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 · 6 March 2009
Veteran and Servicemember Caregiver Support Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a two-year pilot program of training, certification, and support for eligible family caregivers of eligible veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Defines as: (1) eligible family caregivers those family members who agree to provide such services, are accepted by the veteran or member as the provider, and are determined qualified to provide such services; and (2) eligible veterans and members those veterans and members who have a service-connected disability incurred or aggravated on or after September 11, 2001, and require caregiver services because of such disability. Requires: (1) the pilot program to be conducted at at least six medical facilities; (2) at least one facility to be a private facility with expertise in providing rehabilitative care; (3) at least one facility to be a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in a rural area; and (4) the Secretary, in selecting locations, to give special emphasis to VA polytrauma centers designated as Tier I polytrauma centers. Directs the Secretary to provide training to each eligible family caregiver under the program, and to certify the caregiver as qualified upon training completion. Requires caregivers to be paid for providing such services. Requires: (1) a review of VA and Department of Defense (DOD) respite care programs, as well as a study on enhancing the availability of such programs; (2) the provision of psychological and social support services to caregivers; and (3) a national survey of family caregivers of seriously disabled veterans and members.
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 · 5 March 2009
Medical Device Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit specified provisions preempting state and local requirements for medical devices intended for human use from being construed to modify or otherwise affect any action for damages or the liability of any person under state law. Makes this Act effective as if it were included in the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 and applicable to any civil action pending or filed on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Energy and Water Integration Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an in-depth analysis of the impact of energy development and production on U.S. water resources. Requires the study to include a lifecycle assessment of the quantity of water withdrawn and consumed in the production of transportation fuels or electricity. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study to identify the best available technologies and related strategies to maximize water and energy efficiency in the production of electricity by each type of generation (coal, oil and natural gas, hydropower, thermal solar, and nuclear). Directs the Secretary of the Interior: (1) acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to conduct a study to evaluate the quantities of energy used in water storage and delivery operations in major reclamation projects; and (2) to operate, manage, and maintain the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Otero County, New Mexico, to carry out research, development, and demonstration activities to develop technologies and methods that promote brackish groundwater desalination as a viable method to increase water supply in a cost-effective manner. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to require the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to conduct an assessment of energy consumption in various sectors of the economy that are associated with the acquisition, treatment, or delivery of water. Requires the Secretary to develop an Energy-Water Research and Development Roadmap.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2009
Home and Community Services Copayment Equity Act of 2009 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate part D cost-sharing for certain non-institutionalized full-benefit dual eligible individuals with income below 135% of the poverty line who: (1) reside in an assisted living facility, a resident care program facility, a board and care facility, or any other appropriate licenced facility, including a community mental health center, a psychiatric health facility, a mental health rehabilitation center, and a mental retardation developmental disability facility; or (2) receive home and community-based services in a home setting under a home and community-based waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2009
Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to revise provisions governing the importation of prescription drugs. Waives the limitation on importation of prescription drugs that have been exported from the United States. Prohibits the importation of a qualifying drug unless such drug is imported by: (1) a registered importer; or (2) an individual for personal use. Establishes registration conditions for importers and exporters. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to inspect places of business, verify chains of custody, inspect facilities, and determine compliance with registration conditions. Sets forth provisions governing the importation of qualifying drugs that are different from U.S. label drugs, including standards for judging such differences. Prohibits manufacturers from: (1) discriminating against registered exporters or importers; (2) causing there to be a difference in a prescription drug distributed in the United States and one distributed in a permitted country; (3) engaging in actions to restrict, prohibit, or delay the importation of a qualifying drug; or (4) engaging in any action that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) determines discriminates against a person that engages or attempts to engage in the importation of a qualifying drug. States that the resale in the United States of prescription drugs that were properly sold abroad is not patent infringement. Requires the Secretary to educate consumers regarding prescription drug importation. Sets forth provisions governing the sale of prescription drugs through an Internet site. Includes the dispensing or selling of a prescription drug in violation of this Act as a prohibited act under FFDCA. Prohibits the introduction of restricted transactions with unregistered foreign pharmacies into a payment system or the completion of such transactions using a payment system.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2009
