United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Children First Act of 2010 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) exclude child care assistance from the determination of the five-year limit on TANF assistance; and (2) increase funding for child care. Requires an eligible state's TANF plan to include a certification by the state's chief executive officer that procedures are in effect to ensure that any child care provider in the state that provides services funded through TANF expenditures or with qualified state expenditures complies with all applicable state or local health and safety requirements under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Increases from 5 to 12 the maximum age of a child for which a single custodial parent who is unable to find child care for such child will not penalized with a reduction or termination of TANF assistance based on that individual's refusal to engage in required work in order to take care of the child. Subjects to the individual and case data reporting requirements of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 any TANF funds expended for child care, whether or not transferred to that Act, and exempts such funds from SSA reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2010
Commends the New York Giants, the New York Jets, the New Meadowlands Stadium Project, and the people of New Jersey for creating one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable sports complexes in the world.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
National Child Protection Training Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter into an agreement with the National Child Protection Training Center to establish and sustain Regional Training Centers in the midwestern, northeastern, southern, and western regions of this country. Requires the Regional Training Centers to: (1) provide child protection professionals in the field with low-cost, high-quality training, technical assistance, and publications; (2) provide child protection professionals with ongoing training and assistance in developing evidence-based community prevention programs; (3) develop model undergraduate and graduate curricula on child maltreatment and, upon the Secretary's approval, disseminate them to institutions of higher education (IHEs); and (4) assist states in developing and maintaining forensic interview training programs. Directs the National Child Protection Training Center to award grants to state and local governments and other nonprofit entities to: (1) assist state and local child protection professionals in developing statewide forensic interview training programs; or (2) expand forensic interview training programs to provide for additional, advanced forensic interview training courses. Directs the National Child Protection Training Center to award grants to state and local governments and other nonprofit entities to assist IHEs in implementing or expanding model undergraduate or graduate curricula on child abuse and neglect.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Fairness in Medigap Options Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to make eligible for guaranteed issue of Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies: (1) all Medicare beneficiaries; (2) Medicare Advantage plan enrollees who disenroll from the plan and elect to receive benefits through the original Medicare fee-for-service program; and (3) Medicaid (SSA title XIX) plan enrollees who have lost eligibility for such medical assistance. Allows individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to receive Medicare benefits through enrollment in a Medicare+Choice plan. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to specify an annual period during which individuals enrolled in a Medigap policy with a particular benefit package may change to another such policy if the other policy: (1) is offered by a different issuer and is available for issuance to new enrollees; and (2) has the same benefit package or a benefit package with lesser benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Iran Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 or ITA Act of 2010 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require an issuer to state, in its mandatory periodic report, whether it (or any subsidiary or affiliate) has: (1) engaged in an activity of a type and involving an amount that could subject it to sanctions under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; (2) knowingly engaged in an activity or violated regulations described under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; or (3) had any ties to a company designated by either the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary of State as contributing or supporting the proliferation activities of Iran. Prescribes specified disclosures. Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to make such disclosures public. Directs the President, upon receipt of such report, to investigate and determine if the issuer should be subject to sanctions under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a rule that: (1) establishes the data that constitute the minimum data set for chemical substances (chemicals) and mixtures; and (2) requires chemical manufacturers and processors to submit their minimum data sets. Requires such manufacturers and processors to submit such minimum data sets for chemicals placed on the priority list and new chemicals. Authorizes the Administrator to require the testing of chemicals and mixtures. Requires the Interagency Testing Committee, in forming a list of chemicals and mixtures that the Administrator should test, to give priority attention to those chemicals and mixtures which are known to cause or contribute to adverse affects on health or the environment. Revokes the limit on the number of chemicals and mixtures that may be placed on such a list. Prohibits any person from manufacturing or processing a new chemical or a chemical for a new use unless: (1) the person notifies the Administrator about the person's intention to manufacture or process the chemical; (2) such use is a critical use; and (3) the chemical or mixture meets the safety standard under such Act. Requires a priority list to be established that contains specified chemicals for which safety determinations shall first be made. Requires the: (1) Administrator to update and publish the list; and (2) updated list to consist of at least 300 chemicals. Authorizes the Administrator to add chemical mixtures to the list. Requires the Administrator to apply a safety standard that takes into account aggregate exposure to chemicals or mixtures and ensures that, for all intended uses, there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result to the public health and that the public welfare is protected. Requires: (1) manufacturers and processors to bear the burden of proving that chemicals or mixtures meet such safety standard; and (2) the Administrator to determine whether such burden has been met. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) biomonitoring studies regarding chemicals or any metabolite or degradation byproducts of chemicals; (2) the manufacture, processing, distribution or use of polychlorinated biphenyl; (3) declarations of manufacturing or processing chemicals or mixtures; (4) a public database of information relating to the toxicity and use of, and exposure to, chemicals and mixtures; (5) disclosures to commercial purchasers of information about the chemicals and mixtures they purchase; (6) a survey by the Administrator about mixtures; (7) exportation and importation of chemicals or mixtures; (8) conditions under which data about chemicals may be designated as confidential business information; and (9) civil actions and penalties for violations of such Act. Prohibits any person from: (1) manufacturing, processing, distributing, using for commercial purposes, or disposing of chemicals, mixtures, or articles containing chemicals or mixtures that such person knew or had reason to know were manufactured, processed, or distributed in violation of such Act; and (2) introducing or knowingly distributing chemicals, mixtures, or articles containing chemicals or mixtures that fail to comply with labeling requirements. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish criteria to identify chemicals and mixtures that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic; (2) list chemicals and mixtures that meet such criteria; and (3) impose conditions on manufacturing, processing, using, distributing, or disposing such chemicals and mixtures. Requires the Administrator to: (1) enter into contracts and make grants to further understanding of the vulnerability of children to chemical substances; (2) establish the Science Advisory Board on Children's Health and Toxic Substances; and (3) conduct, not later than two years after identifying a chemical substance which is likely to be present in human biological media at a level above that normally found and which is likely to have adverse effects on early childhood development, a biomonitoring study to determine the presence of such substance in the biological media of pregnant women and infants. Requires the Administrator to: (1) take action to minimize the use of animals in testing of chemical substances or mixtures; (2) establish a program to create incentives for the development of safer alternatives to existing chemicals and mixtures that reduce or avoid the use and generation of hazardous chemical substances or mixtures; (3) cooperate with international efforts to develop a common protocol or electronic database relating to chemical substances and mixtures or to develop safer alternatives; (4) implement the provisions of international agreements related to chemicals and mixtures to which the U.S. becomes a party; and (5) promulgate a rule to establish criteria for the determination of disproportionate exposure to toxic chemicals, establish criteria to identify any locality that is disproportionately exposed, develop a method for data collection on and categorization of patterns of disproportionate exposure and associated adverse effects, identify and publish a list localities within the United States subject to disproportionate exposure, and develop action plans to reduce such disproportionate exposure. Prohibits any person from manufacturing, processing, distributing, using for commercial purposes, or disposing of hexabromobiphenyl, hexachlorobenzene, hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether and congeners in the commercial OctaBDE mixture, pentachlorobenzene, and tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether and congeners in the commercial PentaBDE mixture. Authorizes the Administrator to exempt a substance or mixture, or particular uses of the substance or mixture, from requirements of such Act if the Administrator determines that the scientific consensus is that it does not and would not pose any risk of injury to health or the environment under any current, proposed, or anticipated levels of production, patterns of use, or exposures arising at any stage across its lifecycle.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2010
Home Health Care Access Protection Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services and adjustments to it for case mix changes. Requires for years beginning with 2011 that any evaluation of case mix changes and any such adjustment be made using standards developed consistent with specified processes, taking certain criteria into account. Directs the Secretary to convene a Technical Advisory Group to advise on the development of such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2010
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer through Exchanges a health benefits plan (public health insurance option) that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care. Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan: (1) may be made available only through Exchanges; (2) must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through such Exchanges, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing; and (3) must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option; (2) collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates; (3) establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan; and (4) establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years. Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
