United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers an exclusion from gross income for certain items of partnership and S corporation pass-thru income up to $250,000 ($500,000 for married couples filing joint returns).
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of the Intermediate Space Challenge in Mojave, California. Commends the volunteers who run the Intermediate Space Challenge and the Mojave Air and Space Port for opening its facility to the young leaders of the future in science and engineering fields. Encourages teachers and school administrators across the country to implement similar programs to stimulate students and infuse them with a love of engineering, mathematics, and science.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam, for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam, such Republic's inland waterways, ports, and harbors, waters offshore, and airspace above. Includes as veterans eligible for such presumption those who: (1) served on Johnston Island during the period beginning on April 1, 1972, and ending on September 30, 1977; or (2) received the Vietnam Service Medal or the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2009
American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act - Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015 issued by the Secretary of the Interior to be approved as a final oil and gas leasing program under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Deems the Secretary to have issued a final environmental impact statement for the Program under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a lease sale in each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas production leases; (2) prepare an inventory of U.S. offshore energy resources; and (3) promulgate regulations concerning the production of oil or gas resources of the OCS, including regulating the installation of surface facilities, mitigating the impact of such facilities on coastal vistas, and allowing onshore facilities to draw upon such resources that are within 10 miles of shore. Extends from 3 geographical miles to 12 nautical miles a coastal state's allowable seaward boundary. Repeals the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in: (1) any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico; (2) any area in the Eastern Planning Area that is within 125 miles of the Florida coastline; and (3) specified areas within the Central Planning Area and within 100 miles of the Florida coastline. Specifies revenue sharing percentages for sums received from leasing offshore pursuant to this Act, including 30% for producing states. Gives the President authority to waive requirements relating to the approval of oil and natural gas activity deemed to be important to national interests. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) revise the definition of "renewable biomass" to include trees, tree residue, and slash and pre-commercial thinnings that are from forestlands on public lands; and (2) require new source review regulations to provide that routine maintenance and repair do not constitute a modification of an existing source. Repeals provisions prohibiting any federal agency from entering into a contract for procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel for any mobility-related use, other than for research or testing, unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and combustion of the fuel must be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel. Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) implement a grant and loan program for the construction or modernization of coal fired generation units to enable use of technology to reduce greenhouse gases; (2) publish a plan to exchange a specified amount of light grade petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for heavy grade petroleum plus additional cash bonus bids that reflect the difference in market value; and (3) set aside net proceeds from such exchange for the Energy Independence and Security Fund (to be established by this Act). Provides for Fund allocations to the Energy Transformation Acceleration Fund, specified Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accounts, the Weatherization Assistance Program, specified Fossil Energy Research and Development accounts, the Basic Energy Sciences account. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2018 tax credits for energy conservation and production, including credits for producing electricity from renewable resources, alternative fuel vehicles and refueling property expenditures, residential energy efficiency and solar energy and fuel cell property expenditures, investment in clean renewable energy bonds, and biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel; (2) extend through 2018 the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; (3) extend through 2014 the tax credit for medium and heavy-duty hybrid vehicles; (4) extend through 2018 the tax credit for plug-in electric drive motor vehicles; and (5) allow a new tax credit for the purchase of a motor vehicle identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the most efficient vehicle in its class. Sets forth provisions concerning the use of electric drive vehicles. Requires that at least 10% of the federal fleet be plug-in electric drive vehicles by FY2012, with such percentage increasing by at least 5% (up to 50%) each fiscal year. Directs states to permit light-duty plug-in electric drive vehicles to use HOV lanes. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) provide grants to assist local governments in the installation of recharging facilities for electric drive vehicles; and (2) guarantee loans for any purchaser of at least 5,000 battery systems that use advanced battery technology. Includes innovative low-carbon technology projects as projects eligible for loan guarantees made by the Secretary of Energy for innovative technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) diplomatic efforts to address Iran's illicit nuclear efforts, unconventional and ballistic missile development programs, and support for international terrorism are more likely to be effective if the President is empowered with explicit authority to impose additional sanctions on the government of Iran; (2) U.S. concerns regarding Iran are strictly the result of that government’s actions; and (3) the people of the United States have feelings of friendship for the people of Iran and regret that developments in recent decades have created impediments to that friendship. States that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) support international diplomatic efforts to end Iran's uranium enrichment program and its nuclear weapons program; (2) encourage foreign governments to direct state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran's energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran; (3) impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian financial institution engaged in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; and (4) work with allies to protect the international financial system from deceptive and illicit practices by Iranian financial institutions involved in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose two or more current sanctions under such Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, made an investment of $20 million or more (or any combination of investments of at least $5 million which in the aggregate equals or exceeds $20 million in any 12-month period) that directly and significantly contributed to Iran's ability to develop its petroleum resources. (Under current law the sanction thresholds are $40 million, $10 million, and $40 million, respectively.) Directs the President to impose: (1) sanctions established under this Act (in addition to any current sanctions imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996) if a person has, with actual knowledge, sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, technology, information, or support that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources, including any assistance in refinery construction, modernization, or repair; and (2) sanctions established under this Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, provided Iran with refined petroleum resources or engaged in any activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources, including providing shipping, insurance, or financing services for such activity. Establishes additional sanctions prohibiting specified foreign exchange, banking, and property transactions. Includes references to refined petroleum resources in a presidential report to Congress requesting waiver of sanctions for purposes of national interest. Requires that the President immediately investigate a person upon receipt of credible information that such person is engaged in prohibited investment or other activity. Defines "credible information" as public or classified information or reporting supported by other substantiating evidence. Includes among the exceptions to the imposition of sanctions a situation in which the President determines in writing that the person to which the sanctions would otherwise be applied is: (1) a citizen or resident of a country that is a participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative; or (2) a foreign person organized under the laws of such country and is a subsidiary of a U.S. person. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees every six months regarding any person who has: (1) provided Iran with refined petroleum resources; (2) sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, or technology that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources; or (3) engaged in any activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources. States that the term "petroleum resources" includes petroleum, petroleum by-products, oil or liquefied natural gas, oil or liquefied natural gas tankers, and products used to construct or maintain pipelines used to transport oil or compressed or liquefied natural gas. (Under current law the definition of the term "petroleum resources" is limited to petroleum and natural gas resources.) Defines "petroleum by-products" as gasoline, kerosene, distillates, propane or butane gas, diesel fuel, residual fuel oil, and other goods classified in headings 2709 and 2710 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, working with other national security and intelligence agencies, to conduct research and determine if the security of federally owned programmable electronic devices and communication networks (including hardware, software, and data) essential to the operation of critical electric infrastructure has been compromised. Amends the Federal Power Act to direct the Secretary to make ongoing assessments and provide periodic reports with respect to: (1) cyber vulnerabilities or threats to critical infrastructure, including critical electric infrastructure and advanced metering infrastructure; and (2) the enhancement of domestic preparedness for a cyber attack. Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish mandatory interim measures to protect against known cyber vulnerabilities or threats to the operation of the critical electric infrastructure in the United States. Amends the the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary to evaluate the capacity and authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies to ensure the security against a cyber attack and resilience of electronic devices and communication networks essential to the critical infrastructure sectors.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Telephone Excise Tax Repeal Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on communication services (i.e., local telephone service, toll telephone service, and teletypewriter exchange service).
