United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 - Directs the President to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a regional strategy to guide U.S. support for multilateral efforts to eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and to enforce the rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in LRA-affected areas. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic affected by LRA activity. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) should work with the appropriate congressional committees to increase future assistance to Uganda if the government of Uganda demonstrates a commitment to reconstruction in war-affected areas of northern and eastern Uganda. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the government of Uganda to: (1) promote local and national reconciliation including mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between the government of Uganda and the LRA; and (2) assist internally displaced people, establish mechanisms for the demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, and enhance the competency of local institutions including the police.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Commends the Wichita State University men's and women's bowling teams for winning the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Bowling National Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Mother's Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins emblematic of the 100th anniversary of President Wilson's proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins beginning January 1, 2014, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2014. Requires coin sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, with distribution of such surcharges to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2009 or the Charlie Norwood CLEAR Act of 2009 - States that: (1) state and local law enforcement personnel, in the course of their routine duties, have the inherent authority to investigate, apprehend, or transfer to federal custody aliens in the United States (including interstate transportation of such aliens to detention centers) in order to assist in the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws; and (2) effective two years after enactment of this Act, a state that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice prohibiting such law enforcement assistance shall not receive certain federal incarceration assistance. Provides for the listing of immigration violators in the National Crime Information Center database. Directs states and localities to provide the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) with specified information about apprehended aliens who are believed to be in violation of U.S. immigration laws. Provides federal reimbursement for related state and local costs. (States that such provision shall not require state or local enforcement officials to provide DHS with information related to a victim of a crime or witness to a criminal offense.) Directs the Secretary to make grants to states and political subdivisions that enforce immigration laws in the course of their routine law enforcement duties for special equipment and facilities related to arresting, detaining, or transporting illegal aliens. Directs the Secretary to: (1) construct or acquire 20 additional detention facilities for aliens detained pending removal (or a decision on removal); and (2) consider the transfer of military installations under base closure laws for such purposes. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding illegal aliens apprehended by state or local authorities to provide for: (1) federal custody upon state or local request; and (2) state or local compensation for related incarceration and transportation costs. Directs the Attorney General or the Secretary to ensure that the detention of an alien subject to removal is in an adequate state or local prison, detention center, or other comparable facility prior to his or her removal examination. Directs the Secretary to establish immigration-related training for state and local personnel. Provides: (1) personal liability immunity to the same extent as corresponding federal immunity for state or local personnel enforcing immigration laws within the scope of their duties under this Act; and (2) civil rights money damage immunity for state or local agencies enforcing immigration laws unless their personnel violated criminal law in such enforcement. Continues the institutional removal program (IRP), which shall be expanded to all states. Authorizes state or local detention of an illegal alien after completion of such alien's prison sentence for: (1) up to 14 days to facilitate federal transfer; or (2) until transfer to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010 and subsequent fiscal years for the state criminal alien assistance program (SCAAP).
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to implement an Autism Care Center Program to provide grants and other assistance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing comprehensive care to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Directs the Secretary to award grants for: (1) services to enable adults with autism spectrum disorders to be as independent as possible; and (2) multimedia campaigns to increase public education and awareness and reduce stigma concerning such disorders. Establishes the Interdepartmental Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate all federal efforts concerning autism spectrum disorders. Repeals provisions establishing the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorders. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) the National Network for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services to provide resources for, and facilitate communication between, autism spectrum disorder researchers and service providers; and (2) a National Data Repository for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services to facilitate the development and rapid dissemination of research into best practices that improve care. Requires the Secretary to award national training initiative supplemental grants to address the unmet needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to require group health plans to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market, under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and under Department of Defense (DOD) health benefit plans.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act with respect to the duties of users of consumer reports taking adverse actions on the basis of information contained in such reports. Excludes any health care practice with 20 or fewer employees from the meaning of creditor subject to Red Flag Guidelines regarding identity theft promulgated by the proper federal financial regulatory agency.