United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop a system to collect data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases; (2) establish the National PF Registry; and (3) establish the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Advisory Board. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases that can be confused with, misdiagnosed as, and progress to pulmonary fibrosis. Requires the Secretary, in developing the Registry, to: (1) expand and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; and (2) provide for research access to pulmonary fibrosis data. Directs the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information are made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute pulmonary fibrosis research activities. Requires the Director of CDC to prepare the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Action Plan. Requires the Secretary to: (1) convene a summit of individuals with expertise in research and care of pulmonary fibrosis to provide a detailed overview of NIH research activities and discuss potential collaborations between NIH and other federal health agencies; and (2) make information about NIH activities relating to pulmonary fibrosis publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Notch Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the computation of minimum Old Age Insurance benefits for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1979, and to whom applies the 15-year transition period for the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55% to 5% and keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1988. Allows such beneficiaries, in the alternative, to receive lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Authorizes the use of the Capitol rotunda on April 23, 2009, for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of: (1) an employment, consumer, or franchise dispute, or (2) a dispute arising under any statute intended to protect civil rights. Declares, further, that the validity or enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in collective bargaining agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 - Requires, beginning with FY2011, a two-fiscal-year discretionary new budget authority for the following accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) Medical Services; (2) Medical Support and Compliance; and (3) Medical Facilities. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the adequacy and accuracy of VA baseline model projections for health care expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Tom Lantos Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, should continue aggressive work on pulmonary hypertension; and (2) the Director of the Institute should continue research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, pulmonary hypertension. Requires inclusion of information on the status of pulmonary hypertension research at NIH in biennial reports to Congress. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to carry out an educational campaign to increase public awareness of pulmonary hypertension, which may include information on: (1) pulmonary hypertension and its symptoms; (2) the incidence and prevalence of pulmonary hypertension; (3) diseases and conditions that can lead to pulmonary hypertension as a secondary diagnosis; (4) the importance of early diagnosis; and (5) the availability of a range of treatment options. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Director of CDC, to carry out an educational campaign to increase awareness of pulmonary hypertension among health care providers, which may include information on: (1) the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension; (2) the importance of early diagnosis; (3) current diagnostic criteria; and (4) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies for the disease. Requires such campaign to target health care providers, including cardiologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists, primary care physicians, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Recognizes that the Antarctic Treaty has ensured Antarctica's peaceful use and the continuance of international harmony for the past half century. Encourages international and interdisciplinary collaboration in the Antarctic Treaty Summit.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
English Language Unity Act of 2009 - Makes English the official language of the United States. Requires, subject to exceptions and rules of construction, that: (1) official functions of the United States be conducted in English; and (2) all naturalization ceremonies be conducted in English. Establishes a uniform English language rule for naturalization. Makes English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, presumptively consistent with the laws of the United States. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue for public notice and comment a proposed rule for uniform testing of English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of provisions concerning the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Helicopter Medical Services Patient Safety, Protection, and Coordination Act - Authorizes states to regulate helicopter medical services with respect to: (1) the medical qualifications and training of helicopter medical personnel, except that a state shall not impose new or additional requirements on a pilot; and (2) the obligation of providers of helicopter medical services to comply with a state's health planning, patient safety, and medical service requirements. Authorizes states to regulate the following aspects of helicopter medical services to the extent that state regulations are harmonized with relevant federal operating requirements: (1) the designation of destinations for emergency patient transport; (2) the specification of service requirements with respect to geographic areas within a state or during specified hours and days; (3) the coordination of flight requests for emergency helicopter medical services; and (4) compliance with accreditation requirements. Authorizes states to regulate the following aspects of helicopter medical services to the extent that state regulations are consistent with relevant federal operating requirements: (1) the necessary medical equipment to be carried on board or affixed to the helicopter; (2) the physical attributes of the helicopter necessary for the provision of quality medical care and for the protection of helicopter and ground medical personnel; and (3) specified communication capabilities between helicopter personnel and emergency medical services and public safety personnel and between the flight crew and helicopter medical personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Repeals specified exceptions to rights of certain Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees to engage in collective bargaining. Requires a final decision of the (VA) with respect to the review of an adverse personnel action against a (VA) employee to be issued not later than 60 days after such action has been appealed. Subjects such decision to judicial review in the appropriate U.S. District Court or, if the decision is made by a labor arbitrator, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Health Coverage, Affordability, Responsibility, and Equity Act of 2009 or the HealthCARE Act of 2009 - Permits a state to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) for waivers of such provisions of law as may be necessary for the state to implement policies that make comprehensive, affordable health coverage available for all state residents. Requires the Secretary to establish a process for states to apply for a waiver to implement policies that emphasize the use of preventive services, care coordination by a personal physician, and health information technology. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to allow state plans for medical assistance to provide Medicaid coverage to individuals who have incomes of no more than 100% of the poverty line. Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of SSA to permit states to provide child health assistance to all targeted low-income children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a refundable credit for the cost of qualified health insurance for the taxpayer or qualifying family members. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program to make advance payments to health insurance providers of credit for health insurance costs of eligible low-income individuals. Establishes a program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that eligible individuals can enroll in private group health insurance through a purchasing pool operator in participating states. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for state-based reinsurance programs and permits the Secretary to award grants to states to cover the costs of such programs. Directs the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Commission on Expanded Access to Health Care to assess the effectiveness of programs designed to expand health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to continue to expand and intensify research and related NIH activities with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Requires the Directors of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to continue to conduct and support research to expand understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to undertake psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection and develop a psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient registry. Encourages the Secretary to convene a summit on federal efforts regarding psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research, treatment, education, quality-of-life, and data collection. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Institutes of Medicine to study insurance coverage of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a demonstration program, under multiyear cooperative agreements with local governments experiencing at least 20% population loss since 1970 (or consortia of them), to encourage and test innovative vacant property reclamation and urban infrastructure renewal strategies in older industrial cities, their suburbs, and metropolitan areas with a history of severe population and employment loss, blight, and decay caused by vacant properties. Specifies as vacant property and program capacity activities establishment of: (1) local or regional land banks; (2) recovered building materials reuse and recycling infrastructure, facilities, and technical support; (3) local government purchasing requirements for deconstruction to make use of existing building materials stock in new and rehabilitation construction; and (4) the ability of state and local courts and administrative agencies to address problems caused by vacant and abandoned properties, and to facilitate their transfer to public control under a local or regional land bank. Enumerates other related activities, including: (1) expansion and improvement of code enforcement capabilities; (2) development of data and information systems such as comprehensive real property systems, early warning systems, and vacant property inventory and tracking systems; and (3) amendment or reform of state and local property tax foreclosure procedures. Specifies stabilization, design, development, reuse, and planning and policy innovation activities. Requires an applicant local government or consortium to establish a regeneration plan for the community or region. Directs the Secretary by regulation to provide for citizen participation requirements relating to the development and implementation of such plans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to local governments (and consortia of them) for sustainability demonstration projects. Directs the Secretary to convene a Federal Interagency Regeneration Communities Coordinating Council to develop federal agency support plans for communities receiving such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2009
Physician Workforce Enhancement 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 establish a loan program that provides loans to eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs. Requires that such program be an allopathic or osteopathic physician residency training program in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics or gynecology, general surgery, preventive medicine, pediatrics, and behavioral and mental health. Requires the Administrator to give preference to hospitals in a rural area or an urban area that is not a large urban area.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2009
Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 with respect to the hours-of-service requirement airline flight crews must meet to be eligible for leave under such Act. Declares that a flight attendant or flight crewmember will be considered to meet such requirement if he or she has worked or been paid for: (1) 60% of the applicable monthly guarantee, or the equivalent annualized over the preceding 12-month period; and (2) a minimum of 504 hours during such period. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to provide, by regulation, a method for calculating such leave for airline flight crews.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, except in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Congratulates Miami University, in Ohio, on its 200th anniversary. Expresses the House of Representatives' best wishes for its continued success. Recognizes the school's profound achievements, unwavering commitment to liberal arts education, and active engagement of its students in both curricular and co-curricular life.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2009
Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) and the nation have a committed health benefits obligation to retired military personnel that exceeds the obligation of corporate employers to civilian employees; and (2) DOD has many additional options to constrain the growth of health care spending in ways that do not disadvantage beneficiaries, and should pursue such options rather than seeking large fee increases for beneficiaries. Prohibits an increase after: (1) April 1, 2006, in a premium, deductible, copayment, or other charge prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for medical and dental health care coverage for military personnel; and (2) September 30, 2009, in the dollar amount of a cost-sharing requirement under the DOD pharmacy benefits program. Prohibits: (1) charges for DOD inpatient care from exceeding $535 per day; and (2) beginning on January 1, 2009, an increase in premiums under TRICARE (a DOD managed health care program) for certain members of the Selected Reserve.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2009
Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from $18 to $9 ( the pre-1991 level) the per-barrel tax on beer; and (2) allow a further reduction in such tax for brewers who produce not more than 2 million barrels annually.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into contracts with private debt collection agencies for the collection of unpaid taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the minimum level of sound that is necessary to be emitted from a motor vehicle, or some other method, to alert blind and other pedestrians of the presence of operating motor vehicles while traveling.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Pediatric Research Consortia Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements for planning, establishing, and providing basic operating support for up to 20 national pediatric research consortia. Requires each such consortium to: (1) supplement, but not replace, the establishment of a comprehensive pediatric research portfolio; (2) conduct basic, clinical, behavioral, social, and translational research; and (3) conduct training and demonstration of advanced diagnostic and treatment methods relating to pediatrics. Requires the Director of NIH to provide for the coordination of information and ensure regular communication between consortia.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2009
