United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Affordable Tutoring of Our Children Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for employer-provided dependent care assistance to allow employees an additional exclusion for payments of supplemental instructional services assistance to their dependents between the ages of 5 and 19 who have not obtained a high school diploma or who have been awarded a general education degree. Defines "supplemental instructional services assistance" to include instructional or other academic enrichment services that are: (1) in addition to instruction provided during the school day; (2) specifically designed to increase academic achievement; (3) in the core academic studies of English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, social studies, and geography; and (4) provided by a state certified instructor or accredited organization.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2009 - Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury, within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and other defined international financial institutions, to: (1) provide for debt cancellation of eligible low-income countries to such institutions and to the United States; (2) ensure that the provision of debt cancellation to such countries is not followed by a reduction in the provision of any other development assistance; and (3) encourage such countries' governments to allocate at least 20% of their national budgets towards poverty-alleviation programs. Directs the Secretary to begin efforts to: (1) promote greater transparency within such institutions; (2) establish a responsible lending framework; and (3) ensure that debt cancellation to eligible low-income governments is subject only to specified conditions. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to: (1) audit the debt portfolios of previous governments in countries such as South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo where there is significant evidence that onerous or illegal loans were made to the government; and (2) report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity when extending credit. Defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; (2) "person" as a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association; and (3) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009 - Amends the the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to increase reimbursement rates for free, reduced price, and paid meals and snacks served under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at nonresidential child care centers and family or group day care homes. Allows such providers to be reimbursed for the service of three meals and a snack. (Currently, reimbursement is provided for two meals and a snack.) Lowers the percentage of children or school children in an area that must be eligible for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs to make family or group day care homes in the area eligible for higher CACFP reimbursement rates as tier I homes. Increases the maximum monthly administrative payment per home provided to sponsors of family or group day care homes. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to improve the ability of the CACFP to reach low-income families by streamlining program and paperwork requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Nonprofit Mortgage Licensing Clarification Act of 2009 - Amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to permit a state to exempt from certain registration or licensing requirements any charitable organization exempt from federal tax (including their employees and agents acting as loan originators), if the organization: (1) executes loan originations in order to promote or facilitate homeownership for certain low-income, disabled, or other disadvantaged persons or families; (2) offers loans at interest rates lower than the bank prime loan rate, or that are no-interest loans or loans with interest rates significantly below those for loans to purchase generally available single-family housing; and (3) does not otherwise engage in the business of a loan originator or mortgage broker.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP Act of 2009, or the CIR ASAP Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) (Secretary) to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a National Strategy for Border Security; (2) increase the number of Customs and Border Protection officers, agriculture specialists, and border security support personnel, and enhance related equipment, assets, and technology; (3) develop a comprehensive land and maritime border surveillance plan, including aerial and integrated surveillance demonstration programs; (4) issue a rule for electronic device searches and related agent training; (5) improve coordination efforts to combat human smuggling; (6) establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every Border Patrol sector at the southern and northern borders; (7) carry out a ports of entry technology demonstration program; and (8) establish a Southern Border Security Task Force. Authorizes appropriations for border security improvements at U.S. ports of entry. Authorizes border relief grants for tribal, state, or local law enforcement and related agencies in proximity to the border or in a designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Provides reimbursement for state and county prosecutors in border states for prosecuting federally initiated and referred drug cases. Suspends the Operation Streamline program pending an evaluation of its viability. Expands resources for Project Gunrunner and for Operation Armas Cruzadas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Establishes the United States-Mexico Border Enforcement Commission. Prohibits the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard, from assisting in non-emergency federal, state, local, and civilian law enforcement of immigration laws. Directs the Secretaries of DHS, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Commerce to develop: (1) a land border protection strategy; and (2) a borderlands environmental monitoring plan. Provides for: (1) enhanced border cooperation with Mexico; and (2) expansion of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs. Sets forth detention conditions. Directs the Secretary to appoint an Immigration Detention Commission. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) immigration enforcement protections; (2) unlawful detentions; (3) protections for vulnerable populations; (4) apprehension procedures for families and family detention; (5) welfare requirements for children separated from detained or removed parents; (6) unaccompanied alien children; and (7) female detainees. Provides a stay of removal and work authorization for detained alien workers who are witnesses or necessary for workplace prosecution claims. Eliminates, with specified exceptions, DHS authority to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies to perform immigration law enforcement functions. Establishes in DHS an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ombudsman. Eliminates the one-year asylun filing requirement. Provides for federal court review of DHS orders of removal currently exempt from such review. Establishes an alien employment verification system which requires employers to comply with: (1) document verification requirements; and (2) a phased-in electronic employment verification system. Sets forth backlog reduction provisions respecting family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant levels. Revises the definition of "immediate relative" to: (1) include the spouse and child of a lawful permanent resident; and (2) permit a qualifying widow/widower and the child or parent of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to maintain such status while filing for permanent resident status. Increases: (1) per-country limits for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrants; and (2) specified family-unity exceptions to unlawful presence-based inadmissibility. Prohibits the removal from the United States of an individual who: (1) fled his or her homeland while under the age of 12 years old; and (2) was later admitted to the United States as a refugee, parolee, or asylee. Exempts the sons and daughters of certain naturalized Filipino World War II veterans from worldwide or numerical immigrant visa limits. Makes a minor child of an alien fiancee/fiance or of an alien spouse of a U.S. citizen eligible for derivative K-visa status under specified circumstances. Redefines "child" to include a stepchild under 21 years old. Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) require determinations with respect to children to be made using the age and status of an individual on October 21, 1998; and (2) permit an application based upon child status to be filed by a parent or guardian if the child is present in the United States on such filing date. Permits new status adjustment applications to be filed for a limited time period. Reduces the required support level for immigrant sponsorship. Establishes the Prevent Unauthorized Migration Visa (PUM Visa) program which shall provide for: (1) 100,000 PUM conditional permanent resident visas annually, for three years, to persons from countries (transitional visa admission states) which represent at least 5% of the total unauthorized migration population to the United States for the past five years; and (2) a process to adjust to permanent resident status. Exempts specified categories of U.S.-educated aliens from employment-based immigration limits. Permits a nonimmigrant alien whose employer has petitioned for an employment-based green card for such alien to file an application for adjustment of status regardless of whether an immigrant visa is immediately available. (Requires visa availability before such application may be approved.) Return of Talent Act - Establishes the Return of Talent Program to permit an eligible alien (and certain family members) to return to the alien's country of citizenship for up to two years in order to contribute to such country's postconflict or natural disaster reconstruction activities. (During such absence the alien and family members shall be considered to be continuously present and residing in the United States for naturalization purposes.) Establishes a conditional nonimmigrant status for qualifying aliens and their dependents who are illegally present or out of status in the United States and who register and meet the requirements for such status. Authorizes: (1) adjustment from conditional to permanent resident status at the earlier of six years after enactment of this Act or 30 days after specified immigrant visas become available (with exceptions to such time frame for certain students, military personnel, and employed individuals); and (2) naturalization three years after permanent resident status adjustment. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009 or the AgJOBS Act of 2009 - Confers "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) during the 24-month period ending on December 31, 2008, has performed specified lengths of, or earned a specified amount from, agricultural employment in the United States; (2) applied for such status during the 18-month application period; (3) is otherwise admissible to the United States; and (4) has not been convicted of specified felonies or misdemeanors. Limits the number of blue cards that may be issued during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. Provides for adjustment of blue card status to permanent resident status based upon completed periods of agricultural employment. Revises H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Replaces the existing labor certification requirement with a labor attestation requirement containing: (1) a description of the nature and location of the job; (2) the job's expected beginning and ending dates; (3) the number of jobs; and (4) specified labor assurances respecting job opportunities covered by collective bargaining agreements and non-covered job opportunities. Establishes: (1) the Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets; and (2) the Security and Prosperity Account in the Treasury. Requires each State Workforce Agency (SWA) to establish an Internet-based American Worker Recruit and Match program. Requires employers and foreign labor contractors to provide workers recruited abroad with specified employment-related information. Amends H-1B visa (specialty occupation) employer application requirements to: (1) revise wage determination requirements; (2) require Internet posting and description of employment positions; (3) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection; (4) apply certain requirements to all H-1B employers rather than only to H-1B dependent employers; (5) prohibit employer advertising that makes a position available only to, or gives priority to, H-1B nonimmigrants; and (6) limit the number of H-1B and L-1 visa (intracompany transfer) employees that an employer of 50 or more workers in the United States may hire. Authorizes the Department of Labor (DOL) to: (1) investigate applications for fraud; and (2) conduct H-1B compliance audits. Prohibits an employer from hiring an L-1 nonimmigrant for more than one year who will: (1) serve in a capacity involving specialized knowledge; and (2) be stationed primarily at the worksite of another employer. Specifies L-1: (1) employer petition requirements for employment at a new office; (2) wage rates and working conditions; and (3) employer penalties. Authorizes: (1) DOL to enforce federal labor laws with respect to employers of H-2B nonagricultural temporary workers; and (2) a private right of action against such employers. Specifies employer actions to recruit U.S. workers prior to filing for H-2B admissions. Sets forth H-2B and U.S. worker protections. Amends EB-5 visa (alien investor) provisions to: (1) increase EB-5 eligibility; (2) make the regional center program permanent; (3) establish $2,500 regional center designation and premium processing fees; (4) permit concurrent filing for EB-5 petitions and status adjustment applications; (5) establish in the Treasury the Immigrant Entrepreneur Regional Center Account; and (6) increase employment creation-related visas. Revises provisions regarding: (1) immigration service fees; (2) the naturalization age-based English language proficiency exemption; and (3) citizenship application background checks. Establishes the New Americans Initiative grants program to to assist lawful permanent resident aliens to become citizens. Authorizes grants for: (1) public education and community training regarding the provisions of this Act; (2) community-based organizations to assist naturalization applicants (initial entry, adjustment, and citizenship assistance grants); and (3) states to form New American Councils. Provides for the naturalization of certain graduates of U.S. high schools who are under 25 years of age on the date of application for naturalization. Establishes: (1) a tax credit and a deduction for certification expenses for teachers of English language learners; and (2) a tax credit for employer-provided adult English literacy and basic education programs. Makes funds available for oath of allegiance ceremonies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to states and, through them, subgrants to schools to assist such schools in establishing universal free breakfast programs that provide all