United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a two-phased program to: (1) award funds for the manufacture, testing, and delivery of at least 20,000 electric drive U.S. Postal Service Long Life Vehicles or other road vehicles for local postal delivery; and (2) further the deployment of electric drive vehicles and the development of grid services using them, including Vehicle-to-Grid. Prescribes Phase I program requirements to direct the Secretary to award funds for the production and delivery of: (1) 2,000 all-electric trucks (including an additional number of Electric Vehicle Battery Packs) to the U.S. Postal Service; (2) 4,000 new electric U.S. Postal Service Long Life Vehicles, including 200 new Derivative Electric Vehicles, to replace existing U.S. Postal Service Long Life Vehicles; (3) 1,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrains and 2,000 all-electric powertrains for converting existing U.S. Postal Service Long Life Vehicles; and (4) 1,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to the U.S. Postal Service. Requires: (1) installation of 12,000 charging stations at U.S. Postal Service facilities; (2) the deployment of Smart Grid technologies, principally Vehicle-to-Grid; (3) activities to increase lithium ion battery repurposing and lithium ion battery recycling infrastructure; and (4) the development of standards and safety policies for the deployment of the Phase I vehicle test fleet. Establishes the Postal Service Sustainability Fund. Directs the Secretary, based on a Phase I performance report and on recommendations of the Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service, to select one or more recipients for the award of funds for Phase II of the program for the production and delivery of 10,000 electric postal delivery vehicles and 12,000 charging stations. Requires the Secretary to establish a public information clearinghouse for all data collected under this Act. Requires the Secretary to give priority in the awarding of funds for Phase I and Phase II to applicants that comply with Buy America Act requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to reduce the matching funds requirement for participants in the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (providing services to small and mid-sized manufacturers) from not less than 50% of the costs incurred for the first three years and an increasing share for each of the last three years to no more than 50% of the costs incurred by a participating Regional Center for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish criteria to determine a Center's cost share.
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
Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2009 - Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury, within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and other defined international financial institutions, to: (1) provide for debt cancellation of eligible low-income countries to such institutions and to the United States; (2) ensure that the provision of debt cancellation to such countries is not followed by a reduction in the provision of any other development assistance; and (3) encourage such countries' governments to allocate at least 20% of their national budgets towards poverty-alleviation programs. Directs the Secretary to begin efforts to: (1) promote greater transparency within such institutions; (2) establish a responsible lending framework; and (3) ensure that debt cancellation to eligible low-income governments is subject only to specified conditions. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to: (1) audit the debt portfolios of previous governments in countries such as South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo where there is significant evidence that onerous or illegal loans were made to the government; and (2) report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Social Investment and Economic Development for the Americas Act of 2010 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and working with governments and civil society in the Americas (the countries of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean), to provide assistance to reduce poverty, expand the middle class, and foster increased economic opportunity. Directs the Secretary of State to establish an advisory group to consider the feasibility of establishing a public-private Fund for Social and Economic Development in the Americas. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) assistance to Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico; (2) debt and equity financing for a Microfinance Growth Fund for the Americas; (3) the Fund for Social and Economic Development in the Americas; and (4) USAID for labor and environmental capacity building activities relating to the implementation of trade promotion agreements.
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
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs blind rehabilitation center in Long Beach, California, as the "Major Charles R. Soltes, Jr., O.D. Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Center."
