United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2010
Local Jobs for America Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor, to provide for the allotment of funds to states, local government units, and community-based organizations to save and create local jobs through the retention, restoration, or expansion of services needed by local communities. Makes appropriations for this program. Prohibits the hiring of an individual for a position funded under this Act if: (1) it results in the layoff or partial displacement of an existing employee of a unit or organization, or (2) such individual will perform the same or substantially similar work that was performed by the previous employee of the unit or organization. Makes appropriations to: (1) the Department of Education for an Education Jobs Fund, (2) the Department of Justice for community oriented policing services, (3) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for firefighter assistance grants, and (4) the Department of Labor for ETA for on-the-job training and employment services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2010
Honors the Centennial Celebration of Women at Marquette University. Commends the school, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for continuing to fulfill its Catholic, Jesuit mission of offering premier higher educational opportunities to all students who have a desire to learn.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2010
Supports the goals of World TB Day to raise awareness about tuberculosis. Commends the progress made by anti-tuberculosis programs, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to global tuberculosis control through the Lantos-Hyde U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2010
Public Option Act or the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act - Amends part A of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize an option for any citizen or permanent resident of the United States to buy into Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2010
Aviation Jobs Outsourcing Prevention Act - Requires a domestic or a foreign air carrier to file with the Secretary of Transportation any agreement, a request to discuss cooperative arrangements, or a modification or cancellation of an agreement between the domestic or foreign air carrier and another air carrier, a foreign carrier, or another carrier. Requires the Secretary to disapprove or, after periodic review, end approval of, an agreement, a request to discuss cooperative arrangements, or a modification that provides for or permits the sharing or pooling of revenue or profits between participating carriers earned in covered operations, unless the Secretary finds that each participating air carrier's share of the pooled revenue or pooled profits (whichever is greater) contributed by covered operations in any consecutive 12-month period does not exceed 130% of the participating carrier's share of pooled available seat miles (ASMs) in covered operations during the period.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Withdraws Congress' approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Directs the President to provide written notice of the withdrawal to the governments of Canada and Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to expand the duties of the Great Lakes Program Office by requiring the Office to: (1) provide support for Great Lakes governance and management; and (2) coordinate with the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Leadership Council to establish policy, goals, and priorities with respect to Great Lakes protection and restoration, determine a process for participating in international forums, and provide annual input regarding federal budget priorities and levels for Great Lakes protection and restoration; (2) the Great Lakes Management Committee within the Council to report to and provide direction for the Council, monitor and assist implementation activities relating to Great Lakes management, and engage in problem solving regarding Great Lakes management; and (3) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report annually to Congress on budgets and restoration activities relating to EPA's organizational elements involved in Great Lakes activities and EPA's reasons for approving or disapproving the Council's recommendations. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern in the Great Lakes; and (2) the Great Lakes Program. Requires EPA, in coordination with federal partners, to implement a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative which will: (1) identify and support programs to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem; (2) be based on the work of the Task Force and the Council's stakeholders and nongovernmental partners; and (3) represent the government's commitment to significantly advance Great Lakes protection and restoration. Prohibits funding made available to implement the Initiative from being used for water infrastructure activity that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Requires federal agencies to: (1) maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities; and (2) identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Health Insurance Rate Authority Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a uniform process for the review of potentially unreasonable increases in rates for health insurance coverage, including premiums. Directs the Secretary to establish a Health Insurance Rate Authority to advise and make recommendations to the Secretary. Sets forth corrective actions for unreasonable increases in rates. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or other appropriate body will provide to the Secretary and the Authority a report on: (1) state authority to review rates and take corrective action; (2) rating requests received by a state and actions taken; (3) justifications by insurance issuers for rate requests; and (4) a recommended definition of unreasonable rate increase. Requires the Secretary to determine for which states: (1) the state insurance commissioner will review rate increases and take corrective action; and (2) the Secretary will undertake such actions based on the Secretary's determination that such states lack sufficient authority and capability. Directs the Secretary to develop a uniform data collection system for new and increased rate information. Requires the Authority to produce annually a single, aggregate report on insurance market behavior. Directs states, as a condition of receiving a grant under this Act, to provide the Secretary with information about trends in rate increases in health insurance coverage in premium rating areas in the state. Requires the Secretary to carry out a program to award grants to states to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to enforce this Act if a state does not substantially enforce its provisions. Establishes civil penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Commends the progress made by anti-tuberculosis programs, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to global tuberculosis control through the Lantos-Hyde U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
Meat Contamination Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to permit an entity that purchases carcasses, carcass parts, meat, or meat food products that have been inspected and found to be unadulterated to perform or cause to be performed at the entity's expense a further examination to ensure that the products remain unadulterated. Prohibits a person, firm, or corporation from preventing (by contract or any other means) such further examination. Subjects a violator of such prohibition to imprisonment and/or fine. Makes similar amendments to the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2010 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to Medicare part D prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors and MedicareAdvantage (MA) organizations for covered part D drugs for part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a PDP or under an MA-Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2010
Active Community Transportation Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out an active transportation investment program to encourage a mode shift to active transportation within selected communities that have development plans that provide safe and convenient opportunities to travel by bicycling and walking. Requires the Secretary to make grants to communities through local or regional governmental organizations, multi-county special districts, or Indian tribes to carry out active transportation (bicycling and walking) infrastructure projects that connect people with public transportation, workplaces, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community activity centers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2010
Farm to School Improvements Act of 2010 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide competitive matching grants to schools, nonprofit organizations, and other able entities for farm to school programs that improve the access of school lunch and breakfast program participants to local foods. Provides that each grant may include an implementation grant, training and technical assistance grant, and planning grant. Requires farm to school programs to be designed to: (1) improve the nutritional health and well being of children; (2) procure healthy local foods from small and medium-sized farms; (3) support experiential nutrition education by involving school children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities; (4) commit public and private community stakeholders to the sustained success of such programs; and (5) increase farmers' income by facilitating their access to institutional markets. Directs the Secretary to provide grant recipients with technical assistance that includes sharing information, best practices, research, and data on existing farm to school programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2010
Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2010 - Requires any and all individuals or business entities, including physicians, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufactures, and insurance entities, that offer or furnish health care related items, products, services, or procedures for sale to the public to publicly disclose, on a continuous basis, all prices for such items, products, services, or procedures. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) investigate any individuals or business entities that fail to comply with the requirements of this Act; and (2) impose civil fines, or other civil penalties, as appropriate.
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
Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces (military spouse) who moves with such member to another state under a permanent change of station order a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified relicensing costs incurred by such spouse. Defines "qualified relicensing costs" as costs for a state license or certification to engage in the profession that such military spouse engaged in while residing in the former state.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2010
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. Reaffirms the nation's commitment to combating multiple sclerosis by promoting awareness about its causes and risks, promoting new education programs, supporting research, and expanding access to medical treatment. Recognizes people living with multiple sclerosis and salutes the health care professionals and medical researchers who assist those so afflicted and continue to work to find cures and improve treatments.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2010
Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2010 - Amends federal bankruptcy law governing expenses and claims to increase to $20,000: (1) allowed unsecured claims in the fourth order of priority (wages, salaries, or commissions); and (2) the factor multiplied by the number of employees covered with respect to employee benefit plan contributions in the fifth order of priority. Includes within the scope of a claim in bankruptcy certain equity securities held in a defined contribution plan for the benefit of certain individuals, but only if an employer or plan sponsor who has commenced a case in bankruptcy has committed fraud regarding the plan or has otherwise breached a duty to the participant that has proximately caused the loss of value. Allows as an administrative expense: (1) severance pay owed to certain employees of the debtor for layoff or termination (which pay shall be deemed earned in full); and (2) damages as a result of violation of law by the debtor. Includes among prerequisites for confirmation of a business reorganization bankruptcy plan (Chapter 11) provision for: (1) recovery of damages payable for the rejection of a collective bargaining agreement, or other financial returns as negotiated by the debtor and the authorized representative; (2) continued payment of retiree benefits maintained or established by the debtor before the petition filing date if no modifications are made before confirmation of the plan; and (3) recovery of claims arising from the modification of retiree benefits or for certain financial returns, as negotiated by the debtor and the authorized representative. Revises requirements governing: (1) rejection of collective bargaining agreements; (2) payment of insurance benefits to retired employees, including benefit modifications proposed by the trustee; and (3) a trustee's administrative power to dispose of property. Requires the court, in approving a sale of business assets, to consider the extent to which a bidder has offered to maintain existing jobs, preserve terms and conditions of employment, and assume or match pension and retiree health benefit obligations in determining whether an offer constitutes the highest or best offer for such property. Requires the bankruptcy court to allow certain claims asserted by an active or retired participant, or by a labor organization representing such participant, for any shortfall in pension benefits accrued as a result of the termination of the plan and limitations upon the payment of certain statutory benefits. States that, if employees have not received wages and benefits for services rendered on and after the date of the commencement of the case in bankruptcy, such unpaid obligations shall be deemed necessary costs and expenses of preserving, or disposing of, property securing an allowed secured claim and shall be recovered even if the trustee has otherwise waived certain provisions under an agreement with the holder of the allowed secured claim. Allows reduction of a debtor's time frame for filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan in the event of: (1) the filing of a motion seeking rejection of a collective bargaining agreement if a plan based upon an alternative proposal by the labor organization is reasonably likely to be confirmed within a reasonable time; or (2) the proposed filing of a plan by a proponent other than the debtor, which incorporates the terms of a settlement with a labor organization, if such plan is reasonably likely to be confirmed within a reasonable time. Modifies requirements for confirmation of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan to prohibit approval of: (1) payments or other distributions for the benefit of insiders, senior executive officers, and certain highly compensated employees or consultants providing services to the debtor, except as part of those generally applicable to the debtor's employees if the court determines that such payments are not excessive or disproportionate compared to distributions to the debtor's nonmanagement workforce; and (2) insider compensation unless approved by the court as reasonable according to specified criteria. Restricts: (1) certain executive compensation enhancements as part of the allowance of administrative expenses; (2) trustee assumption of certain deferred compensation arrangements for the benefit of insiders, senior executive officers, or certain highly compensated employees of the debtor; and (3) trustee assumption of retiree benefits for insiders, senior executive officers, or certain highly compensated employees of the debtor if the debtor has obtained relief to impose reductions in retiree benefits, or health benefits of active employees of the debtor, or has reduced or eliminated health benefits for active or retired employees within 180 days before the date of the commencement of the case. Requires the court, where a debtor has obtained relief by which it reduces the cost of its obligations under a collective bargaining agreement or a retiree plan, fund, or program of retiree benefits, to determine before granting relief the percentage diminution in the value of the obligations when compared to the debtor's obligations under the collective bargaining agreement, or with respect to retiree benefits. Authorizes the trustee in bankruptcy to avoid a transfer made in anticipation of bankruptcy to or for the benefit of an insider, including certain consultants who were formerly insiders and who are retained to provide services to an entity that becomes a debtor. Grants a labor organization creditor status for purposes of filing a proof of claim. Declares that the filing of a petition for relief does not operate as an automatic stay of the commencement or continuation of a dispute resolution proceeding established by a collective bargaining agreement that was or could have been commenced against the debtor before the filing of a petition, including payment or enforcement of an award or settlement under such proceeding.
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
Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act - Prohibits the President from: (1) regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents or any transactions incident to such travel; and (2) restricting direct transfers from a Cuban financial institution to a U.S. financial institution executed in payment for a product authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. States that: (1) any regulation restricting or prohibiting such Cuban travel shall have no effect; and (2) such prohibition shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents. Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to define "payment of cash in advance" as the payment by the purchaser of an agricultural commodity or product and the receipt of such payment by the seller prior to: (1) the transfer of title of such commodity or product to the purchaser; and (2) the release of control of such commodity or product to the purchaser.
