United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Recognizes the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, which banned the slave trade in the British Empire, allowed for the search and seizure of ships suspected of transporting enslaved people, and provided compensation for the freedom of slaves.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to allow reductions in the prison term of a federal prisoner whose record of conduct shows that such prisoner has substantially observed all prison regulations and has not been subjected to punishment. Allows the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to grant a reduction in a prisoner's term for actual employment in an industry or camp or for exceptionally meritorious service or for performing duties of outstanding importance in connection with institutional operations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Major Drug Trafficking Prosecution Act of 2009- Requires the Attorney General's prior written approval for a federal prosecution of an offense under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) or the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA), or for any conspiracy to commit such an offense, where the offense involves the illegal distribution or possession of a controlled substance in an amount less than that specified as a minimum for an offense under CSA or, in the case of any substance containing cocaine or cocaine base, in an amount less than 500 grams. Modifies CSA and CSIEA to delete specified mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment.
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
Wartime Treatment Study Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of European Americans to review U.S. government wartime treatment (from September 1, 1939, through December 31, 1948) of European Americans and European Latin Americans. Requires the Commission to review: (1) government actions with respect to European Americans and European Latin Americans pursuant to United States laws and directives, including the Alien Enemies Acts, Presidential Proclamations 2526, 2527, 2655, 2662, 2685, Executive Orders 9066 and 9095, and related directives pursuant to these and other pertinent laws, proclamations, or executive orders; (2) registration requirements, travel and property restrictions, internment, and forced abandonment of property; (3) participation by European Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces; and (4) appropriate remedies, including public education programs and the creation of a comprehensive online database by the National Archives and Records Administration of documents related to the government's wartime treatment of European Americans and European Latin Americans during World War II. Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of Jewish Refugees to review the U.S. government's refusal to allow entry into the United States of Jewish and other refugees fleeing persecution or genocide in Europe. Directs the Commission to include reviews of: (1) the rationale for such refusal, its perceived benefit, and its impact on refugees; and (2) federal refugee policy concerning those fleeing persecution or genocide.
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 · 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 · 9 March 2009
Congratulates the Greek people as they celebrate the 188th anniversary of Greece's independence. Notes the important role that Greece has played in the wider European region and in the community of nations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act - Requires the federal government and any employer under a federal contract or subcontract exceeding $10,000 to pay each of their respective workers: (1) an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) necessary for such employee to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time basis, not less than the amount of the federal poverty level for a family of four; and (2) an additional amount, based on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain specified fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer. Exempts employers that are: (1) small business concerns; or (2) nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, if the ratio of the total compensation of the chief executive officer to that of the full-time equivalent of their lowest-paid employee is not greater than 25 to 1. Directs the Secretary of Labor to enforce this Act. Makes federal contractors that are part of a pattern or practice of violations of such wage requirements subject to federal contract suspension, a five-year ineligibility period, and liability for government costs of obtaining a replacement contractor. Provides for judicial review of the Secretary's determinations, and authorizes the President to suspend the provisions of this Act in times of emergency. Allows an aggrieved worker to bring a civil action against an employer for appropriate relief for a violation of this Act, if the employer has not paid or reinstated the worker as a result of the administrative action.