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Keep Terrorists Out of America Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that individuals currently detained at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should not be transferred or released into the United States. Prohibits the President from transferring or releasing any such individual into the United States unless 60 days prior to such transfer: (1) the President submits to the governor and legislature of the state to which the President intends to transfer or release such an individual certification that the individual does not pose a security risk to the United States; (2) the governor and state legislature of the state in which the President intends to transfer an individual consent to the transfer; and (3) the President notifies the Congress of, among other things, the name of the individual being transferred, the installation the individual is being transferred to, a justification for the transfer, and a certification that the President has mitigated any risks to national security posed by the transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2009 or SAFE for America Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, research and training, national security services, and motion picture or television production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Prohibits the Attorney General from electronically retrieving inactive firearms licensee information by name or personal identification code. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
American Energy Innovation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide incentives for energy production and conservation, including by: (1) allowing accelerated depreciation of cellulosic biomass ethanol plant property, coal-to-liquid plant property, dedicated ethanol distribution lines, solar and fuel cell property, smart electric meters, and certain clean coal power plants; (2) making permanent tax credits for increasing research activities, nonbusiness energy property, gas produced from biomass, and synthetic fuels produced from coal; (3) allowing new tax credits for pollution abatement equipment, the manufacture of natural gas-powered vehicles, nuclear power manufacturing and construction projects, and carbon dioxide capture from industrial sources; (4) extending the income tax credits for the production of electricity from renewable resources, for energy efficient home expenditures, and for the conversion of motor vehicles to natural gas powered vehicles; (5) extending the excise tax credit for alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles; (6) extending the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; and (7) increasing the tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration. Establishes: (1) a pilot project for leasing federal lands for the development of commercial photovoltaic and concentrating solar power energy systems; (2) an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Innovation Prize; (3) the Office of the Federal Oil and Gas Permit Coordinator; and (4) the Deficit Reduction Trust Fund into which Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) receipts derived from leases of tracts available as a result of this Act shall be deposited. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) exclude from the meaning of "air pollutant" carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride; and (2) revise the renewable fuel standard. Repeals: (1) the authorization to withdraw or reissue the "Interagency Cooperation under the Endangered Species Act" rule and the "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Special Rule for Polar Bear"; (2) specified energy efficiency standards for lamps; (3) the prohibition against oil and gas leasing in certain areas of Gulf of Mexico and oil and gas production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; (4) the limitation on using funds for implementing a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public land; and (5) the Oil Shale, Tar Sands, and Other Strategic Unconventional Fuels Act of 2005. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) establish the Alaska Offshore Continental Shelf Coordination Office; and (2) assess the capacity of a storage formation that can retain carbon dioxide. Revises the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Program. Sets forth provisions concerning loans for the construction of coal-to-liquid facilities and technology. Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) conduct a natural gas vehicle research, development, and demonstration program; and (2) audit coal-fired electric generation facilities. Provides for: (1) oil and gas leasing in the OCS, the Atlantic Planning Area, the Pacific Planning Area, the Alaska Planning Area, the Gulf of Mexico Planning Area, and the Coastal Plain; (2) the leasing of oil shale resources; and (3) the treatment of revenues received through oil shale or tar sand leases. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to designate certain Coastal Plain lands, including the Sadlerochit Spring area, as Special Areas requiring special management and regulatory protection. Requires the DOE Secretary to implement a Nuclear Power 2010 Program and establish a National Nuclear Energy Council. Authorizes the DOE Secretary to use amounts in the Waste Fund to make grants or contracts with private sector entities for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a research and demonstration program to evaluate the air quality benefits of ultra-clean Fischer-Tropsch transportation fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to exclude from creditable wages and self-employment income any wages earned for services by aliens performed in the United States, and self-employment income derived from a trade or business conducted in the United States, while the alien was not authorized to be so employed or to perform a function or service in such a trade or business.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) diplomatic efforts to address Iran's illicit nuclear efforts, unconventional and ballistic missile development programs, and support for international terrorism are more likely to be effective if the President is empowered with explicit authority to impose additional sanctions on the government of Iran; (2) U.S. concerns regarding Iran are strictly the result of that government’s actions; and (3) the people of the United States have feelings of friendship for the people of Iran and regret that developments in recent decades have created impediments to that friendship. States that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) support international diplomatic efforts to end Iran's uranium enrichment program and its nuclear weapons program; (2) encourage foreign governments to direct state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran's energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran; (3) impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian financial institution engaged in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; and (4) work with allies to protect the international financial system from deceptive and illicit practices by Iranian financial institutions involved in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose two or more current sanctions under such Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, made an investment of $20 million or more (or