United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2009
Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) modify the tax deduction for charitable contributions of food inventory by limiting the reduction in such deduction to the amount by which the fair market valuation of the contributed food exceeds twice the basis of such food; and (2) make such deduction permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2009
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit (or revoke such license or permit) if the Attorney General: (1) determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be engaged in terrorism or has provided material support or resources for terrorism; and (2) has a reasonable belief that the transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism. Allows any individual whose firearms or explosives license application has been denied to bring legal action to challenge the denial. Extends the prohibition against the sale or distribution of firearms or explosives to include individuals whom the Attorney General has determined to be engaged in terrorist activities. Imposes criminal penalties on individuals engaged in terrorist activities who smuggle or knowingly bring firearms into the United States. Authorizes the Attorney General to withhold information in firearms and explosives license denial revocation lawsuits and from employers if the Attorney General determines that the disclosure of such information would likely compromise national security.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act - Directs the Attorney General to make annual grants to the A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in recovering missing children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Expresses sympathy for the family, friends, and patients of Dr. George Tiller (who was shot to death on May 31, 2009). Condemns the use of violence: (1) to prevent women from receiving reproductive health care; and (2) as a means of resolving differences of opinion.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
National MS and Parkinson's Disease Registries Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) , acting through the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, to: (1) develop a system to collect data on multiple sclerosis (MS) and a system to collect data on Parkinson's disease; (2) establish a national surveillance system for the collection and storage of data for each such disease, including population-based registries of U.S. cases of MS and Parkinson's disease; (3) provide analysis regarding expansion of national disease surveillance systems for other neurological diseases and disorders; and (4) establish the Advisory Committee on Neurological Disease Registries. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on MS and Parkinson's disease. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) identify, build upon, expand, and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure wherever possible; and (2) provide for research access to Parkinson's disease and MS data. Requires the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information collected are made available to agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of Defense (DOD).
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2009
Food Safety Rapid Response Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to strengthen and expand foodborne illness surveillance systems to: (1) inform and evaluate efforts to prevent foodborne illness; and (2) enhance the identification and investigation of, and response to, foodborne illness outbreaks. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) enhance foodborne illness surveillance systems to improve the collection, analysis, reporting, and usefulness of data on foodborne illnesses; and (2) improve capacity for foodborne illness surveillance in states. Requires the Secretary to establish five regional Food Safety Centers of Excellence to serve as regional resources for state and local public health professionals in investigating and responding to foodborne illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2009
Offers deepest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Stephen T. Johns. Commends the staff members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for their courage and bravery in responding to the attack on June 10, 2009. Condemns: (1) anti-Semitism and all forms of religious, ethnic, and racial bigotry; and (2) acts of physical violence against, and harassment of, people based on race, gender, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. Calls on the leaders of all nations to speak out against the manifestations of anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hatred.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2009
Acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws. Apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws. Expresses Congress's recommitment to the principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all people of the United States to work toward eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and discrimination from our society. Declares that nothing in this resolution authorizes, supports, or serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2009
Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to revise provisions governing the importation of prescription drugs. Waives the limitation on importation of prescription drugs that have been exported from the United States. Prohibits the importation of a qualifying drug unless such drug is imported by: (1) a registered importer; or (2) an individual for personal use. Establishes registration conditions for importers and exporters. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to inspect places of business, verify chains of custody, inspect facilities, and determine compliance with registration conditions. Sets forth provisions governing the importation of qualifying drugs that are different from U.S. label drugs, including standards for judging such differences. Prohibits manufacturers from: (1) discriminating against registered exporters or importers; (2) causing there to be a difference in a prescription drug distributed in the United States and one distributed in a permitted country; (3) engaging in actions to restrict, prohibit, or delay the importation of a qualifying drug; or (4) engaging in any action that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) determines discriminates against a person that engages or attempts to engage in the importation of a qualifying drug. States that the resale in the United States of prescription drugs that were properly sold abroad is not patent infringement. Requires the Secretary to educate consumers regarding prescription drug importation. Sets forth provisions governing the sale of prescription drugs through an Internet site. Includes the dispensing or selling of a prescription drug in violation of this Act as a prohibited act under FFDCA. Prohibits the introduction of restricted transactions with unregistered foreign pharmacies into a payment system or the completion of such transactions using a payment system.