United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission. Directs the National Endowment for the Humanities: (1) in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, to award grants for activities that are determined to be appropriately related to the Civil War sesquicentennial; and (2) consider for such grants university, museum, or academic programs with national scope that sponsor multidisciplinary projects that represent the totality of the Civil War.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Prostate Research, Imaging, and Men's Education Act of 2010 or the PRIME Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to: (1) carry out a program to expand and intensify research to develop advanced imaging technologies for prostate cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment comparable to mammogram technology; and (2) utilize the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Cancer Institute for advanced stages of research in prostate imaging. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to: (1) carry out a grant program to encourage the early stages of research in prostate imaging to develop and implement new ideas, proof of concepts, and pilot studies for high-risk technologic innovation; and (2) establish interdisciplinary private-public partnerships to develop research strategies for expedited innovation in imaging and image-guided treatment. Directs the Secretary: (1) to carry out a national campaign to increase awareness and knowledge with respect to the need for prostate cancer screening and for improved detection technologies; (2) in carrying out the program and the campaign, to recognize and address the racial disparities in the incidences of prostate cancer and mortality rates and any racial barriers in access to care and participation in clinical trials; (3) establish a program to award grants to nonprofit private entities to test alternative outreach and education strategies; and (4) carry out research to develop an improved prostate cancer screening blood test using in-vitro detection.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
Achievements of the GI Bill Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a single gold medal in honor of the recipients of assistance under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights), in recognition of their great contributions in both their military and civilian life, and the contributions of Harry W. Colmery in initiating actions which led to the enactment of that Act. Requires the medal, following its award, to be given to the Smithsonian Institution for display. Expresses the sense of Congress that the medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations selected by the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense (DOD), or Education.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
HUD Demonstration Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993 with respect to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) community development and affordable housing programs. Adds the National Urban League and the Housing Partnership Network to the list of entities eligible for HUD assistance to develop the capacity and ability of community development corporations and community housing development organizations to undertake community development and affordable housing projects and programs. Allows the use of such assistance in urban and rural areas. Directs the HUD Secretary, by notice, to require an entity, as a condition of eligibility for such assistance for a fiscal year, to submit a plan describing the manner in which the entity will use such assistance, including descriptions meeting specified requirements. (Thus replaces the requirement that the HUD Secretary establish necessary requirements to carry out the Act.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2010
Recognizes the 101st anniversary of the historic founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors and praises the NAACP on the occasion of its anniversary for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2010
Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2010 - Amends federal bankruptcy law governing expenses and claims to increase to $20,000: (1) allowed unsecured claims in the fourth order of priority (wages, salaries, or commissions); and (2) the factor multiplied by the number of employees covered with respect to employee benefit plan contributions in the fifth order of priority. Includes within the scope of a claim in bankruptcy certain equity securities held in a defined contribution plan for the benefit of certain individuals, but only if an employer or plan sponsor who has commenced a case in bankruptcy has committed fraud regarding the plan or has otherwise breached a duty to the participant that has proximately caused the loss of value. Allows as an administrative expense: (1) severance pay owed to certain employees of the debtor for layoff or termination (which pay shall be deemed earned in full); and (2) damages as a result of violation of law by the debtor. Includes among prerequisites for confirmation of a business reorganization bankruptcy plan (Chapter 11) provision for: (1) recovery of damages payable for the rejection of a collective bargaining agreement, or other financial returns as negotiated by the debtor and the authorized representative; (2) continued payment of retiree benefits maintained or established by the debtor before the petition filing date if no modifications are made before confirmation of the plan; and (3) recovery of claims arising from the modification of retiree benefits or for certain financial returns, as negotiated by the debtor and the authorized representative. Revises requirements governing: (1) rejection of collective bargaining agreements; (2) payment of insurance benefits to retired