United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Mother's Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins emblematic of the 100th anniversary of President Wilson's proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins beginning January 1, 2014, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date. Terminates such minting authority after December 31, 2014. Requires coin sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, with distribution of such surcharges to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of furthering research.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act - Amends part B (Rural Education Initiative) of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the Small, Rural School Achievement program, which gives rural local educational agencies (LEAs) federal formula grants and greater flexibility in the use of state educational funds. Limits eligibility to LEAs whose schools are all designated with a school locale code of Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural, unless located in an area the state defines as rural. Raises federal grant limits when funds available to implement the program equal or exceed $100 million. Alters LEAs' eligibility for federal funds under the Rural and Low-Income School program by requiring that: (1) at least 40% of the children ages 5 through 17 that LEAs serve be eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (2) all of their schools be designated with a school locale code of Distant Town, Remote Town, Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Renewable Fuel Standard Improvement Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) include the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy in renewable fuel program activities under such Act; (2) revise the definition of "lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions" to base the measurement of such emissions on recent observable data and consideration of regional differences of renewable fuel production, rather than on indirect land use changes; and (3) expand the definition of "renewable biomass."
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Small Business Efficiency Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat professional employer organizations (PEOs), certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as employers for employment tax purposes (thus allowing such PEOs to pay wages and collect and remit payroll taxes on behalf of an employer). Sets forth IRS certification requirements for PEOs, including financial review and reporting requirements. Requires a PEO to post a bond, up to $1 million, to guarantee payment of employment taxes. Limits the required bond amount to $50,000 for a newly created PEO during its three-year startup period.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Soldiers Targeted by Offensive Profiteering Act of 2009 (STOP Act) - Prohibits any person, except with permission, from using the name or image of a protected individual in connection with any merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner calculated to connect the protected individual with that individual's service in the Armed Forces. Defines as a "protected individual" any person who: (1) is a member of the Armed Forces; or (2) was a member at any time after April 5, 1917, and, if not living, has a surviving spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring actions to enjoin violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, research and training, national security services, and motion picture or television production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Prohibits the Attorney General from electronically retrieving inactive firearms licensee information by name or personal identification code. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Commends: (1) the people of North Dakota and Minnesota for their efforts in fighting the floods in those states; and (2) the people from around the United States who assisted them. Expresses appreciation to the officials of the federal agencies working in North Dakota and Minnesota for their effective response to the disaster. Expresses support for the efforts of the communities of North Dakota and Minnesota to recover from the 2009 flooding and to improve protections against flooding in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Savings for Working Families Act of 2009 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Commends: (1) the people of North Dakota for their efforts in fighting the floods in North Dakota; and (2) the people from around the United States who assisted them. Expresses appreciation to the officials of the federal agencies working in North Dakota for their effective response to the disaster. Expresses support for the efforts of the communities of North Dakota to recover from the 2009 flooding and to improve protections against flooding in the future.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of Congress, to: (1) the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission to the surface of the moon, Neil A. Armstrong (the first human to walk on the moon), Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. (pilot of the lunar module Eagle and second person to walk on the moon), and Michael Collins (pilot of their command module Columbia) in recognition of the first lunar landing, on July 20, 1969; and (2) John Herschel Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, on February 20, 1962.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Celebrates the life of Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity. Honors Millard Fuller for three decades of leadership and service through Habitat for Humanity. Urges the people of the United States to recognize and pay tribute to Millard Fuller's life and legacy of service by carrying on his vision for a kinder, gentler world.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Nursing and Allied Health Education Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from denying provider-operated status for a nursing and allied education program that substantially meets certain requirements pertaining to the cost of approved activities for such programs, in effect as of October 1, 2006, on the basis of an organizational structure, contractual arrangements, or legal structure of the program, or a change in such a structure or arrangement, so long as a hospital, hospitals, or health system continues to substantially control the nursing or allied program. Prohibits denial of payments for the costs of approved educational activities for a nursing or allied health education program. Requires restoration to a hospital of any recoupment or denial effected for a previous cost reporting year.