United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2010
Condemns the unilateral decision of the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to begin the closure of the Yucca Mountain license application review. Calls on the NRC to resume license application review activities immediately, pending further direction from Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2010
Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with respect to federal agency (red flag) guidelines regarding identity theft and the users of consumer reports, to define creditor to mean one that regularly and in the ordinary course of business: (1) obtains or uses consumer reports, directly or indirectly, in connection with a credit transaction; (2) furnishes information to certain consumer reporting agencies in connection with a credit transaction; or (3) advances funds to or on behalf of a person, based on the person's obligation to repay the funds or on repayment from specific property pledged by or on the person's behalf. Includes in the definition any other type of creditor as the federal agency (banking agency, National Credit Union Administration, or the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]) having authority over that creditor may determine appropriate, if the creditor offers or maintains accounts subject to a reasonably foreseeable risk of identity theft. Excludes from the definition of creditor, however, any creditor that advances funds on behalf of a person for expenses incidental to a service the creditor provides to that person.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2010
American Recovery and Reinvestment Rescissions Act - Rescinds all unobligated balances remaining available as of November 15, 2010, of the discretionary appropriations provided by division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (P.L. 111-5). Prohibits federal agencies administering ARRA funds from providing funding or reimbursement to any entity awarded such funds for the cost associated with physical signage or other advertisement indicating that a project is funded by the ARRA.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Small Community Options for Regulatory Equity Act of 2010 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require states exercising primary enforcement responsibility for public water systems to exempt any nonprofit or municipal small public water system (serving 10,000 or fewer persons) that so requests in accordance with this Act from the requirements of any national primary drinking water regulation for naturally occurring contaminants, including arsenic, radon, radium, uranium, any microbial pathogen (including Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia), and any contaminant that is a disinfection byproduct (including bromate, chlorite, haloacetic acids, and total trihalomethanes). Requires exemption requests to include a finding that the system's compliance with applicable national primary drinking water regulations is not economically feasible. Precludes judicial or administrative review of such findings.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2010
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-federal public entities to expedite the evaluation of permits of such entities related to projects for a public purpose under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army through December 31, 2016. Directs the Secretary to ensure that the evaluation of permits carried out using such funds: (1) is reviewed by the District Commander of the Corps District in which the project or activity is located, unless the evaluation of the permit is initially conducted by the District Commander in which case the review shall be conducted by the Commander of the Corps Division in which the District is located; and (2) utilizes the same procedures for decisions that would otherwise be required for the evaluation of permits for similar projects or activities not carried out using such funds. Prohibits such funds from being used to carry out such review. Directs the Secretary to ensure that all final permit decisions carried out using such funds are made available to the public, including on the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2010
Celebrates the 60th anniversary of the enactment of the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) as Impact Aid Recognition Day. Recognizes the importance of the program in ensuring that federally connected children receive a high-quality public education.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2010
Increases from $200 million to $500 million the aggregate allowable amount that can be awarded (liability cap) for a single passenger rail accident or incident that was proximately caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct of a defendant. (Current law limits to $200 million the aggregate allowable award to all rail passengers, against all defendants, for all claims, including claims for punitive damages, arising from a single accident or incident.) Increases from $200 million to $500 million per accident or incident the mandatory total minimum insurance or self-insurance liability coverage Amtrak must maintain.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2010
Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide that no permit shall be required for: (1) the use of a pesticide that is registered or otherwise authorized for use under such Act; (2) the use of a biological control organism for the prevention, control, or eradication of a plant pest or noxious weed that is in accordance with the Plant Protection Act; or (3) the conduct of any other plant pest, noxious weed, or pest control activity conducted in accordance with the Plant Protection Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act - Prohibits: (1) the expenditure of funds authorized or appropriated by federal law or funds in any trust fund to which funds are authorized or appropriated by federal law for any abortion or for health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion; (2) any tax benefits for amounts paid or incurred for an abortion or for a health benefits plan (including premium assistance) that includes coverage of abortion; and (3) the inclusion of abortion in any health care service furnished by a federal health care facility or by any physician or other individual employed by the federal government. Exempts from such prohibitions an abortion if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest with a minor, or if the woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the women in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. Makes such prohibitions applicable to federal funding within the budget of the District of Columbia. Prohibits federal agencies or programs and states and local governments that receive federal financial assistance from discriminating against any individual or institutional health care entity on the basis that such entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions. Designates the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive, and coordinate the investigation of, discrimination complaints.