employees, including benefit modifications proposed by the trustee; and (3) a trustee's administrative power to dispose of property. Requires the court, in approving a sale of business assets, to consider the extent to which a bidder has offered to maintain existing jobs, preserve terms and conditions of employment, and assume or match pension and retiree health benefit obligations in determining whether an offer constitutes the highest or best offer for such property. Requires the bankruptcy court to allow certain claims asserted by an active or retired participant, or by a labor organization representing such participant, for any shortfall in pension benefits accrued as a result of the termination of the plan and limitations upon the payment of certain statutory benefits. States that, if employees have not received wages and benefits for services rendered on and after the date of the commencement of the case in bankruptcy, such unpaid obligations shall be deemed necessary costs and expenses of preserving, or disposing of, property securing an allowed secured claim and shall be recovered even if the trustee has otherwise waived certain provisions under an agreement with the holder of the allowed secured claim. Allows reduction of a debtor's time frame for filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan in the event of: (1) the filing of a motion seeking rejection of a collective bargaining agreement if a plan based upon an alternative proposal by the labor organization is reasonably likely to be confirmed within a reasonable time; or (2) the proposed filing of a plan by a proponent other than the debtor, which incorporates the terms of a settlement with a labor organization, if such plan is reasonably likely to be confirmed within a reasonable time. Modifies requirements for confirmation of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan to prohibit approval of: (1) payments or other distributions for the benefit of insiders, senior executive officers, and certain highly compensated employees or consultants providing services to the debtor, except as part of those generally applicable to the debtor's employees if the court determines that such payments are not excessive or disproportionate compared to distributions to the debtor's nonmanagement workforce; and (2) insider compensation unless approved by the court as reasonable according to specified criteria. Restricts: (1) certain executive compensation enhancements as part of the allowance of administrative expenses; (2) trustee assumption of certain deferred compensation arrangements for the benefit of insiders, senior executive officers, or certain highly compensated employees of the debtor; and (3) trustee assumption of retiree benefits for insiders, senior executive officers, or certain highly compensated employees of the debtor if the debtor has obtained relief to impose reductions in retiree benefits, or health benefits of active employees of the debtor, or has reduced or eliminated health benefits for active or retired employees within 180 days before the date of the commencement of the case. Requires the court, where a debtor has obtained relief by which it reduces the cost of its obligations under a collective bargaining agreement or a retiree plan, fund, or program of retiree benefits, to determine before granting relief the percentage diminution in the value of the obligations when compared to the debtor's obligations under the collective bargaining agreement, or with respect to retiree benefits. Authorizes the trustee in bankruptcy to avoid a transfer made in anticipation of bankruptcy to or for the benefit of an insider, including certain consultants who were formerly insiders and who are retained to provide services to an entity that becomes a debtor. Grants a labor organization creditor status for purposes of filing a proof of claim. Declares that the filing of a petition for relief does not operate as an automatic stay of the commencement or continuation of a dispute resolution proceeding established by a collective bargaining agreement that was or could have been commenced against the debtor before the filing of a petition, including payment or enforcement of an award or settlement under such proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2010
Recognizes the difficult challenges Black veterans faced when returning home after serving in the Armed Forces, their heroic military sacrifices, and their patriotism in fighting for equal rights and for the dignity of a people and a nation. Recognizes the need for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to continue to work to eliminate any health and benefit disparities for our nation's minority veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act of 2010 - Amends the the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Directors at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other multilateral development institutions to: (1) cancel all debts owed by Haiti to such institutions; (2) suspend Haiti's debt payments to such institutions until the debts are canceled completely; and (3) provide additional assistance from such institutions to Haiti in grant form in order to avoid additional debt accumulation. Directs the Secretary to urge other bilateral, multilateral, and private creditors to cancel all debts owed by Haiti to such creditors.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Emergency Jobs Program and Assistance for Families Extension Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to extend for one year the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a grant from the Fund for each calendar quarter in FY2010 or FY2011 to each requesting state whose total expenditures for work support services in the quarter, whether under the state program funded under TANF or as qualified state expenditures, exceeds the state's total such expenditures in the corresponding quarter in its emergency fund base year. Requires a grant to equal 80% of such excess.