United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2009
Applauds the efforts of those who attempt to build tolerance and mutual understanding among Israelis and Palestinians through education. Encourages the Department of State to continue supporting programs that promote understanding between Israelis and Palestinians and Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2009
Maritime Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the American Fisheries Act to allow the owner of an eligible vessel, in order to improve vessel safety and operational efficiencies (including fuel efficiency), to rebuild or replace that vessel with a vessel documented with a fishery endorsement. Authorizes the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to recommend for approval by the Secretary of Commerce conservation and management measures, including size limits and measures to control fishing capacity, to ensure that the effectiveness of fishery management plans of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area or the Gulf of Alaska is not diminished. Sets forth special rules, including rules pertaining to vessel size limits, certain catcher vessels, fishery endorsement limitations, and replacement vessels in the Gulf of Alaska. Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to report to specified congressional committees on the efficacy of the Coast Guard's cold weather survival training. Revises safety requirements for uninspected commercial fishing industry vessels. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a Fishing Safety Training Grants Program; and (2) a Fishing Safety Research Grant Program. Requires U.S. vessels (except those on a voyage from the United States to Canada) that are subject to inspection to have an official logbook with specified entries. Authorizes any individual authorized to: (1) enforce federal merchant marine law to remove a vessel's certificate for unsafe operation; (2) order the individual in charge of a vessel without a certificate on board to return the vessel to a mooring; and (3) direct an individual in charge of a vessel operated in an unsafe condition to take steps necessary for the safety of individuals on board. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating (Secretary) to establish vessel equipment standards based on performance using the best available technology economically achievable that is operationally practical. Prohibits the Secretary from approving a survival craft as a safety device unless it ensures that no part of an individual is immersed in water. Applies certain vessel management requirements to a passenger vessel or small passenger vessel that transports more passengers than a number prescribed by the Secretary based on the number of individuals on the vessel that could be killed or injured in a marine casualty. Specifies additional acts related to marine safety for which a seaman may not be discharged or discriminated against, such as that the seaman testified in a maritime safety law enforcement proceeding or cooperated with a safety investigation. Replaces requirements for civil actions by a seaman alleging discharge or discrimination with requirements for administrative complaint. Requires certain new U.S. vessels with a construction contract date after enactment of this Act, or delivered after January 1, 2011, to comply with specified oil fuel tank protection standards. Repeals the requirement of oaths for applicants for a merchant seaman license or certificate of registry and holders of merchant mariners' documents. Allows eight-month advance renewals of merchant mariners' documents, merchant seamen's licenses, and merchant seaman certificates of registry. Prohibits the Secretary from requiring the fingerprinting of an individual for the issuance or renewal of a license, a certificate of registry, or a merchant mariner's document if the individual was fingerprinted upon applying for a transportation security card. Authorizes the Secretary to extend the duration of expiring licenses, certificates of registry, and merchant mariner documents for up to one year to enable the Coast Guard to eliminate an applications backlog. Directs the Secretary to develop an interim clearance process for issuance of a merchant mariner document to enable a newly hired seaman to begin working on an offshore supply vessel or towing vessel, provided the seaman does not pose a safety and security risk. Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to make a merchant mariner assistance report to specified congressional committees. Directs the Secretary to designate by regulation the areas of the approaches to and waters of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, if any, on which certain vessels are not required to be under the direction and control of a pilot. Sets forth pilot licensing requirements applicable to any area of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, where a single-hull tanker or tank vessel carrying 5,000 or more barrels of oil or other hazardous material is required to be under a pilot's direction and control. Revises tonnage and minimum number of licensed mate and engineer requirements for certain off-shore supply vessels. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to require the installation, maintenance, and use of life preservers and other lifesaving devices for individuals on board uninspected vessels. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Coast Guard Commandant, to study and report to specified congressional committees on the use, safety, and performance of blended fuels in marine applications. Extends the authorization of certain advisory committees through FY2020. Revises requirements for the Navigation Safety Advisory Council.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Homeowners' Defense Act of 2009 - Establishes the National Catastrophe Risk Consortium as a nonprofit, nonfederal entity to: (1) maintain an inventory of catastrophe risk obligations held by state reinsurance funds, state residual insurance market entities, and state-sponsored providers of natural catastrophe insurance; (2) issue, on a conduit basis, securities and other financial instruments linked to catastrophe risks insured or reinsured through Consortium members; (3) coordinate reinsurance contracts; (4) act as a centralized repository of state risk information accessible by certain private-market participants; and (5) establish a database to perform research and analysis that encourages standardization of the risk-linked securities market. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to guarantee holders of debt against loss of principal or interest, or both, on any such debt issued by eligible state programs for purposes of promoting the availability of private capital to provide liquidity and capacity to state catastrophe insurance programs and expediting the payment of claims under such programs and better assist the financial recovery from significant natural catastrophes. Provides separate limits on the total principal amount of such obligations for programs that cover earthquake peril and those that cover all other perils. Directs the Secretary to make contracts for reinsurance coverage available for purchase by eligible state programs. Provides pricing guidelines and a limit on aggregate potential federal liability. Establishes a Federal Natural Catastrophe Reinsurance Fund in the Treasury to be funded by amounts received from the sale of reinsurance coverage contracts, amounts appropriated for liability for claims payment, and earnings on investments. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish and carry out a program of grants to eligible entities to develop, enhance, or maintain programs to prevent and mitigate losses from natural catastrophes. Requires a study of the need for and impact of expanding the programs established by this Act to apply to insured losses of eligible state programs for losses arising from commercial insurance policies that provide coverage for properties composed predominantly of residential rental units.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Teachers at the Table Act - Amends title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish the Volunteer Teacher Advisory Committee to monitor the effects of such title (amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) in classrooms, with its focus solely on children and families. Requires that committee membership consist of a diverse group of public school classroom teachers who are past or present Teachers of the Year and have experience or training in data collection, analysis, and reporting.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2009 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish a Working Waterfront Grant Program to make a grant, through a regionally equitable, competitive funding process, to any coastal state to implement a plan to preserve and expand access to coastal waters for persons engaged in commercial fishing, recreational fishing, aquaculture, boatbuilding, or other water-dependent coastal-related business. Authorizes the Secretary to award planning grants to coastal states to develop or revise comprehensive working waterfront plans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 - Provides that a federal employee and his or her domestic partner shall be entitled to benefits available to, and shall be subject to obligations imposed upon, a married federal employee and his or her spouse. Defines "domestic partner" to mean an adult unmarried person living with another adult unmarried person of the same sex in a committed, intimate relationship. Defines "benefits" to include federal health insurance and enhanced dental and vision benefits, retirement and disability benefits, family, medical, and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care insurance, compensation for work injuries, and benefits for disability, death, or captivity. Excludes members of the uniformed services from the definition of "employee." Sets forth requirements for filing: (1) an affidavit of eligibility as such a domestic partner, which shall include a certification that the employee and the domestic partner are each other's sole domestic partners and intend to remain so indefinitely; and (2) a statement upon dissolution of such a domestic partnership.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Mental Health in Schools Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate and age appropriate. Makes only a partnership between a local educational agency and at least one community program or agency that is involved in mental health eligible for such funding. Sets forth assurances required for eligibility, including that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with relevant community-based entities that clearly states the responsibilities of each partner; (2) the program will include training of all school personnel, family members of children with mental health disorders, and concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a process for evaluating grant program activities, including: (1) the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) the development of measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, to include student and family measures and local educational measures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2009 - Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation. Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) issue public benefit bonds and provide direct subsidies to infrastructure projects; (2) borrow on the global capital market and lend to entities and commercial banks for funding infrastructure projects; and (3) purchase, pool, and sell infrastructure-related loans and securities on such market. Requires the Board to establish criteria for determining project eligibility for financial assistance under this Act. Sets forth the duties of the Bank's executive committee and audit committee. Requires the Bank to establish a risk management committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set standards to ensure diversification of lending activities by both region and infrastructure project type; and (3) create conforming standards for infrastructure finance securities. Exempts all notes, debentures, bonds or other such obligations issued by the Bank, and the interest on or credits with respect to such bonds or other obligations, from state or local government taxation. Terminates the Bank after 15 years.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009 - Authorizes the government of Puerto Rico: (1) to conduct a plebiscite giving voters the option to vote to continue Puerto Rico's present political status or to have a different political status; (2) if a majority of ballots favor continuing the present status, to conduct additional such plebiscites every eight years; and (3) if a majority of ballots favor having a different status, to conduct a plebiscite on the options of becoming fully independent from the United States, forming with the United States a political association between sovereign nations that will not be subject to the Territorial Clause of the Constitution, or being admitted as a state of the Union. Prescribes the eligibility requirements for voting in the plebiscite. Requires the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission to certify plebiscite results to the President and Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 - Directs the President to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a regional strategy to guide U.S. support for multilateral efforts to eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and to enforce the rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in LRA-affected areas. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic affected by LRA activity. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) should work with the appropriate congressional committees to increase future assistance to Uganda if the government of Uganda demonstrates a commitment to reconstruction in war-affected areas of northern and eastern Uganda. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the government of Uganda to: (1) promote local and national reconciliation including mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between the government of Uganda and the LRA; and (2) assist internally displaced people, establish mechanisms for the demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, and enhance the competency of local institutions including the police.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Amends the Whale Conservation and Protection Study Act to rename it as the International Whale Conservation and Protection Act of 2009. Requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in cooperation with the Secretary of State, to: (1) restate strong U.S. opposition to commercial whaling and to refuse to engage in any negotiation or reinterpretation of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling that would weaken the moratorium on commercial whaling, create new categories of whaling, condone lethal scientific whaling, or weaken whale conservation and protection; and (2) support subsistence whaling and the development of the Aboriginal Whaling Management Scheme. Sets forth provisions concerning the International Whaling Commission. Requires the Secretary, in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard, to: (1) pursue the establishment of guidelines for minimizing the introduction of incidental noise from commercial shipping operations into marine environments to reduce the potential adverse affects on whales and other marine life; and (2) promote the use of areas to be avoided by commercial vessels and other navigational measures to minimize the threat of injury to whales. Requires the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior, to encourage nations that hold any reservations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to the great whales listed in Appendix I to withdraw such reservations and terminate commercial trade in whale meat and products. Provides for international cooperation and compliance with regulations governing trade in or takings of whales. Requires the Secretary to: (1) negotiate with the government of Canada with the goal of concluding a North Atlantic Whale Conservation Agreement within 18 months; (2) develop international action plans to reduce threats to whales and other cetaceans through the establishment of new International Marine Protected Areas (IMAs) and IMA networks; and (3) establish whale research initiatives to enhance whale conservation efforts. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of State to support efforts to study and reduce the adverse effects of anthropogenic noise on whales and other marine life.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Mother's Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins emblematic of the 100th anniversary of President Wilson's proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins beginning January 1, 2014, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2014. Requires coin sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, with distribution of such surcharges to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Medicare Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for the recognition of state-licensed or -registered health care professionals who are certified diabetes educators as Medicare providers of diabetes outpatient self-management training services. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the barriers that exist for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in accessing diabetes self-management training services under the Medicare program. Directs the Director of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to develop a series of recommendations on effective outreach methods to educate primary care physicians and the public about the benefits of diabetes self-management training.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Informed Consumer Choices in Health Care Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) develop standards for health insurance issuers in providing information to group health plans, for forms used in connection with group health insurance coverage, for quality assurance, for marketing of group health insurance coverage, and for the accuracy and clarity of coverage for out-of-network providers; (2) undertake activities to promote accountability of health insurance issuers in meeting federal health insurance requirements; (3) provide grants to Departments of Insurance in states to assist in enforcement of federal health insurance requirements governing health insurance issuers operating in such states; (4) undertake activities to promote transparency in costs, market practices, and other factors for health insurance coverage; and (5) establish within HHS an Office of Health Insurance Oversight to promote accountability and transparency in health insurance and provide for assistance to consumers in selecting health care coverage. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and the Treasury to establish standards and accountability and transparency initiatives for group health plans comparable to the standards established by the HHS Secretary under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Menu Education and Labeling Act or the MEAL Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require chain restaurants with 20 or more locations doing business under the same trade name to disclose: (1) in a statement adjacent to a standard menu item, the number of calories, grams of saturated plus trans fat, grams of carbohydrate, and milligrams of sodium in each such item; (2) other information designed to enable the public to understand the significance of the nutrition information provided in the context of a total daily diet; (3) that such nutrition information is available in writing at the point of ordering; and (4) the number of calories in food on a drive-through menu board, adjacent to each menu item. Exempts condiments, items placed on a table or counter for general use, daily specials, and temporary menu items. Requires restaurants that sell self-serve food and beverages, such as through a salad bar, buffet line, or cafeteria lines, to place a sign that lists the number of calories per serving adjacent to each food item or beverage offered. Requires vending machine operators who operate 20 or more vending machines to provide a conspicuous sign disclosing the number of calories contained in each article of food dispensed from such machines. Permits restaurants and vending machine operators to voluntarily provide, and states to require, additional nutritional information.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress, by December 31, 2009, outlining the exit strategy for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2009