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009 - Amends the the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to increase reimbursement rates for free, reduced price, and paid meals and snacks served under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at nonresidential child care centers and family or group day care homes. Allows such providers to be reimbursed for the service of three meals and a snack. (Currently, reimbursement is provided for two meals and a snack.) Lowers the percentage of children or school children in an area that must be eligible for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs to make family or group day care homes in the area eligible for higher CACFP reimbursement rates as tier I homes. Increases the maximum monthly administrative payment per home provided to sponsors of family or group day care homes. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to improve the ability of the CACFP to reach low-income families by streamlining program and paperwork requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP Act of 2009, or the CIR ASAP Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) (Secretary) to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a National Strategy for Border Security; (2) increase the number of Customs and Border Protection officers, agriculture specialists, and border security support personnel, and enhance related equipment, assets, and technology; (3) develop a comprehensive land and maritime border surveillance plan, including aerial and integrated surveillance demonstration programs; (4) issue a rule for electronic device searches and related agent training; (5) improve coordination efforts to combat human smuggling; (6) establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every Border Patrol sector at the southern and northern borders; (7) carry out a ports of entry technology demonstration program; and (8) establish a Southern Border Security Task Force. Authorizes appropriations for border security improvements at U.S. ports of entry. Authorizes border relief grants for tribal, state, or local law enforcement and related agencies in proximity to the border or in a designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Provides reimbursement for state and county prosecutors in border states for prosecuting federally initiated and referred drug cases. Suspends the Operation Streamline program pending an evaluation of its viability. Expands resources for Project Gunrunner and for Operation Armas Cruzadas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Establishes the United States-Mexico Border Enforcement Commission. Prohibits the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard, from assisting in non-emergency federal, state, local, and civilian law enforcement of immigration laws. Directs the Secretaries of DHS, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Commerce to develop: (1) a land border protection strategy; and (2) a borderlands environmental monitoring plan. Provides for: (1) enhanced border cooperation with Mexico; and (2) expansion of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs. Sets forth detention conditions. Directs the Secretary to appoint an Immigration Detention Commission. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) immigration enforcement protections; (2) unlawful detentions; (3) protections for vulnerable populations; (4) apprehension procedures for families and family detention; (5) welfare requirements for children separated from detained or removed parents; (6) unaccompanied alien children; and (7) female detainees. Provides a stay of removal and work authorization for detained alien workers who are witnesses or necessary for workplace prosecution claims. Eliminates, with specified exceptions, DHS authority to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies to perform immigration law enforcement functions. Establishes in DHS an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ombudsman. Eliminates the one-year asylun filing requirement. Provides for federal court review of DHS orders of removal currently exempt from such review. Establishes an alien employment verification system which requires employers to comply with: (1) document verification requirements; and (2) a phased-in electronic employment verification system. Sets forth backlog reduction provisions respecting family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant levels. Revises the definition of "immediate relative" to: (1) include the spouse and child of a lawful permanent resident; and (2) permit a qualifying widow/widower and the child or parent of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to maintain such status while filing for permanent resident status. Increases: (1) per-country limits for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrants; and (2) specified family-unity exceptions to unlawful presence-based inadmissibility. Prohibits the removal from the United States of an individual who: (1) fled his or her homeland while under the age of 12 years old; and (2) was later admitted to the United States as a refugee, parolee, or asylee. Exempts the sons and daughters of certain naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant visa limits. Makes a minor child of an alien fiancee/fiance or of an alien spouse of a U.S. citizen eligible for derivative K-visa status under specified circumstances. Redefines "child" to include a stepchild under 21 years old. Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) require determinations with respect to children to be made using the age and status of an individual on October 21, 1998; and (2) permit an application based upon child status to be filed by a parent or guardian if the child is present in the United States on such filing date. Permits new status adjustment applications to be filed for a limited time period. Reduces the required support level for immigrant sponsorship. Establishes the Prevent Unauthorized Migration Visa (PUM Visa) program which shall provide for: (1) 100,000 PUM conditional permanent resident visas annually, for three years, to persons from countries (transitional visa admission states) which represent at least 5% of the total unauthorized migration population to the United States for the past five years; and (2) a process to adjust to permanent resident status. Exempts specified categories of U.S.-educated aliens from employment-based immigration limits. Permits a nonimmigrant alien whose employer has petitioned for an employment-based green card for such alien to file an application for adjustment of status regardless of whether an immigrant visa is immediately available. (Requires visa availability before such application may be approved.) Return of Talent Act - Establishes the Return of Talent Program to permit an eligible alien (and certain family members) to return to the alien's country of citizenship for up to two years in order to contribute to such country's postconflict or natural disaster reconstruction activities. (During such absence the alien and family members shall be considered to be continuously present and residing in the United States for naturalization purposes.) Establishes a conditional nonimmigrant status for qualifying aliens and their dependents who are illegally present or out of status in the United States and who register and meet the requirements for such status. Authorizes: (1) adjustment from conditional to permanent resident status at the earlier of six years after enactment of this Act or 30 days after specified immigrant visas become available (with exceptions to such time frame for certain students, military personnel, and employed individuals); and (2) naturalization three years after permanent resident status adjustment. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009 or the AgJOBS Act of 2009 - Confers "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) during the 24-month period ending on December 31, 2008, has performed specified lengths of, or earned a specified amount from, agricultural employment in the United States; (2) applied for such status during the 18-month application period; (3) is otherwise admissible to the United States; and (4) has not been convicted of specified felonies or misdemeanors. Limits the number of blue cards that may be issued during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. Provides for adjustment of blue card status to permanent resident status based upon completed periods of agricultural employment. Revises H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Replaces the existing labor certification requirement with a labor attestation requirement containing: (1) a description of the nature and location of the job; (2) the job's expected beginning and ending dates; (3) the number of jobs; and (4) specified labor assurances respecting job opportunities covered by collective bargaining agreements and non-covered job opportunities. Establishes: (1) the Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets; and (2) the Security and Prosperity Account in the Treasury. Requires each State Workforce Agency (SWA) to establish an Internet-based American Worker Recruit and Match program. Requires employers and foreign labor contractors to provide workers recruited abroad with specified employment-related information. Amends H-1B visa (specialty occupation) employer application requirements to: (1) revise wage determination requirements; (2) require Internet posting and description of employment positions; (3) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection; (4) apply certain requirements to all H-1B employers rather than only to H-1B dependent employers; (5) prohibit employer advertising that makes a position available only to, or gives priority to, H-1B nonimmigrants; and (6) limit the number of H-1B and L-1 visa (intracompany transfer) employees that an employer of 50 or more workers in the United States may hire. Authorizes the Department of Labor (DOL) to: (1) investigate applications for fraud; and (2) conduct H-1B compliance audits. Prohibits an employer from hiring an L-1 nonimmigrant for more than one year who will: (1) serve in a capacity involving specialized knowledge; and (2) be stationed primarily at the worksite of another employer. Specifies L-1: (1) employer petition requirements for employment at a new office; (2) wage rates and working conditions; and (3) employer penalties. Authorizes: (1) DOL to enforce federal labor laws with respect to employers of H-2B nonagricultural temporary workers; and (2) a private right of action against such employers. Specifies employer actions to recruit U.S. workers prior to filing for H-2B admissions. Sets forth H-2B and U.S. worker protections. Amends EB-5 visa (alien investor) provisions to: (1) increase EB-5 eligibility; (2) make the regional center program permanent; (3) establish $2,500 regional center designation and premium processing fees; (4) permit concurrent filing for EB-5 petitions and status adjustment applications; (5) establish in the Treasury the Immigrant Entrepreneur Regional Center Account; and (6) increase employment creation-related visas. Revises provisions regarding: (1) immigration service fees; (2) the naturalization age-based English language proficiency exemption; and (3) citizenship application background checks. Establishes the New Americans Initiative grants program to to assist lawful permanent resident aliens to become citizens. Authorizes grants for: (1) public education and community training regarding the provisions of this Act; (2) community-based organizations to assist naturalization applicants (initial entry, adjustment, and citizenship assistance grants); and (3) states to form New American Councils. Provides for the naturalization of certain graduates of U.S. high schools who are under 25 years of age on the date of application for naturalization. Establishes: (1) a tax credit and a deduction for certification expenses for teachers of English language learners; and (2) a tax credit for employer-provided adult English literacy and basic education programs. Makes funds available for oath of allegiance ceremonies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to states and, through them, subgrants to schools to assist such schools in establishing universal free breakfast programs that provide all of their students with free breakfasts for at least three years under the school breakfast program. Requires students to be allowed to eat such breakfasts in the classroom after school starts. Limits subgrant eligibility to elementary or secondary schools in which at least 40% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the school lunch program. Directs state grantees to provide: (1) technical assistance to schools in implementing such programs; (2) targeted outreach to schools with the highest percentage of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the school lunch program; and (3) subgrant priority to schools in which 75% or more of the students are eligible for such lunches. Requires subgrantees to cover, from nonfederal sources, the costs of serving free breakfasts that exceed the assistance received under the school breakfast program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Recognizes the potential for a national fresh food financing initiative to: (1) provide a sustainable solution to the problem of limited access to healthy foods in underserved urban, suburban, and rural low-income communities; and (2) help reduce health disparities and improve the health of families and children, create jobs, and stimulate local economic development in low-income communities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the guidelines of the United States Preventive Services Task Force would not prohibit an insurer from providing coverage for mammography services in addition to those recommended by the Task Force and should not be used by insurers to deny coverage for services that are not recommended on a routine basis; and (2) the National Cancer Institute should continue to invest and provide leadership regarding research to develop more effective breast cancer screening tools and strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2009
Stand with the Iranian People Act - Directs the Secretary of State to deny issuance of a visa and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to deny U.S. admission to any government official of Iran who is credibly alleged to have ordered, acquiesced to, or participated in human rights abuses against the people of Iran. Authorizes the Secretary of State to waive such ban if in the U.S. national interest. Prohibits the head of an executive agency from entering into or renewing a contract for the procurement of goods or services with a person or entity that provides censorship or surveillance technology to the government of Iran. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to waive such prohibition if in the U.S. national interest. States that the establishment and carrying out of operations by U.S. nonprofit organizations in Iran for the direct provision of specified humanitarian and people-to-people assistance may not be prohibited or restricted. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to require such an organization to notify the Department of the Treasury up to 14 days in advance of commencing operations in Iran. Excludes from such provision an organization that provides services or conducts transactions with any organization or entity that appears on the Department of the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals List (a list of organizations and individuals that are restricted from doing business with the United States or U.S companies or individuals).