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Fair Access to Credit Scores Act of 2010 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require consumer reporting agencies to disclose any information in the consumer's file concerning credit scores or other related risk scores or predictors when the consumer requests a free annual disclosure (credit report). Requires all consumer reporting agencies to maintain information in the consumer's file concerning such scores or predictors for at least one year from the date on which such information is placed in the file. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on bankruptcy risk scores used by consumer reporting agencies, including an analysis of: (1) the factors used to determine such scores; (2) how bankruptcy risk scores impact the ability of consumers to receive loans; and (3) actions that consumers can take to improve such scores.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2010
Recognizes the significance of Black History Month as an important time to recognize the contributions of African-Americans in the nation's history. Encourages the continued celebration of this month to provide an opportunity for all peoples of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the nation. Recognizes that the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2010
Colonel Charles Young Home Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Colonel Charles Young Home, a National Historic Landmark in Xenia, Ohio, to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Home as a unit of the National Park System. (Colonel Charles Young was a distinguished African-American officer in the U.S. Army, a pioneer of techniques in military intelligence, as well as a commander of troops in combat in the Spanish-American War and the Mexican expedition against Pancho Villa.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2010
Expresses: (1) condolences and sympathy for the loss of life and the physical and psychological damage in Haiti caused by the January 2010 earthquake; and (2) solidarity with Haitians, Haitian Americans, and those who have lost loved ones or have otherwise been affected by the tragedy. Commends the efforts of the governments of Haiti and the United States, the United Nations and the international community, and the American people. Supports: (1) Administration efforts to provide and coordinate international humanitarian assistance and to provide relief to affected communities; and (2) long-term reconstruction efforts for Haiti. Urges countries and institutions that hold debt against Haiti to suspend debt payments and cancel all remaining debt. Urges the President to make necessary resources available for current and long-term assistance to Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2010
Honors the life and sacrifice of Medgar Evers and recognizes the important role he played in securing civil rights for all people in the United States. Congratulates the United States Navy for honoring Medgar Evers by naming the United States Naval Ship Medgar Evers after him.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2010
Celebrates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 30th anniversary of the Stevie Wonder song tribute to Dr. King, "Happy Birthday." Recognizes that the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continues on with commitments to freedom, equality, and justice. Encourages the people of the United States to commemorate the legacy of Dr. King by renewing pledges to advance those principles and actions that are consistent with Dr. King's belief that all men are created equal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2010
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Urban Crimes Awareness Week and recommends that national and community organizations, businesses, colleges and universities, and the media promote awareness of violent urban crimes and strategies to decrease the incidence of such crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2009
Expresses support for the designation of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Recognizes the importance of preventing childhood obesity and decreasing its prevalence in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Nonprofit Mortgage Licensing Clarification Act of 2009 - Amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to permit a state to exempt from certain registration or licensing requirements any charitable organization exempt from federal tax (including their employees and agents acting as loan originators), if the organization: (1) executes loan originations in order to promote or facilitate homeownership for certain low-income, disabled, or other disadvantaged persons or families; (2) offers loans at interest rates lower than the bank prime loan rate, or that are no-interest loans or loans with interest rates significantly below those for loans to purchase generally available single-family housing; and (3) does not otherwise engage in the business of a loan originator or mortgage broker.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Transparency and Integrity in Corporate Monitoring Act of 2009 - Prohibits United States attorneys or assistant United States attorneys who participate in the investigation or prosecution of an organization for a criminal offense for which a deferred prosecution or nonprosecution agreement is made from acting as or working for, for a specified period of time after their service, corporate monitors selected to oversee the implementation of such agreements. Authorizes the Attorney General to seek a civil penalty or injunctive relief to address violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2009
