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United States · Official source
6,541 records where Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Appoints France A. Cordova as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Appoints David M. Rubenstein as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2009
Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009 - Requires the Librarian of Congress and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (acting through the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture) to establish an oral history project to: (1) collect video and audio recordings of, and visual and written materials relevant to the personal histories of, participants in the Civil Rights movement; and (2) make the collection available for public use through the Library of Congress and the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2009
Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 or FERA - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) redefine "financial institution" to include a mortgage lending business; (2) define "mortgage lending business" for criminal law purposes; (3) prohibit false statements in mortgage applications by employees and agents of a mortgage lending business; (4) prohibit fraudulent activities related to the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) or a federal economic stimulus, recovery, or rescue plan; (5) expand securities fraud provisions to include fraud involving options and futures in commodities; (6) expand, for purposes of money laundering provisions, the concept of monetary proceeds to include gross receipts; and (7) expand money laundering provisions to prohibit the movement of money outside of the United States to avoid taxes. Authorizes appropriations to the Attorney General for FY2010-FY2011 for investigations, prosecutions, civil proceedings involving federal assistance programs and financial institutions. Authorizes additional appropriations to the U.S. Postal Service and to the Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for similar investigations. Amends the False Claims Act to: (1) expand liability under such Act for making false or fraudulent claims to the federal government; and (2) repeal the requirement that false claims be presented to a government employee. Requires persons violating such Act to reimburse the federal government for the costs of a civil action to recover penalties or damages under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Act of 2009 - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to grant the Special Inspector General (SIG) authority to conduct, supervise, and coordinate an audit or investigation of any action taken with regard to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that the SIG deems appropriate. Prohibits any audit or investigation, however, of any action related to: (1) graduated authorization to purchase troubled assets; (2) oversight and audits by the Comptroller General; (3) the Comptroller General's study and report on margin authority; and (4) the Congressional Oversight Panel. Authorizes the SIG to exercise specified employment authorities for additional personnel, but not after six months following enactment of this Act. Prohibits any period of appointment from exceeding the date on which the Office of the SIG terminates. States that if an annuitant receiving an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund becomes employed within the Office of the SIG for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, such annuity shall continue. Limits such allowance to: (1) not more than 25 employees at any time as designated by the SIG; and (2) only pay periods beginning after the enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) either take action to address deficiencies identified by a report or investigation of the SIG or other auditor engaged by the TARP; or (2) certify to congressional committees that no action is necessary or appropriate. Instructs the SIG to work with Inspectors General of designated federal agencies to: (1) avoid duplication of effort; and (2) ensure comprehensive oversight of TARP. Requires the SIG to: (1) report to Congress by September 1, 2009, on the use of any funds received by a financial institution under TARP; and (2) make such report available to the public, including on the home page of the SIG's website within 24 hours after its submission to Congress. Requires funds for the office of the SIG to be made available not later than seven days after the the date of enactment of this Act. Makes the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction members of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency until the termination of their respective Offices.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit Improvement Act of 2009 - Establishes special rules for modification or disposition of a troubled asset (qualified mortgages or foreclosure property) under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) by real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs). Declares that: (1) such a modification or disposition shall not be treated as a prohibited transaction under the Internal Revenue Code; (2) an interest in the REMIC shall not fail to be treated as a regular interest solely because of such modification or disposition; and (3) any proceeds resulting from such modification or disposition shall be treated as amounts received under qualified mortgages. Specifies terms of the instruments governing the conduct of servicers or trustees with respect to qualified mortgages which shall terminates a REMIC. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish and implement a home mortgage loan relief program under TARP.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2009