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to expand the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to regulate food, including by authorizing the Secretary to suspend the registration of a food facility. Requires each food facility to evaluate hazards and implement preventive controls. Directs the Secretary to assess and collect fees related to: (1) food facility reinspection; (2) food recalls; and (3) the voluntary qualified importer program. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare the National Agriculture and Food Defense Strategy. Requires the Secretary to: (1) identify preventive programs and practices to promote the safety and security of food; (2) promulgate regulations on sanitary food transportation practices; (3) develop a policy to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools and early childhood education programs; (4) allocate inspection resources based on the risk profile of food facilities or food; (5) recognize bodies that accredit food testing laboratories; and (6) improve the capacity of the Secretary to track and trace raw agricultural commodities. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to enhance foodborne illness surveillance systems. Authorizes the Secretary to order an immediate cessation of distribution, or a recall, of food. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist state, local, and tribal governments in preparing for, assessing, decontaminating, and recovering from an agriculture or food emergency. Provides for: (1) foreign supplier verification activities; (2) a voluntary qualified importer program; and (3) the inspection of foreign facilities registered to import food.
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
Access for All America Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) increase and extend the authorization of appropriations for community health centers and for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment program for FY2010-FY2015, and provide for increased funding for such programs in FY2016 and each subsequent fiscal year; and (2) revise and expand provisions allowing a community health center to provide services at different locations, adjust its operating plan and budget, enter into arrangements with other centers to purchase supplies and services at reduced cost, and correct material failures in grant compliance.
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 · 25 February 2009
High School Sports Information Collection Act of 2009 - Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to require the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics to collect the following information annually from each coeducational secondary school that receives federal financial assistance and that has an athletic program: (1) the number, gender, race, and ethnicity of students that attended the school; and (2) for each team that competed in athletic competition, the number, gender, race, and ethnicity of participants, the total expenditures, the number, gender, employment status, and qualifications of trainers, medical personnel, and coaches, and the number of competitions and practices scheduled. Requires such schools to: (1) make such information available to students and potential students, upon request, and to the public by October 15 of each school year; (2) ensure that all students at the school are informed of their right to request such information; and (3) annually provide such information to the Commissioner. Directs the Commissioner to: (1) ensure that such information is posted on the Department of Education's website; (2) notify all secondary schools regarding the availability of the information; and (3) issue guidance on how to collect and report the information required under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2009
Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require Senate candidates to file election-related designations, statements, and reports in electronic form. Requires the Secretary of the Senate to forward a copy of any electronically filed designation, statement, or report to the Federal Election Commission within one working day (instead of the current two working days) after receiving it.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2009
Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Requires the coin design to be emblematic of the 100 years of the organization. Restricts issuance of such coins to calendar year 2011. Subjects coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires payment of such surcharges to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America for Girl Scout program development and delivery.
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
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide that the value of certain funeral and burial arrangements involving an irrevocable trust whose named beneficiary is the funeral provider are not to be considered, under the SSI program, as resources available to the individual.
