United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2009
Recognizes the 21st anniversary of observing World AIDS Day. Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of such Day; (2) continued funding for prevention, care, treatment services, and research programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (3) the development of a national AIDS strategy to reduce new HIV infections, especially among vulnerable communities; (4) the goals of providing universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support programs and protecting human rights for all people, including vulnerable and marginalized populations; and (5) efforts to address the factors that make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by decreasing poverty and hunger, expanding educational opportunities for children, and empowering women.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers of such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Graduation for All Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve student academic achievement, graduation rates, and postsecondary readiness in high schools whose graduation rates are at or below 65% and in underperforming middle schools that send more than one-half of their students to such high schools. Requires grantees to provide each school with: (1) an Early Warning System that helps the school identify and implement tiered academic, social, and behavioral student interventions, including differentiated instruction; (2) one of four Models of Success tailored to its analysis of the school's needs; and (3) certain other supportive services. Lists the Models of Success as: (1) a transformational model, that provides on-site professional development and career-ladder opportunities for teachers; (2) a turnaround model, that replaces ineffective principals and teachers and reassigns teachers that are not teaching in their area of expertise; (3) a restart model, that closes the school and reopens it with new leadership, staff, and instructional programs; and (4) a close-down model, that closes the school and re-enrolls students in higher-achieving schools. Directs the Secretary to contract with an outside evaluator to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of this program and disseminate best practices in improving student achievement. Fast Track to College Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary to award matching grants to LEAs and schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish, or support existing, early college high schools or dual enrollment programs that allow high school students to earn postsecondary credits without paying postsecondary tuition or fees. Gives grant priority to applicants that are receiving a grant under this Act's first grant program and will serve areas experiencing severe economic distress. Directs the Secretary to arrange for an independent evaluation of this grant program, and provide LEAs with information and technical assistance concerning best practices in early college high schools and dual enrollment programs. Requires the Secretary to: (1) enter into contracts with the Center for Education of the National Academies to conduct and review existing research on middle grades education; (2) create a national clearinghouse for research in best practices in middle grades, and a middle grades database that identifies factors that facilitate or impede student achievement; (3) require the the Institute of Education Sciences to develop a strand of field-initiated research aimed at enhancing the performance of disadvantaged middle school students; (4) create a research and development center dedicated to middle grades education; and (5) award grants to IHEs and other organizations that partner with states and LEAs to turn around low-performing middle grades.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Big Spring, Texas, as the "George H. O'Brien, Jr., Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center."
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2009
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Diabetes Month; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of diabetes, developing better treatments, and working toward an eventual cure for type I and type II diabetes through increased research, treatment, and prevention. Recognizes the importance of early detection of diabetes and awareness of the symptoms of diabetes and risk factors for type II diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2009
Expresses solidarity with all people affected by Hurricane Ida. Commends the efforts of the people of El Salvador and Central America and the countries of Central America in providing relief to El Salvador. Urges the President to continue to provide the necessary funding to help mitigate the effects of the recent natural disasters in El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2009
Business Checking Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act, the Home Owners' Loan Act, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to repeal the prohibition against the payment of interest on demand deposits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2009
Military Spouse Pin Act - Requires the design of a spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel button to identify and recognize the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is serving in a combat zone for a period of more than 30 days. Directs the: (1) Secretary of the military department concerned to present the button to such a spouse; and (2) Secretary of Defense (DOD) to make the button available to qualifying spouses of veterans of military conflicts that took place before the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2009
Rural Veterans Services Outreach and Training Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a program to make competitive grants to provide financial assistance to state departments of veterans affairs for the training of rural county veteran service officers in order to improve outreach and assistance to veterans, as well as their spouses, children, and parents, who may be eligible to receive veterans' or veterans-related benefits and who are residing in rural counties. Limits each grant to $2 million. Requires grants to be made on an annual basis.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2009
Congratulates the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series Champions, the New York Yankees, for an outstanding season and a record 27th World Series Championship win.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2009
