United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Recognizes the special legal and political relationship the Indian tribes have with the United States and the solemn covenant with the land we share. Commends and honors the Native Peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this land. Recognizes that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the federal government regarding Indian tribes. Apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on them by U.S. citizens. Expresses the regret of the United States for the ramifications of former wrongs and its commitment to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move toward reconciliation. Urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in U.S. history. Commends the state governments that have begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian tribes located in their boundaries, and encourages all state governments to do the same. Prohibits anything in this Joint Resolution from authorizing or supporting any claim against the United States or serving as a settlement of any claim against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the Boards of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, in honor of the distinguished service of the American military men and women who have been Medal of Honor recipients. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2011. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin and $10 per coin for the $1 coin, to be distributed to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance educational, scholarship, and outreach programs of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act of 2009 - Revises specified provisions of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, including provisions concerning recreation fee authority, use of funds, distribution of revenue, recreation passes, and cooperative agreements. Provides for the application and administration of certain admission and use fee authorities under the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986, and the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 as if the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to provide for reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms in states that allow their residents to carry such firearms by persons who are not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm and who are: (1) carrying a valid state license or permit for carrying a concealed firearm; or (2) otherwise entitled to carry a concealed firearm in their state of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009 - Amends the Indian Law Enforcement Reform Act to make a variety of changes to increase Native American tribes' law enforcement powers and increase federal powers and responsibilities regarding crimes on Indian land, including: (1) allowing federal officials, with the consent of the tribe, to investigate offenses against tribal criminal laws; (2) providing technical assistance and training to tribal law enforcement officials regarding use of the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) database; (3) requiring federal and local officials, when they decline to investigate crimes on Indian land, to report to Native officials and requiring such officials, when they decline to prosecute, to turn over evidence to Native officials; (4) establishing in the criminal division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) the Office of Indian Country Crime to develop, enforce, and administer federal criminal laws in Indian country; (5) authorizing, at the request of a tribe, concurrent federal-tribal jurisdiction; (6) authorizing grants to state, tribal, and local governments that enter into cooperative agreements, including agreements relating to mutual aid, hot pursuit of suspects, and cross-deputization; (7) requiring the Attorney General to allow tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement agencies to directly access and enter information into federal criminal information databases (under current law, such access is limited); and (8) increasing the criminal sentences tribal courts may impose.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Family Caregiver Program Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to waive charges for care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in emergency cases to attendants accompanying veterans severely injured while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, while such veterans are receiving VA care for such injuries. Directs the Secretary, as part of authorized VA home health services for veterans, to furnish family caregiver assistance to family members of veterans in need of personal care services due to a serious injury incurred or aggravated during active duty. Requires the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the services needed by each veteran; (2) provide training and certification to the caregivers; (3) designate a primary personal care attendant for each eligible veteran; (4) provide ongoing family caregiver assistance to such family members; (5) provide respite care, in appropriate cases; (6) pay monthly caregiver stipends; (7) conduct oversight of the caregiver assistance program; (8) provide program outreach; and (9) report on program implementation and evaluation. Authorizes the provision of VA health care to primary personal care attendants. Directs the Secretary to reimburse attendants for travel expenses, including lodging and subsistence, in connection with authorized VA treatment for veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Net Operating Loss (NOL) Carryback Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a five-year carryback of net operating losses, including the operating losses of life insurance companies, incurred in 2008 and 2009. Denies such extended loss carryover period to: (1) taxpayers in whom the federal government acquires an equity interest under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008; (2) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac); and (3) members of certain affiliated groups.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Surface Transportation Safety Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to modify certain federal regulations to: (1) allow fire services personnel to wear high visibility apparel meeting certain requirements; and (2) ensure that positive protective measures (including temporary longitudinal traffic barriers) are used to separate workers on highway construction projects from motorized traffic. Directs the Secretary to approve the use of federal-aid highway funds for patented or proprietary items that further the goals of state strategic highway safety plans. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to revise the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to include a standard for a minimum level of retroreflectivity that must be maintained for pavement markings, which shall apply to all roads open to public travel. Revises requirements for the highway safety improvement program to count installation, replacement, and upgrade of highway signs and pavement markings as a highway safety improvement project. Authorizes: (1) states to obligate highway safety improvement program funds apportioned to them for projects to maintain minimum levels of retroreflectivity in highway signs or pavement markings on public roads, whether or not such projects are included in state plans; and (2) a federal share of costs of 100% for such projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program to improve traffic signs and pavement markings for older drivers and pedestrians in all states; (2) review the safety of all highway-rail grade crossings in the United States and, based on such review, compile a list of the ten highway-rail grade crossings having the greatest need for safety improvements; (3) establish a national database of information on the safety of highway-rail grade crossings in the United States; and (4) allocate $20 million to each state with a population density of less than 20 persons per square mile for each fiscal year beginning with FY2010 for rural highway safety improvement projects.