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 · 15 January 2009
Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act of 2009 - Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize part D (Enhancing Education through Technology) through FY2015. Alters the current program to require states to use a portion of their allotted funds to develop challenging academic content and achievement standards to ensure that students are technologically literate before the end of grade eight. Provides that such standards are only for tracking technological literacy and not for assessing adequate yearly progress (AYP) under title I. Permits technological literacy testing to be embedded in other state tests or performance-based assessments portfolios, or made through other valid and reliable means. Requires states to use the bulk of their part D allotment for two new subgrant programs for local educational agencies (LEAs), devoting: (1) 60% for formula subgrants to improve teaching and learning through technology; and (2) 40% for competitive subgrants for systemic school reform through technology integration. Requires LEAs to: (1) include a new or updated local long-range strategic educational technology plan in their applications; (2) use a specified percentage of each subgrant for teacher training; and (3) use each subgrant to acquire and apply technology to identify individual student learning needs and support individualized learning. Allows LEAs that receive funds for both programs to use all the funds for systemic school reform through technology integration program activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) conduct an annual national study on student technology literacy to determine the extent to which such literacy is attained by grade eight; and (2) update the National Education Technology Plan at least once every five years.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2009 - Amends the federal judicial code to allow for review by writ of certiorari of certain cases denied relief or review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the American Battlefield Protection Program, to assist and work in partnership with citizens, federal, state, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofits in the identification, research, evaluation, interpretation, and protection of historic battlefields and associated sites. Establishes a battlefield acquisition grant program under which the Secretary may provide grants to eligible entities to pay the federal share of the cost to acquire interests in eligible sites for the preservation and protection of those sites.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the charitable tax deduction for contributions of qualified vehicles (i.e., highway motor vehicles, boats, or airplanes) to: (1) set forth revised acknowledgment requirements for vehicles valued at $2,500 or less and vehicles valued at more than $2,500; and (2) revise the penalty for submitting a fraudulent acknowledgment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Recognizes the need to continue diabetes research. Commends hospitals, community clinics, educational institutes, and other organizations that are: (1) working to increase diabetes awareness; and (2) conducting research for methods to help patients and families in the Latino community suffering from diabetes. Congratulates the work of the Latino Diabetes Association. Expresses support for the designation of Latino Diabetes Awareness Month.
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
Commends the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Team) of the Arkansas National Guard for their exemplary service to the United States and the completion of their second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Recognizes the service and sacrifice of the Team members and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Housing Fairness Act of 2009 - Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct, and report to Congress on, a nationwide testing program to: (1) detect and document differences in the treatment of persons seeking to rent or purchase housing or obtain or refinance a home mortgage loan; (2) measure patterns of adverse treatment because of the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability status, or national origin of a renter, home buyer, or borrower; and (3) measure the prevalence of such discriminatory practices across housing and mortgage lending markets. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to reauthorize the fair housing initiatives program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should: (1) fully comply with such Act's requirements to establish, design, and maintain a national education and outreach program for the development and dissemination of the fair housing rights of individuals who seek to rent, purchase, sell, or facilitate the sale of a home; (2) use all amounts appropriated for such program; and (3) promulgate regulations on the fair housing obligations of each recipient of federal housing funds to affirmatively further fair housing. Directs the Secretary to implement a competitive matching grant program to assist private nonprofit organizations in: (1) conducting comprehensive studies of specified aspects of the causes and effects of housing discrimination and segregation; and (2) implementing pilot projects that test solutions to help prevent or alleviate housing discrimination and segregation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Wounded Veteran Job Security Act - Prohibits any employment discrimination or acts of reprisal against any person who has, or who has been treated for, an injury, illness, or disability determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to have been incurred in or aggravated by military service.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Declares the importance of access to swimming lessons for all U.S. communities as an integral part of drowning prevention. Condemns the persistent high rates of drowning fatalities among children. Celebrates the passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and the work of initiatives to educate parents and caregivers on water safety and drowning prevention. Encourages funding to support initiatives that provide all children access to swimming education.
