United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Applauds the people of Serbia for their commitment to democracy, free markets, tolerance, and the rule of law. Urges the European Council to adopt a clear position on Serbia's qualifications as a candidate country. Recognizes Serbia's cooperation with the United States on issues such as democratization, anti-drug trafficking, anti-terrorism, human rights, regional cooperation, and trade. Urges the government of Serbia to intensify efforts to capture and transfer at-large indictees Goran Hadzic and Ratko Mladic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Designates April 2010 as Financial Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the importance of personal financial education in the United States and the serious consequences that may result from a lack of understanding about personal finances.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2010
Recognizes the ultimate sacrifice made by the 29 coal miners lost at the Upper Big Branch Mine-South in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Extends the deepest condolences of the Senate to the families of the fallen coal miners. Honors the survivors of the tragedy. Recognizes all coal miners for enduring the immeasurable loss of co-workers and maintaining courage in the aftermath of the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine-South. Commends the valiant efforts of the emergency response workers searching for the missing coal miners. Honors the many volunteers who provided support and comfort for the missing coal miners' families during the rescue and recovery operations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2010
TRICARE Dependent Coverage Extension Act - Deems the following individuals as dependents, for purposes of dependent coverage under TRICARE (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program): (1) a child who has not yet attained age 26 and is not eligible to enroll in any employer-sponsored plan; or (2) a person who is in the legal custody of the covered member, has not attained age 26, is not eligible to enroll in any employer-sponsored plan, resides with the member, is not otherwise a dependent under TRICARE, and is not the child of another covered beneficiary. Requires a premium payment for such coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2010
Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010 - Appropriates funds for an Education Jobs Fund. Allocates the bulk of such Fund for grants to states pursuant to a formula that considers each state's share of individuals age 5 through 24 and each state's share of the nation's total population. Authorizes states to reserve a portion of the grant funds for administrative costs and for retaining or creating state education positions. Requires states to use the bulk of the grant to award subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public institutions of higher education to restore the reductions in state funding for elementary and secondary education and for public institutions of higher education that remain for FY2010 and FY2011, after including the funds they received for such reductions under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Requires states that receive a grant that is more than what is required to cover such activities to allocate the excess to their LEAs based on the LEAs' relative share of school improvement funds under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Limits the use of subgrant funds to retaining or hiring new employees, or on-the-job training activities for education careers. Designates this Act's appropriation as an emergency requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2010
Expresses sympathy to the people of Poland and the families of those who perished for their profound loss resulting from the April 10, 2010, airplane crash that killed the country's President, First Lady, and 94 other high ranking government, military, and civic leaders. Expresses: (1) solidarity with the people of Poland and Polish-American communities in the United States; and (2) support for the Polish government as it addresses the loss of many key officials.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2010
Recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar Estrada Chavez, pledges to promote his legacy, and encourages the people of the United States to commemorate his legacy and to always remember his rallying cry, "Si, se puede!"
