United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs. Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, and parental involvement in their childrens' education. Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a study that: (1) assesses the effect health and physical education have on students' ability to learn; and (2) makes recommendations for improving, and measuring improvements to, their health and physical education in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations for overfished fisheries to specify a time period for ending overfishing and rebuilding the fishery that is as short as practicable (currently, as short as possible). Modifies the exceptions to the requirement that such period not exceed ten years. Requires consideration, in evaluating progress to end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks, of factors other than commercial and recreational fishing. Requires, when the Secretary of Commerce extends the period under specified provisions, that the maximum rebuilding time not exceed the sum of the initial ten-year period, the expected time to rebuild the stock absent any fishing mortality and under prevailing environmental conditions, and the mean generation time of the stock.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Directs specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the implementation of such a withdrawal of approval.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Pathway for Biosimilars Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow a person to submit an application for licensure of a biological product based on its similarity to a licensed biological product (the reference product). Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to approve the application if: (1) the biological product is biosimilar to the reference product with respect to each condition of use for which the reference product is approved; and (2) the applicant consents to the inspection of the facility that is the subject of the application. Sets forth requirements for a determination by the Secretary that a biological product is interchangeable with a reference product. Prohibits a biological product from being evaluated against more than one reference product. Prohibits licensure under this Act of a biological product containing specified agents or toxins or a schedule I or II controlled substance unless the Secretary determines there would be no increased risk to the security or health of the public from licensing such a biological product. Prohibits the Secretary from making approval of an application under this Act effective until 12 yeas after the date on which the reference product was first licensed. Provides for confidentiality of information received pursuant to this Act. Sets forth provisions governing patent infringement actions related to this Act. Deems as patent infringement the submission of a statement under this Act by the applicant setting forth reasons why the making, use, or sale of the biosimilar product would not infringe the patent, or why the patent is invalid or unenforceable, if the purpose of such submission is to obtain approval to engage in the commercial manufacture, use, or sale before the expiration of such patent.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Honors, in recognition of the designation of March 2009 as Irish-American Heritage Month, Irish-Americans for their significance in the history and progress of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide, to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009 - Treats any food container that is composed, in whole or in part, of bisphenol A or that can release bisphenol A into food as a container that is composed of a poisonous or deleterious substance for purposes of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Bans the use of such containers. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to grant a waiver of such ban for one year (renewable for an additional year) under specified circumstances. Requires any product for which the Secretary grants a waiver to display a prominent warning on its label of the potential health effects associated with bisphenol A. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to periodically review substances listed in federal regulations and generally recognized as safe. Requires any such substances that are shown by new scientific evidence to cause reproductive or developmental toxicity in humans or animals to be banned or otherwise restricted. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require (currently, permits) a manufacturer or supplier of a food contact substance to notify the Secretary of the identity, intended use, and safety of any such substance and of determinations as to the health effects of such substance.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Prescribe A Book Act - Creates a Pediatric Early Literacy program under which the Secretary of Education awards matching grants to nonprofit organizations for the implementation of three-part models through which: (1) health care providers encourage parents to read aloud to their children and offer them recommendations and strategies for doing so; (2) health care providers give each visiting child between the ages of six months and five-years a new, developmentally appropriate children's book to take home and keep; and (3) volunteers reading to children in health care facility waiting areas show parents the techniques and pleasures of reading aloud to children. Requires that the books provided to children under the program be obtained at a discount.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of a decade of action for global road safety with a global target to reduce by 50% the predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 and 2020. Urges the Obama Administration to take a leadership role at the First Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow and for the United States to work with other nations to achieve the goals and ideals of a decade of action for road safety.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Consumer Overdraft Protection Fair Practices Act - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to set forth restrictions upon overdraft protection fees or services placed upon a consumer account in order to cover any debit due to insufficient funds in such account. Prohibits certain misrepresentations made by an institution that it will extend credit to cover all overdrafts. Prohibits specified advertising claims regarding overdraft protection programs or services, including any representation or statement encouraging use of the account as a service to: (1) meet short-term credit needs; or (2) obtain advances on a consumer's next payment of salary, wages, benefits, or other income. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to restrict additional acts or practices the Board deems unfair or deceptive in connection with the offering, operation, and advertising of overdraft protection programs and services. Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to set forth restrictions governing overdraft protection services and fees concerning payment of an electronic fund transfer initiated by the consumer at an automated teller machine (ATM) despite of a lack of sufficient funds in the consumer's account. Amends the Expedited Funds Availability Act to prohibit a depository institution from: (1) imposing overdraft protection fees for paying any check drawn on the account in spite of a lack of sufficient funds unless the account holder has affirmatively requested such service; or (2) engaging in a pattern or practice of delaying the posting of any deposit in an account, or manipulating the process of posting any check or other debit against an account, if such pattern or practice results in an overdraft that triggers payment of an overdraft protection fee.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2009 - Repeals specified revisions to regulations governing the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision. Reinstates banking agency regulations in effect before the publication of such revisions. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (BHCA) to subject to the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) nonbank affiliates of bank holding companies that offer banking products or services, including insurance companies and securities firms. Amends the CRA to subject to a rating reduction any regulated financial institution engaged in negative credit practices or securitization activities, including predatory and discriminatory lending. Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to require a depository institution, in connection with a small business credit application, to: (1) inquire whether the business is a women- or minority-owned business; and (2) maintain a record of the responses to such inquiry. Requires a depository institution to maintain records of the number and dollar amounts of customer deposit accounts for each deposit taking service facility. States that securities companies, mortgage banks, and insurance companies have a continuing affirmative obligation to meet the financial services needs in their assessment areas, including the needs of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods and persons of modest means. Amends the BHCA to require affiliates of securities companies, mortgage banks, and insurance companies to attain satisfactory ratings in accordance with this Act. Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to reaffirm that covered credit unions have a continuing and affirmative obligation to meet the needs of their assessment areas (including minority and low- and moderate-income neighborhoods). Directs the National Credit Union Administration Board (NCUAB) to prescribe regulations for evaluating a covered credit union's record of meeting such obligations. Insurance Disclosure Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to: (1) establish requirements for insurers to submit information annually about noncommercial insurance, rural insurance, and investments by insurers; and (2) make such information public. Directs the Financial Institutions Examination Council to maintain a hierarchical database containing the structure of financial holding companies, bank holding companies, depository institutions, and non-depository institutions. Amends the BHCA to authorize certain expanded financial activities by a bank holding company only if it has neither been adjudicated in federal court, nor entered into a consent decree or settlement agreement premised upon a violation of the Fair Housing Act (antiredlining requirement). Requires: (1) notice and public comment before establishment of a financial holding company; (2) public meetings regarding bank acquisitions and mergers; and (3) a public comment period regarding branch closures. Amends Federal Deposit Insurance Act, the National Bank Consolidation and Merger Act, and the Home Owners' Loan Act with regard to mandatory meetings involving commenters and financial institutions. Amends the CRA to subject regulated financial institutions, regardless of size or aggregate assets, to mandatory biennial examinations. Amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to prohibit regulatory exemptions from its reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Commends the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant for President of the Republic of the Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Condemns: (1) the expulsion of international aid agencies; and (2) the Sudanese government for continuing an active campaign of repression against its own people. Calls upon the international community to persist in its efforts to bring President al-Bashir to justice. Expresses the belief of the House of Representatives that a multifaceted approach is needed to end genocide and the repression of human rights in Darfur. Applauds the U.S. government's commitment to vigorous diplomacy and encourages President Barack Obama to appoint a full-time envoy to the region.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2009
Employee Free Choice Act of 2009 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative (card-check) and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives, particularly a preliminary investigation of an alleged unfair labor practice (ULP) which may lead to proceedings for injunctive relief. Requires that priority be given to a preliminary investigation of any charge that, while employees were seeking representation by a labor organization, or during the period after a labor organization was recognized as a representative until the first collective bargaining contract is entered into, an employer: (1) discharged or otherwise discriminated against an employee to encourage or discourage membership in the labor organization; (2) threatened to discharge or to otherwise discriminate against an employee in order to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of guaranteed self-organization or collective bardaining rights; or (3) engaged in any other related ULP that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of such guaranteed rights. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2009