United States Postal Service's CSRS Obligation Modification Act of 2010 - Prescribes the "average pay" and the appropriate percentage thereof to be used in determining annuities for civilian employment with the United States Postal Service (USPS) for purposes of provisions relating to future benefits attributable to such employment in order to calculate the amount of any Postal surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): (1) within six months after enactment of this Act, to determine (or, if applicable, redetermine) the amount of such surplus or liability as of the close of the most recently ending fiscal year using the methodology required under this Act; and (2) if the result is a surplus, to transfer the surplus amount to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Protecting Homeowners' Credit History Act of 2010 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a person from furnishing to a consumer reporting agency any negative information resulting from the modification of the terms of a consumer loan secured by one to four units of residential real property, including any agreement to reduce the amount of the payments for the loan or to reduce the principal amount of such loan. Prohibits a person, in calculating any consumer's credit score, from producing a less favorable credit score on the basis of any information resulting from the modification of the terms of a consumer loan secured by one to four units of residential real property, including any such agreement as well.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Recognizes the legacy of Bob Sheppard and his distinctive announcements as a revered tradition not only to the New York Yankees and the New York Giants, but also to the games of baseball and football and the field of sports announcing. Commends Bob Sheppard for his 52 years of service as a public-address announcer and his long tenure as a speech professor.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Universal Access to Methamphetamine Treatment Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to: (1) increase the availability of treatment for methamphetamine abuse; (2) provide vouchers to individuals in underserved populations for authorized services related to such treatment; and (3) establish programs to provide for and coordinate the provision of wrap-around services, such as medical services, job training services, and housing assistance, to methamphetamine-affected individuals. Revises the grant program to provide residential substance abuse treatment to pregnant and postpartum women to: (1) make caregiver parents eligible for such program; (2) make Indian tribes and tribal organizations eligible for grants; and (3) set forth the priority for allocation of grants. Requires the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct research on the effectiveness of the use of agonist and antagonist drugs to reduce the problems associated with stimulant abuse, including methamphetamine abuse. Requires the Secretary to seek to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to complete a literature review on the effectiveness of agonist and antagonist drugs for the treatment of stimulant abuse, including methamphetamine abuse. Requires the Comptroller General to study: (1) the impact of the programs authorized by this Act on the effectiveness and availability of treatment for methamphetamine abuse; (2) how the level of federal funding available for such treatment compares to the amount necessary to provide adequate treatment; and (3) the impact of effective treatment of methamphetamine abuse on cost savings due to the reduced need for criminal justice and other services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2010
Compound 1080 and Sodium Cyanide Elimination Act - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit the use, production, sale, importation, or exportation of sodium fluoroacetate (known as Compound 1080). Prohibits the use of sodium cyanide in a predator control device. Subjects a violator of either such prohibition to a fine, imprisonment for not more than two years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2010
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to: (1) promulgate rules prohibiting, as unfair and deceptive acts or practices, persons from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that such persons provide abortion services if such persons do not provide such services; and (2) enforce violations of such rules as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2010
Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the Secretary of Education from providing education funding to any educational agency or institution that allows school personnel to inflict corporal punishment upon a student as a form of punishment or to modify undesirable behavior. Requires each state to submit a plan to the Secretary, within 18 months of this Act's enactment and every third year thereafter, that describes how the state eliminates the use of corporal punishment in schools and makes school personnel and parents aware of its policies and procedures for doing so. Authorizes the Secretary to award three-year grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist them in improving school climate and culture by implementing school-wide positive behavior supports. Requires grant and subgrant funds to be used for professional training, technical assistance, research, and outreach regarding positive behavior supports. Requires LEAs to ensure that private school personnel can participate, on an equitable basis, in activities supported by such funds. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out such activities with regard to schools operated or funded by the Department of the Interior. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national assessment to determine compliance with this Act's requirements and identify best practices regarding positive behavior support professional training programs. Gives Protection and Advocacy Systems the authority provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to investigate, monitor, and enforce this Act's protections for students.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2010
Expresses support for the designation of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that steps should be taken to: (1) raise awareness about prostate cancer screening and treatment; (2) support research so that the screening and treatment of prostate cancer may be improved and the causes of, and a cure for, prostate cancer may be discovered; and (3) improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2010
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration project under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to evaluate the benefits of providing payment for items and services needed for the administration, within the homes of Medicare beneficiaries, of intravenous immune globin (IVIG) for the treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases. Amends SSA title XVIII to treat as durable medical equipment (DME) any disposable drug delivery systems, including elastomeric infusion pumps, for the treatment of colorectal cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2010
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 2010 - Renders the general terminating date (i.e., December 31, 2010) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 inapplicable to provisions of that Act that extended the exclusion of employer-provided educational assistance from the gross income of employees (thus making such tax exclusion permanent).
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2010
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Attorney General should implement changes to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to identify endangered juveniles; (2) funds awarded under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program should be used to provide education, training, deterrence, and prevention programs relating to sex trafficking of minors; (3) states should treat minor victims of sex trafficking as crime victims rather than as criminal defendants or juvenile delinquents and adopt and amend laws to protect and provide compensation to such victims; and (4) demand for commercial sex with sex trafficking victims must be deterred through consistent law enforcement. Authorizes the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to award one-year block grants to up to six state or local governments in different regions of the United States that have significant sex trafficking to combat such trafficking. Requires grant funds to be used to provide shelter and services to minor victims of sex trafficking and for training for service providers. Amends title IV of the Social Security Act (Grants to States for Needy Families with Children and for Child-Welfare Services) to require states to adopt procedures for reporting information on missing or abducted children for entry into the NCIC database. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require: (1) the Attorney General's annual statistical summary under such Act to include the total number of missing child reports received and the total number of entries made to the NCIC database; and (2) state law enforcement agencies to update the record of a missing child with a photograph taken within the previous 180 days and to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report of a child missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2010
Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions prohibiting knowingly creating, selling, or possessing a depiction of animal cruelty to prohibit knowingly and for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain selling or distributing an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce. States that such prohibition does not prohibit the sale or distribution of any visual depiction of hunting, trapping, fishing, or customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices. Defines "animal crush video" as any obscene photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, or electronic image that depicts actual conduct in which one or more living animals is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, or impaled in a manner that would violate a criminal prohibition on cruelty to animals in the federal or state jurisdiction in which the depiction is created, sold, distributed, or offered for sale or distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2010
Rating and Processing Individuals' Disability Claims Act or the RAPID Claims Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), if a veteran's claim is submitted that is determined to be a fully developed claim, to provide: (1) the claimant with the opportunity to waive any claim development period with respect to such claim; and (2) expeditious treatment to such claim. Provides that: (1) if a person notifies the Secretary of the intention to submit a fully developed claim and does so within a one-year period thereafter, the Secretary shall provide expeditious treatment to the claim; and (2) if the Secretary determines that a claim submitted as fully developed is not fully developed, the Secretary shall notify such person within 30 days of the information and evidence required to fully develop the claim. Requires the Secretary, when denying a benefit, to notify the claimant of any form or application required to appeal such decision.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2010
Oil Spill Responsibility Act of 2010 - Finds that BP p.l.c. (BP) confessed under oath before Congress to being the responsible party for the discharge of oil in the Gulf of Mexico resulting from the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon. Requires BP immediately to pay the United States $25 billion as partial compensation for removal costs and damages for which BP is liable. States that a specified limitation on damages under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 shall not apply with respect to the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon. Prohibits the construction of this Act as limiting the liability of BP for such amount. Requires amounts paid by BP under this Act to be deposited into a separate account in the Treasury and made available to the Secretary of the Interior to reimburse any person for removal costs and damages incurred as a result of the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2010
Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to revise the school lunch and breakfast programs, the summer food service program, the child and adult care food program (CACFP), and the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC program). Reauthorizes appropriations for such programs through FY2015. Includes among such revisions: (1) encouraging the direct certification of children who receive other public assistance as eligible for free meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs; (2) establishing new mechanisms by which schools or local educational agencies (LEAs) with very high proportions of low-income children can receive federal reimbursement for free or reduced price meals under such programs without collecting individual paper applications from households; (3) establishing a program awarding competitive grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to LEAs to establish or expand the school breakfast program at low-income schools; (4) expanding the access of low-income rural areas to the summer food service program; (5) requiring updates to meal patterns and nutrition standards for the school lunch and breakfast programs based on recommendations made by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS); (6) requiring the establishment of science-based nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools outside the school lunch and breakfast programs; (7) requiring LEAs participating in the school lunch and breakfast programs to establish local school wellness policies for their schools that include goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity and education, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness; (8) requiring reimbursable meals and snacks provided under the CACFP to meet the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and certain authoritative scientific recommendations; (9) encouraging WIC program participants to breastfeed; and (10) requiring WIC electronic benefit transfer (EBT) systems to be implemented nationwide by October 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2010
Expresses support for the designation of Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Encourages participation in voluntary activities to support blood cancer research and education.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2010
Calls for an end to the violence, arrests, torture, and ill treatment perpetrated against Iranian citizens as well as the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran. Calls upon the U.S. government, the President, and the Secretary of State to condemn human rights violations in Iran and support the Iranian people's endeavors towards democracy. Calls for an end to a selective approach to Iranian opponents who struggle for democracy and human rights and invites the Secretary, in coalition with British and European allies, to remove the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran from the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Calls for the adoption of measures by the President to impose sanctions while welcoming the U.S. government's efforts to create an international consensus to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Calls on the President to persuade U.S. allies and other countries to enact appropriate measures aimed at depriving Iranian banks and financial institutions involved in nuclear activities and backing of terrorist groups from access to the international monetary system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2010
Fresh Start Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to allow an individual convicted of a nonviolent criminal offense to file a petition for expungement of the record of such conviction. Allows expungement if such individual: (1) has never been convicted of any criminal offense other than the nonviolent offense for which expungement is sought; (2) has fulfilled all requirements of the sentence of the court, including payment of all fines, restitution, or assessments and completion of terms of imprisonment and probation; and (3) has remained free (if required by the court's sentence) from dependency on or abuse of alcohol or a controlled substance for at least one year. Requires the Attorney General to maintain an unaltered nonpublic copy of expunged criminal records, to be disclosed for limited purposes to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase by 5% grant funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to states that implement expungement procedures substantially similar to the procedures enacted by this Act. Decreases such grant funding by 5% for states that fail to adopt expungement procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act and Christopher's Law - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require private educational lenders and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that provide student loan counseling to discuss the benefits of advanced directives with the signers and cosigners of student loans. Requires lenders of private educational loans for which cosigners are held jointly liable to clearly and concisely define the terms of cosigners' obligations regarding such loans. Directs lenders of private educational loans which are cosigned to inform the signers and cosigners regarding the benefits of purchasing credit insurance; but prohibits such lenders from conditioning or varying the terms of such loans on the basis of whether or not credit insurance is purchased. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System by regulation to set standards for determining when a private educational loan signer or cosigner has died or become incapacitated or disabled. Requires such regulations to treat a determination by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) that a borrower is unemployable due to a service-connected condition as proof that such borrower is incapacitated or disabled. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require: (1) prospective borrowers of federal PLUS and consolidated loans to be informed about creation of advanced directives; and (2) borrowers of federal educational loans to be provided entrance counseling regarding the creation of advanced directives and the effect their death, incapacitation, or disability would have on their federal and private educational loans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Congratulates the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on its 35th anniversary. Recognizes the important contributions the Convention has made in regulating international trade in endangered species and protecting such species worldwide. Recognizes the increasing importance of the Convention in addressing multiple and compounding threats on species and ecosystems arising from over-exploitation, habitat loss, invasive species, disease, and the effects of climate change. Applauds the Convention's recent leadership in reaffirming strong protections for the African elephant, and other endangered species. Urges: (1) renewed, expanded, and accelerated commitments to the Convention by all Parties to ensure the Convention's contribution to species conservation; (2) the U.S. delegation to the Convention to utilize international cooperation to encourage other Parties to the Convention to collaborate effectively to curb excessive exploitation of species for international trade; and (3) the Convention to adopt stronger protections for the polar bear, sharks, bluefin tuna, and other endangered species at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Obstetric Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope, and Dignity Restoration Act of 2010 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance, including through international organizations, national governments, and international and local nongovernmental organizations, to: (1) address the social and health issues that lead to obstetric fistula; and (2) support treatment of obstetric fistula. Provides that such assistance shall promote the coordination facilitated by the International Obstetric Fistula Working Group.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to define a "high volume retail breeder" as a person who, in commerce, for compensation or profit: (1) has an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs; and (2) sells, via any means of conveyance, more than 50 of the offspring of such dogs for use as pets in any one-year period. Considers such a breeder of dogs to be a dealer. Requires dealers to include on licensing applications and annual renewals the total number of dogs exempted from exercise on the premises of the dealer in the preceding year by a licensed veterinarian. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate requirements for the exercise of dogs at facilities owned or operated by a dealer, including requiring daily access to exercise that: (1) allows the dogs to move sufficiently in a way that is not forced, repetitive, or restrictive; and (2) is in an area that is spacious, cleaned at least once a day, free of infestation by pests or vermin, and designed to prevent the dogs from escaping. Allows an exemption if: (1) a licensed veterinarian determines that a dog should not exercise because of the health, condition, or well-being of the dog; and (2) such determination is reviewed and updated at least once every 30 days by the veterinarian, unless the basis for the determination is a permanent condition. Subjects such a determination to review and approval by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Congratulates the government of South Africa upon its first two successful convictions for human trafficking. Calls on the government of South Africa to: (1) adopt the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill; (2) prioritize anti-trafficking law enforcement during the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup; and (3) adopt measures to protect vulnerable children from sexual and labor exploitation. Urges the government of South Africa to prosecute tourists participating in commercial sexual exploitation of women and children during the 2010 World Cup.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2010
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the National Council for International Visitors and its efforts to promote excellence in citizen diplomacy. Commends the achievements of the thousands of citizen diplomats who have worked for generations to share the best of the United States with foreign leaders, specialists, and scholars. Supports the designation of Citizen Diplomacy Day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2010
Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit to mean recently discharged veterans and disadvantaged veterans. Defines "recently discharged veteran" to mean: (1) any individual who has served on active duty (other than active duty for training) in the Armed Forces for more than 180 total days (whether consecutive or not); (2) any individual who has been discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability; and (3) any member of the National Guard who has served for more than 180 total days (whether consecutive or not) in active duty, full-time National Guard duty, or duty in state status. Defines "disadvantaged veteran" as any veteran who is certified as being a member of a family receiving assistance under a supplemental nutrition assistance program and is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability. Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Guard to inform military personnel who are discharged or released from active duty of the work opportunity tax credit and provide them with documentation relating to eligibility for and use of such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2010
Recognizes the historical importance of the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950. Honors the noble service and sacrifice of the U.S. Armed Forces and the armed forces of allied countries that served in Korea since 1950 to the present. Encourages all Americans to participate in commemorative activities to pay solemn tribute to, and to never forget, the veterans of the Korean War. Calls upon the President to issue a proclamation recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Korean War and commemorating National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to its alliance with the Republic of Korea for the betterment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2010
Congratulates Israel for its accession to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Commends the 31 nations of the OECD, as well as OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, for recognizing Israel's economic success as well as its commitment to the principles of democratic government and market economy by unanimously electing Israel to OECD membership. Recognizes the importance of the strong role played by the United States in Israel's successful bid for accession to membership in the OECD. Calls on responsible nations to support efforts by Israel to accede to membership or enhance its participation, as the case may be, in international forums.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2010
William Shemin Jewish World War I Veterans Act - Directs the Secretaries of the Army and the Navy to: (1) review the service records of certain Jewish-American World War I veterans to determine whether that veteran should be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; and (2) upon a positive determination, submit a recommendation to the President that the President make such award. Makes eligible for such review and award each Jewish-American World War I veteran: (1) who was previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or other military decoration for service during World War I; or (2) whose name is submitted to either Secretary by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America within one year after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Fair Defense Competition Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), in awarding a contract for any major defense acquisition program and conducting the cost or price evaluation of any proposal for that contract, to take into account any final panel report that concludes that an illegal subsidy (inconsistent with the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures) has been provided with respect to: (1) any merchandise or major component of such program; or (2) the development of any merchandise or major component thereof. Requires the Secretary, if the illegal subsidy has not been withdrawn, to increase the cost or price of the proposal by the amount of the subsidy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Access to Birth Control Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require pharmacies to comply with certain rules related to contraceptives, including: (1) providing a customer a contraceptive without delay if it is in stock; (2) immediately informing a customer if the contraceptive is not in stock and either transferring the prescription to a pharmacy that has the contraceptive in stock or expediting the ordering of the contraceptive and notifying the customer when it arrives, based on customer preference, except for pharmacies that do not ordinarily stock contraceptives in the normal course of business; and (3) ensuring that pharmacy employees do not take certain actions relating to a request for contraception, including intimidating, threatening, or harassing customers, interfering with or obstructing the delivery of services, intentionally misrepresenting or deceiving customers about the availability of contraception or its mechanism of action, breaching or threatening to breach medical confidentiality, or refusing to return a valid, lawful prescription. Provides that a pharmacy is not prohibited from refusing to provide a contraceptive to a customer if: (1) it is unlawful to dispense the contraceptive to the customer without a valid, lawful prescription and no such prescription is presented; (2) the customer is unable to pay for the contraceptive; or (3) the employee of the pharmacy refuses to provide the contraceptive on the basis of a professional clinical judgment. Provides that this Act does not preempt state law or any professional obligation of a state board that provides greater protections for customers. Sets forth civil penalties and establishes a a private cause of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Demands that Hamas: (1) immediately and unconditionally release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit; (2) allow access to the Israeli captives by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross; and (3) provide Gilad Shalit the humane treatment all captives are entitled to as a fundamental human right, including communication with his family. Expresses: (1) commitment to the survival of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state within recognized and secure borders; (2) support in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of a democratic, viable, and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel; (3) sympathy for Gilad Shalit's family; and (4) commitment to seek the release of Gilad Shalit and other missing Israeli soldiers. Recalls Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, Zecharya Baumel, Zvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz, Ron Arad, Guy Hever, and Majdy Halabi. Condemns: (1) Hamas for the cross border attack and kidnapping of Gilad Shalit; and (2) Iran and Syria for their support for international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2010
Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act - Amends the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists as eligible providers of medical, surgical, and hospital services and supplies under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2010
Improvements in Global Maternal and Newborn Health Outcomes while Maximizing Successes Act or Improvements in Global MOMS Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance to reduce mortality and improve maternal health and the health of newborns in developing countries, including HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Directs the President to implement a comprehensive strategy as part of the Global Health Initiative to reduce mortality and improve the health of mothers and newborns in developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2010
BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission Act of 2010 - Establishes the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission to investigate: (1) the performance of BP Exploration and Production, Inc., Transocean, Ltd., and other entities affiliated with the Mobile Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon; (2) their compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations (including their conformance with their own practices and industry practices); (3) the performance of federal, state, and local agencies responsible for oversight, inspection, and enforcement; and (4) the compliance of such agencies with federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing their actions. Requires the Commission to evaluate: (1) current and future impact of the oil disaster on the environment, economy, and public health; (2) the adequacy of the response to the oil disaster; (3) the implications of the oil disaster, and any risk of other such disasters, for offshore oil and gas activities by the United States; and (4) the availability and accuracy of baseline data against which the impact of the oil disaster may be measured. Requires the Commission to develop recommendations to: (1) improve the response to the oil disaster, including through modification of proposed plans to mitigate and monitor its impact; and (2) minimize the risk and mitigate the impact of future such disasters (including changes to federal law and regulations and improvements in industry practices). Sets forth powers of the Commission, including subpoena powers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2010
Child Safety, Care, and Education Continuity Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and nonpublic schools for assistance in restarting school operations in major disaster areas. Protects LEAs from cuts in school improvement funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which a major disaster occurs within their service area. Allows LEAs in states to which teachers and paraprofessionals relocate after a major disaster to consider such teachers and paraprofessionals to have met certain federal teaching standards if the state from which they came considered them to have met such standards. Authorizes the Secretary to waive or modify certain requirements relating to maintenance of effort, supplementary use of funds, and matching funds in providing educational assistance to entities affected by a major disaster. Directs the Secretary to provide temporary emergency impact aid to states and, through them, LEAs and Native American schools for the education of students displaced by a major disaster. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) waive or modify requirements applicable to federal student aid programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) that are unreasonable due to the effects of a major disaster; (2) approve Teacher Quality Partnership Grants program modifications that assist states, LEAs, and institutions of higher education (IHEs) recruit and retain faculty for schools in major disaster areas; (3) modify, at the request of an affected institution or other grantee located in a major disaster area, required and allowable uses of funds under the HEA's TRIO, GEAR-UP, Strengthening Institutions, and Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities programs, and any other competitive grant program; and (4) allow financial aid administrators to adjust the expected contribution of students and parents affected by a major disaster. Directs the Secretary to make special efforts to notify students and their parents who qualify for means-tested federal benefit programs of their potential eligibility for a maximum Pell Grant, provided such students attend an IHE affected by a major disaster. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to extend certain deadlines under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regarding the provision of special education and related services, including early intervention services, to individuals adversely affected by a major disaster. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide training and technical assistance, guidance, and resources to Head Start agencies located in a major disaster area or receiving a significant number of children from such an area. Authorizes the waiver of cost-sharing requirements for such agencies and documentation requirements for Head Start participants affected by a major disaster. Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to: (1) waive the application of specified provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to states affected by a major disaster or serving a significant number of individuals adversely affected by a major disaster; and (2) assist states in providing training, technical assistance, and guidance to child care providers who are serving such individuals. Requires each state that receives funds under such Act to develop a disaster plan. Requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to encourage state and local governments to address child care services and facilities in their response and recovery plans, exercises, and training. Directs the Secretary of HHS to provide disaster guidance to states under titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP]) of the Social Security Act regarding the requirement that states provide medical assistance to individuals who are residents of the state but are absent. Requires each state to provide disaster guidance to Medicaid and CHIP providers to ensure that low-income children displaced from their home state by a major disaster have continued access to health care services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2010
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to: (1) increase the liability of the party responsible for an offshore facility, except a deepwater port, from which oil is discharged into or upon navigable waters or adjoining shorelines to the total of all discharge removal costs plus $10 billion (currently, $75 million) for each incident; and (2) direct the President to promulgate regulations to allow advance payments from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to states and localities to prepare for and mitigate substantial threats from the discharge of oil. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate: (1) the $1 billion per incident limitation on expenditures from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for cleanup of oil spills: and (2) restrictions on the borrowing authority of such Trust Fund. Makes this Act effective on April 15, 2010.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rothman, Steven R. [D-NJ-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000462_200.jpg)