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Small Business Tax Relief and Retirement Restoration Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit until December 31, 2010, penalty-free distributions from an individual retirement account (IRA) or a qualified employer plan for the purpose of making loans to a small business to purchase depreciable property to be used by such business or for employee salaries or wages (other than for bonuses). Requires such loans to be repaid to the IRA within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2010
A Roadmap for America's Energy Future - Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015 to have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior as a final oil and gas leasing program in full compliance with specified environmental law. Directs the Secretary to conduct a lease sale every 270 days in each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning region for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas leases for OCS production. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to: (1) modify the OCS leasing program; and (2) direct the Secretary to include, in each 5-Year Program, lease sales proposals offering for oil and gas leasing at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each OCS Planning Area. Prescribes requirements for coordination with adjacent states regarding pipeline construction for crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. Prohibits, on either federal OCS or state waters, uses that are incompatible with: (1) oil and gas leasing; or (2) full oil or natural gas exploration and production on geologically prospective tracts. Requires the Secretary to accept, in satisfaction of mitigation requirements, proposals for mitigation measures on a site away from the area impacted by exploration and production activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a leasing program for oil, gas and oil shale within the Alaska Coastal Plain (ANWR). Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) to repeal the prohibition against production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Allocates to the state of Alaska 50% of federal revenues derived from federal oil and gas leasing operations. Establishes in the Treasury the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund. Requires the Secretary to hold a lease sale offering an additional 10 parcels for lease for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to develop, construct, and operate a coal-to-liquids facility. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the limitation on federal agency contracting for procurement and acquisition of alternative fuels with respect to associated lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the American-Made Energy Trust Fund to receive certain revenues from oil, gas, and oil shale leases. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to: (1) issue operating permits for 200 new commercial nuclear reactors; (2) continue to review certain license applications to construct the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain (Nevada); (3) use certain funds to develop, construct, and operate a facility for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel; (4) establish a process for licensing facilities for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel; and (5) deem that sufficient capacity will be available for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste disposal. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to promulgate regulations to conduct reverse auctions to award funds from the American-Made Energy Trust Fund to owners or operators of qualified renewable energy facilities to generate electric energy. Establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission on Outer Continental Shelf Oil Spill Prevention to examine and report on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2010
Methamphetamine Prevention Campaign Grant Program Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Attorney General to make one-year matching grants to states, local governments, or private nonprofit organizations (eligible entities) to establish a methamphetamine prevention campaign which shall be aimed at teenagers. Authorizes the use of grant funds to: (1) produce and develop television, radio, Internet, and print advertisements and educational materials; (2) provide for community outreach to motivate community involvement in methamphetamine education; (3) produce a benchmark survey and periodic studies of attitudes and behaviors related to methamphetamine; and (4) conduct qualitative research to assist in the development and testing of the messaging of a methamphetamine prevention campaign and the effectiveness of methamphetamine education. Requires the Attorney General to give priority in making grants to eligible entities that: (1) are addressing widespread methamphetamine use or an emerging threat of such use; (2) have dedicated personnel to oversee a methamphetamine prevention campaign; and (3) demonstrate an ability to provide quality-tested television and print copy for advertising and educational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act of 2010 - Amends federal bankruptcy law to permit an individual debtor to exempt from the property of the estate in bankruptcy a single rifle, shotgun, or pistol of any value or any combination of rifle, shotgun, or pistol in aggregate value not to exceed $1,500. Declares the date of enactment as the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Commercial Real Estate Stabilization Act of 2010 - Establishes an Oversight Board to: (1) advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the Commercial Real Estate Credit Guarantee Program (established by this Act); and (2) report quarterly to Congress on the Program and on the current state of the credit system in the United States with respect to commercial lending, small business, and commercial real estate lending. Directs the Secretary to establish the Commercial Real Estate Credit Guarantee Program, under which the Secretary shall guarantee payments of interest and principal on an approved credit instrument. Requires 50% of the Program to be used for small- and mid-sized institutions. Permits loans for either owner-occupied or nonowner-occupied commercial real estate. States that guarantees issued under this Act constitute general obligations of the United States, for which the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged. Expresses the intent of Congress that the Program be utilized when such utilization proves beneficial, and not be unduly inhibited by concerns related to potential unfavorable regulatory accounting treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010 - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2010. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of Agriculture for the Farm Service Agency's Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account, the Emergency Forest Restoration Program, and the Foreign Agricultural Service's Food for Peace Title II Grants for emergency relief and rehabilitation for Haiti. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of Commerce for: (1) the Economic Development Administration for disaster relief, recovery, and restoration of infrastructure in states that experienced damage from severe storms and flooding during March through May of 2010; and (2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for expenses related to commercial fishery failures. Requires funds previously made available for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Exploration to be available to fund continued performance of Constellation contracts. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military personnel, operation and maintenance (including for relief activities in Haiti), procurement, and research, development, test, and evaluation; (2) the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund; (3) the Iraq Security Forces Fund; (4) the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Fund; (5) Defense Working Capital Funds; (6) the Defense Health Program; and (7) Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities. Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit to the congressional intelligence committees: (1) the charter and procedures for the interagency body established to carry out an interrogation pursuant to a recommendation of the report of the Special Task Force on Interrogation and Transfer Policies submitted under Executive Order 13491 (commonly known as the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group); and (2) a report on lessons learned from such Group. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to DOD for FY2010 to the Corps of Engineers for Investigations. Makes funds available for drought emergency assistance. Authorizes financial assistance under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 for the optimization and conservation of project water supplies to assist drought-plagued areas of the West. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to use specified funds to make dredged material available from maintenance dredging of existing federal navigation channels located in the Gulf Coast region to mitigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Directs the Secretary to coordinate the placement of dredged material with appropriate federal and Gulf Coast state agencies. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of the Treasury for emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction aid, and other expenses and disaster-response activities related to Haiti following the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to: (1) the District of Columbia for the Federal Payment to the Public Defender Service; and (2) the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for: (1) the Coast Guard, including for necessary expenses and other disaster-response activities related to the earthquake in Haiti; (2) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for disaster relief; and (3) United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) for necessary expenses and other disaster response activities related to the Haiti earthquake. Requires the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to issue a security directive that requires a commercial foreign air carrier that operates flights in and out of the United States to check the list of individuals that TSA has prohibited from flying not later than 30 minutes after such list is modified and provided to such carrier, except for such carriers that are enrolled in the Secure Flight program or that are Advance Passenger Information System Quick Query compliant. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to: (1) the Department of Labor for Departmental Management for mine safety activities and legal services related to the Department's caseload before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; (2) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for emergency relief, reconstruction aid, and other expenses and disaster-response activities related to Haiti following the earthquake; and (3) the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds for: (1) Military Construction, Army and Air Force; (2) Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Air Force; and (3) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Limits the obligation or expenditure of funds available to the VA until the expiration of the period for congressional disapproval under the Congressional Review Act of the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a service connection between exposure of veterans to Agent Orange during service in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era and hairy cell leukemia and other chronic B cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease, and ischemic heart disease. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of State for: (1) Diplomatic and Consular Programs; (2) the Office of Inspector General for Oversight of operations and programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq; (3) Embassy Security Construction, and Maintenance for emergency needs in Haiti; (4) Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities for emergency security in Haiti; (5) Migration and Refugee Assistance; and (6) International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement, including assistance for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Haiti. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds for: (1) International Broadcasting Operations for emergency broadcasting support and other expenses related to Haiti; (2) the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Office of Inspector General for necessary expenses for oversight of operations and programs in Afghanistan and Pakistan and oversight of emergency relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction aid, and other expenses related to Haiti; (3) Global Health and Child Survival for necessary expenses for pandemic preparedness and response; (4) International Disaster Assistance for emergency relief and rehabilitation, and other expenses related to Haiti; (5) the Economic Support Fund, including for assistance for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Jordan and for emergency relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction aid and other expenses related to the Haiti earthquake; (6) the Department of the Treasury for International Affairs Technical Assistance for emergency relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction aid, and other expenses related to Haiti following the earthquake; and (7) the Foreign Military Financing Program for assistance for Pakistan and Jordan. Places conditions on the availability of assistance for Afghanistan to support the work of the Independent Electoral Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission. Authorizes the Secretary of State to award task orders for a limited term for police training in Afghanistan under current Department of State contracts. Makes funds available for human rights programs in Pakistan. Authorizes the transfer of specified funds for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq for activities related to security for civilian led operations in those countries. Places conditions on the availability of assistance to Haiti. Provides for debt relief for Haiti. Makes funds for Mexico for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement available only after the Secretary of State submits a report to the Appropriations Committees detailing a coordinated, multiyear, interagency strategy to address the causes of drug-related violence and other organized criminal activity in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Makes funds available for emergency relief and reconstruction for El Salvador related to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida. Makes funds available for emergency security and humanitarian assistance for civilians, particularly women and girls, in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makes funds available for reconstruction oversight in Afghanistan. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Community Development Fund for disaster relief, long-term recovery, and restoration of infrastructure, housing, and economic revitalization in areas affected by severe storms and flooding from March through May of 2010 for which the President declared a major disaster. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to the Department of Commerce for Economic Development Assistance Programs to carry out planning, technical, and other assistance in states affected by the incidents related to the discharge of oil in connection with the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon. Makes funds available to NOAA for Operations, Research, and Facilities to respond to economic impacts on fishermen and fishery-dependent businesses once the Secretary of Commerce determines that resources provided, including by the responsible parties under the Oil Pollution Act, are insufficient to respond to such impacts following an incident related to a spill of national significance. Makes funds available for scientific investigations and sampling as a result of the incidents related to the discharge of oil and use of oil dispersants that began in 2010 in connection with the Deepwater Horizon. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to: (1) HHS for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food safety monitoring and response activities in connection with that oil spill; (2) the Department of the Interior for increased inspections and other activities related to emergency offshore oil spill incidents in the Gulf of Mexico; (3) the Department of Justice (DOJ) for litigation expenses resulting from incidents related to the oil discharge in connection with the Deepwater Horizon; and (4) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Science and Technology for a study of potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and application of dispersants and other mitigation measures. Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to authorize advances from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Appropriates supplemental FY2010 funds to: (1) NOAA to provide fisheries disaster relief related to the Deepwater Horizon oil discharge and to conduct an expanded stock assessment of the fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; and (2) the Department of Commerce for the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of the long-term ecosystem service impacts of that discharge. Designates amounts in this Act as emergency requirements. Requires the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with the participants of the interagency review of Guantanamo Bay detainees, to fully inform the congressional intelligence committees concerning the basis for the disposition decisions reached by the Guantanamo Review Task Force. Requires the Director to provide those committees: (1) the written threat analyses prepared on each detainee by the Task Force; (2) access to the intelligence information that formed the basis of any such specific assessments or threat analyses; (3) any new threat assessment prepared by the intelligence community of a Guantanamo Bay detainee who remains in detention or is pending release or transfer; and (4) access to the information that formed the basis of such threat assessment. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize the immediate disbursement of funds in response to a spill of national significance under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, at the request of a producing state or coastal political subdivision, for certain projects specifically designed to respond to the spill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Recognizes the historic milestone of the 50th anniversary of the publication of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Honors Nelle Harper Lee for her outstanding achievement in the field of American literature in authoring "To Kill a Mockingbird."