Home Front to Heroes Postal Benefits Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide for a program under which postal benefit vouchers are provided during FY2010 for members of the Armed Forces who are serving in overseas operations or who are hospitalized due to a disease or injury incurred as a result of such service. Permits the vouchers to be transferred to another person to allow that person to mail correspondence and small parcels to the member. Limits vouchers to one per month. Allows a voucher earned during FY2010 to be used after the end of that fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to transfer to the Postal Service an amount representing the amount of the vouchers used.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2009
Social Security and Medicare Improved Burn Injury Treatment Access 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 waive the application of the five-month Social Security disability waiting period in cases of individuals with disabling burn injuries. Eliminates the 24-month Medicare disability waiting period in cases of individuals with disabling burn injuries, except those with specified health care insurance coverage. Requires that, in determining when the entitlement or status of an individual with a disabling burn injury terminates, the status of the disability be reviewed at least once every three years.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2009
Honors the life of Dr. William Spoelhof and his devoted service as a member of the military, teacher, and professor, president, and friend of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2009 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to revise the medical criteria for evaluating disability caused by adult-onset and juvenile Huntington's Disease. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility for individuals disabled by Huntington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009 - Allows federal employees to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay available for either the: (1) birth of a child; or (2) placement of a child with the employee for either adoption or foster care. Makes available (subject to specified requirements) for any of the 12 weeks of leave an employee is entitled to for such purposes: (1) four administrative weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth or placement involved; and (2) any accumulated annual or sick leave. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to promulgate regulations to increase the amount of paid parental leave available to such an employee to a total of eight administrative workweeks, based on the consideration of: (1) the benefits to the federal government, including enhanced recruitment and employee retention; (2) the cost to the government; (3) trends in the private sector and in state and local governments; and (4) the federal government's role as a model employer. Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow the same substitution for covered congressional employees, Government Accountability Office (GAO) employees, and Library of Congress employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to safe the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" as the termination of a pregnancy with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, remove a dead unborn child who died as the result of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauma, or a criminal assault on the pregnant female or her unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Requires the coin design to be emblematic of the 100 years of the organization. Restricts issuance of such coins to calendar year 2011. Subjects coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires payment of such surcharges to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America for Girl Scout program development and delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act - Requires the United States to forgive any overpayment of military retired or retainer pay for any period after the death of the recipient through the last day of the month in which such death occurs, if such payment is electronically deposited to a joint account bearing the name of the decedent and the decedent's designated beneficiary. Provides a special effective date for the first annuity payment to a survivor under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) when an overpayment is so forgiven.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Honors Chesley B. Sullenberger III as the "Hero of the Hudson" and commends him for his display of courage. Praises Chesley B. Sullenberger III, not only for his commitment to the safety of the passengers of US Airways Flight 1549, but for his safety-related efforts with respect to the airline industry.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to three years for possessing, shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption. Reduces the prison term to one year if the offense involves less than five horses or less than 2,000 pounds of horse flesh or carcass and the offender has no prior conviction for this offense.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require certain vessels operating in U.S. waters to have invasive species management plans; (2) direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish vessel performance requirements, including provisions for ballast water exchange, treatment, and discharge, and civil and criminal penalties for violations; (3) require federal agencies to restrict the importation of live aquatic organisms of species not in trade without screening and approval; and (4) declare importation of such species to be unlawful and prescribe civil and criminal penalties for violations. Renames the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 as the Nonindigenous Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control Act of 1990. National Invasive Species Council Act - Prohibits federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would promote the introduction or spread of invasive species unless the benefits of the action outweigh the harm. Establishes the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) as an independent entity in the executive branch to lead and coordinate efforts to minimize the negative effects caused by invasive species and to reduce the threat of further invasions. Requires NISC to develop a National Invasive Species Management Plan and to establish an Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Reauthorizes and modifies the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide funding for wastewater assistance to certain municipalities and small publicly-owned treatment works; (2) authorize states to provide additional subsidization to benefit certain municipalities or state agencies that already receive assistance from the water pollution control revolving fund or to implement certain alternative techniques; (3) replace each reference to "navigable waters of the United States" with a reference to "waters of the United States"; (4) require the Great Lakes National Program Office to provide grants to reduce the quantity of mercury in the Great Lakes; and (5) require the President include a joint Great Lakes research plan in the annual budget submitted to Congress. Authorizes funding for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants for Great Lakes research and monitoring activities. Requires: (1) the President, acting through the National Ocean Research Leadership Council, to establish a system that detects and predicts changes in the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes environment that impact certain U.S. systems; and (2) the Council to establish an interagency program office to be known as OceanUS to be responsible for program planning and coordination of such system. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Program Office to develop specified science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide financial assistance for certain restoration or remediation projects; and (2) restore and remediate waterfronts and related areas. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as established by Executive Order 13340, as a task force within EPA; (2) a Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Executive Committee to hold meetings and make recommendations and reports on Great Lakes restoration goals and progress; and (3) the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to develop a restoration and protection strategy for use in Great Lakes program implementation and funding decisions, to serve as a forum for addressing regional issues relating to ecosystem restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, and to establish an oversight forum to coordinate and enhance implementation of Great Lakes programs. Provides funding for a variety of Great Lakes programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Short Sea Shipping Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the harbor maintenance tax commercial cargo (other than bulk cargo) loaded at: (1) a port in the U.S. mainland and unloaded at another such port after transport solely by coastal route or river or unloaded at a port in Canada located in the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System; or (2) such a port in Canada and unloaded at a port in the U.S. mainland. Defines the "Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System" as the waterway between Duluth, Minnesota, and Nova Scotia, encompassing the five Great Lakes, their connecting channels, and the Saint Lawrence River.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a National Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month; and (2) increased funding for research into the causes, treatment, and cure for Prader-Willi syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
340B Program Improvement and Integrity Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the drug discount program to allow participation as a covered entity by certain: (1) children's hospitals; (2) critical access hospitals; (3) entities providing maternal and child health services, community mental health services, or treatment services for substance abuse; (4) Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals; (5) sole community hospitals; and (6) rural referral centers. Prohibits enrolled hospitals from obtaining covered outpatient drugs through a group purchasing arrangement. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish reasonable exceptions to such requirements, including for drugs unavailable through the program and to facilitate generic substitution when a generic covered drug is available at a lower price. Expands the program to include a drug used in connection with an inpatient or outpatient service by enrolled hospitals. (Currently, only outpatient drugs are covered under the program.) Requires hospitals enrolled in the 340B drug discount program to provide to each state a credit on the estimated annual costs to such hospital of single source and innovator multiple source drugs and noninnovator multiple source drugs provided to Medicaid recipients for inpatient use. Sets forth a formula for calculating the credit. Allows a hospital to avoid paying such credits under certain circumstances. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out activities to improve compliance by manufacturers and covered entities with the requirements of the drug discount program; and (2) establish an administrative process for resolving claims by covered entities and manufacturers of violations of such requirements. Requires manufacturers to offer each covered entity covered drugs for purchase at or below the applicable ceiling price if such a drug is made available to any other purchaser at any price.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether state law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the Authority to issue regulations establishing rights and responsibilities for public safety employers and employees in states that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the Authority, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a voting majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of Authority regulations and orders, as well as prohibitions against lockouts or strikes, through appropriate state courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) exclude from the definition of the term "air pollutant" carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride; and (2) declare that nothing in the Act shall be treated as authorizing or requiring the regulation of climate change or global warming.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2009 - Provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States. Grants such an individual limited immunity under the federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the acquisition, possession, transportation, or alteration of such firearm before or concurrent with such registration. Extends such immunity to a veteran who attempts to register a qualifying firearm outside of the amnesty period if the veteran surrenders the firearm within 30 days after being notified of potential criminal liability for continued possession. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) transfer each firearm qualifying as a curio or relic which has been forfeited to the United States to the first qualified museum that requests it; and (2) publish information identifying each such firearm which is available to be transferred to a museum. Prohibits the Attorney General from destroying any such firearm which has been forfeited until five years after the forfeiture. Requires that any firearm transferred to a qualified museum be registered to the transferee. Makes a prohibition against transfer or possession of a machine-gun inapplicable to a transfer to or by, or possession by, a museum which is open to the public and incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under applicable state law.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Consumer Auto Relief Act of 2009 or the CAR Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a tax deduction for: (1) up to $7,500 of the purchase price of a new passenger automobile or light truck that is purchased in 2009; (2) interest paid on any loan to purchase such vehicles; and (3) state and local sales taxes paid on a vehicle purchase. Excludes from the gross income of lenders 50% of the interest paid on any consumer loan for the purchase of a new passenger automobile or light truck.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
TARP Accountability Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) to require inclusion within each report of condition filed by an insured depository institution which received assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) the amount of any increase in new lending during the period covered by the report (or the amount of any reduction in any decrease in new lending) that is attributable to TARP assistance. Requires, in the alternative, that if the institution cannot accurately quantify the effect such assistance has had on new lending, then it report the total amount of the increase in new lending, if any, during the covered period.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Retired Pay Restoration Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Repeals the requirement that federal, state, and local governmental entities withhold 3% of payments due to vendors providing goods and services to such entities.
![Official portrait of Rep. LaTourette, Steven C. [R-OH-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000553_200.jpg)