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 · 12 February 2009
Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992 to rename: (1) the Act, the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation Act; (2) the Morris K Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Trust Fund, the Morris K Udall and Stewart L. Udall Trust Fund; (3) the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation, the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation; and (4) Morris K. Udall Scholars, Udall Scholars. Requires the Executive Director of the Foundation to be paid at a senior executive rate. Directs the Foundation to award grants to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, at the University of Arizona, to conduct training, research, and other activities with regard to the involvement of Native American and Alaska Native professionals in health care and public policy. Allows the use of reasonable amounts of the Trust Fund for official reception and representation expenses, not to exceed $5,000 for a fiscal year. Sets forth administrative provisions that allow the Foundation to: (1) appoint personnel without regard to federal law provisions governing appointments in the competitive service; (2) pay up to four employees, in addition to the Executive Director, at senior executive pay rates; and (3) rent office space in the District of Columbia or its environs. Authorizes such sums as may be necessary to: (1) the Trust Fund; and (2) the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund, for the operating costs of the United States Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Heart Disease Education, Analysis Research, and Treatment for Women Act or the HEART for Women Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny a new drug application if the application fails to include required information on clinical investigations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that a new drug application include any clinical data possessed by the applicant that relates to the safety and effectiveness of the drug involved by gender, age, and racial subgroup; and (2) develop guidance for the staff of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that new drug applications are adequately reviewed to determine whether they include the required clinical data. Authorizes the Secretary to place a clinical hold on an investigation under an investigational new drug application if the sponsor of the investigation fails to meet the requirements of an annual report on the status of each study in progress. Applies provisions relating to clinical data submission for new drug applications to applications for an investigational new drug, a biologics license for a biological product, premarket approval for a class III device, and investigational use of a device. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to provide that all nonidentifiable patient safety work product reported to and among the network of patient safety databases be identified by sex. Directs that analyses of statistics of information reported to the network of patient safety databases take into account data that specifically relates to women and any disparities between treatment and the quality of care between males and females. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to support research and demonstrations to identify and evaluate clinical and organizational strategies to improve the quality of and access to care for women with heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Requires the Secretary to: (1) distribute to females age 65 or older and appropriate health care professionals educational materials relating to the prevention diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases in women; and (2) conduct an education and awareness campaign for health care professionals relating to such diagnosis and treatment. Expands the grant program authorizing the Secretary to award grants for preventive health services to all states.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Graduate for a Better Future Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, educational nonprofit organizations, or partnerships of such entities for their use in providing competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that have a high school graduation rate of no more than 60% in the aggregate or among at least two subgroups consisting of the poor or major racial or ethnic groups. Requires each LEA subgrantee to use the funds to implement: (1) a college-preparatory curriculum aligned with rigorous secondary school studies; (2) accelerated remedial programs that allow underperforming students to become proficient in mathematics, reading and language arts, and science and thereby graduate in a timely manner; (3) systems to measure student progress in the core subjects and quickly identify students who are dropout risks; (4) a comprehensive college guidance program; (5) a program offering students opportunities for work-based and experiential learning; (6) a program providing students with access to courses in which they may earn college credit; (7) a program providing each student with an academic teacher advisor with whom the student regularly meets; and (8) a program of teacher professional development and institutional leadership that includes diagnostic and formative assessments. Requires nonfederal matching contributions equal to the grant amount. Directs the Secretary to provide for an independent evaluation of, and report to Congress on, the impact this program has on high school graduation rates, college attendance rates, and academic achievement.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2009 - Places specified restrictions on the use of cluster munitions. Directs the President, within 90 days after the use of such munitions, to submit to the congressional defense, appropriations, and foreign relations committees a plan for cleaning up any such munitions or submunitions which fail to explode and continue to pose a hazard to civilians.