of their students with free breakfasts for at least three years under the school breakfast program. Requires students to be allowed to eat such breakfasts in the classroom after school starts. Limits subgrant eligibility to elementary or secondary schools in which at least 40% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the school lunch program. Directs state grantees to provide: (1) technical assistance to schools in implementing such programs; (2) targeted outreach to schools with the highest percentage of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the school lunch program; and (3) subgrant priority to schools in which 75% or more of the students are eligible for such lunches. Requires subgrantees to cover, from nonfederal sources, the costs of serving free breakfasts that exceed the assistance received under the school breakfast program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for expenses related to advertising primarily directed at children to promote the consumption by children of food from any fast food restaurant or of poor nutritional quality. Defines "food of poor nutritional quality" as food that is determined by the Secretary of the Treasury (in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services [HHS] and the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]) to provide calories primarily through fats or added sugars and to have minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2009
Recognizes the potential for a national fresh food financing initiative to: (1) provide a sustainable solution to the problem of limited access to healthy foods in underserved urban, suburban, and rural low-income communities; and (2) help reduce health disparities and improve the health of families and children, create jobs, and stimulate local economic development in low-income communities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2009
Stand with the Iranian People Act - Directs the Secretary of State to deny issuance of a visa and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to deny U.S. admission to any government official of Iran who is credibly alleged to have ordered, acquiesced to, or participated in human rights abuses against the people of Iran. Authorizes the Secretary of State to waive such ban if in the U.S. national interest. Prohibits the head of an executive agency from entering into or renewing a contract for the procurement of goods or services with a person or entity that provides censorship or surveillance technology to the government of Iran. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to waive such prohibition if in the U.S. national interest. States that the establishment and carrying out of operations by U.S. nonprofit organizations in Iran for the direct provision of specified humanitarian and people-to-people assistance may not be prohibited or restricted. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to require such an organization to notify the Department of the Treasury up to 14 days in advance of commencing operations in Iran. Excludes from such provision an organization that provides services or conducts transactions with any organization or entity that appears on the Department of the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals List (a list of organizations and individuals that are restricted from doing business with the United States or U.S companies or individuals).
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2009
Iranian Digital Empowerment Act - States that the export of the following software and related services to Iran by U.S. persons may not be prohibited or restricted: (1) software and related services that allow private Iranian citizens to circumvent online censorship and monitoring efforts imposed by the government of Iran and (2) software and related services that enable personal communication by the Iranian people. Excludes from such provisions the export of such software and related services to the government of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period classification for qualified leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property, for purposes of the depreciation tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or 20-year prison term on any person who: (1) knowingly provides or receives from another person two or more firearms if such person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such transfer would violate a federal, state, or local law punishable by a prison term of more than one year (i.e., a felony); (2) makes materially false statements to a licensed firearm importer, dealer, or manufacturer relating to the purchase, receipt, or acquisition of two or more firearms; or (3) directs, promotes, or facilitates such illegal activity. Increases penalties on licensed firearms importers, dealers, or manufacturers who knowingly violate firearms restrictions under the federal criminal code, including recordkeeping requirements. Expands the authority of the Attorney General to revoke or suspend the license of a firearms dealer for failure to have secure gun storage or safety devices, for transporting armor piercing ammunition, or for violating other federal prohibitions on gun trafficking. Requires the Attorney General to identify licensed firearms dealers who have a heightened risk of firearms being diverted to criminal use. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on firearms that are lost or stolen during commercial shipping. Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to hire additional personnel to enable inspections of gun dealers on a three-year cycle and requires the Director to hire additional investigators and special agents to address trafficking in firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Public Lands Rehabilitation and Job Creation Act - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2010 to: (1) the Department of the Interior for National Park Service operations and construction; (2) the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service for capital improvement and maintenance road projects; and (3) the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for highway infrastructure investment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
New Deal for a New Economy Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, from unobligated funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA), to make specified sums available for FY2010-FY2012 to the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, the Interior, and Agriculture. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to allocate, and each eligible local educational agency in the state to receive, funds in proportion to amounts received under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (2) a state to make and distribute the amount allocated to it within 90 days of receipt. Authorizes the use of funds to hire new employees, rehire employees laid off during the year prior to enactment, continue to employ employees scheduled to be laid off as a result of reduced budgets, and prevent furloughs scheduled as a result of reduced budgets. Directs: (1) the Attorney General to award grants to state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to hire, rehire, continue to employ, and prevent furloughs of police officers; (2) the Secretary of DHS, through the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, to award grants through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to hire, rehire, continue to employ, and prevent furloughs of firefighters; (3) the Secretary of Commerce to award grants to states, cities or other political subdivisions or a consortium of such subdivisions, or Indian tribes, to assist in maintaining basic government services; and (4) the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to fund specific public works projects in national parks and through the National Forest Service, respectively. Establishes in the Department of Labor a New Economy Grant Program, to provide grants for the creation of new jobs on specific public works projects. Limits funding under this Act's Departments of Labor, the Interior, and Agriculture programs to individuals who meet specified criteria. Bars displacement of existing employees. Sets forth requirements regarding the use of funds, the maximum employment period, wages, reporting, and expedited administration.