zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Public Officials Accountability Act - Amends the federal criminal code to include as a fraud offense a scheme or artifice by a public official to engage in undisclosed self-dealing. Defines "undisclosed self-dealing" to mean: (1) performing an official act to benefit or further a financial interest of such public official, a spouse or minor child, a general business partner, a business or organization in which the public official is serving as an employee, officer, director, trustee, or general partner, or an individual, business, or organization with whom the public official is negotiating for, or has any arrangement concerning, prospective employment or financial compensation; and (2) knowingly falsifying, concealing, covering up, or failing to disclose material information regarding a financial interest as required by law.

Date: 2011-05-24
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
American Discoveries and American Jobs Commission Act of 2011 or Herb Vederman Commission on American Discoveries and American Jobs Act of 2011 - Establishes the Commission on American Discoveries and American Jobs to study: (1) the state of technology transfer from federally funded research to the private sector; (2) the possibilities for the federal government to collect royalties from early research that leads to the commercialization of a profitable product or technology; (3) the potential adverse consequences of such royalties on technology transfer, commercialization, and economic growth; and (4) the potential benefits of reinvesting revenues from federal royalties into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and seeding future federally funded research. Requires submission to Congress of recommendations of specified regulatory and statutory changes.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Regulatory Balance Act - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to perform a cost-benefit analysis on any proposed regulation that is determined to be a significant regulatory action (as defined by Executive Order 12866) and submit such analysis to Congress before such regulation takes effect.

Date: 2011-06-14
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
LESS Government Act - Requires the head of each federal agency to describe the implementation of continuous process improvement in the agency's periodic update on agency performance. Defines "continuous process improvement" as a management methodology (commonly referred to as lean six sigma) that combines tools to improve process speed, reduce waste, and incorporate requirements with data driven project analysis to provide products and services with improved quality at lower cost. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) make available on the OMB website a description of the results of the government-wide implementation of such process, and (2) appoint an expert on such process as a member of the Performance Improvement Council to advise on its implementation across agencies. Requires: (1) each agency's Chief Operating Officer to implement such process, and (2) each agency's Performance Improvement Officer to advise and assist the agency head and Chief Operating Officer in implementing such process. Requires the Director to designate a center of excellence for process training, from within the Department of Defense (DOD).

Date: 2011-06-15
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Forest Service Administrative Review Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), through the Forest Service, to establish a pre-decisional administrative review process that will serve as the sole means by which persons can seek an administrative review regarding proposed actions of the Forest Service concerning projects and activities that implement land and resource management plans developed under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Sets forth requirements for the pre-decisional administrative review process concerning the occurrence of the review period, eligibility of a participant in the process, and notice of the proposed decision. Exempts from such process an emergency situation that exists for which immediate implementation of a proposed action is necessary. Applies certain judicial review provisions of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 with respect to: (1) the judicial review of an action challenging a proposed action under this Act, and (2) any request for an injunction regarding such an action. Makes this Act non-applicable to: (1) an authorized hazardous fuel reduction project under such Act that has its own special administrative review process, and (2) a proposed action under this Act for which a categorical exclusion is provided.

