United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2010
Sergeant Coleman S. Bean Individual Ready Reserve Suicide Prevention Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to ensure that each of the following individuals receive, at least once every 90 days, a telephone call from properly-trained DOD personnel to determine their emotional, psychological, medical, and career needs and concerns: (1) members of the Individual Ready Reserve who deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq in support of a contingency operation; or (2) a member of a reserve component who the Secretary determines is an individual mobilization augmentee who has so deployed. Requires the person making the call to refer a member identified as being at-risk of self-caused harm to the nearest military medical treatment facility or accredited TRICARE (a DOD managed health care program) provider for immediate evaluation and necessary treatment. Requires annual reports from the Secretary to Congress on the number of members so referred, as well as their health and career status.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2010
Public Housing Energy Savings Act of 2010 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize: (1) energy conservation improvements in public housing projects to be undertaken pursuant to a contract for the improvements only; (2) a public housing agency to finance such improvements for a period of up to 20 years; (3) a public housing agency to pledge operating assistance as security for such financing in an amount not to exceed the lesser of the amount of the debt service plus such appropriate debt service coverage factor as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may establish and the amount of the reasonably anticipated utility cost savings resulting from the improvement; (4) the Secretary to permit the pledging of the installed equipment related to such improvements; and (5) a public housing agency to elect to be paid for its utility costs under the formula for determining the amount of assistance provided to public housing agencies from the Capital Fund for a period of no longer than 20 years based on the agency's average annual consumption during the three-year period preceding the year in which the election is made (consumption base level). Requires the Secretary to make: (1) an initial one time adjustment in the consumption base level to account for differences in the heating degree day average over the most recent 20-year period compared to the average in the consumption base level; and (2) adjustments in the consumption base level to account for an increase or reduction in units, a change in fuel source, or a change in resident-controlled electricity consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2010
Girls Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine or five-year prison term, or both, on any U.S. citizen or alien admitted for permanent residence who knowingly transports in foreign commerce a girl under the age of 18 for the purposes of female genital mutilation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
Coltsville National Historical Park Act - Establishes the Coltsville National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park Service (NPS) in Connecticut. Requires such Park to provide interpretation and viewing of specified sites, including the East Armory and Colt Park. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a written arrangement with the Connecticut State Library, Wadsworth Atheneum, and the Colt Trust, or other public entities, as appropriate, to gain access to Colt-related artifacts to have them on display in the East Armory or within the Park. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the owners of any properties within the Coltsville Historic District or any national significant properties within the Park under which the Secretary may identify, interpret, restore and provide technical assistance for the preservation of such properties. Requires any federal funds under such an agreement to be matched on a one-to-one basis by non-federal funds. Permits the acquisition of lands or interests owned by the state or any political subdivision of the state by donation only. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance and public interpretation of related historic and cultural resources within the Historic District. Requires the Secretary to complete a management plan for the Park, with the advice of the Coltsville National Historical Park Advisory Commission established by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
Education for All Act of 2010 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to state that it is U.S. policy to work with foreign countries and international and civil society organizations to achieve universal basic education by: (1) assisting developing countries and nongovernmental and multilateral organizations to provide all children with a quality basic education; and (2) promoting education as the foundation for communities' development. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive U.S. strategy to promote universal basic education by 2015. Authorizes the President to provide funds and other assistance to qualifying foreign countries to create the policies, processes, and infrastructure to develop national basic education plans. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State a Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Provide Basic Education Assistance who shall shall have primary responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all U.S. government resources and international activities to promote universal basic education.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
