United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an energy tax credit for qualified energy efficiency property. Defines "qualified energy efficiency property" as property which: (1) is residential rental property or nonresidential real property; (2) is a qualified building (i.e., a building that is not more than 250,000 square feet and that meets certain federal wage and construction requirements); and (3) achieves a specified energy savings.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Expresses the heartfelt condolences of the House of Representatives to the families and friends of the victims of the April 3, 2009, shooting in Binghamton, New York. Conveys the gratitude of the House to the city, county, state, and federal officials and agencies whose quick and comprehensive response helped save lives and start the long healing process. Honors the American Civic Association for the services it provides to assist people from across the world who seek the American dream.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Recognizes that prostate cancer has created a health crisis for African American men. Urges federal agencies to designate additional funds for research and education, awareness, and early detection efforts at the grassroots levels to end such crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act - Directs the Attorney General to make annual grants to the A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in recovering missing children.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert; (3) the Grand Staircase-Escalante; (4) Moab-La Sal Canyons; (5) Henry Mountains; (6) Glen Canyon; (7) San Juan-Anasazi; (8) Canyonlands Basin; (9) San Rafael Swell; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas; (3) federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act of 2009 - Terminates certain authorities under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel management system with respect to TSA employees under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act and related law, including all authority to establish or adjust a human resources management system. Subjects TSA employees (including screeners) to the protections of the federal civil service system, including the right to collective bargaining, compensation, leave, health, and other employee rights. Prohibits any reduction in rate of pay or certain other rights of TSA employees upon conversion from the TSA personnel system to the federal civil service system. Provides that nothing in this Act shall repeal laws against striking against the U.S. Government.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of "marihuana." Defines "industrial hemp" to mean the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol concentration that does not exceed 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Grants a state regulating the growing and processing of industrial hemp exclusive authority, in any criminal or civil action or administrative proceeding, to determine whether any such plant meets that concentration limit.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Business Reorganization and Job Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends federal bankruptcy law with respect to the deemed rejection by the trustee in bankruptcy of an unexpired lease of nonresidential real property under which the debtor is the lessee and the immediate surrender of that nonresidential real property to the lessor. Revises the formula for the deadline for assumption or rejection of the unexpired lease before a rejection shall be deemed. Repeals the alternative date of the entry of an order confirming a plan, if that is the earlier of two dates. Fixes the period before deeming at 60 (currently 120) days after the order for relief. Repeals the current discretionary extension period the bankruptcy court may allow. Allows the bankruptcy court to fix another deadline for assumption or rejection, but only within the 60-day period after the order for relief. Reduces from 45 days to 10 days after a debtor's receipt of goods while insolvent the deadline by which a seller must demand reclamation of the goods in writing. Authorizes the court to deny reclamation to a seller with a right of reclamation that has made such a demand, but only if the court: (1) grants the seller's claim priority as an administrative expense; or (2) secures such claim by a lien.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim, or is a violation of the state, local, or tribal hate crime laws. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one state and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist state, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to expand data collection and reporting requirements under such Act to include: (1) crimes manifesting prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) hate crimes committed by and against juveniles. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the exercise of constitutionally-protected free speech.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Tax Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide regional cost-of-living adjustments in individual income tax rates. Directs the Secretary of Labor to produce a regional cost-of-living index.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow a surviving spouse of a U.S. citizen who was married for less than two years at the time of the citizen's death who proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit to self-petition (within the required two years) for continued immediate relative status. (Applies such provision to applications and petitions pending on or after the date of enactment of this Act.) Extends the petition filing deadline for two years after the date of the enactment of this Act if: (1) the alien's U.S. citizen spouse died before the date of the enactment of this Act; (2) the alien and the citizen spouse were married for less than two years at the time of the citizen spouse's death; and (3) the alien has not remarried.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Honors Edward Cardinal Egan for his many years of service and leadership as Archbishop of the New York Archdiocese and congratulates Archbishop Timothy Dolan on his appointment as Cardinal Egan's successor.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