Date: 2011-06-16
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Interagency Personnel Rotation Act of 2011 - Establishes a Committee on National Security Personnel (Committee) within the Executive Office of the President. Requires such Committee to issue a National Security Human Capital Strategy to develop the national security and homeland security personnel necessary to accomplish national security and homeland security objectives that require integration of personnel and activities from multiple executive branch agencies to maximize mission success and minimize cost. Requires the Committee to identify a National Security Interagency Community of Interest (ICI) for purposes of carrying out this Act and to provide for employees serving in an ICI position to be assigned on a rotational basis to another ICI position that is within a related agency or within an interagency body. Defines "ICI position" as a position whose duties primarily relate to national security or homeland security policy formulation or execution. Provides for a system of interagency rotational service by which employees with national security and homeland security expertise serve for a period of time in other agencies with a national security mission. Makes such interagency rotational service a requirement for selection to the Senior Executive Service. Requires employees serving in an ICI position to participate in orientation training and education on national security and homeland security strategy. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a course for political appointees relating to the objectives, history, and functioning of the senior-level interagency process and strategies for ensuring maximum interagency cohesion and the accomplishment of national security and homeland security objectives in an efficient and effective manner.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Transparency in Rule Making When Using Scientific Testing Act of 2011 - Requires the general notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register to include any scientific research of which the agency is aware and which is relevant to the rulemaking. Defines "scientific study" for purposes of the rulemaking process.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Access to Timely Information Act - Deems the submission of information by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of either the House of Representatives or the Senate in response to a request by the chairman or ranking member (or designee) of such Committees or of a subcommittee such Committees to be: (1) a covered disclosure of certain records maintained on individuals submitted without the written request or prior written consent of the individual to whom the record pertains; and (2) a permitted disclosure under regulations promulgated under specified provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, including certain authorized oversight activities. Directs the Secretary, when responding to a request for information by such a member other than a chairman, to also submit such information to the relevant House or Senate Committee chairman.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Federal Grant Solicitations Improvement Act of 2011 - Requires the head of each federal agency to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), not later than November 30 of each fiscal year, a forecast of all grant solicitations that such agency expects to issue for that fiscal year and to revise such forecast as required. Requires the Director to: (1) publish and update such forecast on a website available to the public, and (2) issue standards to ensure uniformity in the format and submission of such forecasts by agency heads. Requires such forecasts to include: (1) the scheduled dates for the issuance of the solicitation and application, the application submission deadline, and the deadline for agency review; (2) a link to a website where the solicitation and application are available to the public; (3) estimates of the average grant amount and the total number of grants to be made; (4) contact information for the agency awarding the grant; and (5) the expected date of notification of grant award decisions.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Stop Wasting Archive Grants Act of 2011 - Repeals provisions creating the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and its grant-making authority. Rescinds unobligated funds made available to the Commission.

Date: 2011-07-14
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Transparency and Accountability in Government Act - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to authorize the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), in response to a request made by a Member of Congress, to secure such information, data, estimates, and statistics directly from the various departments, agencies, and establishments of the executive branch and the regulatory agencies and commissions as the Director determines (with the approval of the Member making the request) to be necessary to carry out the request. Requires all such departments, agencies, establishments, and regulatory agencies and commissions to furnish the Director with all such available material (other than material the disclosure of which would be a violation of law).

Date: 2011-07-15
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Congress
Federal Realignment and Closure Commission Act - Establishes the Federal Realignment and Closure Commission to assess the effectiveness and accountability of federal agency programs.  Requires the Commission to: (1) evaluate all agencies and programs to eliminate duplicative functions and wasteful or inefficient spending or mismanagement; and (2) recommend the realignment or elimination of agencies or programs that have completed their intended purpose, have become irrelevant, or have failed to meet their objectives.  Requires the President to: (1) transmit to the Commission and to Congress a report containing the President's approval or disapproval of the Commission's plan and recommendations, and (2) eliminate or realign all agencies and programs pursuant to the Commission's recommendations approved by the President unless Congress enacts a resolution disapproving such recommendations.

Date: 2011-07-28
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7%.   Defines as "significant" any regulatory action that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, small entities, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with another agency's action; (3) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if the President notifies Congress that a waiver is necessary on the basis of national security or a national emergency.  Allows judicial review of all claims under this Act.

Date: 2011-09-12
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Unfunded Mandates Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to: (1) require regulatory impact analyses for rules that do not involve a legislative mandate and for final rules that do not have a prior notice of proposed rulemaking; (2) require federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final rule that may have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or that may result in the expenditure of $100 million or more in any one year by state, local, and tribal governments; (3) require such agencies to identify and consider regulatory alternatives before promulgating any proposed or final rule and select the least costly, most cost-effective, or least burdensome alternative; (4) define "cost" as the cost of compliance and any reasonably foreseeable indirect cost resulting from agency rulemaking; (5) exempt rules concerning monetary policy proposed or implemented by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Open Market Committee from provisions of such Act relating to regulatory accountability and reform, review of federal mandates, and judicial review; and (6) expand provisions relating to judicial review of regulatory impact analyses. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require independent regulatory agencies to conduct regulatory impact analyses.