Veteran Employment Assistance Act of 2010 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a program, headed by a Director, which designates veterans business centers to provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans in areas in which the number of veterans, especially veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, exceed the national median. Requires the Director to establish a program of grants to veterans business centers to: (1) provide federal procurement assistance to small businesses owned and controlled by veterans; and (2) develop outreach programs to create or further develop service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. Authorizes the Director to hold biennial veterans entrepreneurial development summits. Decreases from three years to one year the period for completion of training of new disabled veterans' outreach program specialists and local veterans' employment representatives. Directs the Secretary of Labor to provide a training subsistence allowance for each month that an unemployed veteran is enrolled in a full-time employment and training program that is offered by an eligible training provider and teaches a skill connected to a career in an in-demand industry. Provides for the use of veterans' post-9/11 educational assistance for the pursuit of apprenticeships and on-job training. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish: (1) a program to award grants to states to establish veterans conservation corps to give veterans volunteer and employment opportunities under state conservation projects; and (2) a center of excellence of methods for educational institutions to afford academic credit to veterans for previous military experience and training. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor to establish: (1) information technology military pathways demonstration programs to enable veterans to build upon technical skills learned in the military when entering into the civilian information technology workforce; and (2) nursing, public health and allied health professional, and physician assistant military pathways demonstration programs to enable veterans to build upon military technical skills when entering into civilian positions in those fields. Requires the Secretary of Labor to carry out a veterans energy-related employment program to encourage the employment of veterans in the energy industry. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to carry out the Veterans to Work pilot program to provide veterans with employment in military construction projects. Requires: (1) a report on improvements and enhancements of the Transition Assistance Program to better meet the needs of members of the Armed Forces and veterans; and (2) a study on a program of transition assistance modeled on the Employment Enhancement Program of the Washington National Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
Supports the goals of American Craft Beer Week, as founded by the Brewers Association, and recognizes craft brewers' contributions to the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2010
Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or maximum prison term of five years for anyone who knowingly sells or offers to sell an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain. States that this prohibition shall not be construed to prohibit the selling or offering to sell videos that depict hunting. Defines "animal crush video" as any visual depiction of animals being intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, or impaled that: (1) depicts actual conduct in which a living animal is tortured, maimed, or mutilated that violates any criminal prohibition on intentional cruelty under federal law or the law of the state in which the depiction is sold; and (2) taken as a whole, does not have religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2010
Expresses: (1) deepest condolences for the horrific loss of life and the physical and psychological damage caused by the January 12, 2010, earthquake that struck Haiti; and (2) solidarity with Haitians, Haitian-Americans, and all those who lost loved ones or have otherwise been affected by the tragedy. Commends and honors the efforts of the Israelis who worked on the ground in Haiti, the State of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the Israeli people for their contributions to earthquake relief in Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Medicare Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase criminal penalties for both felony and misdemeanor fraud under SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid). Adds a new offense of distribution of two or more Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary identification numbers or billing privileges with the intent to defraud. Applies civil monetary penalties to: (1) conspiracy to make false statements or commit other specified offenses with respect to Medicare or Medicaid claims; and (2) knowing creation or use of false records or statements with respect to the transmission of money or property to a federal health care program. Extends the statute of limitations from six to 10 years after presentation of a claim. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare), as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to revise screening requirements. Amends SSA title XI, as amended by PPACA, to require the access to claims and payment data granted to Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General to include access to real time claims and payment data. Requires the HHS Inspector General to implement mechanisms for the sharing of information about suspected fraud relating to the federal health care programs under Medicare, Medicaid, and SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP) with other appropriate law enforcement officials. Directs the HHS Secretary to carry out a five-year pilot program that implements biometric technology to ensure that individuals entitled to benefits under Medicare part A or enrolled under Medicare part B are physically present at the time and place of receipt of certain items and services for which payment may be made. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on Medicare administrative contractors, including Recovery Audit Contractors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Ponzi Scheme Investor Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 with respect to the duties of a trustee appointed for a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-registered broker or dealer undergoing liquidation. Instructs the trustee to take specified actions if the trustee determines that the debtor is a Ponzi scheme. Establishes procedures for an indirect Ponzi scheme investor to file a claim. Instructs the trustee to: (1) coordinate with Ponzi scheme investors to ensure proper payments to indirect Ponzi scheme investors; and (2) take specified actions to pay indirect Ponzi scheme investors. Prescribes the maximum aggregate amount of all cash and securities that may be awarded to each indirect Ponzi scheme investor. Prohibits the trustee of a Ponzi scheme from seeking to recover money and profits from any Ponzi scheme investor unless such investor's participation in the Ponzi scheme was either complicit or negligent. Requires the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to: (1) advance to the trustee such moneys as may be required to pay claims and implement this Act; and (2) promulgate regulations modifying SIPC Fund assessment levels to ensure they are adequate to cover the anticipated costs of implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Supports the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month, including raising public awareness about financial education. Recognizes the importance of managing personal finances, increasing personal savings, and reducing indebtedness in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2010
Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish: (1) the Home Star Retrofit Rebate Program to provide rebates to contractors to be passed through as discounts to homeowners who retrofit their homes to achieve energy savings; (2) a Federal Rebate Processing System to enable rebate aggregators to submit claims for reimbursement; and (3) a national retrofit website and public information campaign that provide information on the Program. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a network of rebate aggregators that can facilitate the delivery of rebates to reimburse participating contractors and vendors for discounts provided to homeowners for energy efficiency retrofit work; (2) ensure that rebate aggregation services are available to all homeowners at the lowest reasonable cost; and (3) develop guidelines for states to allow utilities participating as rebate aggregators to count the energy savings from their participation toward state-level energy saving targets. Sets forth eligibility criteria for, and responsibilities of, rebate aggregators. Establishes: (1) a Silver Star Home Energy Retrofit Program to award rebates during the first year after this Act's enactment to reimburse participating contractors and vendors for discounts provided to homeowners for retrofit work that installs specified energy saving measures, including air-sealing and insulation measures, duct seal or replacement, window or door replacement, heating or cooling system replacement, and water heater replacement; and (2) a Gold Star Home Energy Retrofit Program to award rebates to reimburse participating accredited contractors and vendors for retrofit work that achieves whole home energy savings. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) the amount of the rebates (up to $3,000 per home for Silver Star rebates or $8,000 per home for Gold Star rebates); and (2) the treatment of rebates for tax purposes (excluded from taxable income). Requires states that receive funding under this Act to submit to the Secretary plans to implement quality assurance programs that cover residential energy efficiency retrofit work sponsored or provided under this Act. Requires the Secretary to establish a Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program to make funds available to states to support financial assistance provided by qualified financing entities for qualifying energy saving measures under the Silver Star or Gold Star programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2010
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner; (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law; (3) a certified nurse-midwife; or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2010
Commends the University of Connecticut Huskies for their historic win in the 2010 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2010
Recognizes the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel as a place of refuge and national homeland for the Jewish people. Reaffirms bipartisan support for the alliance and friendship between the governments and peoples of the United States and Israel, for Israel's security and right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state, and for its right to defend itself. Commends the people of Israel for their achievements in the face of adversity. Extends congratulations and best wishes to the people of Israel as they celebrate the 62nd anniversary of Israel's independence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2010
Budget Enforcement Legislative Tool Act of 2010 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to propose, at any time and in any manner provided in this Act, the rescission of any discretionary budget authority in an appropriation Act. Prohibits funds made available for obligation under this procedure from being proposed for rescission again. Sets forth requirements for: (1) the President's transmittal to Congress of a special message regarding a proposed rescission; and (2) expedited consideration of such proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2010
Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to implement a Coastal Jobs Creation Grant Program which shall include: (1) cooperative research to collect and compile economic and social data related to recreational and commercial fisheries management: (2) establishment and implementation of state recreational fishing registry programs; (3) training and deploying observers authorized or required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; (4) preservation or restoration of coastal resources identified for their conservation, recreational, ecological, historic, or aesthetic values; (5) redevelopment of deteriorating and underutilized working waterfronts and ports; (6) research to develop, test, and deploy innovations and improvements in coastal and ocean observation technologies; (7) cooperative research to collect data to improve, supplement, or enhance fishery and marine mammal stock assessments; and (8) other specified activities. Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to enter into contracts with, or provide grants to, states for the purpose of establishing and implementing a registry program to meet the requirements for the exemption from registration of a regional standardized fishing vessel registration and information management system program for state licensed recreational fishermen and charter fishing vessels when the Secretary determines that information from the state program is suitable for the Secretary's use in completing marine recreational fisheries statistical surveys or evaluating the effects of proposed conservation and management measures for marine recreational fisheries.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2010
Expresses the sense of Congress that any Iranian government official at the level of deputy minister or higher or officer within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is presumptively ineligible for a U.S. travel visa.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2010
Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), upon request of a project owner with a rental supplement contract or a rental assistance program (RAP) contract, to convert such contract to a section 8 project-based assistance contract. Prohibits an owner of specified covered housing from selling such property before notifying the required parties and giving HUD an opportunity to purchase it. (Thus grants HUD the first right of refusal.) Prescribes requirements for: (1) preservation of HUD-owned and HUD-held buildings; (2) HUD authority to assign flexible subsidy loans; and (3) the use of existing section 8 funds to preserve and revitalize affordable housing. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to authorize the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) to securitize any Federal Housing Administration (FHA) risk-share multifamily loan under the same terms and conditions as if the loan were insured under the National Housing Act. Revises or prescribes requirements for: (1) restoring housing at risk of loss due to deterioration; (2) protecting residents in HUD assisted projects; (3) preserving troubled projects facing foreclosure; (4) providing incentives under the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997; and (5) establishing a publicly available preservation data base composed of each covered multifamily property. Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2010 - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 regarding project rental assistance for supportive housing for the elderly. Amends the American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000 with respect to project-based rental housing assistance programs and senior preservation rental assistance contracts Requires HUD to establish and operate a national senior housing clearinghouse. Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2010 - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a preservation program to provide financial incentives and other assistance to owners of Section 515 rural multifamily housing projects through long-term use agreements entered into between the project owners and the Secretary. (A Section 515 project is one involving housing and related facilities for elderly persons and families or other persons and families of low income.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2010
Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to select school food authorities to participate in a pilot program evaluating the use of plant-based alternate protein products and fluid milk substitutes under the school lunch and breakfast programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) deliver plant-based alternate protein products and fluid milk substitutes to such food authorities at no cost for the preparation of meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs; and (2) assess which of such foods would be best for more general use in the school lunch and breakfast programs, and deliver them for general use under such programs, within two years of this Acts' enactment. Requires the Secretary, within two years of this Act's enactment, to promulgate regulations that: (1) reflect specific recommendations for increased consumption of plant-based foods; and (2) provide for the distribution of supplemental commodity assistance or cash in lieu thereof to states and certain school food authorities that offer a plant-based entree on their daily lunch menus, for the purchase of entirely plant-based commodity food products or fluid milk substitutes. Requires schools participating in the school lunch program to serve a nondairy beverage that is nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meets certain nutritional standards to students who cannot consume fluid milk because of a disability or medical or other special dietary need. (Eliminates the requirement that students who cannot consume fluid milk due to a disability provide schools with a statement from a physician that identifies such disability and specifies the fluid milk substitute.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2010
American Job Creation and Investment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a corporation to elect in 2010 and 2011 to increase its alternative minimum tax (AMT) credits by a specified credit adjustment amount for purposes of increasing its U.S. workforce and making investments in business equipment. Allows a similar election for a taxable year which includes December 31, 2009, with certain restrictions. Terminates such additional credit allowance after December 31, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2010
Honors Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, on its 125th anniversary. Recognizes its unwavering commitment to liberal arts education. Expresses the House of Representatives' best wishes for its continued success.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2010
Recognizes the 150th anniversary of the birth of Will Keith Kellogg and his contributions to the citizens of the United States and the people of the world.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2010
Recognizes: (1) National Public Health Week; (2) the efforts of public health professionals, the federal government, states, municipalities, local communities, and every person in the United States in improving the health of the nation; and (3) the role of public health in preventing disease and promoting the health of people in the United States. Encourages: (1) efforts to increase access to clinical and community-based preventive services and to strengthen the nation's public health system; (2) community designers to take into consideration health implications of planning decisions and to build communities and transportation systems that enable all residents access to safe, affordable housing, nutritious foods, clean air and water, public transportation, safe sidewalks and streets, and health services; and (3) the people of the United States to learn about the role of public health in improving the nation's health.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2010
