zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act of 2011 - Establishes in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) program to enhance border security by addressing and reducing border security threats and violence by: (1) facilitating collaboration among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute coordinated activities in furtherance of border security and homeland security; and (2) enhancing information-sharing among such agencies. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), acting through the Assistant Secretary for ICE, to establish BEST units after considering: (1) whether the area where the unit would be established is significantly impacted by cross-border threats; (2) the availability of federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement resources to participate in the unit; and (3) the extent to which border security threats are having a significant harmful impact in the area and in other jurisdictions. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to provide federal assistance to the area so designated, to: (1) obligate such sums as are appropriated for the BEST program; (2) direct the assignment of federal personnel to that program; and (3) take other actions to assist state, local, tribal, and foreign jurisdictions to participate. Directs the Secretary to report on the effectiveness of the program in enhancing border security and reducing the drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across U.S. borders.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Immigration
Military Active Shooter Training Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish policy and promulgate guidelines to ensure that civilian and military law enforcement personnel charged with security functions on military installations receive Active Shooter Training as described in the document entitled "Protecting the Force: Lessons From Fort Hood."

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Allows certain air carriers that hold or operate air carrier slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which are used for scheduled air service between that airport and a large hub airport, to use such slots also to provide nonstop air transportation service between Reagan National Airport and another airport more than 1,250 statute miles away (perimeter rule limit). Prohibits an air carrier using such an exemption for beyond-perimeter flight operations from using multi-aisle or widebody aircraft to provide such service.

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Continuing Chemical Facilities Antiterrorism Security Act of 2011 - Amends the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 to extend until October 4, 2015, the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for security of chemical facilities and requiring vulnerability assessments and the development and implementation of site security plans for such facilities. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and in coordination with the Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs, to: (1) establish a voluntary chemical security training program to enhance the capabilities of high-risk chemical facilities to prevent, prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other man-made disasters; and (2) develop a voluntary chemical security exercise program to offer voluntary testing and evaluation of the capabilities of the federal government, state governments, commercial personnel and management, emergency response providers, and the private sector to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies at chemical facilities.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Emergency management
Fallen Heroes Flag Act of 2011 - Allows the Representative of the immediate family of a deceased fire fighter, law enforcement officer, emergency technician, or other rescue worker who died in the line of duty to provide the family, at their request, with a Capitol-flown flag, together with a certificate, signed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Representative providing the flag, which contains an expression of sympathy for the family.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Congress
Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2011 - Directs the the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a Criminal Alien Program to: (1) identify incarcerated criminal aliens, (2) ensure that such aliens are not released into the community, and (3) remove such aliens from the United States upon release. Makes a state that does not cooperate with the Secretary to carry out the Program ineligible for Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement grant programs (including the criminal alien incarceration program under the Immigration and Nationality Act). Authorizes appropriate state officials to: (1) hold an illegal alien for up to 14 days after completion of the term of incarceration in order to effectuate transfer to federal custody if the alien is removable or not lawfully present in the United States, and (2) issue a detainer permitting an alien who completes a term of incarceration to be held until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement takes the alien into custody. Directs the Secretary to carry out the Program as follows: (1) by December 31, 2012, identify each criminal alien incarcerated in a federal facility who will be deportable or removable upon release; and (2) by December 31, 2014, identify each criminal alien serving a term of three or more years in a state or local facility who will be deportable or removable upon release.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt fixed-wing aircraft used to provide acute care emergency medical services from certain restrictions on tax-exempt bond financing.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Taxation
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Declares that repetition of a recordkeeping violation, regardless of frequency, shall not be considered evidence that the licensee committed the violation knowingly and in intentional disregard of a legal duty. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, research and training, national security services, and motion picture or television production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Revises firearms licensee recordkeeping requirements, including by prohibiting: (1) the Attorney General from electronically recording firearms transaction information of a discontinued firearms or ammunition business by name or personal identification code; and (2) any rule or regulation or administration action from establishing any comprehensive or partial system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.

