United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 - States that it is the policy of the United States to support the decision of state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and to prohibit the investment of assets they control in, persons that have investments of $20 million or more in Iran's energy sector. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, or prohibit the investment of assets they control in, such persons, including financial institutions which extend them credit to so invest. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to shield any registered investment company from civil, criminal, or administrative action based upon its divesting from, or avoiding investing in, securities issued by such persons. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to shield from treatment as breaching a fiduciary duty any person divesting employee benefit plan assets from, or avoiding investing plan assets in, such persons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase to 6% permanently the rate of increase in the fee schedule for ground ambulance services furnished on or after January 1, 2010, in rural and urban areas. Makes permanent the increase in the base rate of the fee schedule the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to make for a trip in the case of ground ambulance services furnished on or after July 1, 2004, (and beyond January 1, 2010) for which the transportation originates in a qualified low population density rural area.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of provisions concerning the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends part B (Rural Education Initiative) of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the Small, Rural School Achievement program, which gives rural local educational agencies (LEAs) federal formula grants and greater flexibility in the use of state educational funds. Limits eligibility to LEAs whose schools are all designated with a school locale code of Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural, unless located in an area the state defines as rural. Raises federal grant limits when funds available to implement the program equal or exceed $100 million. Alters LEA eligibility for federal funds under the Rural and Low-Income School program by requiring that: (1) at least 40% of the children ages 5 through 17 that LEAs serve be eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (2) all of their schools be designated with a school locale code of Distant Town, Remote Town, Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the reduction in the rate of the tax credit for producing electricity from open-loop biomass, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash, hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prohibit any employee from being terminated, demoted, or discriminated against in the terms or conditions of employment because the employee is absent or late as a result of serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services as part of a response to an emergency or major disaster. Excludes absences for which the employee: (1) is absent for more than 14 days per calendar year; (2) responds to an emergency or major disaster without being officially deployed in accordance with a coordinator national deployment system; or (3) fails to provide written verification within a reasonable period of time. Allows employers to: (1) reduce the employee's regular pay for such time as the employee is absent; and (2) require the employee to provide written verification from the supervising Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state, or local official that such employee responded in an official capacity at a specified time and date. Requires such an employee to make a reasonable effort to notify his or her employer that he or she may be absent or late. Gives such an employee a private cause of action for discrimination which violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2009
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 to include the projects for navigation at Northeast Harbor and Tenants Harbor, Maine, among those projects that are deauthorized by such Act (currently, those projects are included among projects that are deauthorized except with respect to any portion completed before, or under construction on, the date of enactment of such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Reaching Elders with Assessment and Chronic Care Management and Coordination Act or RE-Aligning Care Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) coverage of geriatric assessments and chronic care management and coordination services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct outreach activities to inform likely eligible individuals of such assessments and services. Authorizes Medicare coverage for telehealth services to furnish such assessments and services. Directs the Secretary to contract for a study and report to Congress and the Secretary on: (1) the effectiveness of such coverage in improving the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions; and (2) the impact of such assessments and services on reducing Medicare expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish programs related to mental health services for children and adolescents, to include: (1) entering into contracts with qualified individuals to pay educational loans in exchange for providing mental health services to children and adolescents; (2) awarding scholarships to students who agree to work as child and adolescent mental health service professionals after graduation or completion of residency or fellowship; (3) awarding competitive grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand internship or other field placement programs for students receiving specialized training or clinical experience in child and adolescent mental health; (4) awarding grants to state-licensed mental heath organizations to pay for programs for preservice or in-service training of paraprofessional child and adolescent mental health workers; and (5) awarding grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand graduate child and adolescent mental health programs. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to adjust the graduate medical education program to: (1) exclude a reasonable number of residents or fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry when calculating the maximum number of residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine for which the hospital may be paid; and (2) extend the period of board eligibility for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution of, and need for, child mental health service professionals and on a comparison of such distribution and need on a state-by-state basis.