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Preservation of the Second Amendment in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges Act - Allows, except as provided under federal criminal law relating to the possession of firearms and other dangerous weapons in federal facilities, a person to possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded, and operable firearms within a national park area or national wildlife refuge area in accordance with the laws of the state in which such area, or that portion thereof, is located.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Original Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Ultra-High Relief Palladium Bullion Coin Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue a $20 coin that bears, on the obverse and reverse, the designs of the famous 27-millimeter version of the 1907 Augustus Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle ultra-high relief gold piece. Authorizes the Secretary to commence minting and issuing such coins for sale, beginning in 2009, in: (1) an appropriate number of $20 bullion investment coins meeting specified requirements; and (2) up to 15,000 ultra-high relief numismatic $20 coins meeting certain other requirements. Requires all coins to be minted at West Point, New York. Prohibits numismatic coins from being made available as so-called "fractional" coins. Requires the Secretary to take specified protective and anti-counterfeiting measures. Instructs the Treasury Inspector General to report to certain congressional committees on the extent of counterfeiting of rare, collectible, or numismatic coins for sale in the United States, regardless of the country where the original of such coin was produced or of the country in which the counterfeiting takes place, or sales overseas if such counterfeit coins are unauthorized copies of coins originally produced by the U.S. Mint.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Designates April 2009 as Financial Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the importance of personal financial education in the United States and the serious consequences that may result from a lack of understanding about personal finances.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Protecting Incentives for the Adoption of Children with Special Needs Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 to repeal the limitation on FY2008 adoption incentive payments to states to the same manner as such incentives were awarded in FY2008 for the previous fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Rural Veterans Health Care Access and Quality Act of 2009 - Removes the $44,000-per-individual limit on authorized payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health professionals education debt reduction program. Requires notice to potential employees of their eligibility and selection for participation in such program. Includes VA facilities in the list of medical facilities eligible for the assignment of participants under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program. Requires the Director of the VA's Office of Rural Health to develop an Office five-year strategic plan. Authorizes the use of volunteer counselors as part of the Vet Center program. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program of teleconsultation for the provision of remote mental health and traumatic brain injury assessments in VA facilities not otherwise able to provide such assessments without contracting out or reimbursing other providers for such services. Requires the Secretary, for each Veterans Integrated Services Network, to negotiate with each party that has contracts to provide services at more than one community-based outpatient clinic in that Network to consolidate such contracts. Directs the Secretary to designate a rural outreach coordinator at each such clinic at which not less than 50% of the veterans enrolled reside in a highly rural area. Provides for peer review of health care services and patient records within the Network. Authorizes reimbursement for veterans' beneficiaries for air travel when it is the only practical way to reach a VA health care facility. Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot program on incentives for physicians who assume responsibilities of primary care and mental health services to veterans at community hospitals in health professional shortage areas.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2009
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2009
Taxpayer Certainty and Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the increased alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts and the offsets against such tax for nonrefundable tax credits; (2) adjust such AMT exemption amounts for inflation after 2009; (3) make reductions in individual income tax rates and capital gains and dividend tax rates enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) permanent; (4) make expanded eligibility for the child tax credit permanent; (5) increase the earned income tax credit rate for taxpayers with three or more children; (6) make estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer provisions in effect in 2009 permanent and adjust estate and gift tax unified credit amounts for inflation after 2010; and (7) allow surviving spouses to increase their estate and gift tax unified credit by any unused credit amounts of a deceased spouse. Repeals EGTRRA sunset dates for: (1) marriage penalty relief provisions; and (2) increases in the dependent care, adoption assistance, and earned income tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2009
Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to issue guidance for the provision of an in-person mental health screening for each member of the Armed Forces deployed in connection with a contingency operation, in order to identify post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidal tendencies, and other behavioral health issues for which additional care and treatment may be necessary. Excludes from such screenings members not subjected or exposed to combat stress during their deployment. Requires the Secretary to share screening results with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in order to ensure continuity of mental health care and treatment for such members during their transition from health care and treatment provided by the Department of Defense (DOD) to health care and treatment provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2009