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Restoring America's Commitment to Consumers Act of 2009 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit the annual percentage rate (APR) applicable to an extension of credit on a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan from exceeding 16%. Includes in an APR any compensation fee (including a membership fee or an annual fee) for: (1) opening or maintaining the account; (2) granting an extension of credit; or (3) making available a line of credit. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to make adjustments to the maximum APR limitation; but creates the presumption that any increase by the Board to the maximum limitation is not in the public interest unless severe economic conditions justify the increase. Prohibits construction of this Act as an endorsement by Congress of a 16% APR. Declares the intention of Congress that: (1) such maximum APR limitation should merely serve as a ceiling on consumer credit cards and few, if any, consumer credit card accounts would ever bear the maximum rate; and (2) consumer credit card issuers should strive to maintain APRs most advantageous to borrowers. Treats as an unfair or deceptive act or practice a credit card account which, as of December 11, 2009, bears an APR that is less than 16%, and subsequently increases it between December 11, 2009, and 60 days after enactment of this Act. Imposes a $15 cap upon certain credit card account fees, including fees (such as late fees, overdraft fees, or over-the-limit transaction fees) for borrower default or breach of any condition upon which credit was extended.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Recognizes the 15th anniversary of the historic establishment of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Acknowledges that the purpose of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund is to promote economic revitalization in underserved rural, urban, and Native American communities. Reaffirms the importance of agency investments in, and assistance to, financial institutions which conduct economic and community development. Asserts the relevance of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund as an indispensable agency engaged in the business of promoting both job creation and retention, as well as economic growth.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Put America to Work Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to states, local government units, and Indian tribes to create employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents of distressed communities. Specifies grant uses, including funding of fast-track jobs for: (1) painting and repair of schools, community centers, and libraries; (2) restoration of abandoned and vacant properties; (3) expansion of emergency food programs to reduce hunger; (4) augmentation of staffing in Head Start and other early childhood education programs; and (5) renovation and maintenance of parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces. Requires grant recipients to use remaining grant funds to make grants to public entities, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, or small businesses to create employment opportunities in: (1) construction, rehabilitation, and improvements in energy efficiency of residences or public facilities; (2) the provision of human services; (3) remediation and demolition of vacant and abandoned properties; and (4) programs that provide opportunities for employment, education, and training for disadvantaged youth.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Transitional Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend the increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Extends the entire recession adjustment period from December 31, 2010, through June 30, 2011. Provides for adjusted FMAP percentage rates during a transitional assistance period from July 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013. Prescribes formulae for determining the adjusted FMAP through FY2012 and subsequent fiscal year quarters.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2009
Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to establish minimum standards that: (1) prohibit elementary and secondary school personnel from managing any student by using any mechanical or chemical restraint, physical restraint or escort that restricts breathing, or aversive behavioral intervention that compromises student health and safety; (2) prohibit such personnel from using physical restraint or seclusion, unless such measures are required to eliminate an imminent danger of physical injury to the student or others and certain precautions are taken; (3) require states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that a sufficient number of school personnel receive state-approved training and certification in first aid and certain safe and effective student management techniques; (4) prohibit physical restraint or seclusion from being written into a student's education plan, individual safety plan, behavioral plan, or individual education program as a planned intervention; and (5) require schools to establish procedures to notify parents in a timely manner if physical restraint or seclusion is imposed on their child. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to LEAs to: (1) establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures to meet such standards; (2) improve their capacity to collect and analyze data related to physical restraint and seclusion; and (3) implement school-wide positive behavior supports. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national assessment of this Act's effectiveness. Gives Protection and Advocacy Systems the authority provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to investigate, monitor, and enforce this Act's protections for students. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards for Head Start agencies that are consistent with the minimum standards for the management of elementary and secondary school students. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assist Head Start agencies in establishing, implementing, and enforcing policies and procedures to meet such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a five-year grant to an experienced nonprofit organization to establish a National Technical Assistance and Training Center for Social and Emotional Learning that provides training and technical assistance to states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and community-based organizations to identify, promote, and support evidence-based social and emotional learning standards and programming in elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive five-year grants to states and LEAs to work with the Center in developing and implementing such standards and programming in elementary and secondary schools. Gives grant priority to applicants that have a plan for sustaining the program beyond the grant period and serve schools that have high numbers or percentages of: (1) low-income students; and (2) students in schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the activities funded by such grants to states and LEAs. Amends the ESEA to include: (1) programming that meets the social and emotional needs of students as part of the School Dropout Prevention program and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program; and (2) teacher and principal training in practices that address those needs as part of the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase and extend through 2015 the new energy efficient home tax credit; (2) increase the rate of the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; (3) increase to $5,000 the limit on the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property expenditures and extend such credit through 2015; (4) allow a $200 tax credit through 2011 for the cost of a home energy rating; and (5) allow a $500 tax credit for the cost of training and certifying home performance auditors to conduct home energy ratings.