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the administering authority to: (1) determine, based on certain requirements, whether the exchange rate of the currency of an exporting country is fundamentally and actionably undervalued or overvalued (misaligned) against the U.S. dollar for an 18-month period; and (2) take certain actions under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding to offset such misalignment in cases of an affirmative determination. Subjects the misalignment to the U.S. dollar of the currency of nonmarket economy countries also to the countervailing and antidumping duty provisions of the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2009
Credit Card Interchange Fees Act of 2009 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit specified electronic payment system network practices, including the imposition of: (1) additional charges on merchants and consumers for premium payment cards; (2) certain restrictions on merchants, including chargebacks for transactions on point of sale terminals that exceed the allowable amount on such devices; (3) restrictions upon network routing; (4) any requirement to meet a minimum number of transactions in any period; or (5) fees or a related adverse action for failure of the merchant to meet such a minimum transactions requirement. Requires an electronic payment system network to disclose its contract terms to the merchant, including its complete operating rules, without restricting the merchant's use of such information. Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prescribe regulations to: (1) ensure that the rules, terms, and conditions to which a merchant or consumer is subject under an agreement with an electronic payment system network are neither unfair nor deceptive to consumers and merchants, nor anticompetitive; (2) prohibit any unfair or deceptive act or practice or anticompetitive act or practice that may result from such rule, term, or condition; and (3) regularly review such rules, terms, and conditions. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to collect and disseminate to the public: (1) complete information on fees charged by each electronic payment system network in connection with consumer-initiated transactions; and (2) the rules, terms, and conditions to which a merchant or a consumer is subject under an agreement with an electronic payment system network for transactions using payment cards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2009
Recognizes the 40th anniversary of the police raid on the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City, New York. Honors those who participated during Stonewall and since that time in the civil rights struggle of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. Recommits the House of Representatives to protecting and providing equal rights for all Americans, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Proud to Be an American Citizen Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to make funds available annually to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or to approved public or private nonprofit entities to support public ceremonies for administering oaths of allegiance to naturalizing legal immigrants. States that such ceremonies shall: (1) be held on a date that is on or near Independence Day; and (2) include appropriate outreach, ceremonial, and celebratory activities. Specifies: (1) ceremony fund limits ($5,000); and (2) permitted fund uses.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to restore Medicare payment for the rent of oxygen and oxygen equipment. Repeals the limitation of Medicare payment to the supplier for such equipment (including portable oxygen equipment) to 36 months of continuous use.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Mourns the loss of life and expresses condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the earthquake that struck the Abruzzo region of Italy. Applauds the response of Italian rescue workers. Recognizes the deep ties between the United States and Italy and expresses continued solidarity with the people of Italy during this time of crisis. Supports President Obama's offer of U.S. assistance to Italy in response to this event. Expresses gratitude to the people of the United States who have supported those humanitarian aid agencies working to assist the people of Italy in this time of need.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Defense Communities Assistance Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress on the necessity of assisting local communities coping with the impact of base closures and realignments and other military actions. Extends permanently (under current law, terminated at the end of FY2008) the authority of the Secretary of the military department concerned to convey, for certain purposes, real property on a military installation determined to be excess to the needs of the Department of Defense (DOD). Authorizes the Secretary concerned to contract for the procurement of municipal services for a U.S. military installation from a county, municipal government, or other local governmental unit in the area. Authorizes such Secretary to so contract using procedures other than competitive procedures, under certain conditions and after congressional notification. Amends the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 to extend through FY2020 a pilot program for the purchase of certain municipal services for military installations. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 to broaden the indemnification provided to transferees of military properties. Reinstates provisions of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 which allow military departments to transfer surplus real and personal property at closed or realigned military installations without consideration to local redevelopment authorities when used for economic development purposes, without the requirement to assess the property's value.