United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Commends Court Security Officer Stanley Cooper, Deputy United States Marshal Richard J. "Joe" Gardner, and the Court Security Officers and members of the United States Marshals Service and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their actions in responding to the assault at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 4, 2010. Expresses condolences to the family and friends of Officer Cooper, who gave his life in the line of duty, and wishes Marshal Gardner a speedy recovery from the wounds he sustained.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Elizabeth A. Connelly Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Public Health Service Act, the Health Professions Education Partnership Act of 1968, the National Sickle Cell Anemia Act, Cooley's Anemia, Tay-Sachs, and Genetic Diseases Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, and other federal enactments and regulations to change references to mental retardation to references to an intellectual disability.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Real Estate Revitalization Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to foreign investment in United States real property, to: (1) redefine "United States real property interest" to eliminate exclusions relating to interests in holding corporations; (2) treat distributions of real property interests by a real estate investment trusts (REIT) or a regulated investment company (RIC) as ordinary dividends; and (3) repeal the election allowed to foreign corporations to be treated as a domestic corporation for purposes of investment in a United States real property interest.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Recognizes the significance of Black History Month as an important time to recognize the contributions of African-Americans in the nation's history. Encourages the continued celebration of this month to provide an opportunity for all peoples of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the nation. Recognizes that the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Commemorates the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Honors the victims of Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration and extermination camps, and all those who perished at the hands of the Nazis. Expresses gratitude to the Allied soldiers, underground fighters, and all those whose efforts helped defeat the Nazi regime and liberate Auschwitz and other concentration and extermination camps during World War II. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to enhance Holocaust education at home and abroad and to ensure that what happened in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration and extermination camps is never allowed to happen again. Urges all countries to enhance their efforts to combat bigotry, racism, intolerance, and anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2010
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to permit a state home to provide VA nursing home care to parents who had any children who died while serving in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2010
Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study alternatives for the commemoration and interpretation of the role of the Buffalo Soldiers (African-American troops who, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, came to be known as the Buffalo Soldiers) in the early years of the National Parks, which shall include an evaluation of the suitability and feasibility of establishing a national historic trail commemorating the route traveled by the Buffalo Soldiers from their post in the Presidio in San Francisco to the Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks and to any other National Parks where they may have served.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2010
Expresses support for: (1) designation of a National Autism Awareness Month; and (2) devoting new resources to researching the root causes of autism, identifying the best methods of early intervention and treatment, expanding programs for individuals with autism, and promoting understanding of their special needs. Commends parents and relatives for providing for the special needs of children with autism. Stresses the need to begin early intervention services. Recognizes: (1) the shortage of appropriately trained teachers to teach, assist, and respond to special needs students; and (2) the importance of worker training programs tailored to the needs of developmentally disabled persons.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2010
National Youth Sports Program Revitalization Act of 2010 - Amends the Community Services Block Grant Act to authorize appropriations for FY2011-FY2021 for national or regional instructional programs for low-income youth.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2010
Treats cash contributions made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, for the relief of earthquake victims in Haiti as having been made on December 31, 2009, for purposes of the tax deduction for charitable contributions. Deems a contribution as meeting the recordkeeping requirements of the Internal Revenue Code if the taxpayer produces a telephone bill showing the name of the donee organization and the date and amount of the contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2010
Strengthening Outcomes for America's Juvenile and Family Courts Act of 2010 - Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to revise the grant program for juvenile and family court personnel to direct the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Office of Justice Programs in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to national nonprofit organizations with expertise in family law matters, including child abuse and neglect, elder abuse, and violence against women and family members, to improve training, education, technical assistance, and research to assist courts, judges, judicial personnel, attorneys, child welfare personnel, and lay child advocates in handling family law matters.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2010