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Affordable Reloaded Munitions Supply (ARMS) Act of 2009 - Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from implementing any policy that would prevent or place undue restriction on the sale of intact spent military small arms ammunition casings to domestic manufacturers of small arms ammunition that are approved under trade security controls.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Services, Education, and Rehabilitation for Veterans Act or the SERV Act - Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to delegate to the Department of Justice (DOJ) the authority to administer the veteran's treatment courts program established by this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to states and other entities: (1) to develop, implement, or enhance veteran's treatment courts or to expand operational drug courts to serve veterans; and (2) for programs that involve continuing judicial supervision over nonviolent offenders with substance abuse or mental health problems who have served in the U.S. military. Requires such programs to include mandatory periodic testing for the use of drugs, substance abuse and mental health treatment, opportunities for diversion, probation, or supervised release, and programmatic, offender management, and aftercare services. Directs the National Drug Court Institute to conduct national training programs for state and local communities to improve the professional skills of drug court practitioners and provide comprehensive technical assistance to adult, juvenile, and family dependency drug courts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Jason's Law - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) implement a pilot program to allocate funds to states, metropolitan planning organizations, and local governments that submit an application approved by the Secretary for eligible projects to establish long-term parking facilities for commercial motor vehicles (trucks) on the National Highway System; and (2) give priority to applicants that demonstrate a severe shortage of truck parking capacity and whose proposed projects are likely to have positive effects on highway safety, traffic congestion, or air quality.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 - Directs the President to develop and implement: (1) a National Strategy for Global Development to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of reducing poverty and contributing to economic growth in developing countries, including responding to humanitarian crises; and (2) a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance. Expresses the sense of Congress that American taxpayers and foreign assistance recipients should have, to the maximum extent practicable, full access to U.S. foreign assistance information.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to require that assistance repayments from Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds be used to pay down the public debt.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act regarding telehealth services (furnished via a telecommunication system by a physician to an enrolled individual). Removes current geographic restrictions on the provision of such services. Extends the meaning of store-and-forward technology, for any federal telemedicine demonstration program in Alaska or Hawaii, to include any telehealth program that has received any federal support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMMS), the Indian Health Service, or the Health Services and Resources Administration (HSRA). Authorizes a renal dialysis facility to participate in the telehealth program. Authorizes payment of eligible telehealth providers or suppliers other than a physician or telemedicine practitioner. Declares that any telemedicine practitioner credentialed by a hospital in compliance with the Joint Commission Standards for Telemedicine shall be considered in compliance with Medicare condition of participation and reimbursement credentialing requirements for telemedicine services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to treat telehealth services furnished by a home health agency as a home health visit for Medicare purposes. Authorizes coverage of remote patient management services, including home health remote patient management services, for certain chronic health conditions. Directs the Secretary to establish a fee schedule for home health remote patient management services. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the CMMS Administrator should be encouraged to: (1) expand the types of medical conditions for which remote patient management services are reimbursed under Medicare; (2) provide for separate, non-bundled Medicare payment for such services; and (3) create, revise, and adjust codes for the accurate reporting and billing for such payment. Establishes the Telehealth Advisory Committee. Requires the Secretary to take its recommendations into account when adding or deleting telehealth services and in establishing related CMMS policies. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the HSRA Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, to make grants to expand access via telehealth to health care services for individuals in medically underserved rural, frontier, and urban areas. Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month, including raising public awareness about financial education. Recognizes the importance of managing personal finances, increasing personal savings, and reducing personal debt in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
New Employee Verification Act of 2009 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to extend the employment eligibility confirmation pilot programs (which include the E-Verify basic pilot program). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require employers to verify employee identification and employment eligibility under the Electronic Employment Verification System (EEVS) or the Secure Employment Eligibility Verification System (SEEVS) (as established by this Act). Permits employers subject to employee verification requirements to do so under EEVS or SEEVS. Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) voluntary and expedited participation; (2) employer penalties for failure to participate in EEVS or SEEVS; (3) employer and employee information and document requirements; (4) employer liability protection; (5) attestation; and (6) consequences of EEVS determinations. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require a national identification card. Repeals the employment eligibility pilot programs under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivor's and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to establish EEVS utilizing information in the National Directory of New Hires. States that EEVS shall have the capacity to determine whether: (1) employer-submitted information is consistent with information maintained by the Commissioner with respect to U.S. citizens and nationals and by the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to aliens; and (2) the individual is a citizen or national or is not an unauthorized alien. Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) submission for confirmation of an individual's identification and employment eligibility and related EEVs determinations; (2) administrative and judicial review of employment disapproval; (3) EEVS implementation; and (4) data use by EEVS. Directs the Commissioner to establish SEEVS to provide, through government certified private entities, for verification of identity and employment eligibility respecting new employees Permits an employer to opt out of SEEVS after one year's participation. Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) certification of entities; (2) database management, including limitations on accessibility and the use and storage of biometric data; (3) employer responsibilities; (4) employee protections; and (5) information security and confidentiality, including penalties for violations. Directs the Commissioner to establish the Employment Verification Advisory Council, which shall terminate five years after enactment of this Act. Amends INA to: (1) apply certain antidiscrimination provisions to EEVS and SEEVS; (2) increase civil money penalties for unfair employment practice violations; (3) increase civil money penalties for certain hiring, recruiting, and referral violations (reduces certain penalties for small employers, exempts certain good faith, first-time violations, and provides a safe harbor for certain contractors); and (4) increase criminal penalties for pattern or practice violations. Amends SSA to: (1) provide for disclosure to the Secretary of Homeland Security of certain National Directory of New Hires information about employees with the greatest number or percentage of mismatched social security information; (2) deny credit toward earnings benefits from unauthorized work; (3) revise totalization agreement provisions; and (4) prohibit survivor's lump sum death payments to individuals who have been removed from the United States under INA.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Savings Recovery Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to increase the monthly exempt amount for individuals who have employment income and who have not reached full retirement age between 2008 and 2010. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from the gross income of noncorporate taxpayers in 2009 and 2010 dividend income and gain from the sale or exchange of capital assets; (2) increase the limit on the tax deduction for losses from the sale or exchange of capital assets; (3) allow a tax credit for contributions to a qualified tuition program; (4) eliminate the marriage penalty in income limitations for individual retirement account (IRA) contributions; (5) increase the dollar limitation on contributions, including catch-up contributions, to IRAs; and (6) extend through 2012 the suspension of of minimum withdrawal requirements from pension plans. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide special rules in 2009 and 2010 for valuation of assets in defined benefit pension plans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Green Jobs Improvement Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to make nonunion training programs eligible for federal funding under the energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program (Green Jobs program). Applies certain worker protections and nondiscrimination requirements to such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Expresses support for: (1) designation of a National Autism Awareness Month; and (2) devoting new resources to researching the root causes of autism, identifying the best methods of early intervention and treatment, expanding programs for individuals with autism, and promoting understanding of their special needs. Commends parents and relatives for providing for the special needs of children with autism. Stresses the need to begin early intervention services. Recognizes: (1) the shortage of appropriately trained teachers to teach, assist, and respond to special needs students; and (2) the importance of worker training programs tailored to the needs of developmentally disabled persons.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Supports the designation of May 2, 2009, as Vietnamese Refugees Day to commemorate the arrival and integration of Vietnamese refugees in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Law Enforcement Officer's Procedural Bill of Rights Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to set forth the due process rights, including procedures, that shall be afforded a law enforcement officer who is the subject of an investigation or disciplinary proceedings. Requires a law enforcement agency that initiates investigations or disciplinary proceedings against an officer of that agency to adopt and thereafter comply with a written complaint procedure that meets specified requirements. Grants certain procedural protections to law enforcement officers before and during any investigation that may result in disciplinary action, including: (1) the right to effective counsel; (2) the right to be interrogated at a reasonable hour; (3) written notice of investigative findings and disciplinary recommendations; (4) the right to submit a written response to such findings and recommendations; and (5) access to the complete file of the investigation and the right to examine physical evidence. Prohibits an officer from being compelled to submit to the use of a lie detector. Sets forth requirements and procedures for conducting disciplinary proceedings and for protecting the personal records and property of an officer. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize federal control over any state or local police force or criminal justice agency.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national minimum payment amount for CPT code 77080 (relating to dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, the most widely accepted method of measuring bone mass to predict fracture risk) and CPT code 77082 (relating to vertebral fracture assessment, or VFA), and any successor to such codes as identified by the Secretary (bone mass scans). Directs the Secretary to arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the ramifications of Medicare reimbursement reductions for DXA and VFA on beneficiary access to bone mass measurement benefits; and (2) the methods to increase use of bone mass measurement by Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Responsible Homeowners Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner of HUD, and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to give increased priority to efforts and activities to detect, identify, reduce, and report fraud in residential mortgage lending. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to grant: (1) individual taxpayers a $5,000 tax credit through June 30, 2010, for refinancing a mortgage on a principal residence located in the United States; (2) mortgage lenders an exclusion from gross income for their share of appreciation from a principal residence subject to a mortgage modification; (3) an exclusion from gross income for income resulting from a discharge of indebtedness under a mortgage modification; (4) a tax credit for up to $15,000 of the purchase price of a principal residence purchased before July 1, 2010, on which the taxpayer makes not less than a 5% downpayment; and (5) an exclusion from gross income of gain on the sale of single-family residential rental property held by a taxpayer for two years or more and rented as a single dwelling unit on a regular basis. Grants civil immunity and legal protections to mortgage servicers who enter into loan modifications, mortgage workouts, or other loss mitigation plans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Anti-Gaming and Collusion in Public-Private Investment Program Act - Prohibits any person who: (1) sells or otherwise disposes of an asset to or through any public-private investment program (including the Public-Private Investment Program for Legacy Assets established by the Secretary of the Treasury) from acquiring any other asset from or through such program; and (2) purchases or otherwise acquires an asset from or through such program from disposing of it or any other asset to or through any such program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Crime Victim Restitution and Court Fee Intercept Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary of the Treasury, upon receiving notice from a state judicial agency that a named person owes a past-due, legally enforceable state judicial debt, to pay such debt from any tax refund due to such person. Defines "state judicial debt" to include court costs, fees, fines, assessments, restitution to victims of crime, and other monies resulting from a judgment or sentence rendered by any court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction handling criminal or traffic cases in the state.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an excise tax credit through 2027 for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures involving compressed or liquefied natural gas; (2) allow an income tax credit through 2027 for alternative fuel motor vehicles powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas; (3) modify the tax credit percentage for alternative fuel vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; (4) allow a new tax credit for the production of vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquefied natural gas; and (5) extend through 2027 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures for refueling property relating to compressed or liquefied natural gas and allow an increased credit for such property. Requires 50% of all new vehicles purchased or placed in service by the U.S. government by December 31, 2014, to be capable of operating on compressed or liquefied natural gas. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make grants to manufacturers of light and heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the development of engines that reduce emissions, improve performance and efficiency, and lower cost.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Payroll Tax Holiday Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate employment and self-employment taxes between the enactment of this Act and January 1, 2010, for small business owners who employ 50 or fewer employees.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Constitutional Amendment - States that the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right. States that neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served. Provides that no treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 or EARLY Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign: (1) to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain ethnic and cultural groups; and (2) focusing on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns. Directs the Secretary to award grants to entities to establish national multimedia campaigns that: (1) will encourage young women to be aware of their personal risk factors, strategies for increasing early detection and self awareness, evidence based preventative lifestyle changes, and other appropriate breast cancer early detection and risk reduction strategies; (2) will encourage young women of specific higher-risk populations to talk to their medical practitioners about those risks and methods for appropriate screening and surveillance; and (3) may include advertising through specified media. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish an advisory committee to assist in creating and conducting the public education campaign; (2) conduct an education campaign to increase awareness among health care professionals; and (3) conduct prevention research. Directs the Secretary to award grants to organizations and institutions to provide to young women diagnosed with breast cancer substantive assistance and health information from credible sources on: (1) education and counseling regarding fertility preservation; (2) social, emotional, psychosocial, financial, lifestyle, and caregiver support; (3) familial risk factors; and (4) risk reduction strategies to reduce recurrence or metastasis.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2009
Justice for the Newark College Students Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security (current law refers to the Attorney General) to make investigative resources available to state and local law enforcement agencies to determine whether an individual arrested for a felony or an aggravated felony (current law refers to only an aggravated felony) is unlawfully in the United States; (2) state and local agencies to use such information to determine whether an arrested individual is unlawfully in the United States and to provide the appropriate court with such information; (3) the court to report such case's disposition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and (4) mandatory federal detention of such individuals pending removal, and release only in furtherance of the felony case for which the arrest was made.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer. Denies such tax credit to any taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Amends Rule XXVIII (Statutory Limit on Public Debt) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order to consider legislation changing the statutory limit on the public debt unless it is entitled "Increasing the statutory limit on the public debt." Prohibits such legislation from: (1) containing any provisions other than that changing the statutory limit on the public debt; and (2) being considered as passed unless so determined by a recorded vote. (Repeals the "Gephardt Rule" providing for mandatory adjustment of the statutory limit on the public debt to conform to a budget resolution.