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 · 8 January 2009
Economic Growth Through Tax Stimulus Act of 2009 - Makes permanent: (1) the tax provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001; (2) the reduction in dividend and capital gain tax rates in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003; (3) the tax deduction for state and local sales taxes; (4) the tax deduction for tuition and related expenses; and (5) the increased expensing allowance for depreciable business assets. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce individual and corporate income tax rates in taxable years between 2008 and 2014.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Sanctity of Human Life Act - Declares that: (1) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human and is the person's paramount and most fundamental right; (2) each human life begins with fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, at which time every human has all legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and (3) Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories have the authority to protect all human lives.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2009 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), notwithstanding any other provision of any Act, from having the authority to require broadcasters to present opposing viewpoints on controversial issues of public importance, commonly referred to as the Fairness Doctrine.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Congressional Pay Reform Act of 2009 - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress. Requires the annual rate of pay for Members of Congress to be the rate payable as of the enactment of this Act, until such rate is adjusted following recommendations by the President under the Federal Salary Act of 1967 (or under any other law). Requires any bill or resolution, or its amendment, providing for any increase in such payable rate (other than a pay adjustment recommended by the President under the Federal Salary Act of 1967) to be adopted by the House of Representatives or the Senate only by a recorded vote so as to reflect the vote of each Member.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Redesignates: (1) the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) the Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to the Department Under Secretary, the Department Assistant Secretaries, and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act - Establishes the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission to: (1) plan and carry out activities to honor Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth; (2) provide assistance to governmental agencies and civic groups to carry out such activities; and (3) develop other federal activities to honor Ronald Reagan.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund for payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of a monthly benefit of $1,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Requires such individuals to: (1) apply for such benefit before October 1, 2009; and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. Requires the Secretary to include, in annual budget documents submitted to Congress, detailed information on the Fund's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Requires the Comptroller General to develop and implement a systematic process to: (1) review audits by Inspectors General or external auditors of executive agency and government corporation programs, projects, and activities funded through earmarks; and (2) conduct annually an appropriate number of Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits of such earmark-funded programs, projects, and activities. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the results of: (1) audits of executive agency and government corporation financial statements by Inspector Generals or external auditors which were then submitted to GAO; (2) GAO reviews of such audits; and (3) annual GAO audits of earmark-funded agency programs, projects, and activities. Revises audit requirements for nonfederal entities that expend federal awards totaling at least $300,000 or another amount specified by the Director of the General Assistance Administration. Requires submission to the Comptroller General of the results of all executive agency and government corporation audits of earmark-funded programs, projects, or activities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Employment Eligibility Verification and Anti-Identity Theft Act - Directs the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to notify a person or entity each time that the combination of name and Social Security account number it has submitted for an individual does not match Social Security Administration records. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (HS) to notify a person or entity each time that: (1) an immigration status or employment authorization document presented or referenced by an individual during the employment eligibility verification process was assigned to another person; or (2) there is no agency record that the document was assigned to any person. Directs the HS Secretary to establish a system, meeting specified requirements, for verifying an individual's identity and employment eligibility. Requires any person or entity that has received a discrepancy notice under this Act to verify the individual's employment authorization and identity through such system. Places the burden of resolving errors in the verification mechanism on the individual whose employment eligibility and identity have not been verified. Requires the individual to terminate any employment in the United States if a final nonverification is received. Requires the Commissioner of Social Security to provide the last known name, address, and location of a nonverified individual to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Provides for sanctions against employers who continue to employ an individual after receiving a final nonverification. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to require any person or entity that receives written notice about more than 20 individuals in one calendar year to: (1) participate in a basic pilot project for employment eligibility confirmation; and (2) comply with specified terms and conditions. Provides for: (1) a remedy under the Federal Tort Claims Act for job dismissals occasioned by verification mechanism errors; and (2) protection from civil and criminal liability for persons or entities that take action in good faith on the basis of verification mechanism information.