Newborn, Child, and Mother Survival Act of 2009 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance to improve the health of newborns, children, and mothers in developing countries. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive U.S. government strategy to reduce mortality and improve the health of newborns, children, and mothers in developing countries. Establishes the Interagency Task Force on Child Survival and Maternal Health in Developing Countries.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2009
Honors and recognizes the contributions of veterans who served in Vietnam. Encourages the people of the United States to observe "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2009
Congratulates the Greek people as they celebrate the 188th anniversary of Greece's independence. Notes the important role that Greece has played in the wider European region and in the community of nations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 - States that it is the policy of the United States to support the decision of state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and to prohibit the investment of assets they control in, persons that have investments of more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, or prohibit the investment of assets they control in, such persons, including financial institutions which extend them credit to so invest. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to shield any registered investment company from civil, criminal, or administrative action based upon its divesting from, or avoiding investing in, securities issued by such persons. Expresses the sense of Congress that a fiduciary of an employee benefit plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) may divest plan assets from, or avoid investing plan assets in, a person that has investments of more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector without breaching his or her fiduciary duties under ERISA, if such determination is based on credible information and in accordance with federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish science-based nutrition standards for foods served in schools other than foods served under the school lunch or breakfast programs. Applies such standards to all food sold outside such programs anywhere on school campuses during the extended school day, with the possible limited exemption of food sold at school fundraisers. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider the recommendations of authoritative scientific organizations and evidence concerning the relationship between diet and health when establishing the standards; and (2) review the standards as soon as practicable after the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services publish a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Great Ape Protection Act of 2009 - Prohibits: (1) conducting invasive research on great apes; (2) knowingly breeding, possessing, renting, loaning, donating, purchasing, selling, housing, maintaining, leasing, borrowing, transporting, moving, delivering, or receiving a great ape for the purpose of conducting such research; or (3) using federal funds to conduct such research. Defines "invasive research" as research that may cause death, bodily injury, pain, distress, fear, injury, or trauma to great apes, including drug testing or exposure to a substance that may be detrimental to the ape's health or psychological well-being. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other appropriate federal authorities to provide for the permanent retirement of all great apes that are owned or under the control of the federal government and that are being maintained in any facility for the purpose of breeding for, holding for, or conducting invasive research. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of National Women's History Month. Recognizes and honors the women and organizations in the United States that have fought for and continue to promote the teaching of women's history.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009 - Makes technical amendments to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 with respect to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Capitol Police. Requires appointment of the CAO without regard to political affiliation. Repeals requirements that the Comptroller General be involved in the process of hiring and evaluating the CAO. Authorizes the Chief of the Capitol Police to: (1) suspend with or without pay, and to discipline, employees; and (2) terminate an officer or employee after notifying and obtaining the approval of the Capitol Police Board. Establishes a General Counsel to the Chief of Police and the U.S. Capitol Police. Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of: (1) 2004 to grant legal representation authority to the Employment Counsel to the Chief of Police (current law grants such authority to the Employment Counsel of the United States Capitol Police Board); and (2) 2005 and 2008 to require advance notification of the House and Senate Administration (as well as Appropriation) Committees regarding the deployment of an officer outside the areas of jurisdiction of the Capitol Police or advance payments for subscription services. Prohibits lump sum payments to terminated U.S. Capitol Police officers or employees for unused compensatory time, except as permitted under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. Specifies conditions under which the Chief of Police may provide overtime compensation for officers and employees exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Repeals the requirement that Capitol Police officers purchase their own uniforms.