Date: 2011-03-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Ensuring the Collection of Critical Intelligence Act of 2011 - Requires the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, or the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to consult with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) before allowing any DOJ officer or employee to institute a prosecution of an alien in a United States District Court for a terrorist offense or to interrogate any such alien in a criminal investigation or prosecution of a terrorist offense.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Billy's Law or the Help Find the Missing Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to maintain public databases, known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs, to contain missing persons records and unidentified remains cases to assist in identifying missing people and solve cases of unidentified human remains. (Transfers to such System all functions, personnel, assets, liabilities, and administrative actions applicable to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System carried out by the National Institute of Justice before enactment of this Act.) Directs the Attorney General to: (1) provide for the sharing of information on missing persons and unidentified human remains contained in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing and unidentified person database and the NamUs database; (2) update the online data entry format for such databases to allow states to report information to each database; (3) establish a matching grant program to assist in the reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains information to the NCIC and NamUs databases; (4) issue a report to the offices of medical examiners, offices of coroners, and federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies describing the best practices for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains; and (5) report to Congress on the status of the NCIC Missing and Unidentified Person File and NamUs databases. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require reports of missing children (under age 21) to NamUs databases. Allows authorized agencies to remove or override information from the NamUs and NCIC databases if such information is submitted on behalf of a public user and is deemed to be inaccurate.

Date: 2011-03-31
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fire Police Fairness Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include a fire police officer as a public safety officer for purposes of death benefits provisions. Defines a "fire police officer" as an individual who: (1) is serving in accordance with state or local law as a member of a legally organized public safety agency but is not a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, a chaplain, or a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew; and (2) provides scene security or directs traffic in response to any fire, rescue, or police emergency or at a planned special event.

