United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Recognizes and honors Chesley Sullenberger III, Jeffrey Skiles, the crewmembers and passengers of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, and the first responders, ferry operators, and tugboat drivers of New York City for their heroic efforts in saving 155 lives in the safe emergency landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549.
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 · 14 January 2009
Ready to Learn Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to schools, child care entities, Head Start programs, or other community-based prekindergarten providers for full day voluntary prekindergarten programs that prepare four-year olds for school. Requires that such programs: (1) first serve children whose family income is no higher than 200% of the poverty level or who are limited English proficient; (2) ensure that, within two years of grant receipt, each classroom is taught by a teacher who has at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or such a degree and specialized training in early childhood development; (3) use curricula that are aligned with state early learning standards; and (4) have teacher-child ratios of no more than 1 to 10 and group sizes of no more than 20.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act - Establishes in the City of Auburn, New York, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Establishes in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide grant funding and enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities for the historic preservation, rehabilitation, interpretation, and maintenance of such historical parks. Requires the Secretary to complete a general management plan for them.
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
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
Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2009 - Establishes the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program for the appointment of individuals who are graduates of accredited law schools to serve as Congressional Clerks in the Senate or House of Representatives. Requires the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Committee on House Administration to each select at least six individuals for a one-year term to serve as employees in their respective chambers. Specifies eligibility criteria for a Congressional Clerk, including that the selected candidate be a graduate of such a law school as of the starting date of his or her clerkship. Requires the committees to ensure that Congressional Clerks selected under this Act are apportioned equally between majority and minority party offices. Entitles each clerk selected to the same compensation as, and comparable benefits to, an individual who holds the position of a judicial clerkship for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia within three months of graduating from law school.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Declares that the District shall not be considered a state for purposes of representation in the Senate. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the 15th and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the 23rd amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Requires: (1) the President to submit to Congress a revised version of the most recent statement of such apportionment identifying Utah as the state entitled to one additional Representative; and (2) the Clerk of the House, upon receipt of such revision, to identify such state to the Speaker of the House. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for election of a Representative for the District. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. Sets forth procedures for expedited judicial review of any action brought to challenge the constitutionality of any provision of this Act or any amendment made by it.
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
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).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Returning Government to the American People Act - Declares that: (1) the Bush Administration should not rush into effect major new controversial regulations in its closing days; (2) the incoming Administration, working with the Congress, should review and, if appropriate, revise or reject such regulations; and (3) Congress should enact and the President should sign legislation necessary to ensure the new Administration has that opportunity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2009 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2007 [sic] - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan from excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2009 - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. At-Risk Communities Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention research. Truth in Contraception Act of 2009 - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates. Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicaid's coverage of family planning services. Responsible Education About Life Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Prevention Through Affordable Access Act - Expands Medicaid rebates to manufacturers for the sale of covered outpatient drugs at nominal prices to include sales to student health care facilities and entities offering family planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress and the President should restore fiscal discipline and begin to address the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States through certain measures. Specifies among such measures: (1) strong pay-as-you-go rules, to help block the approval of measures that would increase the deficit; and (2) recognition of warnings by both the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that the federal budget is on an unsustainable path of rising deficits and debt. Urges establishment of a process to: (1) analyze the current and long-term federal actuarial financial condition and the gap between the federal projected revenues and expenditures; (2) identify factors that affect the federal long-term fiscal balance; (3) analyze potential courses of action to address them; and (4) seek a bipartisan agreement, or set of agreements, that will significantly improve the nation's long-term fiscal imbalances and the gap between projected revenues and expenditures, ensure U.S. economic security, and expand future prosperity and growth for all Americans. Urges as well reviews of: (1) all federal spending and tax expenditures by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to identify items that are outdated, inefficient, poorly run, unnecessary, or otherwise undeserving of scarce federal resources or in need of reform; and (2) the current federal taxation system to ensure that burdens are borne fairly and equitably.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Middle Class Opportunity Act of 2009 - Declares that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to improve the lives of middle class families and provide them with greater opportunity to achieve the American dream by: (1) providing middle class tax relief while making the tax laws simpler and more reliable; (2) promoting investments in the new economy and enacting policies that create good, well-paying domestic jobs, and promoting families by improving the access and affordability of child and elder care; (3) enhancing the incentives and protections to help middle class families adequately meet their needs in retirement; (4) improving programs to help families acquire the education and training to be productive participants in the modern economy; (5) restoring fairness, prosperity, and economic security for working families by ensuring workers can exercise their rights to freely choose to form a union without employer interference; and (7) removing barriers to fair pay for all workers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Claiborne de Borda Pell, a former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate recesses on January 6, 2009, it stand in recess as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Pell.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2008
Designates December 21, 2008, as Twentieth Anniversary of Remembrance for the Victims of the Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 Day. Conveys condolences to the families, friends, and communities of the victims of the attack on Flight 103.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2008
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund and to allow individual taxpayers to designate on their tax returns $3.00 of income taxes ($6.00 in the case of joint returns) to be paid over to such Fund to provide assistance to homeless veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2008
Recognizes the celebration of National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month during November 2008. Honors the heritage and culture of American Indians and Alaska Natives and their contributions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2008
Protecting Patients and Health Care Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from finalizing, enforcing, implementing, or taking other action in furtherance of specified proposed regulations regarding conscience clause protections for health care workers and facilities (under the authority of provisions commonly referred to as the Church Amendments and the Weldon Amendment).
