools Act of 2011 - Repeals the requirement that the Secretary of Education deny Texas and its local educational agencies (LEAs) funds from the Education Jobs Fund until the state assures the Secretary that: (1) funds used to support elementary and secondary education shall be distributed based on the LEAs' relative shares of school improvement funds for the most recent fiscal year for which data are available; (2) such funds will not be used to supplant state formula funding that is distributed like school improvement funds; and (3) state funding for elementary and secondary education, as a percentage of the state's total revenue, will not be reduced through FY2013.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Education
Includes land that is owned by the U.S. government and administered by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) and at which individuals or goods are examined for entry into the United States within the definition of "entitlement land" for purposes of provisions requiring the Secretary of the Interior to make payments in lieu of taxes to units of general local government in which entitlement land is located.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2011 - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to: (1) state that it is the policy of Congress to recognize and reaffirm that alcohol is different from other consumer products and that it should continue to be regulated by the states, and (2) prohibit states or territories from discriminating against out-of-state producers of alcoholic beverages in favor of in-state or in-territory producers unless such states or territories can demonstrate that that such discrimination advances a legitimate local purpose that cannot be adequately served by reasonable nondiscriminatory alternatives. Amends the Wilson Act to eliminate the requirement that a state or territory regulate all fermented, distilled, or other intoxicating liquors or liquids transported into such jurisdiction to the same extent and in the same manner as such liquors or liquids produced in such jurisdiction.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
National Activity Based Total Accountability Act of 2011 - Requires each state government that receives federal financial assistance in a federal fiscal year to submit a state fiscal accounting report for such fiscal year to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that includes: (1) a one-page summary listing the total funding and expenditures of each budget entity of the state government; and (2) a unit-cost summary for each such entity that includes a statement of funds available, a line-item listing for each agency activity that the entity began, attempted, continued, or completed, and a reconciliation of funds available with adjusted expenditures. Sets forth formulae for determining unit-cost and adjusted expenditures. Requires the Director to: (1) publish each report on an OMB website, (2) ensure that such state reports use a standardized form that permits the comparison of information, (3) establish a uniform system for classifying programs and activities, (4) identify conduct for each agency activity that constitutes a completed instance of such activity, and (5) identify performance measures for each agency activity. Requires the Director to inform each federal agency if a state fails to file such report and requires the agency to withhold 10% of any federal financial assistance provided to such state for the next fiscal year.

Date: 2011-04-05
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2011 - Expands the prohibition against state taxation of interstate commerce to include: (1) taxation of out-of-state sales transactions involving all forms of property, including intangible personal property and services (currently, only sales of tangible personal property are protected); and (2) all other business activity taxes in addition to net income taxes. Exempts from state taxation persons who enter a state merely to furnish information to customers and affiliates, to cover news or other events, or to gather information in the state. Sets forth jurisdictional standards for states in imposing, assessing, or collecting a net income tax or other business activity tax on interstate activities.  Defines "physical presence in a state" as: (1) being an individual physically in a state or assigning one or more employees to be in a state, (2) using the services of an agent to establish or maintain the market in a state, and (3) leasing or owning tangible personal or real property in a state (excluding the leasing or licensing of computer software).  Excludes from the definition of "physical presence" presence in a state for less than 15 days in a taxable year or presence in a state to conduct limited or transient business activity. Provides that this Act shall not be construed to modify or affect any state business activity tax on a partnership, an S corporation or limited liability company, or a trust or estate that has a physical presence in the state or to supersede the authority of a state to enact a law or bring a law enforcement action against persons or entities engaged in illegal activity or sham transactions. Sets forth a rule for computing the net income tax or other business activity tax liability of an affiliated group. Makes this Act applicable to taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2012.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Taxation
Sikes Act Amendments Act of 2011 - Amends the Sikes Act (conservation programs on military installations and facilities) to include under such Act's coverage state-owned facilities used for National Guard training. Authorizes the Secretary of a military department to develop and implement an integrated natural resources management plan for a state-owned National Guard installation.