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 · 5 March 2009
Recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar E. Chavez, founder and president of the United Farm Workers of America. Calls for: (1) establishment of a legal public holiday in his honor; and (2) public elementary and secondary schools to provide classroom instruction on his life and work.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant that replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or that changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Access for All America Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) increase and extend the authorization of appropriations for community health centers and for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment program for FY2010-FY2015, and provide for increased funding for such programs in FY2016 and each subsequent fiscal year; and (2) revise and expand provisions allowing a community health center to provide services at different locations, adjust its operating plan and budget, enter into arrangements with other centers to purchase supplies and services at reduced cost, and correct material failures in grant compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 - Repeals current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces. Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Authorizes the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated for homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual conduct. Requires such Secretaries to ensure that regulations governing the personal conduct of members of the Armed Forces are written and enforced without regard to sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to tax shelter activities to: (1) establish legal presumptions against the validity of transactions involving offshore secrecy jurisdictions (i.e., foreign tax havens identified in this Act and by the Secretary of the Treasury); (2) impose restrictions on foreign jurisdictions, financial institutions, or international transactions that are of primary money laundering concern or that impede U.S. tax enforcement; (3) treat certain foreign corporations managed and controlled primarily in the United States as domestic corporations; (4) increase the period for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) review of tax returns involving offshore secrecy jurisdictions; (5) require tax withholding agents and financial institutions to report certain information about beneficial owners of foreign-owned financial accounts and accounts established in offshore secrecy jurisdictions; (6) disallow tax advisor opinions validating transactions in offshore secrecy jurisdictions; (7) subject dividend equivalents and substitute dividends to the 30% tax on foreign income; and (8) impose reporting requirements for transactions involving a passive foreign investment company. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and other federal enactments to impose a penalty for failure to disclose holdings or transactions involving a foreign entity. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to publish a final rule requiring unregistered investment companies, including hedge funds or private equity funds, to establish anti-money laundering programs, and to submit suspicious activity reports. Modifies requirements for certain third party summonses used to obtain information in tax investigations that do not identify the person with respect to whose liability the summons is issued (John Doe summons). Increases penalties for promoting abusive tax shelters and for aiding and abetting the understatement of tax liability. Prohibits the patenting of tax planning inventions. Prohibits tax advisor contingent fee agreements for obtaining tax savings or benefits. Allows increased disclosure of tax information for enforcement purposes. Directs the Secretary to impose standards for written tax opinions by tax practitioners. Denies tax deductions for certain fines and penalties for violations of law and for interest paid on certain understatements of tax. Sets forth rules for the application of the economic substance doctrine and imposes penalties for underpayments of tax due to transactions lacking economic substance.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Commission on the Foreclosure and Mortgage Lending Crisis Act - Establishes in the legislative branch the Commission on the Foreclosure and Mortgage Lending Crisis to: (1) study and report to Congress on the current legal and regulatory framework governing the housing mortgage lending markets and how it contributed to the increased foreclosure rate; (2) recommend changes to the current framework to prohibit lending practices that have contributed to the mortgage lending crisis; (3) review the impact of subprime abuses and predatory lending practices; (4) assess the role of states in enacting policies to reduce predatory lending practices and abuses in the subprime markets; (5) assess the impact of mortgage-backed securities and the Federal National Mortgage Corporation (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) upon the mortgage lending crisis; and (6) assess the impact of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 on the crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish the Center for Tobacco Products to implement this Act. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Authorizes the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if appropriate for the protection of the public health. Sets forth limits on such regulations, including prohibiting establishment of a minimum age greater than 18 for product purchases. Prohibits: (1) cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee; or (2) a tobacco product manufacturer from using tobacco that contains a greater level of pesticide chemical residue than is specified by any tolerance applicable to domestically grown tobacco. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) banning all cigarettes, all smokeless tobacco products, all little cigars, all other cigars, all pipe tobacco, or all roll-your-own tobacco products; or (2) requiring the reduction of the nicotine yields of a tobacco product to zero. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Revises tobacco product warning labels and advertising requirements. Thrift Savings Plan Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends provisions related to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), including to provide for: (1) automatic enrollment of new employees; and (2) a Roth contribution program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require live training of all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel who come into contact with unaccompanied alien children. Sets forth detention standards for immigration detention facilities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) convene a detention advisory committee; (2) promulgate regulations regarding detainee care and custody; (3) implement secure alternatives to detention programs under which eligible aliens are released under supervision, assistance, and monitoring that ensure their appearance at all immigration interviews, appointments, and hearings; and (4) provide protective detention alternatives for specified categories of vulnerable aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