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2008
Condemns the tragic and senseless death by stoning of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow. Urges the international community to join the Senate in speaking out against this brutal act. Urges the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to: (1) undertake efforts to protect women and children in Somalia; (2) work to strengthen the rule of law as part of efforts to establish its authority; (3) promote equal and fair treatment of women; and (4) end the culture of impunity in Somalia.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
Elimination of Single Parent Tax Act of 2008 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to prohibit states from charging child support recipients for the collection of child support.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
Health Professions and Primary Care Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions related to: (1) addressing workforce shortages for primary care health professions; and (2) assisting underrepresented minorities or disadvantaged students to enter health professions. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) make grants for the training of primary care physicians teaching in community-based settings; (2) provide for programs that improve clinical teaching and research in primary care; (3) provide for community health needs assessments; (4) provide for the establishment of Primary Care Training Institutes within academic health centers; and (5) provide for approved professional training programs in the field of general or pediatric dentistry. Revises provisions governing area health education centers, including to require the Secretary to make awards to improve the effectiveness and capabilities of existing programs. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the development and implementation of interdisciplinary training of psychology graduate students to provide behavioral and mental health services. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; (2) designate regional workforce analysis centers; (3) award grants or contracts to regional centers for research on high-priority workforce questions; (4) provide for monitoring of the supply, need for, and diversity and distribution of health professionals; and (5) establish the Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Information, Evaluation, and Assessment. Requires the Secretary, acting in conjunction with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award competitive grants to establish Academic Health Departments to provide for collaboration between the academic and practice aspects of public health.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
National Principal Recruitment Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a National Principal Recruitment program awarding matching grants to up to three partnerships each of which consist of a nonprofit organization working with a research organization and local educational agencies to: (1) recruit new principals for high-need schools and provide them with a year-long preservice residency and ongoing support and professional development; and (2) rigorously research, evaluate, and report on such activities so that successful practices can be replicated and each grantee's success in improving student academic performance can be measured. Increases a grant by 50% after the third full school year of its implementation if: (1) such research and evaluation demonstrates that students in high-need schools led, for at least two years, by principals recruited, trained, and supported by the grantee are making greater academic gains than comparable students elsewhere; and (2) the grantee has the capacity to scale up its services. Terminates a grant by the end of the fourth year of its implementation if the students in high-need schools led, for at least two years, by such principals are not making greater academic gains than comparable students elsewhere. Defines "high-need schools" as public elementary or secondary schools where at least 40% of the students receive a free or reduced price lunch under the school lunch program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
High-Speed Rail for America Act of 2008 - Establishes within the Federal Railroad Administration the Office of High-Speed Passenger Rail (HSPR Office) , headed by the Associate Administrator for High-Speed Rail. Requires the HSPR Office to: (1) assume responsibility for all high-speed rail activities currently carried out by the Office of Railroad Development; and (2) consult with the Secretary of Transportation to assist eligible entities to finance certain qualified high-speed intercity rail facility projects through the issuance of private activity bonds. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise requirements for income tax-exempt qualified high-speed intercity rail facility bonds. Allows an income tax credit to holders of certain rail bonds that finance qualified super high-speed intercity rail facility projects and qualified rail infrastructure projects. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to Congress on the use of excise taxes to fund high-speed rail projects.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2008
21st Century Wellness Trust Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Wellness Trust within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be headed by the Trust Fund Board. Requires the Trustees to submit to Congress and make publicly available reports on: (1) a system for certification and recertification of prevention health workers to complement the health system; (2) payment methodologies and options for paying certified prevention health workers for clinical preventive care; and (3) the amount of money spent on prevention by public health, public and private health insurers, and applicable self-insured health plans during the most recent year for which such data is available. Requires the Trustees to: (1) establish a plan for delivering and financing prevention priorities and implement pilot programs; and (2) issue a ranked list of designated prevention priorities based on the potential of an activity to improve health and the activity's cost effectiveness. Directs the Trustees to establish, support, and sustain the infrastructure for an effective wellness system that includes: (1) an information clearinghouse on prevention priorities; (2) an electronic prevention record or registry; and (3) training for prevention health workers. Establishes in the Treasury a Wellness Trust Fund. Sets forth funding sources. Requires the Trust to enter into contracts to reimburse certified prevention health workers for the prevention services designated by the Trustees as prevention priorities. Directs the Trustees to: (1) develop targets for and determine payment methodologies for prevention priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2008