Date: 2011-05-02
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
State Flexibility Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to repeal certain state Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) maintenance of effort requirements under titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act. (Under "maintenance of efforts" a state is prohibited from having eligibility standards, methodologies, or procedures under its state Medicaid or CHIP plan that are more restrictive than those in effect on on July 1, 2008, under ARRA or on March 23, 2010, under PPACA.)

Date: 2011-05-03
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Health
Strengthening Our Share Act or S.O.S. Act - Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to revise and increase the allocations (planned sharing) with Gulf states of certain qualified outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues due and payable to the United States from specified Gulf of Mexico leases. Repeals the limitation placed upon the amount of distributed qualified OCS revenues.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Energy
End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act of 2011 - Prohibits states or local governments from levying or collecting a discriminatory tax (generally, a tax or tax assessment that is applicable to the rental of motor vehicles or motor vehicle businesses or property, but not to the majority of other rentals of tangible personal property within a state or locality) on the rental of motor vehicles, motor vehicle rental businesses, or motor vehicle rental property.

Date: 2011-07-08
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Taxation
Local Jobs for America Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor, to provide for the allotment of funds to states, local government units, and community-based organizations to save and create local jobs through the retention, restoration, or expansion of services needed by local communities. Makes appropriations for this program. Prohibits the hiring of an individual for a position funded under this Act if: (1) it results in the layoff or partial displacement of an existing employee of a unit or organization, or (2) such individual will perform the same or substantially similar work that was performed by the previous employee of the unit or organization. Makes appropriations to: (1) the Department of Education for an Education Jobs Fund, (2) the Department of Justice for community oriented policing services, (3) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for firefighter assistance grants, and (4) the Department of Labor for ETA for on-the-job training and employment services.

Date: 2011-08-26
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Labor and employment
Restoration of State Sovereignty Act of 2011 - Provides that no federal authority shall enforce against any state authority, nor shall any state authority have any obligation to obey, any requirement imposed as a condition of receiving federal financial assistance under a federal grant program, nor shall such program operate within a state, unless the legislature of that state has expressly approved that program and, in doing so, waived the state's rights and authorities to act inconsistently with any requirement that might be imposed by the federal government as a condition of receiving that assistance. Authorizes a federal authority to release financial assistance under a federal grant program to a state only after the state's legislature has expressly approved the program or amended the requirements imposed by the federal government as conditions of receiving such assistance, provided such amendments are consistent with the federal law under which the assistance is provided. Excepts any grant program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Title 38 of the United States Code (Veterans Benefits). Requires a federal authority, upon determining that assistance under a federal grant program may not be released to a state for a fiscal year, to: (1) prepare a statement of the determination and the amount of excess grant funds involved, (2) provide such statement to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and (3) include the statement on the official public website of the federal agency involved. Requires that such amount be rescinded from funds made available for the grant program and used only for reducing the budget deficit. Requires the Director to report on the total amount of such rescissions made each fiscal year, delineated by appropriation Acts, accounts, and programs, projects, and activities. Makes this Act inapplicable to states with a legislature that meets every other year (biennial legislature) for the year in which the legislature does not meet.

Date: 2011-09-14
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Marketplace Equity Act of 2011 - Authorizes states to require all sellers making remote sales to collect and remit sales and use taxes with respect to such sales into the state, without regard to the location of the seller, if such states implement a simplified system for administration of sales and use tax collection for remote sellers. Requires such a system to include, at a minimum: (1) an exception for remote sellers with gross annual receipts in the preceding calendar year from remote sales not exceeding $1 million in the United States or not exceeding $100,000 in the state, (2) a single sales and use tax return for use by remote sellers and a single revenue authority within the state with which remote sellers are required to file a tax return, and (3) a uniform tax base throughout the state. Defines "remote sale" as a sale of goods or services attributed to a state with respect to which a seller does not have adequate physical presence to establish a nexus so as to allow such state to require such seller to collect and remit taxes.