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.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or 20-year prison term on any person who: (1) knowingly provides or receives from another person two or more firearms if such person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such transfer would violate a federal, state, or local law punishable by a prison term of more than one year (i.e., a felony); (2) makes materially false statements to a licensed firearm importer, dealer, or manufacturer relating to the purchase, receipt, or acquisition of two or more firearms; or (3) directs, promotes, or facilitates such illegal activity. Increases penalties on licensed firearms importers, dealers, or manufacturers who knowingly violate firearms restrictions under the federal criminal code, including recordkeeping requirements. Expands the authority of the Attorney General to revoke or suspend the license of a firearms dealer for failure to have secure gun storage or safety devices, for transporting armor piercing ammunition, or for violating other federal prohibitions on gun trafficking. Requires the Attorney General to identify licensed firearms dealers who have a heightened risk of firearms being diverted to criminal use. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on firearms that are lost or stolen during commercial shipping. Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to hire additional personnel to enable inspections of gun dealers on a three-year cycle and requires the Director to hire additional investigators and special agents to address trafficking in firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
New Deal for a New Economy Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, from unobligated funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA), to make specified sums available for FY2010-FY2012 to the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, the Interior, and Agriculture. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to allocate, and each eligible local educational agency in the state to receive, funds in proportion to amounts received under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (2) a state to make and distribute the amount allocated to it within 90 days of receipt. Authorizes the use of funds to hire new employees, rehire employees laid off during the year prior to enactment, continue to employ employees scheduled to be laid off as a result of reduced budgets, and prevent furloughs scheduled as a result of reduced budgets. Directs: (1) the Attorney General to award grants to state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to hire, rehire, continue to employ, and prevent furloughs of police officers; (2) the Secretary of DHS, through the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, to award grants through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to hire, rehire, continue to employ, and prevent furloughs of firefighters; (3) the Secretary of Commerce to award grants to states, cities or other political subdivisions or a consortium of such subdivisions, or Indian tribes, to assist in maintaining basic government services; and (4) the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to fund specific public works projects in national parks and through the National Forest Service, respectively. Establishes in the Department of Labor a New Economy Grant Program, to provide grants for the creation of new jobs on specific public works projects. Limits funding under this Act's Departments of Labor, the Interior, and Agriculture programs to individuals who meet specified criteria. Bars displacement of existing employees. Sets forth requirements regarding the use of funds, the maximum employment period, wages, reporting, and expedited administration.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction for a specified percentage of the cost, including labor costs, of installing and maintaining mechanical insulation property. Defines "mechanical insulation property" as insulation materials, facings, and accessory products placed in service in connection with a mechanical system which is utilized for thermal, acoustical, and personnel safety requirements for mechanical piping and equipment, hot and cold applications, and heating, venting and air conditioning applications which can be used in a variety of facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Restoring America's Commitment to Consumers Act of 2009 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit the annual percentage rate (APR) applicable to an extension of credit on a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan from exceeding 16%. Includes in an APR any compensation fee (including a membership fee or an annual fee) for: (1) opening or maintaining the account; (2) granting an extension of credit; or (3) making available a line of credit. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to make adjustments to the maximum APR limitation; but creates the presumption that any increase by the Board to the maximum limitation is not in the public interest unless severe economic conditions justify the increase. Prohibits construction of this Act as an endorsement by Congress of a 16% APR. Declares the intention of Congress that: (1) such maximum APR limitation should merely serve as a ceiling on consumer credit cards and few, if any, consumer credit card accounts would ever bear the maximum rate; and (2) consumer credit card issuers should strive to maintain APRs most advantageous to borrowers. Treats as an unfair or deceptive act or practice a credit card account which, as of December 11, 2009, bears an APR that is less than 16%, and subsequently increases it between December 11, 2009, and 60 days after enactment of this Act. Imposes a $15 cap upon certain credit card account fees, including fees (such as late fees, overdraft fees, or over-the-limit transaction fees) for borrower default or breach of any condition upon which credit was extended.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Access to Meals and Snacks Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to reimburse private nonprofit and local government service institutions (other than public schools) under the school lunch program for up to one meal and one snack per child each day during after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays during the regular school calendar. (Currently, such institutions are reimbursed for meals and snacks served to children over the summer months or to children who are on vacation under a continuous school calendar.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