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to establish a national standard for the carrying of concealed firearms (other than a machinegun or destructive device) by non-residents. Authorizes a person who has a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state and who is not prohibited from carrying a firearm under federal law to carry a concealed firearm in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state or as specified under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2009 - Declares that a person not prohibited under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act from receiving a firearm shall have the right to obtain firearms for security and to use firearms in defense of: (1) self or family against a reasonably perceived threat of imminent and unlawful infliction of serious bodily injury; (2) self or family in the course of the commission by another person of a violent felony against the person or a member of the person's family; and (3) the person's home in the course of the commission of a felony by another person. Authorizes persons whose rights under this Act have been violated to bring an action in U.S. district court against the United States, any state, or any person for damages, injunctive relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009 - Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce to 0% the employment tax on employers, employees, and self-employed individuals in the first full two-month period after the enactment of this Act; and (2) exclude from gross income any wage and self-employment income earned during the same period . Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to repeal procedures for authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to obligate additional amounts under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Requires the Secretary to: (1) estimate the impact of this Act on the income and balances of the social security trust funds; and (2) transfer amounts from the Treasury to such trust funds if there is any reduction in the income and balances of such trust funds resulting from this Act. Terminates the authority of the Secretary under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to purchase troubled assets or any preferred or other stock or equity in any financial institution.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Stop the Congressional Pay Raise Act - Declares that no automatic pay adjustment shall be considered to have taken effect in FY2010 in the rates of basic pay for Members of Congress under the General Schedule (thus eliminating the pay adjustment for Members for such fiscal year).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Protecting the Privacy of Social Security Numbers Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the display, sale, or purchase of Social Security numbers without the affirmatively expressed consent of the individual, except in specified circumstances. Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on all the uses of Social Security numbers permitted, required, authorized, or excepted under any federal law, including the impact of such uses on privacy and data security. Establishes a public records exception to the prohibition. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on Social Security numbers in public records. Grants the Attorney General rulemaking authority to enforce this Act's prohibition and to implement and clarify the permitted uses occurring as a result of an interaction between businesses, governments, or business and government. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prohibit: (1) the use of Social Security numbers on checks issued for payment by governmental agencies; and (2) inmate access to Social Security account numbers. Prohibits a commercial entity from requiring an individual to provide a Social Security number when purchasing a commercial good or service or denying an individual the good or service for refusing to provide that number, with exceptions. Establishes civil and criminal penalties. Extends civil monetary penalties for misuse of a Social Security number. Provides for: (1) criminal penalties under SSA title II for the misuse of a Social Security number; (2) civil actions and civil penalties against persons who violate this Act; and (3) federal injunctive authority with respect to any violation by a public entity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a three-fifths rollcall vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each chamber by rollcall vote. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2008
Free Market Protection Act of 2008 - Government-Sponsored Enterprises Free Market Reform Act of 2008 - Directs the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to: (1) determine the financial viability of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises or GSEs); (2) terminate the conservatorship of a GSE that is financially viable; or (3) appoint the FHFA as receiver for a GSE that is not financially viable. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to limit the mortgage assets held by a GSE upon its emergence from conservatorship, including an increase in its minimum capital requirements. Amends the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 to repeal the temporary increase in conforming loan limits applicable to the GSEs. Prohibits the GSEs from purchasing mortgages that exceed the median area home price. Requires the GSEs to pay state and local taxes. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on recoupment of costs for the federal guarantee regarding the GSEs. Requires the wind down of operations and dissolution of a GSE whose charter has not been renewed. Price Stability Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee to: (1) establish an explicit numerical definition of "price stability"; and (2) maintain a monetary policy that promotes long-term price stability. Repeals the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978 (Humphrey-Hawkins Act). Amends the Employment Act of 1946 and the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to reflect the changes made by this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) prescribe a temporary zero percent capital gains rate for individuals and corporations; (2) substitute an indexed basis for the adjusted basis of certain assets in order to determine gain or loss upon disposition; (3) provide a five-year carryback of certain losses for taxable years ending during 2007, 20008, and 2009; and (4) modify the deduction for dividends received from controlled foreign corporations. Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to suspend the application of fair value reporting standards to troubled assets held by financial institutions. Directs the General Accountability Office to analyze and report to certain congressional committees on the effect of fair value accounting standards upon financial institutions. Makes the Secretary of the Treasury responsible to determine the terms of a program to insure payment of up to 100% of principal and interest on each mortgage-backed security held by a financial institution on or before September 24, 2008. Establishes a Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund. Treats gain or loss from the sale or exchange of preferred GSE stock by specified financial institutions as ordinary income or loss. Requires an officer of an institution to pay to the Department of the Treasury any funds received as incentive-based or equity-based compensation during a specified period before the year in which the institution is subject to government intervention.