Date: 2011-04-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Outdoor Sports Protection Act - Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from prohibiting or otherwise restricting, the manufacture, importation, sale, or use of any traditional hunting and fishing implement based on material content. Defines "traditional hunting and fishing implement" as any firearm, ammunition, ammunition component, fishing lure, fishing sinker or weight, and fishing line that contains lead, zinc, copper, or brass. Requires the Administrator to report any determination that the best scientific evidence available demonstrates that the use of any such implement has a substantially detrimental effect on the environment. Prohibits the Departments of the Interior and of Agriculture (USDA) from newly prohibiting or limiting the use of any such implement on federal public lands based on material content. Directs the Secretary of either department to report any determination that the best scientific evidence available demonstrates that such use has a substantially detrimental effect on the sustainability of a local fish or wildlife population. Prohibits a state or U.S. territory from being eligible for any funding or apportionment under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act or the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act if the state or territory newly prohibits or otherwise restricts the sale or use of any such implement based on material content.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from prohibiting, limiting, or controlling any type of firearm ammunition or fishing tackle based on material composition.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Environmental protection
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to grant the Attorney General the authority to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of a federal firearms and explosives license to any individual if the Attorney General: (1) determines that such individual has been engaged in or has provided material support or resources for terrorist activities, and (2) has a reasonable belief that such individual may use a firearm or explosive in connection with terrorism. Allows any individual whose firearm or explosives license application has been been denied to bring legal action challenging the denial.Prohibits the sale or distribution of firearms or explosives to any individual whom the Attorney General has determined to be engaged in terrorist activities. Permits the Attorney General to withhold information in firearms and explosives license denial revocation suits if the Attorney General determines that the disclosure of such information would likely compromise national security.Authorizes the Attorney General to revoke firearms and explosives licenses and permits held by individuals determined to be engaged in terrorism.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Federal Law Enforcement Personnel and Resources Allocation Improvement Act of 2012 - Directs the Attorney General, in allocating federal law enforcement personnel and resources, to give priority to placing and retaining those personnel and resources in states and local jurisdictions that have a high incidence of homicide or other violent crime, based on federal records of crime, including the National Uniform Crime Reports, or on the best and most current information otherwise available to the Attorney General. Requires the Attorney General to designate an existing official within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to: (1) develop practices and procedures to carry out such requirement, and (2) monitor compliance with those practices and procedures by DOJ. Directs the Attorney General to report annually on the implementation of such requirement. Requires such report to: (1) specify which states and local jurisdictions have a high incidence of homicide or other violent crime; (2) identify the specific steps taken by the Attorney General to implement such requirement with respect to each of those states and local jurisdictions; and (3) provide a description of the methodology used to determine the total number of authorized federal law enforcement positions, to allocate those authorized positions among states and local jurisdictions, and to assign personnel to fill those positions.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Preventing Gun Violence Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the trafficking in or possession of a firearm by a person who has been adjudicated to have committed a violent juvenile act. Defines "violent juvenile act" as an act by a person under the age of 18 that, if committed by an adult, would be punishable by a prison term exceeding one year and that: (1) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against another person; or (2) by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against another person may be used in the course of committing the act.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Trafficking Reduction and Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act - Directs the Attorney General to require each firearm manufactured in the United States to be marked with a serial number that is located inside the barrel of the firearm or that is visible only in infrared light, in addition to the serial number marking otherwise required. Amends the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 to repeal provisions prohibiting the use of appropriated funds: (1) to implement a national instant criminal background check system that does not require the destruction of identifying information within 24 hours after the system determines and advises a federal firearms licensee that a person's possession or receipt of a firearm would not violate federal or state law, or (2) to promulgate or implement any rule requiring a physical inventory of a licensed firearms dealer.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 - Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NICS Act) to increase the amount of a state's allocation under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program that the Attorney General shall withhold to: (1) 15% for a period of 5 fiscal years if the state provides less than 75% of the records required to be provided under the NICS Act's requirements for making data electronically available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (System), and (2) 25% thereafter if the state provides less than 90% of the records required. Authorizes the Attorney General to reduce the amount withheld to a specified percentage if a state provides substantial evidence that it is making a reasonable effort to comply. Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act) to: (1) require each federal agency to submit to the Attorney General a semiannual written certification indicating whether it has provided the pertinent information in any record in its possession identifying persons prohibited from purchasing or receiving firearms or ammunition, and (2) make federal court information available for inclusion in the System. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each college, university, or postsecondary institution that receives federal funds or financial assistance to develop and implement a mental health assessment plan to address the risks posed by students who pose a safety risk to themselves or others and to make such plan available to students, faculty, and staff. Extends Brady Act background check procedures to unlicensed transferors and transferees of firearms. Specifies exceptions. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study to determine: (1) the effects that the NICS Act has had on state reporting to the System, (2) which states are in compliance and which are not, (3) any challenges or obstacles that states or local governments face in complying with the NICS Act's reporting requirements, and (4) states' compliance with NICS Act provisions regarding relief from the disabilities program required as a condition for participation in grant programs.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
State and Local Law Enforcement Discipline, Accountability, and Due Process Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to set forth the due process rights, including procedures, that shall be afforded a law enforcement officer (officer) who is the subject of an investigation or disciplinary hearing. Declares that an officer shall not be: (1) prohibited from engaging in political activity or be denied the right to refrain from engaging in such activity, except when on duty or acting in an official capacity; and (2) prohibited from being a candidate for an elective office or from serving in such elective office solely because of the officer's status as an officer, with exceptions. Requires: (1) each state or local law enforcement agency to adopt and comply with a written complaint procedure that meets specified requirements, (2) an investigation based on a complaint from outside the agency about a law enforcement officer to commence not later than 15 days after receipt of the complaint by such agency or by any other agency charged with investigating such complaint, and (3) any officer who is the subject of an investigation to be notified of the investigation 24 hours before the commencement of questioning. Grants procedural protections to officers subjected to questioning incidental to an investigation that may result in disciplinary action, including: (1) the right to effective counsel, (2) the right to be questioned at a reasonable hour, (3) written notice of investigative findings and disciplinary recommendations and the right to submit a written response, and (4) access to the complete file of the investigation and the right to examine physical evidence. Prohibits an officer from being compelled to submit to the use of a lie detector. Sets forth requirements and procedures for conducting disciplinary proceedings and for protecting the officer's personnel records.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) 100% expensing in a current taxable year of the cost of an automated fire sprinkler system, as defined by this Act; and (2) accelerated depreciation (i.e., a 15-year recovery period) of such an automated fire sprinkler system that is installed in a building where the floor of any occupiable story is greater than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Taxation
Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2011 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Army from promulgating or enforcing any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm at a water resources development project administered by the Chief of Engineers if: (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm, and (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the state in which the project is located.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
COPS Improvements Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to modify the public safety and community policing grant program (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program) to: (1) establish within the Department of Justice (DOJ), under the general authority of the Attorney General, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to be headed by a Director; and (2) authorize the Attorney General to carry out more than one such program. Repeals provisions authorizing: (1) the Attorney General to give preferential consideration to applications for hiring and rehiring additional career law enforcement officers that involve a non-federal contribution exceeding a 25% minimum; and (2) the use of such grants to develop and implement either innovative programs to permit members of the community to assist state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the prevention of crime in the community or new administrative and managerial systems to facilitate the adoption of community-oriented policing as an organization-wide philosophy. Authorizes the use of such grants to: (1) hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools; (2) establish and implement innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug manufacturing, distribution, and use; (3) meet emerging law enforcement needs; (4) hire former members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers for deployment in community-oriented policing; (5) pay for additional community prosecuting programs to handle cases from specific geographic areas and to address counter-terrorism problems and violent crime in local communities; and (6) develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training. Authorizes the Attorney General to extend grant periods and to renew grants if the grant recipient can demonstrate significant progress in achieving the objectives of the initial grant application. Includes officers for the Amtrak Police Department within the definition of "career law enforcement officer" for purposes of such grant program. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the program for FY2012-FY2017.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend public safety officers' death benefits to fire police officers. Defines a "fire police officer" as an officially recognized or designated member of a volunteer fire police association or squad who is legally authorized by a state or local government to assist in event crowd control, scene control or traffic control in emergencies, and missing person searches.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Southern Border Sheriffs Community Impact Aid Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the federal government should offset the additional law enforcement costs on counties adjacent to the southern border of the United States in a manner similar to the Community Impact Aid program for local schools that incur additional costs from federal infrastructure. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to make grants to sheriffs' departments in specified Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California counties along the border for the purpose of hiring additional deputies in an amount equal to 30% of such a department's FY2010 budget for patrol deputies, or at least the amount that allows the deparment to hire one additional deputy. Directs the Secretary to reprogram funds that would otherwise be obligated and expended under the account heading "Departmental Management and Operations" in order to carry out this Act.