Emergency Influenza Containment Act - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to ensure that American workers are allowed to follow, without financial harm, employer and public health authority recommendations to stay home when they have symptoms of a contagious disease that may put co-workers, customers, or the public at risk. Requires an employer to provide paid sick leave to an employee for each workday, or portion of workday, that the employer directs the employee to leave work, or not come in to work, because the employee has symptoms of a contagious illness, or has been in close contact with an individual who has such symptoms. Limits paid sick leave up to a maximum of 5 days per 12-month period. Makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge, discipline, or otherwise discriminate against an employee who: (1) complies with this Act; or (2) has filed a complaint or instituted a proceeding under this Act, or has testified or is about to testify in such a proceeding. Subjects an employer to certain penalties for unpaid sick leave to, or unlawful termination of, an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2009
Honors and recognizes the American labor movement. Supports the designation of a National Labor History Month. Urges government officials, educators, the media, and all Americans to observe such a month with ceremonies, activities, and programs that encourage reflection on the labor movement's heritage and its many contributions to the creation and maintenance of a more just America.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2009
Overdraft Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a depository institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with overdraft coverage, or in acts designed to evade the provisions of this Act. Requires each depository institution that provides overdraft coverage for transaction accounts to clearly and conspicuously disclose overdraft coverage fees. Subjects overdraft coverage fees to the consumer's written, electronic, or other consent. Requires a depository institution to provide specified consumer disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including: (1) periodic statements for any transaction account that has an overdraft coverage program feature; and (2) prompt notification of the account's overdraft status. Prescribes overdraft coverage fee limits. Prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. Requires a depository institution to provide consumers who have not consented to participate in an overdraft coverage program transaction accounts with the same terms as those provided to consumers who have consented to participate in such program. Prohibits a depository institution from charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any transaction at an automated teller machine, or a debit card transaction. Prohibits a depository institution from reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2009
Congratulates the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) on its 40th anniversary. Declares that the IAF is a vital component of U.S. foreign policy in the Americas and of the U.S. development agenda.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Every Person Counts Act - Requires the decennial census to tabulate the total number of persons in each state. Prohibits such census from including any question or otherwise eliciting any information regarding U.S. citizenship or immigration status.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Recognizes the energy savings and innovations achieved by the United States Air Force. Honors the leadership of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base for their energy savings. Congratulates Tom Denslow, Danny Dobbs, Ron Miller, and Daniel Thatcher of the Department of the Air Force at that base and Steve Dumont of the Department's Air Combat Command for their efforts to reduce energy use and to make that base a model of efficient energy use.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2009
Calls on people of Madagascar to restore constitutional governance, culminating in free and peaceful elections. Condemns the illegal extraction of Madagascar's natural resources and its impact on biodiversity and livelihoods of rural communities. Calls upon importing countries to intensify their monitoring processes to ensure that they do not contribute to the demand for illegally sourced precious woods from Madagascar.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2009
Providing Resources to Improve Dual Language Education Act of 2009 or the PRIDE Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award up to five grants to partnerships of local educational agencies (LEAs), early childhood education programs, and technical assistance providers for the implementation of dual language demonstration programs designed to enhance and assess the biliteracy, bilingualism, and multicultural skills of low-income minority and limited English proficient students from preschool through grade five. Directs the Secretary to: (1) arrange for an entity that has dual language program experience to provide technical assistance to LEA grantees and evaluate the programs funded by this Act; and (2) disseminate information on model practices implemented under such programs that are appropriate for use by early childhood education providers to improve the school readiness of limited English proficient students.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2009
Small Business Microlending Expansion Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act with respect to the Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan program (small-scale loans to start-up, newly established, or growing small businesses for working capital or the acquisition of materials, supplies, or equipment) to: (1) direct the SBA Administrator to establish a process under which an intermediary making a Microloan loan provides relevant borrower information to the major credit reporting agencies; (2) remove the requirement that such loans be short-term only; (3) provide increased intermediary eligibility for program participation; (4) increase intermediary borrowing limits; and (5) increase the maximum loan amount to a small business borrower that will qualify for a reduced interest rate from the intermediary. Directs the Administrator to submit annually to the congressional small business committees specified information with respect to the Microloan program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2009