Preserving Access to Healthcare (PATH) Act of 2008 - Declares that between October 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, specified regulations regarding the formula for determining the federal rate for inpatient hospital capital-related costs under the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) shall apply without the mandatory phase out of the indirect medical education adjustment factor. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to delay for six months following enactment of this Act any implementation of the Medicaid outpatient hospital services regulation proposed on September 28, 2007. Prohibits the Secretary from phasing out or eliminating the Medicare hospice wage index budget neutrality adjustment factor before April 1, 2009. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and upon the request of the state of California, to extend approval, and full federal financial participation, of the state's Medicaid family planning demonstration project until June 30, 2009, under the eligibility requirements and processes that were in place before the project's first extension period. Directs the Secretary to delay until April 1, 2009, implementation of a proposed rule published on June 27, 2008 (or any similar rule), relating to: (1) decertification of rural health clinics under the Medicare program that are no longer in nonurbanized areas; and (2) changes in the Medicare payment methodology for rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, with regard to mechanized claims processing and information retrieval systems, to require states to incorporate compatible methodologies of the National Correct Coding Initiative for claims filed after October 1, 2009. Directs the Secretary to identify such methodologies. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2008
Dairy COOL Act of 2008 - Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to include dairy products as a covered commodity. Defines "dairy product" as: (1) fluid milk; (2) cheese, including cottage cheese and cream cheese; (3) yogurt; (4) ice cream; (5) butter; and (6) any other dairy product. Requires the retailer of a covered commodity that is a dairy product to designate such commodity's country of origin as each country in which: (1) one or more of the commodity's components or ingredients were produced, originated, or sourced; and (2) the commodity was processed. Provides that with respect to a covered commodity that is a dairy product produced exclusively in the United States, retailer designation of the U.S. state, region, or locality of the commodity's production shall be sufficient to identify the United States as the country of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 245 North Main Street in New City, New York, as the "Kenneth Peter Zebrowski Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Supporting Mentors, Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide student loan forgiveness or cancellation under the Federal Family Education Loan or Direct Loan programs to student borrowers at institutions of higher education who volunteer to mentor an at-risk child for a period of at least one year. Provides $10 of loan forgiveness or cancellation for each hour of mentoring, but limits such forgiveness or cancellation to no more than $10,000 and no more than five years of mentoring for each borrower.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2008 - Amends the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, with respect to lead-based paint hazards in housing, to set the environmental intervention blood lead level as equal to the lower of: (1) ten micrograms of lead per deciliter; or (2) the elevated blood lead level of concern for a child under six years of age recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to amend related regulations to comply with this Act within 90 days. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the status of the Department of Housing and Urban Development "Big Buy" program, and any other voluntary programs the Secretary has implemented or has planned to implement, through which the Secretary has conducted, or planned to conduct, lead evaluations of housing covered by the Lead Safe Housing Rule for pre-1978 assisted housing.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Medically Fragile Children's Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a program of all-inclusive care for medically fragile children as a Medicaid state plan option. Makes a child eligible if he or she is: (1) medically fragile based on health status and related indicators or is diagnosed as having one or more chronic conditions; (2) requires daily monitoring of a significant medical condition necessitating overall care planning in order to achieve or maintain optimum health and developmental status, and achieve community integration to the maximum extent possible; and (3) requires both medical assistance and at least two additional services furnished under an all-inclusive program as a result of functional deficits.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Green Hospitals, Healthy Hospitals Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting in conjunction with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to provide nonprofit hospitals and health care institutions with 30-year no interest loans to enable such institutions to comply with the guidelines of the Green Guide for Health Care or successor regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on green building technologies. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine for a report on the use of green building technologies, waste management techniques, and other environmentally sustainable practices to improve employee performance, reduce health care costs, and improve patient outcomes. Requires the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to include in its annual report on health care quality a summary of the most recent research on green health care and the ways in which environmentally sustainable practices can improve employee performance, reduce health care costs, and improve patient outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Healthy Food for Healthy Lives Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide demonstration grants to eligible entities to purchase eligible local or regional products from participating vendors to improve the availability of nutritious meals for: (1) patients and employees of, and visitors to, eligible hospitals, including Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical and nursing facilities; and (2) clients of eligible social service organizations that provide nutrition services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act - Authorizes the Director of the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to award certain planning, implementation, transitional, and supplemental grants to eligible state partnerships to carry out activities that will create and enhance the educational and career pathways for high school students to postsecondary schools (including registered apprenticeship programs) and to 21st century careers, particularly in high skill, high demand industries. Establishes the National Academic and Career Innovation Center. Authorizes the Director to evaluate and conduct research to determine the effectiveness of the career pathway initiatives under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), fraternities, and sororities for up to half the cost of installing fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Gives grant priority to applicants that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least 10% for historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and IHEs that are eligible for Institutional Aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (2) at least 10% for social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and a grantee under this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Greening the Healthcare Workforce Act of 2008 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to nonprofit hospitals or health care institutions to promote environmentally sustainable practices in building and maintenance operations, including: (1) the training of employees in environmentally sound waste management and chemical management practices; (2) the reduction in use of mercury-containing medical supplies; and (3) the conduct of minor improvements to grounds and facilities to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality and to reduce water waste.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
New York/New Jersey High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Expansion Act of 2008 - Designates the counties of Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence in the state of New York as high-intensity drug trafficking areas and incorporates such counties into the New York/New Jersey high-intensity drug trafficking area program administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from issuing, administering, or enforcing any rule, regulation, or requirement derived from the proposal submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) entitled Requirements for DOL Agencies' Assessment of Occupational Health Risks.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Establishes the Commission on the Conflict between Russia and Georgia, which shall: (1) examine the causes of the conflict between Russia and Georgia that began in August 2008; and (2) make U.S. policy recommendations with respect to Russia, Georgia, and other countries in the region. Terminates the Commission 60 days after submission of a final report required under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Home Energy Affordability Tax Relief Act of 2008 or the HEATR Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers an income-based refundable tax credit for residential energy costs. Limits such credit to the lesser of 33% of such costs or $500. Eliminates for major integrated oil companies: (1) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs in taxable years in which the average price of crude oil is greater than $34.71 per barrel and the average price of natural gas is greater that $4.34 per 1,000 cubic feet; and (2) the tax credit for enhanced oil recovery costs in taxable years in which the average price of crude oil is greater than $34.71 per barrel. Denies such oil companies and certain producers or refiners of crude oil a foreign tax credit for payments to certain foreign countries or U.S. possessions from which they receive a specified economic benefit as a dual capacity taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
National Fish Habitat Conservation Act - Establishes a National Fish Habitat Board to promote, oversee, and coordinate the implementation of this Act and the existing National Fish Habitat Action Plan and to review and recommend fish habitat conservation projects. Authorizes the Board to designate Fish Habitat Conservation Partnerships to coordinate Plan implementation at a regional level and develop and carry out fish habitat conservation projects. Sets forth Partnership approval criteria, including that a Partnership: (1) have representatives of a diverse group of public and private partners that are focused on conservation of aquatic habitats to achieve results across jurisdictional boundaries and public and private lands; and (2) is able to address issues and priorities at a nationally significant scale. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to fund, from amounts appropriated under this Act, up to 50% of the cost of approved fish habitat conservation projects. Requires the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to: (1) create the National Fish Habitat Conservation Partnership Office within such Service; and (2) develop the Office's interagency operational plan and its technical and scientific assistance program. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into a cooperative agreement or contract with a Partnership for fish habitat conservation, restoration, and enhancement projects; and (2) enter into an agreement with a charitable organization to solicit private donations to carry out the this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Urges the President, the U.N. Secretary-General, the African Union, and members of the international community to pursue a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Condemns: (1) the government of Sudan for its continued obstruction of the deployment of United Nations-African Union peacekeepers; and (2) the ongoing acts of violence in, and obstruction of aid to, Darfur committed by all parties. Calls upon the government of Sudan and armed parties in the region to declare a cessation of hostilities, abide by the U.N. arms embargo, cease attacks upon humanitarian organizations, and participate in international efforts to negotiate a political settlement.
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