State Medicaid Assistance Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend for one year the period of temporary increase in the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Extends the entire recession adjustment period from December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2011. Requires the substitution for the FMAP for the first calendar quarter in FY2012 of the FMAP for either FY2008, FY2009, FY2010, or FY2011, as adjusted under ARRA, whichever is greatest, if the FY2012 FMAP is less than any of them.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretaries of the military departments, in conjunction with aircraft training and cargo missions, should maximize opportunities for space-available travel for members of the Armed Forces in a leave or pass status who are traveling between December 18, 2009, and January 3, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase and extend through 2015 the new energy efficient home tax credit; (2) increase the rate of the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; (3) increase to $5,000 the limit on the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property expenditures and extend such credit through 2015; (4) allow a $200 tax credit through 2011 for the cost of a home energy rating; and (5) allow a $500 tax credit for the cost of training and certifying home performance auditors to conduct home energy ratings.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Condemns any violence against innocent individuals regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or religious beliefs. Calls on the government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) to: (1) desist from further executions based on trials that violate human rights and due process standards; (2) allow international observers and the media to attend such trials; (3) provide a list of individuals detained in the aftermath of the July 2009 events in Xinjiang to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the public; and (4) cease all crackdowns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Calls on the President of the United States to: (1) state the strong U.S. opposition to these legally flawed trials and executions; (2) raise human rights concerns publicly and in all meetings with Chinese officials; (3) restate U.S. interest to open consulates in Lhasa, Tibet, and in Urumqi, Xinjiang; and (4) direct the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to automatically request permission from Chinese authorities for Embassy staff to observe trials if credible reasons exist that such trials may not meet human rights and legal standards.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Authorizes the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate the formation of the Peace Corps and to honor the ideals upon which it was founded. Prohibits the use of federal funds to pay any expense to establish the commemorative work.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2009 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make competitive grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for green infrastructure. Defines "green infrastructure" as a stormwater management technique that preserves, restores, enhances, or mimics natural hydrology. Establishes the duties of each center, including: (1) researching green infrastructure; (2) developing manuals and setting industry standards on best management practices relating to state, local, and commercial green infrastructure; (3) providing information about its research and manuals to the national electronic clearinghouse center; (4) providing technical assistance and training on green infrastructure; and (5) evaluating regulatory and policy issues about green infrastructure. Requires one of the centers to be designated as the national electronic clearinghouse center, which shall, in addition to its other duties, operate a website and a public database on green infrastructure. Requires the Administrator to make competitive grants to eligible entities that manage stormwater, water resources, or waste water resources to: (1) plan and design and install green infrastructure projects; (2) develop standards and revisions to local zoning, building, or other local codes necessary to accommodate such projects; (3) develop fee structures to provide financial support for green infrastructure; (4) develop training and educational materials about green infrastructure; (5) develop and implement a green infrastructure portfolio standard program; (6) monitor and evaluate the environmental, economic, or social benefits of green infrastructure; and (7) implement a best practices standard for a green infrastructure program. Requires the Administrator to give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged; or (2) an eligible entity that will use 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish within EPA's Office of Water a green infrastructure program to coordinate and promote the use of green infrastructure and to integrate green infrastructure into the permitting programs; (2) direct each EPA regional office to develop a program to promote and integrate the use of green infrastructure within the region; (3) create a green infrastructure compliance assistance center; and (4) establish measurable goals, to be known as the green infrastructure portfolio standard, to increase the percentage of annual water managed by eligible entities that uses green infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Gold Star Mothers National Monument Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundation to establish a monument in the District of Columbia area, as a unit of the National Park System, to be known as the Gold Star Mothers National Monument.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish the Endocrine Disruption Prevention Program, under which the Director shall: (1) conduct and support multidisciplinary research to improve the understanding of endocrine disruption; and (2) conduct workshops and fora on health effects associated with environmental agents that may affect the endocrine system. Requires the Director to establish an Endocrine Disruption Program Panel, which shall: (1) provide advice to the Director on the conduct and support of research; (2) evaluate existing population-level biomonitoring and biobanking surveillance and research programs and recommend changes needed to develop data on human exposures and effects to support the Program; and (3) develop a list of chemicals of concern for endocrine disruption effects and make findings with respect to such chemicals. Authorizes individuals to petition the Panel to determine whether a chemical should be listed or to revise a finding or determination based on new information. Requires the Director, if the Panel finds that data are sufficient to determine that there is at least a minimal level of concern associated with a chemical's potential to disrupt the human endocrine system, to transmit the finding, including the routes and sources of exposure to the chemical, to each federal agency with authority to regulate the chemical. Requires each federal agency that receives such a transmission: (1) to reply to the Director describing the agency's regulatory authority, past actions in connection with the chemical, and proposed action to protect human health from the potential endocrine disruption effects of exposure to the chemical; and (2) within one year, to report on the actions taken and future actions proposed by the Agency in response to the Panel's finding. Requires the Director to establish a program to support graduate and postdoctoral training in fields related to the prevention of endocrine disruption.