Community College Energy Training Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to create a program awarding grants to community colleges to provide workforce training and education in sustainable energy industries and practices, such as: (1) alternative energy; (2) energy efficient construction, retrofitting, and design; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water and energy conservation; (5) recycling and waste reduction; and (6) sustainable agriculture and farming. Requires at least one-half of the grant funds to be awarded to community colleges with existing sustainability programs leading to certificates or degrees in one or more of the industries or practices listed above.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2009
Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish an urban revitalization and livable communities program to provide federal grants to eligible general purpose local governments for various park and recreation purposes, including grants for rehabilitation and construction, innovation, at-risk youth recreation, and recovery action programs. Requires the Secretary to publish in the Federal Register a list of such governments meeting specified criteria. Authorizes the Secretary to authorize other eligible governments in standard metropolitan statistical areas, but not on the list, to receive up to a specified portion of such grants. Authorizes the Secretary, upon approval of an application by the chief executive of an eligible applicant, to provide 70% matching rehabilitation and construction, innovation, and at-risk youth recreation grants directly to such applicant. Allows an applicant, at its discretion, to transfer a grant in whole or in part to special purpose local governments or private nonprofit agencies for recreational areas and facilities they own or operate which offer recreational opportunities to the general population Requires an applicant, as a requirement for project approval, to submit to the Secretary evidence of its commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation, and maintenance programs for its park and recreation systems, expressed in a five-year local park and recreation recovery action program. Requires an eligible applicant for an at-risk youth recreation grant to include in its five-year program the goal of, and implementation strategies for, reducing crime and juvenile delinquency. Authorizes the Secretary to increase all grants to a state under this Act by up to 15% (but not more than 85% in total). Prohibits the conversion of any property improved or developed with assistance under this Act, without HUD approval, for uses other than for public recreation. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for acquisition of land or interests in land.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2009
Recognizes the Aldine Independent School District in Harris County, Texas, for winning the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the largest education award for school districts in this country. Congratulates the entire Aldine Independent School District community on its efforts to improve student achievement, particularly its efforts to reduce the achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low-income students.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2009
Recognizes that the contributions of chemical scientists and engineers have created new jobs, boosted economic growth, and improved the Nation's health and standard of living. Supports the goals and ideals of National Chemistry Week.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2009
Recognizes the canonization of Father Damien de Veuster, SS.CC., to sainthood and honors him for his legacy and his insistence on recognizing the human rights and dignity of every individual, particularly those who lived alongside him at the Hansen's disease settlement on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. .
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2009
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2012-FY2016 for: (1) type I diabetes research; and (2) diabetes prevention and treatment through Indian health facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2009
Children's Act for Responsible Employment of 2009 or the CARE Act of 2009 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to repeal certain exemptions from child labor prohibitions for agricultural employment. Applies such child labor prohibitions with respect to any employee under 18 employed in agriculture unless employed by a parent or a person standing in place of a parent on a farm owned or operated by such parent or person. Eliminates any waiver of such prohibitions for hand-harvesting of certain crops. Increases civil and establishes criminal penalties for child labor violations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to analyze data and report to Congress on work-related injuries to children and related matters. Requires employers to report on work-related serious injuries, illnesses, or deaths of agricultural employees under age 18. Directs the Secretary to revise federal child labor regulations to prohibit the employment of children under 18 in occupations that prohibit exposure to pesticides.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2009
Recognizes the achievements and goals of Hispanic-Serving Institutions across the country. Supports the designation of an appropriate week as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2009
Congratulates the Chula Vista Park View Little League baseball team from Chula Vista, California, on winning the 2009 Little League World Series Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2009
Timely Due Process for People with Disabilities Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) establish time frames, within specified limits, to ensure timely disability determinations; and (2) establish a program for the monitoring of disability determinations in reconsideration.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2009
Recognizes the contributions of U.S. automobile dealerships. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a quantifiable number of automobile dealerships that have been successful and are being closed not of their own doing, but as a function of the auto market as a whole, should be given an opportunity to obtain a dealership franchise when auto manufacturers seek new partners to open dealerships in their respective geographic areas.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2009