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance, including through multilateral, nongovernmental, and faith-based organizations, to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women. Sets forth priority assistance criteria. Directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to establish a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage. Sets forth strategy elements. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that Department of State country reports on human rights practices include a description of the status of child marriage for countries with specified rates of child marriage. Defines "child marriage" as the marriage of a girl or boy not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law in the country in which the girl or boy is a resident.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Savings for Working Families Act of 2009 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS): (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support state comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in order to protect beneficiaries from identity theft, to establish and implement procedures to change the Medicare beneficiary identifier used to identify individuals entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), or enrolled under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), so that such an individual's Social Security number is not used. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to direct the Commissioner of Social Security, upon the Secretary's request, to enter into a data matching agreement with the Secretary to determine if individuals are eligible for benefits or if providers are eligible to provide services or supplies. Directs the Secretary to investigate claims involving certain individuals who are not eligible for benefits or are not eligible providers of services or suppliers. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary to establish and implement a system to verify on a monthly basis that the claims for payment under Medicare part B for physicians' services furnished in high risk areas are: (1) for physicians' services actually furnished by the physician (or the physician's group practice); and (2) otherwise accurate. Requires the Secretary to establish a system to identify the 50 counties most vulnerable (high risk areas) to Medicare fraud. Directs the Secretary to establish procedures for the use of technology (similar to that used with respect to the analysis of credit card charging patterns) to provide real-time data analysis of claims for payment under the Medicare program to identify and investigate unusual billing or order practices under the Medicare program that could indicate fraud or abuse. Requires the Secretary to establish procedures to require carriers, before paying a claim for payment for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) to confirm with the National Supplier Clearinghouse that: (1) the physician's or practitioner's National Provider Identifier is valid and active; (2) the supplier's Medicare identification number is valid and active; and (3) that the item or service for which the claim for payment is submitted was properly identified on the CMS-855S Medicare enrollment application. Directs the Secretary to develop a strategic plan for the development and implementation of a serial number tracking system for DME, including mechanisms to ensure unique identifiers for DME items without them. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of the surety bond requirement for DME suppliers in combating fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2009 or the SHOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate an office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer a health insurance program for small businesses and self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance coverage meeting certain requirements. Establishes a Small Business Health Board to monitor the implementation of the program and make recommendations for improvements. Requires the Administrator of the program to: (1) enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to provide health insurance coverage under this Act; and (2) enter into agreements with entities to serve as navigators to provide information about the program, provide referrals to applicable agencies for any grievance, complaint, or question, and assist in enrollment. Requires a participating employer to ensure that each eligible employee has an opportunity to enroll in a plan. Sets forth requirements for health plans offered under this Act. Requires the Administrator to contract with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to study: (1) the rating requirements that apply to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in the states and to develop recommendations concerning rating requirements; and (2) the administrative procedures that apply to the program and to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in states. Sets forth premium-setting rules for plans under this Act. Allows a state to prohibit participation in this program if the state offers alternative health benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small employers for qualified employee health insurance expenses under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish the Center for Tobacco Products to implement this Act. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Authorizes the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if appropriate for the protection of the public health. Sets forth limits on such regulations, including prohibiting establishment of a minimum age greater than 18 for product purchases. Prohibits: (1) cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee; or (2) a tobacco product manufacturer from using tobacco that contains a greater level of pesticide chemical residue than is specified by any tolerance applicable to domestically grown tobacco. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) banning all cigarettes, all smokeless tobacco products, all little cigars, all other cigars, all pipe tobacco, or all roll-your-own tobacco products; or (2) requiring the reduction of the nicotine yields of a tobacco product to zero. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Revises tobacco product warning labels and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2009