any combination of investments of at least $5 million which in the aggregate equals or exceeds $20 million in any 12-month period) that directly and significantly contributed to Iran's ability to develop its petroleum resources. (Under current law the sanction thresholds are $40 million, $10 million, and $40 million, respectively.) Directs the President to impose: (1) sanctions established under this Act (in addition to any current sanctions imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996) if a person has, with actual knowledge, sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, technology, information, or support that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources, including any assistance in refinery construction, modernization, or repair; and (2) sanctions established under this Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, provided Iran with refined petroleum resources or engaged in any activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources, including providing shipping, insurance, or financing services for such activity. Establishes additional sanctions prohibiting specified foreign exchange, banking, and property transactions. Includes references to refined petroleum resources in a presidential report to Congress requesting waiver of sanctions for purposes of national interest. Requires that the President immediately investigate a person upon receipt of credible information that such person is engaged in prohibited investment or other activity. Defines "credible information" as public or classified information or reporting supported by other substantiating evidence. Includes among the exceptions to the imposition of sanctions a situation in which the President determines in writing that the person to which the sanctions would otherwise be applied is: (1) a citizen or resident of a country that is a participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative; or (2) a foreign person organized under the laws of such country and is a subsidiary of a U.S. person. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees every six months regarding any person who has: (1) provided Iran with refined petroleum resources; (2) sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, or technology that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources; or (3) engaged in any activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources. States that the term "petroleum resources" includes petroleum, petroleum by-products, oil or liquefied natural gas, oil or liquefied natural gas tankers, and products used to construct or maintain pipelines used to transport oil or compressed or liquefied natural gas. (Under current law the definition of the term "petroleum resources" is limited to petroleum and natural gas resources.) Defines "petroleum by-products" as gasoline, kerosene, distillates, propane or butane gas, diesel fuel, residual fuel oil, and other goods classified in headings 2709 and 2710 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) on a reasonable cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by a physician who is an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a waiver of the penalty for failure to disclose reportable transactions (i.e., transactions which have a potential for tax avoidance or evasion) if such failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; (2) revise the amount of the penalty for such failure; and (3) limit the imposition of such penalty to the taxpayer (currently, any person). Reaffirms the authority of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to rescind all or any portion of the penalty for failure to furnish information regarding reportable transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to require that assistance repayments from Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds be used to pay down the public debt.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month, including raising public awareness about financial education. Recognizes the importance of managing personal finances, increasing personal savings, and reducing personal debt in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Savings Recovery Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to increase the monthly exempt amount for individuals who have employment income and who have not reached full retirement age between 2008 and 2010. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from the gross income of noncorporate taxpayers in 2009 and 2010 dividend income and gain from the sale or exchange of capital assets; (2) increase the limit on the tax deduction for losses from the sale or exchange of capital assets; (3) allow a tax credit for contributions to a qualified tuition program; (4) eliminate the marriage penalty in income limitations for individual retirement account (IRA) contributions; (5) increase the dollar limitation on contributions, including catch-up contributions, to IRAs; and (6) extend through 2012 the suspension of of minimum withdrawal requirements from pension plans. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide special rules in 2009 and 2010 for valuation of assets in defined benefit pension plans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single gold medal in honor of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) collectively, in honor of their pioneering military service and exemplary record, which forged revolutionary reform in the U.S. Armed Forces. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the WASP.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
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 of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Expresses support for: (1) designation of a National Autism Awareness Month; and (2) devoting new resources to researching the root causes of autism, identifying the best methods of early intervention and treatment, expanding programs for individuals with autism, and promoting understanding of their special needs. Commends parents and relatives for providing for the special needs of children with autism. Stresses the need to begin early intervention services. Recognizes: (1) the shortage of appropriately trained teachers to teach, assist, and respond to special needs students; and (2) the importance of worker training programs tailored to the needs of developmentally disabled persons.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national minimum payment amount for CPT code 77080 (relating to dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, the most widely accepted method of measuring bone mass to predict fracture risk) and CPT code 77082 (relating to vertebral fracture assessment, or VFA), and any successor to such codes as identified by the Secretary (bone mass scans). Directs the Secretary to arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the ramifications of Medicare reimbursement reductions for DXA and VFA on beneficiary access to bone mass measurement benefits; and (2) the methods to increase use of bone mass measurement by Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
