United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2011 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection, insofar as the attending physician, in consultation with the patient, determines such stay to be medically necessary; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations. Prohibits a health plan from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this Act. Allows a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage to nonrenew or discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to the condition for which coverage is being claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Lumbee Recognition Act - Extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, which makes its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to Indians because of their status as members of a federally recognized tribe. Deems members of the Tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland Counties in North Carolina to be within the delivery area for such services. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the Tribe. Prohibits the Tribe from conducting gaming activities. Requires North Carolina to exercise jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed, and all civil actions that arise, on North Carolina lands owned by, or held in trust for, the Lumbee Tribe or any dependent Indian community of the Tribe.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) allow the use of juvenile accountability block grants for bullying prevention and intervention programs; (2) require the Attorney General to establish voluntary guidelines for use by states and local governments in developing such programs; and (3) authorize appropriations for FY2012-FY2016 for the juvenile accountability block grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Requests the President to inform Congress and the Secretary General of the United Nations regarding U.S. efforts and measures taken with respect to implementation and observance of Article VI of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and certain U.N. resolutions calling for U.S. and world nuclear disarmament. Calls on the President to implement and observe all NPT obligations and commitments and to revise national policies on nuclear weapons accordingly. Urges the President, in the interests of protecting and advancing human, national, and global security, to: (1) declare that the United States will not use nuclear weapons first, and that pending their elimination, such weapons serve only to deter a nuclear attack by a hostile state or other entity; (2) initiate and conclude multilateral negotiations on verifiable steps nuclear states shall take to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons; (3) cooperate with the Russian Federation to remove from deployment nuclear weapons that are operational; (4) reaffirm the moratorium on nuclear testing and work for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; (5) terminate all efforts to enhance U.S. military capabilities of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and to develop ballistic missile defenses; and (6) support initiatives to ban weapons in outer space.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2011
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2010
Safe Schools, Healthy Kids Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to states and local educational agencies for the abatement, removal, and interim control of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in public school facilities. Requires grantees to notify students and their families, staff and school employees, and other relevant parties in the community of the work to be undertaken. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide the Secretary with the necessary guidance to ensure safe school conditions and effective abatement, removal, or interim controls.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2010
States that the House of Representatives: (1) promotes a heightened awareness by educators and the public about the spectrum of policies and practices that lead to school pushout (students being effectively pushed out of school); (2) commits to working with states, local educational agencies, and schools to reduce or eliminate school suspensions, expulsions, arrests, corporal punishment, and placements in disciplinary alternative schools; (3) understands that proper behavior is not implicit but should be taught from an early age; (4) acknowledges that continuous teacher training and support enables teachers to give students the social skills and behaviors that improve the teaching and learning environment; (5) recognizes the need to improve the collection and use of school climate and disciplinary data; and (6) supports community collaborations and meaningful parental involvement to ensure that schools are safe, respectful, responsible, and effective teaching and learning environments.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2010
National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half dollar coins in recognition of the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2015. Directs the Secretary to hold a competition to design the obverse of the coins. Requires the design on the reverse side to depict a baseball similar to those used by Major League Baseball. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to help finance its operations. Requires the budgetary effects of this Act to be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2010
Recognizes the 22nd anniversary of observing World AIDS Day. Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of World AIDS Day; (2) continued funding for prevention, care, treatment services, and research programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (3) implementation of a national AIDS strategy; (4) the goals of providing universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support programs and protecting human rights for all people, including vulnerable and marginalized populations; and (5) efforts to address the factors that make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by decreasing poverty and hunger, expanding educational opportunities for children, and empowering women. Commends: (1) the President and state and local governments for recognizing World AIDS Day and for encouraging individuals to undergo HIV testing; (2) media organizations for carrying messages in support of World AIDS Day; and (3) the work of AIDS service organizations and community and faith based organizations that are providing treatment, care, and support services to people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2010
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Continuation Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through February 28, 2011. Postpones the termination of the program until July 31, 2011. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until March 1, 2011, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and July 31, 2011, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to authorize a state by law to apply certain requirements of the Act, with specified substitutions, for determining an extended unemployment compensation period. Requires the state's "on" and "off" indicators to be based on its rate of insured unemployment and rate of total unemployment for the period between enactment of this Act (or, if later, the date established pursuant to state law), and ending on or before March 1, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act or the STOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and expand the program to reduce underage drinking by: (1) expressing the sense of Congress that the age-21 minimum drinking law has been an effective public health and safety policy and has reduced drinking and driving traffic fatalities; (2) expanding the national media campaign to prevent underage drinking; (3) authorizing the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in coordination with the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to make supplemental grants to eligible entities to enhance collaboration between communities and institutions of higher education to prevent and reduce underage alcohol use; (4) requiring the Administrator to make grants to professional pediatric provider organizations to increase effective practices, including the screening of children and adolescents for alcohol use, to reduce the prevalence of alcohol use among individuals under the age of 21, including college students; (5) expanding data collection and research activites with respect to underage drinking; and (6) requiring the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a review of the research on the influence of drinking alcohol on adolescent brain development and the public policy implications of such research.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Fairness in Unemployment Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to revise the formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period. Modifies the threshold rates of unemployment that must be met by a state in order to establish eligibility for Tier-4 emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) for such state.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Supports the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust survivors in the United States are able to live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining years. Applauds the nonprofit organizations and agencies that work tirelessly to honor and assist Holocaust survivors in their communities. Urges the Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with the Administration on Aging (AoA), to provide Holocaust survivors with needed social services through existing programs. Encourages the AoA to expeditiously develop and implement programs that ensure Holocaust survivors are able to age in place in their communities and avoid institutionalization during their remaining years.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1449 West Avenue in Bronx, New York, as the "Private Isaac T. Cortes Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 482 East Main Street in Malone, New York, as the "Almanzo Wilder Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Fair Playing Field Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: (1) repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Secretary of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; (2) direct the Secretary to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; (3) prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; (4) require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (5) eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor).
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Commends the response of zoos, aquariums, and other wildlife organizations in rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico region following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Acknowledges the role of such organizations in responding to environmental disasters. Expresses support for their expertise and contributions to conservation programs, science education, and community development.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2010
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Requires a further additional Tier-5 period for deposits to an individual's EUCA if, at the time the amount added to such individual's account under the Act is exhausted or at any time thereafter, the individual's state is in an extended benefit period. Prescribes a formula for making such Tier-5 credits. Increases the figures in the basic EUC formula (the lesser of which shall be the amount credited): (1) from 24% to 80% of the total amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to the individual during the benefit year; and (2) from 6 to 20 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for the benefit year. Prescribes a formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period. Allows the Tier-5 period augmentation to be applied to the individual's EUCA only once. Authorizes a state to pay extended compensation to an otherwise eligible individual before any further additional emergency unemployment compensation (EUC), if such individual claimed extended compensation for at least one week of unemployment after the exhaustion of additional EUC.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2010
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Greg Mortenson in recognition of his humanitarian work in Asia and elsewhere.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Requires the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce to publish an annual report on the gross domestic product of the following U.S. territories and freely associated states: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. Revises provisions concerning the Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program to require the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide for an alternative procedure for the inclusion in the Program of tourists from countries providing a significant economic benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act - States that it is the policy of the United States to ensure that funds made available for operations of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan are to be used only for providing for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense (DOD) contractor personnel in Afghanistan. Allows such funds to be obligated and expended only for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., Congressional Gold Medal Act - 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 to the next of kin or personal representative of Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., in recognition of his example to the nation of selfless dedication to duty and compassion for one's fellow citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Joins the people of Mexico in celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of Mexican independence and the centennial anniversary of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Recognizes the contributions that Mexican-Americans have made to life in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Clean Ports Act of 2010 - Declares that federal preemption of state and local law relating to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier of property shall not apply to the authority of a state, local government, or the political authority of two or more states to adopt requirements for motor carriers providing services at port facilities that are reasonably related to the reduction of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, the improvement of highway safety, or the efficient utilization of such port facilities, provided such requirements are in accordance with federal law. Declares that nothing in this Act shall limit the authority reserved to any state or political subdivision of such state under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 - Revises provisions concerning the post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to, among other things: (1) revise definitions concerning eligibility, and include certain National Guard service as service qualifying for such assistance; (2) revise assistance amounts (including monthly stipends), and types of approved programs of education; (3) allow the pursuit of educational programs at institutions other than institutions of higher learning, including on-job training and apprenticeships, flight training, and correspondence courses; (4) provide an assistance amount for programs of education pursued while on active duty; (5) repeal the limit on the use of such assistance for the payment of only one licensing or certification test; (6) allow an individual entitled to supplemental educational assistance to transfer such entitlement to the post-9/11 program; (7) bar the duplication of benefits under other educational assistance programs; (8) increase the amount of the reporting fee paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to an educational institution for providing information concerning an individual's enrollment in a program of education; (9) extend to certain National Guard and reserve personnel members eligibility to receive public-private contributions for additional educational assistance; (10) reauthorize through 2016 the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education; and (11) revise cost-of-living adjustments under the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program. Provides an alternate subsistence allowance amount for veterans entitled to such allowance due to service-connected disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2010
Veterans' Disability Claims Efficiency Act of 2010 - Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in the case of a disability claim with multiple conditions, to assign an interim disability rating for the condition(s) that can be assigned without further development and to continue development of the remaining condition(s). Requires an interim disability rating to remain in effect unless the Secretary later assigns an increased rating for such condition. Prohibits the continuation of such rating if the rating was based on fraud or the condition improves. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for the rapid identification of initial claims for disability compensation that should, in adjudication, receive priority in the order of review. Requires the Secretary to identify whether claims have the potential of being adjudicated quickly, the claims qualify for priority treatment, and a temporary disability rating could be assigned for such claims. Authorizes the Secretary to provide priority based on the effect such priority would have on a claimant.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2010
Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements any employee employed on a casual basis in domestic service employment to provide companionship services for individuals who because of disability (or because of age or infirmity, as under current law) are unable to care for themselves. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) a direct care workforce monitoring program; and (2) a National Advisory Council on the Direct Care Workforce. Directs the Secretary to award three-year grants to states and other eligible entities to improve the recruitment, retention, and education of the direct care workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2010
Long Island Sound Improvement Act Amendments of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to create additional duties for the Long Island Sound Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including studying the impacts of climate change on the Sound watershed. Requires a municipality that owns or operates a municipal separate storm sewer system to obtain, without regard to the size of the population served by the system, a permit for discharges composed entirely of stormwater for any portion of the municipality that is located within both the Long Island Sound watershed and an urbanized area. Authorizes such permits to be issued on a regional basis. Requires the EPA Administrator to ensure that: (1) permits held by industrial stormwater dischargers and permits held by construction activity dischargers conform to regional permits' conditions; and (2) monitoring requirements are included in a regional permit. Authorizes the Administrator to provide technical assistance to municipalities with respect to establishing regional permits. Establishes: (1) reporting requirements for the Office; and (2) requirements directing agencies to ensure that their property, actions, and activities within the watershed are consistent with the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (Plan) and to develop plans to maximize forest cover and riparian habitat and minimize stormwater discharge on agency property. Requires the Administrator to establish a voluntary interstate nitrogen trading program with respect to the Sound that includes the generation, trading, and use of nitrogen credits to facilitate the attainment and maintenance of the Sound Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Authorizes: (1) grants for a prioritized list of projects and studies that will assist in meeting the Plan's goals and objectives; and (2) the Administrator to make grants for the construction of a publicly owned treatment work within Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont solely to a municipal or state agency if the state has established allocations for discharges within the state in a Long Island Sound TMDL. Requires the Administrator to: (1) consider the use of innovative stormwater management practices and approaches in meeting the requirements of the Act; and (2) implement a pilot project to demonstrate the efficacy of nutrient bioextraction for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorous from the waters of the Sound watershed.
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
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
End Racial Profiling Act of 2010 - Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. Requires state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling and for the implementation of this Act.
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 · 15 July 2010
Expresses support for the designation of, and requests the President to issue a proclamation recognizing, Cesar E. Chavez Day. Expresses support for a curriculum in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States focusing on the goals and ideals of Chavez and his dedication to farm workers' children by organizing migrant schools. Recognizes the legacy of Chavez in denouncing the abuse of human dignity and the exploitation of the vulnerable, in promoting education, and in advancing the American Dream.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Recognizes the historic milestone of the 50th anniversary of the publication of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Honors Nelle Harper Lee for her outstanding achievement in the field of American literature in authoring "To Kill a Mockingbird."
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2010
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Broadway in Lynbrook, New York, as the "Navy Corpsman Jeffrey L. Wiener Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2010
Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act - Amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful for: (1) anyone whose federal license to import, manufacture, or deal in firearms has been revoked, or whose license renewal application has been denied, to transfer business inventory firearms into a personal collection or to an employee of such person or to receive a firearm that was a business inventory firearm as of the date of a revocation or renewal denial notice; and (2) anyone who has received a license revocation or renewal denial notice to transfer to any other person a firearm that was a business inventory firearm. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of not more than one year (five years for willful violations) for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2010
Supports the designation of National Dance Day (July 31, 2010) as a way of showing commitment to dance education and physical fitness across the United States. Supports the goals of First Lady Michelle Obama's initiative to combat childhood obesity. Acknowledges that promoting dance can make an important difference in encouraging physical fitness.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that advance payments of the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit are not transferable or assignable or subject to the claims of any creditors, except outstanding claims of the federal government. Prohibits: (1) the collection of a debt from a debtor's federal tax refund by means of a refund anticipation loan; and (2) mandatory arbitration as a condition of providing a refund anticipation loan. Terminates the Department of the Treasury Debt Indicator Program. Allows earned income tax credit benefits to be paid through electronic transfer accounts. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) develop and implement a program to encourage the greater use of the advance earned income tax credit; and (2) enter into cooperative agreements with federally insured depository institutions to provide low- and moderate-income taxpayers with the option of establishing low-cost direct deposit accounts using appropriate tax forms.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Estuaries Day. Expresses the intent of the House of Representatives to continue working to protect and restore U.S. estuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Recognizes the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to identify and address the remaining barriers that undermine the nation's goals of equality of opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for Americans with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2010
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the Jobless Act of 2010 - Amends the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to provide that: (1) through September 30, 2011, eligibility for supplemental nutrition assistance program (formerly the food stamp program) benefits shall not be limited by certain work-related provisions unless an individual does not comply with specified state work program provisions; and (2) beginning on October 1, 2010, with respect to such work-related provisions, a state agency shall disregard any period during which an individual received supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits prior to October 1, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2010
Acknowledges the family planning services programs operating under title X of the Public Health Service Act as a critical component of the U.S. public health care system. Expresses support for the mission of such programs. Recognizes family planning providers at Title X health centers who work tirelessly to provide quality care to millions of low-income individuals.
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 · 10 June 2010
Honors Juan Antonio "Chi Chi" Rodriguez for his contributions to the successful programs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute for Latino youth and his lifelong leadership in shaping the lives of at-risk youth.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2010
Recognizes the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent horticultural attraction in the borough of Brooklyn and for its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and education for New York City.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Serrano, Jose E. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000248_200.jpg)