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
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
College Learning Access Simplicity and Savings Act of 2009 or the CLASS Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the Hope Scholarship tax credit with the College Affordability Credit, which shall allow: (1) a partially refundable tax credit of up to $1,200 for qualified tuition and related expenses (including required course materials) at an institution of higher education; and (2) an additional 50% tax credit for such expenses exceeding $1,200 but not exceeding $4,800. Repeals the tax deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Alice Paul Women's Suffrage Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal. Requires proceeds from the sale of such medals to be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act - Amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate the four-year phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for combat-related disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
National Hurricane Research Initiative Act of 2009 - Requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce and the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a National Hurricane Research Initiative and to cooperate with other specified federal agencies to carry it out. Requires such Initiative to set research objectives (based on a National Science Board report on the need for such Initiative) to: (1) make recommendations to the Board and to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board; (2) assemble the science and engineering expertise of state or local government agencies and nongovernmental entities through a multi-agency effort focused on improving severe tropical storm forecasting capabilities, on durable and resilient infrastructure, and on mitigating impacts on coastal populations, the coastal built environment, and the natural coastal environment; and (3) make grants for hurricane research, including regarding storm internal dynamics, predicting high winds, tornadoes, and storm surge, and improving measurements of hurricanes and tropical storms through specified technologies. Directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the National Science and Technology Council, to coordinate U.S. activities related to the Initiative as a formal program with a well-defined organizational structure and execution plan. Directs the Under Secretary and the Director to: (1) issue a request for proposals to undertake the basic and applied research with a sufficient annual budget to accomplish the desired research results during a 10-year term; (2) establish a National Infrastructure Database; and (3) develop a National Hurricane Research Model.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Supports the designation of Gospel Music Heritage Month (September 2009), which would recognize the contributions to U.S. culture derived from the rich heritage of gospel music and gospel music artists.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Calls for an increase in federal funding for diabetes research to meet the goals of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) so that a cure for type 1 diabetes can be found.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park Boundary Expansion and Redesignation Act of 2009 - Redesignates the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site (located in Brownsville, Texas, and dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Mexican-American War) as the "Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park." Amends the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site Act of 1991 to expand the boundaries of the Park to include certain land.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Social Security Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
TRICARE Continuity of Coverage for National Guard and Reserve Families Act of 2009 - Makes a member of the Retired Reserve who is qualified for a non-regular (reserve) retirement at age 60, but is not yet 60, eligible for health benefits under TRICARE Standard (a Department of Defense (DOD) managed health care program for members of the reserves). Terminates such eligibility when the member becomes eligible for TRICARE Standard at age 60. Includes immediate family members under such coverage. Requires members to pay a premium for such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Excludes funds provided for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program by federal agencies other than the Department of Defense (DOD) from the matching-funds requirement. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010 to the Secretary of Defense to carry out the Program.
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
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid. Allows liability to accrue, and allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act - Recognizes the suffering and the loyalty of the people of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were raped, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war or survivors of compensable injured residents (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents). Defines "compensable Guam decedent" and "compensable Guam victim." Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to specify injuries that would constitute a severe personal injury or a personal injury. Authorizes the Commission to adjudicate claims and determine payment eligibility. Requires: (1) claims to be filed within one year after the Commission publishes public notice of the filing period in the Federal Register; and (2) the Commission to make filing period information available to the public through the media in Guam. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program for research, educational, and media activities that memorialize the events surrounding the occupation of Guam during World War II or honor the loyalty of the people of Guam during such occupation, or both.
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
Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act - Provides that nothing shall prohibit the use of federal funds to establish or carry out a program of distributing sterile syringes to reduce the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis.
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
Requires government contributions for health benefits for an individual who first becomes an annuitant by reason of retirement from employment with the United States Postal Service on or after July 1, 1971, or for a survivor of such an individual or of an individual who died on or after that date while employed by the Postal Service, to be paid first from the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund up to the amount contained in the Fund, with any remaining amount paid by the Postal Service (current law requires such contributions to be paid by the Postal Service through September 30, 2016).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation; (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question; and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential; and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer has made substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, in the case of an alien subject to removal, deportation, or exclusion who is the parent of a U.S. citizen child, to authorize an immigration judge to decline to order such removal if the judge determines that such action is against the child's best interests. States that such discretion shall not apply with respect to an alien whom the judge determines: (1) is excludable or deportable on security grounds; or (2) has engaged in sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking in persons.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2008
Honors the Wings Over Houston Airshow for advancing the appreciation and understanding of the U.S. Armed Forces, the city of Houston, Texas, and Ellington Field.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of State to adjudicate U.S. passport applications in an individualized, evidence-based manner. Requires the passport application adjudicatory process to be based on an assessment of individual circumstances and evidence. Prohibits an applicant's race, ethnicity, or ancestry from being taken into account in the passport application adjudicatory process. Requires: (1) an applicant to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the applicant is a U.S. citizen or national; (2) the preponderance of the evidence standard to be applied in a uniform and consistent manner to all passport applications; and (3) any determination that an applicant has not met the burden of proving U.S. citizenship or nationality by a preponderance of the evidence to be made in writing, state the reasons for the determination, and be provided to the applicant in a timely manner. States that a birth certificate signed by a person authorized under state law to sign such a document, or a previously-issued U.S. passport, shall constitute prima facie evidence of U.S. citizenship or nationality and, absent individualized evidence that a birth did not take place in the United States, shall satisfy the preponderance of the evidence standard.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Ensuring Safe Facilities and Equipment for American Troops Overseas Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense, in order to assure the safe utilization by the Armed Forces of expeditionary facilities, infrastructure, and equipment supporting U.S. military operations overseas, to certify to the congressional defense committees that: (1) generally accepted industry safety standards are incorporated into military regulations establishing requirements for such facilities, infrastructure, and equipment; (2) each contract or task or delivery order for the construction, installation, repair, maintenance, or operation of overseas expeditionary facilities incorporates such industry standards; and (3) such standards apply in all current and future U.S. military operations overseas.