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Declares that Congress commits to passing, within 18 months, legislation that guarantees health care for women and all individuals and that establishes coverage that enables women to attain good health that they can maintain during their reproductive years and throughout their lives. Requires such legislation to : (1) recognize the role of women as health care consumers, caregivers, and providers; (2) guarantee a level of benefits and care necessary to achieve and maintain good health throughout a woman's lifetime and lessen the burdens caused by poor health; (3) promote primary and preventive care; (4) provide a choice of public and private insurance plans and direct access to a choice of health care providers to ensure continuity of coverage and a delivery system that meets the needs of women; (5) eliminate disparities in health coverage, treatment, and outcomes on the basis of gender, culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, health status, or sexual orientation; (6) share financing responsibility among employers, individuals, and the government while taking into account small business needs; (7) ensure affordable access to health care; (8) enhance health care quality and patient safety; (9) ensure a sufficient supply of qualified providers through expanded medical and public health education and adequate reimbursement; (10) ensure every woman access to a women's medical home, including direct access to women's health care providers and care coordination, throughout each woman's lifetime; (11) recognize and promote the role of women as providers of health care; and (12) promote administrative efficiency and ease of use. Urges the President sign such legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Artist-Museum Partnership Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers who create literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions or similar property a fair market value (determined at the time of contribution) tax deduction for contributions of such properties, the copyrights thereon, or both, to certain tax-exempt organizations, if such properties are properly appraised and are donated no sooner than 18 months after their creation. Limits the amount of such deduction based upon the donor's artistic adjusted gross income, as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2009
Global Food Security Act of 2009 - States that it is U.S. policy to promote global food security, improve agricultural productivity, and support the development of institutions of higher learning. Directs the President to designate an individual to serve as the Special Coordinator for Food Security to advise the President on international food security issues and oversee implementation of a comprehensive food security strategy. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize appropriations for programs of agriculture, rural development, and nutrition. Permits certain of such funds to be made available for: (1) the collaborative research support program; and (2) the consultative group on international agricultural research. Establishes the higher education collaboration for technology, agriculture, research, and extension to provide assistance for policies and programs in eligible countries that advance agricultural productivity and hunger alleviation through partnerships with institutions of higher education. Authorizes the President to provide assistance under this Act or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for unexpected urgent food assistance needs. Establishes a United States Emergency Food Assistance Fund to carry out such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants on a competitive basis to eligible law enforcement agencies to assist such agencies in addressing border-related criminal activity within their jurisdictions. Defines "eligible law enforcement agency" as a tribal, state, or local law enforcement agency located or performing duties in a county that is within 100 miles of the Mexican or Canadian border or a county that has been designated by the Attorney General as a high impact area.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Passport Card Travel Enhancement Act of 2009 - Defines "passport card" as the document: (1) known as a passport card that is issued to a U.S. national on the same basis as a regular passport; and (2) that the Secretary of State began issuing in 2008. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to permit a passport card issued to a U.S. citizen to serve as proof of identify and citizenship if such citizen is departing from or entering the United States through an airport of entry for travel that terminates or originates in: (1) Bermuda; (2) Canada; (3) a Caribbean country; or (4) Mexico. Prohibits the Secretaries from increasing the passport card fee as a result of such requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Community Health Workers Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to promote positive health behaviors for women and children in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women and children in medically underserved communities. Permits such funds to be used to support community health workers to: (1) educate, guide, and provide outreach regarding health problems among women and children, especially among racial and ethnic minority women and children; (2) educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities that target behavioral risk factors, including poor nutrition and tobacco use; (3) educate and guide regarding effective strategies to promote positive health behaviors within the family; (4) educate and provide outreach regarding enrollment in health insurance; (5) promote community wellness and awareness; and (6) educate and refer target populations to appropriate health care agencies and community based programs and organizations. Requires the Secretary to give priority to experienced applicants who propose to target geographic areas: (1) with a high percentage of uninsured or underinsured residents who are eligible for health insurance; (2) with a high percentage of families for whom English is not their primary language; and (3) that encompass the United States-Mexico border region. Requires the Secretary to: (1) encourage community health worker programs to collaborate with academic institutions; and (2) establish guidelines for ensuring the quality of the training and supervision of community health workers under programs funded under this Act and for ensuring the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Commuter Benefits Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to equalize and increase to $230, with a cost-of-living adjustment after 2009, the tax exclusion for both transportation and parking fringe benefits. Extends such benefits to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009 - Amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and applicable manufacturers with respect to payments and other transfers of value and physician ownership or investment interests in manufacturers. Requires any manufacturer of a covered drug, device, biological, or medical supply that makes a payment or another transfer of value to a physician, a physician medical practice, or a physician group practice to report annually, in electronic form, specified information on such transactions to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Requires any such manufacturer, or related group purchasing organization, also to report annually to the Secretary, in electronic form, certain information regarding any ownership or investment interest (other than in a publicly traded security and mutual fund) held by a physician (or an immediate family member) in the manufacturer or group purchasing organization during the preceding year. Prescribes administrative penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. Requires report submission procedures to ensure public availability of required information on a website.