United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2010
National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half dollar coins in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2015. Directs the Secretary to hold a competition to design the obverse of the coins. Requires the design on the reverse side to depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations. Requires the budgetary effects of this Act to be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the retirement age under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act should not be raised.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Securing America's Veterans Insurance Needs and Goals Act of 2010 or SAVINGS Act of 2010 - Requires a life insurance company, in order to provide life insurance for veterans under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program, to: (1) provide financial counseling to the beneficiary or other person entitled to payment upon the establishment of a valid claim; and (2) include full disclosure with respect to such payment, including advantages and disadvantages of maintaining such payment with the company versus a financial institution. Prohibits a company from charging fees to a payee for maintaining such payment with the company. Requires: (1) the Director of the VA's Office of Survivor Assistance to attend each meeting of the Advisory Council on Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance; and (2) the Secretary to ensure that such Office has the necessary personnel to provide information on the receipt of such counseling.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Dr. Balazs "Ernie" Bodai in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the nation, including a tireless commitment to breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Corporate Liability and Emergency Accident Notification Act or CLEAN Act - Requires an owner or operator of a pipeline facility to provide immediate telephonic notice to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) and the National Response Center within one hour following the discovery of a release of a hazardous liquid or another substance or gas. Subjects to a civil penalty any person who has obstructed or prevented the Secretary from carrying out an inspection or investigation with respect to a gas or liquid pipeline accident. Increases the maximum civil penalty: (1) from $100,000 to $250,000 for each violation of a federal pipeline safety requirement or order (including one-call notification and related requirements); and (2) from $1 million to $2.5 million for a related series of violations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) maintain on the DOT website a database of all reportable releases involving gas or hazardous liquid pipelines; and (2) allow the public to search the database for incidents by pipeline facility owner or operator.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 - Revises provisions concerning the post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to, among other things: (1) revise definitions concerning eligibility, and include certain National Guard service as service qualifying for such assistance; (2) revise assistance amounts (including monthly stipends), and types of approved programs of education; (3) allow the pursuit of educational programs at institutions other than institutions of higher learning, including on-job training and apprenticeships, flight training, and correspondence courses; (4) provide an assistance amount for programs of education pursued while on active duty; (5) repeal the limit on the use of such assistance for the payment of only one licensing or certification test; (6) allow an individual entitled to supplemental educational assistance to transfer such entitlement to the post-9/11 program; (7) bar the duplication of benefits under other educational assistance programs; (8) increase the amount of the reporting fee paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to an educational institution for providing information concerning an individual's enrollment in a program of education; (9) extend to certain National Guard and reserve personnel members eligibility to receive public-private contributions for additional educational assistance; (10) reauthorize through 2016 the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education; and (11) revise cost-of-living adjustments under the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program. Provides an alternate subsistence allowance amount for veterans entitled to such allowance due to service-connected disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Veterans' Disability Claims Efficiency Act of 2010 - Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in the case of a disability claim with multiple conditions, to assign an interim disability rating for the condition(s) that can be assigned without further development and to continue development of the remaining condition(s). Requires an interim disability rating to remain in effect unless the Secretary later assigns an increased rating for such condition. Prohibits the continuation of such rating if the rating was based on fraud or the condition improves. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for the rapid identification of initial claims for disability compensation that should, in adjudication, receive priority in the order of review. Requires the Secretary to identify whether claims have the potential of being adjudicated quickly, the claims qualify for priority treatment, and a temporary disability rating could be assigned for such claims. Authorizes the Secretary to provide priority based on the effect such priority would have on a claimant.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2010
