United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Remembers the lives of the women and men who have lost their fight with breast cancer and expresses support and admiration for those who have survived. Congratulates participants in the Global Race for the Cure to raise money for research and education. Urges Americans to walk this year and support their family and friends who participate. Honors the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Pregnant Women Support Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to increase public awareness of resources available to pregnant women to carry their pregnancy to term and new parents. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary to make grants for the purchase of ultrasound equipment for examinations of pregnant women. Prohibits a health insurance issuer offering individual coverage from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion or a waiting period or otherwise discriminating against a woman on the basis that she is pregnant. Provides for continuation coverage for newborns. Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow states to extend health care coverage to an unborn child. Requires health facilities that perform abortions to obtain informed consent from a pregnant woman seeking an abortion. Directs the Secretary to provide for: (1) higher education pregnant and parenting student services offices; and (2) programs to work with pregnant or parenting teens to complete high school. Authorizes grants for services to pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Requires states to require a pregnancy determination for homicide victims. Requires the Secretary to provide for supportive services for pregnant women, mothers, and children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase and make refundable the tax credit for adoption expenses. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC program). Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the eligibility threshold for food stamps. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Authorizes grants to provide to eligible mothers education on the health needs of their infants through visits to their homes by registered nurses. Authorizes grants for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish the Office of Water within the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade to: (1) give assistance to provide safe water and sanitation for people worldwide; and (2) be headed by a Director for Safe Water and Sanitation. Outlines the Director's duties. Requires the Secretary of State, in order to increase the capacity of the Department of State to address international issues regarding safe water, sanitation, integrated river basin management, and other international water programs, to establish a Special Coordinator for International Water. Outlines the Special Coordinator's duties. Amends the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 to: (1) revise requirements concerning the safe water and sanitation strategy; (2) provide for the establishment of a program to build the capacity of host country institutions and officials responsible for water and sanitation in countries that receive assistance to provide safe water and sanitation under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (3) expand the list of activities that may be supported by assistance furnished by the President for programs in developing countries to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation; and (4) require the report regarding water for peace and security to include an assessment of political tensions over water sources and a multidisciplinary assessment of the expected impacts of global climate change on water supplies in 10, 25, and 50 years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Grants a federal charter to the Military Officers Association of America (a nonprofit corporation and incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act of 2009 - Terminates certain authorities under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel management system with respect to TSA employees under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act and related law, including all authority to establish or adjust a human resources management system. Subjects TSA employees (including screeners) to the protections of the federal civil service system, including the right to collective bargaining, compensation, leave, health, and other employee rights. Prohibits any reduction in rate of pay or certain other rights of TSA employees upon conversion from the TSA personnel system to the federal civil service system. Provides that nothing in this Act shall repeal laws against striking against the U.S. Government.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim, or is a violation of the state, local, or tribal hate crime laws. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one state and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist state, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to expand data collection and reporting requirements under such Act to include: (1) crimes manifesting prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) hate crimes committed by and against juveniles. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the exercise of constitutionally-protected free speech.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national minimum payment amount for CPT code 77080 (relating to dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, the most widely accepted method of measuring bone mass to predict fracture risk) and CPT code 77082 (relating to vertebral fracture assessment, or VFA), and any successor to such codes as identified by the Secretary (bone mass scans). Directs the Secretary to arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the ramifications of Medicare reimbursement reductions for DXA and VFA on beneficiary access to bone mass measurement benefits; and (2) the methods to increase use of bone mass measurement by Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas; (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Secure Electronic Military Separation Act - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to direct the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a secure electronic method of forwarding DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to the appropriate office of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in which the former member of the Armed Forces will first reside.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
World War I Memorial and Centennial Act of 2009 - Designates the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial. Establishes the World War I Centennial Commission to: (1) plan, develop, and execute programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I; (2) encourage private organizations and state and local governments to organize and participate in such activities; (3) facilitate and coordinate such activities throughout the United States; and (4) serve as a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of information about centennial events and plans.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for 25% of the cost of new qualified freight rail infrastructure property and qualified locomotive property; and (2) a taxpayer election to expense the cost of qualified freight rail infrastructure property (i.e., deduct all costs in the current taxable year). Terminates such credit and expensing election after 2015. Requires compliance with federal wage rate requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act as a condition of eligibility for the tax credit and expensing allowance provided by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Commends public servants for their outstanding contributions to the nation during Public Service Recognition Week and throughout the year. Honors government employees who have given their lives in service to their country. Encourages efforts to promote public service careers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 or EARLY Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign: (1) to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain ethnic and cultural groups; and (2) focusing on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns. Directs the Secretary to award grants to entities to establish national multimedia campaigns that: (1) will encourage young women to be aware of their personal risk factors, strategies for increasing early detection and self awareness, evidence based preventative lifestyle changes, and other appropriate breast cancer early detection and risk reduction strategies; (2) will encourage young women of specific higher-risk populations to talk to their medical practitioners about those risks and methods for appropriate screening and surveillance; and (3) may include advertising through specified media. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish an advisory committee to assist in creating and conducting the public education campaign; (2) conduct an education campaign to increase awareness among health care professionals; and (3) conduct prevention research. Directs the Secretary to award grants to organizations and institutions to provide to young women diagnosed with breast cancer substantive assistance and health information from credible sources on: (1) education and counseling regarding fertility preservation; (2) social, emotional, psychosocial, financial, lifestyle, and caregiver support; (3) familial risk factors; and (4) risk reduction strategies to reduce recurrence or metastasis.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2009
Expresses support for the designation of, and the goals and ideals of, National Nutrition Month. Encourages: (1) local communities to raise awareness surrounding nutritional health; and (2) awareness about diseases and death caused by lack of nutrition. Recognizes health care professionals, such as registered dietitians, who spread the knowledge and importance of nutrition each day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Prohibits a state from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semitrailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (NHS) (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the state on June 1, 2008, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the NHS (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under state law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semitrailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by state law on June 1, 2008; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such state on or before June 1, 2008. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to state (grandfather) law. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the NHS, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower state weight limits; or (2) a state allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the NHS that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
TARP Wage Accountability Act - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to prohibit financial institutions that have received more than $10 billion under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) from increasing the compensation of any of their officers, directors, or employees for a fiscal year by a percentage greater than the federal civil service pay increase for such fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Expresses support for efforts to: (1) lower the rate of infant mortality in the United States; and (2) correct the racial disparities in prenatal care to lower that rate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act - Makes any veteran who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, the Persian Gulf War, Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, or any other period of war after the Persian Gulf War, or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities, eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for any mental illness through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the mental illness is attributable to such service.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase in taxable years beginning in 2009, 2010, or 2011: (1) the limit on the tax deduction for trade or business start-up expenditures from $5,000 to $20,000; and (2) the threshold amount for reducing such limit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Honors the life of Glenn "Jeep" Davis (gold medal Olympic hurdler). Recognizes his contributions to American sports and to his community. Extends condolences to his family.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Birth Parent Assistance Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide certain services for birth parents who have placed a child for adoption, either directly or by grant to or contract with state or local governmental entities or public or private agencies or organizations, including licensed child welfare or adoption agencies or adoptive family groups and faith-based organizations. Specifies such services for birth parents as: (1) post-legal adoption services; (2) individual, group, and family counseling; and (3) training of mental health professionals, social workers, and staff at hospitals and other appropriate birth care facilities relating to their interaction with birth parents and adoptive families.
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 · 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
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to define a teacher who works in a Head Start program for at least 700 hours during a school year as an eligible educator for purposes of the tax deduction for educational supplies (books, computer equipment, and other equipment and supplementary materials used in the classroom).
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 · 9 March 2009
Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act or the GIVE Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (DVSA) to revise the programs under such Acts and reauthorize appropriations for such programs through FY2014. Revises under NCSA: (1) the School-Based and Community-Based Service-Learning programs and Higher Education Innovative Programs for Community Service (Learn and Serve programs); (2) National Service Trust programs (AmeriCorps); (3) the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC); and (4) the Investment for Quality and Innovation program. Eliminates the current Community-Based Learn and Serve programs. Establishes two new Learn and Serve programs: (1) Campuses of Service, which provides funds to institutions of higher education to develop or disseminate exemplary service-learning programs that assist their students' pursuit of public service careers; and (2) Innovative Service-Learning Programs and Research, which funds community service-learning opportunities for elementary and secondary, college, and graduate students as well as research into service-learning. Includes among eligible AmeriCorps programs: (1) an Education Corps to address unmet educational needs; (2) a Healthy Futures Corps to address unmet health needs; (3) a Clean Energy Corps to address unmet environmental needs; and (4) a Veterans Corps to address the unmet needs of veterans and their families. Creates AmeriCorps Opportunity Corps programs that include certain existing programs and new programs to: (1) increase community access to technology; (2) engage citizens in public safety, health, and emergency preparedness services; (3) mentor youth; (4) reduce recidivism by re-engaging court-involved youth; and (5) support the needs of veterans or active duty service members and their families. Establishes an Education Awards Only program authorizing the Corporation for National and Community Service (Corporation) to provide fixed-amount grants to programs that have approved national service positions, but no AmeriCorps funding. Sets the National Service educational awards for full-time AmeriCorps, NCCC, and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) participants at a level equal to the maximum available Pell Grant available to students under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Includes among needs to be met under the NCCC program, disaster relief, infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Requires states to develop