Restoring the Social Security COLA Act - Authorizes an increase of $250 in Social Security, certain veterans, Civil Service Retirement (CSRS), and Federal Employees Retirement (FERS) benefits for one month in 2010 to compensate for the lack of a cost-of-living adjustment for that year. Rescinds the unobligated balance of the discretionary appropriations made available by division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in an amount determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to be required to offset the increase in spending resulting from such increase.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for accelerated depreciation, to rename natural gas distribution lines as natural gas distribution facilities and make permanent the classification of such facilities as 15-year property for depreciation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2009 - Amends the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (HPPA) to modify, commencing October 1, 2017, certain statutory schedules governing contracts for delivery to specified localities in Arizona, California, and Nevada of hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) create, from certain apportioned allocations of contingent capacity and firm energy, a resource pool equal to 5% of the full rated capacity of 2.074 million kilowatts and associated firm energy; (2) offer Schedule D contingency capacity and firm energy to new allottees not receiving contingent capacity and firm energy for delivery commencing October 1, 2017; and (3) allocate through the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) for delivery, commencing October 1, 2017, 66.7% of Schedule D contingent capacity and firm energy to specified new allottees located within the marketing area for the Boulder City Area Projects. Requires each contract offered under HPPA to: (1) authorize and require WAPA to collect from new allottees a pro rata share of Hoover Dam repayable advances paid for by contractors before October 1, 2017, and to remit such amounts to the contractors that paid such advances in proportion to the amounts paid by them as specified in a certain Implementation Agreement; (2) permit transactions with an independent system operator; and (3) contain the same material terms included in those long-term contracts for purchases from the Hoover Power Plant that were made in accordance with HPPA and are in existence on the date of enactment of this Act. Subjects the contractual obligation of the Secretary to deliver contingent capacity and firm energy under HPPA to the availability of the water needed to produce such contingent capacity and firm energy. Continues through FY2067 the requirements of HPPA as the exclusive method for (in effect, congressional oversight of) the disposal of capacity and energy from Hoover Dam.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act of 2009 - Designates certain areas of National Forest System land in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming as insect and disease emergency areas. Allows the designation of an area of System land as an additional insect and disease emergency area if the land: (1) is located in an affected state; and (2) is subject to an insect and disease infestation emergency. Excludes certain lands from inclusion in an insect and disease emergency area. Sets forth requirements for the duration of insect and disease emergency areas designated under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary), in implementing the emergency forest restoration program, to make payments to owners of nonindustrial private forest land to carry out emergency measures in response to an insect and disease infestation emergency under this Act. Authorizes the: (1) Secretary to offer to enter into any contracts or other agreements with the state of Colorado to perform watershed restoration and protection services on System land in the state when similar and complementary restoration and protection services are being carried out on adjacent state or private land; and (2) Secretary of the Interior to carry out such activities on public land located in Colorado. Extends permanently the authority under which the Forest Service may enter into such contracts with private persons and entities to perform services to achieve land management goals for the national forests that meet local and rural communities' needs. Bars the Forest Service from obligating funds to cover the costs of canceling Forest Service multiyear stewardship end result contracts until the date on which they are canceled.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize continued use of 2009 Medicare practice expense relative value units for certain cardiology services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contract with an independent entity to study and report to Congress on the practice expense methodology used to determine relative value units under this Act to determine whether the cost finding, indirect cost allocation, scaling, and budget neutrality methodologies used: (1) are consistent with generally accepted accounting principles; (2) distribute the burden of any necessary budget neutrality adjustments proportionally among all physicians' services; and (3) result in allowances that accurately reflect the relative direct and indirect resources involved in the provision of various physicians' services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Wireless Microphone Users Interference Protection Act - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to authorize owners and operators of wireless microphones operating on a primary basis in the VHF bands and on a secondary basis in the UHF bands to have access to the geolocation database maintained to prohibit the operation of unlicensed TV band devices on protected frequencies. Specifies registration sites (for the purpose of identifying locations to be protected through database registration).