John Hope Franklin Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot Claims Accountability Act of 2009 - Provides that any Greenwood, Oklahoma, claimant (a survivor or descendant of victims of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Race Riot of 1921) who has not previously obtained a determination on the merits of a Greenwood claim may, in a civil action commenced within five years after enactment of this Act, obtain that determination.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a two-year demonstration project for Medicare payment for comprehensive cancer care symptom management services furnished by an eligible entity in accordance with a described plan. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for establishing a new, or expanding an existing, palliative care and symptom management program for cancer patients. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to improve the quality of graduate and postgraduate training of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers, as well as continuing professional education, in palliative care and symptom management for such patients. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a program of grants for research on palliative care, symptom management, communication skills, and other end-of-life topics for such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of the Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Encourages each state, city, and local education authority to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements and benefits of fair elections financing of House of Representatives election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations; (4) contribution and expenditure requirements; (5) a public debate requirement; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) matching payments for qualified small dollar contributions; (9) political advertising vouchers; (10) establishment of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; (12) prohibition of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee; and (13) a specified limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the deposit into the Fair Elections Fund of 10% of the proceeds from competitive auctions for recovered analog spectrum. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow for designation of a certain amount of income tax liability to the Fair Elections Fund. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) prohibit the preemption of the use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified House candidate who has purchased and paid for such use; (2) revise Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to revoke licenses for broadcasting stations who fail to provide access to House candidates; and (3) revise the formula for determining reduced broadcast rates for participating candidates in certain circumstances. Directs the FCC to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a standardized form to be used by broadcasting stations to record and report the purchase of advertising time by or on behalf of a candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to federal elective office. Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action; (2) require all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed directly with the FEC, and in computer-accessible electronic form; and (3) reduce from 48 to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Research Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Cancer Institute to enter into cooperative agreements with, or make grants to, public or nonprofit entities to establish and operate Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Centers of Excellence to conduct research on biomarkers for use in risk stratification for, and the early detection and screening of, ovarian cancer, focusing on translational research of such biomarkers. Permits federal funds to be used for research on: (1) the development and characterization of new biomarkers and the refinement of existing biomarkers; (2) the clinical and laboratory validation of such biomarkers; (3) the development and implementation of clinical and epidemiological research on the utilization of such biomarkers; (4) the development and implementation of repositories for new tissue, urine, serum, and other biological specimens; and (5) genetics, proteomics, and pathways of ovarian cancer as they relate to the discovery and development of biomarkers. Requires the Director to: (1) make available for research banked serum and tissue specimens from clinical research regarding ovarian cancer that was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and (2) establish an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Clinical Trial Committee to assist in designing and implementing national clinical trials to determine the utility of using such biomarkers. Requires a national data center to be established in, and supported by, the Institute to conduct statistical analyses of trial data and to store such analyses and data, which shall be used to establish clinical guidelines to provide the medical community with information regarding the use of validated biomarkers.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for 25% of the cost of new qualified freight rail infrastructure property and qualified locomotive property; and (2) a taxpayer election to expense the cost of qualified freight rail infrastructure property (i.e., deduct all costs in the current taxable year). Terminates such credit and expensing election after 2015. Requires compliance with federal wage rate requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act as a condition of eligibility for the tax credit and expensing allowance provided by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Arts Require Timely Service (ARTS) Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjudicate a visa petition filed by an employer on behalf of an alien with extraordinary ability in the arts (O- and P- visas other than athletes) and an accompanying alien not later than 30 days after: (1) the date on which the petitioner submits the petition with a written advisory opinion, letter of no objection, or request for a waiver; or (2) the date on which the 15-day period to comment upon a petition has expired if the petitioner has had an opportunity, as appropriate, to supply rebuttal evidence. Requires the petitioner to be provided premium-processing services without a fee if such petition is not adjudicated within the required time frame and the petitioner is a qualified nonprofit organization or is petitioning on behalf of a qualified nonprofit organization.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