Date: 2011-06-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2011 - Declares that a person not prohibited under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act from receiving a firearm shall have the right to obtain firearms for security and to use firearms in defense of: (1) self or family against a reasonably perceived threat of imminent and unlawful infliction of serious bodily injury, (2) self or family in the course of the commission by another person of a violent felony against the person or a member of the person's family, and (3) the person's home in the course of the commission of a felony by another person. Authorizes persons whose rights under this Act have been violated to bring an action in U.S. district court against the United States, any state, or any person for damages, injunctive relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate.

Date: 2011-06-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to reauthorize through FY2016 the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. Modifies the scope of the AFG program, including by permitting the use of grant funds for volunteer, non-fire service emergency medical services organizations and for certifying fire and building inspectors employed by a fire department or serving as a volunteer building inspector with a fire department. Prohibits providing program funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or allied organizations. Increases: (1) funding for fire prevention and firefighter safety programs, and (2) maximum AFG grant amounts. Lowers matching and maintenance of expenditure requirements and authorizes the Administrator of FEMA to waive or reduce such requirements for applicants facing demonstrated economic hardship. Revises grant allocation requirements to require 25% of grant amounts for a fiscal year to be allocated to each of: (1) career fire departments, (2) volunteer fire departments, and (3) combination fire departments. Requires remaining amounts to be awarded on a competitive basis among such fire departments. Revises grant limits based on jurisdiction populations. Sets forth new limits on awards to state fire training academies. Limits grant amounts used to obtain training to training that complies with applicable national voluntary consensus standards. Amends SAFER program provisions to: (1) limit the period of program grants to three years; (2) require grantees to commit to retaining firefighters hired for the entire grant period, with an economic hardship exception; and (3) limit to 80% the portion of the cost of hiring firefighters for each fiscal year that may be provided under a grant. Directs the Administrator of FEMA to make grants directly to career, volunteer, and combination fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments that antedate the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association, to conduct and report to Congress on a study to: (1) define the current roles and activities associated with the fire services on a national, state, regional, and local level: (2) identify the equipment, staffing, and training required to fulfill such roles and activities; (3) conduct an assessment to identify gaps between what fire departments currently possess and what they require on a national and state-by-state basis; and (4) measure the impact of the AFG program in meeting the needs and filling the gaps identified.

Date: 2011-06-22
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Emergency management
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions allowing a tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local government by: (1) increasing the amount of benefits excludible, and (2) extending such tax exclusion through 2015.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Taxation
Firearm Recidivist Sentencing Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to provide that individuals are subject to the 25-year mandatory minimum prison term for carrying or using a firearm while committing a violent crime or drug trafficking offense only if they have been previously convicted of such offense and such conviction has become final.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stop Gun Trafficking and Strengthen Law Enforcement Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from: (1) receiving, or transferring or otherwise disposing of to one or more individuals, two or more firearms that have been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that such conduct will result in the disposing of one or more such firearms to an individual whose possession or receipt of the firearm would be unlawful or who intends to or will use, carry, possess, or dispose of the firearm unlawfully; (2) knowingly directing, promoting, or facilitating such conduct; or (3) conspiring to commit such conduct.