Recognizes the 15th anniversary of the historic establishment of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Acknowledges that the purpose of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund is to promote economic revitalization in underserved rural, urban, and Native American communities. Reaffirms the importance of agency investments in, and assistance to, financial institutions which conduct economic and community development. Asserts the relevance of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund as an indispensable agency engaged in the business of promoting both job creation and retention, as well as economic growth.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2009
Put America to Work Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to states, local government units, and Indian tribes to create employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents of distressed communities. Specifies grant uses, including funding of fast-track jobs for: (1) painting and repair of schools, community centers, and libraries; (2) restoration of abandoned and vacant properties; (3) expansion of emergency food programs to reduce hunger; (4) augmentation of staffing in Head Start and other early childhood education programs; and (5) renovation and maintenance of parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces. Requires grant recipients to use remaining grant funds to make grants to public entities, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, or small businesses to create employment opportunities in: (1) construction, rehabilitation, and improvements in energy efficiency of residences or public facilities; (2) the provision of human services; (3) remediation and demolition of vacant and abandoned properties; and (4) programs that provide opportunities for employment, education, and training for disadvantaged youth.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of specified vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities of Iraq; (2) the U.S. government and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) should urge the government of Iraq to enhance security at places of worship in Iraq, particularly where religious minorities are known to be at risk; Urges the U.S. government to continue to work with the government of Iraq to: (1) train and deploy into the Iraqi police and security forces members of vulnerable minority communities in Iraq; and (2) ensure that members of such communities suffer no discrimination in recruitment, employment, or advancement in such forces, and be assigned to their locations of origin, rather than transferred to other areas. Urges the government of Iraq, with U.S. government assistance, to: (1) ensure that the upcoming national elections in Iraq are safe, fair, and free of intimidation and violence so that all Iraqis, including religious minorities, can participate in them; and (2) permit and facilitate election monitoring by experts from local and international nongovernmental organizations, the international community, and the United Nations, particularly in minority areas. Encourages the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to work towards a peaceful and timely resolution of disputes over territories. Encourages the U.S. government and UNAMI to urge the government of Iraq to work with minority communities and their representatives to develop measures to implement article 125 of the Iraq Constitution. Urges the government of Iraq to take affirmative measures to reverse the legal, political, and economic marginalization of religious minorities in Iraq. Urges the U.S. government to: (1) direct assistance to projects that develop the ability of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq to organize themselves civically and politically to effectively convey their concerns to government; and (2) continue to fund capacity-building programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights (IMHR), the independent national Human Rights Commission, and a new independent minorities committee whose membership is selected by minority communities of Iraq. Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) direct the IMHR to investigate and report on abuses against and the marginalization of minority communities in Iraq, making recommendations to address such abuses; and (2) help ensure that displaced Iraqis considering return to Iraq have the proper information needed to make informed decisions regarding such return. Urges the U.S. government and international organizations to continue to work with the government of Iraq to develop the legal framework necessary to address property disputes resulting when displaced Iraqis attempt to return to their homes in Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2009
Recognizes that the U.S. unemployment rate has reached the level of a national crisis and that saving and creating new jobs are matters of the highest national priority. Urges federal agencies to take specified actions to address such problems.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2009