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act - Grants the Secretary of the Treasury regulatory and enforcement jurisdiction over the Internet Gambling Licensing Program established by this Act. Prescribes administrative and licensing requirements for Internet betting. Prohibits any person from operating an Internet gambling facility that knowingly accepts bets or wagers from persons located in the United States without a license issued by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to assess: (1) fees against licensee institutions to cover the cost of administering this Act; and (2) specified civil money penalties upon licensees or other persons for willful violation of this Act or related regulations. Cites safeguards required of licensees, including: (1) tax collection related to Internet gambling; (2) safeguards against fraud, money laundering, and terrorist finance; and (3) safeguards to combat compulsive Internet gambling. Requires the Secretary and any qualified state or tribal regulatory body to prescribe regulations for: (1) development of a Problem Gambling, Responsible Gambling, and Self-Exclusion Program; (2) a list of persons self-excluded from gambling activities at licensee sites; and (3) a program to alert the public to the existence, consequences, and availability of the self -exclusion list. Prohibits a person who is prohibited from gambling with a licensee from collecting any winnings, or recovering any losses that arise as a result of prohibited gambling activity. Shields a financial transaction provider from liability for engaging in financial activities and transactions on behalf of a licensee, or involving a licensee, if such activities are in compliance with federal and state laws. Permits states and Indian tribal authorities to opt-out of Internet gambling activities within their respective jurisdictions. Prohibits electronic cheating devices. Subjects violators of this Act to civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research and Awareness Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) conduct, support, and expand epidemiology research on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (i.e., Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) in pediatric and adult populations and establish a registry of pediatric IBD patients; (2) enter into cooperative agreements to develop and administer such epidemiology research and the pediatric IBD registry; and (3) award grants to increase awareness of IBD among the general public and health care providers. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to include information on IBD research in the biennial reports of NIH to Congress. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Directors of NIH and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases should support specified research and training goals for inflammatory bowel disease.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act - Extends from December 1, 2009, to December 1, 2010, the deadline for compliance with specified regulations prohibiting the funding of unlawful Internet gambling (Regulation GG).
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
United States-Cuba Trade Normalization Act of 2009 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal the embargo on trade with Cuba. Prohibits the exercise by the President with respect to Cuba of certain authorities conferred by the Trading With the Enemy Act and exercised on July 1, 1977, as a result of a specified national emergency. Makes ineffective any prohibition on exports to Cuba under the Export Administration Act of 1979. Authorizes the President to impose export controls with respect to Cuba and exercise certain authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act only on account of an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security that did not exist before enactment of this Act. Repeals: (1) the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992; (2) the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996; (3) the prohibition under the Food Security Act of 1985 against allocation of the annual sugar quota to any country unless its officials verify that it does not import for reexport to the United States any sugar produced in Cuba; and (4) the prohibition under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 on transactions or payments respecting certain U.S. intellectual property. Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the denial of the foreign tax credit with respect to Cuba. Authorizes common carriers to install and repair telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba, and otherwise provide telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Prohibits regulation or banning of travel to and from Cuba by U.S. citizens or residents, or of any transactions incident to travel. Directs the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Urges the President to take all necessary steps to conduct negotiations with the Government of Cuba to: (1) settle claims of U.S. nationals against Cuba for the taking of property; and (2) secure protection of internationally recognized human rights. Extends nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations) to the products of Cuba. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from limiting the amount of remittances to Cuba that may be made by any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Rescinds any determination by the Secretary of State that Cuba has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Women's Health Week. Recognizes the importance of: (1) preventing diseases that commonly affect women; and (2) federally funded programs that provide research and collect data on common diseases in women. Calls on women to observe National Women's Check-Up Day by receiving preventive screenings.