Date: 2011-10-13
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Taxation
Grant Return for Deficit Reduction Act - Requires any state or locality which will not use any funds remaining under a federal grant to deobligate, rescind, and return them to the Treasury General Fund for deficit reduction. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report to Congress on the amount of all such funds returned.

Date: 2012-02-09
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Eliminating Duplicative and Inefficient Taxpayer Spending Act - Requires each applicant for a grant from an executive agency to submit in the grant application: (1) a list of each similar federal grant applied for in the prior year, (2) a list of each similar federal grant received in the previous five years, and (3) a statement of whether the applicant has ever been debarred or suspended from receiving grants. Imposes penalties on grant applicants who fail to provide such information. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) issue guidance to agencies for implementing this Act, and (2) establish uniform policies and procedures to ensure that agencies share information about grants within such agencies and with other agencies.

Date: 2012-04-17
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Investment Adviser Oversight Act of 2012 - Amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to require investment advisers to register with a registered national investment adviser association, unless exempted according to specified criteria. Prescribes registration requirements and procedures. Requires each national investment adviser association to conduct an annual conference to which representatives from the state securities administrators association and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shall be invited to participate in order to foster cooperation between such entities. Sets forth procedures for: (1) approval of registration; and (2) discipline of members by a national investment adviser association, including membership denial and summary suspension. Grants the SEC enforcement authority including suspension and expulsion of members and removal or censure of officers and directors.

Date: 2012-04-25
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act of 2012 - Prohibits a state from imposing an income tax on the compensation of a nonresident individual for any period in which such individual is not physically present in or working in such state or from deeming such nonresident individual to be present in or working in such state on the grounds that: (1) such individual is present at or working at home for convenience, or (2) such individual's work at home fails any convenience of the employer test or any similar test.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Taxation
Economic Growth and Development Act - Directs the President to establish an interagency mechanism to improve coordination of U.S. development programs with private sector investment activities. Directs the President and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) direct their respective policy and country teams to include private sector consultation in all country, sector, and global development strategies; and (2) ensure that independent analyses of constraints to growth are conducted as a component of all appropriate country, sector, and global development strategies.

Date: 2012-07-24
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: International affairs
Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2012 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to permit the Director of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance to carry out a training and technical assistance program to teach employees of state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies how to anticipate, survive, and respond to violent encounters during the course of their duties, including duties relating to security at state, county, and tribal courthouses. Requires the Director to give preference for any courthouse security training program to employees of jurisdictions that have magnetometers available at their courthouses. (Sec. 3) Amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to require the State Justice Institute (a private nonprofit organization established to improve judicial administration in state courts) to include courthouse safety as a factor in the national assistance program under which it provides funding to state courts and related national and nonprofit organizations. Permits state and local courts and other organizations awarded funds pursuant to Institute grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to use such funds to improve safety and security in state and local courts. Requires, if such a grant is awarded to state or local courts without magnetometers, that specified matching funds be used acquire a magnetometer. (Sec. 4) Directs the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to ensure that state or local courthouses having less security equipment than such courthouses require have an opportunity to request surplus security equipment (metal detectors, wands, baggage screening devices) before such equipment is made available to any other individual or entity. Requires that priority be given to courthouses that have no security equipment.

Date: 2012-07-25
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Law
Leave our Lakes Alone Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to prohibit the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from considering public use and environmental purposes in issuing a license, or enforcing any public use and environmental requirements of a license, for a project in a state whose law expressly authorizes such a prohibition. Defines "public use and environmental purposes" to mean the purposes of energy conservation, the protection, mitigation of damage to, and enhancement of, fish and wildlife, the protection of recreational opportunities, the preservation of other aspects of environmental quality, and other beneficial public uses, including irrigation, flood control, and water supply, as such purposes apply to land within a project boundary above the highest target elevation for normal operations of the project. Exempts projects on federal land from application of this Act.

Date: 2012-08-01
Topic: Government Operations (Intergovernmental Relations)
Subject: Energy