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2010
Small Business Programs Parity Act of 2010 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize (current law requires) a contract to be awarded on the basis of competition restricted to qualified HUBZone (heavily underutilized business zone) small businesses if the contracting officer reasonably expects that at least two qualified HUBZone small businesses will submit offers and that the award can be made at a fair market price.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2010
Child Protection Compact Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Secretary of State, through the Ambassador-at-Large of the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to provide assistance (grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts) for an eligible country with a significant prevalence of trafficking in children that enters into a Child Protection Compact with the United States to support policies and programs to eradicate the trafficking of children.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2010
Small Business Community Partner Relief Act of 2010 - Amends the Small Business Act relating to the Microloan program (loans to intermediaries to provide small-scale loans to startup, newly-established, and growing small businesses) to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), at the request of a loan intermediary, to waive the requirement that the intermediary obtain a percentage of the loan amount in cash or in-kind contributions from non-federal sources. Allows such waiver for up to two years. Provides conditions to be considered by the Administrator in determining whether to exercise such waiver, including economic conditions affecting the intermediary as well as the impact the waiver would have on the program. Provides an identical waiver, with the same conditions, with respect to: (1) grants made to intermediaries for small business marketing, management, and technical assistance; and (2) the SBA's women's business center program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2010
Department of Justice Global Advisory Committee Authorization Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical and financial assistance and support to the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative Advisory Committee. Expands the activities of the Committee to include the gathering of views from federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and other agencies that work to support public safety and justice and to provide recommendations for improving the administration of justice and the protection of the public through information sharing. Expresses the sense of Congress that state, local, and tribal governments and other relevant entities should use the recommendations developed by the Committee to evaluate, improve, and develop effective strategies and technologies to improve public safety and information sharing. Directs the Attorney General to review the state of information sharing between corrections and law enforcement agencies and report recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2010
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include children of Vietnam War and certain Korean War veterans receiving care and services through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for spina bifida-related medical conditions and children of women Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects as meeting the definition of minimum essential coverage under requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2010
Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act of 2010 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit multiemployer pension plans to merge or form alliances with other plans; (2) increase Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) guarantees for insolvent plans to increase participant benefits; and (3) increase from $8.00 to $16.00 the annual premium rate payable to the PBGC for each individual who is a participant of a multiemployer plan after December 31, 2010. Requires the PBGC, upon the plan sponsor's written notice of election to partition an eligible multiemployer plan in critical status and likely to become insolvent, to order the interim partition of such plan if it would significantly reduce the likelihood that the plan will become insolvent. Requires the PBGC, similarly, to order an interim partition of an eligible multiemployer plan in endangered status because it has suffered a substantial reduction in the amount of contribution base units as a result of declining employment within the industry of employers covered by the plan. Requires a partition order to provide for transfer to a successor plan created by the partition of nonforfeitable benefits directly attributable to service with eligible partition employers as well as specified assets of the mutliemployer plan in critical or endangered status. Prescribes requirements for payment of the withdrawal liability of an employer that completely withdraws from a plan within 60 months after a partition order. Prohibits a plan that elects a partition from adopting, within five years after the partition order, any plan amendment that would increase liabilities by reason of any increase in benefits. Waives certain rehabilitation plan requirements for an eligible multiemployer plan in critical status that elects a partition to the extent that any required action, option, or measure under the rehabilitation plan would adversely affect the future level of covered employment under the plan. Establishes a fifth revolving fund to finance obligations undertaken by the PBGC to protect the assets of multiemployer plans the PBGC has partitioned.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2010
Supports the goals of World Water Day. Urges the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and all relevant federal departments and agencies to increase efforts and resources dedicated to: (1) providing sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation; and (2) improving the capacity for water resource management for the poor.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2010
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that health care coverage provided by the TRICARE program and the Nonappropriated Fund Health Benefits Program of the Department of Defense (DOD) shall constitute minimal essential health care coverage as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2010
Congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 189th anniversary of the independence of Greece. Supports the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed. Notes the important role that Greece has played in the wider European region and in the community of nations since gaining its independence.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2010