comprehensive plans for volunteer and paid service by Baby Boomers and older adults. Directs the Corporation to plan pilot programs to: (1) better target and serve displaced workers; and (2) establish a centralized electronic citizenship verification system which would allow the Corporation to share employment eligibility information with the Department of Education. Authorizes the Corporation to treat September 11th annually as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Establishes within the Investment for Quality and Innovation program: (1) a ServeAmerica Fellowships program providing fellowships to individuals chosen by states to participate in service projects addressing certain areas of national need; (2) a Silver Scholarship Grant Program providing scholarships to individuals age 55 or older who complete at least 500 hours of service in a year in an area of national need; and (3) an Encore Fellowships program providing one-year fellowships to individuals age 55 or older who serve in areas of national need and receive training to transition to public service employment. Makes ServeAmerica fellows eligible for national service educational awards. Authorizes the Corporation to provide grants to innovative and model service programs, including those for disadvantaged youth, youth under age 17, and potential recidivists. Eliminates federal funding for the Points of Light Foundation. Revises under DVSA: (1) the VISTA program; and (2) the Senior Corps, including the Retired and Senior Volunteer program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent program, and the Senior Companion program. Gives priority in VISTA participant selection to disadvantaged youth and retired adults of any profession. Authorizes new VISTA grant programs of national significance that provide poor and rural communities with: (1) services reintegrating formerly incarcerated individuals into society; (2) financial literacy and planning; (3) before-school and after-school services; (4) community economic development initiatives; (5) assistance to veterans and their families; and (6) health and wellness services. Eliminates the VISTA Literacy Corps, University Year for VISTA, and Literacy Challenge Grant programs. Raises the minimum and maximum stipend provided to VISTA participants. Prioritizes RSVP projects in specified areas. Makes anyone 55 years of age or older eligible as Senior Corps volunteers. Provides, under the Senior Corps demonstration program, incentive matching grants to Senior Corps programs that exceed specified performance measures, enroll most of their volunteers in outcome-based service programs, and increase their enrollment of Baby Boomer volunteers. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the number of AmeriCorps, VISTA, and NCCC participants should reach 250,000 by 2014. Congressional Commission on Civic Service Act - Establishes a Congressional Commission on Civic Service to provide recommendations to Congress on improving opportunities for individuals to volunteer or perform national service.
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
Reducing Information Control Designations Act - Requires each federal agency to reduce and minimize its use of information control designations on information that is not classified. Defines such designations to mean information dissemination controls that are not defined by federal statute or executive order relating to the classification of national security information and that are used to manage, direct, or route information or to control the accessibility of information, regardless of its form or format. Requires the Archivist of the United States to promulgate regulations to address: (1) standards for the use of such designations to maximize public access to information; (2) the process for removing such designations; (3) procedures for identifying and tracking designated information; (4) provisions to minimize the use of such designations to prevent misuse and interference with competition in the private sector; and (5) a process for individuals and the public to challenge the use of such designations. Requires the head of each federal agency to: (1) implement the regulations promulgated by the Archivist to encourage information sharing; and (2) ensure that such designations do not determine public disclosure requirements under the Freedom of Information Act. Requires the Inspector General of each federal agency to randomly audit and report to Congress on unclassified information with such designations to determine compliance. Directs the Archivist to: (1) require personal identifiers and agency affiliations of individuals applying such designations: (2) require training of such individuals; and (3) implement a program to detail federal employees to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to train such employees. Terminates such detail program on December 31, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Act of 2009 - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to grant the Special Inspector General (SIG) authority to conduct, supervise, and coordinate an audit or investigation of any action taken with regard to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that the SIG deems appropriate. Prohibits any audit or investigation, however, of any action related to: (1) graduated authorization to purchase troubled assets; (2) oversight and audits by the Comptroller General; (3) the Comptroller General's study and report on margin authority; and (4) the Congressional Oversight Panel. Authorizes the SIG to exercise specified employment authorities for additional personnel, but not after six months following enactment of this Act. Prohibits any period of appointment from exceeding the date on which the Office of the SIG terminates. States that if an annuitant receiving an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund becomes employed within the Office of the SIG for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, such annuity shall continue. Limits such allowance to: (1) not more than 25 employees at any time as designated by the SIG; and (2) only pay periods beginning after the enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury either to: (1) take action to address deficiencies identified by a report or investigation of the SIG or other auditor engaged by the TARP; or (2) certify to congressional committees that no action is necessary or appropriate. Instructs the SIG to work with Inspectors General of designated federal agencies to: (1) avoid duplication of effort; and (2) ensure comprehensive oversight of TARP. Requires the SIG to: (1) report to Congress by September 1, 2009, on the use of any funds received by a financial institution under TARP; and (2) make such report available to the public, including on the home page of the SIG's website within 24 hours after its submission to Congress. Requires funding for the office of the SIG to be made available not later than seven days after the the date of enactment of this Act. Makes the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction members of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency until the termination of their respective Offices.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
National MS and Parkinson's Disease Registries Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, to: (1) develop a system to collect data on multiple sclerosis (MS) and a system to collect data on Parkinson's disease; (2) establish a national surveillance system for the collection and storage of data for each such disease, including population-based registries of U.S. cases of MS and Parkinson's disease; (3) provide analysis regarding expansion of national disease surveillance systems for other neurological diseases and disorders; and (4) establish the Advisory Committee on Neurological Disease Registries. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on MS and Parkinson's disease. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for research access to Parkinson's disease and MS data. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information collected are made available to agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of Defense (DOD).