Shareholder Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require that any solicitation of a proxy, consent, or authorization with respect to any security of an issuer: (1) describe the specific nature and total amount of expenditures proposed for political activities for the forthcoming fiscal year; and (2) provide for a separate shareholder vote to authorize such proposed expenditures. Prohibits an issuer from making an expenditure for political activities in any fiscal year unless: (1) such expenditure is of the nature of those proposed by the issuer according to the requirements of this Act; and (2) authorization for such expenditure has been granted by votes representing a majority of outstanding shares. Deems a violation of this requirement to be a breach of the fiduciary duty of the officers and directors who authorized such expenditure. Subjects officers and directors who authorize the expenditure without prior shareholder authorization to joint and several liability to any shareholder or class of shareholders for the amount of such expenditure. Requires certain institutional investment managers to disclose annually in mandatory reports how they voted (proxies) in certain shareholder votes. Prohibits any person from bringing any civil, criminal, or administrative action against an institutional investment manager, or any of its employees, officers, or directors, based solely upon the investment manager's decision to divest from, or not to invest in, securities of an issuer because of expenditures for political activities made by that issuer. Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to direct the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to prohibit the listing of any equity security of an issuer whose corporate bylaws do not expressly provide for a vote of the issuer's directors on any individual expenditure for political activities in excess of $50,000. Requires an issuer to make public, within 48 hours, the individual votes of the directors regarding any such expenditure. Directs the SEC to: (1) require issuers to disclose expenditures for political activities made during the preceding quarter and the individual votes by board members authorizing such expenditures; and (2) make such reports publicly available through the SEC website. Requires the Comptroller General to make annual studies of: (1) the compliance by public corporations and their management with the requirements of this Act; and (2) the effectiveness of SEC oversight of its reporting and disclosure requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2010
Medicare Secondary Payer Enhancement Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to any settlement, judgment, award, or other payment between a Medicare claimant and an applicable plan involving a payment made for items and services by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prescribes requirements for a voluntary calculation and direct reimbursement by a Medicare claimant and an applicable plan to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund or the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund, as appropriate, of a conditional payment of Medicare secondary payer claims for settlement purposes. Grants the Secretary the right to contest the amount of any such reimbursement, and the right of the claimant and plan to request a final recovery demand for reimbursement. Declares that requirements to reimburse the appropriate Trust Fund for any payment made by the Secretary with respect to an item or service shall not apply with respect to any settlement, judgment, award, or other payment by an applicable plan: (1) constituting a total payment obligation to a claimant of not more than $5,000; or (2) involving the ongoing responsibility for other medical payments of not more than $5,000. Changes from mandatory to discretionary the current civil money penalty for failure of an applicable plan to submit certain information to the Secretary with respect to any claimant. Prescribes requirements for the creation of safe harbors from such sanctions. Directs the Secretary to modify reporting requirements for liability insurance (including self-insurance), no fault insurance, and workers' compensation laws and plans so that entities responsible for reporting information are not required to access or report to the Secretary beneficiary Social Security numbers or health identification numbers. Sets a statute of limitations with respect to the recovery of payments by the United States. Establishes $30 user fees, adjusted annually for inflation, for requests submitted to the Secretary for direct conditional payment reimbursement and for final demand of a conditional payment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
HUD Demonstration Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993 with respect to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) community development and affordable housing programs. Adds the National Urban League and the Housing Partnership Network to the list of entities eligible for HUD assistance to develop the capacity and ability of community development corporations and community housing development organizations to undertake community development and affordable housing projects and programs. Allows the use of such assistance in urban and rural areas. Directs the HUD Secretary, by notice, to require an entity, as a condition of eligibility for such assistance for a fiscal year, to submit a plan describing the manner in which the entity will use such assistance, including descriptions meeting specified requirements. (Thus replaces the requirement that the HUD Secretary establish necessary requirements to carry out the Act.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2010
Livable Communities Act of 2010 - Establishes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC). Establishes in the executive branch an independent Interagency Council on Sustainable Communities. Requires the OSHC Director to establish a program to make comprehensive planning grants and sustainability challenge grants to eligible entities (partnerships between a consortium of units of general local government and an eligible partner, which may be a metropolitan planning organization, a rural planning organization, a regional council, or a state). Requires the use of a comprehensive planning grant to carry out a project to: (1) coordinate land use, housing, transportation, and infrastructure planning processes across jurisdictions and agencies; (2) identify potential regional partnerships for developing and implementing a comprehensive regional plan; (3) conduct or update housing, infrastructure, transportation, energy, and environmental assessments to determine regional needs and promote sustainable development; (4) develop or update a comprehensive regional plan or goals and strategies to implement an existing comprehensive regional plan; and (5) implement local zoning and other code changes necessary to implement a comprehensive regional plan and promote sustainable development. Requires the use of a sustainability challenge grant to: (1) promote integrated transportation, housing, energy, and economic development activities carried out across policy and governmental jurisdictions; (2) promote sustainable and location-efficient development; and (3) implement projects identified in a comprehensive regional plan. Directs the OSHC Director to study and report to specified congressional committees on incentives for encouraging lenders to make, and homebuyers and homeowners to participate in, energy-efficient mortgages and location-efficient mortgages.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2010