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Prohibits the withdrawal of public lands or National Forest System lands from location and entry under the Mining Law of 1872 pursuant to a notice published in the Federal Register on July 21, 2009. Prohibits segregation of such lands from location and entry under such Law as specified in the notice and bars such notice from having any other force or effect.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2010
Responsible COBRA, Unemployment, and Poverty Extension Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through FY2010. Postpones the termination of the program until March 1, 2011. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through FY2010 requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to extend through FY2010, premium assistance for COBRA benefits (health insurance continuation benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985). Prescribes a special rule for an individual who experiences a qualifying event related to a termination of employment on or after June 1, 2010, and before the enactment of this Act. Applies to all COBRA continuation coverage, including state continuation coverage programs, with respect to such individual rules similar to those in the ARRA: (1) extending the election period for, and the effect on, COBRA continuation coverage; and (2) requiring a notice of such action by the administrator of a group health plan. Amends the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 to extend the use of 2009 poverty guidelines through FY2010. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from publishing updated poverty guidelines for 2010 until after such date. Rescinds pro rata the unobligated balance of each amount appropriated or made available under ARRA (except under title X: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs of division A), so that the aggregate amount of such rescissions equals $27 billion to offset the net increase in spending resulting from this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2010
Geothermal Energy Investment Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow through 2016 a 30% energy tax credit for investment in geothermal energy property.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2010
Recognizes the value of recreational aviation and backcountry airstrips located on the nation's public lands. Commends aviators and the various private organizations that maintain these airstrips for public use.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2010
National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 - Amends the Antiquities Act of 1906 to require land reserved as part of a national monument to be confined to the smallest area essential to ensure the proper care and management of the objects of historic or scientific interest protected by the monument. Sets forth procedures for the designation of national monuments under this Act. Bars the President from issuing a proclamation to designate a national monument under this Act before the final day of a 30-day period beginning when the language of the proposed proclamation is provided by the President to Congress, the governor of each state, and specified local and tribal government officials having jurisdiction over land within the proposed monument. Requires at least one public hearing and a notice and comment period after the issuance of a proclamation to designate a national monument. Requires the President to report to Congress on any hearings held, any written comments received, and the impact of such designation on communities within the boundaries of the monument, the nation's energy security, and interests, rights, and uses associated with the land within the monument. Makes a proclamation ineffective two years following its issuance, unless it is approved by an Act of Congress. Bars the issuance of a proclamation which is substantially similar to a previously issued proclamation that Congress has not approved.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2010
Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions prohibiting knowingly creating, selling, or possessing a depiction of animal cruelty to prohibit knowingly and for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain selling or distributing an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce. States that such prohibition does not prohibit the sale or distribution of any visual depiction of hunting, trapping, fishing, or customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices. Defines "animal crush video" as any obscene photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, or electronic image that depicts actual conduct in which one or more living animals is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, or impaled in a manner that would violate a criminal prohibition on cruelty to animals in the federal or state jurisdiction in which the depiction is created, sold, distributed, or offered for sale or distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2010
Firearms Freedom on Federal Lands Act - Prohibits the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or executive order, including presidential declarations authorized by the Antiquities Act of 1906, that prohibit an individual from possessing firearms in any unit administered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), if such individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing firearms and the possession of such firearms complies with the law of the state in which the unit of the USFS or BLM is located. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of states to manage, control, or regulate fish and resident wildlife or as limiting access for hunting, fishing, trapping, or recreational shooting.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2010
Children of Fallen Warriors AMT Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat annuity payments to a surviving child of an eligible participant under the military's Survivor Benefit Plan as the earned income of such child, for purposes of exempting such payments from the alternative minimum tax (AMT).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2010