National Security Letters Reform Act of 2009 - Prohibits a national security letter (letter) (a request for information sought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a criminal investigation) from being issued unless the issuing official certifies specific facts providing reason to believe that the information or records sought pertain to a foreign power or agent thereof. Prohibits a letter from being issued in connection with an investigation of a U.S. person solely upon the basis of activities protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Prohibits: (1) a letter from containing unreasonable requirements or requiring privileged matter; or (2) disclosing to a person that the FBI has sought or obtained access to information under a letter for 30 days after receipt of the FBI's request for such information. Authorizes judicial review for the modification or revocation of a letter. Provides limited uses of information acquired through a letter. Allows persons against whom evidence obtained from a letter is to be used to file a motion to suppress. Provides a civil cause of action for the misuse of letters. Requires the authority to issue letters to revert, five years after the enactment of this Act, to that provided by law on October 25, 2001. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) undertake minimization and destruction procedures with respect to information acquired through letters; and (2) report semiannually on the number and use of letters. Requires the disposal of wrongly acquired information. Revises requirements relating to claims of emergency in connection with certain letters.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Supports the goals of the 2009 Prague Conference on Holocaust Era Assets. Applauds the government of the Czech Republic for its decision to host the Conference. Urges the countries in Central and Eastern Europe which have not already done so to return looted and confiscated properties to their rightful owners or, where restitution is not possible, provide equitable compensation. Calls on the President to send a high-level official, such as the Secretary of State, to represent the United States at the Conference.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
American Dream Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her 16th birthday and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; and (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma. Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status. Authorizes an alien who has satisfied the appropriate requirements prior to enactment of this Act to petition the Secretary for conditional permanent resident status. Sets forth requirements respecting: (1) exclusive jurisdiction; (2) confidentiality; (3) fee prohibitions; (4) higher education assistance; and (5) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 or EARLY Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign: (1) to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain ethnic and cultural groups; and (2) focusing on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns. Directs the Secretary to award grants to entities to establish national multimedia campaigns that: (1) will encourage young women to be aware of their personal risk factors, strategies for increasing early detection and self awareness, evidence based preventative lifestyle changes, and other appropriate breast cancer early detection and risk reduction strategies; (2) will encourage young women of specific higher-risk populations to talk to their medical practitioners about those risks and methods for appropriate screening and surveillance; and (3) may include advertising through specified media. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish an advisory committee to assist in creating and conducting the public education campaign; (2) conduct an education campaign to increase awareness among health care professionals; and (3) conduct prevention research. Directs the Secretary to award grants to organizations and institutions to provide to young women diagnosed with breast cancer substantive assistance and health information from credible sources on: (1) education and counseling regarding fertility preservation; (2) social, emotional, psychosocial, financial, lifestyle, and caregiver support; (3) familial risk factors; and (4) risk reduction strategies to reduce recurrence or metastasis.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2009
Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act or the CLASS Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to create a national, voluntary disability insurance program (CLASS program) under which: (1) all employees are automatically enrolled, but are allowed to waive enrollment; (2) payroll deductions pay monthly premiums; and (3) two-tiered benefits are provided, based on the level of disability, to purchase nonmedical services and supports that the beneficiary needs to maintain independence. Establishes the Independence Fund within the Treasury. Requires the CLASS program to be treated for tax purposes in the same manner as a qualified long-term care insurance contract. Amends the Social Security Act to require each state to: (1) assess the extent to which personal care services providers are serving or able to serve as fiscal agents, employers, and providers of employment-related benefits for personal care attendant workers, who provide personal care services to individuals receiving benefits under this Act; (2) designate or create entities to serve such purposes; and (3) ensure that such entities will not negatively alter or impede existing programs, models, methods, or administration of service delivery that provide for consumer controlled or self-directed home and community services, impede the ability of individuals to direct and control their home and community services, or inhibit individuals from relying on family members for such services. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel to examine and advise the Secretary and Congress on workforce issues related to personal care attendant workers. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a deduction for premiums paid for the CLASS program; (2) a credit CLASS program enrollees with low income; and (3) a credit for employers for the cost incurred to automatically enroll employees and withhold monthly premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2009
Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Family and Medical Insurance Program, mandatory for certain covered employers. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) contract with a state to establish a state Family and Medical Insurance Program to provide specified leave benefits, or expand a pre-existing state program; or (2) at a governor's request enter an interagency agreement with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to establish a state Family and Medical Insurance Program. Entitles eligible employees to Program benefits that include specified percentages of their daily earnings for 12 workweeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 during any 12-month period. Authorizes any employer, with the Secretary's approval, to establish a voluntary plan meeting specified criteria. Specifies prohibited acts by an employer, and penalties for violations. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a Civil Service Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program with the same Program benefits for certain federal agency employees. Establishes the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund in the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a family and medical leave premium on every individual and every employer to finance a Family and Medical Leave Trust Fund in the Treasury for Program benefits. Exempts from such premium: (1) employers or self-employers with voluntary plans approved by the Secretary as equivalent or better than the Program; and (2) small employers who have elected not to participate in it.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2009
