United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2011
District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2011 - Treats the District of Columbia as a state for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the 15th and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the 23rd amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Increases membership of the House from 435 to 436 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for election of a Representative for the District. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. Sets forth procedures for expedited judicial review of any action brought to challenge the constitutionality of any provision of this Act or any amendment made by it.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2011
District of Columbia House Equal Representation Act of 2011 - Treats the District of Columbia as a state for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. Prescribes requirements for classification of Senators for the District. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the 15th and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the 23rd amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Increases membership of the House from 435 to 436 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for election of a Senator and Representative for the District. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. Sets forth procedures for expedited judicial review of any action brought to challenge the constitutionality of any provision of this Act or any amendment made by it.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2011
New Columbia Admission Act - Sets forth procedures for admission into the United States of the state of New Columbia. Requires the Mayor of the District of Columbia to: (1) submit to the eligible voters propositions for statehood and adoption of a State Constitution, and (2) issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of New Columbia. Requires the President, upon adoption of such propositions and certification of such elections, to issue a proclamation announcing the results and admitting New Columbia into the Union. Provides for conversion of District government offices to state offices. Provides that New Columbia shall consist of all territory of the District as of the enactment of this Act, excluding land within specified metes and bounds that shall remain the District of Columbia and that shall include the principal federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court Building, the federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building, and certain military property. Prohibits New Columbia from imposing taxes on federal property except as provided by Congress. Maintains the applicability to New Columbia of current District laws and continues pending judicial proceedings. Maintains: (1) the District of Columbia as the seat of the federal government, and (2) the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property. Requires each state that is the last place an individual resided before residing in the District of Columbia to permit such individual to vote in federal elections by absentee ballot. Sets forth a rule for expedited consideration of a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution to repeal the 23d amendment (which provides for the appointment of electors for President and Vice President for the District).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2011
Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program for assessing the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms through a therapeutic medium of service dog training and handling for veterans with disabilities. Requires such program to be carried out at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers that can provide training areas for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2011
Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011 - Deems certain service performed before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts as active military service for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in determining eligibility under this Act, to take into account any relevant service documentation, including documentation other than the Missouri List (the list of all discharged and deceased veterans from the 20th century).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2011
Expresses the sense of Congress that the current federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest paid on a first or second home should not be further restricted.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Protecting America's Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to expand its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, under specified conditions, to cede OSHA jurisdiction to another federal agency with respect to certain occupational standards or regulations for such agency's employees. Declares OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Heath Act of 1977. Increases protections for whistle blowers under OSHA. Prescribes requirements relating to: (1) the posting of employee rights, (2) employer reporting of employee work-related deaths or hospitalizations, (3) a prohibition against employers adopting or implementing policies or practices that discourage or discriminate against employee reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses, (4) a prohibition against the loss of wages or employee benefits due to an employee participating in a workplace inspection, (5) investigations of incidents resulting in death or the hospitalization of two or more employees which occur in a place of employment, and (6) a prohibition against the issuing, modifying, or settling of unclassified citations for occupational health and safety standard violations. Continues requirements relating to: (1) the rights of an employee (including a former employee or family member in lieu of an employee) who has sustained a work-related injury or illness that is the subject of an inspection or investigation; (2) an employer's right to contest citations and penalties; and (3) periods permitted for an employer to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations pending an employer's contest to a citation and procedures for stays of the time period for abatement of those violations. Increases civil and criminal penalties for certain OSHA violators. States that pre-final order interest on any penalties owed shall begin to accrue on the date a party contests a citation, at an interest rate calculated at the current underpayment rate. Prescribes requirements for the Secretary's evaluation of state occupational safety and health plans as well as workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Requires a state that has an approved plan for the development and enforcement of occupational safety and health standards to amend its plan to conform to the requirements of this Act within 12 months after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Public Option Deficit Reduction Act - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer through Exchanges a health benefits plan (public health insurance option) that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care. Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan: (1) may be made available only through Exchanges; (2) must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through such Exchanges, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing; and (3) must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option; (2) collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates; (3) establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan; and (4) establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years. Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act - Declares that it is U.S. policy to protect and preserve living and other resources of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (Farallones NMS) and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Cordell Bank NMS) marine environments. Makes certain adjustments to expand the boundaries of the Farallones NMS and the Cordell NMS. Prohibits the issuance of a lease or permit authorizing mineral or hydrocarbon exploration, development, production, or transportation by pipeline within the boundaries of the sanctuaries, as modified by this Act. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to complete: (1) a draft supplemental management plan for each of the sanctuaries that focuses on management in the areas added by this Act; and (2) a revised management plan for each of the sanctuaries. Directs the Secretary to carry out an assessment of necessary revisions to the regulations for the sanctuaries, including considering regulations regarding the deposit or release of introduced species and the alteration of stream and river drainage into the sanctuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act - Designates specified lands within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to redefine "homeless," "homeless individual," or "homeless person" to include: (1) a child or youth who has been verified as homeless by a local educational agency (LEA) homeless liaison, and the family of such child or youth; (2) a youth verified as homeless by the director (or a designee) of a program funded under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act; (3) a child verified as homeless by the program director (or designee) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the child's family; and (4) a child verified as homeless by the Head Start program director (or designee) under the Head Start Act, and the child's family.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Realize America's Maritime Promise Act or the RAMP Act - Requires the total budget resources for expenditures from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for harbor maintenance programs to equal the level of receipts plus interest credited to such Fund for that fiscal year. Limits the use of such resources to such programs only. Declares that it shall be out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would cause total budget resources for the Fund in a fiscal year for harbor maintenance programs to be less than the level of receipts plus interest credited to the Fund for that fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2011 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection, insofar as the attending physician, in consultation with the patient, determines such stay to be medically necessary; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations. Prohibits a health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act. Allows a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage to nonrenew or discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to the condition for which coverage is being claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Teacher Education Assistance Creating Hope for Our Future Act of 2011 or TEACH for Our Future Act of 2011 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the loan forgiveness available to public elementary and secondary school teachers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs. Makes inapplicable to public school teachers the requirements limiting loan forgiveness to: (1) new borrowers on or after October 1, 1998; and (2) highly qualified teachers in certain schools that serve a high proportion of disadvantaged students. Maintains the requirement that such teachers teach full-time for five consecutive complete school years before becoming eligible for loan forgiveness. Raises to $25,000 the amount of the FFEL or DL outstanding that may be forgiven after a public school teacher's fifth complete school year of teaching. Maintains current loan forgiveness eligibility requirements for private elementary and secondary school teachers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund for payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of a monthly benefit of $1,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Requires such individuals to: (1) apply for such benefit within one year after the enactment of this Act; and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. Requires the Secretary to include, in annual budget documents submitted to Congress, detailed information on the Fund's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4110 Almeda Road in Houston, Texas, as the "George Thomas 'Mickey' Leland Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Lumbee Recognition Act - Extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, which makes its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to Indians because of their status as members of a federally recognized tribe. Deems members of the Tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland Counties in North Carolina to be within the delivery area for such services. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the Tribe. Prohibits the Tribe from conducting gaming activities. Requires North Carolina to exercise jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed, and all civil actions that arise, on North Carolina lands owned by, or held in trust for, the Lumbee Tribe or any dependent Indian community of the Tribe.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Create Jobs by Expanding the R&D Tax Credit Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the rate of the tax credit for increasing research activities in 2011 and 2012; (2) extend such tax credit through 2012; and (3) allow certain small business concerns to assign research tax credit amounts in 2011 and 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Candy Tobacco Tax Parity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on smokeless tobacco products sold as discrete single-use units. Modifies the definition of "smokeless tobacco" for purposes of such tax to include discrete single-use units. Defines "discrete single-use unit" as any product containing tobacco that is intended or expected to be consumed without being combusted and is in the form of a lozenge, tablet, pill, pouch, dissolvable strip, or other discrete single-use or single dose unit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a reduction under any treaty of the United States of tax withholding for a tax deductible payment made between persons who are members of the same foreign controlled group of entities unless there would be a similar reduction for payments made directly to the foreign parent corporation of such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Redesignates: (1) the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) the Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to the Department Under Secretary, the Department Assistant Secretaries, and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Requests the President to inform Congress and the Secretary General of the United Nations regarding U.S. efforts and measures taken with respect to implementation and observance of Article VI of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and certain U.N. resolutions calling for U.S. and world nuclear disarmament. Calls on the President to implement and observe all NPT obligations and commitments and to revise national policies on nuclear weapons accordingly. Urges the President, in the interests of protecting and advancing human, national, and global security, to: (1) declare that the United States will not use nuclear weapons first, and that pending their elimination, such weapons serve only to deter a nuclear attack by a hostile state or other entity; (2) initiate and conclude multilateral negotiations on verifiable steps nuclear states shall take to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons; (3) cooperate with the Russian Federation to remove from deployment nuclear weapons that are operational; (4) reaffirm the moratorium on nuclear testing and work for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; (5) terminate all efforts to enhance U.S. military capabilities of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and to develop ballistic missile defenses; and (6) support initiatives to ban weapons in outer space.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Calls for the adoption of a smart security platform for the 21st century that: (1) promotes security by strengthening international institutions and respect for the rule of law; (2) reduces the threat and stops the spread of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation of conventional weapons; (3) addresses root causes of instability and conflict; (4) shifts U.S. budget priorities to more effectively meet U.S. security needs; (5) organizes U.S. foreign assistance in a manner that eliminates poverty and promotes security and peace; and (6) pursues to the fullest extent alternatives to war.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 - Provides for repeal of the current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, to be effective 60 days after the Secretary of Defense has received DOD's comprehensive review on the implementation of such repeal, and the President, Secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) certify to the congressional defense committees that they have considered the report and proposed plan of action, that DOD has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to exercise the discretion provided by such repeal, and that implementation of such policies and regulations is consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion, and military recruiting and retention. Provides that, until such time as the above conditions are met, the current policy shall remain in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2010
Recognizes the 20th anniversary of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH). Commends ORWH for its leadership in research, research training, and science-based education programs. Recognizes: (1) the ORWH-supported scientists whose studies have improved health and whose research continues to yield promising discoveries; and (2) the volunteers who participate in clinical studies and the health organizations who contribute to the shared research goals of preventing, treating, and curing the diseases and disorders within ORWH's mission. Reaffirms support for ORWH and its continued commitment to research to improve women's health.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2010
Recognizes the 22nd anniversary of observing World AIDS Day. Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of World AIDS Day; (2) continued funding for prevention, care, treatment services, and research programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (3) implementation of a national AIDS strategy; (4) the goals of providing universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support programs and protecting human rights for all people, including vulnerable and marginalized populations; and (5) efforts to address the factors that make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by decreasing poverty and hunger, expanding educational opportunities for children, and empowering women. Commends: (1) the President and state and local governments for recognizing World AIDS Day and for encouraging individuals to undergo HIV testing; (2) media organizations for carrying messages in support of World AIDS Day; and (3) the work of AIDS service organizations and community and faith based organizations that are providing treatment, care, and support services to people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2010
Expresses the sense of Congress that an appropriate site on Chaplains Hill in Arlington National Cemetery be provided for a memorial marker, to be paid for with private funds, to honor the memory of the Jewish chaplains who died while on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, so long as the Secretary of the Army has exclusive authority to approve the design and site of the memorial marker.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Wage Theft Prevention and Community Partnership Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award one- to three-year renewable grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partners to prevent wage and hour violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, or any related regulations, or violations of any other law enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor by: (1) informing workers of their rights and the remedies available to them; and (2) expanding and improving cooperative efforts between agencies charged with enforcing wage and hour requirements and employers and their employees. Makes eligible for such grants such partners as: (1) not-for-profit community organizations dedicated to combating poverty and preventing abuse of wage and hour laws; (2) labor organizations; and (3) Joint Labor Management Cooperative Committees established under the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947. Directs the Secretary to establish a Wage Theft Prevention Fund to fund such grants. Prohibits the award of such a grant to: (1) any entity that infringes upon the organizational and collective bargaining rights guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act; or (2) the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or any of its subsidiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Fairness in Unemployment Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to revise the formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period. Modifies the threshold rates of unemployment that must be met by a state in order to establish eligibility for Tier-4 emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) for such state.