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Medicare Beneficiary Freedom to Choose Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) to revise requirements for the use of private contracts by Medicare beneficiaries under which no Medicare claims shall be made. Requires any such contract to be in writing and signed by the Medicare beneficiary. Allows individuals to choose to opt out of the Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance), and makes them eligible for health savings accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make technical corrections to the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008. Clarifies the Secretary of Education's authority to purchase, or enter into and fund forward commitments to purchase, until July 2010, Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) from lenders when there is an inadequate availability of loan capital to meet the demand for such loans. Includes, within such purchase authority, FFELs that qualify for loan rehabilitation under the Default Reduction program. Conditions the Secretary's purchase or forward commitment to purchase FFELs on lender agreement to originate or purchase new FFELs. (Currently, they are required to use the funds from such purchases to engage in such activities.) Requires the Secretary to contract with the current servicers of FFELs the Secretary is purchasing for the continued servicing of such loans, provided certain conditions are met. (Currently, the Secretary is authorized to enter into servicing agreements with willing lenders whose loans are being purchased.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Recognizes the importance of the U.S. wine, winegrape, and grape products industry to the American economy. Directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association in Grapevine, Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2008
Establishes the Select Committee on Financial Bailouts to investigate the extraordinary actions taken by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury in 2008. Requires the Select Committee to report to the House of Representatives on: (1) such extraordinary actions; (2) the role that political activities and influence had in affecting the market conditions that led to such actions; and (3) recommendations for congressional action that would prevent the need for the Secretary and the Board to intervene in the capital markets in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2008
A Modest Effort to Read and Instill the Constitution Again Resolution of 2008 or AMERICA Resolution of 2008 - Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Members of Congress, who swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States and are responsible for writing laws regarding the powers granted to the government and proposing constitutional amendments, should read this important document, including its amendments. Amends Rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) of the Rules of the House to require: (1) the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to provide a copy of the Constitution to each new Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, and employee of the House; and (2) House officers and employees to file a certification with the Committee attesting that such individuals have read the Constitution in its entirety in the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2008
Declares that the 110th Congress should not adjourn until comprehensive energy legislation has been enacted into law that: (1) opens the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and oil shale reserves to environmentally prudent exploration and extraction; (2) extends expiring renewable energy incentives; (3) encourages the streamlined approval of new refining capacity and nuclear power facilities, and advanced research and development of clean coal, coal-to-liquid, and carbon sequestration technologies; and (4) minimizes drawn out legal challenges that unreasonably delay or prevent actual domestic energy production.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2008
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act II of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent: (1) the reduction in the rate of tax on the net timber gain of corporations; and (2) rules for the treatment of timber real estate investment trust (REIT) gains, mineral royalty income, and prohibited transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2008
Oil and Gas Lease Reform Act of 2008 - Declares that no state environmental or pollution control law regulating the emission of pollutants or protecting human health or the environment shall apply to any activity under a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas on federal lands (including submerged lands), including any such state law expressly applicable to such activity under any other federal law. Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) to define "unnecessary or undue degradation," including: (1) surface or submerged disturbance greater than what would normally result when an activity is being accomplished by a prudent operator in usual, customary, and proficient operations of similar character and taking into considerations the effect of operations on other resources and land uses, including those resources and uses outside the area of operations; (2) failure to initiate and complete reasonable mitigation measures or to comply with applicable federal environmental statutes and regulations thereunder; or (3) failure to abide by the terms and conditions of an approved plan of operations and operations described in a complete notice. Amends the FLPMA, the Mineral Leasing Act, and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from suspending any lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas, unless: (1) operations under the lease will present an imminent threat or harm to public safety or will significantly damage the public lands outside lease stipulations; or (2) the suspension is requested by the lessee. Prescribes requirements for review and termination of a suspension. Limits the requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for an environmental impact statement for a lease for oil or natural gas exploration, development, or production on federal lands to: (1) sale of the lease by the lessee; and (2) a single statement and a single review, upon lessee request, with respect to all plans and permits required for exploration, development, production, and construction of infrastructure to be carried out under the lease. Requires issuance of an exploration, development, or production permit if the Secretary determines that the comprehensive plan for the project complies with NEPA requirements. Prescribes appeals process, enforcement, and specified related requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2008
Reaffirms support for continued enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to include democratic governments that are able and willing to meet membership responsibilities. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the expansion of NATO contributes to its effectiveness; and (2) the United States should take the lead in supporting the awarding of a Membership Action Plan to the Republic of Georgia and to Ukraine at the December 2008 meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