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to extend from three years to five years the delay in application of: (1) the 25% patient threshold payment adjustment to freestanding and grandfathered long-term care hospitals (LTCHs); (2) any payment adjustment, in certain circumstances, to any applicable LTCH or satellite facility located in a rural area or co-located with an urban single or metropolitan statistical area (MSA) dominant hospital; (3) the very short-stay outlier policy; and (4) a specified one-time prospective adjustment to LTCH prospective payment rates. Extends from three years to five years the moratorium on: (1) the establishment and classification of a LTCH or satellite facility, other than an existing one; and (2) an increase of LTCH beds in existing LTCHs or satellite facilities. Establishes a formula for annual adjustment of the base prospective payment rate for LTCHs for rate years 2011 through 2015 in order to implement a budget neutrality offset of the costs of implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Fiscal Honesty and Accountability Act of 2009 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to extend Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) requirements through FY2014 and enforcement mechanisms through FY2018. Requires the Directors of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) each to report to the House Committee on the Budget on how to broaden the PAYGO sequestration base and make it more fair and equitable. Extends through FY2013 the spending limits (spending caps) for the discretionary categories in new budget authority and outlays. Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to address issues of emergency spending by requiring: (1) Committee on the Budget guidelines; (2) a separate House vote on an emergency designation; and (3) detailed reserve funds for emergencies in the President's budget request to Congress. Prescribes a procedure for adjustments in committee allocations resulting from such spending in joint budget resolutions. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to prohibit floor amendments to amendments reported by the Committee on the Budget (or from the consideration of which the Committee has been discharged) with respect to legislation for emergency reserve funds for certain military operations. Prohibits consideration of an amendment to a joint budget resolution which changes the amount of budget authority and outlays set forth in the CBA for the emergency reserve fund. Requires reports on legislation which provide new budget, spending, or credit authority, or otherwise provide an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures, to include a CBO projection of the cost of debt servicing (interest). Amends the CBA concerning: (1) CBO cost analysis (scoring) for conference reports; (2) legislation which evades specified budget enforcement mechanisms; and (3) legislation which is unreported by committee (for purposes of budget point of order rules). Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives concerning: (1) budget compliance statements (permitting inclusion of budgetary implications); (2) requirements for budget act waivers (inclusion mandatory for bill consideration); and (3) a separate vote to waive a major budget act point of order.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Long-Term Care Affordability and Security Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) include long-term care insurance as a benefit under tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements; and (2) extend certain consumer protections under the long-term care insurance model regulation promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to all contracts for long-term care insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009 - Amends the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to make a variety of changes to increase Native American tribes' law enforcement powers and increase federal powers and responsibilities regarding crimes on Indian land, including: (1) allowing federal officials, with the consent of the tribe, to investigate offenses against tribal criminal laws; (2) providing technical assistance and training to tribal law enforcement officials regarding use of the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) database; (3) requiring federal and local officials, when they decline to investigate crimes on Indian land, to report to Native officials and requiring such officials, when they decline to prosecute, to turn over evidence to Native officials; (4) establishing in the criminal division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) the Office of Indian Country Crime to develop, enforce, and administer federal criminal laws in Indian country; (5) authorizing, at the request of a tribe, concurrent federal-tribal jurisdiction; (6) authorizing grants to state, tribal, and local governments that enter into cooperative agreements, including agreements relating to mutual aid, hot pursuit of suspects, and cross-deputization; (7) requiring the Attorney General to allow tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement agencies to directly access and enter information into federal criminal information databases (under current law, such access is limited); and (8) increasing the criminal sentences tribal courts may impose.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas; (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Savings for American Families' Future Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the rate of the tax credit for retirement savings contributions; (2) make such credit refundable; and (3) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to pay matching credit amounts into taxpayer retirement accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Honors the life and achievements of Dr. John Hope Franklin. Encourages the nation to recognize his academic contributions, scholarship, and service to the American society and history.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
World War I Memorial and Centennial Act of 2009 - Designates the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial. Establishes the World War I Centennial Commission to: (1) plan, develop, and execute programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I; (2) encourage private organizations and state and local governments to organize and participate in such activities; (3) facilitate and coordinate such activities throughout the United States; and (4) serve as a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of information about centennial events and plans.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
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 · 31 March 2009