Safe Affordable Small Dollar Loan Act of 2010 - Amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to require the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to make grants to community development financial institutions or to any related partnership in order to enable such institutions to establish a loan-loss reserve fund to defray the costs of a small dollar loan program. Requires a community development financial institution to provide non-federal matching funds equal to 50% of the amount of any grant received. Prohibits the use of such grants to make direct loans to consumers. Permits a community development financial institution to use such a grant to: (1) help recapture a portion or all of a defaulted loan made under its small dollar loan program; and (2) designate and utilize a fiscal agent for services the agent normally provides. Requires the Fund to make technical assistance grants to community development financial institutions to support and maintain a small dollar loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2010
National September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and make available for sale not more than 2 million silver national medals, containing one ounce of silver each, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and the establishment of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. Declares that all sales of medals under this Act shall include a surcharge of $10 per medal, which shall be paid to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center to support its operations and maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2010
Iran Human Rights Sanctions Act - Directs the President to impose visa entry and financial sanctions on a person determined to be complicit in human rights abuses committed against Iranian citizens or their family members on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran. Requires that: (1) the list of such persons required by this Act be made available to the public and posted on the Department of the Treasury and the Department of State websites; and (2) the President consider data obtained by other countries and nongovernmental organizations that monitor Iran's human rights abuses in preparing such list. Terminates sanctions upon presidential certification to Congress that: (1) the sanctioned persons have ceased complicity in human rights abuses; and (2) the government of Iran has released all political prisoners, ceased its killing and abuse of Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity and prosecuted those responsible, committed itself to free elections and respect for human rights, and ceased broadcast interference.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2010
Healthy Start Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to deliver commodity assistance to states for their school breakfast programs. (Currently, commodity assistance is delivered to states for their school lunch programs.) Sets forth the formula for determining the amount of such assistance to be provided to each state for its school breakfast program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2010
Corporate Politics Transparency Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require that quarterly and annual reports of an issuer, any proxy solicitation or consent or authorization in respect of any security, and the issuer's registration statement disclose total independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to any candidate for federal, state, or local public office made by the issuer during the preceding six-year period. Requires such disclosures to include: (1) the name and political party affiliation of each candidate in support of whom or in opposition to whom an independent expenditure was made; (2) the amount of each such expenditure; (3) the public office that such candidate was or is seeking; (4) the relevant state, city, or district; and (5) a statement of the issuer's interest in and reason for making such expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2010
Haitian Orphan Placement Effort Act or the HOPE Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand the humanitarian parole policy for certain Haitian orphans announced on January 18, 2010, so as to apply it on a case-by-case basis to children who were legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the government of Haiti before January 12, 2010. Authorizes the placement of Haitian children granted humanitarian parole into the United States in an unaccompanied refugee minor program if a suitable family member is not available to provide care.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Honors the bravery and dedication of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance supported urban search and rescue teams deployed to Haiti in the aftermath of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. Congratulates the 511 U.S. rescue workers for the lives they helped save. Recognizes the contribution of these teams not only in the lives that they directly saved, but to the international teams that they trained and to the people of Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Expresses support for the designation of National Limb Loss Awareness Month. Recognizes: (1) the nation's commitment to advancing health policies aimed at preventing limb loss, promoting awareness about the causes of limb loss, and expanding access to devices, care, and rehabilitation aimed at allowing people with limb loss to lead independent, productive lives; (2) the people in the United States living with limb loss; and (3) the health care professionals and medical researchers who provide assistance to those so afflicted and who continue to work to prevent limb loss and to improve follow-up care and rehabilitation outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Real Estate Revitalization Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to foreign investment in United States real property, to: (1) redefine "United States real property interest" to eliminate exclusions relating to interests in holding corporations; (2) treat distributions of real property interests by a real estate investment trusts (REIT) or a regulated investment company (RIC) as ordinary dividends; and (3) repeal the election allowed to foreign corporations to be treated as a domestic corporation for purposes of investment in a United States real property interest.