Global Health Care Cooperation Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow permanent resident doctors or health care workers to reside in a qualifying developing country (candidate countries) while working in such professions and be considered to be maintaining U.S. presence and residency requirements for naturalization purposes. Directs the Secretary of State to publish a candidate country list.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2010
Growing Farm to School Programs Act of 2010 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to replace the farm-to-cafeteria program with a program providing schools, state and local agencies, Indian tribes, agricultural producers, and nonprofits with competitive matching grants and technical assistance to improve access to local foods by schools participating in the school lunch or breakfast programs. Gives priority to projects that: (1) benefit local small- and medium-sized farms; (2) serve a high proportion of children who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches; and (3) incorporate experiential nutrition education by involving school children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2010
Fugitive Information Networked Database Act of 2010 or the FIND Act - Directs the Attorney General to make one-year grants to states or Indian tribes to develop and implement or upgrade secure electronic warrant management systems for the preparation, submission, and validation of felony warrants that are compatible and interoperable with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Provides for set asides of grant funds to hire additional personnel to validate warrants entered into the NCIC database and for Indian tribes. Requires states that submit a grant renewal application to file with the Attorney General and appropriate county clerk's offices an annual report specifying: (1) the number of defendants, including indigent defendants, assessed or interviewed for pretrial release; (2) the number of failures to appear for a scheduled court appearance; and (3) the number and type of infractions committed by defendants while on pretrial release. Directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to provide state, local, and tribal government agencies the technology to make state and local warrant databases compatible and interoperative with the NCIC database. Directs the Comptroller General to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on felony warrants issued by state, local, and tribal governments and entered into the NCIC database and on the apprehension and extradition of persons with active felony warrants. Directs the Attorney General to make grants to states and Indian tribes to extradite fugitives for prosecution. Requires states and Indian tribes applying for grants to report to the Attorney General on the number of active felony warrants they have issued.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2010
Refugee Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. Revises the definition of terrorist activity for purposes of alien inadmissibility. Excludes coerced activity from such definition. Revises: (1) the definition of refugee; and (2) the criteria for granting asylum. Authorizes the Attorney General to appoint counsel to represent an alien in a removal proceeding. Prohibits an alien from being removed during the 30-day petition for review period unless the alien indicates in writing that he or she wishes to be removed before the expiration of such period. Makes discretionary certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program; (2) establish specified conditions of detention; (3) file notice of immigration charges with the court and the individual within 48 hours of detention; and (4) establish procedures to ensure the accuracy of statements taken by DHS employees exercising expedited removal authority. Authorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority with regard to aliens apprehended after entering the United States. Eliminates the one-year waiting period before a refugee or asylee may petition for permanent legal resident status. Exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum. Permits applicants for refugee admission to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. Authorizes the spouse or child of a refugee or asylee to bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. States that if the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary of State to designate certain groups as eligible for expedited refugee adjudication. Directs the Secretary of State to notify Congress regarding the amount of funds that will be provided in Reception and Placement Grants in the coming fiscal year. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to assist refugees in obtaining immigration benefits. Sets forth protections for: (1) aliens interdicted at sea; and (2) stateless persons in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2010
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. Recognizes: (1) the efforts of public health professionals, the federal government, states, municipalities, local communities, and individuals in improving the health of the people of the United States; and (2) the role of public health programs in preventing disease, promoting good health, protecting the food supply, protecting worker health and safety, ensuring access to clean air and water, promoting nutrition for children, and achieving the many other benefits of public health programs that promote the health of people of the United States. Encourages: (1) efforts to increase access to clinical and community-based preventive services, and to strengthen the public health system of the United States; (2) community planners to consider the health implications of planning decisions and to plan communities and transportation systems that enable all residents to access safe, affordable housing, nutritious foods, clean air and water, public transportation, safe sidewalks, streets, and public health services; and (3) each person in the United States to learn about the role of public health programs in improving the health of the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to expand the duties of the Great Lakes Program Office by requiring the Office to: (1) provide support for Great Lakes governance and management; and (2) coordinate with the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Leadership Council to establish policy, goals, and priorities with respect to Great Lakes protection and restoration, determine a process for participating in international forums, and provide annual input regarding federal budget priorities and levels for Great Lakes protection and restoration; (2) the Great Lakes Management Committee within the Council to report to and provide direction for the Council, monitor and assist implementation activities relating to Great Lakes management, and engage in problem solving regarding Great Lakes management; and (3) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report annually to Congress on budgets and restoration activities relating to EPA's organizational elements involved in Great Lakes activities and EPA's reasons for approving or disapproving the Council's recommendations. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern in the Great Lakes; and (2) the Great Lakes Program. Requires EPA, in coordination with federal partners, to implement a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative which will: (1) identify and support programs to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem; (2) be based on the work of the Task Force and the Council's stakeholders and nongovernmental partners; and (3) represent the government's commitment to significantly advance Great Lakes protection and restoration. Prohibits funding made available to implement the Initiative from being used for water infrastructure activity that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Requires federal agencies to: (1) maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities; and (2) identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Acknowledges the contributions of women to our national defense and their importance in the history of the United States. Celebrates the role women have played in securing our nation and defending our freedom. Recognizes the unique challenges that women have overcome to expand their role in military service. Agrees that programs available for women servicemembers and veterans should be strengthened and enhanced, including for those dealing with invisible wounds of war. Encourages the people of the United States to honor women veterans and elevate their stature in our national conscience.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2010
Congratulates the people of the Republic of Lithuania on the occasion of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. Commends the government of Lithuania for its success in implementing political and economic reforms, for establishing political, religious, and economic freedoms, and for its commitment to human rights. Recognizes the close relationship between the U.S. and Lithuanian governments and calls on the President to continue to build on this relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 - Repeals current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces. Prohibits the Secretary of Defense (Secretary), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Authorizes the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated on the basis of sexual orientation. Directs the Secretary to establish in DOD the Pentagon Working Group to report recommendations regarding the implementation of this Act. Requires such report to be submitted to the congressional defense committees. Requires the Secretary to: (1) revise DOD regulations and issue new regulations as necessary to implement this Act; and (2) direct each military department Secretary to do the same. Directs the Secretary to report on the compliance of institutions of higher education with federal law concerning the denial of access by such institutions to Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) military recruiting on campus, as well as a description of actions taken to effect the denial of certain federal funding to institutions that continue to prevent ROTC access.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2010
Supports the goals of International Women's Day. Recognizes: (1) the link between the economic growth and empowerment of women and the potential of nations to generate economic growth and democracy; and (2) the women in the United States and around the world who have worked to ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human rights. Reaffirms the commitment to end gender-based discrimination and to end violence against women and girls.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2010
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2012-FY2016 for: (1) type I diabetes research; and (2) diabetes prevention and treatment through Indian health facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2010
Designates the first week of April 2010 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about asbestos exposure, which may be hazardous to their health.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2010
Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2010 - Amends federal bankruptcy law governing expenses and claims to increase to $20,000: (1) allowed unsecured claims in the fourth order of priority (wages, salaries, or commissions); and (2) the factor multiplied by the number of employees covered with respect to employee benefit plan contributions in the fifth order of priority. Includes within the scope of a claim in bankruptcy certain equity securities held in a defined contribution plan for the benefit of certain individuals, but only if an employer or plan sponsor who has commenced a case in bankruptcy has committed fraud regarding the plan or has otherwise breached a duty to the participant that has proximately caused the loss of value. Allows as an administrative expense: (1) severance pay owed to certain employees of the debtor for layoff or termination (which pay shall be deemed earned in full); and (2) damages as a result of violation of law by the debtor. Includes among prerequisites for confirmation of a business reorganization bankruptcy plan (Chapter 11) provision for: (1) recovery of damages payable for the rejection of a collective bargaining agreement, or other financial returns as negotiated by the debtor and the authorized representative; (2) continued payment of retiree benefits maintained or established by the debtor before the petition filing date if no modifications are made before confirmation of the plan; and (3) recovery of claims arising from the modification of retiree benefits or for certain financial returns, as negotiated by the debtor and the authorized representative. Revises requirements governing: (1) rejection of collective bargaining agreements; (2) payment of insurance benefits to retired employees, including benefit modifications proposed by the trustee; and (3) a trustee's administrative power to dispose of property. Requires the court, in approving a sale of business assets, to consider the extent to which a bidder has offered to maintain existing jobs, preserve terms and conditions of employment, and assume