Waste-to-Energy Technology Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 30% energy tax credit for investment in qualified waste-to-energy property. Defines "qualified waste-to-energy property" as property comprising a system that uses municipal solid waste or sewage sludge as the feedstock for producing solid, liquid, or gas fuel, and that is certified by the Secretary of the Treasury as eligible for a credit under this Act. Excludes certain landfill facilities from such definition. Requires the Secretary to establish criteria for awarding certifications for waste-to-energy projects, which shall include: (1) the commercial viability of such projects; (2) whether such projects will provide the greatest net impact in avoiding or reducing air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and (3) whether such projects pose the fewest risks (other than climate risks) to environmental and human health.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Amends title VIII (Impact Aid) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to complete Impact Aid payments to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) within three fiscal years of their appropriation. (The Impact Aid program compensates LEAs for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their school districts.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing Act of 2010 - Revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) multifamily transitional housing loan program (program) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue at least five loans for the construction, rehabilitation, or acquisition of land for multifamily transitional housing projects. Authorizes the Secretary to delegate loan approval authority to a state or local government entity. Terminates, as of the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary's authority under the program to guarantee loans for such purposes. Establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Program Revolving Fund to fund such loans. Prohibits any federal or state law from prohibiting a program project offering preferential treatment to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2010
Supports the designation of Jumpstart's Read for the Record Day. Commends Jumpstart's Read for the Record, which is now in its fifth year. (Jumpstart is a national nonprofit early childhood education organization.) Encourages adults to: (1) join children in creating the world's largest shared reading experience; and (2) show their support for early literacy and Jumpstart's early education programming for young children in low-income communities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
United States Postal Service's CSRS Obligation Modification Act of 2010 - Prescribes the "average pay" and the appropriate percentage thereof to be used in determining annuities for civilian employment with the United States Postal Service (USPS) for purposes of provisions relating to future benefits attributable to such employment in order to calculate the amount of any Postal surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): (1) within six months after enactment of this Act, to determine (or, if applicable, redetermine) the amount of such surplus or liability as of the close of the most recently ending fiscal year using the methodology required under this Act; and (2) if the result is a surplus, to transfer the surplus amount to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Honors Dr. Robert Campbell for his lifelong devotion to children's health care. Congratulates Dr. Campbell and his colleagues on their extraordinary achievement in pediatric and orthopedic innovation. Recognizes the Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib device which has saved the lives of many infants and children. Calls on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue to support and incentivize other medical advances to save children's lives threatened by rare disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2010
Stop Waste by Eliminating Excessive Programs Act of 2010 or the SWEEP Act - Declares that it shall not be in order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any legislation that authorizes a program unless it provides budget authority for the program for 10 or fewer fiscal years. Requires a federal agency to make the program performance report for each program under its control available to Congress upon request. Establishes the Federal Program Sunset Commission, which shall: (1) submit to Congress a report analyzing the interaction between authorizing legislation and appropriations legislation and the effects of such interaction; (2) establish a schedule to review each activity or project (program) listed in the program and financing schedules of the annual federal budget every 10 years; (3) conduct a review of the efficiency of operation and public need for each such program according to that schedule; and (4) annually report to Congress on the programs reviewed, including recommendations regarding whether each program should be abolished or reorganized and whether the functions of any programs should be consolidated, transferred, or reorganized in an agency or among agencies and proposals for appropriate administrative or legislative action. Terminates the Commission 11 years after this Act's enactment unless reauthorized. Requires the Comptroller General: (1) in cooperation with the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), to submit to Congress and update annually an inventory of all federal programs, with budgetary information to be provided by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO); and (2) organize the inventory by program areas that are reflective of national needs and agency missions and that are appropriate for the exercise of the review requirements of this Act. Requires the Comptroller General, the Director of CRS, and the Director of CBO to permit the mutual exchange of information that would aid in inventory compilation. Sets forth requirements for, and procedures for congressional consideration of, proposed legislation to abolish programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2010
Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions prohibiting knowingly creating, selling, or possessing a depiction of animal cruelty to prohibit knowingly and for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain selling or distributing an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce. States that such prohibition does not prohibit the sale or distribution of any visual depiction of hunting, trapping, fishing, or customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices. Defines "animal crush video" as any obscene photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, or electronic image that depicts actual conduct in which one or more living animals is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, or impaled in a manner that would violate a criminal prohibition on cruelty to animals in the federal or state jurisdiction in which the depiction is created, sold, distributed, or offered for sale or distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2010