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Condemns any violence against innocent individuals regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or religious beliefs. Calls on the government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) to: (1) desist from further executions based on trials that violate human rights and due process standards; (2) allow international observers and the media to attend such trials; (3) provide a list of individuals detained in the aftermath of the July 2009 events in Xinjiang to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the public; and (4) cease all crackdowns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Calls on the President of the United States to: (1) state the strong U.S. opposition to these legally flawed trials and executions; (2) raise human rights concerns publicly and in all meetings with Chinese officials; (3) restate U.S. interest to open consulates in Lhasa, Tibet, and in Urumqi, Xinjiang; and (4) direct the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to automatically request permission from Chinese authorities for Embassy staff to observe trials if credible reasons exist that such trials may not meet human rights and legal standards.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
States that the House of Representatives recognizes that: (1) the top priority of the United States is job creation; (2) "shovel-ready" projects exist nationwide that could create more than one million jobs, given adequate public investment; and (3) the $139.3 billion of unobligated funds authorized for expenditure by the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) should be used to create jobs for U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2009
Regrets the killing of unarmed civilians and expresses deepest condolences to the families of the 57 victims who were slain in Maguindanao in the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippine history. Calls for: (1) an independent investigation and prosecution of those responsible; (2) an end to extrajudicial killings and election-related violence; and (3) freedom of press and safety for the investigating reporters. Urges the Department of State, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and other U.S. government agencies to review their assistance programs to the government of the Philippines and to offer any technical assistance that Philippine authorities may request. Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to work with Philippine authorities to combat corruption, terrorism, and security threats.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide temporary emergency funding to states for use in awarding competitive grants to community colleges to assist them in maintaining, or hiring additional, staff. Allots such funding to states pursuant to a formula that takes into account each state's share of increased unemployment over the past 12 months and the extent to which its unemployment rate exceeds the national average. Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants to career and technical colleges to assist them in maintaining, or hiring additional, staff. Requires the states and the Secretary, when determining the amount of a grant to be awarded to a community college or career and technical college pursuant to this Act, to consider: (1) its student enrollment; (2) the increase in its enrollment over the preceding academic year; and (3) the most recent monthly unemployment rate in its locality. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an evaluation this Act's grant programs and report its results to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of specified vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities of Iraq; (2) the U.S. government and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) should urge the government of Iraq to enhance security at places of worship in Iraq, particularly where religious minorities are known to be at risk; Urges the U.S. government to continue to work with the government of Iraq to: (1) train and deploy into the Iraqi police and security forces members of vulnerable minority communities in Iraq; and (2) ensure that members of such communities suffer no discrimination in recruitment, employment, or advancement in such forces, and be assigned to their locations of origin, rather than transferred to other areas. Urges the government of Iraq, with U.S. government assistance, to: (1) ensure that the upcoming national elections in Iraq are safe, fair, and free of intimidation and violence so that all Iraqis, including religious minorities, can participate in them; and (2) permit and facilitate election monitoring by experts from local and international nongovernmental organizations, the international community, and the United Nations, particularly in minority areas. Encourages the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to work towards a peaceful and timely resolution of disputes over territories. Encourages the U.S. government and UNAMI to urge the government of Iraq to work with minority communities and their representatives to develop measures to implement article 125 of the Iraq Constitution. Urges the government of Iraq to take affirmative measures to reverse the legal, political, and economic marginalization of religious minorities in Iraq. Urges the U.S. government to: (1) direct assistance to projects that develop the ability of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq to organize themselves civically and politically to effectively convey their concerns to government; and (2) continue to fund capacity-building programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights (IMHR), the independent national Human Rights Commission, and a new independent minorities committee whose membership is selected by minority communities of Iraq. Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) direct the IMHR to investigate and report on abuses against and the marginalization of minority communities in Iraq, making recommendations to address such abuses; and (2) help ensure that displaced Iraqis considering return to Iraq have the proper information needed to make informed decisions regarding such return. Urges the U.S. government and international organizations to continue to work with the government of Iraq to develop the legal framework necessary to address property disputes resulting when displaced Iraqis attempt to return to their homes in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act of 2009 - Prohibits states or local governments from levying or collecting a discriminatory tax (generally, a tax or tax assessment that is applicable to the rental of motor vehicles or motor vehicle businesses or property, but not to the majority of other rentals of tangible personal property within a state or locality) on the rental of motor vehicles, motor vehicle rental businesses, or motor vehicle rental property.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