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Joins with the Greek Embassy in Washington, DC, the people of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the people of Marathon, Greece, and the hundreds of thousands of runners participating in marathons throughout the United States, in celebrating the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, Greece, one of the most significant battles in human history.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Supports the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust survivors in the United States are able to live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining years. Applauds the nonprofit organizations and agencies that work tirelessly to honor and assist Holocaust survivors in their communities. Urges the Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with the Administration on Aging (AoA), to provide Holocaust survivors with needed social services through existing programs. Encourages the AoA to expeditiously develop and implement programs that ensure Holocaust survivors are able to age in place in their communities and avoid institutionalization during their remaining years.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Comprehensive Long-Term Care Support Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction from gross income (available for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions) for the cost of long-term care premiums for the taxpayer and certain family members, including the taxpayer's spouse, ancestors or lineal descendants, and siblings. Phases in the deduction by allowing the deduction of 50 percent of the cost of premiums in 2011, 75 percent in 2012, and 100 percent in 2013 or thereafter. Allows long-term care insurance as a benefit under tax-qualified cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements. Allows a tax credit for caregivers of individuals with long-term health care needs. Phases in a $3,000 credit amount for 2015 or thereafter, beginning with $1,000 in 2011, $1,500 in 2012, $2,000 in 2013, and $2,500 in 2014. Reduces the amount of the credit for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes over $75,000 ($150,000 for joint returns), adjusted for inflation after 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Housing Opportunity and Mortgage Equity Act of 2010 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises or GSEs) each to carry out a one-year program providing for the refinancing of qualified single-family housing mortgages it owns through a refinancing mortgage (and for the purchase of and securitization of such refinancing mortgages) in accordance with this Act and the policies and procedures of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Defines a qualified mortgage as one, regardless of whether the mortgagor is current on payments due or in default, that: (1) is an existing first mortgage for purchase of, or refinancing another first mortgage on, a one- to four-family dwelling, including a condominium or a share in a cooperative ownership housing association, that is occupied by the mortgagor as principal residence; (2) is owned or guaranteed by the particular GSE; and (3) was originated on or before enactment of this Act. Specifies the terms and conditions of a refinancing mortgage, including a 40-year term to maturity and a prohibition on borrower fees. Requires waiver or forgiveness of all fees and penalties related to any default or delinquency on the original mortgage. Requires a GSE to pay a fee of up to $1,000 to the servicer of a qualified mortgage refinance. Prohibits any requirement of a property appraisal.
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 · 23 September 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1449 West Avenue in Bronx, New York, as the "Private Isaac T. Cortes Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2010
Small Business Clean Energy Financing Act of 2010 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a program to guarantee loans of small businesses that manufacture a clean energy technology in the United States. Requires the Administrator, to the extent practicable, to carry out the program in a manner similar to the SBA 7(a) general business loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2010
Congratulates Ichiro Suzuki, outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, for becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history with at least 200 base hits in 10 consecutive seasons.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2010
Recognizes the shootings that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, as a tragic event in the history of the Army and the United States. Extends the deepest sympathies of Congress to the families and friends of the shooting victims. Honors the civilian law enforcement personnel of the Department of Defense (DOD) for implementing their training to eliminate the threat promptly, thereby limiting additional loss of life or injury. Commends the Fort Hood command team for its timely response and situational control. Expresses gratitude to the Fort Hood communities, military personnel stationed at Fort Hood, military service organizations, and the American people for promptly extending comfort and assistance to the victims of the shootings and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2010
Expresses the appreciation of the House of Representatives for the efforts of those countries that have restored religious property wrongly confiscated during the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus. Welcomes the initiatives and commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to work to restore and maintain religious heritage sites. Urges the government of Turkey to: (1) implement immediately the United Nations Security Council Resolutions relevant to Cyprus as well as the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights; (2) work to retrieve and restore all lost artifacts and immediately halt destruction on religious sites, illegal archaeological excavations, and traffic in icons and antiquities; and (3) allow for the proper preservation and reconstruction of destroyed or altered religious sites and immediately cease all restrictions on freedom of religion for the enclaved Cypriots. Calls on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the President, the Secretary of State, and the State Department Office of International Religious Freedom to take specified steps to address the concerns and actions called for in this resolution. Urges the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to: (1) ensure that member states do not receive stolen Cypriot art and antiquities; and (2) press the government of Turkey to abide by its international commitments in this matter.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 482 East Main Street in Malone, New York, as the "Almanzo Wilder Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Fair Playing Field Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: (1) repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Secretary of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; (2) direct the Secretary to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; (3) prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; (4) require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (5) eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor).