Rating and Processing Individuals' Disability Claims Act or the RAPID Claims Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), if a veteran's claim is submitted that is determined to be a fully developed claim, to provide: (1) the claimant with the opportunity to waive any claim development period with respect to such claim; and (2) expeditious treatment to such claim. Provides that: (1) if a person notifies the Secretary of the intention to submit a fully developed claim and does so within a one-year period thereafter, the Secretary shall provide expeditious treatment to the claim; and (2) if the Secretary determines that a claim submitted as fully developed is not fully developed, the Secretary shall notify such person within 30 days of the information and evidence required to fully develop the claim. Requires the Secretary, when denying a benefit, to notify the claimant of any form or application required to appeal such decision.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2010
Recognizes the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent horticultural attraction in the borough of Brooklyn and for its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and education for New York City.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act and Christopher's Law - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require private educational lenders and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that provide student loan counseling to discuss the benefits of advanced directives with the signers and cosigners of student loans. Requires lenders of private educational loans for which cosigners are held jointly liable to clearly and concisely define the terms of cosigners' obligations regarding such loans. Directs lenders of private educational loans which are cosigned to inform the signers and cosigners regarding the benefits of purchasing credit insurance; but prohibits such lenders from conditioning or varying the terms of such loans on the basis of whether or not credit insurance is purchased. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System by regulation to set standards for determining when a private educational loan signer or cosigner has died or become incapacitated or disabled. Requires such regulations to treat a determination by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) that a borrower is unemployable due to a service-connected condition as proof that such borrower is incapacitated or disabled. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require: (1) prospective borrowers of federal PLUS and consolidated loans to be informed about creation of advanced directives; and (2) borrowers of federal educational loans to be provided entrance counseling regarding the creation of advanced directives and the effect their death, incapacitation, or disability would have on their federal and private educational loans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Congratulates Principal Tim King and all of the students, teachers, administrators, and support personnel at Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men--Englewood Campus (Chicago, Illinois) for achieving a 100% college acceptance rate for its first graduating class of 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to define a "high volume retail breeder" as a person who, in commerce, for compensation or profit: (1) has an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs; and (2) sells, via any means of conveyance, more than 50 of the offspring of such dogs for use as pets in any one-year period. Considers such a breeder of dogs to be a dealer. Requires dealers to include on licensing applications and annual renewals the total number of dogs exempted from exercise on the premises of the dealer in the preceding year by a licensed veterinarian. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate requirements for the exercise of dogs at facilities owned or operated by a dealer, including requiring daily access to exercise that: (1) allows the dogs to move sufficiently in a way that is not forced, repetitive, or restrictive; and (2) is in an area that is spacious, cleaned at least once a day, free of infestation by pests or vermin, and designed to prevent the dogs from escaping. Allows an exemption if: (1) a licensed veterinarian determines that a dog should not exercise because of the health, condition, or well-being of the dog; and (2) such determination is reviewed and updated at least once every 30 days by the veterinarian, unless the basis for the determination is a permanent condition. Subjects such a determination to review and approval by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Recognizes the exemplary service of members of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard (111th). Honors and thanks all members of the 111th, past and present, for their tremendous contributions to the defense and security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2010
Small Business Asset Investment and Modernization (AIM) Act of 2010 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 concerning the 504 program (Small Business Administration [SBA] financings to small businesses through certified development companies) to increase maximum program loan amounts. Authorizes the Administrator of the SBA, from the date of enactment of this Act through FY2012, to approve under such program the refinancing of indebtedness that is secured by a lien on commercial real estate or equipment of a small business, under specified terms and conditions. Limits to $7.5 billion the total amount of such financing in a fiscal year. Authorizes the Administrator, in order to carry out such program, to make personnel appointments of at least one year and not more than six years. Allows the Administrator to eliminate the pension offset for the reemployment of retired federal employees for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2010