Date: 2011-09-15
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly operate the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, a program that assists: (1) members of the Armed Forces with severe or catastrophic injuries or illnesses who are unlikely to return to active duty and will most likely be medically separated, and (2) members and veterans whose individual circumstances (illness, injury, mental health, etc.) are likely to cause difficulties in transitioning to civilian life. Requires the Secretaries to: (1) develop a plan to carry out the Program and submit such plan to the congressional defense and veterans committees, and (2) submit a subsequent report describing and evaluating plan implementation.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Regulatory Sunset and Review Act of 2011 - Requires federal agencies to review their covered rules and modify, consolidate, or terminate such rules on a periodic basis. Defines "covered rule" to include a significant rule that is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or any other rule designated by an agency for sunset review. Allows a person adversely affected by a rule that is not a significant rule to submit a petition for sunset review of such rule. Provides for sunset review of a rule upon the request of a congressional committee or a majority of the members of such committee. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to: (1) conduct an inventory of existing rules and deadlines for their sunset review; (2) prioritize rules for sunset review based on specified criteria, including the cost of the rule and the burden of reviewing it; (3) group related rules for simultaneous review; (4) provide guidance to agencies for conducting sunset reviews; and (5) provide feedback to agencies on sunset reviews and results. Requires a new significant rule to be reviewed: (1) within three years after taking effect, or (2) within seven years after taking effect if the rule is issued pursuant to negotiated rulemaking procedures or if compliance with the rule requires substantial capital investment. Requires each federal agency to designate a Regulatory Review Officer with responsibility for implementation of this Act. Provides for judicial review of a denial or delay in granting or denying a petition for sunset review of a rule.

Date: 2011-09-26
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Cost of War Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to post on the DOD public website the cost to each taxpayer of each of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.

Date: 2011-10-04
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to require appointments to federal agency advisory committees to be made without regard to political affiliation or activity, unless otherwise required by federal statute. Directs the head of an agency, prior to appointing members to an advisory committee, to give interested persons an opportunity to suggest potential committee members. Requires an individual appointed to an advisory committee who is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee of the federal government to be designated as: (1) a special government employee if the individual is providing advice based on the individual's expertise or experience, or (2) a representative if the individual is representing the views of an entity outside of the federal government. Prohibits an agency from designating committee members as representatives to avoid subjecting them to federal ethics rules and requirements. Requires each agency head to ensure that advice and recommendations of an advisory committee that reports to the agency are the result of the advisory committee's judgment, independent from the agency. Provides that an individual who is not an officer or employee of the federal government shall be regarded as a member of an advisory committee if the individual regularly attends and participates in committee meetings as if the individual were a member, even if the individual does not have the right to vote or veto the advice or recommendations of the committee. Requires each agency head to make available on the agency's Internet site specified information about each of the agency's advisory committees and their activities and to designate an Advisory Committee Management Officer to be responsible for the establishment, management, and supervision of the agency's advisory committees. Requires the Comptroller General to review compliance by agencies with FACA.

Date: 2011-10-06
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Stop the Regulation Invasion Please Act of 2011 or STRIP Act of 2011 - Imposes a moratorium on federal agencies taking any regulatory rulemaking action beginning on the day after the enactment of this Act and ending on the later of the date that is: (1) 14 days after the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) publishes a report on a review of rules, or (2) 2 years after the enactment of this Act. Requires the OMB Director to: (1) conduct a review of each rule that became effective after October 1, 1991, and that is in effect as of the enactment date of this Act, and (2) report on the estimated total annual costs and benefits of each rule and recommend whether it should continue or how it should be reformed.  Repeals all such rules one year after the enactment of this Act unless specifically authorized by law and enacted after the date of enactment of this Act. Sets forth exceptions for certain rulemaking actions and rules, including those necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, or to establish or enforce statutory rights against discrimination. Requires each federal agency head to designate a Regulatory Review Officer to testify before Congress on any request to prevent the repeal of a rule under this Act.

Date: 2011-10-13
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Job Creation and Regulatory Freeze Act of 2011 - Prohibits a federal agency from issuing a covered regulation for the period beginning 30 days after the enactment of this Act and ending January 20, 2013.  Defines a "covered regulation" as a final regulation that did not take effect before September 1, 2011, that directly or indirectly increases costs on businesses in a manner that will have an adverse effect on job creation, job retention, productivity, competitiveness, or the efficient functioning of the economy, and that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) adversely affect in a material way the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (3) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action by another agency; (4) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients; or (5) raise novel legal or policy issues. Allows agency heads to exempt covered regulations that: (1) are necessary due to an imminent threat to human health or safety or any other emergency; (2) are necessary to enforce criminal laws, (3) foster private sector job creation; (4) encourage economic growth; (5) reduce regulatory burdens; (6) pertain to a military or foreign affairs function; or (7) are limited to interpreting, implementing, or administering the Internal Revenue Code.