Congratulates the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears for winning the 2009 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 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.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Compensation Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on excessive bonuses paid by federal emergency economic assistance recipients to their employees (including directors or officers). Sets the overall rate of such tax at 70% of the amount of such bonuses, 35% payable by federal emergency economic assistance recipients and 35% payable by the employees of such recipients. Exempts bonus recipients who repay bonus amounts to the federal government. Defines "excessive bonus" as any retention bonus or other bonus that exceeds $50,000 paid by a federal emergency economic assistance recipient after December 31, 2008. Defines "federal emergency economic assistance recipient" as: (1) an entity and its affiliates to which the federal government has paid an aggregate of more than $100 million of assistance and in which the federal government has acquired an equity interest under a program authorized by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 or the Federal Reserve Act; and (2) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Limits to $1 million the amount of compensation which a participant in a nonqualified deferred compensation plan maintained by a federal emergency economic assistance recipient may defer in any 12-month period.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner . Requires a coin design emblematic of the War of 1812, and in particular of, the Battle for Baltimore that formed the basis for the Star-Spangled Banner. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2012. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coins and $10 per coin for the $1 coins, which shall be distributed to the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission for the purpose of supporting bicentennial activities, educational outreach activities, and preservation and improvement activities pertaining to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2009
Condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to rationalize anti-Jewish hatred or attacks as a justifiable expression of disaffection over political events in the Middle East or elsewhere. Decries the comparison of Jews to Nazis perpetrating a Holocaust or genocide as a pernicious form of anti-Semitism. Calls on leaders to speak out against manifestations of anti-Semitism that have entered the Middle East debate. Reaffirms support for the mandate of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Urges the Secretary of State to maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a U.S. foreign policy priority.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Tribal Health Promotion and Tribal Colleges and Universities Advancement Act of 2009 - Through Higher Education: Promoting the Advancement of Tribal Health Act or THE PATH Act - Defines "tribal college or university" as having the meaning given the term by specified provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium for equitable Native American participation in HHS programs, services, and resources and to provide technical assistance to tribal colleges and universities. Requires grants to, or cooperative agreements with, tribal colleges and universities for: (1) health and wellness fairs, health promotion and disease prevention programs, and programs to reduce tribal community health disparities; (2) developing and strengthening public health professional degree programs; (3) research, grant management, and coordination of tribal college and university activities; and (4) research on health promotion and disease prevention. Establishes the Tribal College and University Rural Health Equity Endowment Fund to endow a tribal health professions workforce development program. Advancing Tribes Through Tribal Colleges and Universities Act or the AT TCUs Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to establish the TCU Native Prosperity Program of grants to, or cooperative agreements with, tribal colleges and universities for economic development, entrepreneurship, community development, and sound fiscal leadership in Indian communities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement to provide federal assistance for the planning, design, and construction of the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System for specified counties in Montana and North Dakota. Lists agreement requirements. Limits the federal share of planning, design, and construction of the System to 75% of the total cost. Delineates the components of System facilities for which federal funds may be expended and the System's service area. Limits the obligation of funds for construction. Provides that any cost relating to the System's operation, maintenance, or replacement shall not be a federal responsibility and shall be paid by the System. Directs the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration to make available to the System a quantity of power required to meet the System's pumping and incidental operation requirements from the water intake facilities and through the water treatment facilities and all first water distribution pumping facilities. Makes the System eligible to receive power only if it operates on a nonprofit basis and is constructed pursuant to the agreement. Directs the Authority to develop a water conservation plan containing a description of water conservation objectives and measures and a schedule for carrying out such measures. Requires the plan to be designed to ensure that users of water provided by the System will use the best practical technology and management techniques to conserve water.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2009
Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require excise taxes on recreational equipment to be due and payable on the date for filing the return for such taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single gold medal in honor of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) collectively, in honor of their pioneering military service and exemplary record, which forged revolutionary reform in the U.S. Armed Forces. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the WASP.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Nonprofit Capacity Building Act of 2009 - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a Nonprofit Capacity Building program requiring the Corporation for National and Community Service to award matching grants to intermediary nonprofit organizations for the delivery of organizational development assistance to small and midsize nonprofit organizations, especially those facing resource hardship challenges. Directs the Corporation, to the extent practicable, to award such a grant to an intermediary nonprofit organization in each state. Requires grantees to raise their share of the costs of providing such assistance through contributions from third parties, except where the grantee is a private foundation or specified charity.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2009
Common Sense in Consumer Product Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to prohibit considering a sale after the first retail sale or a repair of a used children's product to be an introduction into interstate commerce under provisions of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act concerning children's products containing lead (effectively making children's product lead limits inapplicable to secondary sales or repairs of such products). Prohibits considering a vehicle designed or intended primarily for children seven years of age or older to be a children's product under such provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2009
Military Family Nutrition Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to exclude combat pay from household income in calculating a child's eligibility for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch program. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require states to exclude combat pay from family income in making eligibility determinations under the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2009