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection, insofar as the attending physician, in consultation with the patient, determines such stay to be medically necessary; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations. Prohibits a group health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market. Allows a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage to nonrenew or discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to the condition for which coverage is being claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2009
Mourns Rabbi Charles H. Rosenzveig's passing and remembers the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the more than 11 million people murdered in World War II. Honors Rabbi Rosenzveig's life and accomplishments as a scholar, teacher, rabbi, and Founder and Director of the Holocaust Memorial Center.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2009
Safe Markets Development Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) conduct auctions of allowances (authorizations to emit one carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas) in accordance with procedures established by the Climate Program Oversight and Coordination Board (established by this Act); (2) establish an allowance transfer system to issue, record, and track emission allowances; (3) maintain a registry of allowances for each recorded holder of allowances; and (4) provide for allowance banking. Provides that the privilege of purchasing, holding, and transferring emission allowances shall not be restricted to the owners and operators of covered facilities. Requires: (1) the owner or operator of a covered facility to submit to the Secretary an emission allowance for each carbon dioxide equivalent attributable to such facility as calculated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under a greenhouse gases emissions registry; and (2) revenues from the auctions to be deposited in the Auction Revenue Trust Fund (established by this Act). Sets forth penalties for excess emissions. Requires the Board to forecast and select gradually rising annual allowance prices for 2012-2020. Specifies initial expectation amounts of greenhouse gas emissions of covered facilities in the cap and trade program for each of calendar years 2012-2050. Provides for reductions in the emissions target for 2020 and the expected emissions for 2021-2030 by specified amounts of any cumulative emissions of covered entities for 2012-2020 in excess of the specified expected emission levels over such years.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2009
Community Choice Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Children's Health Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from imposing any preexisting condition exclusion for individuals who have not attained 25 years of age. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act- Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Medicare Access to Community Health Centers (MATCH) Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of "federally qualified health center services" to include ambulatory services furnished by a federally qualified health center (FQHC) for which payment may otherwise be made under Medicare if such services were furnished by a non-FQHC health care provider or health care professional employed by or under contract with an FQHC. Permits payment for hospital-based services. Provides for a Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for Medicare-covered services provided by FQHCs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for certain low-income HIV-infected individuals. Provides states taking advantage of this option with an enhanced federal Medicaid match.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Prohibits a state from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semitrailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (NHS) (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the state on June 1, 2008, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the NHS (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under state law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semitrailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by state law on June 1, 2008; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such state on or before June 1, 2008. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to state (grandfather) law. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the NHS, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower state weight limits; or (2) a state allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the NHS that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz and wishes Iranian-Americans, the people of Iran, and all those who observe this holiday a prosperous new year. Expresses appreciation for Iranian-Americans' contributions to U.S. society.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Expresses the House of Representatives' commitment to: (1) integrating long-term care, particularly as it relates to home care and community services, into a comprehensive health care reform agenda; and (2) aiding relevant parties in composing, executing, and enforcing a well-informed national strategy for long-term care that will address geographic and economic disparities that limit access to care, expand long-term health services, and streamline quality measures. Recognizes that: (1) preventative health and the management of chronic disease are essential components in decreasing the future dependence on long-term care; and (2) Medicaid and out-of-pocket financing of long-term care excludes countless persons from receiving health care service, which can lead to more costly and invasive medical interventions, and alternative payment options should be widely available and more accessible. Recognizes the need to: (1) collaborate with local, state, and federal health care entities to improve working conditions and training for home health aides; and (2) adequately fund and support existing technologies, entities, and initiatives that assist informal caregivers and help maintain and improve long-term health services for the disabled and elderly.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3245 Latta Road in Rochester, New York, as the "Brian K. Schramm Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Insurance Industry Competition Act of 2009 - Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to make the Federal Trade Commission Act, as it relates to areas other than unfair methods of competition, applicable to the business of insurance to the extent that such business is not regulated by state law. Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue joint statements of their antitrust enforcement policies regarding joint activities in the business of insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income for income tax purposes AmeriCorps educational awards awarded under the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Support for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews Act of 2009 - Requires assistance provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State to be made available to assist in the development of the permanent collection of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide a specified amount to the Museum to carry out such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Directs specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the implementation of such a withdrawal of approval.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