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant that replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or that changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Access for All America Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) increase and extend the authorization of appropriations for community health centers and for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment program for FY2010-FY2015, and provide for increased funding for such programs in FY2016 and each subsequent fiscal year; and (2) revise and expand provisions allowing a community health center to provide services at different locations, adjust its operating plan and budget, enter into arrangements with other centers to purchase supplies and services at reduced cost, and correct material failures in grant compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Recognizes the significant contributions of American citizens of Greek ancestry and Philhellenes to the United States. Commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Daughters of Penelope.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 - Repeals current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces. Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Authorizes the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated for homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual conduct. Requires such Secretaries to ensure that regulations governing the personal conduct of members of the Armed Forces are written and enforced without regard to sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Prohibits any entity that receives funds from the federal government from using them to file a class action lawsuit against an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded on behalf of any facility resident unless the resident (or the resident's legal representative), after receiving notice of the proposed class action lawsuit, has the opportunity to elect not to have the action apply to the resident.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Water Quality Investment Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide: (1) technical assistance to rural and small municipalities for planning, developing, and financing eligible state water pollution control revolving fund projects; and (2) technical assistance and training to enable rural and small publicly owned treatment works and decentralized wastewater systems to protect water quality and comply with the CWA. Authorizes annual appropriations for FY2010-FY2014 for: (1) grants to states for administering programs for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution; (2) watershed pilot projects (currently called wet weather watershed pilot projects); (3) grants to states for water pollution control revolving funds; (4) a pilot program for alternative water source projects; (5) sewer overflow control grants; and (6) remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern in the Great Lakes. Expands the types of watershed pilot projects eligible for technical assistance and grants. Revises: (1) the eligibility requirements for grants for sewage collection systems; and (2) provisions concerning state water pollution control revolving funds, including by expanding the types of projects eligible for assistance. Requires states to: (1) establish affordability criteria to identify municipalities that would experience a significant hardship raising revenue for state water pollution control revolving fund projects; (2) establish a list of such projects that prioritizes water quality improvement projects for FY2011 and thereafter; and (3) provide financial assistance to only projects on such list. Prohibits state water pollution control revolving funds from being used for the construction of treatment works unless the steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in such treatment works are produced in the United States. Revises provisions concerning: (1) state water pollution control revolving fund amounts reserved for Indian tribes; and (2) the use of such amounts. Changes the tonnage duty (currently, a tax) on specified vessels entering or returning to a U.S. port. Amends the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System to set forth requirements for notifying the public of sewer overflows. Amends the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations for FY2010-FY2014 for research on the development and use of innovative approaches, technologies, and techniques for the remediation of sediment contamination in U.S. areas of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Arnold Palmer (golf professional) in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2009
Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 - States that any immediate successor in interest to residential property in foreclosure assumes such interest subject to: (1) giving an existing tenant at least 90-day notice to vacate; and (2) specified rights of such tenant to occupy the premises until the end of the lease. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require a housing assistance payment contract to provide that in the case of an owner who is an immediate successor in interest pursuant to foreclosure: (1) during the initial term of the lease vacating the property prior to sale shall not constitute other good cause for termination of the lease; but (2) in subsequent lease terms vacating the property prior to sale may constitute good cause if the property is unmarketable while occupied, or if such owner will occupy the unit as a primary residence. Authorizes: (1) a housing assistance payment contract entered into by the public housing agency and the owner of a dwelling unit to provide that the immediate successor in interest to property in foreclosure in which a housing assistance recipient resides assumes such interest subject to the lease between the prior owner and the tenant, and subject to the housing assistance payments contract between the prior owner and the public housing agency for the occupied unit; and (2) the public housing agency, where the successor owner cannot be identified, to use rental funds to pay for the property's utilities if owed by the owner or for reasonable moving costs, including security deposits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require live training of all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel who come into contact with unaccompanied alien children. Sets forth detention standards for immigration detention facilities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) convene a detention advisory committee; (2) promulgate regulations regarding detainee care and custody; (3) implement secure alternatives to detention programs under which eligible aliens are released under supervision, assistance, and monitoring that ensure their appearance at all immigration interviews, appointments, and hearings; and (4) provide protective