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Medicare Quality and Payment Reform Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) review annually high volume readmission rates and resource use; (2) establish benchmarks for measuring them; and (3) make payment adjustments for subsection (d) hospitals that fail to meet such benchmarks. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a pilot program to provide episodic payments to hospitals and other organizing entities for items and services associated with hospitalization episodes of Medicare beneficiaries with respect to one or more conditions that have a high volume, high readmission rate, or high rate of post-acute care under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Municipal Bond Market Support Act of 2009 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the small issuer exemption from interest expense allocation rules for financial institutions to: (1) increase from $10 to $30 million the annual limit on small issuers of tax-exempt municipal bonds; (2) allow an inflation adjustment to such increased limit amount after 2009; (3) repeal aggregation rules relating to the determination of small issuer eligibility; (4) allow small issuers an election to treat borrowers separately for purposes of issuance limitations; and (5) allow in 2009 or 2010 financial institutions and brokers to hold up to 2% of their assets in tax-exempt securities without affecting their interest expense tax deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Combat Methamphetamine Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to require all regulated retail sellers of certain listed chemical products used to make methamphetamine to submit self-certifications of compliance with the requirements of such Act to the Attorney General. Requires the Attorney General to develop a list of all self-certified individuals and make it publicly available on the website of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Prohibits distributors of listed chemical products from selling such products to individuals not currently registered with the DEA. Impose civil penalties for negligent failure to self-certify as required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand training for health professionals in the fields of geriatrics, long-term care, and chronic care management. Requires an analysis of the health and long-term care workforce. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for information to adults and dislocated workers about health care and long-term care occupations. Provides for information to veterans about training, internship, and employment opportunities in geriatrics, gerontology, and long-term care. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to require the Assistant Secretary for Aging to: (1) develop family caregiver training materials; and (2) provide for the establishment and operation of a National Resource Center on Volunteers, Students, and Seniors to promote partnerships between entities in the aging network and institutions of higher education and secondary schools, and to encourage projects that involve underserved communities. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development of core training competencies for personal or home care aides and additional training content for nurse aides and home health aides; and (2) establish a panel of long-term care workforce experts. Provides for the development of information and referral protocols for family caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of assessments of family caregiver support needs. Provides for studies on: (1) the mental health workforce; (2) the aging network's capacity to meet current and future needs; (3) retention and tenure of nurse aides and home health aides; and (4) spending by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on conditions and illnesses that disproportionately impact the health of older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Education Begins at Home Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Secretary of Education, to make: (1) grants to states for programs of early childhood home visitation; and (2) competitive grants to local educational agencies and other eligible applicants for early home visitation for families with English language learners. Directs the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of Education, to make competitive grants to eligible applicants for early home visitation for military families. Directs the Secretary of HHS to develop and implement a public information and educational campaign to inform the public and new parents about the importance of proper care for infants and children under five years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to permit states, at their option, to require certain individuals to present satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality for Medicaid eligibility. Revises the rules for children born in the United States to mothers eligible for Medicaid. Declares that a Medicaid-eligible individual shall be deemed to have provided satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality, and shall not be required to provide further evidence, on any date during or after the period in which the individual is eligible for Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) to expand resources for the Project Gunrunner initiative of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to identify, investigate, and prosecute firearms trafficking across the U.S.- Mexico border; and (2) provide ATF agents, equipment, and training to assist Mexican law enforcement officers in combating firearms trafficking and other criminal enterprises.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Children's Health Equity Technical Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to permit qualifying states to use their SCHIP allotments without fiscal year or percentage limitations for certain Medicaid expenditures for individuals under age 19 whose family income exceeds 150% of the poverty line. Revises the eligibility requirements for such allowable expenditures to reduce the family income threshold from a minimum of 150% of the poverty line to a minimum of 125% of the poverty line.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid. Allows liability to accrue, and allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