Helping Unemployed Workers Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through March 31, 2011. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through April 1, 2011: (1) federal-state agreements increasing regular unemployment compensation payments to individuals; and (2) requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a program under which the Secretary shall make payments to any state unemployment trust fund (including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) to be used for the payment of unemployment compensation if the Secretary approves an application to receive 100% reimbursement for up to 26 weeks for a short-time compensation program. Bars payments to a state for benefits paid to an individual who is employed by an employer: (1) whose workforce during the three months preceding the date of the submission of the employer's short-time compensation plan has been reduced by temporary layoffs of more than 20%; (2) on a seasonal, temporary, or intermittent basis; or (3) engaged in a labor dispute.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
Honest and Open Testimony Act - Includes within communications by a member of the Armed Forces that are protected from retaliatory personnel actions any testimony provided in a congressional hearing regarding the disclosure of sexual orientation, including that the member is homosexual, bisexual, or transgender.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
School Environment Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require each local educational agency (agency) of a school district to implement an integrated pest management (IPM) program that: (1) applies to school buildings and school grounds; (2) establishes an IPM coordinator within the agency; and (3) follows an IPM plan for addressing school pest problems. Prohibits agencies or schools from using: (1) pesticides other than nontoxic or least toxic (as defined in this Act) pesticides; or (2) synthetic fertilizers. Permits an agency or school to use: (1) a least toxic pesticide as part of the IPM program only as a last resort and only if the area or room treated is unoccupied or not in use; and (2) only natural organic fertilizers. Authorizes a school to use a pesticide otherwise if: (1) the school or agency determines that a pest in the school or on school grounds cannot be controlled after having used the IPM program and least toxic pesticides and it is a public health emergency; (2) the IPM coordinator approves of the application of the pesticide product; (3) the area or room treated is vacant during the application and for 24-hours after the application; (4) the application is made by a certified pesticide applicator; and (5) the school notifies the parents or guardians of each student 24 hours before application of the pesticide. Sets forth requirements for such notification. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National School Integrated Pest Management Advisory Board to: (1) establish uniform standards and criteria for developing IPM; and (2) develop standards for the use of least toxic pesticides in schools. Requires the Administrator to: (1) appoint an official for school pest management within EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs to coordinate the implementation of IPM programs in schools; and (2) publish an IPM plan and a list of products containing the least toxic pesticides and restrictions on their use. Requires each agency, state pesticide lead agency, and the Administrator to create school environments that are protected from pesticides that drift from treated land to school grounds. Establishes the Integrated Pest Management Trust Fund. Requires the Administrator to provide grants to agencies to implement IPM systems.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Women's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. Requires each such center to: (1) conduct basic or clinical research; (2) develop protocols and conduct training programs for physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health and allied health professionals; (3) disseminate information to such professionals and the public; and (4) emphasize activities that are directed toward preventing the development in women of the diseases and conditions involved. Allows a center to use funds to provide stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in training programs. Requires each center to establish and maintain ongoing collaborations with community organizations in the geographic area served by the center, including organizations that represent women or children with disorders that appear to stem from environmental factors. Requires the Director to provide for the coordination of information among centers and ensure regular communication between them. Directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to hold a hearing on the Director's implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Environmental Hormone Disruption Research Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a comprehensive program to: (1) research the health effects on women and children that may result through disruption of the hormone systems; (2) carry out research, development, and demonstrations on technologies to mitigate the occurrence of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the environment and their unintended effects on ecological and wildlife health, in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS); and (3) coordinate U.S. research on hormone disruption with research conducted in other nations. Requires the program to provide for: (1) the collection and dissemination of scientifically valid information on human health effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants, the extent of human exposure to such pollutants, and the exposure of wildlife species to such pollutants and possible associated health effects; and (2) research on mechanisms by which such pollutants interact with biological systems, testing for hormone disruption, and the identity and fate of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the environment. Directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to hold a hearing on program implementation. Gives the Director principal responsibility for conducting and coordinating research on the unintended effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants on human health and the environment. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission. Establishes a Hormone Disruption Research Panel to make recommendations on the design and implementation of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Recognizes the 21st anniversary of observing World AIDS Day. Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of such Day; (2) continued funding for prevention, care, treatment services, and research programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (3) the development of a national AIDS strategy to reduce new HIV infections, especially among vulnerable communities; (4) the goals of providing universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support programs and protecting human rights for all people, including vulnerable and marginalized populations; and (5) efforts to address the factors that make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by decreasing poverty and hunger, expanding educational opportunities for children, and empowering women.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