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
Supports the goals of International Women's Day. Recognizes and honors the women who have fought and continue to struggle for equality. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to ending discrimination and violence against women and girls, to ensuring their safety and welfare, and to pursuing policies that guarantee their basic rights. Encourages the President to: (1) reaffirm his commitment to pursue policies to protect the health and rights of women and girls; and (2) issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe International Women's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take certain actions regarding eating disorder research, including to: (1) implement a scientifically justified budget for research on eating disorders; (2) coordinate and evaluate NIH research activities and programs; (3) expand NIH research on eating disorders; (4) establish a task force on eating disorder research; and (5) provide for centers of excellence for research on eating disorders. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of epidemiological data on eating disorders; (2) establish a Center of Eating Disorders Epidemiology to collect and analyze information on eating disorders; and (3) establish a CDC clearinghouse for the collection and storage of data generated under this Act. Sets forth provisions providing for education and training on eating disorders, including requirements for: (1) developing and implementing a training program for health professionals on eating disorders; (2) establishing the Task Force on Eating Disorders Prevention in Educational Institutions to develop and provide training on eating disorders identification and prevention for students, faculty, coaches, and staff in schools; and (3) conducting public service announcements. Amends the PHSA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to also provide coverage for eating disorders. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market and coverage offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Safe Drug Disposal Act of 2009 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to direct the Attorney General to promulgate regulations to: (1) authorize an ultimate user or care taker (a person responsible for taking care of one or more individuals or animals) to dispose of a controlled substance in accordance with a prescribed state program; (2) include five model state programs providing for such disposal through delivery to a designated facility; and (3) allow a state to work with the Attorney General to devise an alternative disposal program that is consistent with this Act. Requires each such program to: (1) require a state to enact legislation as a prerequisite to its adoption and implementation; (2) protect the public safety; (3) allow disposal of controlled substances through persons other than law enforcement personnel; (4) incorporate environmentally sound practices for disposal; (5) be cost-effective; (6) include convenient take-back options for urban and rural locations; and (6) not restrict the funding a state may use to implement it. Allows such a program to apply similarly to a drug or biological product other than a controlled substance. Directs the Comptroller General to collect data on state take-back disposal programs and periodically report to Congress. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) in approving drug applications and in licensing biological products, to ensure that the drug or product labeling does not include any recommendation or direction to dispose of the drug by means of a wastewater treatment system, such as by flushing it down the toilet; and (2) to review the labeling of existing drugs and products and order revision of any labeling that includes such a recommendation or direction. Deems any drug or product whose labeling is in violation of such an order to be misbranded.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states and Indian tribes for colorectal cancer programs that include: (1) providing colorectal cancer screening to individuals who are over 50 years of age or at high risk for such cancer; (2) providing case management and referrals for medical treatment; (3) ensuring the full continuum of follow up and cancer care for individuals screened; (4) carrying out activities to improve the education, training, and skills of health professionals in the detection and control of colorectal cancer; and (5) developing and disseminating public information and education programs for the detection and control of colorectal cancer and promoting the benefits of receiving screenings through this program. Gives priority to low-income individuals who lack adequate coverage under health insurance and health plans with respect to screenings for colorectal cancer. Allows the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and operation of programs funded by a grant under this Act. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical assistance to individuals who have been screened for colorectal cancer under this Act and who need treatment for complications due to screening or colorectal cancer. Applies provisions related to breast and cervical cancer programs to programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009 - Establishes the United States Bipartisan Commission on Access to Emergency Medical Services to: (1) identify and examine factors in the health care delivery, financing, and legal systems that affect the effective delivery of screening and stabilization services furnished in hospitals that have emergency departments pursuant to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA); and (2) make specific recommendations to Congress with respect to federal programs, policies, and financing needed to assure the availability of such screening and stabilization services and the coordination of state, local, and federal programs for responding to disasters and emergencies. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for additional payments for certain physicians' emergency services furnished pursuant to EMTALA. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to convene a working group that includes experts in emergency care, inpatient critical care, hospital operations management, nursing, and other relevant disciplines to develop boarding and diversion standards for hospitals and guidelines, measures, and incentives for implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of such standards. Requires the CMS working group to: (1) identify barriers contributing to delays in timely processing of patients requiring admission as inpatients who initially sought care through the hospital's emergency department; (2) identify best practices to improve patient flow within hospitals; and (3) report to Congress and the Secretary a detailed description of the standards, guidelines, measures, and incentives developed, as well as identified barriers and best practices. Directs the Secretary to establish a mechanism to make public information regarding any hospital that fails to report information requested by the CMS working group.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Military Spouses Residency Relief Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prohibit, for purposes of voting for a federal, state, or local office, deeming a person to have lost a residence or domicile in a state, acquired a residence or domicile in any other state, or become a resident in or of any other state solely because the person is absent from a state because the person is accompanying the person's spouse who is absent from the state in compliance with military or naval orders. Prohibits a servicemember's spouse from either losing or acquiring a residence or domicile for purposes of taxation because of being absent or present in any U.S. tax jurisdiction solely to be with the servicemember in compliance with the servicemember's military orders if the residence or domicile is the same for the servicemember and the spouse. Prohibits a spouse's income from being considered income earned in a tax jurisdiction if the spouse is not a resident or domiciliary of such jurisdiction when the spouse is in that jurisdiction solely to be with a servicemember serving under military orders. Suspends land rights residency requirements for spouses accompanying servicemembers serving under military orders.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
Local Community Radio Act of 2009 - Repeals provisions in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 that required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) modify rules authorizing the operation of low-power FM radio stations to prescribe minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels; (2) prohibit applicants who have engaged in the unlicensed operation of any station from obtaining a low-power FM license; and (3) conduct a program to test whether low-power FM radio stations will result in harmful interference to existing FM radio stations if minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels are not required. Requires the FCC to modify its rules to eliminate third-adjacent minimum distance separation requirements between specified stations. Requires the FCC to retain rules that provide third-adjacent channel protection for full-power noncommercial FM stations that broadcast radio reading services via a subcarrier frequency from potential low-power FM station interference. Requires the FCC, when licensing FM translator stations, to ensure that: (1) licenses are available to both FM translator stations and low-power FM stations; and (2) such decisions are made based on the needs of the local community.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
AmeriCorps: Together Improving Our Nation Act or the ACTION Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to base the calculation of the amount of the national service educational award on the average cost of attending a four-year institution of higher education, rather than a portion of a veteran's basic educational assistance allowance. Excludes the national service educational award from an individual's gross income for tax purposes. Permits the Corporation for National and Community Service to support a national service program that is carried out by another federal agency and implements the priorities of such agency. Makes Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation a Cabinet position. Raises the Officer's compensation to Level I of the Executive Schedule.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
Encore Service Act of 2009 - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to make eligible for assistance under the National Service Trust program Encore Service programs that engage individuals age 50 or older in national service addressing specific community needs. Gives Encore Service participants age 50 or older five options for their term of service, ranging from full-time to minimum time. Makes such participants eligible for national service educational awards, which they may transfer to others for use within 20 years. Expresses the sense of Congress that, by 2018, 25% of National Service Trust program participants should be age 50 or older. Requires the Corporation for National and Community Service to identify and address the barriers to program participation by such individuals. Establishes Encore Fellowship programs providing Encore Fellowships to professionals age 50 or older who serve as full-time volunteers for nine months to one year with public or nonprofit organizations that address unmet human, educational, environmental, or public safety needs. Makes such Fellows ineligible for national service educational awards. Creates Silver Scholarship programs providing Silver Scholarships to individuals who, over a one-year period, complete: (1) at least 500 hours of volunteer service after attaining age 55; or (2) between 250 and 500 hours of such service and present compelling personal experiences. Allows such individuals to transfer their scholarships to others for use within 20 years. Directs the Corporation to specify the services that qualify volunteers for scholarships, including: (1) tutoring or mentoring in educational settings; and (2) assisting persons with special needs. Amends the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to allow anyone age 55 or older (currently, 60 or older) whose income does not exceed 200% (currently, 125%) of the poverty level to volunteer under the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs that provide supportive services to persons with exceptional needs. Reauthorizes appropriations for the National Senior Volunteer Corps, including the Retired and Senior Volunteer, Foster Grandparent, and Senior Companion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
