United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Directs the Secretary of the Army to: (1) continue the Wounded Warrior Careers Demonstration (Careers) program being conducted in collaboration with the Army Wounded Warrior program at three locations pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between the Army and the National Organization on Disability; and (2) expand the Careers program to nine additional locations in FY2011. States that the purpose of the Careers program expansion shall be to identify and disseminate best practices related to employment counseling and job placement of severely wounded warriors into civilian communities and careers, and to assess various additional means to support the transition and reintegration of such warriors into such communities and careers. Requires: (1) all locations chosen under the expansion to have a large concentration of severely wounded warriors who are ready for career and employment counseling; and (2) the Careers program to be carried out at least until five years after the enactment of this Act. Allows Careers program services to be provided to severely wounded warriors of other branches of the Armed Forces pursuant to joint agreement. Directs the Secretary to continue to provide for the dissemination to other federal departments and agencies, state and local governments, and appropriate nonprofit organizations of lessons learned and best practices developed under the Careers program on the provision of benefits, services, and support to severely wounded warriors. Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to report on the Careers program to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
States as Energy Leaders for the Future Act or SELF Act - Establishes in the Department of Energy (DOE) a program to provide grants to eligible entities, on a competitive basis, to develop and carry out clean energy and carbon reduction measures, such as renewable electricity standards, regional or statewide climate action plans, and participation in a regional greenhouse gas reduction program. Directs the Secretary of DOE, in establishing criteria for grants, to take into account: (1) regional disparities in the ways in which energy is produced and used; and (2) the clean energy resource potential of the measures. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "domestic production gross receipts" for purposes of the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production, the gross receipts of a major integrated oil company which are derived from oil related qualified production activities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Pike National Historic Trail Study Act of 2010 - Amends the National Trails System Act to require a study for the designation of Pike's Trail, a series of routes that follow the route taken by Lt. Zebulon Montgomery Pike during the 1806-1807 Pike expedition that began in Fort Bellefontaine, Missouri, and ended in Natchitoches, Louisiana, as a national historic trail.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Deems any reference to Operation Iraqi Freedom in a provision of federal law providing a benefit for service in the Armed Forces to include a reference to Operation New Dawn, unless otherwise terminated by an explicit delimiting or other termination date. Considers active-duty service in Operation New Dawn as service on active duty in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities, for purposes of eligibility for certain veterans' benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Designates December 18, 2010, as Gold Star Wives Day. Honors and recognizes the contributions of the members of the Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., and their dedication to the members and veterans of the Armed Forces. Encourages the people of the United States to observe Gold Star Wives Day.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2010
Designates the week beginning on October 10, 2010, as National Wildlife Refuge Week. Supports the goals and ideals of National Wildlife Refuge Week. Reaffirms the support of the Senate for wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Refuge System.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2010
Renewable Electricity Promotion Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to establish a standard that requires electric utilities to obtain an increasing percentage of their base quantity of electricity that they sell to consumers from renewable energy or energy efficiency (3% in 2012-2013, 6% in 2014-2016, 9% in 2017-2018, 12% in 2019-2020, and 15% in 2021-2039). Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to establish a renewable energy credit trading program and an energy efficiency credit trading program, under which utilities will submit credits to comply with such standard. Provides for the issuance, duration, transfer, trading, tracking, and reporting of credits. Sets forth civil penalties for utilities that fail to meet such requirements. Allows the Secretary to delegate to: (1) a market-making entity the administration of a national renewable energy credit market and a national energy efficiency credit market to create a transparent national market for the sale or trade of such credits, and (2) regional entities the tracking of dispatch of renewable energy generation;. Authorizes: (1) a state public utility commission or electric utility to request a variance from such renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements, and (2) a utility to meet such requirements by submitting alternative compliance payments. Allows: (1) a governor to expend amounts in a state renewable energy escrow account solely for increasing the quantity of electric energy produced from a renewable energy source in the state, promoting deployment and use of electric drive vehicles in the state, and offsetting the costs of carrying out this Act paid by consumers in the state through direct grants to electric consumers or energy efficiency investments; and (2) states to adopt or enforce laws concerning renewable energy or energy efficiency or the regulation of electric utilities. Exempts from renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements an electric utility that sold less than 4 million megawatt hours of electric energy to electric consumers during the preceding year or that is located in Hawaii. Requires the Secretary, when petitioned by the governor of a state or the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the case of TVA's power service area, to allow up to 26.67% of the renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements associated with the sales of electricity of a utility to be met by submitting federal energy efficiency credits. Requires: (1) the Secretary to promulgate regulations regarding the measurement and verification of electricity savings; and (2) the increment of electricity output of a new combined heat and power system that is attributable to the higher efficiency of the combined system to be considered electricity savings. Requires the Secretary to make loans available to electric utilities to: (1) construct a renewable energy generation facility; and (2) install an energy efficiency or electricity demand reduction technology. Terminates the authority provided by this Act on December 31, 2039.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2010
Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2010 - Directs the Attorney General to make grants to assist states with costs associated with the implementation of minimum or enhanced DNA collection processes. Defines such processes for the purpose of this Act. Awards bonus payments to states that have implemented and used an enhanced DNA collection process.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2010
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15, 2010, through October 15, 2010. Esteems the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2010
Stem Cell Research Advancement Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct and support research that utilizes human stem cells, including human embryonic stem cells. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of reproductive treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) it was determined through consultation with the individuals seeking reproductive treatment that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking reproductive treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements. Requires the Secretary to maintain, review every three years, and update as scientifically warranted, guidelines applicable to the conduct or support of human stem cell research by HHS. Prohibits the Secretary from using any funds for the conduct or support of human cloning. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to include in its biennial report to Congress a summary of research activities on human stem cells.