Authorizing the Regulation of Swaps Act - Amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, the Legal Certainty for Bank Products Act of 2000, and the Commodity Exchange Act to repeal prohibitions against regulation of credit default swaps and other swap agreements, whether traded on an exchange or over-the-counter, including commodity, equity, foreign currency, and interest rate swaps. Authorizes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and specified other federal financial regulators to: (1) exercise oversight over any swap agreement entered into, purchased, or sold by any financial institution, entity, or person (for its own account or for the account of others), and any swap agreement, that is subject to the regulator's jurisdiction; and (2) promulgate, interpret, and enforce regulations, issue orders of general applicability, and impose disclosure, reporting, or recordkeeping requirements relating to any such swap agreement. Grants the SEC sole oversight authority over: (1) any exchange or clearing agency; and (2) any swap agreement traded on or cleared through such exchange or clearing agency. Grants the CFTC sole oversight authority over: (1) any trading facility or registered entity; and (2) any swap agreement executed on, traded on, or cleared through such trading facility or registered entity.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2009
Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish criteria for determining which states should serve on the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia and to implement a nominations process to select representatives for such Task Force. Requires: (1) the President, acting through NOAA, to establish a national program to integrate efforts to address hypoxia research, monitoring, prediction, control, mitigation, prevention, and outreach; (2) the Task Force to be the oversight body for the development and implementation of the National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program; and (3) NOAA to be the lead federal agency for implementing and administering such Program. Sets forth the Program's responsibilities and duties, including: (1) promoting a national strategy to help communities understand, detect, predict, control, and mitigate freshwater and marine hypoxia events; and (2) establishing a Mitigation and Control of Harmful Algal Blooms Program. Requires NOAA to maintain and enhance the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms Program, the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms Program, the Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems and Hypoxia Assessment Program, and the Coastal Hypoxia Research Program. Requires the national hypoxia program to: (1) oversee the development and implementation of Regional Research and Action Plans and identify regions and sub-regions to be addressed by each Plan; and (2) convene regional panels of experts. Requires each panel to develop a Plan that identifies appropriate elements for the region, including: (1) priorities for ecological and socioeconomic research on issues related to, and impacts of, hypoxia; and (2) state and local government actions that may be implemented to monitor, minimize, reduce, and address hypoxia. Requires the Task Force to report to specified congressional committees not less than every five years on hypoxia. Sets forth reporting requirements for the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force. Requires: (1) the Secretary, acting through NOAA, to establish a collaborative pilot program with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies to examine hypoxia occurring in freshwater systems, including the Great Lakes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, training, and film production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Prohibits the Attorney General from electronically retrieving inactive firearms licensee information by name or personal identification code. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Water Quality Investment Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) repeal the requirement that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have a specified amount available for grants to states for establishing water pollution control revolving funds in order to make sewer overflow control grants; and (2) require projects receiving sewer overflow control grant assistance to be carried out subject to the requirements applicable to projects receiving assistance from state water pollution control revolving funds, except to the extent that the governor of the state in which the project is located determines that a revolving fund requirement is inconsistent with the purposes of the sewer overflow control grant program. Authorizes appropriations for sewer overflow control grants for FY2010-FY2014 and sets forth provisions governing the allocation of such funds to states and munipalities. Establishes a December 31, 2010, deadline for the Administrator's report to Congress on recommended funding levels for sewer overflow control grants.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2009 - Requires each executive agency, except for the Department of Defense (DOD), to establish and maintain specified safeguards and internal controls for official purchase cards and convenience checks, including measures to ensure that: (1) records are kept of each card holder and applicable transaction limits; (2) rebates and refunds based on prompt payment, sales volume, or other agency actions on card accounts are reviewed for accuracy; (3) periodic reviews are performed to determine whether each cardholder needs a card; (4) effective systems, techniques, and technologies are used to prevent or identify fraudulent purchases; and (5) steps are taken to recover the cost of erroneous, improper, or illegal purchases made with a purchase card or convenience check through salary offsets. Establishes similar requirements for DOD. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review existing guidance and prescribe additional guidance governing the implementation of the safeguards and internal controls. Requires each agency head to provide for appropriate adverse personnel actions or other punishment, including dismissal, in cases where employees violate agency policies implementing the guidance or make improper, erroneous, or illegal purchases. Requires the guidance to direct each agency head with more than $10 million in purchase card spending annually and each Inspector General to jointly report to the Director on such violations semiannually. Lists actions that each agency Inspector General should take, including to conduct periodic assessments of agency purchase card or convenience check programs to identify and analyze risks of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases and payments in order to develop a plan for periodic audits of transactions. Amends the Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 to require each agency to establish safeguards and internal controls over federal contractor-issued travel charge cards to ensure the proper, efficient, and effective use of such cards. Requires agencies that have employees who use a travel charge card that is billed directly to the U.S. government to establish and maintain specified internal control activities, including requirements to: (1) compare items submitted on an employee's travel voucher with items paid for using a centrally billed account on any related travel; (2) dispute unallowable and erroneous charges and track disputed transactions to ensure appropriate resolution; and (3) submit requests to servicing airlines for refunds for fully or partially unused tickets and to track unused tickets to ensure appropriate resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Designates May 15, 2009, as Endangered Species Day. Encourages: (1) schools to spend at least 30 minutes on such Day teaching and informing students about threats to, and efforts to restore, endangered species; (2) organizations, businesses, private landowners, and agencies with a shared interest in conserving endangered species to collaborate in developing educational information for use in schools; and (3) people to become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery, and opportunities to promote species conservation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009 - Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a marine renewable energy research and development program, separate from any DOE wind and hydropower program, focused on: (1) developing new marine renewable energy technologies; (2) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs of such technologies; (3) increasing the reliability and survivability of marine renewable energy facilities; (4) integrating marine renewable energy into the national electric grid; (5) identifying opportunities for cross pollination and development of economies of scale between offshore wind and marine renewable energy sources; (6) identifying the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy and ways to address negative impacts; (7) applying advanced systems engineering and system integration methods to identify critical interfaces and develop open standards for marine renewable energy; (8) transferring the resulting intellectual property to industry stakeholders as public information through published interface definitions, standards, and demonstration projects; and (9) developing incentives for industry to comply with such standards. Requires DOE to establish a marine-based energy device verification program to provide a bridge from the wave, tidal, current, or thermal energy capture device design and development efforts underway across the industry to commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices. Sets forth as purpose of the Program to fund, facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratories in order to: (1) increase marine renewable energy experience; and (2) build and operate enough candidate devices to obtain statistically significant operating and maintenance data. Establishes an Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund to provide grants for complying with requirements through assessment and demonstration of the environmental effects of marine renewable energy projects.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify equipment that produces electricity from marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy as five-year property for depreciation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Directs the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, in consultation with the the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), to make publicly available through a centralized electronic system the following CRS-produced information (plus an index of such information that is available through the CRS website): (1) Issue Briefs; (2) CRS Reports that are available to Members of Congress through the CRS website; and (3) Authorization of Appropriations and Appropriations Products. Exempts from such requirements: (1) any information determined to be confidential by the CRS Director or the head of a department or agency that provided the information to CRS; and (2) documents, other than those described in clauses (1) through (3), that are the product of a congressional research request. Allows the Sergeant at Arms, in consultation with the CRS Director, to revise the information made publicly available by removing information concerning CRS employees, removing material that may infringe copyright protection, and making necessary changes to ensure accuracy and currency. Requires access to the information made available pursuant to this resolution through Senate committee and Member websites. Directs the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that such websites provide the same capability to find the cited CRS information as the CRS website. Makes the Sergeant at Arms responsible for maintaining and updating the information and for establishing a database within six months after adoption of this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act - Adopts the definition of "hate crime" as set forth in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (i.e., a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim or, in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of the crime because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person). Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) provide state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies with technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the investigation or prosecution of violent crimes and hate crimes; and (2) award grants to assist such agencies with the extraordinary expenses associated with the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. Authorizes the Office of Justice Programs to award grants to state, local, or tribal programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Justice (DOJ), including the Community Relations Service, for FY2010-FY2012 to prevent and respond to hate crime acts. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to expand data collection and reporting requirements under such Act to include: (1) crimes manifesting prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) hate crimes committed by and against juveniles. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the exercise of constitutionally-protected free speech.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should continue to support diplomatic efforts in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council to end Iran's illicit nuclear activities; (2) diplomatic efforts with Iran are more likely to be effective if the President is empowered with the explicit authority to impose additional sanctions on the government of Iran; (3) it should be U.S. policy to encourage foreign governments to direct state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran's energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran; (4) the President is urged to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian financial institution engaged in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; (5) the Department of the Treasury should continue to work with allies to protect the international financial system from deceptive and illicit practices by Iranian financial institutions involved in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; (6) U.S. concerns regarding Iran are strictly the result of that government’s actions; and (7) the people of the United States have feelings of friendship for the people of Iran and regret that developments in recent decades have created impediments to that friendship. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose two or more current sanctions under such Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, made an investment of $20 million or more (or any combination of investments of at least $5 million which in the aggregate equals or exceeds $20 million in any 12-month period) that directly and significantly contributed to Iran's ability to develop its petroleum resources. (Under current law the sanction thresholds are $40 million, $10 million, and $40 million, respectively.) Directs the President to impose: (1) sanctions established under this Act (in addition to any current sanctions imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996) if a person has, with actual knowledge, sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, technology, information, or support that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources, including any assistance in refinery construction, modernization, or repair; and (2) sanctions established under this Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, provided Iran with refined petroleum resources or engaged in any activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources, including providing shipping, insurance, or financing services for such activity. Establishes additional sanctions prohibiting specified foreign exchange, banking, and property transactions. Includes references to refined petroleum resources in a presidential report to Congress requesting waiver of sanctions for purposes of national interest. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees every six months regarding any person who has: (1) provided Iran with refined petroleum resources; (2) sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, or technology that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources; or (3) engaged in any activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Information Technology Investment Oversight Enhancement and Waste Prevention Act of 2009 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a website, which shall be updated on a quarterly basis, that includes information such as the cost, schedule, and performance of all major information technology (IT) investments using earned-value management data based on a specified standard. Requires each Chief Information Officer of a federal agency to: (1) identify major IT investments that are most critical; and (2) designate those projects as core IT investment projects or core projects. Requires the project manager for an IT investment project to submit a report to the Chief Information Officer (after the end of each fiscal quarter or upon determining that a project has significantly or grossly deviated from its baseline) that includes: (1) a description of the cost, schedule, and performance of such projects; (2) the current cost, schedule, and performance status of all projects previously identified as significantly deviated or grossly deviated from the original baseline; and (3) any corrective actions taken. Requires the Chief Information Officer to: (1) determine if any project has significantly or grossly deviated; (2) report such determination to the agency head; , appropriate congressional committees, the Director, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO); (3) develop and implement a remedial action plan; and (4) establish a program to improve the IT processes overseen by the Officer. Requires: (1) the Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and Information and Technology at OMB (the E-Gov Administrator) to establish an IT Tiger Team to assist agencies in avoiding significant and gross deviations in the cost, schedule, and performance of IT investment projects and take specified actions to avoid or reduce such deviations; and (2) the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop policy and guidance for agencies to develop a program to recognize excellent performance by federal employees in the acquisition of information systems and IT.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
DTV Cliff Effect Assistance Act of 2009 - Directs the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to make payments (not to exceed $125 million in the aggregate) during FY2009-FY2012 from the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund for a program through which a local civil government body may receive funding for the construction and equipment of digital TV translators to fill gaps in the digital coverage for full-power stations where the gaps were created from the conversion of the signal from analog to digital. Requires any translator tower built under this Act to reasonably facilitate the collocation of any wireless communications or broadband equipment (unless there is clear evidence of unresolvable signal interference issues).