Date: 2011-10-13
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulatory Time-Out Act of 2011 - Prohibits covered regulations from being in effect or from taking effect during the period beginning on the enactment of this Act and ending on January 21, 2013 (time-out period). Prohibits publication of any general notice of a proposed rulemaking for what would be a covered regulation, and nullifies a rulemaking that was published but for which the comment period did not expire before enactment of this Act, during such period. Defines a "covered regulation" as a final regulation that did not take effect before September 1, 2011, that increases costs on businesses in a manner that will have an adverse effect on job creation, job retention, productivity, competitiveness, or the efficient functioning of the economy and that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) adversely affect in a material way the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (3) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action by another agency; (4) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients; or (5) raise novel legal or policy issues. Exempts regulations that are required by law. Allows agency heads to exempt covered regulations that: (1) are necessary due to an imminent threat to human health or safety or any other emergency; (2) are necessary to enforce criminal laws, (3) foster private sector job creation; (4) encourage economic growth; (5) reduce regulatory burdens; (6) pertain to a military or foreign affairs function; or (7) are limited to interpreting, implementing, or administering the Internal Revenue Code.

Date: 2011-10-25
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Government Results Transparency Act - Requires the head of each federal agency to submit to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) all information concerning the agency's programs, priority goals, and results for publication online by RATB in its original format. Requires RATB to: (1) publish for each fiscal year the amount spent for each program identified by an agency and performance information for such program; (2) designate, by rule, common data elements (i.e., codes, identifiers, and fields) for information required to be reported by agencies; and (3) designate data reporting standards to govern agency reporting requirements.

Date: 2011-10-26
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2012 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish on its website and submit to Congress a biennial report on the state of the communications marketplace assessing: (1) competition, including intermodal, facilities-based, and new and emergent services competition and addressing the provision of content, as well as communications using the Internet; (2) deployment of communications capabilities, including whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion; and (3) whether laws, regulations, or regulatory practices pose a barrier to competitive entry or expansion of existing providers of communications services. Requires the FCC to: (1) compile a list of geographic areas that are not served by any provider of advanced telecommunications capability; and (2) consider market entry barriers for entrepreneurs and other small businesses in the communications marketplace in accordance with existing national policy favoring diversity of media voices, vigorous economic competition, technological advancement, and promotion of the public interest, convenience, and necessity. (Sec. 3) Repeals and consolidates various FCC reports including reports on satellite competition, international broadband, video programming, cable industry prices, small business entry barriers, commercial mobile radio, waivers from requirements prohibiting FCC employees from being financially interested in companies subject to FCC regulation, and several other existing reports under such Act.

Date: 2011-11-02
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Truth in Government Accounting Act of 2011 - Requires the head of each federal agency to prepare for a fiscal year and submit to the Comptroller General (GAO) three quarterly and one annual consolidated financial statement based on the fair-value accrual accounting method. Requires such statement to include all future certain liabilities and all contingent liabilities that can be reasonably estimated, all liabilities that may require future taxes for present liabilities, and other expenditures and liabilities. Requires the Comptroller General to publish all such statements on a website accessible by the public that allows a user to search agency accounts and activities by each office, bureau, and activity of an agency. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the consolidated financial statements prepared by each federal agency for each fiscal year. Requires the President's annual budget to include a summary of how the use of accrual accounting procedures would affect the estimated expenditures, appropriations, and receipts of the government in the fiscal year in which the budget is submitted. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to prepare all of the budgets submitted to the President according to both accrual accounting procedures and the cash basis accounting method. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to use current-year spending as the baseline for estimating future mandatory and discretionary changes in spending.