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Immunization Awareness Month. Encourages: (1) local communities to raise awareness of the benefits of immunization; and (2) individuals to receive recommended immunizations. Recognizes: (1) health care professionals and researchers that have facilitated the success of immunizations in eradicating and drastically decreasing the incidence of several diseases; and (2) the nation's commitment to continued education regarding immunization and to furthering immunization opportunities.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2009
Deplores the violence by Iraqi security forces against the residents of Camp Ashraf. Calls upon the Iraqi government and the President of the United States to ensure the security and protection of Camp Ashraf residents.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2009
Medical Debt Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from making any report containing information related to a fully paid or settled medical debt that had been characterized as debt in collection for credit reporting purposes, which, from the date of payment or settlement, antedates the report by more than 30 calendar days.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2009
Disaster Assistance Voting Act of 2009 - Applies certain protections for absent military and overseas voters to individuals evacuated (eligible evacuees) as a result of a major disaster. Requires any eligible evacuee to be treated in the same manner as an absentee uniformed services voter and overseas voter for purposes of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Deems such an individual to be entitled to vote by absentee ballot for purposes of the National Voter Reigistration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Directs the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to eligible states to: (1) restore and replace supplies, materials, and equipment used in the state election administration which were damaged as a result of a major natural disaster; and (2) conduct outreach and education for voters displaced for the same reason. Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require delay for at least three (currently, two) consecutive federal general elections before removal of eligible evacuees from the official list of voters by reason of their not voting or appearing to vote in several consecutive such elections. Requires each motor vehicle authority and each voter registration agency in a state to take necessary steps to notify individuals to whom their services are provided of the protections afforded by this Act and of the requirements for obtaining them, including submission of an affidavit stating that the individual intends to return to the place of residence where the individual is otherwise qualified to vote. Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to direct the President to send a similar notice to each individual and household receiving assistance under that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2009
Medicare VA Reimbursement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in cooperation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), to establish a Medicare VA reimbursement program under which the HHS Secretary shall reimburse the VA Secretary, from the Medicare trust funds, for any item or service: (1) furnished to a Medicare-eligible veteran by a VA medical facility for the treatment of a non-service-connected condition; and (2) covered by Medicare or determined to be medically necessary by the VA Secretary. Requires the HHS Secretary to enter a memorandum of understanding with the VA Secretary concerning administration of the program. Specifies required conditions in the memorandum. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the program every three years. Declares the sense of Congress that the amount of funds appropriated to the VA for medical care in any fiscal year should not be reduced as a result of the implementation of the Medicare VA reimbursement program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2009
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) high school students should spend at least one week in September of their senior year learning about the U.S. Constitution, as knowledge of this country's founding document is critical to being an effective citizen; and (2) upon reaching voting age, high school seniors should demonstrate their understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship by petitioning the government on an issue of importance to them.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2009
Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require that any proxy or consent or authorization for an annual shareholders meeting provide for a separate shareholder vote to approve executive compensation as disclosed pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). States that the shareholder vote: (1) shall not be binding on the corporation or the board of directors; (2) shall not be construed as overruling a board decision, nor as creating or implying any additional fiduciary duty by such board; nor (3) shall such vote be construed to restrict or limit the ability of shareholders to make proposals for inclusion in such proxy materials related to executive compensation. Sets forth procedures for disclosure and shareholder approval of golden parachute compensation. Directs the SEC to prescribe standards relating to compensation committees. Requires each member of the compensation committee of the issuer's board of directors to be a member of the issuer's board of directors, and to be otherwise independent. Requires a compensation consultant, legal counsel, or other adviser to the compensation committee of any issuer to meet SEC standards for independence. Authorizes the compensation committee of each issuer to engage independent counsel and advisors. Directs the SEC to study and report to Congress on the use of compensation consultants meeting certain standards for independence. Requires the appropriate federal regulators to prescribe jointly regulations requiring each covered financial institution to disclose to the appropriate federal regulator the structures of the incentive-based compensation arrangements for the institution's officers and employees sufficient to determine whether the compensation structure: (1) is aligned with sound risk management; (2) is structured to account for the time horizon of risks; and (3) meets other criteria appropriate to reduce unreasonable incentives for officers and employees to take undue risks. Requires such regulators to prescribe joint regulations that prohibit any compensation structure or incentive-based payment arrangement that encourages inappropriate risks by financial institutions or their officers or employees that could: (1) threaten the safety and soundness of covered financial institutions; or (2) present serious adverse effects on economic conditions or financial stability.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2009