National Conservation, Environment, and Energy Independence Act - Terminates all federal prohibitions on expenditures of funds to conduct natural gas, oil, oil shale, and energy production leasing and preleasing activities for federal lands. Revokes withdrawals of federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from leasing for natural gas and oil exploration, development, and production. Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Amends the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on using funds to prepare or publish final regulations regarding a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands or to conduct an oil shale lease sale pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any lease authorizing exploration for, or development of, natural gas or oil in any OCS area that is located: (1) within 25 miles of the coastline of a state; or (2) more than 25 miles and less than 50 miles from the coastline of a state that has enacted, within one year, a law disapproving of such a lease. Provides for the allocation of sums collected under qualified leases on submerged land made available for leasing under this Act. Establishes the Conservation Reserve, the Environment Restoration Reserve, the Renewable Energy Reserve, and the Carbon Capture and Sequestration Reserve. Establishes the state seaward boundaries under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Amends the Clean Air Act to allow the use of woody biomass from federal forest lands for the production of renewable energy. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal provisions prohibiting federal procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel for any mobility-related use unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and combustion of the fuel supplied must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise provisions concerning tax credit extensions and deductions for renewable energy, alternative fuel, and energy conservation. Requires the Secretary of Energy to publish a plan for exchanging light grade petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) for heavy grade petroleum. Establishes and provides for the allocation of the Energy Independence and Security Fund, including providing funding for: (1) researching and developing wind, solar, ocean and wave, and geothermal energy; (2) conducting energy efficiency projects; and (3) fostering the development of domestic energy production.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act - Authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia on or near the District of Columbia War Memorial to honor World War I veterans and to commemorate U.S. participation in that war. Establishes the World War I Memorial Advisory Board. Establishes a fund in the Treasury for expenses of establishing the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2008
Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) exclude from the definition of the term "air pollutant" carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, or chlorofluorocarbons; and (2) declare that nothing in the Act authorizes or requires the regulation of climate change or global warming.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2008
Declares that it shall not be in order in the House of Representatives to consider any resolution providing for adjournment for more than three calendar days during July or August of 2008 until it has approved a bill to establish a comprehensive national energy plan that addresses energy conservation and the expansion of renewable and conventional energy sources.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a National Prader-Willi Awareness Month; and (2) increased funding for research into the causes, treatment, and cure for Prader-Willi syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2008
Requests the President issue a proclamation recognizing the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Encourages state and local governments to recognize the partnership among Omaha, its citizens, and the University of Nebraska to build a vibrant and dynamic community.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
American Energy Act - Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding delineation of offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as well as related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to: (1) allow the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to grant natural gas leases in the outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and (2) revise provisions concerning oil and gas leases and withdrawals of unleased land. Provides for federal agency coordination with adjacent states on the construction of pipelines for crude oil or petroleum products or natural gas produced from the OCS. Sets forth provisions concerning the application of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to OCS programs. Declares existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds for leasing and preleasing OCS oil and natural gas to be without force or effect. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting certain activities on the federal OCS or in state waters that are incompatible with: (1) oil or natural gas leasing; and (2) full exploration and production of tracts that are geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Directs the Secretary to establish OCS Regional Headquarters in designated locations. Repeals: (1) the coastal impact assistance program; and (2) the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Requires the Secretary to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the Coastal Plain's oil and gas resources. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to terminate the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Provides for the authorization of Special Areas to be managed so as to protect and preserve the area's unique and diverse character including its fish, wildlife, and subsistence resource values in the Coastal Plain. Requires the Secretary to designate Sadlerochit Spring as a Special Area. Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue specified rights-of-ways and easements across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas; and (2) convey specified estates to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Establishes the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund and the American Renewable and Alternative Energy Trust Fund. Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to terminate the prohibition against using federal funds to prepare or publish final regulations regarding a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands or to conduct an oil shale lease sale pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions concerning credits for fuel efficiency, alternative fuel vehicles, energy efficiency, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. Requires the Secretary of Energy to provide awards for activities concerning the: (1) research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of innovative energy technologies and new energy sources; (2) manufacture of midsized sedan automobiles that operate on gasoline and can travel 100 miles per gallon; and (3) manufacture of advanced batteries. Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide financial assistance to states or tribes to facilitate the hiring of personnel with expertise in federal refinery authorizations. Requires the President to: (1) appoint a federal coordinator to facilitate such authorizations; and (2) designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for the construction of a refinery and at least one for producing biofuel. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal restrictions on federal agencies procuring alternative or synthetic fuel for mobility-related uses. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to auction to the public coal-to-liquid fuel put option contracts. Provides for standby loans for qualifying coal-to-liquid projects. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to revise provisions concerning the recycling and disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Schoolchildren's Health Protection Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the provision of federal education funding to state or local educational agencies that provide unemancipated minors with postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception on the premises of elementary or secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of State should work with the government of Pakistan to identify and return to the United States all American children currently being educated in madrassas in Pakistan.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2008