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. Authorizes the President to: (1) not apply such sanctions in order to permit U.S. compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations and other international agreements; and (2) waive such sanctions if in the U.S. national interest. Terminates sanctions upon presidential certification to Congress that the government of Iran has: (1) released all political prisoners; (2) ceased its practices of violence and abuse of Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity; and (3) conducted a transparent investigation into the killings and abuse of peaceful political activists in Iran and prosecuted those individuals responsible.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2010
Stop Outsourcing Security Act - Directs the Secretary of State to ensure that only government personnel provide security services at U.S. diplomatic or consular missions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Requires the President to report to Congress, by June 1, 2010, on the status of planning for the use, by January 1, 2011, of government and military personnel instead of private contractors for mission critical or emergency essential functions in all conflict zones where Congress has authorized the use of force. Directs any individual or entity under contract with the federal government to provide mission critical or emergency essential functions after such date to allow Congress to examine their accounting practices. Outlines additional requirements relating to renewals of such contracts. Authorizes specified congressional access to contracts and task orders in excess of $5 million entered into by the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State, the Department of the Interior, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during the period beginning October 1, 2001, and ending on the last day of the month during which this Act is enacted for work to be performed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Requires certain reports to Congress regarding contracts for the performance of work in Iraq and Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2010
Commemorates the 20th anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela's release from 27 years of unjust imprisonment. Recognizes Nelson Mandela's pivotal role in ending apartheid and as a figure of progress and reconciliation in South Africa and in the global community.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2010
Commemorates the life and legacy of Cynthia DeLores Tucker and encourages the continued pursuit of her vision to eliminate racial and gender prejudice.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2010
Congratulates Augustana College, in Rock Island, Illinois, on its 150th anniversary. Commends its excellence in academics, athletics, and student quality of life. Expresses the House of Representatives' best wishes for the school's continued success.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2010
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week to raise awareness of teen dating violence in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2010
Recognizes the plight of people with albinism in East Africa and condemns their murder and mutilation. Urges the governments of Tanzania and Burundi to prosecute and convict the perpetrators of these crimes. Calls for: (1) the education of East Africans about the realities of albinism; and (2) the United States to provide humanitarian assistance to people with albinism in East Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2010
Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2010 or the H.E.L.P. Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to V- visa nonimmigrants (spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents who come to the United States to wait for completion of the immigrant visa process) to include Haitian nationals whose petition for a family-sponsored immigrant visa was approved on or before January 12, 2010. Authorizes the Department of State to use secondary evidence to verify eligibility for such status or for immediate relative status. Sunsets the provisions of this Act two years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2010
National Nurse Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Public Health Service an Office of the National Nurse, headed by a registered nurse appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Directs the Secretary to: (1) initially appoint the individual serving as the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service as of this Act's enactment as the first National Nurse; and (2) thereafter appoint the National Nurse in accordance with Commissioned Corps Instruction CC23.4.6 (relating to Chief Professional Officer Nominations), as in effect on February 13, 2008. Grants the National Nurse the same rank and grade as the Deputy Surgeon General. Lists duties of the National Nurse, including to provide leadership and coordination of Public Health Service nursing professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and other agencies of the Service, to conduct media campaigns, and to provide guidance and leadership for activities that will increase public safety and emergency preparedness. Requires the National Nurse to: (1) identify annual health priorities; (2) encourage volunteerism and strengthen the relationship between government agencies and health-related national organizations; and (3) encourage community-based, nonprofit organizations to seek grants for the purpose of education and interventions to address the annual priorities (including evaluating the activities encouraged by the National Nurse and conducted by such organizations, and disseminating information to governmental agencies, schools, and organizations interested in health promotion and improving public health through community action).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2010