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity when extending credit. Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; (2) "person" as a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association; and (3) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2009 or All-STAR Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to certain eligible entities and, through them, subgrants to successful public charter schools to allow such schools to expand or replicate to serve additional students. Lists, as eligible grantees, state and local educational agencies, authorized public chartering agencies, and tax-exempt organizations that have successfully supported the replication and expansion of such schools. Sets forth the attributes that are to give such entities grant priority, including their serving or planning to serve a large percentage of low-income students from public schools with low-graduation rates or schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Authorizes grantees to use up to 20% of a grant to establish a reserve account to assist them in acquiring and developing new facilities for successful public charter schools through: (1) credit enhancement initiatives; (2) the establishment of revolving loan funds; (3) direct spending or financing; or (4) partnerships with community development or other mission-based financial institutions. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent, comprehensive, and scientifically sound evaluation of the effect this Act's initiatives have on student achievement, but no sooner than three years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP Act of 2009, or the CIR ASAP Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) (Secretary) to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a National Strategy for Border Security; (2) increase the number of Customs and Border Protection officers, agriculture specialists, and border security support personnel, and enhance related equipment, assets, and technology; (3) develop a comprehensive land and maritime border surveillance plan, including aerial and integrated surveillance demonstration programs; (4) issue a rule for electronic device searches and related agent training; (5) improve coordination efforts to combat human smuggling; (6) establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every Border Patrol sector at the southern and northern borders; (7) carry out a ports of entry technology demonstration program; and (8) establish a Southern Border Security Task Force. Authorizes appropriations for border security improvements at U.S. ports of entry. Authorizes border relief grants for tribal, state, or local law enforcement and related agencies in proximity to the border or in a designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Provides reimbursement for state and county prosecutors in border states for prosecuting federally initiated and referred drug cases. Suspends the Operation Streamline program pending an evaluation of its viability. Expands resources for Project Gunrunner and for Operation Armas Cruzadas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Establishes the United States-Mexico Border Enforcement Commission. Prohibits the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard, from assisting in non-emergency federal, state, local, and civilian law enforcement of immigration laws. Directs the Secretaries of DHS, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Commerce to develop: (1) a land border protection strategy; and (2) a borderlands environmental monitoring plan. Provides for: (1) enhanced border cooperation with Mexico; and (2) expansion of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs. Sets forth detention conditions. Directs the Secretary to appoint an Immigration Detention Commission. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) immigration enforcement protections; (2) unlawful detentions; (3) protections for vulnerable populations; (4) apprehension procedures for families and family detention; (5) welfare requirements for children separated from detained or removed parents; (6) unaccompanied alien children; and (7) female detainees. Provides a stay of removal and work authorization for detained alien workers who are witnesses or necessary for workplace prosecution claims. Eliminates, with specified exceptions, DHS authority to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies to perform immigration law enforcement functions. Establishes in DHS an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ombudsman. Eliminates the one-year asylun filing requirement. Provides for federal court review of DHS orders of removal currently exempt from such review. Establishes an alien employment verification system which requires employers to comply with: (1) document verification requirements; and (2) a phased-in electronic employment verification system. Sets forth backlog reduction provisions respecting family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant levels. Revises the definition of "immediate relative" to: (1) include the spouse and child of a lawful permanent resident; and (2) permit a qualifying widow/widower and the child or parent of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to maintain such status while filing for permanent resident status. Increases: (1) per-country limits for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrants; and (2) specified family-unity exceptions to unlawful presence-based inadmissibility. Prohibits the removal from the United States of an individual who: (1) fled his or her homeland while under the age of 12 years old; and (2) was later admitted to the United States as a refugee, parolee, or asylee. Exempts the sons and daughters of certain naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant visa limits. Makes a minor child of an alien fiancee/fiance or of an alien spouse of a U.S. citizen eligible for derivative K-visa status under specified circumstances. Redefines "child" to include a stepchild under 21 years old. Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) require determinations with respect to children to be made using the age and status of an individual on October 21, 1998; and (2) permit an application based upon child status to be filed by a parent or guardian if the child is present in the United States on such filing date. Permits new status adjustment applications to be filed for a limited time period. Reduces the required support level for immigrant sponsorship. Establishes the Prevent Unauthorized Migration Visa (PUM Visa) program which shall provide for: (1) 100,000 PUM conditional permanent resident visas annually, for three years, to persons from countries (transitional visa admission states) which represent at least 5% of the total unauthorized migration population to the United States for the past five years; and (2) a process to adjust to permanent resident status. Exempts specified categories of U.S.-educated aliens from employment-based immigration limits. Permits a nonimmigrant alien whose employer has petitioned for an employment-based green card for such alien to file an application for adjustment of status regardless of whether an immigrant visa is immediately available. (Requires visa availability before such application may be approved.) Return of Talent Act - Establishes the Return of Talent Program to permit an eligible alien (and certain family members) to return to the alien's country of citizenship for up to two years in order to contribute to such country's postconflict or natural disaster reconstruction activities. (During such absence the alien and family members shall be considered to be continuously present and residing in the United States for naturalization purposes.) Establishes a conditional nonimmigrant status for qualifying aliens and their dependents who are illegally present or out of status in the United States and who register and meet the requirements for such status. Authorizes: (1) adjustment from conditional to permanent resident status at the earlier of six years after enactment of this Act or 30 days after specified immigrant visas become available (with exceptions to such time frame for certain students, military personnel, and employed individuals); and (2) naturalization three years after permanent resident status adjustment. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009 or the AgJOBS Act of 2009 - Confers "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) during the 24-month period ending on December 31, 2008, has performed specified lengths of, or earned a specified amount from, agricultural employment in the United States; (2) applied for such status during the 18-month application period; (3) is otherwise admissible to the United States; and (4) has not been convicted of specified felonies or misdemeanors. Limits the number of blue cards that may be issued during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. Provides for adjustment of blue card status to permanent resident status based upon completed periods of agricultural employment. Revises H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Replaces the existing labor certification requirement with a labor attestation requirement containing: (1) a description of the nature and location of the job; (2) the job's expected beginning and ending dates; (3) the number of jobs; and (4) specified labor assurances respecting job opportunities covered by collective bargaining agreements and non-covered job opportunities. Establishes: (1) the Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets; and (2) the Security and Prosperity Account in the Treasury. Requires each State Workforce Agency (SWA) to establish an Internet-based American Worker Recruit and Match program. Requires employers and foreign labor contractors to provide workers recruited abroad with specified employment-related information. Amends H-1B visa (specialty occupation) employer application requirements to: (1) revise wage determination requirements; (2) require Internet posting and description of employment positions; (3) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection; (4) apply certain requirements to all H-1B employers rather than only to H-1B dependent employers; (5) prohibit employer advertising that makes a position available only to, or gives priority to, H-1B nonimmigrants; and (6) limit the number of H-1B and L-1 visa (intracompany transfer) employees that an employer of 50 or more workers in the United States may hire. Authorizes the Department of Labor (DOL) to: (1) investigate applications for fraud; and (2) conduct H-1B compliance audits. Prohibits an employer from hiring an L-1 nonimmigrant for more than one year who will: (1) serve in a capacity involving specialized knowledge; and (2) be stationed primarily at the worksite of another employer. Specifies L-1: (1) employer petition requirements for employment at a new office; (2) wage rates and working conditions; and (3) employer penalties. Authorizes: (1) DOL to enforce federal labor laws with respect to employers of H-2B nonagricultural temporary workers; and (2) a private right of action against such employers. Specifies employer actions to recruit U.S. workers prior to filing for H-2B admissions. Sets forth H-2B and U.S. worker protections. Amends EB-5 visa (alien investor) provisions to: (1) increase EB-5 eligibility; (2) make the regional center program permanent; (3) establish $2,500 regional center designation and premium processing fees; (4) permit concurrent filing for EB-5 petitions and status adjustment applications; (5) establish in the Treasury the Immigrant Entrepreneur Regional Center Account; and (6) increase employment creation-related visas. Revises provisions regarding: (1) immigration service fees; (2) the naturalization age-based English language proficiency exemption; and (3) citizenship application background checks. Establishes the New Americans Initiative grants program to to assist lawful permanent resident aliens to become citizens. Authorizes grants for: (1) public education and community training regarding the provisions of this Act; (2) community-based organizations to assist naturalization applicants (initial entry, adjustment, and citizenship assistance grants); and (3) states to form New American Councils. Provides for the naturalization of certain graduates of U.S. high schools who are under 25 years