America Stands with Israel Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States: (1) supports Israel's right to defend itself; (2) supports Israel's naval blockade of Gaza; and (3) should oppose any investigation by the United Nations (U.N.) into the flotilla incident (involving the May 2010 Israeli interception of ships carrying supplies to Gaza). Requires the Secretary of State to direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to cease U.S. participation in and membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Prohibits the Secretary from contributing any funds to the United Nations for an investigation into the flotilla incident. Directs the Secretary to ensure that no U.S. contributions to the United Nations are used for any such investigation, including by withholding from U.S. contributions to the regularly assessed biennial budget of the United Nations amounts equal to any amounts so expended.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Family Farm Estate Tax Relief Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from the value of a decedent's gross estate farmland used by an heir for farming purposes; (2) impose a recapture tax on an heir who disposes of such farmland after the decedent's death or who ceases to use such farmland for farming purposes; and (3) increase the limitation on the estate tax exclusion for land subject to a qualified conservation easement to $5 million and the percentage of the value of such land that is excludable.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), within 30 days after this Act's enactment, to finalize the proposed rule entitled "Oil Pollution Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule Requirements--Amendments" to exempt certain milk containers and associated piping and appurtenance from the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure program. Prohibits the Administrator from taking regulatory action against dairy and dairy product producers, processors, handlers, and distributors related to such exemption until the effective date of the finalized rule.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Recognizes the exemplary service of members of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard (111th). Honors and thanks all members of the 111th, past and present, for their tremendous contributions to the defense and security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2010
Commends the National Rifle Association for developing the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program to teach firearm safety to children and supports the goals and objectives of such program. Encourages: (1) educators to incorporate gun education programs in elementary school curricula; and (2) civic and community organizations to support funding for the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2010
Supports the goals of National Dairy Month (June). Recognizes the dairy industry's important role in the economic and nutritional well being of Americans. Commends dairy farmers for their hard work and commitment to the U.S. economy and to the preservation of open space.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
European Bailout Protection Act - Amends the Bretton Woods Agreements Act to: (1) prohibit U.S. loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance to any European Union (EU) member state until the ratio of the total outstanding public debt of each member state to its gross domestic product (as of the end of the most recent fiscal year of the member state ending in the preceding calendar year) is not more than 60%; and (2) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to oppose any IMF loans to member states until all member states are in compliance with such debt ratio.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2010
Declares that imposing a value-added tax (VAT) would be a massive tax increase that would cripple families on fixed income and only further push back the U.S. economic recovery and that the House of Representatives opposes a VAT.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2010
Recognizes that trust in God is embedded into the fabric of this country's society and history. Rejects the notion that the laws and Constitution of this country require the exclusion of God from matters of government and public life. Reaffirms "In God We Trust" as the official motto of the United States. Supports and encourages its display in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2010
Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act - Designates specified parcels of federal land in central Idaho as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Repeals existing law requiring review of portions of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) for possible inclusion in the NWPS. Provides for the use of an appropriate site in the vicinity of the Smiley Creek community in Blaine County in central Idaho for construction and use of a fire station for the Smiley Creek Rural Fire Protection District. Authorizes: (1) the use of such site through a special use permit or conveyance to the District; and (2) the issuance of a special use permit to the District for development of a well for fire protection and other public purposes. Requires the conveyance of specified parcels of federal land to Blaine and Custer Counties and the cities of Challis and Clayton in central Idaho. Sets forth requirements regarding travel management in Germania Creek Trail, Forest Service Trails 109 and 671, and Frog Lake Loop Trail. Authorizes such improvements as may be necessary for maintainance of the first mile of the Murdock Creek Trail as a primitive, nonpaved, and wheel-chair accessible trail.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2010
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delay the implementation of the final rules entitled "Lead; Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program; Lead Hazard Information Pamphlet; Notice of Availability; Final Rule" (published on April 22, 2008) and "Lead; Amendment to the Opt-out and Recordkeeping Provisions in the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program" (signed by the Administrator on April 22, 2010) in each state until accredited certified renovator classes to train contractors in practices necessary for compliance with such rules have been held in such state for at least a year. Requires the Administrator to: (1) monitor each state to determine when such classes are offered; and (2) notify each Member of Congress about the location and time of each such class held in their state and the date on which the classes have been held for one year.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2010
Thanks and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2010