Date: 2011-07-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011 - Repeals the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the Federal Firearms License Reform Act of 1993. Restores and revives any provisions amended or repealed by such Acts as if such Acts had not been enacted. Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the federal criminal code distinguishing firearms used or suitable for sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes from firearms used generally.Repeals the Child Safety Lock Act of 2005 and other provisions of the federal criminal code relating to gun storage and gun safety devices.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Border Security Enhancement Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to increase the penalty (from five to ten years' inprisonment) for knowingly making a false statement or representation regarding information required to be kept in the records of a licensed firearms dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector. Includes offenses involving misrepresentations relating to firearms within the definition of "specified unlawful activity" for purposes of the prohibition against financial transactions involving the proceeds of such activity.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2011 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) make competitive grants to state, tribal, and local governments to establish or maintain programs to protect or assist witnesses in court proceedings involving homicide, a serious felony or drug offense, or gangs or organized crime; (2) evaluate grant applicants based on specified criteria, including the extent of witness intimidation and the number of serious crimes per capita with respect to such applicant; (3) provide technical assistance to grant applicants for establishing or maintaining a witness protection plan; and (4) develop and disseminate best practice models to assist states and other relevant entities in addressing witness safety, short-term and permanent witness relocation, financial and housing assistance, and other necessary services.Expresses the sense of Congress that states and relevant entities should use the best practice models developed by the Attorney General to evaluate, improve, and develop witness protection or witness assistance programs.

Date: 2011-07-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Firefighters Special Operation Task Force Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to award up to 100 grants for task forces (two or more fire services that collectively consist of at least 50 firefighting personnel, operating under a cooperative agreement to coordinate incident response) each fiscal year for: (1) salary and benefits to hire firefighting personnel, (2) training, (3) equipment or support systems, (4) communications between task force members and a local police department or hospital or with any other appropriate governmental or private sector entity, and (5) compatibility and interoperability of training and equipment.Requires the Administrator to give priority to task forces serving geographic areas that have a high population density or that are located within 50 miles of: (1) a nuclear power facility; (2) a large facility that produces, treats, or refines chemicals or petroleum products; (3) a business district of national significance; or (4) a location with one or more critical infrastructures.Requires grantees to obtain non-federal matching funds of at least 55% of the amount awarded by the Administrator for each fiscal year.

Date: 2011-09-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Emergency management
Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to provide for reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms in different states by persons who are not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm and who are: (1) carrying a valid state license or permit for carrying a concealed firearm, or (2) otherwise entitled to carry a concealed firearm in their state of residence.

Date: 2011-09-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Tenth Amendment Enforcement Act - Reaffirms each state's autonomous sovereign police powers under the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution to preserve and protect the safety, security, and property of citizens of the state without interference or oversight from federal authorities. Authorizes the chief executive or a member of the legislature of a state to file a civil action to: (1) obtain declaratory or injunctive relief to remedy any action taken by a federal authority that attempts to interfere with the state's sovereign authority, or (2) obtain compliance with Section Four of Article IV of the Constitution (guaranteeing states a republican form of government and protecting states against invasion and domestic violence).

Date: 2011-09-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Community Partners Neighborhood Preservation Act of 2011 - Amends the National Housing Act to provide: (1) a 50% discount for teachers and public safety officers purchasing certain eligible asset properties for use as their primary residence during FY2012-FY2022, and (2) a $100 downpayment on any related insured mortgage. Authorizes such sales directly to a qualifying individual or to a unit of local government or a nonprofit organization for resale to such individual. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) should consult with the heads of other federal agencies that own or hold properties appropriate for use as housing to determine the possibility and effectiveness of including such properties in programs that make housing available for law enforcement officers, teachers, or fire fighters. Makes a public safety officer or teacher eligible to purchase any property owned or held by the Secretary pursuant to: (1) foreclosure of any HUD-insured mortgage; or (2) assignment of the mortgage, deed in lieu of foreclosure, conveyance of title, or any other acquisition of the property or mortgage in connection with the payment of insurance benefits by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to revise the Good Neighbor Next Door Initiative to provide that the subordinate mortgage on the property of a mortgagor who purchased it under the Initiative shall be released in any case in which the mortgagor loses his or her employment position as a law enforcement officer, teacher, firefighter, or emergency medical technician as a result of any reductions in force or other reason other than dismissal for cause. Directs the Secretary of HUD, in making any real estate owned by HUD available for purchase, to provide a preference for purchase by public safety officers and teachers.