Summer of Service Act of 2009 - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to create Summer of Service programs providing at least 100 hours of summer community service learning opportunities to youth who will subsequently enroll in grades six through nine. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service to provide competitive three-year grants to: (1) states under a State Grant program; and (2) public or private organizations under a National Direct Grant program, when a state does not apply for funding or the community service program includes multiple states. Requires states and organizations, in making project subgrants, to favor entities with established track records that: (1) have leadership positions in the communities from which participating youth will be drawn; (2) focus on youth service during the transition year before high school; (3) encourage or enable youth to continue providing community service throughout the school year; (4) involve youth in the design and operation of the community service project; and (5) include youth of diverse backgrounds, at least 50% of which are from low-income families. Permits such entities to charge the parents of participants an income-based fee to contribute to the nonfederal share of project costs. Makes each youth serving at least 100 hours in a service-learning project eligible for an educational award of up to $500.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
Semester of Service Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to direct the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies or their nonprofit partners and, through them, competitive subgrants to schools or their nonprofit partners for Semester of Service programs that allow high school juniors and seniors to earn academic credit for service-learning that meets unmet human, educational, environmental, or public safety needs in their communities. Gives grant priority to applicants that propose to direct subgrants toward programs at schools that receive school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires Semester of Service programs to engage youth in service-learning for a minimum of 70 hours over a minimum of 12 weeks and have: (1) a weekly classroom-based component that is integrated into schools' regular curricula and aligned with applicable state academic content standards; and (2) a field-based component covering at least 24 of the minimum 70 hours. Directs the Chief Executive Officer to reserve funds for: (1) competitive grants to Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands for such programs; (2) technical assistance and training to grantees and subgrantees, and program outreach activities; and (3) independent evaluations of the programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2009
Laboratory Surge Capacity Preparedness Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to award grants to regional biocontainment laboratories for maintaining surge capacity that can be used to respond to acts of bioterrorism or outbreaks of infectious diseases. Authorizes the Secretary to award such a grant only if the laboratory agrees to allow the Secretary and other relevant federal agencies to inspect laboratory facilities. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) activities undertaken to integrate the network of regional biocontainment laboratories with the laboratory response network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and (2) the extent to which additional Biosafety Level 3 laboratories are needed to fulfill the nation's laboratory surge capacity needs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2009
Artist-Museum Partnership Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers who create literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions or similar property a fair market value (determined at the time of contribution) tax deduction for contributions of such properties, the copyrights thereon, or both, to certain tax-exempt organizations, if such properties are properly appraised and are donated no sooner than 18 months after their creation. Limits the amount of such deduction based upon the donor's artistic adjusted gross income, as defined by this Act.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Uniting American Families Act of 2009 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, any other individual other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines a "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of: (1) an employment, consumer, or franchise dispute, or (2) a dispute arising under any statute intended to protect civil rights. Declares, further, that the validity or enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in collective bargaining agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 601 8th Street in Freedom, Pennsylvania, as the "John Scott Challis, Jr. Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Officer Daniel Faulkner Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act of 2009 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution used in determining Pell Grant eligibility in the case of a student applicant whose parent or guardian died as a result of performing service as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew. Prohibits any increase in the Pell Grant such students receive by reason of this Act from: (1) factoring into the calculation of their need for other title IV assistance; or (2) reducing the educational assistance some may receive under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 as dependents of civilian federal law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a demonstration program, under multiyear cooperative agreements with local governments experiencing at least 20% population loss since 1970 (or consortia of them), to encourage and test innovative vacant property reclamation and urban infrastructure renewal strategies in older industrial cities, their suburbs, and metropolitan areas with a history of severe population and employment loss, blight, and decay caused by vacant properties. Specifies as vacant property and program capacity activities establishment of: (1) local or regional land banks; (2) recovered building materials reuse and recycling infrastructure, facilities, and technical support; (3) local government purchasing requirements for deconstruction to make use of existing building materials stock in new and rehabilitation construction; and (4) the ability of state and local courts and administrative agencies to address problems caused by vacant and abandoned properties, and to facilitate their transfer to public control under a local or regional land bank. Enumerates other related activities, including: (1) expansion and improvement of code enforcement capabilities; (2) development of data and information systems such as comprehensive real property