Declares that the House of Representatives honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career of the Honorable Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., a public servant and former Senator from North Carolina. Expresses condolences to his wife, "Dot," and their three children on his passing.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, Texas, as the "Corporal Alfred Mac Wilson Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Developing Resources Immediately and Long-Term through Leases on Our Nation's Offshore Waters Act of 2008, or DRILL NOW Act of 2008 - Declares without force or effect all existing federal law which prohibits spending appropriated funds to conduct oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing on the outer Continental Shelf. Revokes: (1) all withdrawals from leasing on federal submerged lands of the outer Continental Shelf (including withdrawals by the President); and (2) Presidential authorities with respect to such leasing (except in the interest of national security). Amends of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize a state governor to petition the Secretary of the Interior to issue leases for oil and natural gas exploration and extraction activities in any area that is at least 50 miles beyond the state's coastal zone. Cites circumstances under which the Secretary shall approve or deny the petition. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit revenues from leasing operations into designated funds and accounts. Provides that any funds that would be received by the United States as royalties under any existing federal oil and gas lease on the outer Continental Shelf that lies within 50 miles of the coastal zone of the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama shall be paid to that state if it enacts an expenditure plan for those funds.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Americans for American Energy Act of 2008 - Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding delineation of offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as well as related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to allow the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to grant outer Continental Shelf (OCS) natural gas leases. Revises provisions concerning oil and gas leases and withdrawals of unleased land. Provides for federal agency coordination with adjacent states on the construction of pipelines for OCS crude oil, petroleum, or natural gas. Establishes the Federal Energy Natural Resources Enhancement Program. Declares existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds for leasing and preleasing OCS oil and natural gas to be without force or effect. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting on the federal OCS or in state waters certain activities that are incompatible with: (1) oil or natural gas leasing; and (2) full exploration and production of tracts geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Renames the Minerals Management Service as the National Ocean Resources and Royalty Service. Rigs to Reefs Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary to issue regulations regarding the authorization to use decommissioned offshore oil and gas facilities for artificial reef and scientific research. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal a requirement regarding conducting comprehensive inventories of OCS oil and natural gas resources. Directs the Secretary to establish OCS regional headquarters in designated locations. Repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. Removes application fees for the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) drill permits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions concerning: (1) credits and deductions for alternative and nonconventional fuel, the capture of carbon dioxide, energy efficiency and conservation, and renewable energy; (2) extensions of elections to expense certain refineries; and (3) exemptions for electric transmission facilities. American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Requires the Secretary to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of Alaska's Coastal Plain's oil and gas resources. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to terminate the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Oil Shale Opportunity Act of 2008 - Amends the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the limitation on the use of funds for implementing a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for the treatment of revenues received through an oil shale or tar sands lease. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal restrictions on federal agencies procuring alternative or synthetic fuel for mobility-related uses. Coal Liquid Fuel Act - Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) agreements between the Secretary of Energy and qualifying coal-to-liquid projects; and (2) public auctions of coal-to-liquid fuel put option contracts. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to revise provisions concerning the recycling and disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. Establishes the American Energy Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to implement a program to lease federal lands for the development and operation of commercial photovoltaic and concentration solar power energy systems. Provides for: (1) the coordination of the authorization of federal crude oil refineries; and (2) the designation of closed military bases for the construction of refineries and the designation of brownfield sites for refinery sites. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization. Amends the Clean Air Act to require new source review regulations to provide that routine maintenance and repair do not constitute a modification of an existing source. Strengthening Americas Science and Technology Education Act - Requires the Secretary to appoint a Stakeholder Committee for Science and Technology Education. Establishes the National Science and Technology Education Center. Sets forth provisions concerning educational programs for technology and nuclear science.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2008
Amends the federal criminal code to allow an exception to the minimum sentencing requirement for a crime of violence while using, carrying, or possessing a firearm for a law enforcement officer who committed the offense during or in relation to the pursuit of an individual whom the officer reasonably believed committed a crime of violence.
![Official portrait of Rep. Marchant, Kenny [R-TX-24]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001158_200.jpg)