Date: 2011-11-03
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulatory Review Act of 2011 - Requires the head of each federal agency to conduct a periodic review (every 10 years) of any rule issued by such agency that is determined to be a major rule and that takes effect during the period beginning on January 1, 2011, to identify: (1) the costs and benefits of such rule, (2) each amendment to such rule that would accomplish the same statutory objectives but result in different costs and benefits, and (3) the costs and benefits of repealing the rule.  Requires the agency to publish the results of such review, submit a summary of the results to Congress, and make a final determination on whether the rule should be amended, continued in effect, or repealed, after providing an opportunity for comment by interested persons. Defines "major rule" as a rule that has resulted in or is likely to result in: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, or local government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or on the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic and export markets.

Date: 2011-11-04
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
(Sec. 1) Establishes in the Department of the Interior: (1) an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals; (2) an Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety; (3) an Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management; (4) a Bureau of Ocean Energy (Bureau), with a comprehensive program of offshore mineral and renewable energy resources management; (5) an Ocean Energy Safety Service, administering safety and environmental enforcement activities related to offshore mineral and renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and (6) an Office of Natural Resources Revenue (Office), with all functions, powers, and duties previously assigned to the Minerals Management Service regarding offshore royalty and revenue management. Prohibits Ocean Energy Safety Service personnel conducting permitting or inspections from either participating in a strike or asserting the right to strike. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) establish and maintain a National Offshore Energy Health and Safety Academy as an agency of the Ocean Energy Safety Service to train newly hired and experienced offshore oil and gas inspectors in all aspects of health, safety, environmental, and operational inspections; and (2) develop and maintain adequate programs to provide for the continuing education of certain Department of the Interior personnel. (Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary to: (1) certify annually that all Department personnel having regular, direct official contact with government contractors, or conducting investigations, issuing permits, or overseeing energy programs, comply fully with federal employee ethics laws and regulations; (2) conduct a random drug testing program of such personnel, and (3) issue supplementary ethics and drug testing guidance for employees for which certification is required. (Sec. 6) Abolishes the Minerals Management Service. (Sec. 8) Directs the Secretary to establish an Outer Continental Shelf Energy Safety Advisory Board to: (1) give independent scientific and technical advice on safe, responsible, and timely mineral and renewable energy exploration, development, and production activities; (2) review operations of the National Offshore Energy Health and Safety Academy; and (3) assess every five years, for the Secretary and certain congressional committees, offshore oil and gas well control technologies, practices, voluntary standards, and regulations. (Sec. 9) Requires the Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals, in administering the programs and authorities under this Act, to implement a hiring preference for eligible veterans and disabled veterans.

Date: 2011-11-14
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2012 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prepare for each major bill or resolution reported by any congressional committee (except the congressional appropriations committees), as a supplement to CBO cost estimates, a macroeconomic impact analysis of the budgetary effects of such legislation for the 10-fiscal year period beginning with the first fiscal year for which such estimate was prepared and each of the next three 10-fiscal year periods. Defines "major bill or resolution" as any bill or resolution whose budgetary effects, for any fiscal year in the period for which a CBO cost estimate is prepared, is estimated to be greater than .25% of the current projected U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for that fiscal year. Requires the analysis to describe: (1) the potential economic impact of the bill or resolution on major economic variables, including real GDP, business investment, the capital stock, employment, interest rates, and labor supply; and (2) the potential fiscal effects of the measure, including any estimates of revenue increases or decreases resulting from changes in GDP. Requires the analysis (or a technical appendix to it) to specify the economic and econometric models used, sources of data, relevant data transformations, as well as any explanation necessary to make the models comprehensible to academic and public policy analysts. (Sec. 3) Amends CBA to require the CBO Director, after the President's budget submission and in addition to the baseline projections, to report a supplemental projection to the congressional budget committees, assuming extension of current tax policy for the fiscal year commencing on October 1 of that year, with a supplemental projection for the 10-fiscal year period beginning with that fiscal year, again assuming the extension of current tax policy. Defines "current tax policy" as the tax policy in statute as of December 31 of the current year, assuming: (1) the budgetary effects of measures extending the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003; (2) the continued application of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) as in effect for taxable years beginning in 2011, with a specified assumption for taxable years beginning after 2011; and (3) the budgetary effects of extending the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax provisions of title III of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Requires CBO to report to such committees, on or before July 1 of each year, the Long-Term Budget Outlook for: (1) the fiscal year commencing on October 1 of that year, and (2) at least the ensuing 40 fiscal years.