Increasing America's Global Development Capacity Act of 2009 - Requires the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase the number of full-time Foreign Service officers employed by USAID.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of the historic founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors and praises the NAACP on the occasion of its anniversary for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Commuter Benefits Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to equalize and increase to $230, with a cost-of-living adjustment after 2009, the tax exclusion for both transportation and parking fringe benefits. Extends such benefits to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2009
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise requirements for the sale by the Secretary of Energy of products from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. Authorizes the Secretary to sell from the Reserve if the President finds that: (1) there is a severe energy supply interruption (as under existing law); or (2) the price of home heating oil threatens the health and safety of residents of the Northeast. Requires the Secretary to sell specified percentages of the quantity of products in the Reserve as of November 1 of a fiscal year if the President finds that, on successive monthly winter dates of the same fiscal year, the average retail price of No.2 heating oil in the Northeast is equal to or more than $4.00 per gallon (in 2008 dollars). Requires the Secretary to use any revenue derived from such sales to provide assistance to low-income consumers of heating oil under the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons of the Energy Conservation and Production Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Serve America Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to create two new service-learning programs: (1) a Youth Engagement Zones to Strengthen Communities program, providing competitive grants to partnerships between local educational agencies that serve high-need, low-income communities and certain community-based or state entities to engage students and out-of-school youth in service-learning addressing specific challenges faced by their communities; and (2) a Campus of Service program, which annually grants up to 30 institutions of higher education (IHEs) with exemplary service-learning programs the funds to assist their students' pursuit of public service careers, and the right to nominate additional individuals for ServeAmerica Fellowships. Directs the Corporation for National and Community Service (Corporation) to contract for a 10-year, longitudinal service-learning impact study. Establishes the Commission on Cross-Sector Solutions to America's Problems to study ways in which the federal government and businesses can more effectively collaborate with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to address pressing national and local challenges. Creates a Community Solutions Funds Pilot program awarding competitive matching grants to grantmaking institutions or partnerships between such institutions and state or local governmental entities which will use the grants to provide competitive matching subgrants to community organizations for use in replicating or expanding proven solutions to specifically identified community challenges. Establishes an Innovation Fellowships Pilot program awarding competitive grants to individuals who are veterans, or have completed at least one period of national service, to establish innovative nonprofit organizations that address national and local challenges. Creates a ServeAmerica Corps program providing formula grants to states and awarding competitive grants to states and nonprofit organizations to fund national service in low-income communities by: (1) Clean Energy Service Corps that improve certain clean energy indicators, including energy efficiency and conservation measures; (2) Education Corps that improve certain education indicators, including student engagement, achievement, and graduation; (3) Healthy Futures Corps that improve certain health indicators, including health care access; (4) Opportunity Corps that improve certain opportunity indicators, including financial literacy and access to housing, and employment-related services; and (5) Encore programs designed to take advantage of the skills of participants age 50 and older. Creates additional incentives for national service participation by individuals age 50 and older. Makes ServeAmerica Corps participants eligible for national service educational awards. Directs a partnership composed of the Corporation, the Director of the Bureau of the Census, and the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to: (1) create a Civic Health Index enabling states and communities to assess their civic health; and (2) conduct research on, and assessments of, domestic and international volunteering. Establishes the ServeAmerica and Encore Fellowships program providing ServeAmerica Fellowships to IHE-nominated individuals and Encore Fellowships to individuals age 50 or older who agree to be placed with nonprofit organizations to carry out projects in specified areas of national need. Makes ServeAmerica fellows eligible for national service educational awards. Creates a Volunteer Generation Fund program awarding competitive matching grants to states and nonprofit organizations to increase the availability and capacity of volunteers to address state priorities with regard to areas of national need or work with nonprofit civic entities, including faith-based organizations, to address such needs. Establishes a National Service Reserve Corps of individuals who have completed a term of national service to respond to national disasters and other emergencies. Directs the Corporation, within 180 days of this Act's enactment, to conduct a nationwide Call to Service Campaign. Requires the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a VfPServe program providing skilled professionals with fixed-amount stipends to offset their costs of volunteering abroad to address specified VfP objectives aimed at ameliorating living conditions in developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes; and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income).