Expresses the gratitude of the House of Representatives for the contributions that U.S. air traffic controllers make to keep the traveling public safe and U.S. airspace running efficiently. Commends them for the calm and professional manner in which they handle air traffic all year long. Acknowledges their heroic actions, dedication, and quick and skilled decisionmaking to help avert many accidents and tragedies. Encourages greater investment in the modernization of the air traffic control system so that they have the resources and technology to better carry out their mission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Reciprocal Government Procurement with China Creates American Jobs Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to certify annually to Congress: (1) a determination of whether or not the Chinese government has prohibited its procurement of U.S. goods during the preceding calendar year; and (2) the total value of U.S. goods procured by the Chinesse government during that year, if the Chinese government has not prohibited such procurement. Prohibits the head of each executive agency from awarding a contract for the procurement of Chinese goods during the succeeding calendar year if the Chinese government has prohibited procurement of U.S. goods during the preceding calendar year. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), in such an instance, to prohibit a state or other entity from using funds made available to it from the Highway Trust Fund or the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for the award of a contract for the procurement of Chinese goods during the succeeding calendar year. Limits the total value of Chinese goods that may be procured by the U.S. government during the succeeding calendar year to the total value of U.S. goods procured by the Chinese Government during the preceding calendar year, if in fact the Chinese government has not prohibited its procurement of U.S. goods during that preceding calendar year. Directs the International Trade Administration to establish a program to: (1) identify annually the total value of U.S. goods procured by the Chinese government; and (2) provide notice in the Federal Register on or as soon as practicable after the date on which the total value of Chinese goods procured by the U.S. government equals 50%, 75%, and 100% of the total value of U.S. goods procured by the Chinese government during the preceding calendar year, for purposes of compliance with the limitation required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Demands that Hamas: (1) immediately and unconditionally release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit; (2) allow access to the Israeli captives by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross; and (3) provide Gilad Shalit the humane treatment all captives are entitled to as a fundamental human right, including communication with his family. Expresses: (1) commitment to the survival of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state within recognized and secure borders; (2) support in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of a democratic, viable, and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel; (3) sympathy for Gilad Shalit's family; and (4) commitment to seek the release of Gilad Shalit and other missing Israeli soldiers. Recalls Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, Zecharya Baumel, Zvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz, Ron Arad, Guy Hever, and Majdy Halabi. Condemns: (1) Hamas for the cross border attack and kidnapping of Gilad Shalit; and (2) Iran and Syria for their support for international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Declares the sense of Congress that a grateful nation supports and salutes Sons and Daughters in Touch on its 20th Anniversary, being held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 405 West Second Street in Dixon, Illinois, as the "President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2010
Condemns the abduction and retention of all minor children being held in Japan away from their U.S. parents in violation of their human rights and U.S. and international law. Calls on: (1) the government of Japan to facilitate the resolution of all abduction cases and related issues; and (2) the President and the Secretary of State to seek to identify all U.S. citizen minor children who have been wrongfully removed to, and retained in, Japan. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) recognize the issue of child abduction to, and retention of, U.S. citizen minor children in Japan as a central foreign policy issue; (2) work with the government of Japan to enact consular procedures and legal agreements to prevent parental abduction; (3) review its advisory services from the Department of State, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Armed Forces to ensure that timely assistance is given to U.S. citizens and service members in preventing the wrongful retention or removal of minor children; and (4) urge the Department of State to include international child abduction and Japan's actions regarding abductions as a human rights violation under its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2010
Nuclear Power 2021 Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to instruct the Secretary of Energy to implement, through cooperative agreements with private sector partners, a program to: (1) develop a standard design for each of two small modular reactors, at least one of which has a rated capacity of not more than 50 electrical megawatts; (2) obtain a design certification from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for each of the designs by January 1, 2018; and (3) demonstrate the licensing of small modular reactors by developing applications for a combined license for each of the designs so certified, and obtaining a combined license from the NRC for each of the certified designs by January 1, 2021. Requires the Secretary to select proposals for such cooperative agreements through the use of competitive procedures and an impartial review of their scientific and technical merit.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2010
Nuclear Energy Research Initiative Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) conduct research to lower the cost of nuclear reactor systems; and (2) develop and publish on the Department of Energy (DOE) website a schedule outlining a five-year strategy to lower such cost effectively. Includes among research subjects: (1) modular and small-scale reactors; (2) balance-of-plant issues; (3) cost-efficient manufacturing and construction; (4) licensing issues; and (5) enhanced proliferation controls.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2010