United States · United States Congress · 12 August 2010
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Theodore "Ted" Fulton Stevens, former member of the U.S. Senate from Alaska. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on August 12, 2010, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Stevens.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2010
Achievement Through Prevention Act - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow states, local educational agencies, and schools to use school improvement funds to implement schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports and early intervening services and coordinate them with similar activities carried out under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (Early intervening services are a set of coordinated services for students in kindergarten through grade 12 who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment.) Amends part D of title I of the ESEA to require states that receive funds for the education of neglected or delinquent children or youth to use positive behavioral interventions and supports and early intervening services to improve such students' academic performance and reduce their need for discipline.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2010
Requires the Secretary of Education, beginning in FY2011, to pay to Fort Lewis College in Colorado an amount equal to the charges for tuition for Indian students who are not residents of Colorado and who are enrolled in the College. Limits the amount paid to Fort Lewis College per fiscal year to an amount equal to the charges for tuition for Indian students who were Colorado non-residents and who were enrolled for the academic year 2009-2010. Treats amounts received under this Act as a reimbursement from Colorado to Fort Lewis College for complying with federal law requiring the admission of Indian students at the College free of charge of tuition. Prohibits anything in this Act from being construed as relieving Colorado from reimbursing Fort Lewis College for each academic year: (1) with respect to Indian students who are not Colorado residents and who are enrolled in Fort Lewis College, any amount of the charges for tuition for such enrolled Indian students which exceeds the amount received under this Act; and (2) with respect to Indian students who are Colorado residents and who are enrolled in Fort Lewis College, an amount equal to the charges for tuition for such enrolled Indian students.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2010
Recognizes the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) days. Acknowledges the critical role of freight and passenger rail in our nation's intermodal transportation system. Commends efforts of the state governments of Colorado and New Mexico, the C&TSRR Commission, the C&TSRR Management Company, and Friends of the C&TSRR for their efforts to maintain this historic and scenic railroad.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2010
Recommits to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust as well as the victims of all past genocides and mass atrocities. Affirms that it is in the national interest and aligned with the values of the United States to work with international partners to prevent and mitigate future genocides and mass atrocities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2010
FHA Reform Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to require specified mortgagees to indemnify HUD for payment of a mortgage insurance claim if the mortgage was not materially originated or underwritten in accordance with HUD requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to require a mortgagee to indemnify HUD for loss regardless of when an insurance claim is paid if fraud or misrepresentation was involved in connection with the mortgage origination or underwriting. Directs the Secretary to: (1) take any actions required to seek indemnification for any early term default (of a loan that becomes delinquent or is in default within two years after origination) and claim on a mortgage which is an obligation of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMI Fund), and, as of the mortgage origination date, was not in material compliance with any pertinent requirement; (2) establish a program to review the cause of each early term default and claim on such mortgages; and (3) require indemnification of an early term default that did not meet requirements existing before the date of origination. Authorizes the Secretary to terminate approval to originate or underwrite single-family mortgages of any mortgagee with an excessive rate of early defaults and claims. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs responsible for all matters relating to managing and mitigating the risk to HUD mortgage insurance funds and for ensuring the performance of HUD-insured mortgages. Abolishes the position of the FHA chief risk officer. Authorizes the Secretary to use outside sources to: (1) analyze credit risk models and practices employed by HUD in connection with mortgages; (2) evaluate underwriting standards; and (3) analyze lender compliance with, and HUD enforcement of, underwriting standards. Directs the Secretary to review and identify to Congress mortgagees with a significant or rapid increase in early defaults and claims with respect to all mortgages they have originated on housing located in any particular geographic area or areas. Authorizes the Secretary to require a mortgagee to: (1) use the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry; (2) obtain unique company identifiers for all mortgagee officers or owners. Directs the Secretary to require mortgagees of HUD-insured single-family or multifamily housing to notify HUD if they terminate or discontinue mortgage purchases from another mortgagee based upon any determination, evidence, or report of fraud or material misrepresentation in connection with the origination of such mortgages. Requires the annual independent actuarial study of the MMI Fund to review and evaluate any: (1) changes to the current or projected safety and soundness of the Fund since the most recent report; and (2) risks to the Fund. Requires the Secretary's quarterly and annual reports to Congress to include specified information on defaults. Prescribes conditions compelling the Secretary to review and reduce certain cash investment (down payment) requirements binding upon mortgages or mortgagors. Revises eligibility requirements for mortgage insurance, including insurance for a home equity conversion mortgage (reverse mortgage) for elderly homeowners. Revises requirements for early mortgage default and foreclosure information collected by the Secretary for mortgage lender analysis. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse servicers of certain HUD-insured residential mortgages for the costs of obtaining the services of specified independent third parties, including a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, to make in-person contact, at no charge, with mortgagors whose payments are 60 or more days past due, solely to provide specified information. Directs the Secretary to give reimbursement priority to independent third parties serving mortgagors in areas experiencing a mortgage foreclosure rate and unemployment rate higher than the national average. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on single-family mortgage insurance programs of HUD and the MMI Fund. Revises the down payment requirement for mortgage insurance eligibility to authorize the Secretary to establish a higher minimum cash investment requirement for all mortgagors, or a certain class or classes of mortgagors, which may be based on criteria related to borrowers' credit scores or other industry standards related to borrowers' financial soundness. Directs the Secretary to provide refunds of unearned premium charges paid at the time of insurance for mortgage insurance to or on behalf of mortgagors under certain mortgages on one- to four-family dwellings. Revises maximum mortgage amount limits for multifamily housing that includes elevator-type structures with sound standards of construction and design. Applies through FY2011 HUD Mortgagee Letter 2002-17 (regarding "Special Forbearance: Program Changes and Updates"), relating to Type I Special Forbearance, with respect to mortgagees of certain insured mortgages secured by one- to four-family dwellings that have problem or damaging drywall products. Exempts HUD insurance of mortgages on condominiums from the conditions of, or review under, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or any other related law.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2010
Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require each registered drug producer to have in effect and implement a quality management plan to ensure the quality and safety of: (1) each drug; (2) each active and inactive ingredient of each drug; and (3) materials used in the manufacture of each active ingredient. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to order an establishment to promptly revise its quality management plan in response to a significant threat to public health. Requires each registered drug producer to report on each producer, manufacturer, distributor, and shipper involved in the production of a drug or the production or transport of the active ingredients of a drug. Requires the Secretary to develop and maintain information systems to track and assess every establishment that is involved in the manufacturing, preparation, propagation, compounding, or processing of a drug or active ingredient of a drug. Deems a drug to be adulterated if it was produced in an establishment that does not comply with the requirements of this Act. Gives the Secretary authority to: (1) order an immediate cessation of distribution, or a recall, of a drug; and (2) administer oaths and issue subpoenas. Revises provisions regarding civil penalties for FFDCA violations related to drugs for human use, including to consider each day a violation continues to be a separate violation. Authorizes the Secretary to share information subject to a trade secret exemption with: (1) other federal, state, or local agencies, foreign government agencies, and relevant international organizations; and (2) the public, as necessary to protect the public health. Sets forth whistleblower protection provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2010
Safe Dispersants Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the use of a dispersant in response to a discharge of oil or hazardous substances unless the dispersant has been listed by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule. Authorizes the Administrator to list a dispersant on the Schedule if: (1) the dispersant meets such standards as shall be established by the Administrator governing maximum allowable toxicity and minimum acceptable effectiveness; and (2) the adverse effect from its use is less than that from allowing the discharged oil or hazardous substance to be dispersed by natural or physical means, to degrade by natural processes, to be removed by technologically feasible physical methods, or to undergo any combination of such processes. Directs the Administrator, in determining the adverse effect from the use of a dispersant, to consider: (1) acute, chronic, short- and long-term health and environmental effects of the dispersant or any individual component of the dispersant formulation; (2) additive or synergistic effects of the dispersant in combination with oil or hazardous substances and other environmental factors and components; and (3) persistence, bioavailability, and bioaccumulation potential. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations specifying the minimum data set applicable to dispersants listed on the Schedule, which shall: (1) include information necessary to determine the potential for dispersants to persist or accumulate in, or to create or contribute to adverse effects on, environments, ecosystems, organisms, workers, and exposed individuals; (2) include specified information on ingredients and the efficacy of the dispersants under different conditions and at different concentrations; and (3) be sufficient to assist the Administrator in determining whether the combination of dispersant and hazardous substance can increase or decrease the persistence, bioaccumulation potential, or toxicity relative to either alone, the potential for dispersant components to persist or accumulate in the environment or biota or to contribute to adverse effects under any scale or manner of application, and whether use of the dispersant would cause less harm to health and the environment than responding without it. Directs the Administrator to: (1) consider health and safety information for a dispersant listed for use under the Schedule to mean information from any study of any effect of a dispersant on health or the environment; and (2) make such information available to the public, as well as information on the concentrations of all dispersant ingredients if public availability of such information is necessary to prevent substantial endangerment to human health or the environment or is otherwise in the public interest . Requires the Administrator to: (1) initiate a study evaluating the adequacy of existing capabilities and legal authorities of the federal government to make informed decisions regarding the health and environmental impacts of dispersants placed on the Schedule; and (2) determine whether to propose revisions to subpart J of the National Contingency Plan and to National Response System regulations to ensure the effectiveness and safety of dispersants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2010
Family Farm Estate Tax Deferral Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from the value of a decedent's gross estate farmland used by the decedent or a member of the decedent's family for farming purposes for periods aggregating five years or more during the eight-year period ending on the date of the decedent's death; (2) impose a recapture tax on an heir who disposes of such farmland after the decedent's death or who ceases to use such farmland for farming purposes; and (3) increase the limitation on the estate tax exclusion for land subject to a qualified conservation easement to $5 million and the percentage of the value of such land that is excludable.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2010
Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2010 - Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to: (1) extend reporting requirements for livestock daily markets through September 30, 2015; (2) establish mandatory reporting for wholesale pork cuts; and (3) direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish, and implement within one year, an electronic price reporting system for dairy products.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2010
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships to: (1) provide high quality professional development to elementary school principals in early childhood education and development; (2) gain a knowledge base and capacity to provide high quality early childhood education; and (3) collaborate with early childhood education providers, services providers, and families in creating a continuum of high quality development and learning for children in the community and school settings. Requires each partnership to consist of: (1) a public or private entity experienced in training elementary school principals; (2) at least one public agency; and (3) at least one early childhood education organization that trains early childhood education providers. Requires grantees to conduct an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of their grant-funded programs and activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a panel of leading experts in elementary and early childhood education to: (1) identify the best practices in professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education; (2) review the effective coordination of such training among this Act's grantees; and (3) disseminate the latest research and findings regarding such training.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
American Family Farm and Ranchland Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $5 million the limitation on the estate tax exclusion for land subject to a qualified conservation easement and to increase the percentage of the value of such land that is excludable.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