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2009 - 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). 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 · 5 March 2009
Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or would be entitled to such pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits recoupment by the Secretary of Defense of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission Act - Establishes the Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission to encourage, plan, develop, coordinate, and execute programs, observances, and activities commemorating the historic events that preceded and are associated with the War of 1812. Requires the Commission to prepare a strategic plan and annual performance plans for any activity carried out by the Commission under this Act. Terminates the Commission on December 31, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2009
Redesignates the: (1) Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to Department Assistant Secretaries and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2009
Designates the first week of April 2009 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about asbestos exposure, which may be hazardous to their health.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2009 - Establishes in the executive branch the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation. Requires the Foundation to award grants, increasingly for study in nontraditional study abroad destinations, to: (1) U.S. students; (2) nongovernmental institutions that provide and promote study abroad opportunities for U.S. students, in consortium with institutions of higher education (IHEs); and (3) IHEs, individually or in consortium. Declares the sense of Congress on the distribution of such grants among individuals and institutions. Directs the the Comptroller General to review the operations of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2009
Five-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury ( Secretary) to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 Silver Coins, and half dollar clad coins in recognition and celebration of the Five-Star Generals' attendance and graduation from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC). Requires the design of such coins to include the portraits of Generals George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry "Hap" Arnold, and Omar N. Bradley. Restricts the issuance of such coins to calendar 2013. Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be paid promptly to the CGSC Foundation to help finance its support of the College.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Meth Mouth Prevention and Community Recovery Act - Requires the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to make grants to enable public and private nonprofit entities to determine whether educating youth about meth mouth (oral decay that is commonly associated with methamphetamine use) is an effective strategy for preventing or reducing methamphetamine use. Reserves a portion of appropriated funds for Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify the clinical research, health services research, and public health research on associations between substance use disorders, oral health, and the provision of dental care. Requires the Secretary to study the effect methamphetamine use has on the demand for, and provision of, dental care. Directs the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support training and offer technical assistance to ensure that dentists and allied dental personnel are prepared to: (1) recognize signs of alcohol or drug addiction; (2) discuss the nature of substance abuse as it relates to their area of expertise; (3) understand how certain dental therapies can affect the relapse potential of substance dependent patients; and (4) help those affected by a substance use disorder find appropriate treatment for their conditions. Authorizes the Administrator to collaborate with professional accrediting bodies to develop and support substance abuse training courses for oral health professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 - Requires, beginning with FY2011, a two-fiscal-year new discretionary budget authority for the following accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) Medical Services; (2) Medical Support and Compliance; and (3) Medical Facilities. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the adequacy and accuracy of VA baseline model projections for health care expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, except in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Keeping Our Promise to America's Military Veterans Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that, in order to express the gratitude of the American people for the sacrifices of America's veterans and their families, legislation should be enacted that: (1) assures timely and adequate funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), especially for medical care activities; (2) improves the ability of the VA's Veterans Benefits Administration to provide timely and accurate decisions on claims for veterans benefits; (3) assures that the VA provides timely access to high-quality treatment for mental health conditions; and (4) facilitates a seamless transition from military to civilian life for members separating from the Armed Forces and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2009
Amends the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2009 to include Idaho and Nevada among specified states to which the Secretary of the Air Force may convey certain relocatable military housing units to Indian tribes.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009 - Ratifies the water rights compact between the Crow Tribe and the state of Montana. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to promptly execute the compact and comply with applicable environmental statutes. Requires the Secretary, through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out activities necessary to: (1) rehabilitate and improve the water diversion and delivery features of the Crow Irrigation Project in accordance with an agreement to be negotiated with the Tribe; and (2) design and construct such features of the reservation's municipal, rural, and industrial water system. Ratifies tribal water rights, which shall be held in trust for the use and benefit of the Tribe. Grants the Tribe sole authority to allocate, distribute, and lease such rights, subject to specified limitations. Applies specified provisions of the Act of February 8, 1887, relating to using water for irrigation, to the tribal water rights. Directs the Secretary to allocate to the Tribe 300,000 acre-feet per year of water stored in Bighorn Lake, under a water right held by the United States, as measured at the Yellowtail Dam outlet works. Requires the Tribe, as a condition of receiving an allocation, to enter into an agreement with the Secretary to establish the terms and conditions. Declares that the benefits provided satisfy all claims of the Tribe and allottees. Establishes in the Treasury the Crow Settlement Fund. Grants the Tribe the exclusive right to develop and market power generation as a water development project on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam. Repeals this Act on January 1, 2015, if the Secretary does not publish by March 31, 2015, a statement of findings that specified conditions have been fulfilled (including court approval and ratification of the compact).