Second Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, transporting for legitimate purposes, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Declares that nothing in such prohibitions shall be construed to prohibit the District from regulating the carrying of firearms by a person, either concealed or openly, other than at the person's dwelling place, place of business, or on other land possessed by the person. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (FCRA) to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Includes also the frame or receiver of any such firearm, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a firearm into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; and (2) requirement that licensed firearms dealers keep records of ammunition received into inventory and ammunition sold or transferred. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Permits a licensed firearms dealer to sell or transfer ammunition, excluding restricted pistol bullets, to persons not otherwise prohibited from possessing or receiving ammunition. Declares that, in the case of a sale or transfer of a handgun to a District resident, a federally licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer of firearms in Maryland or Virginia shall be treated as a dealer licensed under this Act if: (1) the transferee meets in person with the transferor to accomplish the transfer; and (2) the sale, delivery, and receipt fully comply with the legal conditions of sale in both the District and the jurisdiction in which the transfer occurs. Amends FCRA to allow an individual to possess ammunition in the District if the individual owns (currently, holds the valid registration certificate for) a firearm of the same gauge or caliber as such ammunition. (In effect, repeals the handgun ammunition ban.) Repeals the requirement that firearms in the possession of individuals (other than law enforcement personnel) must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked, unless the firearm is kept at an individual's place of business, or while being used for lawful recreational purposes within the District . Continues current criminal penalties for allowing access of a minor (under age 16) to loaded firearms, except in specified circumstances. Repeals increased penalties for violations of the prohibition against allowing access of a minor to loaded firearms if injury or death results to the minor or another person. Requires the U.S. attorney, however, to consider both the extent of the minor's injuries and the effect of the minor's injury or death on both of the minor's parents when deciding whether to file charges. Prohibits any prosecution in such circumstances unless the person who committed the violation behaved in a grossly negligent manner, or unless similarly egregious circumstances exist. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends the District of Columbia Code to: (1) allow private persons or entities owning property in the District to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on their property (other than authorized law enforcement personnel or lessees occupying residential or business premises); (2) prohibit unauthorized carrying of rifles or shotguns in the District; (3) authorize certain individuals to carry firearms in certain places and for certain purposes; (4) prescribe requirements for lawful transportation of firearms; and (5) prohibit the use of toy and antique pistols to commit a violent or dangerous crime. Authorizes the District of Columbia to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms (except to lessees occupying residential or business premises) within any building or structure under its control, or in any area of it, which has implemented security measures to identify and exclude unauthorized or hazardous persons or articles. Amends the Office of Administrative Hearings Establishment Act of 2001 to grant jurisdiction to the Office of Administrative Hearings to hear cases pertaining to denial or revocation of firearm dealer licenses. Repeals the Firearms Registration Amendment Act of 2008 and the Inoperable Pistol Amendment Act of 2008. Restores and revives any provision of law amended or repealed by such Acts as if such Acts had not been enacted into law.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2010
Girls Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine or five-year prison term, or both, on any U.S. citizen or alien admitted for permanent residence who knowingly transports in foreign commerce a girl under the age of 18 for the purposes of female genital mutilation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 - Establishes, revises, and extends specified science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) programs, as well as engineering, research, and training programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015 for: (1) the National Science Foundation (NSF); (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); and (3) the Department of Energy (DOE) for activities of the Office of Science.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2010
Expresses support for the designation of a National Nursing Home Week. Recognizes that a majority of people in the United States will require long-term care services at some point. Honors nursing home patients and the people who care for them.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2010
Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or maximum prison term of five years for anyone who knowingly sells or offers to sell an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial gain. States that this prohibition shall not be construed to prohibit the selling or offering to sell videos that depict hunting. Defines "animal crush video" as any visual depiction of animals being intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, or impaled that: (1) depicts actual conduct in which a living animal is tortured, maimed, or mutilated that violates any criminal prohibition on intentional cruelty under federal law or the law of the state in which the depiction is sold; and (2) taken as a whole, does not have religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2010
Broadband for First Responders Act of 2010 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to increase the electromagnetic spectrum allocation for public safety services by 10 megahertz and reduce such allocation for commercial use by the same amount. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) allocate the paired electromagnetic spectrum bands of 758-763 megahertz and 788-793 megahertz (referred to as D Block) for public safety broadband communications and assign such paired bands to public safety; (2) establish rules to permit a public safety broadband licensee to authorize public safety service providers to construct and operate a wireless public safety broadband network in the licensee's spectrum if such authorization would expedite public safety broadband communications; (3) require that any wireless public safety broadband network be fully interoperable, provide for user roaming, be disaster survivable, and have the appropriate level of cyber security; (4) establish regulations to authorize the shared use of the public safety broadband spectrum and network infrastructure by entities that are not defined as public safety services; (5) establish regulations to allow use of the public safety broadband spectrum by emergency response providers; and (6) develop a public safety agency statement of requirements that enables nationwide interoperability and roaming across any communications system using public safety broadband spectrum.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2010