FVPSA Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Revises requirements for and reauthorizes the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act at increased levels for FY2010-FY2014. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish grant programs for: (1) specialized services for abused parents and their children; (2) domestic violence prevention enhancement and leadership through alliances; and (3) enhancement of culturally competent services for adult and youth victims of domestic violence from racial and ethnic minority groups.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2009 - Provides that if a veteran claimant submits evidence in support of a case for which a substantive appeal has been filed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, such evidence shall be submitted directly to the Board and not to a regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), unless the claimant requests that the evidence first be reviewed by the regional office. Empowers the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to affirm, modify, reverse, remand, or vacate and remand a decision of the Board after deciding all relevant assignments of error raised on appeal. Provides that whenever the Court reverses a decision on the merits of a particular claim and orders an award of benefits, the Court need not decide any additional assignments of error relating to that claim. Establishes the Veterans Judicial Review Commission to evaluate and make specific decisions to improve the administrative and judicial appellate review processes of veterans' and survivors' benefits determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Recognizes the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the U.N. General Assembly of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. Encourages member states of the United Nations and international organizations to devote additional resources to prosecute persons engaged in human trafficking and to dismantle related criminal enterprises. Commends the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation for preserving the legacy of Frederick Douglass by continuing his struggle for freedom for all persons and seeking to abolish all forms of modern-day slavery and trafficking in persons. Encourages the people of the United States to observe the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery by participating in activities designed to heighten public awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking and commends the example of children engaged in such projects at the following schools: Brentwood School of Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas Area School of Las Vegas, Nevada; North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School of Chicago, Illinois; Booker T. Washington High School of Atlanta, Georgia; Roosevelt Middle School of New Bedford, Massachusetts; New Era Academy of Baltimore, Maryland; Edmund Burke School of Washington, DC; Frederick Douglass Academy IV and the United Nations International School of New York, New York; and Wilson Foundation Academy of Rochester, New York.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2009
Fort Hood Families Benefits Protection Act - Treats members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD) who were killed or wounded in the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, as members killed or wounded in a combat zone or civilian employees killed or wounded in a terrorist attack or while serving in a contingency operation, respectively, for purposes of specified laws, regulations, and policies concerning compensation, awards, and other benefits for which such members and employees are eligible. Provides the maximum amount of coverage ($400,000) under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance for any member killed in such shootings, as well as any member who dies of wounds sustained in the shootings, notwithstanding that the member elected to be insured in a lesser amount. Excludes from the above provisions members whose wounds or death is the result of willful misconduct.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce between 2010 and 2015 the excise tax rate on the net investment income of tax-exempt private foundations from 2 to 1.32%; and (2) suspend between 2010 and 2015 the 1% reduction in such tax rate for private foundations that meet certain distribution requirements. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct and submit to Congress by December 31, 2013, a study which examines the effect of the tax rate changes of this Act on the level of grantmaking by private foundations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2009
Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation Act or the LEARN Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for comprehensive planning to improve the literacy of children from birth through grade 12. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states to implement their comprehensive literacy plans for such children through: (1) competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or early learning programs for specified activities that support early language and literacy development in children from birth through kindergarten entry; (2) competitive subgrants to LEAs that have the highest numbers or percentages of disadvantaged students and students reading or writing below grade level for specified activities to improve the literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12, including the provision of family literacy services; and (3) additional state activities that include providing technical assistance to subgrantees, coordinating literacy programs and resources throughout the state, disseminating information on promising literacy programs, and enhancing the credentials of literacy instructors. Allots implementation grants to states on the basis of each state's share of disadvantaged students. Requires the Secretary to: (1) perform a five-year national evaluation of the implementation and effect of the literacy initiatives supported by this Act; and (2) provide technical assistance and information on literacy instruction to educational entities. Authorizes the Secretary to withhold this Act's funding from states and subgrantees, and states to withhold funding from subgrantees, whose initiatives are not making significant progress in improving student literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2009
Benefit Rating Acceleration for Veteran Entitlements Act of 2009 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to treat as a disability for OASDI and SSI disability payment purposes any service-connected total disability, as rated and certified by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Applies the same treatment to related child's insurance and widow's and widower's insurance benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2009
Insists that Burma's military regime begin a political dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy, and ethnic nationalities toward national reconciliation, and the restoration of democracy, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and human rights. Demands the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, detained Buddhist monks, Kyaw Zaw Lwin (a Burmese born American citizen), and all other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Calls on: (1) governments around the world to strengthen economic and arms sanctions against Burma; (2) the U.N. Security Council to impose multilateral sanctions on Burma's military regime; (3) the Administration to implement the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2009
Conflict Resolution and Mediation Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the development and implementation of conflict resolution and mediation programs for students, teachers, and other school personnel at their schools most directly affected by conflict and violence. Directs the Secretary to develop a written model for conflict resolution and mediation and make such model available to any LEA that requests it.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2009