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 · 23 September 2008
Wounded Veteran Job Security Act - Prohibits any employment discrimination or acts of reprisal against any person who has, or who has been treated for, an injury, illness, or disability determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to have been incurred in or aggravated by military service.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2008
Calls on the Attorney General to: (1) protect the right to vote of every person in the United States by promptly and thoroughly investigating complaints of violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002; (2) exercise all the authorities and utilize all the resources provided by Congress to fully enforce voting and civil rights statutes; (3) enjoin any efforts by individuals or organizations to violate federal voting and civil rights statutes by means of intimidation, suppression, or deceptive practices and to ensure that no eligible voter is denied the right to vote on November 4, 2008, including voting by mail and absentee ballots; and (4) prosecute those who violate federal voting and civil rights statutes to the fullest extent of the law.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2008
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Falls Prevention Awareness Day. Commends the National Falls Free Coalition and all other organizations for their efforts to promote awareness about preventing and reducing falls among older people in the United States. Encourages public and private entities to work together to increase education and awareness about the prevention of falls.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2008
Hurricane Ike Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax benefits to individuals affected by Hurricane Ike. Makes specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, which currently apply only to residents of the Gulf Opportunity Zone and the Hurricane Katrina disaster area, applicable to the Hurricane Ike recovery area, including: (1) tax-exempt bond financing, the low-income housing tax credit, accelerated depreciation and increased expensing of business assets, an increase in the rehabilitation tax credit, extended carryback of net operating losses, and investment in tax credit bonds; (2) expensing of environmental remediation costs and demolition and cleanup costs; (3) tax incentives for employer-provided housing; (4) tax-free withdrawals from retirement accounts and recontributions for home purchases; (5) employer tax credits for retention of employees; and (6) suspension of limitations on tax deductions for charitable contributions and personal casualty losses. Extends through 2009 the additional tax exemption for housing displaced individuals in the Hurricane Ike recovery area. Extends through 2009 the enhanced tax deduction for charitable contributions of food inventories and of book inventories to public schools. Requires charitable organizations to provide the Secretary of the Treasury with specified information, on an annual basis, relating to their disaster relief activities. Makes the standard mileage rate used to determine the tax deduction for the use of a passenger automobile for charitable purposes equal to the standard mileage rate used for the tax deduction for medical and moving expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2008
Declares the importance of access to swimming lessons for all U.S. communities. Condemns the persistent high rates of drowning fatalities among children. Celebrates the passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and the work of initiatives to educate parents and caregivers on water safety and drowning prevention messages. Encourages funding to support initiatives that provide all children access to swimming education.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2008
Honors and remembers the service and sacrifice of the victims on the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Joins family and friends in mourning the victims who lost their lives in the tragic bombing.
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
Civil Rights Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 - Requires quarter dollars to have designs on the reverse emblematic of prominent civil rights leaders and important events that have advanced civil rights in America. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to select such leaders and events. Requires five coin designs in each year of the period of issuance. Instructs the Secretary to strike and make available for sale silver bullion coins that are exact duplicates of such quarter dollars.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2008
Long-Term Energy Assurance and Security Enhancement Act of 2008 or the LEASE Act of 2008 - Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to open certain areas in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas leasing. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to distribute certain Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues to: (1) the general fund of the Treasury; (2) the Energy Independence and Security Fund (established by this Act); (3) Gulf producing states; and (4) financial assistance to states. Allocates funds among Gulf producing states and coastal political subdivisions. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) protect the environment and the conservation of the natural resources of the OCS; and (2) establish lateral boundaries between coastal states in areas of the OCS that are outside the Gulf of Mexico and under exclusive federal jurisdiction in order to lease areas for oil and natural gas exploration and production. Authorizes the governor of a coastal state to request the Secretary of the Interior to assess OCS oil and gas resources. Terminates federal prohibitions against the expenditure of appropriated funds to conduct oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing in specified areas of the OCS. Establishes the Energy Independence and Security Fund, whose amounts shall be distributed to designated research and development programs, including: (1) assessments of oil and gas resources; (2) wind energy research; (3) solar energy; (4) marine and hydrokinetic renewable electric energy; and (5) the Weatherization Assistance Program. Energy Markets Emergency Act of 2008 - Directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to: (1) curb immediately the role of excessive speculation in any contract market within its jurisdiction and control that trades energy futures or swaps; and (2) eliminate unlawful activity causing major market disturbances that prevent the market from accurately reflecting the forces of supply and demand for energy commodities. Consumer Energy Supply Act of 2008 - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) sell light grade petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and acquire an equivalent volume of heavy grade petroleum; and (2) deposit the cash proceeds into the SPR Petroleum Account.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2008
Fallen Hero Commemoration Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to grant access to accredited members of the media: (1) at military commemoration ceremonies and military memorial services for members of the Armed Forces who have died on active duty; and (2) when the remains of such members arrive at U.S. military installations. Authorizes the Secretary to establish the policy for media accreditation.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ortiz, Solomon P. [D-TX-27]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/o000107_200.jpg)