PACE Assessment Protection Act of 2010 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to adopt underwriting standards that are consistent with the Guidelines for Pilot PACE Financing Programs issued on May 7, 2010, by the Department of Energy (DOE). Provides that liens or other property obligations that secure property taxes or assessments under a PACE program and that are consistent with such standards shall be considered to comply with the Uniform Instruments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and shall not constitute a default on an existing mortgage or trigger the exercise of lender's remedies for a property with such a lien. Defines a "PACE program" as a property assessed clean energy program under which a state or political subdivision levies taxes or assessments on real property to finance the installation of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Prohibits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from requiring repayment of a PACE program tax or assessment in order for a property owner to finance, refinance, or transfer property that meets their underwriting criteria without consideration of the PACE program lien. Requires the underwriting standards to provide that, in the event that a tax or assessment under a PACE program is delinquent, only the unpaid delinquent amount along with applicable penalties, interest, and costs will be subject to foreclosure and not the entire amount. Prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and all federal agencies and entities chartered under federal law from discriminating against communities implementing or participating in a PACE program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2010
Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments under the federal veterinary medicine loan repayment program or any other state loan repayment or forgiveness program that is intended to provide for increased access to veterinary services in such state.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2010
Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act or the DISCLOSE Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to prohibit: (1) independent expenditures and payments for electioneering communications by government contractors if the value of the contract is at least $10 million; and (2) recipients of assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) from making any contribution to any political party, committee, or candidate for public office, or to any person for any political purpose or use, or from making any independent expenditure or disbursing any funds for an electioneering communication. Applies the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to foreign-controlled domestic corporations. Requires the highest ranking official of a corporation, before making any contribution, donation, expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication in connection with a federal election, to file a certification with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), if this has not been done already, that the corporation is not prohibited from carrying out such activity. Declares that nothing prohibits any domestic corporation from establishing, administering, and soliciting contributions to a separate segregated fund, so long as: (1) none of the amounts in the fund are provided by any prohibited foreign national; and (2) no such foreign national has the power to direct, dictate, or control the fund. Declares that nothing prohibits any domestic corporation from making a contribution or donation in connection with a state or local election to the extent permitted under state or local law, so long as no such foreign national has the power to direct, dictate, or control such contribution or donation. Declares that nothing prohibits any domestic corporation from making communications to its stockholders and executive or administrative personnel and their families or initiating nonpartisan registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns, so long as: (1) none of the amounts used to carry out such activity are provided by any such foreign national; and (2) no such foreign national has the power to direct, dictate, or control such activity. Treats as contributions: (1) any payments by any person (except a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or a political committee of a political party) for coordinated communications; and (2) political party communications made on behalf of candidates if made under the control or direction of a candidate or a candidate's authorized committee. Defines "coordinated communication" as: (1) a publicly distributed or disseminated communication referring to a candidate or the candidate's opponent which is made during a specified election period in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or a political committee of a political party; or (2) any communication that republishes, disseminates, or distributes, in whole or in part, any broadcast or any written, graphic, or other form of campaign material prepared by a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or their agents. Repeals the prohibition against contributions by individuals age 17 or younger. Prohibits a communication which is disseminated through the Internet from being treated as a form of general public political advertising unless the communication was placed for a fee on another person's website. Revises the definition of independent expenditure to mean, in part, an expenditure that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy. Requires any person making independent expenditures exceeding $10,000 to: (1) file a report electronically within 24 hours; and (2) file a new report electronically each time the person makes or contracts to make independent expenditures in an aggregate amount equal to or greater than $10,000 (or $1,000, if less than 20 days before an election) with respect to the same election. Increases from 60 days to 120 days the period before a general election during which a communication shall be considered an electioneering communication. Requires mandatory electronic filing by persons making independent expenditures or electioneering communications exceeding $10,000 at any time. Requires corporations, labor organizations, tax-exempt charitable organizations, and political organizations other than political committees (covered organizations) to include specified additional information in reports on independent expenditures of at least $10,000, including certain actual or deemed transfers of money to other persons, but excluding amounts paid from separate segregated funds as well as amounts designated for specified campaign-related activities. Requires certain additional information in electioneering communication reports. Sets forth special rules for the use of general treasury funds by covered organizations for campaign-related activity, including both designated and unrestricted donor payments to an organization. Authorizes mutually agreed restrictions on the use of donated funds for campaign-related activity between a covered organization and a person who does not want his or her identity disclosed in a significant funder statement or a Top 5 Funders list. Authorizes covered organizations to make optional use of a separate Campaign-Related Activity Account for making disbursements for campaign-related activity. Requires such an Account to be reduced by the amount of organization revenues attributable to donations or payments from a person other than the covered organization who has mutually agreed with the organization that the organization may not use the donation or payment for campaign-related activity. Requires certain electioneering communications transmitted through radio or television to include an audio statement identifying the name of the political committee responsible. Prescribes additional information to be included in certain radio or television electioneering communications by persons (including significant funders of campaign-related communications of a covered organization) other than a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or a political committee of a political party. Prescribes a format for the individual disclosure statement. Indexes certain amounts. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require registered lobbyists to report information on independent expenditures or electioneering communications of at least $1,000 to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Amends FECA to require Senate candidates to file all designations, statements, and reports directly with the FEC. Requires covered organizations to disclose to shareholders, members, or donors information on disbursements for campaign-related activity. Requires a covered organization that maintains an Internet site to post on it a hyperlink from its homepage to the location on the FEC website containing information required to be reported with respect to public independent expenditures, including disbursements for electioneering communications. Authorizes judicial review of the provisions of this Act by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and on appeal by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Grants Members of Congress the right to: (1) bring an action to challenge the constitutionality of a provision of this Act; or (2) intervene in any action challenging the constitutionality of a provision of this Act, either in support of or opposition to the position of a party to the case.