Reengaging Americans in Serious Education by Uniting Programs Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to award competitive, renewable, five-year grants to eligible partnerships to assist them in providing disadvantaged youth with the support needed to: (1) attain a secondary school diploma; (2) attain a postsecondary credential, including those offered by institutions of higher education, industry groups, or registered apprenticeship programs; and (3) secure and succeed in a family-supporting career. Requires each eligible partnership to include: (1) the head of the local government assisted by the grant; (2) representatives from certain state and local service agencies; (3) representatives from certain educational entities; and (4) a representative from a community-based organization, a business, and a secondary school or labor-management committee; and (5) disadvantaged youth and their caregivers. Requires grantees to award subgrants and contracts to community-based organizations and other entities for the provision of a comprehensive array of coordinated services to disadvantaged youth that include workforce preparation, education support, and youth support services. Directs the Secretary to award planning grants to eligible partnerships to enable them to submit competitive applications for grants to support disadvantaged youth. Establishes an accountability system for measuring the performance of each grantee against specified interim, transitional, and long-term indicators of success. Directs the Secretary to: (1) award a grant or contract to an entity outside the Department of Labor for an evaluation of grant-assisted activities; (2) disseminate best practices that emerge from the partnership grant program; and (3) provide training, technical assistance, and professional development for organizations serving disadvantaged youth, including organizations that do not receive funding under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2009
Early Learning Innovation Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to full-service community schools or partnerships between local educational agencies and public or nonprofit social service providers or full-service community schools to implement innovative early learning curricula in preschool and elementary school programs in high-need communities for children from birth through age nine. Defines "full-service community schools" as public schools which: (1) coordinate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships; and (2) provide students, families, and the community with access to such services. Includes as grant-covered costs, those incurred for: (1) extended school hours and days; (2) staff development, compensation, and retention; (3) comprehensive child and family support services; and (4) other activities the Secretary deems appropriate to promote academic success for impoverished children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) award funds to a public or nonprofit organization experienced in an innovative early learning curriculum to provide training and technical assistance to grantees on implementing such curricula; and (2) disseminate information concerning the grant program to potential grant applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2009
Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, implement, and update a plan for the prevention, control, and medical management of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to implement programs to increase awareness and enhance knowledge and understanding of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to: (1) support the integration of voluntary hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing programs into existing clinical and public health programs; (2) provide increased support to Adult Viral Hepatitis Coordinators to integrate prevention and control activities into existing health programs; (3) support the establishment of a hepatitis B and hepatitis C surveillance program; and (4) report on seroprevalence studies and the impact of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Directs the Secretary to support state, local, territorial, and tribal efforts to: (1) provide counseling and education on hepatitis B and hepatitis C; (2) expand the current vaccination programs for hepatitis B; and (3) provide referrals for treatment to individuals with hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, the Director of the National Cancer Institute, and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to conduct research on hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, governmental and nonprofit entities that have special expertise relating to hepatitis B and hepatitis C to support prevention activities. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of SAMHSA, to develop educational materials and intervention strategies to reduce the risks of hepatitis among substance abusers and individuals with mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2009
Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to instruct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to: (1) take prompt corrective action to resolve the problems of a bank holding company; (2) prescribe capital standards for bank holding companies, including a leverage limit and a risk-based capital requirement; (3) specify for each relevant capital measure the levels at which a bank holding company is well capitalized, undercapitalized, and significantly undercapitalized; and (4) specify the ratio of tangible equity to total assets at which a bank holding company is critically undercapitalized. Prohibits a bank holding company, except under certain conditions, from making a capital distribution if it would be undercapitalized after making the distribution. Requires the Board to monitor the condition and compliance of any undercapitalized bank holding company regarding its capital restoration plans, restrictions, and requirements. Requires an undercapitalized bank holding company to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan to the Board. Prohibits such a company from obtaining acquisitions and new lines of business without prior Board approval. Sets forth mandatory Board actions with respect to undercapitalized bank holding companies that fail to submit or implement capital restoration plans, including: (1) requiring recapitalization; (2) restricting asset growth and transactions with affiliates; (3) requiring dismissal of directors or senior executive officers; (4) ordering a new election of the board of directors; and (5) requiring divestiture of affiliates. Requires prior written Board approval for senior executive compensation that exceeds the officer's average rate of compensation during a specified period preceding the undercapitalization of the bank holding company. Specifies additional discretionary measures following Board determination that a bank holding company is either in an unsafe or unsound condition, or engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice. Requires a petition in bankruptcy for a critically undercapitalized bank holding company.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2009
Same Day Registration Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to permit individuals to register to vote in a federal election on the date of the election itself (or on the day of voting under early voting).
![Official portrait of Rep. Ellison, Keith [D-MN-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_mn_5_ellison_keith_200.jpg)