End Government Reimbursement of Excessive Executive Disbursements (End GREED) Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) commence a civil action in U.S. district court to recover previous excessive compensation paid by any entity that received over $10 billion in federal financial assistance on or after September 1, 2008; and (2) limit the amount of compensation paid or payable by such an entity on or after enactment of this Act if such compensation is greater than 10 times the mean amount of compensation paid or payable to the entity's nonmanagement employees.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Responsible Education About Life Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for sex education programs, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that states are encouraged, although not required, to provide matching funds to receive such grants. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in delaying the initiation of sexual intercourse and other high-risk behaviors, preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, and increasing contraceptive knowledge and behavior. Requires states receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the state's program by an external, independent entity. Prohibits such programs from discriminating on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide, to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize FY2010-FY2011 appropriations for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for grants to domestic treatment centers for the costs of services provided in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs; (2) the President for grants to foreign treatment centers and programs for activities designed to treat victims for the physical and psychological effects of torture; and (3) the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009 - Treats any food container that is composed, in whole or in part, of bisphenol A or that can release bisphenol A into food as a container that is composed of a poisonous or deleterious substance for purposes of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Bans the use of such containers. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a waiver of such ban for one year (renewable for an additional year) under specified circumstances. Requires any product for which the Secretary grants a waiver to display a prominent warning on its label of the potential health effects associated with bisphenol A. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to periodically review substances listed in federal regulations and generally recognized as safe. Requires any such substances that are shown by new scientific evidence to cause reproductive or developmental toxicity in humans or animals to be banned or otherwise restricted. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require (currently, permits) a manufacturer or supplier of a food contact substance to notify the Secretary of the identity, intended use, and safety of any such substance and of determinations as to the health effects of such substance.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Prescribe A Book Act - Creates a Pediatric Early Literacy program under which the Secretary of Education awards matching grants to nonprofit organizations for the implementation of three-part models through which: (1) health care providers encourage parents to read aloud to their children and offer them recommendations and strategies for doing so; (2) health care providers give each visiting child between the ages of six months and five-years a new, developmentally appropriate children's book to take home and keep; and (3) volunteers reading to children in health care facility waiting areas show parents the techniques and pleasures of reading aloud to children. Requires that the books provided to children under the program be obtained at a discount.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Free Trade With Cuba Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal the embargo on trade with Cuba. Prohibits the exercise by the President with respect to Cuba of certain authorities conferred by the Trading With the Enemy Act and exercised on July 1, 1977, as a result of a specified national emergency. Makes ineffective any prohibition on exports to Cuba under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Authorizes the President to impose export controls with respect to Cuba and exercise certain authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act only on account of an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security that did not exist before enactment of this Act. Repeals: (1) the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992; (2) the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996; (3) the prohibition under the Food Security Act of 1985 against allocation of the annual sugar quota to any country unless its officials verify that it does not import for reexport to the United States any sugar produced in Cuba; and (4) the prohibition under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 on transactions or payments respecting certain U.S. intellectual property. Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the denial of foreign tax credit with respect to Cuba. Authorizes common carriers to install and repair telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba, and otherwise provide telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Prohibits regulation or banning of travel to and from Cuba by U.S. citizens or residents, or of any transactions incident to travel. Directs the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Urges the President to take all necessary steps to conduct negotiations with the Government of Cuba to: (1) settle claims of U.S. nationals against Cuba for the taking of property; and (2) secure protection of internationally recognized human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Export Freedom to Cuba Act of 2009 - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. Prohibits the above provisions from: (1) restricting presidential authority 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. travelers; and (2) authorizing U.S. importation of personal consumption goods acquired in Cuba.
![Official portrait of Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/n000002_200.jpg)