of age on the date of application for naturalization. Establishes: (1) a tax credit and a deduction for certification expenses for teachers of English language learners; and (2) a tax credit for employer-provided adult English literacy and basic education programs. Makes funds available for oath of allegiance ceremonies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Amends the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 to expand access to Department of Defense (DOD) homeowners assistance for qualified members of the Armed Forces permanently reassigned during a designated mortgage crisis to allow the Secretary of Defense greater flexibility regarding the dates of the availability of such assistance. Directs the Secretary, in exercising such authority, to consult with the Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Treasury regarding the condition of housing markets in the area of a base or installation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the guidelines of the United States Preventive Services Task Force would not prohibit an insurer from providing coverage for mammography services in addition to those recommended by the Task Force and should not be used by insurers to deny coverage for services that are not recommended on a routine basis; and (2) the National Cancer Institute should continue to invest and provide leadership regarding research to develop more effective breast cancer screening tools and strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period classification for qualified leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property, for purposes of the depreciation tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Directs the Secretary of Labor to award capitalization grants to eligible applicants (nonprofit local workforce investment boards, states, political subdivisions of a state, and Indian tribes, or a single national organization) for projects to create jobs and the delivery of self-sustainable social services (i.e., education, training, and career services) to people with barriers to employment. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate the effectiveness of capitalization in providing workforce development opportunities and training to people with barriers to employment after the grantee has had three years to capitalize and build or expand its programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
New Deal for a New Economy Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, from unobligated funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA), to make specified sums available for FY2010-FY2012 to the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, the Interior, and Agriculture. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to allocate, and each eligible local educational agency in the state to receive, funds in proportion to amounts received under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (2) a state to make and distribute the amount allocated to it within 90 days of receipt. Authorizes the use of funds to hire new employees, rehire employees laid off during the year prior to enactment, continue to employ employees scheduled to be laid off as a result of reduced budgets, and prevent furloughs scheduled as a result of reduced budgets. Directs: (1) the Attorney General to award grants to state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to hire, rehire, continue to employ, and prevent furloughs of police officers; (2) the Secretary of DHS, through the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, to award grants through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to hire, rehire, continue to employ, and prevent furloughs of firefighters; (3) the Secretary of Commerce to award grants to states, cities or other political subdivisions or a consortium of such subdivisions, or Indian tribes, to assist in maintaining basic government services; and (4) the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to fund specific public works projects in national parks and through the National Forest Service, respectively. Establishes in the Department of Labor a New Economy Grant Program, to provide grants for the creation of new jobs on specific public works projects. Limits funding under this Act's Departments of Labor, the Interior, and Agriculture programs to individuals who meet specified criteria. Bars displacement of existing employees. Sets forth requirements regarding the use of funds, the maximum employment period, wages, reporting, and expedited administration.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
State Medicaid Assistance Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend for one year the period of temporary increase in the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Extends the entire recession adjustment period from December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2011. Requires the substitution for the FMAP for the first calendar quarter in FY2012 of the FMAP for either FY2008, FY2009, FY2010, or FY2011, as adjusted under ARRA, whichever is greatest, if the FY2012 FMAP is less than any of them.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2009
Sustainable Property Grants Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 to allow real estate investment trusts to qualify for energy property grants under such Act without affecting limitations on dividend payments applicable to such trusts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in lieu of making payments to state homes for furnishing nursing home care to veterans, to enter into agreements with such homes to furnish such care under federal provisions which allow the Secretary to transfer to non-VA homes (at the expense of the United States) veterans who have been furnished such care in a facility under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Replaces provisions providing for payment of nursing home care at the lesser of the prevailing rate or the cost of daily care with provisions providing for payment at the rate determined for a state home that is the applicable or prevailing rate payable in the geographic area in which the state home is located.