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of specified vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities of Iraq; (2) the U.S. government and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) should urge the government of Iraq to enhance security at places of worship in Iraq, particularly where religious minorities are known to be at risk; Urges the U.S. government to continue to work with the government of Iraq to: (1) train and deploy into the Iraqi police and security forces members of vulnerable minority communities in Iraq; and (2) ensure that members of such communities suffer no discrimination in recruitment, employment, or advancement in such forces, and be assigned to their locations of origin, rather than transferred to other areas. Urges the government of Iraq, with U.S. government assistance, to: (1) ensure that the upcoming national elections in Iraq are safe, fair, and free of intimidation and violence so that all Iraqis, including religious minorities, can participate in them; and (2) permit and facilitate election monitoring by experts from local and international nongovernmental organizations, the international community, and the United Nations, particularly in minority areas. Encourages the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to work towards a peaceful and timely resolution of disputes over territories. Encourages the U.S. government and UNAMI to urge the government of Iraq to work with minority communities and their representatives to develop measures to implement article 125 of the Iraq Constitution. Urges the government of Iraq to take affirmative measures to reverse the legal, political, and economic marginalization of religious minorities in Iraq. Urges the U.S. government to: (1) direct assistance to projects that develop the ability of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq to organize themselves civically and politically to effectively convey their concerns to government; and (2) continue to fund capacity-building programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights (IMHR), the independent national Human Rights Commission, and a new independent minorities committee whose membership is selected by minority communities of Iraq. Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) direct the IMHR to investigate and report on abuses against and the marginalization of minority communities in Iraq, making recommendations to address such abuses; and (2) help ensure that displaced Iraqis considering return to Iraq have the proper information needed to make informed decisions regarding such return. Urges the U.S. government and international organizations to continue to work with the government of Iraq to develop the legal framework necessary to address property disputes resulting when displaced Iraqis attempt to return to their homes in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Women's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. Requires each such center to: (1) conduct basic or clinical research; (2) develop protocols and conduct training programs for physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health and allied health professionals; (3) disseminate information to such professionals and the public; and (4) emphasize activities that are directed toward preventing the development in women of the diseases and conditions involved. Allows a center to use funds to provide stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in training programs. Requires each center to establish and maintain ongoing collaborations with community organizations in the geographic area served by the center, including organizations that represent women or children with disorders that appear to stem from environmental factors. Requires the Director to provide for the coordination of information among centers and ensure regular communication between them. Directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to hold a hearing on the Director's implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Feed All Struggling Americans Act of 2009 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to exclude from household income for food stamp eligibility purposes any unemployment benefits received for a continuous period exceeding 26 weeks.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Environmental Hormone Disruption Research Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a comprehensive program to: (1) research the health effects on women and children that may result through disruption of the hormone systems; (2) carry out research, development, and demonstrations on technologies to mitigate the occurrence of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the environment and their unintended effects on ecological and wildlife health, in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS); and (3) coordinate U.S. research on hormone disruption with research conducted in other nations. Requires the program to provide for: (1) the collection and dissemination of scientifically valid information on human health effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants, the extent of human exposure to such pollutants, and the exposure of wildlife species to such pollutants and possible associated health effects; and (2) research on mechanisms by which such pollutants interact with biological systems, testing for hormone disruption, and the identity and fate of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the environment. Directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to hold a hearing on program implementation. Gives the Director principal responsibility for conducting and coordinating research on the unintended effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants on human health and the environment. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission. Establishes a Hormone Disruption Research Panel to make recommendations on the design and implementation of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Smoke-Free Federal Workplace Act - Prohibits smoking in federal buildings. Defines "federal building" to: (1) include any building, any area within 25 feet of such building, any courtyard, any areas used for children's playgrounds, or any structure owned, leased, or leased for use by a federal agency; and (2) exclude any building or other structure on a military installation, any health care facility under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), or any area of a building that is used primarily as living quarters. Requires the head of each executive agency, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the House Office Building Commission and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the Architect of the Capitol to: (1) take such actions as necessary to institute and enforce the prohibition as it applies to all federal buildings; and (2) implement an enforcement process to impose a fine on an individual who fails to comply with the prohibition ($250 fine for a first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $1,000 for any subsequent offense). Permits a state or local government or a federal agency, including a military installation or VA facility, to implement more protective smoke-free or tobacco-free laws.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Hunger Free Schools Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to make performance awards to states that demonstrate outstanding performance or show substantial improvement in directly certifying as eligible for free meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs any children whose families are eligible for supplemental nutrition assistance under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. (Direct certification eliminates the need for such families to submit applications for participation in the school lunch and breakfast programs.) Requires each state that directly certifies less than 95% of their children who are eligible for direct certification to implement: (1) a corrective action plan for the current school year; and (2) a direct certification improvement plan, approved by the Secretary, for the following school year. Requires direct certification of children who are members of a household that includes a child: (1) who is eligible for and receiving assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) or title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP]) of the Social Security Act; and (2) whose income does not exceed 133% of the federal poverty level. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states to assist them in implementing such certification program. Allows local educational agencies (LEAs) to directly certify children whose household is eligible for a supplemental subsistence allowance for low-income members of the Armed Forces with dependents. Permits schools and LEAs to receive special assistance payments for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs that are based not on applications for such meals, but on: (1) estimates, made from recent socioeconomic data, of the number of children eligible for such meals; or (2) if the school or LEA is from a high poverty area, the direct certification of a specified minimum percentage of their students as eligible for free meals due to their eligibility for certain other public assistance. Requires such schools and LEAs to provide free meals to all their students under the school lunch and breakfast programs and cover, from nonfederal sources, the costs of serving such meals that exceed the assistance received under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
FVPSA Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Revises requirements for and reauthorizes the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act at increased levels for FY2010-FY2014. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish grant programs for: (1) specialized services for abused parents and their children; (2) domestic violence prevention enhancement and leadership through alliances; and (3) enhancement of culturally competent services for adult and youth victims of domestic violence from racial and ethnic minority groups.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers of such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2009 - Provides that if a veteran claimant submits evidence in support of a case for which a substantive appeal has been filed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, such evidence shall be submitted directly to the Board and not to a regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), unless the claimant requests that the evidence first be reviewed by the regional office. Empowers the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to affirm, modify, reverse, remand, or vacate and remand a decision of the Board after deciding all relevant assignments of error raised on appeal. Provides that whenever the Court reverses a decision on the merits of a particular claim and orders an award of benefits, the Court need not decide any additional assignments of error relating to that claim. Establishes the Veterans Judicial Review Commission to evaluate and make specific decisions to improve the administrative and judicial appellate review processes of veterans' and survivors' benefits determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) require states receiving Edward Byrne Memorial justice assistance grants to certify the implementation of a policy for requiring all rape kits (DNA evidence relating to sexual assault) to be sent to crime laboratories for forensic analysis: (2) adjust the amount of such grants based upon compliance and noncompliance with rape kit backlog reduction requirements under this Act; (3) eliminate rape kit repayment requirements for sexual assault victims; and (4) provide for sexual assault forensic medical personnel examiners to collect and preserve evidence, provide expert testimony, and provide treatment of trauma relating to sexual assault. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to: (1) authorize funding to eliminate rape kit backlogs and ensure that DNA analyses of samples from rape kits are carried out in a timely manner; and (2) require states and local governments to adopt performance measures for reducing rape kit backlogs. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners and trained examiners at all Indian Health Service facilities operated under contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Conflict Minerals Trade Act - States that it is U.S. policy to promote peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by supporting efforts of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, other governments in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and the international community to: (1) stop commercial activities involving the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that contribute to armed groups and human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and (2) develop stronger governance and economic institutions to improve transparency in the cross-border trade of natural resources in order to reduce exploitation by armed groups and promote local and regional development. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) produce a Congo Conflict Minerals Map of mineral-rich zones and areas under the control of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and (2) submit a related report to the appropriate congressional committees. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce to provide guidance to commercial entities seeking to exercise due diligence to ensure that conflict minerals used in their products do not finance armed conflict, result in labor or human rights violations, or damage the environment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit a strategy to the appropriate congressional committees addressing linkages between human rights abuses, armed groups, and the mining of conflict minerals; (2) ensure that the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices relating to the Democratic Republic of the Congo or countries that share a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo include a description of instances where the extraction and cross-border trade in conflict minerals has negatively affected human rights conditions; and (3) include in the annual report to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Investment Committee a description of efforts to ensure that enterprises under U.S. jurisdiction are exercising diligence to ensure that their purchases of minerals or metals are not originating from mines and trading routes that are used to finance armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) should expand programs to assist communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo whose livelihoods depend on the mineral trade. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to annually publish in the Federal Register a list of articles specified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States that should be identified as likely containing conflict minerals. Requires importers of articles specified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States that are included on the potential conflict goods list to certify on the importer's Customs declaration that such articles contain conflict minerals or are conflict mineral free. Sets forth: (1) penalties relating to the introduction of goods that contain conflict minerals into the United States; and (2) events that must prior to the expiration of this Act's provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Retirement Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends pension plan provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require plans to include certain part-time employees who are not highly compensated in meeting minimum coverage requirements; and (2) determine non-discrimination compliance by considering only vested pension plan benefits and contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Increasing Access to Voluntary Screening for HIV/AIDS and STIs Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to: (1) allow a higher payment to states for routine HIV/AIDS and STI (sexually transmitted infections recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]) screening services; and (2) require coverage of low-income HIV/AIDS infected individuals. Directs the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to adopt a broad policy for voluntary HIV/AIDS and STI screening for all Medicare beneficiaries who are 13 years of age or older. Authorizes the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to federally qualified health centers to provide voluntary HIV/AIDS and STI screening. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require group and individual health plans to provide routine HIV/AIDS and STI screening. Requires the Director of the CDC to: (1) track national HIV/AIDS and STI screening trends and the burdens of HIV/AIDS and STIs among people with disabilities; (2) make sex education materials that promote voluntary screening for HIV/AIDS and STIs accessible to the deaf and hearing loss community and to people with intellectual disabilities; (3) ensure that national screening guidelines for cervical cancer state that women who have sex with women should have the same guidelines as women who have sex only with men; and (4) improve information collection concerning the transmission, morbidity, and screening for HIV/AIDS and STIs in transgender communities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Share the Sacrifice Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a temporary income-based surtax beginning after 2010 on the net income tax liability of individual taxpayers, trusts, estates, and corporations to cover federal expenditures for the war in Afghanistan. Exempts members of the Armed Forces who have received combat zone compensation, family members of such members who received a death gratuity on or after September 11, 2001, and taxpayers whose adjusted gross income does not exceed $30,000. Authorizes the President to delay the implementation of such tax for up to one year if the President determines that the U.S. economy is too weak to absorb it.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) aviators who were shot down over or otherwise forced to land in hostile territory yet evaded enemy capture, or were captured but subsequently escaped to return to their units and resume their service to the United States, should be recognized for their extraordinary service; and (2) the Secretaries of the military departments should consider these aviators for appropriate recognition within their branch of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Recognizes the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the U.N. General Assembly of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. Encourages member states of the United Nations and international organizations to devote additional resources to prosecute persons engaged in human trafficking and to dismantle related criminal enterprises. Commends the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation for preserving the legacy of Frederick Douglass by continuing his struggle for freedom for all persons and seeking to abolish all forms of modern-day slavery and trafficking in persons. Encourages the people of the United States to observe the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery by participating in activities designed to heighten public awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking and commends the example of children engaged in such projects at the following schools: Brentwood School of Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas Area School of Las Vegas, Nevada; North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School of Chicago, Illinois; Booker T. Washington High School of Atlanta, Georgia; Roosevelt Middle School of New Bedford, Massachusetts; New Era Academy of Baltimore, Maryland; Edmund Burke School of Washington, DC; Frederick Douglass Academy IV and the United Nations International School of New York, New York; and Wilson Foundation Academy of Rochester, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2009
Low Income Housing Tax Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low income housing tax credit, to increase the offset of such credit against regular income tax liability and permit a five-year carryback of credit amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2009
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Diabetes Month; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of diabetes, developing better treatments, and working toward an eventual cure for type I and type II diabetes through increased research, treatment, and prevention. Recognizes the importance of early detection of diabetes and awareness of the symptoms of diabetes and risk factors for type II diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2009
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Memory Screening Day, including the development of a national health policy on dementia screening and care. Encourages people with memory concerns to have annual memory screenings at National Memory Screening Day sites or by other qualified health care professionals. Congratulates organizations representing individuals with memory problems, caregivers, and health care professionals for their commitment to improve the quality of life of individuals confronting dementia by providing optimal care and services.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2009
Expresses solidarity with all people affected by Hurricane Ida. Commends the efforts of the people of El Salvador and Central America and the countries of Central America in providing relief to El Salvador. Urges the President to continue to provide the necessary funding to help mitigate the effects of the recent natural disasters in El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2009
Honors women who have served and are currently serving as members of the Armed Forces. Commends female members serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere while protecting the United States and fighting terrorism. Recognizes that female members are making history every day as they fight beside male members and are an integral and invaluable part of the Armed Forces. Urges the Secretary of Defense to ensure that female members receive adequate combat training to prepare them for the nature of current wars and their role in those wars. Recognizes that the United States must continue to encourage and support female members as they fight for and defend the United States.
![Official portrait of Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/117_rp_ma_2_mcgovern_james_200.jpg)