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) pursue every legal means to stay or recoup incentive bonuses and retention payments paid by American International Group, Inc. (AIG) to its executives and employees after September 16, 2008; (2) prohibit payments or other federal assistance to AIG unless current AIG executives and employees return to the Treasury any incentive bonuses and retention payments paid to them after September 16, 2008; and (3) require any financial institution that has received any assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and that has not repaid such assistance in full within two weeks after the enactment of this Act to submit to the Secretary for approval plans for making any incentive bonuses or retention payments to its executives or employees and any contracts that require such payments.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Expresses support for efforts to: (1) lower the rate of infant mortality in the United States; and (2) correct the racial disparities in prenatal care to lower that rate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; and (2) increase the amount of such credit for taxpayers who earn more than 50% of their gross receipts from domestic production activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Prohibits federal funds from being used to: (1) transfer any individual detained by the United States at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to any military installation or federal detention center in Minnesota; or (2) house any such individual at a Minnesota installation or detention center.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase in taxable years beginning in 2009, 2010, or 2011: (1) the limit on the tax deduction for trade or business start-up expenditures from $5,000 to $20,000; and (2) the threshold amount for reducing such limit.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should take full responsibility for financing the health-care benefits earned by veterans with service-connected disabilities; (2) the purchase of supplemental health insurance by a veteran should not be grounds for reducing the federal government's obligation to such veteran; and (3) the VA should not implement policies that discourage disabled veterans from purchasing supplemental health insurance coverage for themselves and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Cell Tax Fairness Act of 2009 - Prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property for five years after the enactment of this Act. Defines "new discriminatory tax" as a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2009
Social Security Benefits Tax Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 85 percent maximum tax rate on Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits enacted by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Appropriates, from the general fund, to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund amounts equal to the reduction in revenues resulting from this repeal.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2009 - Requires the United States Postal Service to issue and sell, at a premium, a Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp. Requires proceeds from the sale of such stamp to be: (1) transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to help fund the operations supported by the Multinational Species Conservation Funds; and (2) divided equally among the African Elephant Conservation Fund, the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund. Prohibits such proceeds from being taken into account in any decision relating to the level of appropriations or other federal funding to be furnished to the USFWS or such Funds. Requires the stamp to: (1) be made available to the public for at least five years; and (2) depict images of flagship multinational species.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2009
Ryan Dant Health Care Opportunity Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, to give states the option to disregard certain income in providing continued Medicaid coverage for certain individuals with extremely high annual lifelong orphan drug costs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2009
Medicare Oral Health Rehabilitative Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit physical therapy to be furnished under the Medicare program to individuals under the care of a dentist.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2009
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to extend through FY2014 funding under such Act for: (1) the Sex Offender Management Assistance (SOMA) program; (2) federal assistance to states for enforcing sex offender registration requirements; (3) pilot programs for monitoring sex offenders; (4) grants to combat sexual abuse of children; (5) the Jessica Lunsford address verification grant program; and (6) the program for safe surrender of fugitives. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2014 funding for: (1) sex offender apprehension grants; and (2) juvenile sex offender treatment grants.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2009
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the use of average sales price methodology for calculating payments for drugs and biologicals under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance). Excludes from the manufacturer's average sales price when calculating such payments any customary prompt pay discounts extended to wholesalers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2009
Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order in the House to consider any legislation containing appropriations within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations if such measure also contains appropriations within the jurisdiction of any other subcommittee of that Committee (other than any measure making supplemental appropriations or continuing appropriations for a maximum 60-day period).
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 - States that it is the policy of the United States to support the decision of state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and to prohibit the investment of assets they control in, persons that have investments of more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, or prohibit the investment of assets they control in, such persons, including financial institutions which extend them credit to so invest. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to shield any registered investment company from civil, criminal, or administrative action based upon its divesting from, or avoiding investing in, securities issued by such persons. Expresses the sense of Congress that a fiduciary of an employee benefit plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) may divest plan assets from, or avoid investing plan assets in, a person that has investments of more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector without breaching his or her fiduciary duties under ERISA, if such determination is based on credible information and in accordance with federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Savings Enhancement for Education in College Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the allowance for payment of expenses for computer technology and equipment from qualified tuition programs; (2) allow a tax credit for contributions to such programs; and (3) allow limited direction of investment of contributions or earnings in a qualified tuition program.