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Unclaimed Savings Bond Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a demonstration program to: (1) identify and locate the owners of specified unredeemed U.S. savings bonds; and (2) provide bondholder location and assistance grants to states for the purpose of bond owner location and notification activities. Requires the Secretary to attempt to locate owners of specified unredeemed savings bonds for which the registered address: (1) is located in a state not participating in the demonstration program in the fiscal year in which such bond would otherwise have been referred to such state; or (2) is not located in any state. Requires the Secretary to deduct and withhold from the proceeds of any matured outstanding U.S. savings bond, on the later of the date of maturity of such bond or the date of the enactment of this Act, a tax in an amount equal to the applicable percentage of the amount which, if such bond were redeemed, would constitute interest. Includes the deemed interest amount in the bondholder's gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of specified vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities of Iraq; (2) the U.S. government and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) should urge the government of Iraq to enhance security at places of worship in Iraq, particularly where religious minorities are known to be at risk; Urges the U.S. government to continue to work with the government of Iraq to: (1) train and deploy into the Iraqi police and security forces members of vulnerable minority communities in Iraq; and (2) ensure that members of such communities suffer no discrimination in recruitment, employment, or advancement in such forces, and be assigned to their locations of origin, rather than transferred to other areas. Urges the government of Iraq, with U.S. government assistance, to: (1) ensure that the upcoming national elections in Iraq are safe, fair, and free of intimidation and violence so that all Iraqis, including religious minorities, can participate in them; and (2) permit and facilitate election monitoring by experts from local and international nongovernmental organizations, the international community, and the United Nations, particularly in minority areas. Encourages the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to work towards a peaceful and timely resolution of disputes over territories. Encourages the U.S. government and UNAMI to urge the government of Iraq to work with minority communities and their representatives to develop measures to implement article 125 of the Iraq Constitution. Urges the government of Iraq to take affirmative measures to reverse the legal, political, and economic marginalization of religious minorities in Iraq. Urges the U.S. government to: (1) direct assistance to projects that develop the ability of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq to organize themselves civically and politically to effectively convey their concerns to government; and (2) continue to fund capacity-building programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights (IMHR), the independent national Human Rights Commission, and a new independent minorities committee whose membership is selected by minority communities of Iraq. Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) direct the IMHR to investigate and report on abuses against and the marginalization of minority communities in Iraq, making recommendations to address such abuses; and (2) help ensure that displaced Iraqis considering return to Iraq have the proper information needed to make informed decisions regarding such return. Urges the U.S. government and international organizations to continue to work with the government of Iraq to develop the legal framework necessary to address property disputes resulting when displaced Iraqis attempt to return to their homes in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
Graduation Promise Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for differentiated high school improvement systems targeting support to schools with low student achievement and graduation rates after such schools fail for two consecutive years to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) pursuant to state academic performance standards. Allots grant funds to states pursuant to a formula that favors states with low graduation rates and a high percentage of students attending low-income LEAs. Requires state grantees to establish comprehensive school performance indicators and minimum annual improvement benchmarks for use, in addition to current AYP measures, in analyzing school performance and determining the improvement category into which a school is placed. Directs LEA subgrantees to: (1) categorize each of their schools that fail to make AYP for two consecutive years as needing targeted intervention, whole school reforms, or replacement; (2) convene a local school improvement team for each of such schools that will use performance indicators, AYP measures, and other relevant data to conduct a school needs assessment and develop a multiyear school improvement plan tailored to the school's need categorization; and (3) support the successful implementation of such plans and district-wide high school improvement strategies. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop and implement, or replicate, effective secondary school models for struggling students and dropouts.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
Helping Unemployed Workers Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through March 31, 2011. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through April 1, 2011: (1) federal-state agreements increasing regular unemployment compensation payments to individuals; and (2) requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a program under which the Secretary shall make payments to any state unemployment trust fund (including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) to be used for the payment of unemployment compensation if the Secretary approves an application to receive 100% reimbursement for up to 26 weeks for a short-time compensation program. Bars payments to a state for benefits paid to an individual who is employed by an employer: (1) whose workforce during the three months preceding the date of the submission of the employer's short-time compensation plan has been reduced by temporary layoffs of more than 20%; (2) on a seasonal, temporary, or intermittent basis; or (3) engaged in a labor dispute.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