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award matching grants to states to complement existing state efforts to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for children who have been previously identified through a vision screening or eye examination by a licensed health care provider or vision screener as needing such services, who do not otherwise have coverage for vision services, and who are low-income children, with priority given to children who are under the age of nine years; (2) provide treatment or services as necessary to correct identified vision problems; and (3) develop and disseminate to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria: (1) governing the operation of the grant program; and (2) for the collection of data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services. Requires the Secretary to coordinate the program under this Act with other federal or state programs that provide services to children.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Giving Incentives to Volunteers Everywhere Act of 2009 or the GIVE Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the standard mileage rate for use of a passenger automobile for charitable purposes to a rate not less than the rate used for the tax deduction for medical transportation expenses; and (2) exclude from the gross income of charitable volunteers reimbursements paid to them for the use of a passenger automobile for the benefit of a charitable organization.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the protection of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and their full participation in the reestablishment of democracy are essential to Afghanistan's reconstruction, and to achieve such reconstruction the U.S. government must commit resources to advance the rights of women throughout Afghanistan. Amends the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 to revise the provisions respecting assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan. Extends funding authority. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) condition the provision of such assistance on the recipient adhering to international standards for women's rights and human rights; and (2) ensure that Afghan women-led nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated experience in delivering services to Afghan women and children receive grants without ethnic, religious, or any other discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009 - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) to expand resources for the Project Gunrunner initiative of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to identify, investigate, and prosecute firearms trafficking across the U.S.- Mexico border; and (2) provide ATF agents, equipment, and training to assist Mexican law enforcement officers in combating firearms trafficking and other criminal enterprises.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
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 · 9 January 2009
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Act of 1994 to extend the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to make grants or provide any assistance under the Act for the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor to September 30, 2015. Requires the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of the accomplishments of the Corridor by no later than three years before the date on which the authority for federal funding terminates for the Corridor, and based upon the evaluation, to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees a report that includes recommendations for the future role of the National Park Service (NPS), if any, with respect to the Corridor. Increases the total amount that may be appropriated for the Corridor.
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
COPS Improvements Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the authority of the Attorney General to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program). Authorizes grants to: (1) hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools; (2) establish and implement programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug activities, including the manufacturing, distribution, and use of methamphetamine; and (3) meet emerging law enforcement needs, as warranted. Authorizes the use of COPS ON THE BEAT grants to hire former members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) assigning prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and to address counter-terrorism problems and violent crime in local communities; and (2) developing new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training. Grants the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services exclusive authority to perform functions and activities under COPS ON THE BEAT grant program. Authorizes the Attorney General to extend grant periods and to renew grants if the grant recipient can demonstrate significant progress in achieving the objectives of the initial grant application. Increases and extends the authorization of appropriations for the COPS ON THE BEAT grant program for FY2009-FY2014.
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 · 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
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
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.
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 · 10 December 2008
Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Act of 2008 - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to grant the Special Inspector General (SIG) authority to conduct, supervise, and coordinate an audit or investigation of any action taken with regard to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that the SIG deems appropriate. Prohibits any audit or investigation, however, of any action related to: (1) graduated authorization to purchase troubled assets; (2) oversight and audits by the Comptroller General; (3) the Comptroller General's study and report on margin authority; and (4) the Congressional Oversight Panel. Authorizes the SIG to exercise specified employment authorities for additional personnel, but not after six months following enactment of this Act. Prohibits any period of appointment from exceeding the date on which the Office of the SIG terminates. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) either take action to address deficiencies identified by a report or investigation of the SIG or other auditor engaged by the TARP; or (2) certify to congressional committees that no action is necessary or appropriate. Instructs the SIG to work with Inspectors General of designated federal agencies to: (1) avoid duplication of effort; and (2) ensure comprehensive oversight of TARP. Requires the SIG to: (1) report to Congress by July 1, 2009, on the use of any funds received by a financial institution under TARP; and (2) make such report available to the public, including on the home page of the SIG's website within 24 hours after its submission to Congress. Requires funds for the office of the SIG to be made available not later than seven days after the SIG's nomination is first confirmed by the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2008
Condemns the continuing violence, forcible recruitment of children as soldiers, and abuses against civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Calls on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to end the threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. Calls on the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to restore bilateral relations and work together to mitigate regional tensions. Calls on all governments in the Great Lakes region of Africa and those of the Southern African Development Community to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Supports U.N. peace efforts. Urges the President to sustain high-level diplomatic engagement together with the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations to avert a regional war and revive a comprehensive peace process in eastern Congo. Urges the United States and the international community to support monitoring and verification mechanisms in Congo. Urges the President and the international community to help regional governments address the factors underlying the conflict in eastern Congo.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
Best Buddies Empowerment for People with Intellectual Disabilities Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to, or enter into agreements with, Best Buddies (a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with intellectual disabilities mesh with mainstream society) to promote the expansion of its programs.