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 · 3 March 2009
Restoring the Integrity of American Statistics Act of 2009 - Reestablishes the United States Census Bureau as an independent establishment in the executive branch, effective January 1, 2012. Requires the Bureau Director to be: (1) appointed by the President without regard to political affiliation for a five-year term; and (2) compensated at level II of the Executive Schedule. Provides for: (1) the transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the Bureau under the Department of Commerce; (2) transition rules; and (3) appointment of an Inspector General for the Bureau.
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 · 2 March 2009
Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income distributions from individual retirement accounts for certain charitable purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2009 or the ABLE Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts for individuals with a disability to pay certain expenses of such individuals, including expenses for education, housing, transportation, employment support, medical care, and certain life necessities. Defines "individual with a disability" as an individual who is eligible to receive certain supplemental security income benefits under the Social Security Act. Allows individual taxpayers a tax deduction, up to $2,000 per year, for contributions to an ABLE account. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to Congress on the use of ABLE accounts and the effect of the tax deduction for contributions to such accounts. Requires ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid benefits and for purposes of determining eligibility for other means-tested federal programs.
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
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009 - Repeals the authority of the Comptroller General to carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company only if the appropriate federal regulatory agency has consented in writing. (Retains the authority of the Comptroller General to audit a federal agency.) Directs the Comptroller General to complete, before the end of 2010, an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and of the federal reserve banks, followed by a detailed report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2009 - Entitles independent pharmacies negotiating contract terms with a health plan for the provision of health care items or services to the same treatment under the antitrust laws as the treatment to which bargaining units recognized under the National Labor Relations Act are entitled. Treats such a pharmacy as an employee engaged in concerted activities in connection with such negotiations. Exempts actions taken in good faith reliance on this Act from being subject to criminal sanctions or civil penalties beyond actual damages incurred. Provides that this Act does not exempt from application of antitrust laws any agreement or unlawful conspiracy that: (1) would have the effect of boycotting any independent pharmacy; (2) would exclude, limit the participation or reimbursement of, or otherwise limit the scope of services to be provided by any independent pharmacy or group of independent pharmacies with respect to the performance of services that are within their scope of practice as defined or permitted by relevant law or regulation; (3) allocates a market among competitors; (4) unlawfully ties the sale or purchase of one product or service to the sale or purchase of another product or service; or (5) monopolizes or attempts to monopolize a market. Requires the Comptroller General to study the impact of this Act after five years. Provides that this Act does not preclude the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) from overseeing the conduct of independent pharmacies covered under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify automatic fire sprinkler systems as five-year depreciable property. Makes this Act applicable to property placed in service after April 11, 2003.
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 · 23 February 2009
Honest FHA Originator Act of 2009 - Amends the National Housing Act to remove the Director of the Enforcement Center from the Mortgagee Review Board of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Declares that any person or entity that is not approved by the HUD Secretary is prohibited from serving as a mortgagee and from participating in the origination of an FHA-insured loan. Sets forth mortgagee eligibility criteria. Directs the Secretary to require each mortgagee approved for participation in the FHA mortgage insurance programs to: (1) use the business name of the mortgagee that is registered with the Secretary in all advertisements and promotional materials relating to the business of such mortgagee in the mortgage insurance programs; and (2) maintain copies of such advertisements and promotional materials. Requires an approved mortgagee to submit immediate written notification of the following actions: (1) the debarment, suspension of a Limited Denial of Participation (LDP), or application of other sanctions, fines, or penalties applied to the mortgagee or to any officer, partner, director, principal, manager, supervisor, loan processor, loan underwriter, or loan originator of the mortgagee pursuant to applicable state or federal law; or (2) the revocation of a state-issued mortgage loan originator license or any other similar declaration of ineligibility pursuant to state law. Instructs the Secretary to expand the review of FHA mortgagee applicants and newly approved mortgagees.
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
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Driehaus, Steve [D-OH-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/111driehauss-oh01_200.jpg)