detention alternatives for specified categories of vulnerable aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Program that may include: (1) research, investigations, demonstrations, training, and studies relating to the control, prevention, and surveillance of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases; (2) additional grant support to encourage the expansion of research related to the prevention and management of arthritis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); (3) national education and outreach activities for arthritis and other rheumatic diseases; (4) emphasis on prevention, early diagnosis, and appropriate management of arthritis and opportunities for effective patient self-management; and (5) grants to states or Indian tribes for comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities related to arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Authorizes the Secretary to expand and intensify programs of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with respect to research and related activities concerning various forms of juvenile arthritis and related conditions. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to: (1) provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on juvenile arthritis; and (2) support the development of a national juvenile arthritis population-based database. Requires the Secretary to support activities that provide for: (1) an increase in institutional training grants to support pediatric rheumatology training; and (2) an expansion of public-private partnerships to promote education training and fellowship opportunities for pediatric rheumatologists. Directs the Secretary to establish and carry out a pediatric rheumatology loan repayment program, as needed.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the Boards of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, in honor of the distinguished service of the American military men and women who have been Medal of Honor recipients. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2011. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin and $10 per coin for the $1 coin, to be distributed to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance educational, scholarship, and outreach programs of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in recognition of five United States Army Five-Star Generals: George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry "Hap" Arnold, and Omar Bradley, alumni of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Requires the design of the coins to include portraits of the generals. Restricts the issuance of such coins to calendar 2013. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be paid promptly to the Command and General Staff College Foundation to help finance its support of the College.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Federal and Military Retiree Health Care Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009 - Establishes the United States Bipartisan Commission on Access to Emergency Medical Services to: (1) identify and examine factors in the health care delivery, financing, and legal systems that affect the effective delivery of screening and stabilization services furnished in hospitals that have emergency departments pursuant to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA); and (2) make specific recommendations to Congress with respect to federal programs, policies, and financing needed to assure the availability of such screening and stabilization services and the coordination of state, local, and federal programs for responding to disasters and emergencies. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for additional payments for certain physicians' emergency services furnished pursuant to EMTALA. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to convene a working group that includes experts in emergency care, inpatient critical care, hospital operations management, nursing, and other relevant disciplines to develop boarding and diversion standards for hospitals and guidelines, measures, and incentives for implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of such standards. Requires the CMS working group to: (1) identify barriers contributing to delays in timely processing of patients requiring admission as inpatients who initially sought care through the hospital's emergency department; (2) identify best practices to improve patient flow within hospitals; and (3) report to Congress and the Secretary a detailed description of the standards, guidelines, measures, and incentives developed, as well as identified barriers and best practices. Directs the Secretary to establish a mechanism to make public information regarding any hospital that fails to report information requested by the CMS working group.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
Local Community Radio Act of 2009 - Repeals provisions in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 that required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) modify rules authorizing the operation of low-power FM radio stations to prescribe minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels; (2) prohibit applicants who have engaged in the unlicensed operation of any station from obtaining a low-power FM license; and (3) conduct a program to test whether low-power FM radio stations will result in harmful interference to existing FM radio stations if minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels are not required. Requires the FCC to modify its rules to eliminate third-adjacent minimum distance separation requirements between specified stations. Requires the FCC to retain rules that provide third-adjacent channel protection for full-power noncommercial FM stations that broadcast radio reading services via a subcarrier frequency from potential low-power FM station interference. Requires the FCC, when licensing FM translator stations, to ensure that: (1) licenses are available to both FM translator stations and low-power FM stations; and (2) such decisions are made based on the needs of the local community.