Amends the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act to authorize the President agree to amendments to the Border Environment Cooperation Agreement between the United States and Mexico to expand the purposes and functions of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission to certify, and the North American Development Bank to finance, any infrastructure in the border region between the two countries.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2009
Adult Education and Economic Growth Act of 2009 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1988 to revise requirements for statewide and local workforce investment systems to include adult education activities. Revises member composition of: (1) state workforce investment boards to include state representatives responsible for implementing adult education, literacy, and workplace skills programs under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA); and (2) youth councils established by local workforce investment boards to include representatives of adult education. Revises requirements for five-year state and local worker investment plans. Authorizes the use of funds for: (1) statewide and local youth activities to provide opportunities for career pathways for eligible youth as well as dual enrollment opportunities; and (2) training services for local adult and dislocated workers to include integration of adult education and training. Requires the Secretary to carry out specified employment and training demonstration and pilot projects. Amends the AEFLA to include among adult education and literacy services programs activities to assist adults with limited English proficiency through postsecondary education and training to improve their English and mathematical skills and to acquire an understanding of the American system of government and responsibilities of citizenship. Revises requirements for the allocation and reservation of AEFLA funds. Revises state distribution requirements with respect to grants and contracts to eligible providers of activities for adult education and literacy and corrections education of institutionalized individuals. Expands an eligible agency's use of funds for corrections education and education for other institutionalized individuals to include academic programs for: (1) integrated education and training; (2) career pathways; (3) dual enrollment; and (4) preparation for postsecondary education and training. Replaces the National Institute for Literacy with the National Institute for Adult Education, Literacy, and Workplace Skills (Institute). Requires national leadership activities to include activties to improve workplace skills programs nationwide. Requires the Secretary of Education to allocate grants to states for integrated English literacy and civics education programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants to assist states in developing a 21st century delivery system for adult education, literacy, and workplace skills services as well as adults in developing technology literacy. Requires the Institute to establish the National Adult Learning and Technology Resource Center. Requires the Secretary of Education to direct the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research to establish a national research and development center for adult education, literacy, and workplace skills. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an employer educational assistance program credit for 50% of the qualified educational assistance expenses (up to $5,250) paid per taxable year on behalf of an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2009
Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the maximum Pell Grant amount and tie future increases to increases in the Consumer Price Index, plus 1%. Increases funding for the College Access Challenge Grant program. Creates two new competitive grant programs that: (1) assist states, educational entities, and nonprofit organizations in implementing innovative programs that promote students' persistence in, and completion of, postsecondary education; and (2) assist states in developing information systems to track student progress in graduating and finding employment. Extends funding for grants to historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. Authorizes additional funding for Cooperative Education programs that provide students with alternating or parallel periods of study and employment. Alters title IV student aid need analyses, including by establishing an asset cap for need-based aid and excluding employee pension benefit plans from assets. Preserves the student aid eligibility of students convicted of possessing, rather than selling, controlled substances. Prohibits any new loans from being made or insured under the part B Federal Family Education Loan program after June 2010. Directs the Secretary of Education to award loan servicing contracts under the part D Direct Loan program to not-for-profit servicers that meet federal standards and agree to service such loans at competitive market rates. Makes graduate and professional students ineligible for subsidized Direct Stafford loans after June 2015. Establishes variable interest rates on Direct Loans made to undergraduate students after June 2012. Replaces the Perkins Loans program under part E, after June 2010, with a Direct Perkins Loans program under part D that provides loans that continue to carry a 5% interest rate, but have terms and conditions similar to those on Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans. Requires the Secretary of Education to make: (1) grants to states and, through them, local educational agencies (LEAs) for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools; (2) grants to LEAs in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama for the construction, modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, on the basis of each LEA's share of school damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina or Rita; and (3) grants to states for the construction, modernization, renovation, or repair of community college facilities. Directs grantees to use specified portions of such funding for construction, modernization, renovation, or repair that meets certain environmental or energy standards. Directs the Secretary to establish an Advisory Council on Green, High-Performing Schools to provide the Secretary with advice on the academic, health, energy, and environmental impact of such schools and assistance in facilitating their creation. Requires the Secretary to award competitive: (1) Quality Pathways grants to states to implement quality initiatives that increase the number of disadvantaged children in high-quality early learning programs and improve program oversight; and (2) Development grants to states to develop the components of a standards-based early learning system that will allow them to compete for Quality Pathways grants. Establishes two new competitive grant programs for states and junior and community colleges to improve graduation rates and employment-related outcomes for junior and community college students through activities that: (1) facilitate the transfer of credits between schools; (2) enhance student support services; and (3) blend academics and job training in a manner that equips students for high-wage occupations in high-demand industries. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the creation of: (1) free high-quality online training, high school, and postsecondary courses; (2) a Learning and Earning Research Center to research and evaluate junior and community colleges; and (3) cooperative agreements among states to develop, implement, and expand junior and community college longitudinal data systems.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2009
Rural Housing and Economic Development Improvement Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development, to implement an assistance program to support innovative housing and economic development activities in rural areas by: (1) Indian tribes; (2) state housing finance agencies; (3) state community or economic development agencies; (4) local nonprofit organizations; and (5) community development corporations. Directs the Secretary to require, as a condition of initial or continuing assistance under this Act for any housing or economic development activity, that each member of a family so assisted (or of a family applying for such assistance) who is 18 years of age or older, or is the spouse of the head of household, has a valid Social Security number.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2009
Recognizes the 75th anniversary of operations by Continental Airlines. Congratulates the employees of Continental Airlines for the numerous awards and accolades they have earned for the company over the years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2009
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the national flood insurance program from September 30, 2008, through March 31, 2010. Extends through FY2010 the pilot program for mitigation of severe repetitive loss properties. Repeals the termination date for, and thus to make permanent, the authority of the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance to any state or community.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2009 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise requirements for public housing agency (PHA) inspections of each dwelling unit for which a housing assistance payment contract is established. Requires an initial inspection before any assistance payment is made. Allows such payments if failure to meet standards is a result only of non-life threatening conditions. Changes mandatory compliance inspections from annual to biennial. Provides for interim inspections upon a family's request. Authorizes PHAs to establish specified alternative rent structures, except for elderly and disabled families. Prescribes requirements for reviews and calculation of family income. Prescribes eligibility criteria for assistance based upon family assets. Revises requirements governing: (1) assistance to low-income working families; (2) tenant-based contract renewals; (3) administrative fees; and (4) the home ownership downpayment grant program. Authorizes a PHA to report to certain consumer reporting agencies information regarding the past rent payment history of a family receiving tenant-based housing choice vouchers. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish standards and procedures for assessing PHA performance in carrying out the programs for tenant-based rental assistance and for homeownership assistance, including biennial assessments. Revises requirements relating to: (1) PHA project-based assistance; (2) the monitoring of rent burdens; and (3) enhanced vouchers. Directs the Secretary to define market areas. Limits a PHA's elective applicant screening. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to permit HUD participation in certain state demonstration programs providing for persons with significant disabilities to be employed and to continue to receive certain federal and state benefits. Authorizes a PHA to use subsidy payments otherwise due the owner to pay for continued utility service to avoid hardship to program participants. Authorizes the Secretary to provide preservation project-based voucher assistance in lieu of enhanced voucher assistance in the case of a multifamily housing project. Authorizes a PHA, in the case of foreclosure on any federally-related mortgage loan or on any residential real property in which a recipient of public housing assistance resides, to use rental assistance funds: (1) to pay utilities that are the owner's responsibility; or (2) for the family's reasonable moving costs. Requires the Comptroller General to identify and report to Congress on obstacles to using vouchers in federally subsidized housing projects. Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to revise the duties of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Establishes the Housing Innovation Program to give PHAs flexibility to design, and HUD responsibility to evaluate, innovative approaches to providing specified housing assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Medicare Adult Day Care Services Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of substitute adult day care services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Declares that, during the 18 months following enactment of this Act, the Home Valuation Code of Conduct announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on December 23, 2008, shall have no force or effect.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Recognizes the importance of manufactured and modular housing to homeownership in the United States. Supports the goals and ideals of National Homeownership Month (June) and Manufactured and Modular Housing Week (the third week of June).
![Official portrait of Rep. Hinojosa, Ruben [D-TX-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000636_200.jpg)