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 · 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 · 30 September 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of Fire Prevention Week, October 5-October 11, 2008; and (2) the work of firefighters to educate and protect the nation's communities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2008
Designates the week beginning October 19, 2008, as National Character Counts Week.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2008
Designates the week of November 9-November 15, 2008, as "National Veterans Awareness Week."
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Measuring American Poverty Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Bureau of the Census, in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to calculate modern poverty thresholds and modern poverty rates for each calendar year. Declares that the modern poverty threshold for a reference family consisting of two adults and their two related children shall be an amount equal to the average of 120% of the 33rd percentile of the distribution of annual expenditures by such families on food, clothing, and shelter during each of the three most recent years for which data is available from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, a superior federal government source of data, or some combination of such sources. Prescribes requirements for determining modern poverty rates. Directs the Bureau of the Census, in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to develop and publish methods of: (1) calculating a decent living standard threshold; and (2) measuring the extent to which the income of families in the United States is sufficient to meet it. Directs the Bureau of the Census, in collaboration with BLS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to contract with NAS to develop and publish a method of: (1) measuring the extent of medical care risk in the United States; and (2) calculating the number and percentage of individuals in the United States who lack adequate health insurance, leaving them at risk of being unable to afford needed treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Supports the goals and ideals of "Lights On Afterschool!," a national celebration of after-school programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the case of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2008, to continue to apply budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the urban hospital wage floor for discharges occurring during FY2008 under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (through a uniform, national adjustment to the area wage index).
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Security Assistance Act of 2008 - Authorizes FY2009-FY2010 appropriations for military and related assistance. Revises provisions regarding: (1) arms export controls; (2) nuclear cooperation; and (3) specified reporting provisions. Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008 - Authorizes the transfer of specified naval vessels to Pakistan, Greece, Chile, and Peru. Authorizes FY2009-FY2010 appropriations for nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining, and related programs. Authorizes FY2009 appropriations for international organizations. Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to establish a global pathogen security program. Nuclear Safeguards and Supply Act of 2008 - Authorizes additional appropriations for the refurbishment or possible replacement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Analytical Laboratory. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) pursue a program to strengthen technical safeguards research and development and improve interagency coordination on safeguards technology; and (2) develop a safeguards cadre program. Authorizes the President to create mechanisms to provide a reliable supply of nuclear fuel to those countries and groups of countries that adhere to policies to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation and that decide to forgo a national uranium enrichment program and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2008 - Prohibits assistance to an eligible developing country that does not: (1) permit World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel to investigate infectious disease outbreaks within its borders; and (2) provide pathogen surveillance data to appropriate U.S. and international agencies and organizations. Prohibits any participating foreign national from having unsupervised access to agents that may be used in a biological weapon. Establishes a public health education and training fellowship program. Directs the Secretary to support in-country training courses for public health personnel. Authorizes the President to furnish assistance to eligible developing countries for public health laboratory equipment and supplies. Directs CDC and the Department of Defense (DOD) to increase the number of laboratory personnel in eligible developing countries that conduct infectious disease research expand such laboratories' operations. Authorizes: (1) the President to provide assistance to enhance the surveillance and reporting capabilities for WHO and existing regional and international health networks, and develop new health networks; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish new country or regional foreign epidemiology training programs in eligible developing countries. Authorizes FY2009-FY2010 appropriations. International Space Station Payments Act of 2008 - Exempts from the prohibition on extraordinary payments U.S. government payments made between January 1, 2012, and reentry into Earth's atmosphere of the International Space Station (ISS) at its end of life for work or services necessary to meet U.S. obligations under the Agreement Concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station. (Extraordinary payments are, generally, those made for work on the ISS which the Russian government pledged to provide at its expense and those for work on the ISS, or for the purchase of goods or services relating to human space flight, that are not required to be made under the terms of a contract or other agreement that was in effect on January 1, 1999, as the terms were in effect on that date.) Specifies that such exemption shall not permit payments for certain cargo or crew transportation or rescue services.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2008
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15, 2008, through October 15, 2008. Honors the heritage and culture of Hispanic Americans and their immense contributions to the life of the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2008