International Violence Against Women Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish the Office for Global Women's Issues, to be headed by the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, to coordinate efforts regarding gender integration and empowerment of women in U.S. foreign policy. Establishes an Office for Women's Global Development (intended to replace the Office of Women in Development) in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to be headed by the Director of Women's Global Development, to coordinate USAID efforts to integrate gender in U.S. foreign assistance programs and policies. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of USAID to develop a comprehensive five-year strategy for programs to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in countries with severe levels of such violence. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large and the Director to seek to coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls internationally into existing foreign assistance programs. Authorizes funds to be awarded to community-based women's nongovernmental organizations and community-based organizations in recipient countries to carry out such efforts. Authorizes the Secretary to provide guidance to the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to: (1) incorporate training on prevention and response into the basic training curricula of foreign military and police forces and judicial officials; and (2) ensure that U.S. assistance to units involved in regional or multilateral peacekeeping operations includes such training. Authorizes the Ambassador-at-Large to provide guidance to the Administrator and the Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict settings. Authorizes the Secretary to provide guidance on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls to the Secretary of DOD when U.S. military personnel, military contractors, and military observers are to be deployed in humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict settings. Authorizes the Secretary and the Secretary of DOD to: (1) provide training in prevention and response to violence against women and girls internationally to U.S. military forces; (2) establish mechanisms for reporting incidences of violence against civilian women and girls committed by U.S. military forces; and (3) establish related public outreach efforts. Urges the Secretary to make U.S. financial, material, human, and other resources available to assist U.N. efforts to: (1) implement training programs in prevention and response to violence against women and girls for peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel; (2) enhance the deployment of military and civilian women in peacekeeping missions; and (3) improve protection mechanisms at U.N. managed refugee and internally displaced persons camps. Urges the Secretary to identify and take emergency measures to respond to critical outbreaks of violence against women and girls in situations of armed conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2010
Honors Miep Gies for her bravery during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and her dedication to preserving the memory of Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2010
Calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to: (1) impress upon the Ugandan government the U.S. belief in the human dignity of all Ugandans regardless of sexual orientation; (2) express U.S. opposition to the "Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009" introduced in the Ugandan Parliament; and (3) ensure that resources committed to the global HIV/AIDS response are utilized in a manner that is appropriate to the local epidemiology of the disease, including in Uganda.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (CEJA) of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to grant jurisdiction over and impose penalties on federal contractors and employees who commit certain crimes outside of the United States while employed by or accompanying any agency of the United States other than the Armed Forces. Sets forth the crimes under federal law that are covered by this Act. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) assign personnel and resources through Investigative Units for Contractor and Employee Oversight to investigate allegations of criminal offenses by federal contractors and employees; and (2) report to Congress annually on the number of criminal cases received, investigated, and referred for prosecution. Grants the Attorney General principal authority for the enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act of 2010 - Amends the the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Directors at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other multilateral development institutions to: (1) cancel all debts owed by Haiti to such institutions; (2) suspend Haiti's debt payments to such institutions until the debts are canceled completely; and (3) provide additional assistance from such institutions to Haiti in grant form in order to avoid additional debt accumulation. Directs the Secretary to urge other bilateral, multilateral, and private creditors to cancel all debts owed by Haiti to such creditors.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Emergency Jobs Program and Assistance for Families Extension Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to extend for one year the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a grant from the Fund for each calendar quarter in FY2010 or FY2011 to each requesting state whose total expenditures for work support services in the quarter, whether under the state program funded under TANF or as qualified state expenditures, exceeds the state's total such expenditures in the corresponding quarter in its emergency fund base year. Requires a grant to equal 80% of such excess.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Physical Education to Create a Healthier Nation Act - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states and local educational agencies that receive school improvement funds under such part to ensure that their schools provide: (1) 150 minutes of physical education per week for elementary school students; (2) 225 minutes of physical education per week for middle and secondary school students; and (3) disabled students with such physical education as is determined appropriate under their individualized education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Recognizes: (1) that women are equally affected by colon cancer; and (2) the importance of colon health in women and of detecting colon cancer in its earliest stages. Urges women to: (1) regularly undergo diagnostic screening for colon cancer as recommended by their doctors; and (2) exercise regularly and eat a healthy and well-balanced diet to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2010