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Quality FIRST (From Incentives, Reporting, Standards, and Technology) Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make performance-based payments each fiscal year to hospitals that provide high quality inpatient hospital services to inpatients entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance). Requires the Secretary to select appropriate evidence-based, statistically valid, and sufficiently field tested quality measures of care furnished by hospitals in inpatient settings for evaluating hospital performance. Requires a utilization and quality control peer review organization to give priority of quality improvement assistance to low-performing hospitals. Directs the Secretary to establish a program under which a hospital seeking to improve the quality of inpatient hospital services based on the results of a performance evaluation may apply to the Secretary to receive quality improvement assistance from a private quality organization with expertise in supporting inpatient service quality improvement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 or EARLY Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign: (1) to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain ethnic and cultural groups; and (2) focusing on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns. Directs the Secretary to award grants to entities to establish national multimedia campaigns that: (1) will encourage young women to be aware of their personal risk factors, strategies for increasing early detection and self awareness, evidence based preventative lifestyle changes, and other appropriate breast cancer early detection and risk reduction strategies; (2) will encourage young women of specific higher-risk populations to talk to their medical practitioners about those risks and methods for appropriate screening and surveillance; and (3) may include advertising through specified media. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish an advisory committee to assist in creating and conducting the public education campaign; (2) conduct an education campaign to increase awareness among health care professionals; and (3) conduct prevention research. Directs the Secretary to award grants to organizations and institutions to provide to young women diagnosed with breast cancer substantive assistance and health information from credible sources on: (1) education and counseling regarding fertility preservation; (2) social, emotional, psychosocial, financial, lifestyle, and caregiver support; (3) familial risk factors; and (4) risk reduction strategies to reduce recurrence or metastasis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2009
Carbon Capture and Storage Early Deployment Act - Authorizes qualified industry organizations to conduct a referendum among the owners or operators of distribution utilities delivering fossil fuel-based electricity for the creation of a Carbon Storage Research Corporation to establish a program to accelerate the commercial availability of carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies and methods through the provision of grants, contracts, and financial assistance. Requires the Corporation: (1) to be established upon approval of those persons representing two-thirds of the total quantity of fossil fuel-based electricity delivered to retail consumers, unless opposed by 40% state regulatory authorities; and (2) to operate as a division or affiliate of the Electric Power Research Institute . Requires the Corporation, annually, to collect an assessment on such distribution utilities that shall reflect the relative carbon dioxide emission rates of different fossil fuel-based electricity. Sets initial rates of assessment for coal, natural gas, and oil. Authorizes the Corporation to adjust the assessments to reflect changes in the expected quantities of such electricity from different fuel types such that the assessments generate between $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion annually. Sets forth provisions concerning an assessment within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Authorizes the Corporation to collect assessments and conduct operations for 10 years. Dissolves the Corporation after 15 years. Requires the Corporation's Board to establish policies regarding the ownership of intellectual property developed as a result of Corporation support that encourage individual ingenuity and invention. Requires the Secretary of Energy to: (1) issue a rule for determining the level and type of fossil fuel electricity delivered to retail customers by each distribution utility; and (2) make and publish such determinations annually. Provides for recovery of a distribution facility's costs of complying with this Act. Establishes the Technical Advisory Committee to provide independent assessments and technical evaluations concerning Corporation activities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Imposes an additional income tax on bonuses paid to employees or former employees of covered Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) recipients. Defines "covered TARP recipient" to include: (1) entities and their affiliates that received capital infusions under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 exceeding $5 billion; and (2) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Exempts entities that repay TARP amounts exceeding a $5 billion threshold. Sets the rate of such tax at 90% of the lesser of: (1) the bonus amounts paid; or (2) the amount of such taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeding $250,000 ($125,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return). Exempts any employee who irrevocably waives or returns a bonus payment before the close of the taxable year in which such payment is due.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs. Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, and parental involvement in their childrens' education. Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a study that: (1) assesses the effect health and physical education have on students' ability to learn; and (2) makes recommendations for improving, and measuring improvements to, their health and physical education in schools.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Amends the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to exempt off-highway vehicles from children's product lead limits. Defines "off-highway vehicle" as: (1) any motorized vehicle designed to travel on two, three, or four wheels and having a seat designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering control; and (2) a snowmobile. Allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to exempt a specific product or material from the limits if it finds that lead in the product or material will not result in the absorption of lead (under current law, of any lead) into the human body, taking into account normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product by a child.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income for income tax purposes AmeriCorps educational awards awarded under the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Securing America's Future Economy Commission Act or SAFE Commission Act - Establishes the Securing America's Future Economy (SAFE) Commission to develop legislation designed to address: (1) the unsustainable imbalance between long-term federal spending commitments and projected revenues; (2) increases in net national savings to provide for domestic investment and economic growth; (3) the implications of foreign ownership of federally issued debt instruments; and (4) revision of the budget process to place greater emphasis on long-term fiscal issues. Requires the Commission to: (1) develop one or two methods for estimating the cost of legislation as an alternative to the current Congressional Budget Office (CBO) method; and (2) hold at least one town-hall style public hearing within each federal reserve district. Requires the Commission to submit a legislative proposal to Congress and the President. Authorizes the President to submit to Congress an alternative proposal. Authorizes the Committee on the Budget of either chamber to publish its own alternative proposal in the Congressional Record. Sets forth procedures for consideration of such legislation. Requires CBO to prepare a long-term cost estimate and have it published in the Congressional Record as expeditiously as possible whenever requested to do so by the Commission, the President, or the chairman or ranking minority member of the Committee on the Budget of either chamber.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an additional 100% income tax on bonuses paid to the employees of entities that received assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and in which the federal government has an ownership interest greater than 50%.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish science-based nutrition standards for foods served in schools other than foods served under the school lunch or breakfast programs. Applies such standards to all food sold outside such programs anywhere on school campuses during the extended school day, with the possible limited exemption of food sold at school fundraisers. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider the recommendations of authoritative scientific organizations and evidence concerning the relationship between diet and health when establishing the standards; and (2) review the standards as soon as practicable after the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services publish a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Savings Enhancement for Education in College Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the allowance for payment of expenses for computer technology and equipment from qualified tuition programs; (2) allow a tax credit for contributions to such programs; and (3) allow limited direction of investment of contributions or earnings in a qualified tuition program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide that the value of certain funeral and burial arrangements involving an irrevocable trust whose named beneficiary is the funeral provider are not to be considered, under the SSI program, as resources available to the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Arnold Palmer (golf professional) in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2009
Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income distributions from individual retirement accounts for certain charitable purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the Boards of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, in honor of the distinguished service of the American military men and women who have been Medal of Honor recipients. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2011. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin and $10 per coin for the $1 coin, to be distributed to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance educational, scholarship, and outreach programs of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in recognition of five United States Army Five-Star Generals: George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry "Hap" Arnold, and Omar Bradley, alumni of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Requires the design of the coins to include portraits of the generals. Restricts the issuance of such coins to calendar 2013. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be paid promptly to the Command and General Staff College Foundation to help finance its support of the College.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Federal and Military Retiree Health Care Equity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2009
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2009 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt certain returning H-2B aliens (temporary nonagricultural worker) from annual numerical limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the allowable amount of the railroad track maintenance tax credit; (2) revise the types of expenditures eligible for such credit; and (3) extend such credit through 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity; and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with current research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention and intervention. Directs the Administrator to award grants to: (1) allow institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs; and (2) hire and train law enforcement officers as youth-oriented police to work with PCCs, other community-based organizations, and high-risk youth. Establishes a Center for Youth-Oriented Policing. Mynisha's Law - Authorizes any local government or Indian Tribe with a PCC to submit an application to the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for designation as a Comprehensive Gang Prevention and Relief Area. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to partnerships comprising state mental health authorities and local or private entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in urban communities with a high or increasing incidence of such violence. Prevention Resources for Eliminating Criminal Activity Using Tailored Interventions in Our Neighborhoods Act of 2009 or the PRECAUTION Act - Establishes the National Commission on Public Safety Through Crime and Delinquency Prevention to: (1) carry out a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of certain crime and delinquency prevention and intervention strategies: and (2) make initial and final reports on such strategies to specified federal and state officials. Authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make three-year grants to public and private entities for the implementation and evaluation of innovative crime or delinquency prevention or intervention strategies. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to authorize grants for the creation and expansion of state, local, and tribal juvenile witness and victim protection grants.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Health Insurance Coverage Protection Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan from imposing an aggregate lifetime benefit limit of less than: (1) $5 million for the first two plan years; (2) $10 million for the third and fourth plan years; and (3) adjusted amounts based on the consumer price index for subsequent plan years. Excludes from such prohibition a group health plan offered to employees of a small employer, except upon request of the employer for a consistent limit. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with the Institute of Medicine for a study to determine the number of individuals who have reached the lifetime limitations set forth in this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009 - Amends the Peace Corps Act to: (1) authorize appropriations for the Peace Corps; and (2) increase readjustment allowances for Peace Corps volunteers and volunteer leaders.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pomeroy, Earl [D-ND-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000422_200.jpg)