SCAAP Reimbursement Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to compensate states for incarcerating undocumented aliens charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation; (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question; and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential; and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2009
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 - Authorizes specified programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture concerning, among other things, national wilderness preservation, boundary adjustments, national rivers, the national landscape conservation system, national conservation areas, land conveyances and exchanges, watershed management, watershed restoration and enhancement, wildland firefighter safety, forest landscape restoration, national trails, paleontological resources preservation, wolf livestock loss, national parks, studies, infrastructure, advisory commissions, national heritage areas, national heritage corridors, water projects, tribal water rights, ocean exploration, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) undersea research, ocean and coastal mapping integration, the integrated coastal and ocean observation system, federal ocean acidification research and monitoring, and coastal and estuarine land conservation. Makes amendments to various public laws, including the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996, the National Trails System Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, the National Park Service Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Act of 1988, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act, the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act, the Colorado River Storage Project Act, the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992, the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000, and the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act. Provides for: (1) paralysis research and rehabilitation activities through the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act; and (2) specified activities of the Smithsonian Institution.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Cleaner, Greener, and Smarter Act of 2009 - Calls for the enactment of legislation to improve the economy and the security of the United States by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign and unsustainable energy sources and the risks of global warming by: (1) making and encouraging significant investments in green job creation and clean energy across the economy; (2) diversifying and rapidly expanding the use of secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly energy supplies and technologies; (3) transforming U.S. infrastructure to make the infrastructure sustainable and the United States more competitive globally, including transmission grid modernization and transportation sector electrification; (4) requiring reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the United States and achieving reductions in emissions of GHGs abroad; (5) protecting consumers from volatile energy prices through better market oversight and enhanced energy efficiency standards and incentives; and (6) eliminating wasteful and unnecessary tax breaks and giveaways that fail to move the United States toward a more competitive and cleaner energy future.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Comprehensive Health Reform Act of 2009 - Calls for Congress to enact, and the President to sign, legislation to guarantee health coverage, improve health care quality and disease prevention, and reduce health care costs for all Americans and the health care system.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Education Opportunity Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that it should pass, and the President should sign into law, legislation that expands educational opportunities for all Americans by enhancing: (1) access to high-quality early childhood education, child care, and after school and extended learning services; (2) secondary and post-secondary graduation rates; (3) educational innovation, standards, and assessments; (4) the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers by high-need schools; (5) mathematics and science instruction; and (6) federal grant aid and tax incentives to make higher education more affordable.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - Calls for the enactment of legislation to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America's middle class through measures that: (1) modernize the nation's infrastructure; (2) enhance America's energy independence; (3) expand educational opportunities; (4) preserve and improve affordable health care; (5) provide tax relief; and (6) protect those in greatest need.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Stronger Economy, Stronger Borders Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to strengthen the economy, recognize the heritage of the United States as a nation of immigrants, and amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by: (1) providing more effective border and employment enforcement; (2) preventing illegal immigration; and (3) reforming and rationalizing avenues for legal immigration.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Homeowner Protection and Wall Street Accountability Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to: (1) stabilize the housing market and assist homeowners by imposing a temporary moratorium on foreclosures, removing impediments to the modification of distressed mortgages, creating tax and other incentives to help prevent foreclosures and encourage refinancing into affordable and sustainable mortgage solutions, and pursuing other foreclosure-prevention policies through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) or other programs; (2) ensure the safety and soundness of the U.S. financial system for investors by reforming the financial-regulatory system, strengthening systemic-risk regulation, enhancing market transparency, and increasing consumer protections in financial regulation to prevent predatory lending practices; (3) ensure credit-card accountability, responsibility, and disclosure; and (4) stabilize credit markets for small-business lenders to enhance their ability to make loans to small firms, and stimulate the small-business loan markets by temporarily streamlining and investing in the loan programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
![Official portrait of Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000468_200.jpg)