Deposit Restricted Qualified Tuition Programs Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prescribe requirements for deposit restricted qualified tuition programs which are exempt from federal income tax. Defines such a program as one in which: (1) the cash provided to it by a contributor may be invested only in deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); (2) the contributor may become a participant in the program by depositing funds through the program into an account at a depository institution participating in the program; and (3) the program may include multiple depository institutions. Deems a deposit restricted qualified tuition program to be an identified banking product for purposes of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Denies treatment as a security under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Investment Company Act of 1940 of: (1) the investment of cash in deposits at an insured depository institution through a deposit restricted qualified tuition program; (2) any certificate of deposit or other instrument evidencing any such deposit; or (3) any participation by a contributor to a deposit restricted qualified tuition program. Declares that in no event shall a deposit restricted qualified tuition program, the state entity designated by statute to oversee such program, or the administrator appointed to operate it on behalf of the state or a participating depository institution, be deemed to be an issuer of a security or an investment company.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2009
Open Access to Courts Act of 2009 - Prohibits a U.S. district court from dismissing a complaint: (1) unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of the claim which would entitle the plaintiff to relief; or (2) on the basis of a determination by the judge that the factual contents of the complaint do not show the plaintiff's claim to be plausible or are insufficient to warrant a reasonable interference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2009
Recognizes the 70th anniversary of Justice Louis D. Brandeis's retirement from the Supreme Court and the significant contribution he made in Supreme Court jurisprudence.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2009
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to lease portions of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum facility to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation for generating revenue for Museum activities and to support Museum operations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2009
Congratulates the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series Champions, the New York Yankees, for an outstanding season and a record 27th World Series Championship win.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2009
Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act - Amends the federal judicial code to make federal habeas corpus relief available to a person sentenced to death if adjudication on the merits in state court proceedings of the claim cited in the writ application resulted in, or left in force, a death sentence imposed without consideration of newly discovered evidence which, in combination with the evidence presented at trial, demonstrates that the applicant is probably not guilty of the underlying offense. Allows presentation of such a claim in a second or successive habeas corpus application. Allows a second or successive court motion to vacate, set aside, or correct a death sentence based on such a claim.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2009
Expresses the House of Representatives' support for the goals and ideals of American Education Week. Encourages the people of this country to observe American Education Week by reflecting on the positive impact of all those who work together to educate children.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2009
International Civil Rights Center and Museum Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue, during 2010, up to 1,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Requires sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, to be paid to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum for program development and research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2009
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 West Highway 64 Bypass in Roper, North Carolina, as the "E.V. Wilkins Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Every Person Counts Act - Requires the decennial census to tabulate the total number of persons in each state. Prohibits such census from including any question or otherwise eliciting any information regarding U.S. citizenship or immigration status.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on 7H-BenzimidazoY2,1-a?benzYde?isoquinolin-7- one, 9(or 10)-methoxy-.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on Ethanol, 2,2'-YY4-Y(3,5-dinitro-2-thienyl)azo? phenyl?imino?bis-, diacetate (ester).
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on 2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 5-YY4-(acetylamino)-2- (trifluoromethyl)phenyl?azo?-6-amino-4-hydroxy-, monosodium salt.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on 2-Anthracenesulfonic acid, 1-amino-9, 10-dihydro-4-Y Y4-YYmethylY(4-methylphenyl) sulfony?amino?methyl?pheny? amino?-9, 10-dioxo-, sodium salt (1:1).
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on 1-Propanaminium, 3,3'-Y(9,10-dihydro-9,10-dioxo- 1,4-anthracenediyl)diimino?bisYN,N,N-triethyl-, bis(ethyl sulfate).
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on Cuprate(4-), Y2-YY3-YYsubstituted?-1,3,5-triazin- 2-yl?amino?-2-hydroxy-5-sulfophenyl?(substituted)azo?, sodium salt.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on 9,10-Anthracenedione, 1,1'-Y(6-phenyl-1,3,5- triazine-2,4-diyl)diimino?bisY3-acetyl-4-amino-.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on Chromate(3-), bisY3-(hydroxy-kO)-4-YY2- (hydroxy-kO)-1-naphthalenyl?azo-kN1?-7-nitro-1-naphthalenesu fonato(3-)?-, trisodium.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on 2-Anilino-5-cyano-(3-(substituted)-6- (substituted))-4-methylpyridine.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2009
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on (Alkylamino-hydroxyphenyl)azo-hydroxysubstituted benzene, substituted Y(hydroxy-naphthalenyl) hydroxybenzene?, chromium complex, sodium salt.
![Official portrait of Rep. Watt, Melvin L. [D-NC-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000207_200.jpg)