1.This Act may be cited as the
DebtPatriots.Gov Act of
2011
.
2.
(a)The
Congress finds that—
(1)the total public
debt as of November 17, 2011, is over $15 trillion and that every American’s
share is $47,080;
(2)www.pay.gov,
launched in October 2000, is a secure Government-wide collection portal, which
is Web-based and allows customers to access their accounts from any computer
with Internet access;
(3)www.pay.gov
satisfies agencies and consumers demands for electronic alternatives by
providing the ability to complete forms, make payments, and submit queries 24
hours a day electronically;
(4)citizens who wish
to make a general donation to the United States Government may send
contributions to a specific account called Gifts to the United
States
, an account established in 1843 to accept gifts, such as
bequests, from individuals wishing to express their patriotism to the United
States;
(5)citizens who wish to make a general
donation to a specific account called Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt of
the United States
may use TreasuryDirect, a section of www.pay.gov and
Treasury Direct®;
(6)gifts to reduce
the public debt are accepted under the provisions of section 3113 of title 31,
United States Code, which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to accept
conditional gifts to the United States for the purpose of reducing the public
debt;
(7)gifts to reduce the public debt are
voluntary donations, and no goods, services, or other considerations are
provided to the donors, including, but not limited to, benefits on future tax
liability; and
(8)gifts to reduce
the public debt do not supersede the constitutional powers nor the
responsibility of Congress to pay the debts
, as described in
article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United States.
(b)The
purpose of this Act is to publically recognize the patriotism of certain
individuals and corporations which are willing to contribute additional funds,
above and beyond their tax obligations, in order to reduce the public debt of
the United States.
3.
(a)Using the existing
infrastructure of www.pay.gov, the Secretary of the Treasury shall create a new
Web site, www.DebtPatriots.gov, to specifically receive gifts to reduce the
public debt. The Web site shall be known as Gifts to Reduce the Public
Debt
and shall include the following:
(1)Improved features
and user interface from the existing infrastructure for ease of use.
(2)An easily
accessible domain name, www.DebtPatriots.gov.
(3)an opt-in
check-box to allow donor names to be publically recognized for their
donation.
(4)A
linked Web site on which the publically recognized donors can be published
according to the following levels of donation:
(A)Corporation Award
Levels:
(i)Corporate Founder
($50B).
(ii)Corporate Son of
Liberty ($10B).
(iii)Corporate
Constitutional Delegate ($1B).
(iv)Corporate
Minuteman ($500M).
(v)Corporate Patriot
($1M).
(B)Individual Award
Levels (Premium):
(i)Premium Founding
Father/Mother ($1B).
(ii)Premium
Son/Daughter of Liberty ($500M).
(iii)Premium
Constitutional Delegate ($100M).
(iv)Premium
Minuteman/woman ($10M).
(v)Premium Patriot
($1M).
(C)Individual Award
Levels:
(i)Founding
Father/Mother ($100K).
(ii)Son/Daughter of
Liberty ($10K).
(iii)Constitutional
Delegate ($1K).
(iv)Minuteman/woman
($100).
(v)Patriot
($10).
(5)A clearly published list of the
aforementioned award levels on DebtPatriots.Gov.
(6)A
printable form and address for those who prefer to make a gift through the mail
by check.
(b)Required links
to Web siteThe Secretary of the Treasury and the President shall
provide a link to this Web site on their main pages.
4.Certificate of
appreciationThe President
shall issue a signed certification of appreciation recognizing the award level
of each donor who contributes to Gifts to Reduce the Public
Debt
.