United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act - Approves the United States-India Agreement for Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (Agreement), subject to the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, and other applicable U.S. law. Urges the government of India to sign and adhere to an Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). States that licenses may be issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for transfers pursuant to the Agreement only after the President certifies to Congress that: (1) the Agreement Between the Government of India and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards to Civilian Nuclear Facilities has entered into force; and (2) the government of India has filed a declaration of facilities that is not materially inconsistent with the facilities and schedule of the separation plan presented in the national parliament of India. Amends the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 to revise related congressional reporting requirements. States that no subsequent arrangement concerning reprocessing arrangements and procedures shall take effect until: (1) the President reports to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Committees) respecting the reasons for such arrangement and a certification that third-party reprocessing arrangements with India will be conducted under similar arrangements; and (2) a period of 30 days of continuous session has elapsed after such report's transmittal. Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the President to inform the Committees of any negotiations relating to a new or amended agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation. Directs the President to: (1) certify to the Committees that it is U.S. policy to work with members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to restrict transfers of equipment and technology related to the enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel; and (2) seek to achieve within NSG or with NSG participating governments the adoption of principles and exchanges of information to assure peaceful use and accounting of by-product material.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2008
Superfund Polluter Pays Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code by reinstating until January 1, 2017, the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate and the corporate environmental income tax.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2008
Vision Preservation Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand and intensify programs to increase awareness of vision problems. Directs the Secretary to expand and intensify: (1) activities to establish a solid scientific base of knowledge on the prevention, control, and rehabilitation of vision problems and related disabilities; (2) research within CDC on the prevention and management of vision loss; and (3) programs targeted to prevent vision loss, treat eye and vision conditions, and rehabilitate people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted in underserved and minority communities. Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to authorize appropriations to enable the Secretary to introduce core performance measures on eye health by incorporating vision screening and examination standards into state programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for vision rehabilitation professional development.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2008
Giving Incentives to Volunteers Everywhere Act of 2008 or the GIVE Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the standard mileage rate for use of a passenger automobile for charitable purposes to a rate not less than the rate used for the tax deduction for medical transportation expenses; and (2) exclude from the gross income of charitable volunteers reimbursements paid to them for the use of a passenger automobile for the benefit of a charitable organization.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2008
Designates October 3, 2008, as National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day to promote programs and activities that will lead to the greater use of cleaner, more efficient transportation that uses new sources of energy. Urges Americans to: (1) increase the personal and commercial use of, and promote public sector adoption of, cleaner and energy-efficient alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles; and (2) encourage the enactment of federal policies to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil through the advancement and adoption of alternative, advanced, and emerging vehicle and fuel technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2008
Designates September 2008 as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that the federal government has a responsibility to: (1) raise awareness about prostate cancer screening and treatment; (2) increase funding for prostate cancer research; and (3) improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2008
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to revise the formula for Tier-1 amounts a state credits to an applicant's emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA) for a benefit year. Increases the figures in the formula (the lesser of which shall be the amount credited) from: (1) 50% to 80% of the total amount of regular compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to the individual during the benefit year; and (2) 13 to 20 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for the benefit year. Provides an additional Tier-2 period for deposits to an individual's EUCA, using the current formula, if, at the time that the amount established under this Act is exhausted, or at any time thereafter, the individual's state is in an extended benefit period. Prescribes a formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period. Allows the Tier-2 period augmentation to be applied to the individual's EUCA only once. Prohibits a Tier-2 augmentation under this Act to an individual's account after March 31, 2009, if the account is exhausted after such date. Extends the period of emergency unemployment compensation. Exempts weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and December 8, 2009, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law of such state provides for payment (at any time or under any circumstances) of regular compensation to an individual for his first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.)