or match pension and retiree health benefit obligations in determining whether an offer constitutes the highest or best offer for such property. Requires the bankruptcy court to allow certain claims asserted by an active or retired participant, or by a labor organization representing such participant, for any shortfall in pension benefits accrued as a result of the termination of the plan and limitations upon the payment of certain statutory benefits. States that, if employees have not received wages and benefits for services rendered on and after the date of the commencement of the case in bankruptcy, such unpaid obligations shall be deemed necessary costs and expenses of preserving, or disposing of, property securing an allowed secured claim and shall be recovered even if the trustee has otherwise waived certain provisions under an agreement with the holder of the allowed secured claim. Allows reduction of a debtor's time frame for filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan in the event of: (1) the filing of a motion seeking rejection of a collective bargaining agreement if a plan based upon an alternative proposal by the labor organization is reasonably likely to be confirmed within a reasonable time; or (2) the proposed filing of a plan by a proponent other than the debtor, which incorporates the terms of a settlement with a labor organization, if such plan is reasonably likely to be confirmed within a reasonable time. Modifies requirements for confirmation of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan to prohibit approval of: (1) payments or other distributions for the benefit of insiders, senior executive officers, and certain highly compensated employees or consultants providing services to the debtor, except as part of those generally applicable to the debtor's employees if the court determines that such payments are not excessive or disproportionate compared to distributions to the debtor's nonmanagement workforce; and (2) insider compensation unless approved by the court as reasonable according to specified criteria. Restricts: (1) certain executive compensation enhancements as part of the allowance of administrative expenses; (2) trustee assumption of certain deferred compensation arrangements for the benefit of insiders, senior executive officers, or certain highly compensated employees of the debtor; and (3) trustee assumption of retiree benefits for insiders, senior executive officers, or certain highly compensated employees of the debtor if the debtor has obtained relief to impose reductions in retiree benefits, or health benefits of active employees of the debtor, or has reduced or eliminated health benefits for active or retired employees within 180 days before the date of the commencement of the case. Requires the court, where a debtor has obtained relief by which it reduces the cost of its obligations under a collective bargaining agreement or a retiree plan, fund, or program of retiree benefits, to determine before granting relief the percentage diminution in the value of the obligations when compared to the debtor's obligations under the collective bargaining agreement, or with respect to retiree benefits. Authorizes the trustee in bankruptcy to avoid a transfer made in anticipation of bankruptcy to or for the benefit of an insider, including certain consultants who were formerly insiders and who are retained to provide services to an entity that becomes a debtor. Grants a labor organization creditor status for purposes of filing a proof of claim. Declares that the filing of a petition for relief does not operate as an automatic stay of the commencement or continuation of a dispute resolution proceeding established by a collective bargaining agreement that was or could have been commenced against the debtor before the filing of a petition, including payment or enforcement of an award or settlement under such proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2010
National September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and make available for sale not more than 2 million silver national medals, containing one ounce of silver each, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and the establishment of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. Declares that all sales of medals under this Act shall include a surcharge of $10 per medal, which shall be paid to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center to support its operations and maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2010
Iran Human Rights Sanctions Act - Directs the President to impose visa entry and financial sanctions on a person determined to be complicit in human rights abuses committed against Iranian citizens or their family members on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran. Requires that: (1) the list of such persons required by this Act be made available to the public and posted on the Department of the Treasury and the Department of State websites; and (2) the President consider data obtained by other countries and nongovernmental organizations that monitor Iran's human rights abuses in preparing such list. Authorizes the President to: (1) not apply such sanctions in order to permit U.S. compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations and other international agreements; and (2) waive such sanctions if in the U.S. national interest. Terminates sanctions upon presidential certification to Congress that the government of Iran has: (1) released all political prisoners; (2) ceased its practices of violence and abuse of Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity; and (3) conducted a transparent investigation into the killings and abuse of peaceful political activists in Iran and prosecuted those responsible.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2010
Amends rule XXII (Precedence of Motions) of the Standing Rules of the Senate with respect to cloture votes to close debate (end a filibuster) on any measure, motion, or other matter pending before the Senate. Declares that, if the Senate fails to invoke cloture with respect to a measure, motion, or other pending matter, or the unfinished business, subsequent motions to end debate on the same measure, motion, matter, or unfinished business, may be filed, but only by unanimous consent, until the previous motion has been disposed of. States that the affirmative vote on a subsequent motion to close debate on any measure, motion, or other matter, or unfinished business (other than a measure or motion to amend Senate rules) shall be reduced by three votes on the second such motion, and by three additional votes on each succeeding motion, until the affirmative vote is reduced to a number equal to or less than an affirmative vote of a majority of the Senators duly chosen and sworn. Declares that the required vote shall then be an affirmative vote of a majority of such Senators. Prohibits any further reduction in the requirement of an affirmative vote of a majority of Senators upon any vote taken on any later motion to close debate on the same measure, motion, matter, or unfinished business.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2010