World War I Memorial and Centennial Act of 2009 - Designates the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial. Establishes the World War I Centennial Commission to: (1) plan, develop, and execute programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I; (2) encourage private organizations and state and local governments to organize and participate in such activities; (3) facilitate and coordinate such activities throughout the United States; and (4) serve as a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of information about centennial events and plans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Recognizes: (1) the region from Manhattan, Kansas, to Columbia, Missouri, including the metropolitan Kansas City area and St. Joseph, Missouri, as the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor; and (2) the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor as the national center of the animal health industry.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies Act - Establishes the Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies to: (1) evaluate executive agencies and their programs; and (2) submit to Congress a plan recommending agencies and programs that should be realigned or eliminated and proposing implementing legislation. Requires the Commission to recommend: (1) realignment where a function performed by two or more agencies or programs can be consolidated; (2) realignment or elimination of any agency or program that has wasted federal funds; and (3) elimination of any agency or program that has completed its purpose, become irrelevant, or failed to meet objectives.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Declares that an action for civil liability may be brought against a merchant's assignee only if the violation is apparent on the face of a rental-purchase agreement to which it relates, including, but not limited to, a disclosure that can be determined to be incomplete or inaccurate from the face of the agreement. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission and to state attorneys general. Subjects to criminal penalties any willful and knowing violation of the information disclosure requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 or EARLY Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign: (1) to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain ethnic and cultural groups; and (2) focusing on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns. Directs the Secretary to award grants to entities to establish national multimedia campaigns that: (1) will encourage young women to be aware of their personal risk factors, strategies for increasing early detection and self awareness, evidence based preventative lifestyle changes, and other appropriate breast cancer early detection and risk reduction strategies; (2) will encourage young women of specific higher-risk populations to talk to their medical practitioners about those risks and methods for appropriate screening and surveillance; and (3) may include advertising through specified media. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish an advisory committee to assist in creating and conducting the public education campaign; (2) conduct an education campaign to increase awareness among health care professionals; and (3) conduct prevention research. Directs the Secretary to award grants to organizations and institutions to provide to young women diagnosed with breast cancer substantive assistance and health information from credible sources on: (1) education and counseling regarding fertility preservation; (2) social, emotional, psychosocial, financial, lifestyle, and caregiver support; (3) familial risk factors; and (4) risk reduction strategies to reduce recurrence or metastasis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2009
Mitigating the Impact of Uncompensated Service and Time Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain physicians a bad debt tax deduction for their costs in providing uncompensated care as required under the Social Security Act to emergency room patients and pregnant women in labor.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2009
Community Choice Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) pursue every legal means to stay or recoup incentive bonuses and retention payments paid by American International Group, Inc. (AIG) to its executives and employees after September 16, 2008; (2) prohibit payments or other federal assistance to AIG unless current AIG executives and employees return to the Treasury any incentive bonuses and retention payments paid to them after September 16, 2008; and (3) require any financial institution that has received any assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and that has not repaid such assistance in full within two weeks after the enactment of this Act to submit to the Secretary for approval plans for making any incentive bonuses or retention payments to its executives or employees and any contracts that require such payments.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Recognizes the 65th anniversary of the Allied amphibious landing on D-Day, June 6, 1944, at Normandy, France, during World War II. Expresses gratitude and appreciation to the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who participated in the D-day operations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Securing America's Future Economy Commission Act or SAFE Commission Act - Establishes the Securing America's Future Economy (SAFE) Commission to develop legislation designed to address: (1) the unsustainable imbalance between long-term federal spending commitments and projected revenues; (2) increases in net national savings to provide for domestic investment and economic growth; (3) the implications of foreign ownership of federally issued debt instruments; and (4) revision of the budget process to place greater emphasis on long-term fiscal issues. Requires the Commission to: (1) develop one or two methods for estimating the cost of legislation as an alternative to the current Congressional Budget Office (CBO) method; and (2) hold at least one town-hall style public hearing within each federal reserve district. Requires the Commission to submit a legislative proposal to Congress and the President. Authorizes the President to submit to Congress an alternative proposal. Authorizes the Committee on the Budget of either chamber to publish its own alternative proposal in the Congressional Record. Sets forth procedures for consideration of such legislation. Requires CBO to prepare a long-term cost estimate and have it published in the Congressional Record as expeditiously as possible whenever requested to do so by the Commission, the President, or the chairman or ranking minority member of the Committee on the Budget of either chamber.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to: (1) make communities that reconstruct and improve flood protection systems (in addition to constructing them) eligible for premium flood insurance rates under such Act; and (2) allow entities that own, operate, maintain, or repair flood protection systems (instead of a federal agency) to determine whether a flood protection system is restorable.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2009
Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the issuance of permits under such Act for any carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, water vapor, or methane emissions resulting from biological processes associated with livestock production.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Savings Enhancement for Education in College Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the allowance for payment of expenses for computer technology and equipment from qualified tuition programs; (2) allow a tax credit for contributions to such programs; and (3) allow limited direction of investment of contributions or earnings in a qualified tuition program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide that the value of certain funeral and burial arrangements involving an irrevocable trust whose named beneficiary is the funeral provider are not to be considered, under the SSI program, as resources available to the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Welfare Reform Restoration Act of 2009 - Amends title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to repeal the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs (Emergency Fund), as added by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and eliminate related provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009 - Repeals the authority of the Comptroller General to carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company only if the appropriate federal regulatory agency has consented in writing. (Retains the authority of the Comptroller General to audit a federal agency.) Directs the Comptroller General to complete, before the end of 2010, an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and of the federal reserve banks, followed by a detailed report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Syria Accountability and Liberation Act - Maintains U.S. restrictions against Syria until the President certifies that Syria: (1) has ceased support for terrorism; (2) has dismantled biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons programs and has committed to combat their proliferation; (3) respects the boundaries and sovereignty of all neighboring countries; and (4) upholds human rights and civil liberties. Imposes specified trade, assistance, admissions, and military sanctions, as appropriate, on persons or countries that transfer goods or technology contributing to Syria's biological, chemical, nuclear, or advanced conventional weapons programs. Imposes specified sanctions aimed at Syria's energy sector. Sets forth diplomatic measures intended to isolate the government of Syria. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to support a democratic transition in Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2009 - Entitles independent pharmacies negotiating contract terms with a health plan for the provision of health care items or services to the same treatment under the antitrust laws as the treatment to which bargaining units recognized under the National Labor Relations Act are entitled. Treats such a pharmacy as an employee engaged in concerted activities in connection with such negotiations. Exempts actions taken in good faith reliance on this Act from being subject to criminal sanctions or civil penalties beyond actual damages incurred. Provides that this Act does not exempt from application of antitrust laws any agreement or unlawful conspiracy that: (1) would have the effect of boycotting any independent pharmacy; (2) would exclude, limit the participation or reimbursement of, or otherwise limit the scope of services to be provided by any independent pharmacy or group of independent pharmacies with respect to the performance of services that are within their scope of practice as defined or permitted by relevant law or regulation; (3) allocates a market among competitors; (4) unlawfully ties the sale or purchase of one product or service to the sale or purchase of another product or service; or (5) monopolizes or attempts to monopolize a market. Requires the Comptroller General to study the impact of this Act after five years. Provides that this Act does not preclude the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) from overseeing the conduct of independent pharmacies covered under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in recognition of five United States Army Five-Star Generals: George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry "Hap" Arnold, and Omar Bradley, alumni of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Requires the design of the coins to include portraits of the generals. Restricts the issuance of such coins to calendar 2013. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be paid promptly to the Command and General Staff College Foundation to help finance its support of the College.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Federal and Military Retiree Health Care Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Secret Ballot Protection Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for: (1) an employer to recognize or bargain collectively with a labor organization that has not been selected by a majority of the employees in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board; and (2) a labor organization to cause or attempt to cause an employer to recognize or bargain collectively with a representative that has not been selected in such manner.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Military Spouses Residency Relief Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prohibit, for purposes of voting for a federal, state, or local office, deeming a person to have lost a residence or domicile in a state, acquired a residence or domicile in any other state, or become a resident in or of any other state solely because the person is absent from a state because the person is accompanying the person's spouse who is absent from the state in compliance with military or naval orders. Prohibits a servicemember's spouse from either losing or acquiring a residence or domicile for purposes of taxation because of being absent or present in any U.S. tax jurisdiction solely to be with the servicemember in compliance with the servicemember's military orders if the residence or domicile is the same for the servicemember and the spouse. Prohibits a spouse's income from being considered income earned in a tax jurisdiction if the spouse is not a resident or domiciliary of such jurisdiction when the spouse is in that jurisdiction solely to be with a servicemember serving under military orders. Suspends land rights residency requirements for spouses accompanying servicemembers serving under military orders.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Expresses support for the observance of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to provide a special opportunity to offer education on the importance of early detection and screening.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jenkins, Lynn [R-KS-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000290_200.jpg)