Second Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, transporting for legitimate purposes, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Declares that nothing in such prohibitions shall be construed to prohibit the District from regulating the carrying of firearms by a person, either concealed or openly, other than at the person's dwelling place, place of business, or on other land possessed by the person. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (FCRA) to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Includes also the frame or receiver of any such firearm, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a firearm into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; and (2) requirement that licensed firearms dealers keep records of ammunition received into inventory and ammunition sold or transferred. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Permits a licensed firearms dealer to sell or transfer ammunition, excluding restricted pistol bullets, to persons not otherwise prohibited from possessing or receiving ammunition. Declares that, in the case of a sale or transfer of a handgun to a District resident, a federally licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer of firearms in Maryland or Virginia shall be treated as a dealer licensed under this Act if: (1) the transferee meets in person with the transferor to accomplish the transfer; and (2) the sale, delivery, and receipt fully comply with the legal conditions of sale in both the District and the jurisdiction in which the transfer occurs. Amends FCRA to allow an individual to possess ammunition in the District if the individual owns (currently, holds the valid registration certificate for) a firearm of the same gauge or caliber as such ammunition. (In effect, repeals the handgun ammunition ban.) Repeals the requirement that firearms in the possession of individuals (other than law enforcement personnel) must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked, unless the firearm is kept at an individual's place of business, or while being used for lawful recreational purposes within the District . Continues current criminal penalties for allowing access of a minor (under age 16) to loaded firearms, except in specified circumstances. Repeals increased penalties for violations of the prohibition against allowing access of a minor to loaded firearms if injury or death results to the minor or another person. Requires the U.S. attorney, however, to consider both the extent of the minor's injuries and the effect of the minor's injury or death on both of the minor's parents when deciding whether to file charges. Prohibits any prosecution in such circumstances unless the person who committed the violation behaved in a grossly negligent manner, or unless similarly egregious circumstances exist. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends the District of Columbia Code to: (1) allow private persons or entities owning property in the District to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on their property (other than authorized law enforcement personnel or lessees occupying residential or business premises); (2) prohibit unauthorized carrying of rifles or shotguns in the District; (3) authorize certain individuals to carry firearms in certain places and for certain purposes; (4) prescribe requirements for lawful transportation of firearms; and (5) prohibit the use of toy and antique pistols to commit a violent or dangerous crime. Authorizes the District of Columbia to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms (except to lessees occupying residential or business premises) within any building or structure under its control, or in any area of it, which has implemented security measures to identify and exclude unauthorized or hazardous persons or articles. Amends the Office of Administrative Hearings Establishment Act of 2001 to grant jurisdiction to the Office of Administrative Hearings to hear cases pertaining to denial or revocation of firearm dealer licenses. Repeals the Firearms Registration Amendment Act of 2008 and the Inoperable Pistol Amendment Act of 2008. Restores and revives any provision of law amended or repealed by such Acts as if such Acts had not been enacted into law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2010
Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal a provision (added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) that extends to corporations that are not tax-exempt the requirement to report payments of $600 or more.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Democratic Members of the House should join its Republican Members in a total ban on earmarks for one year; (2) discretionary spending should be reduced in the concurrent budget resolution for FY2011 by the total amount that was spent on requests for earmarks in FY2010; (3) if spending in that resolution is not reduced by such amount, an amendment to that resolution to effectuate this change should be made in order; and (4) a complete review and overhaul of the congressional budgetary, spending, and earmark processes should be commenced by creating a bipartisan, bicameral committee to study the issue and report to the House and Senate with its recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2010
Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or maximum prison term of five years for anyone who knowingly sells or offers to sell an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain. States that this prohibition shall not be construed to prohibit the selling or offering to sell videos that depict hunting. Defines "animal crush video" as any visual depiction of animals being intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, or impaled that: (1) depicts actual conduct in which a living animal is tortured, maimed, or mutilated that violates any criminal prohibition on intentional cruelty under federal law or the law of the state in which the depiction is sold; and (2) taken as a whole, does not have religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2010
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the government of Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); and (2) the U.S. government should take a leading role in gaining international support for granting Taiwan observer status in the ICAO.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness (CARE) Act of 2010 - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to: (1) state that it is the policy of Congress that each state or territory shall continue to have the primary authority to regulate alcoholic beverages; (2) prohibit unjustified discrimination against out-of-state producers of alcoholic beverages in favor of in-state producers; and (3) establish higher evidentiary standards for legal actions challenging the authority of states or territories to regulate alcoholic beverages. Amends the Wilson Act to eliminate the requirement that a state or territory regulate the importation of all fermented, distilled, or other intoxicating liquors or liquids to the same extent and in the same manner as such liquors or liquids produced in such state or territory.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2010
End the Mandate Act of 2010 - Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 that require individuals to maintain minimum essential health care coverage and require large employers to offer their full-time employees the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2010
Reclaiming Individual Liberty Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal provisions added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requiring individuals to purchase and maintain minimum essential health care coverage.
![Official portrait of Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/678152c81f9ad6ea6fb1eb7f_200.jpg)