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable John P. Murtha, late a Representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Declares that when the Senate adjourns or recesses on February 9, 2010, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of respect to the memory of Representative Murtha.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2010
International Violence Against Women Act of 2010 - Directs: (1) the Secretary of State to designate an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; and (2) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to designate a Women's Development Advisor. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent violence against women and girls; (2) prepare a public report on best practices for preventing and addressing violence against women and girls internationally; and (3) determine emergency response measures to identified critical or widespread incidents of violence against women and girls in situations of armed conflict. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations, multilateral institutions, and foreign countries to implement such strategy and related activities. Requires that special efforts be made to award amounts appropriated under this Act to community-based and women's nongovernmental organizations in recipient countries. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to: (1) incorporate training on prevention and response into the basic training curricula of foreign military forces and judicial officials; and (2) ensure that U.S. assistance to units involved in regional or multilateral peacekeeping operations includes such training. Authorizes the Ambassador to provide guidance to the Administrator and the Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration. Authorizes the Secretary to provide guidance on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls to the Secretary of Defense when U.S. military personnel, military contractors, and military observers are to be deployed in humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict settings. Directs the Secretary to make U.S. financial, material, human, and other resources available to assist U.N. efforts to: (1) implement training programs in prevention and response to violence against women and girls for peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel; (2) enhance the deployment of military and civilian women in peacekeeping missions; and (3) improve protection mechanisms at U.N. managed refugee and internally displaced persons camps.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2010
Calls on the Ugandan Parliament to reject the proposed "Anti-Homosexuality Bill." Urges all governments to reject and repeal similar criminalization laws. Encourages the Secretary of State to closely monitor human rights abuses that occur because of sexual orientation and to encourage the repeal or reform of laws such as the proposed "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" in Uganda.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Return of Talent Act - Establishes the Return of Talent Program to permit an eligible alien (and certain family members) to return to the alien's country of citizenship for up to two years in order to contribute to such country's postconflict or natural disaster reconstruction activities. (During such absence the alien and family members shall be considered to be continuously present and residing in the United States for naturalization purposes.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2010
Safe Kids' Jewelry Act - Bans as a hazardous substance and prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of jewelry containing cadmium, barium, or antimony for children 12 years old or younger. Sets forth: (1) factors to determine whether jewelry is designed or intended for wear or use by such children; and (2) penalties for violations of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2010
Acknowledges the importance of preventing a renewed North-South civil war in Sudan which would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences for Sudan and could destabilize the wider region. Supports efforts by President Obama and the international community to reinvigorate implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Calls on the parties in Sudan to comply with their Agreement commitments.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2010
Haiti Recovery Act - Urges the Secretary of the Treasury to direct the U.S. Executive Director to each international financial institution to advocate: (1) the cancellation of all remaining debt obligations of Haiti, including obligations incurred after the date of the enactment of this Act and before February 1, 2012; (2) the provision of debt service relief for all of Haiti's remaining payments; and (3) that new assistance to Haiti should be primarily grants rather than loans. Urges the Secretary to: (1) instruct the U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to advocate the use of certain proceeds to provide debt stock relief, debt service relief, and grants for low-income countries that are eligible for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility or any other programs to assist low-income countries, including Haiti; (2) support the creation of an Inter-American Development Bank trust fund for Haiti that would leverage U.S. contributions and promote bilateral donations for the purpose of investing in Haiti's infrastructure; and (3) direct the U.S. Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank to increase earnings transfer to the Fund for Special Operations, which finances programming in Haiti and other weak economies in the Western Hemisphere. Urges the Secretary and the Secretary of State to use all appropriate diplomatic influence to secure cancellation of all remaining bilateral debt of Haiti.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2010
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Charles McC. Mathias, Jr., former Member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on January 26, 2010, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Mathias, Jr.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2010