Honest and Open Testimony Act - Includes within communications by a member of the Armed Forces that are protected from retaliatory personnel actions any testimony provided in a congressional hearing regarding the disclosure of sexual orientation, including that the member is homosexual, bisexual, or transgender.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
FVPSA Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Revises requirements for and reauthorizes the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act at increased levels for FY2010-FY2014. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish grant programs for: (1) specialized services for abused parents and their children; (2) domestic violence prevention enhancement and leadership through alliances; and (3) enhancement of culturally competent services for adult and youth victims of domestic violence from racial and ethnic minority groups.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Allows commercial airline employees who were participants in a tax-exempt defined benefit pension plan of a commercial airline that was terminated or otherwise restricted to transfer to a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) any amount received from the airline resulting from a bankruptcy proceeding filed after September 11, 2001, and before January 1, 2007. Excludes from the gross income of such employees any such amount received from an airline.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the energy tax credit for investment in combined heat and power system property to: (1) increase the capacity limitations for such property; and (2) expand the definition of such property to include property which produces electrical or mechanical energy from recovered waste energy using back-pressure turbines, rankine, sterling, kalina, or other heat engines.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow electric utilities a business-related tax credit for producing and selling specified percentages of renewable electricity generated by wind and solar energy facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Recognizes the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the U.N. General Assembly of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. Encourages member states of the United Nations and international organizations to devote additional resources to prosecute persons engaged in human trafficking and to dismantle related criminal enterprises. Commends the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation for preserving the legacy of Frederick Douglass by continuing his struggle for freedom for all persons and seeking to abolish all forms of modern-day slavery and trafficking in persons. Encourages the people of the United States to observe the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery by participating in activities designed to heighten public awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking and commends the example of children engaged in such projects at the following schools: Brentwood School of Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas Area School of Las Vegas, Nevada; North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School of Chicago, Illinois; Booker T. Washington High School of Atlanta, Georgia; Roosevelt Middle School of New Bedford, Massachusetts; New Era Academy of Baltimore, Maryland; Edmund Burke School of Washington, DC; Frederick Douglass Academy IV and the United Nations International School of New York, New York; and Wilson Foundation Academy of Rochester, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2009
Low Income Housing Tax Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low income housing tax credit, to increase the offset of such credit against regular income tax liability and permit a five-year carryback of credit amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2009
Directs the Secretary of State to provide briefings to Congress at least once a year regarding: (1) discussions conducted between any executive branch agency and the government of Taiwan; and (2) potential defense article or defense service transfers to the government of Taiwan.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2009
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Diabetes Month; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of diabetes, developing better treatments, and working toward an eventual cure for type I and type II diabetes through increased research, treatment, and prevention. Recognizes the importance of early detection of diabetes and awareness of the symptoms of diabetes and risk factors for type II diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 30% energy tax credit for equipment used to fabricate solar energy property. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 to allow grants in lieu of energy tax credits for equipment used to fabricate solar energy property.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2009
Honest Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) Initiative Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants for probation demonstration programs that reduce drug use, crime, and recidivism by requiring swift, predictable, and graduated sanctions for noncompliance with conditions of probation. Requires grant funds to be used for specified purposes, including: (1) identifying high risk probationers; (2) monitoring probationers for illicit drug use; (3) responding to probation violations with immediate arrest; (4) rewarding probationers who comply with probation rules; and (5) providing for substance abuse treatment. Requires the Attorney General to annually evaluate probation programs for cost savings and to select an evaluation coordinator for such programs.
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