Date: 2011-09-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Housing and community development
Illegal Alien Crime Reporting Act of 2011 - Prohibits the payment of funds to a state or its political subdivisions under any program or activity administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless such state: (1) compiles statistics on persons arrested, charged, convicted of a crime, or incarcerated by such state, including the immigration status and country of origin of such persons and the crimes for which such persons were arrested, charged, convicted, or incarcerated; (2) reports such statistics monthly to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and (3) certifies compliance with the requirements of this Act.  Requires each federal agency to compile similar statistics and report on such statistics monthly to the FBI. Requires the FBI to annually publish all statistics reported under this Act as a separate data collection of its Uniform Crime Reports.

Date: 2011-10-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Confidential Informant Accountability Act of 2011 - Directs the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of the Treasury to report biannually to Congress on all serious crimes, authorized and unauthorized, committed by informants maintained by the respective law enforcement agencies of such Departments (the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF]). Defines a "serious crime" as any serious violent felony or drug offense (as such terms are defined in the federal criminal code) or any offense of racketeering, bribery, child pornography, obstruction of justice, or perjury that an agent or employee of the relevant law enforcement agency has reasonable grounds to believe an informant has committed. Amends the federal judicial code to extend to three years the period within which a tort claim against the United States must be presented in writing to a federal agency when the claim arises out of a government employee's conduct with respect to the criminal misconduct of a government informant. (Current law bars all tort claims against the United States that are not presented within two years after the claim accrues.) Applies the amendment retroactively to any such claim that: (1) accrued on or after May 1, 1982; and (2) is presented within one year after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2011-10-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), fraternities, and sororities for up to half the cost of installing approved fire suppression systems in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Gives grant priority to applicants that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least 10% for historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and IHEs that are eligible for Institutional Aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (2) at least 10% for social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and a grantee under this Act).

Date: 2011-10-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Education
Utilizing DNA Technology to Solve Cold Cases Act of 2011 - Requires the Attorney General to adopt policies and procedures to ensure that: (1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may conduct familial searches for DNA samples collected from crime scenes in federal investigations, (2) a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) state administrator or a state attorney general may request that the FBI conduct such searches in state investigations, and (3) the privacy interests of persons identified in familial searches are protected. Defines "familial search" as a search of the offender index in the National DNA Index System in which a DNA sample from an unknown source collected from a crime scene is compared to such index to determine if a familial match exists between the DNA profile contained in such index and the DNA sample collected from the crime scene. Allows FBI familial searches to be conducted only if: (1) no identical match for a DNA sample collected from a crime scene can be identified in the offender index; and (2) the investigation for which DNA samples are collected involves murder, voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping, a sex offense against a minor, or an offense for which an offender would be required to register as a tier III sex offender. Sets forth requirements for state requests for such searches, including assurances that the requesting state will: (1) take steps to facilitate the investigation of familial matches from other states, and (2) investigate possible familial matches in that state before requesting assistance from other states.

Date: 2011-11-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Federal Law Enforcement Pay Equality Act - Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to revise the special pay adjustments for federal law enforcement officers in specified consolidated metropolitan statistical areas. Includes Capitol Police as law enforcement officers under such Act. Eliminates the limitation on premium pay for federal criminal investigators.

Date: 2011-11-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Government operations and politics
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an audit of: (1) state laws and regulations that authorize the issuance of a concealed firearm permit or license to a nonresident, including a description of the permitting or licensing requirements; (2) the number of such valid permits or licenses issued or denied (and the basis for such denials) to nonresidents by each state; and (3) the effectiveness of such state laws and regulations in protecting the public safety.

Date: 2011-12-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Second Amendment Protection Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should not adopt any treaty that poses a threat to national sovereignty or abridges the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the right to bear arms, and should cease the provision of financial support to any entity that does so. Prohibits the United States from providing any funding to the United Nations (U.N.) for a fiscal year unless the President certifies to Congress that the U.N. has not taken action to infringe on the rights of individuals in the United States to possess a firearm or ammunition, or abridge any of the other constitutionally protected rights of U.S. citizens.

Date: 2011-12-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Agencies)
Subject: International affairs