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit through 2010 for the lesser of 6.2% of earned income or $500; (2) increase in 2009 or 2010 the earned income tax credit, the refundable portion of the child tax credit, and the Hope scholarship tax credit; (3) allow payment of purchases of computer technology or equipment from qualified tuition plans in 2009 or 2010; (4) extend until September 1, 2009, the first-time home buyer tax credit and waive repayment of credit amounts; (5) exclude from gross income in 2009 the first $2,400 of unemployment compensation; (6) extend through 2009 exemptions from the alternative minimum tax; (7) extend for three years the tax credit for production of electricity from renewable resources; (8) increase allocations of new clean renewable energy and qualified energy conservation bonds; (9) modify and extend the tax credits for nonbusiness energy property and residential energy efficient property; (10) increase and extend through 2010 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property; (11) allow an increased research tax credit in 2009 or 2010 for energy research expenditures; (12) allow a five-year carryback of general business tax credits and a 100% offset of such credits against income tax liabilities; (13) expand the alternative motor vehicle tax credit for the purchase of plug-in electric drive motor vehicles; (14) extend through 2009 bonus depreciation provisions and the increased expensing allowance for depreciable business assets; (15) allow a five-year carryback period for net operating losses, including operating losses of insurance companies, incurred in 2009 or 2010; (16) allow a work opportunity tax credit for the hiring of disconnected youth (certain youth who are not regularly employed or attending school) and certain unemployed veterans in 2009 or 2010; (17) allow the deferral of the recognition of income from the discharge of indebtedness in connection with the repurchase of a debt instrument after 2008 and before 2011; (18) increase the tax exclusion of gain for certain small business stock acquired in 2009 or 2010; (19) allow an investment tax credit for broadband expenditures in rural and underserved areas; and (20) expand tax-exempt bond financing in 2009 or 2010 to include facilities for manufacturing intangible property. Limits the applicability of Treasury Notice 2008-83 (suspending restrictions on the offset of net operating losses and unrealized built-in losses against the taxable income of certain corporate entities that acquire or merge with other entities) to periods prior to January 16, 2009. Provides for the issuance of tax-exempt recovery zone economic development, recovery zone facility, and tribal economic development bonds. Increases the national limitation for allocations of the new markets tax credit. Disregards in 2009 or 2010: (1) certain limitations on the tax deductibility of interest payments made by financial institutions; and (2) interest earned on tax-exempt private activity bonds for purposes of the alternative minimum tax. Delays until 2012 the requirement for withholding 3% of payments made to contractors who provide goods or services to governmental entities. Allows a new tax credit for investment in school construction bonds and build America bonds. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make a one-time $300 economic recovery payment to recipients of specified social security and other federal benefits. Extends through 2010 provisions of the trade adjustment assistance program. Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from collecting certain payments of antidumping or countervailing duties made under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000. Applies federal wage rate requirements for public building and works to certain energy conservation and other projects financed with the proceeds of tax-exempt bonds. Increases the public debt limit to $12.14 trillion. Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program. Provides for federal-state agreements for increased regular unemployment compensation payments to individuals. Requires federal payments to states to cover 100% of such additional payments. Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Labor to make special transfers to state accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund for unemployment compensation modernization incentive payments and for administration. Amends the SSA to deem, for a specified period through December 31, 2010, that interest payments otherwise due from a state for federal advances to its unemployment fund have been made by the state. Prohibits accrual of interest on such advances during such period. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the SSA to establish in the Treasury the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants from such Fund related to: (1) caseload increases; (2) increased expenditures for non-recurrent short term benefits; and (3) increased expenditures for subsidized employment. Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to extend TANF supplemental grants. Authorizes a state or tribe to use a TANF grant to provide, without fiscal year limitation, any benefit or service that may be provided under the state or tribal program funded under TANF. Reinstates for a specified period the authority of the Secretary of HHS to provide federal matching payments for state spending of child support incentive payments. Provides for payment of a portion of an individual's premiums for any COBRA coverage (health insurance continuation benefits). Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to extend transitional medical assistance (TMA) through December 31, 2010. Gives states the option of simplifying TMA eligibility determinations. Requires each state to collect and submit to the Secretary of HHS information on: (1) average monthly enrollment and average monthly participation rates for adults and children; and (2) the number and percentage of children who become ineligible for medical assistance whose medical assistance is continued under another eligibility category, or who are enrolled under the state's child health plan under SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP). Extends the qualifying individual program from December 2009 to December 2010, as well as the total amount under such program available for allocation. Prohibits state Medicaid programs from imposing cost-sharing requirements on an Indian when the beneficiary is receiving an item or service directly from an Indian health care provider or through referral from a Contract Health Services provider. Requires that states disregard certain tribal property in determining the Medicaid or SCHIP eligibility of Indians. Requires that the procedures used by state Medicaid programs for estate recovery exempt certain income, resources, and property that are exempt from related federal requirements because of the federal responsibility for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Establishes special rules applicable under Medicaid and SCHIP to managed care entities with respect to Indian enrollees and Indian health care providers and Indian managed care entities. Directs the Secretary to maintain within the Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services a Tribal Technical Advisory Group. Requires state Medicaid and SCHIP programs to seek advice on a regular, ongoing basis from Indian Health Programs and Urban Indian Organizations on all matters likely to have a direct effect on them, including plan amendments, waiver request, and proposals for demonstration projects. Requires a state plan to apply prompt pay requirements to nursing facilities. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Sets forth provisions governing the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to establish incentive payments for certain eligible physicians and hospitals that adopt and use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology meaningfully, beginning in FY2011. Directs the Secretary of HHS to recompute payments for certain inpatient hospital discharges without applying the phased-out indirect medical education adjustment factor. Directs the Secretary of HHS to study and report to Congress on: (1) the application of EHR payment incentives for providers not receiving other incentive payments; and (2) the availability of open source health information technology systems. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to establish incentive payments to encourage the adoption and use by Medicaid providers of qualified electronic health records. Establishes a temporary increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) with respect to Medicaid payments, as well as payments under SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance), for FY2009-FY2011 for eligible states, with FMAP increases authorized for specified U.S. territories. Extends from FY2008 through FY2013 the special rule for increase of Medicaid disproportionate share (DSH) allotments for low DSH states. Directs the Secretary of HHS to work with each state to reach an agreement on the amount of a payment for the state related to the Medicare program liability as a result of the Special Disability Workload project. Makes appropriations to the HHS Inspector General. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the period of national economic downturn in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, as well as previous periods of national economic downturn since 1974, for the purpose of developing recommendations for addressing the needs of states during such periods.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Troubled Asset Relief Program Enhancement Act - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to require the Comptroller General to oversee the performance of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in meeting EESA purposes involving public accountability for the exercise of its authority. Grants the Comptroller General access, upon request, to any information, data, schedules, books, accounts, financial records, reports, files, electronic communications, or other papers, things, or property belonging to or in use by the TARP, any entity established by the Secretary under EESA, or any entity participating in a program established under EESA, and to any of their officers, employees, directors, independent public accountants, financial advisors and any and all other agents and representatives. Requires the Comptroller General to be afforded full facilities for verifying transactions with the balances or securities held by depositories, fiscal agents, and custodians. Prohibits the Comptroller General from disclosing publicly any proprietary or trade secret information obtained under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Nationwide Freight and Personal Mobility Act - Specifies a formula for the automatic authorization of additional appropriations for National Highway System (NHS) improvement projects, starting FY2010, if apportionments fall below a certain level. Revises the federal share of non-Interstate highway projects to make it: (1) 80% for non-NHS projects; and (2) 85% for NHS projects.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Rural Opportunity and Development Act or the ROAD Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a rural opportunity and development (ROAD) program to promote opportunity and economic development in rural states through projects for the preservation and improvement of highways.
United States · United States Congress · 16 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; (8) child health assistance furnished through school-based health centers; and (9) 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. Establishes the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) to review Medicaid and CHIP policies affecting children's access to covered items and services. 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. 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 · 16 January 2009
Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a work opportunity tax credit for the hiring in 2009 or 2010 of unemployed veterans discharged from active duty during 2008, 2009, or 2010.
![Official portrait of Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000243_200.jpg)