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Shareholder Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit an issuer from making any expenditure for political activities in excess of $10,000 in any fiscal year without first obtaining the written affirmative authorization for such expenditure by a majority of all shareholders. Deems a violation of this requirement to be a breach of the fiduciary duty of the officers and directors who authorized such expenditure. Subjects to joint and several liability to any shareholder or class of shareholders for the amount of such expenditure the officers and directors who authorize it without prior shareholder authorization. Prohibits rules and guidelines established by any national securities exchange or by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from considering as a routine corporate matter a decision to make a contribution or expenditure for political activities in excess of $10,000. Exempts from the shareholder prior approval requirement an issuer whose sole business is the publication or broadcasting of news, commentary, literature, music, entertainment, artistic expression, scientific, historical or academic works, or other forms of information. Directs the SEC to require issuers to disclose quarterly any expenditure for political activities made during the preceding quarter. Requires such report to be filed with the SEC, provided to shareholders, and be made publicly available through the SEC website.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require certain campaign-related radio and television communications paid for by a corporation or labor organization to include a statement identifying the chief executive officer of the corporation or the president of the labor organization.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Prevent Foreign Influence in our Elections Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals in connection with a federal, state, or local election to domestic corporations (subsidiaries) with respect to which the percentage of outstanding shares controlled directly or indirectly by foreign principals is equal to or greater than 50%.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2010
Haiti Action Initiative and Tax Incentive Act of 2010 - Treats cash contributions made during January 2010 for the relief of earthquake victims in Haiti as having been made on December 31, 2009, for purposes of the tax deduction for charitable contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize continued use of 2009 Medicare practice expense relative value units for certain cardiology services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contract with an independent entity to study and report to Congress on the practice expense methodology used to determine relative value units under this Act to determine whether the cost finding, indirect cost allocation, scaling, and budget neutrality methodologies used: (1) are consistent with generally accepted accounting principles; (2) distribute the burden of any necessary budget neutrality adjustments proportionally among all physicians' services; and (3) result in allowances that accurately reflect the relative direct and indirect resources involved in the provision of various physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity when extending credit. Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; (2) "person" as a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association; and (3) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2009 or All-STAR Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to certain eligible entities and, through them, subgrants to successful public charter schools to allow such schools to expand or replicate to serve additional students. Lists, as eligible grantees, state and local educational agencies, authorized public chartering agencies, and tax-exempt organizations that have successfully supported the replication and expansion of such schools. Sets forth the attributes that are to give such entities grant priority, including their serving or planning to serve a large percentage of low-income students from public schools with low-graduation rates or schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Authorizes grantees to use up to 20% of a grant to establish a reserve account to assist them in acquiring and developing new facilities for successful public charter schools through: (1) credit enhancement initiatives; (2) the establishment of revolving loan funds; (3) direct spending or financing; or (4) partnerships with community development or other mission-based financial institutions. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent, comprehensive, and scientifically sound evaluation of the effect this Act's initiatives have on student achievement, but no sooner than three years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2009
Small Business Job Creation and Access to Capital Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act to increase maximum amounts of loans under the following Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs: (1) the section 7(a) (general small business loans) guaranteed loan program; (2) the section 504 (state and local development company) program; and (3) the Microloan (small-scale loans to start-up, newly-established, and growing small businesses) program. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend through 2010 SBA authority to reduce or eliminate loan fees on section 7(a) and 504 loans. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to apply single-business investment limits to SBA-recognized new markets venture capital companies. Directs the SBA Administrator to establish for prospective borrowers an alternative small business size standard that uses maximum tangible net worth and average net income as an alternative to the use of industry standards. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator should establish a website that: (1) lists SBA lenders and provides loan rate information; and (2) allows prospective borrowers to compare rates on SBA-guaranteed loans. Amends provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to the local development business loan program to allow a small business borrower under such program to refinance a previous business debt: (1) that was incurred no less than two years before application for the SBA loan; (2) that is a commercial loan; (3) that is not guaranteed by a federal agency; (4) the proceeds of which were used to acquire a fixed asset for the benefit of the small business; (5) that is collateralized by fixed assets; and (6) for which the borrower has been current on all payments for at least one year. Allows the Administrator to provide financing under such program for a borrower that meets certain job creation or retention goals. Provides an alternate job retention goal for which a borrower may qualify.
![Official portrait of Rep. Himes, James A. [D-CT-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001047_200.jpg)