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity; and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with current research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention and intervention. Directs the Administrator to award grants to: (1) allow institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs; and (2) hire and train law enforcement officers as youth-oriented police to work with PCCs, other community-based organizations, and high-risk youth. Establishes a Center for Youth-Oriented Policing. Mynisha's Law - Authorizes any local government or Indian Tribe with a PCC to submit an application to the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for designation as a Comprehensive Gang Prevention and Relief Area. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to partnerships comprising state mental health authorities and local or private entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in urban communities with a high or increasing incidence of such violence. Prevention Resources for Eliminating Criminal Activity Using Tailored Interventions in Our Neighborhoods Act of 2009 or the PRECAUTION Act - Establishes the National Commission on Public Safety Through Crime and Delinquency Prevention to: (1) carry out a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of certain crime and delinquency prevention and intervention strategies: and (2) make initial and final reports on such strategies to specified federal and state officials. Authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make three-year grants to public and private entities for the implementation and evaluation of innovative crime or delinquency prevention or intervention strategies. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to authorize grants for the creation and expansion of state, local, and tribal juvenile witness and victim protection grants.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prescribe a regulation prohibiting advertisements accompanying video programming from: (1) being excessively noisy or strident; (2) having modulation levels substantially higher than the accompanying program; and (3) having an average maximum loudness substantially higher than that of the accompanying program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act - Establishes in the City of Auburn, New York, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Establishes in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide grant funding and enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities for the historic preservation, rehabilitation, interpretation, and maintenance of such historical parks. Requires the Secretary to complete a general management plan for them.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop a system to collect data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases; (2) establish the National PF Registry; and (3) establish the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Advisory Board. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases that can be confused with, misdiagnosed as, and progress to pulmonary fibrosis. Requires the Secretary, in developing the Registry, to: (1) expand and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; and (2) provide for research access to pulmonary fibrosis data. Directs the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information are made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute pulmonary fibrosis research activities. Requires the Director of CDC to prepare the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Action Plan. Requires the Secretary to: (1) convene a summit of individuals with expertise in research and care of pulmonary fibrosis to provide a detailed overview of NIH research activities and discuss potential collaborations between NIH and other federal health agencies; and (2) make information about NIH activities relating to pulmonary fibrosis publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, upon the request of a public housing agency (PHA) which has a Moving to Work agreement (under the demonstration program authorized by the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996), to extend it for a 12-month period under such terms as are, or were, in effect upon the agreement's expiration. Requires, for a PHA that previously received an extension of its agreement and entered into a subsequent agreement after January 1, 2009, the Secretary to, upon the PHA's request, invalidate such subsequent agreement and extend any agreement in effect as of such date for a 12-month period under such terms as were in effect as of that date. Prohibits the Secretary from extending a Moving to Work agreement if a PHA is noncompliant with its agreement's terms. Expresses the sense of Congress that the maximum number of PHAs authorized to participate in the Moving to Work demonstration program should not be expanded until the demonstration program has been reformed and permanently authorized through enactment of a federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Notch Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the computation of minimum Old Age Insurance benefits for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1979, and to whom applies the 15-year transition period for the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55% to 5% and keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1988. Allows such beneficiaries, in the alternative, to receive lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Let Wall Street Pay for Wall Street's Bailout Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require securities trading facilities to pay an excise tax on a specified percentage of the value of securities and commodities transactions sufficient to recoup the net cost of carrying out the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009 - Amends the Peace Corps Act to: (1) authorize appropriations for the Peace Corps; and (2) increase readjustment allowances for Peace Corps volunteers and volunteer leaders.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Genuine American Flag Act - Prohibits the importation for sale of foreign-made flags of the United States of America (regardless of size and whether or not in compliance with the standard proportions prescribed by Executive order).
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Condemns the government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Calls on the government of Iran to release the seven leaders and all other prisoners held solely on account of their religion, including: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, Ms. Raha Sabet, Mr. Sasan Taqva, and Ms. Haleh Roohi.
![Official portrait of Rep. Capuano, Michael E. [D-MA-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001037_200.jpg)