Calls on the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the United States Postal Service (USPS) to issue a commemorative stamp honoring the life of Elijah Parish Lovejoy and commemorating the 175th anniversary of his death.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2010
Congratulates the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago, Illinois, on its 150th anniversary. Expresses the Senate's best wishes for its continued success. Commends the school for its dedication to educating world class physicians and scientists, sponsoring cutting edge medical research, and providing highly specialized clinical care.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2010
Expresses sympathy to: (1) the people of Haiti who face catastrophic conditions in the aftermath of the January 12, 2010, earthquake; (2) the members of the international community in Haiti, including the U.S. Embassy staff in Port-au-Prince; and (3) the families and colleagues of U.N. officials who lost their lives. Applauds the rapid mobilization by President Obama to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Haiti and the leadership of Secretary of State Clinton, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Shah, and General Fraser of the U.S. Southern Command. Urges that all appropriate efforts be made to: (1) secure the safety of Haitian orphans; and (2) sustain long-term assistance to Haiti. Expresses appreciation for the international community's ongoing and renewed commitment to Haiti's recovery. Urges all nations to commit to assisting the people of Haiti with their long-term needs. Expresses support for the U.S. Embassy team in Port-au-Prince, members of the Armed Forces and Coast Guard, and other U.S. government agencies who are rescuing thousands of U.S. citizens and Haitians.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2010
Treats cash contributions made after January 11, 2010, and before February 16, 2010, for the relief of earthquake victims in Haiti as having been made on December 31, 2009, for purposes of the tax deduction for charitable contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2010
Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement a Pancreatic Cancer Initiative to assist in coordinating activities to address the high mortality rate associated with pancreatic cancer. Requires the Secretary to establish the Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Coordinating Committee to: (1) provide advice on overall research objectives and benchmarks for pancreatic cancer research; (2) develop and annually update a strategic plan for pancreatic cancer research awareness; and (3) conduct evaluations and make recommendations to the Secretary, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Director of the National Cancer Institute regarding the prioritization and award of NIH research grants relating to pancreatic cancer. Requires the Secretary to develop a primary care provider education program on pancreatic cancer. Requires the Director of NIH and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a communication tool kit for patients and their families that focuses on specific pancreatic cancer issues relating to patient choices and patient care. Allows the Secretary to award grants to research institutions for use in developing innovative compounds or technologies for the prevention, early detection, or treatment of those cancers with five-year survival rates of less than 50%. Requires the Secretary to focus on pancreatic cancer during the initial five fiscal years of awarding such grants. Allows the Secretary to designate two additional Specialized Programs of Research Excellence focusing solely on pancreatic cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 22 December 2009
Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Attorney General should implement changes to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to identify endangered juveniles. Authorizes the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to award one-year block grants to up to six state or local governments in different regions of the United States that have significant sex trafficking to combat such trafficking. Requires grant funds to be used to provide shelter and services to victims of sex trafficking and for training for law enforcement and social service providers. Amends title IV of the Social Security Act (Grants to States for Needy Families with Children and for Child-Welfare Services) to require states to adopt procedures for reporting information on missing or abducted children for entry into the NCIC database. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require: (1) the Attorney General's annual statistical summary under such Act to include the total number of missing child reports received and the total number of entries made to the NCIC database; and (2) state law enforcement agencies to update the record of a missing child with a photograph taken within the previous 180 days and to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each report of a child missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 December 2009
Boys & Girls Clubs Centennial Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1966 to reauthorize through FY2015 the mandate for an annual grant to the Boys & Girls Club of America from the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Department of Justice. Repeals the limitation on the use of such grants to expansion of the organization to 1,500 additional Boys and Girls Clubs for a total number of at least 5,000 Boys and Girls Clubs of America facilities in operation before January 1, 2010. Replaces the expansion requirement with a goal of improving the quality of youth development and educational programs, health, physical fitness, and prevention services for youth at existing and new Boys & Girls Clubs facilities, with special emphasis on reducing high school dropout rates.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2009
Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act - Requires emergency contraception in drug form to be included on the basic core formulary of the uniform formulary of pharmaceutical agents for the pharmacy benefits program of the Department of Defense. Allows emergency contraception in other-than-drug form to also be so included. States that prior authorization shall not be required for such contraception.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2009
Commemorates the 60th anniversary of the close relationship between the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Expresses admiration and gratitude for the friendship of the people of Jordan. Congratulates His Majesty King Abdullah II on 10 years of enlightened rule. Shares the hope of His Majesty King Abdullah II and the people of Jordan for a more peaceful Middle East.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)