systems, early warning systems, and vacant property inventory and tracking systems; and (3) amendment or reform of state and local property tax foreclosure procedures. Specifies stabilization, design, development, reuse, and planning and policy innovation activities. Requires an applicant local government or consortium to establish a regeneration plan for the community or region. Directs the Secretary by regulation to provide for citizen participation requirements relating to the development and implementation of such plans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to local governments (and consortia of them) for sustainability demonstration projects. Directs the Secretary to convene a Federal Interagency Regeneration Communities Coordinating Council to develop federal agency support plans for communities receiving such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Expresses the sense of Congress that Arthur Schomburg should be recognized for his leadership and contributions in documenting, recording, and researching the historical contributions to society of people of African descent and for his efforts to combat racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Recognizes the contributions of the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in educating the people of the United States about the African-American migration experience.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide: (1) medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) initial health evaluation, monitoring, and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) implement a quality assurance program; (2) establish the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (3) establish the WTC Responders Steering Committee and the WTC Community Program Steering Committee; (4) provide for education and outreach on services under the WTC program; (5) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions; (6) conduct research on physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks; and (7) extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the Department to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to: (1) make individuals eligible for compensation under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 for harm as a result of debris removal; and (2) extend the deadline for making a claim for compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Dental Emergency Responder Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) revise the National Health Security Strategy to include increasing the preparedness, response capabilities, and surge capacity of dental facilities and effective utilization of any available mobile dental assets; and (2) provide that federal dental entities shall carry out activities under the public health and medical response training program. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) include dental personnel within the definition of "emergency response providers"; and (2) require the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to serve as DHS's primary point of contact for the dental community with respect to medical and public health matters related to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. Amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to require operational plans developed by federal agencies with responsibilities under the National Response Plan to address the preparedness and deployment of dental resources.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
American Anti-Torture Act of 2009 - Amends the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 to prohibit any person in the custody or control of the United States (under current law, the Department of Defense) from being subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations. Makes such prohibition inapplicable with respect to any person in the custody or control of the United States (under current law, the Department of Defense) pursuant to a U.S. criminal or immigration law.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebate Equalization Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to reduce the costs of prescription drugs for enrollees of Medicaid managed care organizations by extending to such organizations the discounts offered under fee-for-service Medicaid plans. Requires the state contract with a Medicaid managed care organization to require that payment for covered outpatient drugs dispensed to Medicaid-eligible individuals enrolled with the organization be subject to the same rebate as the state is subject to. Requires also that capitation rates paid to the organization be: (1) based on actual cost experience related to rebates; and (2) subject to the federal regulations requiring actuarially sound rates.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) prior to donation, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Small Business Cooperative for Healthcare Options to Improve Coverage for Employees (CHOICE) Act of 2009 or the Small Business CHOICE Act of 2009 - Provides for the establishment and governance of Fully Funded Small Business Health Insurance cooperatives, which are small businesses that form a captive insurance company chartered in a qualified state to provide excess claims coverage insurance that meets certain qualifications to its members. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an independent commission on Fully Funded Small Business Health Insurance Cooperatives to: (1) promote the development of such cooperatives; (2) make recommendations to the Secretary regarding minimum capital requirements; and (3) conduct oversight of such cooperatives. Exempts such cooperatives from certain state laws, rules, regulations, or orders, including any that would: (1) prohibit the establishment of a cooperative; (2) impose any material requirements, procedures, or standards on a cooperative that are not generally applicable to other entities engaged in a substantially similar business; or (3) discriminate against a cooperative or any of its members. Preempts any state law that conflicts with, hinders, poses an obstacle to, or frustrates the purpose of this Act. Sets forth provisions governing the provision of claims information, including protected health information, from health insurance issuers to cooperatives. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the small business CHOICE tax credit for small employers for costs related to providing qualified employer-subsidized health coverage for employees and their families. Disallows such a credit unless the employee offers a qualified small business wellness program to covered employees and family members.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, except in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000043_200.jpg)