Date: 2011-12-07
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011 - Makes specified provisional (automatic) continuing appropriations in the event that any regular appropriation bill for a fiscal year is not enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year, or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. (Thus prevents a federal government shutdown.)

Date: 2011-12-07
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Contingency Operations Oversight and Interagency Enhancement Act of 2011 - Establishes as an independent entity the United States Office for Contingency Operations (Office), which shall report to the Department of Defense (DOD) and the State Department. Transfers to the Office various authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of specified federal departments and agencies. Provides for an Office Director, Deputy Director, Associate Directors, and an Inspector General. Requires the Office, among other duties, to: (1) monitor political and economic instability worldwide in order to anticipate the need for mobilizing U.S. and international assistance for the stabilization and reconstruction of a foreign country or region that is at risk of, in, or in transition from, conflict or civil strife in the wake of violence or cataclysmic disaster; (2) develop contingency plans and procedures to mobilize and deploy civilian and military personnel to conduct appropriate foreign stabilization and reconstruction operations (operations); (3) execute, administer, and enforce laws, rules, and regulations relating to the preparation, coordination, and execution of operations; and (4) evaluate, and report to Congress on, the impact of operations. Gives the Director sole control over such operations. Requires the Director to: (1) coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and commanders of unified and specified combatant commands regarding Office plans for operations, and (2) prescribe a Contingency Federal Acquisition Regulation. Establishes the Stabilization and Reconstruction Fund. Outlines duties and responsibilities of the Inspector General of the Office, including special audit and investigative authority and reporting requirements. Transfers to the Inspector General all functions vested in the Offices of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the extent possible, the Director and Office staff should partner with the country in which an operation is taking place, other foreign government partners, international organizations, and local nongovernmental organizations throughout the planning, implementation, and particularly during the transition stages of such operations, in order to facilitate long term capacity building and sustainability of initiatives.

Date: 2011-12-14
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: International affairs
Requires the Governor of the Virgin Islands to appoint a Chief Financial Officer, with the advice and consent of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, from a list required by this Act. States that if: (1) the Legislature has not confirmed a nominee within 90 days of receiving such list the Governor shall appoint a Chief Financial Officer on an acting basis until the Legislature consents to a Chief Financial Officer, (2) a Chief Financial Officer has not been appointed within 180 days after enactment of this Act the Virgin Islands Chief Financial Officer Search Commission shall appoint from such list an Acting Chief Financial Officer until a Chief Financial Officer is appointed, and (3) the Acting Chief Financial Officer serving in an acting capacity for 180 consecutive days shall become the Chief Financial Officer. Sets forth the Chief Financial Officer's duties. Directs the Board of Elections of the Virgin Islands, as part of the closest regularly scheduled, islands-wide election in the Virgin Islands to the expiration of the fourth year of the five-year term of the Chief Financial Officer, to hold a referendum to determine whether the position of Chief Financial Officer shall be made a permanent part of the executive branch of the government of the Virgin Islands. Establishes the Virgin Islands Chief Financial Officer Search Commission to recommend at least three candidates for the Chief Financial Officer position. Terminates the Commission upon the nomination and confirmation of the Chief Financial Officer.

Date: 2011-12-16
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Cost Recovery and Fair Value for Services Act of 2011 - Requires each federal agency's chief financial officer, by October 1 of each odd-numbered year beginning with October 1, 2011, to report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on that officer's biennial review of agency charges for services and things of value that it provides and recommendations on revising those charges to reflect its costs in doing so. Requires such report to include: (1) with regard to such recommendations, an evaluation of whether each user is paying an equitable amount and of the user's ability to pay, the extent to which use of such program provides a public benefit, and the extent to which the program the fee is funding benefits the public and identifiable users; (2) the amount of the fee sufficient to cover the full cost of the service or thing of value; (3) whether the agency has timely and reliable cost data to determine such amount; (4) the extent to which the fee will fully or partially recover costs; (5) whether the fee structure should include exemptions or reduced fees; (6) whether the fee should be set as a percentage or as a fixed dollar amount; (7) how the fee will be structured to cover the intended share of the cost over time; and (8) whether fee collections are projected to change over time in relation to the cost of the service or thing of value. Requires the OMB Director, by December 1 of each such year, to compile and transmit such reports to specified congressional committees and to identify any recommendations with which the Director does not agree.