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Financial Markets Commission Act of 2009 - Establishes in the legislative branch the Financial Markets Commission to: (1) examine all causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States, including the collapse of major financial and commercial firms and the deterioration of the credit and housing markets; and (2) investigate the role in the crisis, if any, of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), trading facilities for commodities and self-regulatory organizations, the federal banking agencies, any financial or commercial corporation, partnership, or entity, and any other governmental or non-governmental entity. Requires the Commission to: (1) report its findings and recommendations to the President and Congress; and (2) refer to the U.S. Attorney General and any appropriate state attorney general any person that the Commission finds may have violated federal laws in relation to the crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of Congress, to: (1) the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission to the surface of the moon, Neil A. Armstrong (the first human to walk on the moon), Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. (pilot of the lunar module Eagle and second person to walk on the moon), and Michael Collins (pilot of their command module Columbia) in recognition of the first lunar landing, on July 20, 1969; and (2) John Herschel Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, on February 20, 1962.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam, for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam, such Republic's inland waterways, ports, and harbors, waters offshore, and airspace above. Includes as veterans eligible for such presumption those who: (1) served on Johnston Island during the period beginning on April 1, 1972, and ending on September 30, 1977; or (2) received the Vietnam Service Medal or the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to require: (1) states to use grants for safe and drug-free schools to collect and report information on the incidence of bullying and harassment; and (2) local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools to use subgrants to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying and harassment. Requires such LEAs or schools to: (1) notify parents and students annually of conduct prohibited in their school discipline policies, that now must include bullying and harassment; and (2) establish grievance procedures for students and parents to register complaints regarding such conduct. Includes bullying and harassment within the Act's definition of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2009
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish: (1) a national highway tunnel inspection program, including standards for the proper safety inspection and evaluation of all highway tunnels; (2) a training and certification program for highway tunnel inspectors; and (3) a national inventory of highway tunnels. Includes tunnel construction, rehabilitation, and operational improvements (including safety inspection of such tunnels) as eligible projects under the federal surface transportation program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Mercury Pollution Reduction Act - Declares that the United States should develop policies and programs that will reduce: (1) mercury use and emissions; (2) mercury releases from the reservoir of mercury currently in use or circulation; and (3) exposures to mercury, particularly of women of childbearing age and young children. Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit: (1) the manufacture of chlorine or caustic soda using mercury cells; and (2) the export of any mercury, mercury cells, mercury compounds, and mixtures containing mercury by the owner or operator of a chlor-alkali facility. Requires the owner or operator of each chlor-alkali facility to report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator and the state in which the facility is located on mercury waste, emissions, and content in products. Requires the Administrator to: (1) conduct a comprehensive mercury inventory covering the life and closure of chlor-alkali facilities that cease operations on or after January 1, 2009; and (2) obtain mercury purchase records and such other information from each such facility as are necessary to determine the magnitude and nature of mercury releases from the facility into air and other environmental media.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Design Piracy Prohibition Act - Extends copyright protection to fashion designs. Includes as protected items clothing, handbags, duffel bags, tote bags, and eyeglass frames. Excludes from such protection designs embodied in a useful article made public by the designer more than six months before the registration of copyright application. Prohibits considering certain factors in determining the originality of a fashion design. Sets the term of protection at three years. Declares that it is not infringement to make, have made, import, sell, or distribute any article which was created without reasonable grounds to know that design protection is claimed. Prohibits deeming a fashion design to have been copied from a protected design if it: (1) is original and not closely and substantially similar in overall visual appearance to a protected design; (2) merely reflects a trend; or (3) is the result of independent creation. Prohibits deeming a vessel hull design to have been copied from a protected design if it is original and not substantially similar in appearance to a protected design. Applies the doctrines of secondary infringement or secondary liability to actions related to original designs. Requires that applications for design registration be made within two years after the design is made public for vessel hulls and within six months after the design is made public for fashion designs. (Current law sets such a time limit at two years for designs in general.) Increases allowable damage awards for infringement of original designs and for false representation. Requires the Register of Copyrights to establish and maintain an electronically searchable fashion design database available to the public without charge.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
United States Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for FY2010-FY2015 for construction of ferry vessels and ferry terminal facilities. Revises general requirements and the formula for the allocation of such funds to ferry systems and public entities responsible for developing ferries. Includes ferries within the federal clean fuels program. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish within the Department of Transportation a Ferry Joint Program Office to: (1) coordinate federal programs affecting ferry vessel and ferry facility construction, maintenance, operations, and security; and (2) promote ferry service as a component of the U.S. transportation system. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the national ferry database is consistent with the national transit database maintained by the Federal Transit Administration; and (2) award a grant to a college to establish a National Ferry Transportation Institute for research, development, and training programs relating to U.S. ferry transportation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act of 2009 - Establishes the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission which shall: (1) review and evaluate U.S. illicit drug supply policy (with particular emphasis on international drug policies and programs directed toward Western Hemisphere countries) and demand reduction policies and programs; and (2) identify policy and program options to improve existing international and domestic counternarcotics policy. Terminates the Commission 60 days after submission of the report required under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009 - Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program of marine renewable energy research, separated from the Wind and Hydropower program, focused on: (1) developing new marine renewable energy technologies; (2) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs of such technologies; (3) increasing the reliability and survivability of marine renewable energy facilities; (4) integrating marine renewable energy into the national electric grid; (5) identifying opportunities for cross pollination and development of economies of scale between offshore wind and marine renewable energy sources; (6) identifying the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy and ways to address negative impacts; (7) applying advanced systems engineering and system integration methods to identify critical interfaces and develop open standards for marine renewable energy; (8) transferring the resulting intellectual property to industry stakeholders as public information through published interface definitions, standards, and demonstration projects; and (9) developing incentives for industry to comply with such standards. Requires DOE to establish a Marine-based Energy Device Verification Program to provide a bridge from the wave, tidal, or current energy capture device design and development efforts underway across the industry to commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices. Requires the Program to fund, facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratories in order to: (1) increase marine renewable energy experience; and (2) build and operate enough candidate devices to obtain statistically significant operating and maintenance data. Requires DOE to establish an Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund to provide grants for complying with requirements to assess and demonstrate the environmental effects of marine renewable energy projects. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include as "five-year property" for purposes of accelerated depreciation provisions equipment that converts marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy into useable electricity.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 - Directs the President to develop and implement: (1) a National Strategy for Global Development to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of reducing poverty and contributing to economic growth in developing countries, including responding to humanitarian crises; and (2) a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance. Expresses the sense of Congress that American taxpayers and foreign assistance recipients should have, to the maximum extent practicable, full access to U.S. foreign assistance information.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a same-sex spouse, as determined under applicable state law, domestic partner, child, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, or grandparent (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition. Amends federal civil service law to apply the same leave allowance to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to extend from three years to five years the delay in application of: (1) the 25% patient threshold payment adjustment to freestanding and grandfathered long-term care hospitals (LTCHs); (2) any payment adjustment, in certain circumstances, to any applicable LTCH or satellite facility located in a rural area or co-located with an urban single or metropolitan statistical area (MSA) dominant hospital; (3) the very short-stay outlier policy; and (4) a specified one-time prospective adjustment to LTCH prospective payment rates. Extends from three years to five years the moratorium on: (1) the establishment and classification of a LTCH or satellite facility, other than an existing one; and (2) an increase of LTCH beds in existing LTCHs or satellite facilities. Establishes a formula for annual adjustment of the base prospective payment rate for LTCHs for rate years 2011 through 2015 in order to implement a budget neutrality offset of the costs of implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance, including through multilateral, nongovernmental, and faith-based organizations, to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women. Sets forth priority assistance criteria. Directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to establish a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage. Sets forth strategy elements. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that Department of State country reports on human rights practices include a description of the status of child marriage for countries with specified rates of child marriage. Defines "child marriage" as the marriage of a girl or boy not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law in the country in which the girl or boy is a resident.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Workforce Health Improvement Program Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of employees: (1) the value of any on-premises employer-provided athletic facility; and (2) fees, dues, or membership expenses paid to an athletic or fitness facility by an employer for its employees, but not exceeding $900 per employee per year. Allows employers a tax deduction for fees, dues, or membership expenses paid to an athletic or fitness facility. Limits the amount of such deduction to $900 per employee per year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner . Requires a coin design emblematic of the War of 1812, and in particular of, the Battle for Baltimore that formed the basis for the Star-Spangled Banner. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2012. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coins and $10 per coin for the $1 coins, which shall be distributed to the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission for the purpose of supporting bicentennial activities, educational outreach activities, and preservation and improvement activities pertaining to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
![Official portrait of Rep. Delahunt, William D. [D-MA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000210_200.jpg)