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Conference of Catholic Charities, now called Catholic Charities USA. Honors Catholic Charities USA for being a national leader in the efforts to fight poverty and to strengthen the United States in times of need and crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2010
Veterans' Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services' Improvements Act of 2010 - Includes within a program of individualized rehabilitation and reintegration plans for veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI): (1) the goal of maximizing the individual's independence and quality of life; and (2) improving such veterans' behavioral and mental health functioning. Requires the inclusion of rehabilitative services in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) comprehensive program of long-term care for veterans' TBI that has residential, community, and home-based components utilizing interdisciplinary treatment teams.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2010
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Requires a further additional Tier-5 period for deposits to an individual's EUCA if, at the time the amount added to such individual's account under the Act is exhausted or at any time thereafter, the individual's state is in an extended benefit period. Prescribes a formula for making such Tier-5 credits. Increases the figures in the basic EUC formula (the lesser of which shall be the amount credited): (1) from 24% to 80% of the total amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to the individual during the benefit year; and (2) from 6 to 20 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for the benefit year. Prescribes a formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period. Allows the Tier-5 period augmentation to be applied to the individual's EUCA only once. Authorizes a state to pay extended compensation to an otherwise eligible individual before any further additional emergency unemployment compensation (EUC), if such individual claimed extended compensation for at least one week of unemployment after the exhaustion of additional EUC.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Seniors Protection Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse a $250 payment to recipients of Social Security, SSI (Supplemental Security Income under title XVI of the Social Security Act), railroad retirement benefits, and veterans disability compensation or pension benefits if no cost-of-living adjustment is payable in 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants to, and enter into agreements with, local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve the education of girls and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and prepare them to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields. Gives priority to LEAs that partner or coordinate with local, regional, or national entities. Requires the use of grant funds to: (1) involve the parents of girls and underrepresented minorities in stoking their children's interest in STEM; (2) provide tutoring and mentoring programs in such fields; (3) enable such students and their teachers to attend STEM events outside the classroom; (4) provide after-school and summer programs for students in such fields; (5) purchase education materials or equipment to facilitate STEM instruction; (6) provide such students with academic advice and assistance in selecting high school courses; (7) pay up to 50% of the cost of a STEM internship for such students; and (8) train school personnel to facilitate students' progress in such fields.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Deficit Reduction Through Fair Oil Royalties Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing new oil or natural gas production leases in the Gulf of Mexico under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to a person that does not renegotiate its existing leases in order to require royalty payments if oil and natural gas prices are greater than or equal to specified price thresholds. Authorizes the Secretary, in the case of multiple lessees, to implement a separate agreement modifying payment responsibilities (including such price thresholds) with any lessee that owns a lease share. Prescribes analogous requirements for lease transfers. Requires rentals or royalties received by the United States to be deposited in the Treasury for federal budget deficit reduction or, if there is no federal budget deficit, for reducing the federal debt. Directs the Secretary to agree to a lessee's request to amend any lease issued for any Central and Western Gulf of Mexico tract in the period of January 1, 1996, through November 28, 2000, to incorporate price thresholds applicable to royalty suspension requirements that are equal to or less than the price thresholds specified under OCSLA.
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
Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the next of kin or personal representative of Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., in recognition of his example to the nation of selfless dedication to duty and compassion for one's fellow citizens.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000627_200.jpg)