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the Boards of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, in honor of the distinguished service of the American military men and women who have been Medal of Honor recipients. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2011. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin and $10 per coin for the $1 coin, to be distributed to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance educational, scholarship, and outreach programs of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
See Something, Say Something Act of 2009 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to grant immunity from civil liability to persons who, in good faith and based on an objectively reasonable suspicion, report suspicious activity indicating that an individual may be engaging, or preparing to engage, in a violation of law relating to an act of terrorism. Grants qualified immunity from civil liability to any authorized official who observes, or receives a report of, such activity and takes reasonable action in good faith to respond, consistent with applicable law in the relevant jurisdiction. Provides that an authorized official not entitled to assert the defense of qualified immunity shall nonetheless be immune from civil immunity if that official takes reasonable action, in good faith, to respond to the reported activity.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Urges the government of Afghanistan and President Hamid Karzai to declare the provisions of the Shi'ite Personal Status Law on marital rape and restrictions on women's freedom of movement unconstitutional and an erosion of development in Afghanistan. Encourages the Secretary of State, the Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Ambassador-at-Large for International Women's Issues, and the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan to address the status of women's rights and security in Afghanistan to ensure that these rights are not being eroded.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a study of black carbon emissions, which shall include the following elements: Phase I will establish for the scientific community standard definitions of the terms "black carbon" and "organic carbon." Phase II will summarize the available scientific and technical information concerning an identification of the major sources of black carbon emissions in the United States and throughout the world, an estimate of the quantity of current and projected emissions and the net climate effects of the emissions from those sources, the most effective control strategies for additional domestic and international reductions in black carbon emissions, and the health benefits associated with additional reductions. Phase III will summarize the amount, type, and direction of all actual and potential financial, technical, and related assistance provided by the United States to foreign countries to reduce, mitigate, or otherwise abate black carbon emissions and any health, environmental, and economic impacts associated with those emissions and to identify opportunities to achieve significant black carbon emission reductions in foreign countries through the provision of technical assistance or other approaches. Phase IV will provide recommendations regarding areas of focus for additional research for cost-effective technologies, operations, and strategies with the highest potential to reduce black carbon emissions and protect public health and regarding government actions to encourage or require additional black carbon emission reduction. Sets forth reporting deadlines for each phase.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Establishes in the Treasury the Energy Assistance Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, upon request of the Secretary concerned, to transfer amounts from the Fund to that Secretary to make or guarantee low-interest loans or grants to U.S. persons to purchase and install: (1) qualifying energy efficient property in their principal dwelling (i.e., solar powered property to heat water or generate electricity, fuel cells, or compliant stoves); (2) idling reduction devices or advanced insulation in heavy trucks; and (3) qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property at a station.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Rebating America's Deposits Act - Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the President to publish in the Federal Register a notice certifying that the Yucca Mountain site (Nevada) is the selected site for the development of a repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Declares that, if the President fails to publish the certification or revokes it, each entity: (1) that is required to make a payment to the Nuclear Waste Fund shall not be required to make any additional payment; and (2) that has made a payment shall receive a refund, 75% of which shall be used for rebates to the entity's ratepayers, and 25% shall be used to carry out upgrades to the entity's nuclear power facilities to enhance the storage and security of materials used to generate nuclear power. Requires the Secretary of Energy to initiate by January 1, 2017, the transportation to the Yucca Mountain site of defense waste from each state in which it is located. Imposes penalties on the Secretary for failure to initiate such transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Shark Conservation Act of 2009 - Amends the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to list a nation in the biennial report on international compliance if the nation's fishing vessels are or have been engaged in fishing activities that target or incidentally catch sharks and the nation has not adopted a shark conservation program that is comparable, taking into account different conditions, to that of the United States, including measures to prohibit removal any of the fins of a shark (including the tail) and discarding the carcass of the shark at sea. Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to revise provisions prohibiting the removal of shark fins to make it a prohibited act to: (1) remove any shark fin (including the tail) at sea; (2) have a fin aboard a fishing vessel unless the fin is naturally attached to the carcass; (3) transfer a fin from one vessel to another or receive a fin unless it is naturally attached; or (4) land a fin that is not naturally attached to a carcass or land a carcass without fins naturally attached. Revises the current rebuttable presumption provision concerning shark fins on fishing vessels to create a rebuttable presumption that, if any shark fin (including the tail) is aboard a non-fishing vessel without being naturally attached, the fin was transferred from a fishing vessel in violation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