Expresses: (1) deepest condolences for the horrific loss of life and the physical and psychological damage caused by the January 12, 2010, earthquake that struck Haiti; and (2) solidarity with Haitians, Haitian-Americans, and all those who lost loved ones or have otherwise been affected by the tragedy. Commends and honors the efforts of the Israelis who worked on the ground in Haiti, the State of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the Israeli people for their contributions to earthquake relief in Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness (CARE) Act of 2010 - Amends the Webb-Kenyon Act to: (1) state that it is the policy of Congress that each state or territory shall continue to have the primary authority to regulate alcoholic beverages; (2) prohibit unjustified discrimination against out-of-state producers of alcoholic beverages in favor of in-state producers; and (3) establish higher evidentiary standards for legal actions challenging the authority of states or territories to regulate alcoholic beverages. Amends the Wilson Act to eliminate the requirement that a state or territory regulate the importation of all fermented, distilled, or other intoxicating liquors or liquids to the same extent and in the same manner as such liquors or liquids produced in such state or territory.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Medicare Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase criminal penalties for both felony and misdemeanor fraud under SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid). Adds a new offense of distribution of two or more Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary identification numbers or billing privileges with the intent to defraud. Applies civil monetary penalties to: (1) conspiracy to make false statements or commit other specified offenses with respect to Medicare or Medicaid claims; and (2) knowing creation or use of false records or statements with respect to the transmission of money or property to a federal health care program. Extends the statute of limitations from six to 10 years after presentation of a claim. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare), as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to revise screening requirements. Amends SSA title XI, as amended by PPACA, to require the access to claims and payment data granted to Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General to include access to real time claims and payment data. Requires the HHS Inspector General to implement mechanisms for the sharing of information about suspected fraud relating to the federal health care programs under Medicare, Medicaid, and SSA title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP) with other appropriate law enforcement officials. Directs the HHS Secretary to carry out a five-year pilot program that implements biometric technology to ensure that individuals entitled to benefits under Medicare part A or enrolled under Medicare part B are physically present at the time and place of receipt of certain items and services for which payment may be made. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on Medicare administrative contractors, including Recovery Audit Contractors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Security in Energy and Manufacturing Act of 2010 or the SEAM Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the qualifying advanced energy project credit by allocating in 2010 $5 billion of grants or tax credit amounts to manufacturers of goods and components (other than for assembly of components) in the United States that are used in alternative energy projects.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
College Savings Flexibility Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow, between 2010 and 2015, distributions from a qualified tuition program to pay for principal and interest owed on student loans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Nurses Week; and (2) the nurse capacity initiatives for institutions of higher education included in the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Acknowledges the importance of quality higher education in nursing to meet the needs of one of the nation's fastest growing fields.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month; and (2) research efforts to better understand the links between sarcoidosis and specific occupations where sarcoidosis is disproportionately represented. Recognizes that sarcoidosis has played a prominent yet hidden role in America's workforce history.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2010
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner; (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law; (3) a certified nurse-midwife; or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2010
Renewable Fuels Reinvestment Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2015 the income and excise tax credits for alcohol used as fuel, the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit, and the reduced credit for ethanol blenders. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend until 2016 the additional tariff on ethyl alcohol blends (ethanol) used as fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2010
TRICARE Dependent Coverage Extension Act - Deems the following individuals as dependents, for purposes of dependent coverage under TRICARE (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program): (1) a child who has not yet attained age 26 and is not eligible to enroll in any employer-sponsored plan; or (2) a person who is in the legal custody of the covered member, has not attained age 26, is not eligible to enroll in any employer-sponsored plan, resides with the member, is not otherwise a dependent under TRICARE, and is not the child of another covered beneficiary. Requires a premium payment for such coverage.
![Official portrait of Rep. Halvorson, Deborah L. [D-IL-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001044_200.jpg)