Benefit Card Fairness Act of 2010 - Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to extend its coverage to any account directly or indirectly established through a government agency to which electronic fund transfers (EFTs) are made by or on behalf of a government agency on a recurring basis (government payment account). Repeals the exemption from EFTA disclosure, protection, responsibility, and remedy requirements of electronic benefit transfer systems established by a federal, state, or local government agency for distributing needs-tested benefits, such as through automated teller machines (ATMs) or point-of-sale terminals. Requires a financial institution to offer a government payment account in compliance with this Act and with the requirements of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for the provision of insurance to the consumer. Prescribes requirements for consumer choice in making an EFT to a government payment account, as well as for access to account balance and transaction history. Prohibits the assessment of specified fees on a government payment account, except certain transaction fees, a nominal fee of up to $1 for written periodic statements, and other permissible fees for specific services beyond ordinary use of the account. Requires a financial institution to make certain disclosures including: (1) the means to obtain account balance; (2) written account history; (3) fee information; and (4) error resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to study and report to Congress on methods by which blind consumers can gain nonvisual access to consumer electronic devices, electronic kiosks, home appliances, or office technology devices. Requires the Secretary to promulgate a minimum nonvisual access standard for each type of covered device that will ensure nonvisual access to such device by blind consumers. Applies a minimum nonvisual access standard to a covered device that is manufactured after the date that is two years after the date on which such standard is promulgated. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of Nonvisual Access Compliance to assist the Secretary, educate manufacturers, and conduct investigations. Imposes civil penalties in certain circumstances. Allows civil suits by blind consumers against manufacturers for monetary damages and equitable relief. Allows punitive damages for willful or repeated violations. Prohibits construing this Act to limit the rights of blind or low-vision individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Requires a restroom in a public building to be a family restroom (e.g., specifically equipped to accommodate use by men and women for the purpose of changing the diaper of a child and aiding a child in the restroom) or otherwise to be equipped with baby changing facilities that the Administrator of General Services (GSA) determines are physically safe, sanitary, and appropriate. Makes this requirement inapplicable to a restroom that: (1) is not available for public use; or (2) contains clear and conspicuous signage indicating where a family restroom is located within the same section or corridor of such building.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Fair Access to Credit Scores Act of 2010 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require consumer reporting agencies to disclose any information in the consumer's file concerning credit scores or other related risk scores or predictors when the consumer requests a free annual disclosure (credit report). Requires all consumer reporting agencies to maintain information in the consumer's file concerning such scores or predictors for at least one year from the date on which such information is placed in the file. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on bankruptcy risk scores used by consumer reporting agencies, including an analysis of: (1) the factors used to determine such scores; (2) how bankruptcy risk scores impact the ability of consumers to receive loans; and (3) actions that consumers can take to improve such scores.
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 · 26 January 2010
Nanotechnology Education Act - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a nanotechnology in the schools program awarding matching grants to certain eligible institutions for the purchase of nanotechnology equipment and software and the provision of nanotechnology education to students and teachers. Lists as eligible grantees: (1) public, private, parochial, and charter secondary schools that offer advanced or international baccalaureate science courses; (2) community colleges; (3) four-year institutions of higher education; and (4) informal learning science and technology centers.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2010
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat securities and nonqualified preferred stock paid to a parent corporation by a subsidiary in a corporate reorganization as cash payments, thus subjecting the gain attributable to such payments to tax.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2010
Expresses: (1) condolences and sympathy for the loss of life and the physical and psychological damage in Haiti caused by the January 2010 earthquake; and (2) solidarity with Haitians, Haitian Americans, and those who have lost loved ones or have otherwise been affected by the tragedy. Commends the efforts of the governments of Haiti and the United States, the United Nations and the international community, and the American people. Supports: (1) Administration efforts to provide and coordinate international humanitarian assistance and to provide relief to affected communities; and (2) long-term reconstruction efforts for Haiti. Urges countries and institutions that hold debt against Haiti to suspend debt payments and cancel all remaining debt. Urges the President to make necessary resources available for current and long-term assistance to Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2010
Recognizes the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Republic of the Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. Urges: (1) all parties in Sudan to cease hostile activities and to commit to establishing peace; and (2) the President of the United States and the Secretary of State to intervene at the highest levels within the international community to reinvigorate support for the establishment of peace in Sudan.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2010
Treats cash contributions made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 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. Deems a contribution as meeting the recordkeeping requirements of the Internal Revenue Code if the taxpayer produces a telephone bill showing the name of the donee organization and the date and amount of the contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2010
Requests the Senate to adjust its rules to reflect the intent of the framers of the Constitution by amending the Senate's filibuster rule, Rule 22, to facilitate the consideration of bills and amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2010
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the elimination of poverty and hunger should remain key foreign and domestic U.S. policy goals; and (2) the President should implement a Global Marshall Plan to increase U.S. assistance towards the elimination of poverty.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_il_9_schakowsky_janice_200.jpg)