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act of 2010 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President a national energy security program to coordinate federal activities and policies to reduce oil consumption by 8 million barrels per day by calendar 2030. Directs the President to develop a national oil independence plan to meet or exceed such goal. Establishes also in the Executive Office a National Energy Security Council to assist and advise the President in setting and meeting the national oil independence goal. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate joint regulations establishing corporate average fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emissions limitations for: (1) light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles manufactured for each of model years 2017-2030; and (2) nonroad vehicles. Establishes within the Department of Energy (DOE) a national electric drive vehicle deployment program and a targeted electric drive vehicle deployment communities program. Requires the Secretary of Energy to develop a national plan for electric drive vehicle deployment, including specified goals for deployment of plug-in electric drive vehicles. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a refundable personal tax credit to a qualified deployment community taxpayer who purchases a new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle and resides in a selected deployment community; (2) revise the new qualified hybrid motor vehicle credit; and (3) extend and revise the credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property. Creates tax-exempt qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle refueling property bonds. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require each electric utility to develop a plan to support the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles. Requires the Federal Energy Management Program and the General Services Administration (GSA) to assess the conversion of federal government fleets to plug-in electric drive vehicles. Directs the GSA Administrator to acquire such vehicles and charging infrastructure and deploy them in a range of locations in the federal fleet. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish the Advanced Batteries for Tomorrow Prize to advance research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of a 500-mile vehicle battery. Creates in the Treasury a 500-mile Battery Fund. Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a research and development funding program for advanced batteries, electric drive vehicle components, electric drive infrastructure, and other related technologies. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to study and report to Congress on the supply of raw materials needed for the manufacture of plug-in electric drive vehicles, batteries, and related components and for supporting infrastructure. Establishes the Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Technical Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary of Energy. Directs the President to establish a Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Interagency Task Force. Requires disposal of an advanced battery from a plug-in electric drive vehicle in accordance with the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to direct the Secretary of Energy to guarantee loans to eligible entities for the aggregate purchase of not fewer than 200 qualified automotive batteries (designed for use in qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles but purchased for nonautomotive applications) in a calendar year with a total minimum power rating of one megawatt and advanced battery technology. Requires the Secretary of Energy to: (1) develop and publish model building codes, permitting and inspection processes, and zoning or parking rules; and (2) award grants to institutions of higher education and others for programs to train and educate vocational workforce through centers of excellence. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for grid-interactive plug-in vehicles. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the EPA Administrator to promulgate regulations to establish: (1) national transportation-related goals for reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) standardized models and related methods for states, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and air quality agencies to address oil savings and emission reduction goals. Requires metropolitan planning areas and states to develop surface transportation-related oil savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, as well as strategies to meet those targets. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to distribute funds to states and MPOs for investing in transportation greenhouse gas emission reduction programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $230 the amount of qualified transportation fringe (commuter) benefits excluded from an employee's gross income. Makes it the goal of the United States to shift at least 10% of freight shipped by truck to rail or marine shipping by calendar 2020. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a national freight transportation options plan; and (2) make grants to states for the capital costs of facilities, infrastructure, and equipment for high priority rail corridor projects necessary to reduce congestion in freight rail transportation. Requires the Comptroller General to study and reported to specified congressional committees on the benefits and costs of electrification of rail corridors. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an investment tax credit for advanced biofuel facilities as well as grants in lieu of credits for advanced biofuel facility property (under division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). Includes algae-based biofuel in the definition of cellulosic biofuel. Extends: (1) the cellulosic biofuel producer credit; (2) the special allowance for cellulosic biofuel plant property; (3) certain credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel; and (4) alcohol fuels tax credits. Allows a tax credit for qualified natural gas motor vehicles, and creates tax-exempt natural gas vehicle bonds. Allows an expensing deduction for manufacturing facilities producing vehicles fueled by compressed or liquefied natural gas. Directs the GSA Administrator to study and report to Congress on means of increasing the number of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas vehicles in the federal fleet. Establishes in DOE an Energy Efficiency Improvement for Heating Oil, Propane, and Kerosene Program to fund state participation in programs operated by a national oilheat research alliance or the Propane Education and Research Council to carry out cost-effective energy efficiency programs for homes and buildings that use home heating oil, propane, and kerosene. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a renewable biomass thermal energy loan program of grants to states to support financial assistance by qualified program delivery entities to replace with certain wood or wood-pellet fired boilers any thermal energy systems in commercial or multifamily residential buildings that use heating oil or another petroleum product.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2010
Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2010 - Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) energy performance plan to be taken into consideration in other DOD planning, including the National Security Strategy and the Quadrennial Defense Review. Provides a DOD procurement preference for goods and services produced using sustainable environmental practices. Requires: (1) specified percentages of DOD electric energy to be produced from renewable energy sources; (2) consideration of certain environmentally sustainable practices under the DOD energy performance plan; and (3) application to contractors operating government-owned facilities and contract tenants and concessionaires of DOD requirements regarding the use of renewable energy and energy-efficient products. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to obligate specified DOD O&M funds to carry out energy conservation projects. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress an assessment of improved building efficiency (including insulation and energy and water usage) at DOD facilities. Requires: (1) the conversion to electric or hybrid propulsion, by the end of FY2015, of the military and defense agency fleet of petroleum-derived non-tactical motor vehicles; and (2) a procurement preference with respect to electric or hybrid propulsion vehicles. Extends the conversion requirement to contractor-operated, government-owned vehicles. Directs: (1) the Secretary of each military department to report to Congress identifying hybrid-drive technologies suitable for incorporation into the next reset and recap of tactical-fleet military ground vehicles; and (2) the Secretary to submit to Congress a testing and certification plan for the development, and use by the end of FY2016, of biofuel derived from materials that do not compete with food stocks and is suitable for use as military aviation fuel. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the implementation or operation of any provision of this Act after certifying to Congress that such implementation or operation would adversely impact U.S. national security.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2010
Designates June 2010 as Summer Food Service Program Awareness Month. Encourages: (1) schools, nonprofit institutions, churches, parks, recreation centers, and summer camps to sponsor summer feeding sites in their communities; and (2) schools, local businesses, nonprofit institutions, churches, cities, and state governments to raise awareness of the availability of summer feeding sites and support efforts to increase participation of children who might otherwise go without meals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2010
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, late a Senator from West Virginia. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on June 28, 2010, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2010
Central Rockies Land Exchange and National Park System Enhancement Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), if the Bear Ranch, LLC, offers to convey all interest in specified non-federal parcels of land within the Curecanti National Recreation Area in Gunnison County, Colorado, and Dinosaur National Monument in Uintah County, Utah, for inclusion in the National Park System, to accept the offer and the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey to the Ranch all interest of the United States in specified federal land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the United States Forest Service. Requires the USDA Secretary, if the Darien Ranch offers to convey all interest in certain non-federal land in Gunnison County, to accept the offer, and upon receipt of such land, to convey to the Ranch a permanent right-of-way of no more than 200 feet in width for a water intake on Rapid Creek and water pipeline (and access to such intake and pipeline) running along an existing irrigation ditch from the Creek to private land. Requires the values of the federal and non-federal lands in each separate land exchange to be equal and to be determined by appraisals performed in accordance with this Act. Requires lands acquired by the Secretary and the USDA Secretary, respectively, to become part of: (1) the Curecanti National Recreation Area or Dinosaur National Monument; and (2) the unit of the National Forest System in which the land is located. Requires implementation of a travel management plan for the design, construction, improvement, replacement, or other siting of roads, trails, and trailheads in the Anthracite-Spring Creek Travel Planning Area.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2010
Designates June 23, 2010, as Olympic Day and expresses support for its goals and ideals. Promotes fitness and well-being and the Olympic ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect, and sportsmanship.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2010
Clean Up Earmarks Act of 2010 or CUE Act of 2010 - Requires the Comptroller General to submit an audit to Congress of 5% of Senate earmarks for the current fiscal year chosen at random. Requires the audit to include: (1) an adequate number of earmarks of small and large programs; (2) 50% of earmarks that have been requested by at least one Democratic Senator and one Republican Senator, respectively; and (3) 50% of earmarks requested by members and 50% of those requested by non-members, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Amends Rule XLIV (Congressional Directed Spending and Related Items) of the Standing Rules of the Senate to require an affirmative vote of two-thirds (currently, three-fifths [60]) of the Members of the Senate to: (1) authorize a Senator to move to waive any or all points of order with respect to a pending conference report that constitutes new directed spending provisions; and (2) sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair regarding such point of order. Requires the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives to take necessary steps to improve the website earmarks.gov to: (1) make earmarks more easily searchable by the requesting Member of Congress and by any federally registered lobbyist who requested them; and (2) ensure that the website is user friendly and does not include extraneous information. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the subcommittees of the Committee should hold separate hearings on earmark requests in excess of $1 million and of $5 million, respectively, during which Members who requested them should be invited to testify. Amends Rule XLIV to require all congressionally directed spending items to be included in the text of an appropriations or authorization bill and any related conference report. Requires each request by a Senator for a congressionally directed spending item for such a bill to be posted on the Senator's website within 48 hours, including specified related information. Makes it out of order to consider an appropriations or authorization bill, amendment, or conference report if it contains a congressionally directed spending item for a private for-profit entity. Requires a Senator to: (1) require any eligible entity that requests an earmark submission from the Senator to include a written disclosure in that earmark request of the identity of any for-profit, private company that might directly benefit financially from the award of the earmark; and (2) submit the disclosed beneficiary identity in writing to the Committee with any corresponding earmarks request made by the Senator, and include the beneficiary disclosure in the disclosure of earmarks required to be posted on the Senator's website. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require reports by registered lobbyists to include, for each client, the amount of congressional earmarks requested from Congress on the client's behalf and a detailed accounting of each such earmark.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2010
Lead Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award a competitive grant to a partnership between a nonprofit organization and an institution of higher education (IHE) to establish a school leadership academy that develops and provides evidence-based leadership training to school leaders (turnaround leaders) and their supporting mentors (turnaround mentors) to transform and improve turnaround schools. Defines "turnaround schools" as schools that are subject to corrective action or restructuring under the ESEA or are secondary schools that have a graduation rate below 60%. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to partnerships between or among a nonprofit organization, IHE, or a nonprofit organization and an IHE, and state or local educational agencies to establish school leadership centers of excellence, after the initial cohort of turnaround leaders and mentors have been trained by the school leadership academy. Directs such centers to: (1) adopt and adapt the leadership training program developed by the school leadership academy so that such program is informed, on an ongoing basis, by evidence regarding effective school leadership and meets the needs of the local educational agencies they serve; and (2) work with the school leadership academy to best train and support program participants. Requires leadership training participants at the academy and the centers of excellence to receive a stipend for participating and agree to serve for at least four years at turnaround schools. Requires the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences to support: (1) research on identifying the skills and conditions necessary for school leaders to improve turnaround schools; and (2) evaluations of this Act's programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2010
Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010 - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to transmit, within 45 calendar days after enactment of the funding in question, a message to Congress with specified information requesting any rescission the President proposes under the procedures in this Act. Prescribes requirements for timing and packaging of rescission requests. Authorizes OMB, subject to a specified time limit, to withhold funding from obligation temporarily if the President proposes a rescission. Prohibits the President from invoking such expedited procedures or such authority to withhold funding on more than one occasion for any Act providing funding. Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of proposed rescissions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2010
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Unlimited Liability Act of 2010 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to make the party responsible for an offshore facility, except a deepwater port, from which oil is discharged into or upon navigable waters or adjoining shorelines liable for all discharge removal costs and damages for each incident (under current law such party is liable for the total of all removal costs plus $75 million). Makes this Act effective on April 15, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2010
Authorizes the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, or any subcommittee or member of the Commission, as considered advisable in consultation with the Attorney General, to: (1) hold hearings, meet and act, take testimony and receive evidence, and administer oaths; and (2) require, by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, documents, tapes, and materials. Authorizes, in the case of contumacy or failure of a person to obey a subpoena, a U.S. district court for the district in which the subpoenaed person resides, is served, or may be found to issue an order requiring appearance at any designated place to testify or to produce documentary or other evidence. Deems failure to obey such an order to be contempt of court.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 - Revises provisions concerning the post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to, among other things: (1) revise definitions concerning eligibility, and include certain National Guard service as service qualifying for such assistance; (2) revise assistance amounts (including monthly stipends), and types of approved programs of education; (3) allow the pursuit of educational programs at institutions other than institutions of higher learning, including on-job training and apprenticeships, flight training, and correspondence courses; (4) provide an assistance amount for programs of education pursued while on active duty; (5) repeal the limit on the use of such assistance for the payment of only one licensing or certification test; (6) allow an individual entitled to supplemental educational assistance to transfer such entitlement to the post-9/11 program; (7) provide for the transfer of unused educational benefits to family members in the case of individuals who are no longer members of the Armed Forces; (8) bar the duplication of benefits under other educational assistance programs; (9) include distance learning as an approved program of education; (10) increase the amount of the reporting fee paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to an educational institution for providing information concerning an individual's enrollment in a program of education; and (11) repeal the authority to make certain interval payments. Provides an alternate subsistence allowance amount for veterans entitled to such allowance due to service-connected disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Clean Energy Infrastructure for Rural Communities Act of 2010 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make electric loans for transmission facilities primarily for interconnecting renewable energy facilities to a high-voltage transmission line. Revokes the requirement that the rate of an electric loan for renewable energy be equal to the average tax-exempt municipal bond rate of similar maturities. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary to make and insure loans to improve the economic and environmental climate by encouraging the development and construction of infrastructure to provide access to natural gas in rural communities; and (2) define "natural gas" as unmixed natural gas or any mixture of natural and artificial gas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Clean Transmission for Rural Communities Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) the issuance of clean renewable energy bonds to interconnect energy facilities to high-voltage transmission lines; and (2) the issuance of tax-exempt facility bonds to finance a qualified electric transmission facility. Defines "qualified electric transmission facility" as a state-owned electric transmission facility which operates primarily to interconnect one or more renewable energy facilities to a high-voltage transmission line.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2010
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) sanitary measures affecting trade in beef and beef products between the United States and China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, and Vietnam should be based on science; (2) since banning U.S. beef in December 2003, such countries have failed to comply with internationally-recognized World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) scientific guidelines with respect to U.S. beef and beef products; (3) these countries should fully comply with such guidelines, and open their markets to U.S. beef product exporters; and (4) the President should continue to insist on full access for U.S. beef product exporters to the markets of such countries.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2010
Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010 - Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct they reasonably believe to be unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2010
Earmark Transparency Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Clerk of the House of Representatives, in coordination with the Secretary of the Senate, to insure the existence of a single free public searchable website that specifies certain identifying information relating to each request by Members of Congress for congressionally directed spending items (congressional earmarks). Requires a request for a congressional earmark from a Member of Congress to be made available on the website within five days of its receipt by a congressional committee.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2010
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2010
Cleanfields Act - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, as it would be amended by the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 as reported to the Senate as an original measure on July 16, 2009 (S.1462), to: (1) define "brownfield site generation facility," for purposes of provisions concerning the Federal Renewable Electricity Standard, as a facility that generates renewable electricity from wind energy, solar energy, or geothermal energy and that occupies a brownfield site; and (2) require the Secretary of Energy to allow triple credits under the federal renewable energy credit trading program for the generation of energy from brownfield site generation facilities. Limits the amount of total renewable electricity generation that is eligible for consideration for the triple credit multiplier for brownfields to 1%. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress recommendations on whether such limitation should be revised.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2010
Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010 - Designates the Chimney Rock National Monument in Colorado to preserve, protect, and restore the archeological, anthropological, geological, hydrologic, biological, visual, and scenic resources of Chimney Rock. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to make minor adjustments to the boundaries of the Monument for the inclusion of significant archaeological resources discovered on adjacent public land. Requires management of, and authorizes use of, the Monument as a unit of San Juan National Forest. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out vegetative management treatments within the Monument, with the exception of timber harvesting and the use of prescribed fire, which may only be used when necessary to address the risk of wildfire, insects, or diseases. Prohibits uses of the Monument other than those authorized by the Secretary. Includes as authorized uses: (1) construction of a visitor's center and related exhibit and curatorial facilities to interpret the Monument's scientific and cultural resources; (2) scientific research (including archaeological research) and educational and interpretive uses; (3) acquisition and display of artifacts; (4) recreational use of mountain bikes and motorized vehicles; (5) installation and maintenance of a certain public utility right of way; and (6) grazing uses. Requires the Secretary to develop a management plan for the Monument, which shall include: (1) providing for the continued use of the Monument by Indian tribes for traditional ceremonies and as a source for traditional plants and other materials; and (2) specifying permitted uses of artifacts.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2010
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act or the DISCLOSE Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to prohibit: (1) independent expenditures and payments for electioneering communications by government contractors if the value of the contract is at least $50,000; and (2) recipients of assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) from making any contribution to any political party, committee, or candidate for public office, or to any person for any political purpose or use, or from making any independent expenditure or disbursing any funds for an electioneering communication. Applies the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to foreign-controlled domestic corporations. Treats as contributions: (1) any payments by any person (except a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or a political committee of a political party) for coordinated communications; and (2) political party communications made on behalf of candidates if made under the control or direction of a candidate or a candidate's authorized committee. Revises the definition of independent expenditure to mean, in part, an expenditure that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy. Requires any person making independent expenditures exceeding $10,000 to file a report within 24 hours. Increases the period before a general election during which a communication shall be considered an electioneering communication. Requires corporations, labor organizations, and other covered organizations to include specified additional information in reports on independent expenditures of at least $10,000. Sets forth special rules for the use of general treasury funds by covered organizations for campaign-related activity. Authorizes covered organizations to make optional use of a separate Campaign-Related Activity Account for making disbursements for campaign-related activity. Prescribes additional information to be included in certain radio or television communications by persons (including significant funders of campaign-related communications of a covered organization) other than a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or a political committee of a political party. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require registered lobbyists to report information on independent expenditures or electioneering communications of at least $1,000 to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Amends FECA to require Senate candidates to file all designations, statements, and reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), instead of the Secretary of the Senate, as under current law. Requires certain covered organizations to disclose to shareholders, members, or donors information on disbursements for campaign-related activity. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) extend the equal opportunities requirement and censorship prohibition applicable to candidates for public office to national committees of political parties; (2) grant political parties reasonable access to purchase broadcasting time at the lowest unit charged; (3) limit to the lowest unit charge the charges for the use during certain periods before an election of any broadcasting station by any person who is a legally qualified candidate for any federal office; and (4) require covered organizations to notify the FEC and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) when aggregate disbursements first equal or exceed $50,000. Directs the FCC to conduct random audits of designated market areas to ensure that broadcasting stations are allocating broadcasting time for legally qualified candidates for federal office in accordance with this Act. Authorizes judicial review of the provisions of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2010
Meth Project Prevention Campaign Grant Program Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, to make matching grants to states, units of local government, or private nonprofit organizations to establish the Meth Project Prevention Campaign, which shall be aimed at teenagers. Authorizes the use of grant funds for: (1) television, radio, Internet, and print advertisements and educational materials; (2) community outreach to motivate community involvement in methamphetamine education; (3) a benchmark survey and periodic studies of attitudes and behaviors related to methamphetamine ; and (4) qualitative research to assist in the development and testing of Campaign messaging and the effectiveness of methamphetamine education.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2010
Congratulates the outstanding professionals of the National Resources Conservation Service on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. Expresses the continued commitment of Congress to the conservation of natural resources on private lands in both the national interest and as a national priority.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2010
Close the Revolving Door Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a permanent ban (currently, a two-year ban) on lobbying contacts by any former Member of Congress or elected officer of the Senate or the House of Representatives with any Member, officer, or employee of either house of Congress or any employee of any other legislative office. Provides for a six-year lobbying ban (currently, a one-year ban) on former congressional staff. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to: (1) require the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives to maintain a joint Internet website for the disclosure of lobbying activity called "lobbyist.gov;" (2) require a substantial lobbying entity (defined as an incorporated entity that employs more than three federally-registered lobbyists during a filing period) to file annually with the Secretary and Clerk a list of any employee or contractor who is a former Member of Congress or congressional staff person who made at least $100,000 in any one year, who worked for a total of four years or more in that capacity, or who had a job title that contained the terms Chief of Staff, Legislative or Staff Director, Counsel, Professional Staff Member, Communications Director, or Press Secretary; (3) require the Secretary and the Clerk to provide a copy of the filings of substantial lobbying entities to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; and (4) increase from $200,000 to $500,000 the civil penalty for intentional failure to correct a defective filing of lobbying activity. Prohibits any person who is a registered lobbyist or an agent of a foreign principal, within six years after leaving such position, from being hired by a Member or committee of either house of Congress with whom that lobbyist or agent has had substantial lobbying contact, subject to a waiver based on a compelling national need. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit: (1) a political committee from making any expenditure or reimbursement for noncommercial air travel by a candidate for federal office; and (2) a lobbyist from making any contribution of U.S. or foreign currency to or for the benefit of any candidate for federal office.
![Official portrait of Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001267_200.jpg)