No Child Left Inside Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, as a prerequisite to receiving implementation grants, to develop environmental literacy plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Directs the Secretary to award Environmental Education Professional Development Grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the development of more rigorous environmental education curricula that advance the teaching of interdisciplinary courses. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, IHEs, other educational entities, federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, or park and recreation departments, for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards; (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs; and (3) research.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Commercial Truck Highway Safety Demonstration Program Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a program to demonstrate the effects on the safety of the highway network in Maine of permitting operation on the Interstate System highways within the state of a vehicle that weighs over 80,000 pounds, that consists of a three-axle tractor unit hauling a single trailer or semitrailer, and that does not exceed any vehicle weight limitation applicable under Maine law. Waives highway funding reduction relating to weight of vehicles using Interstate System highways with respect to vehicles allowed pursuant to this program. Provides for program termination and for the responsibilities of the state of Maine, including: (1) submitting a plan to the Secretary; (2) establishing a highway safety committee; and (3) collecting data on the net effects of the operation of such vehicles on safety.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the tax credit for producing electricity from closed or open-loop biomass facilities equipped with a metering device to determine electricity consumption or sale to allow a tax credit after 2008 for electricity produced and consumed at such facilities and to extend the credit period for such production.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the minimum level of sound that is necessary to be emitted from a motor vehicle, or some other method, to alert blind and other pedestrians of the presence of operating motor vehicles while traveling.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Open Fuel Standard Act of 2009 or the OFS Act - Requires each light-duty automobile manufacturer's annual covered inventory to comprise at least: (1) 50% fuel choice-enabling automobiles in years 2012-2014; and (2) 80% fuel choice-enabling automobiles in 2015, and in each subsequent year. Defines "fuel choice-enabling automobile" as: (1) a flexible fuel automobile capable of operating on gasoline, E85, and M85; or (2) an automobile capable of operating on biodiesel fuel. Authorizes a manufacturer to request an exemption from such requirement from the Secretary of Transportation. Extends limited liability protection to the use of fuel containing ethanol or renewable fuel in the operation of internal combustion engines by declaring that such fuel shall not be deemed to be a defective product or subject to a failure to warn due to such ethanol or renewable fuel content, unless it violates a control or prohibition imposed under the Clean Air Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
National Guard and Reserve Retired Pay Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to back-date to September 11, 2001, the period of active duty or performed active service, in support of a contingency operation or in other emergency situations, for which members of Ready Reserve components of the Armed Forces shall receive credit in determining eligibility for early receipt of non-regular service retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for certain low-income HIV-infected individuals. Provides states taking advantage of this option with an enhanced federal Medicaid match.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Grants a federal charter to the Military Officers Association of America (a nonprofit corporation and incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Designates April 24 through 26, 2009, as Global Youth Service Days. Recognizes and commends the significant contributions of the youth of the United States and encourages the cultivation of a civic bond between young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Elder Justice Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to establish an Elder Justice program under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC). Establishes the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to establish stationary and mobile forensic centers, to develop forensic expertise regarding, and provide services relating to, elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for individuals to train for, seek, and maintain employment providing direct care in a long-term care (LTC) facility. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LTC facilities to: (1) offer continuing training and varying levels of certification to employees who provide direct care to LTC facility residents; and (2) provide bonuses or other benefits to employees who achieve certification. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to assist LTC facilities in offsetting the costs for standardized clinical health care informatics systems designed to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events and health care complications resulting from medication errors. Directs the Secretary to ensure that HHS: (1) provides funding to state and local adult protective services services offices that investigate reports of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and (2) collects and disseminates related data in coordination with the Department of Justice. Establishes a program of annual adult protective services grants to states. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) improve the capacity of state LTC ombudsman programs to respond to and resolve abuse and neglect complaints; and (2) conduct pilot programs with state or local LTC ombudsman offices. Directs the Secretary to establish programs to provide and improve ombudsman training for national organizations and state LTC ombudsman programs. Amends part A of SSA title XI to require each individual owner, operator, employee, manager, agent, or contractor of an LTC facility receiving certain federal support to report to the Secretary and local law enforcement entities any reasonable suspicion of crimes occurring in such facility. Requires the owner or operator of such an LTC facility to notify the Secretary and the appropriate state regulatory agency of a facility's impending closure, as well as a plan for the transfer and adequate relocation of facility residents. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the EJCC and appropriate congressional committees on establishing a national nurse aide registry.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Net Operating Loss (NOL) Carryback Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a five-year carryback of net operating losses, including the operating losses of life insurance companies, incurred in 2008 and 2009. Denies such extended loss carryover period to: (1) taxpayers in whom the federal government acquires an equity interest under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008; (2) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac); and (3) members of certain affiliated groups.
![Official portrait of Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001035_200.jpg)