Date: 2011-12-20
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Plain Regulations Act of 2012 - Requires the head of each executive agency to: (1) implement a program for using plain language in writing new and revised regulations, (2) certify to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that each proposed or final rule is in plain language, and (3) publish reports on agency compliance with plain language requirements on the agency's website. Requires the Director to: (1) develop and issue guidance to agencies for implementing plain language requirements, and (2) return proposed agency regulations that fail to meet such requirements to be redrafted and resubmitted for approval.

Date: 2012-01-18
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2012 - (Sec. 2) States that the provisions of this Act shall apply to: (1) a consent decree or settlement agreement in an action to compel agency action alleged to be unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed that pertains to a regulatory action that affects the rights of private parties other than the plaintiff or the rights of state, local, or tribal governments brought under judicial review provisions of the U.S. Code or under any other statute authorizing such an action; and (2) any other consent decree or settlement agreement that requires agency action that pertains to a regulatory action that affects the rights of private parties other than the plaintiff or the rights of state, local, or tribal governments. Sets forth requirements with respect to actions to be resolved by a consent decree or settlement agreement under this Act, including requiring: (1) publication in a readily accessible manner (including electronically) of the complaint, the consent decree or settlement agreement, the statutory basis for the decree or agreement and its terms, and any award of attorneys' fees or costs; (2) an opportunity for affected parties to intervene in an action prior to the entry of a consent decree or settlement agreement; (3) referral to a mediation or alternative dispute resolution program after a motion to intervene is granted; (4) an opportunity for public comment on a proposed consent decree or settlement agreement before it is filed with a court; and (5) approval by the Attorney General of any proposed consent decree or settlement agreement in cases litigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Requires each agency to submit an annual report to Congress on the number, identity, and content of complaints, consent decrees, and settlement agreements for that year, including the statutory basis for each decree or agreement and its terms, and any awards of attorneys fees or costs in actions resolved by decrees or agreements. (Sec. 3) Requires a court to grant de novo review to any motion filed by an agency to modify a previously-entered consent decree if the basis of such motion is that the terms of the decree are no longer fully in the public interest due to the agency's obligations to fulfill other duties or due to changed facts and circumstances. (Sec. 4) Makes the provisions of this Act applicable to any covered consent decree or settlement agreement proposed to a court after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-02-01
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Federal Research Public Access Act of 2012 - Requires each federal agency with extramural research expenditures of over $100 million to develop a specified federal research public access policy that is consistent with, and that advances, the purposes of the agency. Makes each federal research public access policy applicable to: (1) researchers employed by the federal agency whose works remain in the public domain; and (2) researchers funded by the agency. Specifies exclusions.Requires the submission of annual reports by each federal agency on its federal research public access policy.

Date: 2012-02-09
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulatory Accountability and Economic Freedom Act of 2012 - Revises criteria for the federal agency rule making process. Requires federal agencies proposing a rule to make all preliminary and final factual determinations based on evidence and to consider: (1) the legal authority under which a rule may be proposed, (2) the specific nature and significance of the problem the agency may address with a rule, (3) any reasonable alternatives for a new rule, and (4) the potential costs and benefits associated with potential alternative rules. Requires agencies to publish in the Federal Register advance notice of proposed rule making for major rules, high-impact rules, and rules involving novel legal or policy issues. Defines "major rule" as any rule that is likely to impose: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, adjusted annually for inflation; (2) a major increase in costs or prices; (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or U.S. competitiveness; or (4) significant impacts on multiple sectors of the economy. Defines "high-impact rule" as any rule that is likely to impose an annual cost on the economy of $1 billion or more, adjusted annually for inflation. Rewrites provisions for congressional review of agency rule making to require congressional approval of major rules before they may take effect (currently, major rules take effect unless Congress passes and the President signs a joint resolution disapproving them). Sets forth House and Senate procedures for enacting joint resolutions approving major rules and disapproving non-major rules. Establishes the United States Red Tape Reduction Commission to advise federal agencies on the modification, consolidation, or elimination of federal regulatory requirements to reduce direct or indirect burdens on U.S. businesses.

Date: 2012-03-01
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics