United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Wakefield Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) extend by one year the length of time for which a grant may be awarded under the emergency medical services for children grant program, which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states or schools of medicine to support projects to expand and improve emergency medical services for children who need treatment for trauma or critical care; and (2) authorize appropriations for such grant program for FY2010-FY2014.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reauthorize the program (referred to in this Act as CHIP) through FY2013 at increased levels. Revises requirements for: (1) CHIP allotments; (2) optional coverage of low-income pregnant women; (3) outreach and enrollment activities; (4) verification of U.S. citizenship or nationality for CHIP and Medicaid (SSA title XIX); (5) state option for providing premium assistance, including coordination with private coverage; (6) child health quality improvement activities; (7) access to dental and mental health benefits; and (8) program integrity and data collection, including the payment error rate measurement (PERM). Establishes in the Treasury the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund. Requires phase-out of CHIP coverage for nonpregnant childless adults. Limits the matching rate for states that propose to cover children with effective family income that exceeds 300% of the poverty line. Denies federal funding for illegal aliens. Prohibits initiation of new health opportunity account demonstration programs. Establishes a task force to conduct a nationwide campaign of education and outreach for small business concerns regarding the availability of coverage for children through private insurance options, the Medicaid program, and CHIP. Expresses the sense of the Senate affirming its intent to enact legislation this year that improves access to affordable and meaningful health insurance coverage for employees of small businesses and individuals. Prohibits any increase in physician ownership or investment in hospitals or any expansion of the physical capacity of such hospitals. Prescribes requirements for hospitals to qualify for the rural provider and hospital exception to such prohibition. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the excise tax on tobacco products but allow a specified credit against tobacco floor stocks taxes. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and make recommendations to Congress about the magnitude of tobacco smuggling in the United States. Amends the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 to increase the amount of any required installment of corporate estimated tax which is otherwise due in July, August, or September 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a National Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month; and (2) increased funding for research into the causes, treatment, and cure for Prader-Willi syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Declares the importance of access to swimming lessons for all U.S. communities as an integral part of drowning prevention. Condemns the persistent high rates of drowning fatalities among children. Celebrates the passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act and the work of initiatives to educate parents and caregivers on water safety and drowning prevention. Encourages funding to support initiatives that provide all children access to swimming education.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
340B Program Improvement and Integrity Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the drug discount program to allow participation as a covered entity by certain: (1) children's hospitals; (2) critical access hospitals; (3) entities providing maternal and child health services, community mental health services, or treatment services for substance abuse; (4) Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals; (5) sole community hospitals; and (6) rural referral centers. Prohibits enrolled hospitals from obtaining covered outpatient drugs through a group purchasing arrangement. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish reasonable exceptions to such requirements, including for drugs unavailable through the program and to facilitate generic substitution when a generic covered drug is available at a lower price. Expands the program to include a drug used in connection with an inpatient or outpatient service by enrolled hospitals. (Currently, only outpatient drugs are covered under the program.) Requires hospitals enrolled in the 340B drug discount program to provide to each state a credit on the estimated annual costs to such hospital of single source and innovator multiple source drugs and noninnovator multiple source drugs provided to Medicaid recipients for inpatient use. Sets forth a formula for calculating the credit. Allows a hospital to avoid paying such credits under certain circumstances. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out activities to improve compliance by manufacturers and covered entities with the requirements of the drug discount program; and (2) establish an administrative process for resolving claims by covered entities and manufacturers of violations of such requirements. Requires manufacturers to offer each covered entity covered drugs for purchase at or below the applicable ceiling price if such a drug is made available to any other purchaser at any price.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether state law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the Authority to issue regulations establishing rights and responsibilities for public safety employers and employees in states that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the Authority, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a voting majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of Authority regulations and orders, as well as prohibitions against lockouts or strikes, through appropriate state courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2009 - Provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States. Grants such an individual limited immunity under the federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the acquisition, possession, transportation, or alteration of such firearm before or concurrent with such registration. Extends such immunity to a veteran who attempts to register a qualifying firearm outside of the amnesty period if the veteran surrenders the firearm within 30 days after being notified of potential criminal liability for continued possession. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) transfer each firearm qualifying as a curio or relic which has been forfeited to the United States to the first qualified museum that requests it; and (2) publish information identifying each such firearm which is available to be transferred to a museum. Prohibits the Attorney General from destroying any such firearm which has been forfeited until five years after the forfeiture. Requires that any firearm transferred to a qualified museum be registered to the transferee. Makes a prohibition against transfer or possession of a machine-gun inapplicable to a transfer to or by, or possession by, a museum which is open to the public and incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under applicable state law.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Protecting Consumers through Proper Forbearance Procedures Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant or deny, within one year, a petition by one or more telecommunications carriers or classes of carriers requesting that the FCC forbear from applying any regulation or provision under the Act. (Current law deems such a petition granted if not denied within one year.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Expresses support for the goals of Catholic Schools Week (January 25-31, 2009), an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and established to recognize the vital contributions of America's thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Expresses support for the goals of Peace Officers Memorial Day to honor federal, state, and local peace officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act - Amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate the four-year phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for combat-related disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Retired Pay Restoration Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Calls for an increase in federal funding for diabetes research to meet the goals of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) so that a cure for type 1 diabetes can be found.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Social Security Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Redesignates: (1) the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) the Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to the Department Under Secretary, the Department Assistant Secretaries, and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act - Establishes the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission to: (1) plan and carry out activities to honor Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth; (2) provide assistance to governmental agencies and civic groups to carry out such activities; and (3) develop other federal activities to honor Ronald Reagan.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund for payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of a monthly benefit of $1,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Requires such individuals to: (1) apply for such benefit before October 1, 2009; and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. Requires the Secretary to include, in annual budget documents submitted to Congress, detailed information on the Fund's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid. Allows liability to accrue, and allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to establish a national standard for the carrying of concealed firearms (other than a machinegun or destructive device) by non-residents. Authorizes a person who has a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state and who is not prohibited from carrying a firearm under federal law to carry a concealed firearm in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state or as specified under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act - Declares that it is U.S. policy to protect and preserve living and other resources of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (Farallones NMS) and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Cordell Bank NMS) marine environments. Makes certain adjustments to expand the boundaries of the Farallones NMS and the Cordell NMS. Prohibits the issuance of a lease or permit authorizing mineral or hydrocarbon exploration, development, production, or transportation by pipeline within the boundaries of the sanctuaries, as modified by this Act. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to complete: (1) a draft supplemental management plan for each of the sanctuaries that focuses on management in the areas added by this Act; and (2) a revised management plan for each of the sanctuaries. Directs the Secretary to carry out an assessment of necessary revisions to the regulations for the sanctuaries, including considering regulations regarding the deposit or release of introduced species and the alteration of stream and river drainage into the sanctuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
National Guardsmen and Reservists Parity for Patriots Act - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to back-date to September 11, 2001, the period of active duty or performed active service, in support of a contingency operation or in other emergency situations, for which members of Ready Reserve components of the armed forces shall receive credit in determining eligibility for early receipt of non-regular service retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Stop the Congressional Pay Raise Act - Declares that no automatic pay adjustment shall be considered to have taken effect in FY2010 in the rates of basic pay for Members of Congress under the General Schedule (thus eliminating the pay adjustment for Members for such fiscal year).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Requires government contributions for health benefits for an individual who first becomes an annuitant by reason of retirement from employment with the United States Postal Service on or after July 1, 1971, or for a survivor of such an individual or of an individual who died on or after that date while employed by the Postal Service, to be paid first from the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund up to the amount contained in the Fund, with any remaining amount paid by the Postal Service (current law requires such contributions to be paid by the Postal Service through September 30, 2016).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation; (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question; and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential; and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer has made substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Designates the circle drive in front of the main entrance of the Oscar G. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility in Iron Mountain, Michigan, as "Sergeant First Class James D. Priestap Drive."
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Spina Bifida Awareness Month; and (2) the development of the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry. Commends the work of the Spina Bifida Association to educate, support, and provide hope for individuals and their families who are affected by Spina Bifida.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2008
Health Insurance Source of Injury Clarification Act of 2008 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to exclude a group health plan from prohibitions against limitations or restrictions on the amount, level, extent, or nature of the benefits of coverage for similarly situated individuals enrolled in the plan so long as: (1) such limitations and restrictions are explicit and clear; (2) such limitations and restrictions have been disclosed to the plan sponsor in advance of the point of sale; (3) the plan sponsor and the issuer of the health insurance coverage make a description of such limitations and restrictions in a form that is easily understandable available to participants and beneficiaries before enrollment; and (4) the plan sponsor and the issuer of the coverage provide such description to the participants and beneficiaries upon their enrollment under the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2008
Celebrates 75 years of effective state-based alcohol regulation. Recognizes the successful system of alcoholic beverage regulation, distribution, and sale. Expresses continued support for policies that allow states to effectively regulate alcohol.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2008
Supports the designation of Celebrate Safe Communities Week. Commends the efforts of law enforcement agencies and communities to fight crime. Encourages the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Crime Prevention Council to continue efforts to reduce crime and build safer communities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 140 Merriman Road in Garden City, Michigan, as the "John J. Shivnen Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2008
Copper Theft Prevention Act of 2008 - Requires secondary copper recyclers (purchasers of copper that has served its original economic purpose) to keep records for at least two years of all purchases of copper property. Prohibits such recyclers from accepting cash in excess of $500 for the purchase of copper property. Imposes a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Combat Bonus Act - Requires the payment of a one-time bonus of $1,500 to each active-duty and reserve member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Merchant Marines who: (1) serves for 90 days or more on or after October 7, 2001, in a combat zone designated in connection with Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom; and (2) if discharged or released, is done so under conditions other than dishonorable. Makes individuals eligible for such bonus for qualifying service of less than 90 days if the individual: (1) dies of injuries incurred in connection with such service; or (2) is evacuated from a theater of combat due to an injury incurred in connection with such service.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Medicare Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Fee Schedule Modernization Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a negotiated rulemaking committee to negotiate and develop a proposed rule for a Medicare modernized clinical diagnostic laboratory fee schedule; (2) report to Congress on the fee schedule; and (3) promulgate final regulations to establish it.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Second Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (FCRA) to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or is readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Includes the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) requirement that licensed firearms dealers keep records of ammunition received into inventory and ammunition sold or transferred; and (3) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Amends FCRA to allow an individual to possess ammunition in the District if the individual owns (currently, holds the valid registration certificate for) a firearm of the same guage or caliber as such ammunition. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person. Amends the federal criminal code to make it lawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell or deliver a handgun to a District resident if such individual is licensed in Maryland or Virginia to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2008
Second Amendment Restoration Act - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the definition of "crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" for purposes of allowing states to determine the eligibility of individuals convicted of minor crimes to ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam, for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam, such Republic's inland waterways, waters offshore, and airspace above.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2008
Honors the life of the Reverend Billy Graham on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Recognizes his decades of public service and commitment to furthering the faith of Christians around the world.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Great Lakes Legacy Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to include aquatic habitat restoration activities among activities the Great Lakes National Program Office is authorized to implement for the remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing such a remediation project if any nonfederal sponsor has not entered into a written agreement with the Administrator under which each party agrees to carry out its responsibilities and requirements for the project. Revises provisions concerning the nonfederal share of the project costs. Requires the Administrator to implement at federal expense the initial site characterization of a project for the remediation of contaminated sediment. Repeals a prohibition against implementing a project unless the nonfederal sponsor agrees to maintain aggregate expenditures from all other sources for remediation programs in the area of concern in which the project is located at or above the average level of such expenditures in the two fiscal years preceding the date on which the project is initiated. Authorizes appropriations through FY2013 for: (1) such remediation projects; and (2) the development and use of innovative approaches, technologies, and techniques for such remediation. Limits to 20% the amount of funds appropriated for remediation projects that may be used for site characterization.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Tay-Sachs Awareness Month. Encourages and expresses support for education and research efforts with respect to Tay-Sachs disease.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Night Out. Requests that the President: (1) focus appropriate attention on neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, and reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, convening meetings, and directing the Administration to make crime reduction an important priority; and (2) coordinate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the USA Freedom Corps, the Citizen Corps, the National Senior Service Corps, and AmeriCorps to participate by supporting local efforts, neighborhood watches, and local officials, including law enforcement personnel, to provide homeland security and combat terrorism in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Private First Class Billy MacLeod Respectful Return Act - Amends the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 to provide that requirements for the military transportation to the United States of the remains of a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat theater of operations shall also apply to the remains of any member found after the date of enactment of this Act in any theater of U.S. combat operations since April 6, 1917, who died while participating in such operations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Energy Markets Emergency Act of 2008 - Directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to utilize all its authority, including its emergency powers, to: (1) curb immediately the role of excessive speculation in any contract market within its jurisdiction and control on or through which energy futures or swaps are traded; and (2) eliminate excessive speculation, price distortion, sudden or unreasonable fluctuations or unwarranted changes in prices, or other unlawful activity that is causing major market disturbances that prevent the market from accurately reflecting the forces of supply and demand for energy commodities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Medical Device Safety Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide that provisions preempting state and local requirements for medical devices intended for human use shall not be construed to modify or otherwise affect any action for damages or the liability of any person under state law. Makes this Act effective as if it were included in the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 and applicable to any civil action pending or filed on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Expresses support for the designation of a National GEAR UP Day. (GEAR UP is the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, created to facilitate the transition of low-income high school students into postsecondary education.)
![Official portrait of Rep. Stupak, Bart [D-MI-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001045_200.jpg)