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Credit Card Fair Fee Act of 2009 - Authorizes providers of a single covered electronic payment system (e.g., Visa or Mastercharge credit cards) and any merchants to jointly negotiate and agree upon the fees and terms for access to such a system. Defines covered electronic payment system as any system that has been used for at least 10% of the combined dollar value of credit and debit card payments processed in the most recent year. Grants limited antitrust immunity to such providers and merchants, as well as to those providers who jointly determine among themselves the proportionate division of paid access fees. Sets forth procedures to determine fees and terms for access to a covered electronic payment system. Creates a panel of three full-time Electronic Payment System Judges, appointed by the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, to determine the schedule of fees and terms for two-year periods. Outlines procedures for correcting overpayments, underpayments, and late payments as determined by the Judges. Subjects any determination of such Judges to judicial review. Authorizes providers and merchants to engage in voluntarily negotiated access agreements. Declares that such an executed agreement shall supersede any fees or terms established by the Judges.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Amends the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 to renew, for three years, the President's authority to ban the import of Burmese products. Approves the renewal of certain import restrictions contained in the Act. Deems this resolution a renewal resolution which shall take effect upon its enactment or July 26, 2009, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Expresses support for Olympic Day 2009. Encourages the International Olympic Committee to select Chicago, Illinois, as the host city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the U.S. government, in coordination with other democratic governments and international institutions, should: (1) continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe; (2) make available increased resources for nongovernmental entities to provide assistance in the critical areas of education, health, water, and sanitation; (3) encourage international efforts to support reforms made by ministries within the government of Zimbabwe, especially the Ministry of Finance; (4) provide financial and technical assistance for efforts to enact a new constitution based on democratic values; (5) work with and encourage regional governments and leaders to promote human rights, the restoration of the rule of law, and economic growth in Zimbabwe; (6) maintain the existing ban on the transfer of defense items and services and the suspension of most non-humanitarian government-to-government assistance until there is demonstrable progress toward restoring the rule of law and respect for human rights in Zimbabwe; and (7) support the continuation of financial sanctions and travel bans against those individuals responsible for the deliberate breakdown of the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Expresses the sense of the Sentate that: (1) all individuals should have the choice of a community health center as their health care home; (2) every health center should be appropriately reimbursed for the high-value preventive and primary care they provide; (3) health care reform should include measures to expand community health centers; (4) the current payment mechanisms for federally qualified health centers through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) are essential to ensuring access to affordable and high-quality preventive and primary care services for program beneficiaries; (5) any expansion of private insurance must include mechanisms to ensure the full participation of, and appropriate reimbursement to, federally qualified health centers and other safety net providers; and (6) ensuring access to all safety net providers is vital to ensuring that health care reform is successful in expanding access, improving quality, and reducing cost.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2009
Haiti Reforestation Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to offer to enter into agreements with the government of Haiti to provide financial assistance, technology transfers, or capacity building assistance to reduce deforestation and increase reforestation in Haiti. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish a grant program to carry out such activities. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to: (1) direct the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to invite the government of Haiti to submit a list of areas in which tropical forests are seriously degraded or threatened; (2) authorize USAID to make grants to nongovernmental organizations to purchase discounted commercial debt of the government of Haiti in exchange for government commitments to restore identified forests or to develop plans for their sustainable use; and (3) authorize appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2009
Critical Access Flexibility Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the Medicare rural hospital flexibility program a state may establish. Authorizes state designation of a Medicare critical access hospital (CAH), even if it does not comply with the requirement that it be located more than a 35-mile drive from another hospital, if it is certified by the state on or after enactment of this Act as being a necessary provider of health care services to residents in the area. (Thus restores state authority that existed before January 1, 2006, to waive the 35-mile rule.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2009
Homes for Heroes Act of 2009 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veteran access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs; (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans; and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families (that is, families with incomes not exceeding 50% of the area median income). Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to all homeless veterans, regardless of medical condition; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning. Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans; and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the VA Secretary on HUD activities relating to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 or PACT Act - Amends the Jenkins Act to: (1) include smokeless tobacco as a regulated substance; (2) impose shipping and recordkeeping requirements on delivery sellers (sellers using the telephone, mails, or the Internet) of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco; (3) require common carriers of cigarette products to obtain age and identity verification upon delivery of such products; (4) require the Attorney General to compile and publish a list of delivery sellers of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco who have not complied with the registration or other requirements of such Act; (5) increase criminal penalties and impose new civil penalties for violations of this Act; and (6) grant jurisdiction to U.S. district courts to prevent and restrain violations of this Act and direct the Attorney General to administer and enforce this Act. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) treat cigarettes and smokeless tobacco as nonmailable and prohibit such items from being deposited in or carried through the U.S. mails (with specified exceptions, including for mailings for consumer testing); and (2) authorize officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to enter the premises of certain cigarette shippers to inspect records and inventories. Prohibits a tobacco product manufacturer or importer from selling or delivering in states cigarettes not in compliance with model or qualifying state statutes. Limits the applicability of this Act with respect to Indian tribes and certain tribal matters. Directs the ATF Director to create regional contraband tobacco trafficking teams and a Tobacco Intelligence Center to monitor and coordinate tobacco diversion investigations. Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to the precedential effect of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Drive America Forward Act of 2009 - Establishes in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) a Drive America Forward Program through which the Secretary of Transportation shall: (1) authorize the issuance of an electronic voucher to offset the purchase or lease price for a new fuel efficient automobile upon the surrender of an eligible trade-in vehicle to a participating dealer; (2) certify dealers for Program participation; (3) make electronic payments to them for vouchers they accept between March 30, 2009, and one year after Program implementing regulations are promulgated; (4) provide for the payment of rebates to qualifying persons; and (5) establish and provide for the enforcement of measures to prevent and penalize fraud under the Program. Prescribes requirements, including combined fuel economy, for $3,500 and $4,500 vouchers to offset the purchase or lease price for a qualifying passenger automobile or truck. Limits the number of vouchers to one per customer, including joint registered owners of a single eligible trade-in vehicle. Requires a dealer to certify about each eligible trade-in vehicle that the dealer: (1) has not and will not sell, lease, exchange, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle for use as an automobile in the United States or in any other country; and (2) will transfer the vehicle to an entity that will ensure that the vehicle will be crushed or shredded within the Program period, and has not been, and will not be, sold, leased, exchanged, or otherwise disposed of for use as an automobile anywhere in the world. Makes any person who purchased or leased a new fuel efficient vehicle after March 30, 2009, and before the enactment of this Act eligible for a cash rebate equivalent to the appropriate voucher amount. Prescribes standards which any regulations issued by the Secretary for the Program must meet. Makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly violate this Act or any regulations issued under it, particularly by fraud. Prescribes civil penalties for any such violation. Directs the Secretary to make Program information available on an Internet website and through other means.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Student Voter Opportunity To Encourage Registration Act of 2009 or the Student VOTER Act of 2009 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require states to designate federally-funded institutions of higher education as agencies for the registration of voters in federal elections. Requires such schools to provide mail voter registration application forms to students registering to enroll in their courses.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Veterans to Paramedics Transition Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize entities receiving rural emergency medical service training and equipment grants to use grant funds to provide required coursework and training to enable military veterans to satisfy emergency medical services personnel certification requirements, as determined by the appropriate state regulatory entity.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Public Health Workforce Development Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Public Health Workforce Scholarship Program to assure an adequate supply of public health professionals to eliminate critical public health workforce shortages in federal, state, local, and tribal public health agencies and centers by offering four-year scholarships in return for employment at such agencies and centers. Requires the Secretary to establish the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program to provide for the repayment of loans incurred by individuals in the pursuit of the relevant public health workforce educational degree or certificate in exchange for working at public health agencies or centers for at least three years. Requires the Secretary to award grants to public health agencies that receive public health preparedness cooperative agreements from HHS to operate state, local, and tribal public health workforce loan repayment programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, any eligible entity to award scholarships to eligible individuals to enroll in degree or professional training programs for the purpose of enabling mid-career professionals in the public health workforce to receive additional training in the field of public health. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in cooperation with the Secretary, to ensure that included in the OPM website there is an online catalogue, or a link to an online catalogue, of public health workforce employment opportunities in the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Pathways to College Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive five-year grants to local educational agencies that serve mostly high-need high schools for programs to increase the number of students from low-income families who attend college. Defines "high-need high schools" as those where at least one-half of the students are from low-income families. Requires grantees to use such funds to: (1) train teachers and counselors to provide students with advice concerning postsecondary education; (2) implement a comprehensive college guidance program for all students which exposes them to postsecondary information and planning assistance before the end of their first semester of high school; (3) ensure that their schools develop comprehensive, school-wide plans of action to strengthen their college-going culture; (4) create or maintain a postsecondary access center in each school that provides information on colleges and universities, career opportunities, and financial aid options; and (5) provide a setting in which professionals working in college access programs can meet with students. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grantees in calculating and analyzing their college-going rates and adopting best practices for elevating such rates. Requires grantees periodically to evaluate the success of their grant activities and use the evaluations to refine such activities and their performance measures. Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the grant program which includes an assessment of the program's affect on high school graduation and college-going rates.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members; or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act. Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act. Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics annually to compile information annually on paid sick time, and the Comptroller General to study related matters. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Recognizes Bread for the World on the 35th anniversary of its founding for its encouragement of citizen engagement and its advocacy for poor and hungry people.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Condemns: (1) the show trial of Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; and (2) the criminal actions by the State Peace and Development Council against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy. Recognizes that conditions do not exist in Burma for the conduct of credible elections. Calls for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all prisoners of conscience in Burma. Calls upon the Council to establish a genuine roadmap for the peaceful transition to civilian, democratic rule.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Judicial Survivors Protection Act of 2009 - Authorizes a 6-month open enrollment period starting 30 days after enactment of this Act for an eligible federal judicial official to opt into the Judicial Survivors' Annuities System and begin contributing toward an annuity for his or her surviving spouse and dependent children. Allows judicial officials enrolled in the System before or after enactment of this Act to purchase, in three-month increments, up to an additional year of service credit for each year of federal judicial service completed.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Medical Homes Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a three-year demonstration project under titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act for the implementation of a patient-centered medical home program to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing Medicaid and CHIP assistance to an estimated 500,000 to 1 million targeted beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 - Provides that a federal employee and his or her domestic partner shall be entitled to benefits available to, and shall be subject to obligations imposed upon, a married federal employee and his or her spouse. Defines "domestic partner" to mean an adult unmarried person living with another adult unmarried person of the same sex in a committed, intimate relationship. Defines "benefits" to include federal health insurance and enhanced dental and vision benefits, retirement and disability benefits, family, medical, and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care insurance, compensation for work injuries, and benefits for disability, death, or captivity. Excludes members of the uniformed services from the definition of "employee." Sets forth requirements for filing: (1) an affidavit of eligibility as such a domestic partner, which shall include a certification that the employee and the domestic partner are each other's sole domestic partners and intend to remain so indefinitely; and (2) a statement upon dissolution of such a domestic partnership.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 - Directs the President to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a regional strategy to guide U.S. support for multilateral efforts to eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and to enforce the rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in LRA-affected areas. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic affected by LRA activity. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) should work with the appropriate congressional committees to increase future assistance to Uganda if the government of Uganda demonstrates a commitment to reconstruction in war-affected areas of northern and eastern Uganda. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the government of Uganda to: (1) promote local and national reconciliation including mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between the government of Uganda and the LRA; and (2) assist internally displaced people, establish mechanisms for the demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, and enhance the competency of local institutions including the police.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Robocall Privacy Act of 2009 - Makes it unlawful for a person during specified periods before a federal primary or general election to make certain prerecorded political telephone calls with respect to a candidate for federal office without immediate disclosure of the recorded nature of the calls, the identity of the caller, and the appearance of the caller's telephone number on the recipient's caller identification service.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009 - Amends the Fur Products Labeling Act to: (1) eliminate the exemption to fur labeling requirements for products containing relatively small amounts of fur; and (2) permit states to enforce more restrictive labeling requirements. Directs the the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in the Fur Products Name Guide, to replace the term "Raccoon, Asiatic" with "Dog, Raccoon."
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Supports the goals of the 2009 Prague Conference on Holocaust Era Assets. Applauds: (1) the government of the Czech Republic for hosting the Conference; and (2) the participating countries for the decision to seek justice for Holocaust survivors and to promote Holocaust remembrance and education. Urges the countries in Central and Eastern Europe which have not already done so to return looted and confiscated properties to their rightful owners or, where restitution is not possible, provide equitable compensation. Calls on all countries to facilitate the use of the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art in settling all claims involving publicly and privately held objects. Calls on the President to send a high-level official, such as the Secretary of State, to represent the United States at the Conference and urges other invited countries to participate at a similarly high level.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 - States that it is the policy of the United States to support the decision of state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and to prohibit the investment of assets they control in, persons that have investments of $20 million or more in Iran's energy sector. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, or prohibit the investment of assets they control in, such persons, including financial institutions which extend them credit to so invest. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to shield any registered investment company from civil, criminal, or administrative action based upon its divesting from, or avoiding investing in, securities issued by such persons. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to shield from treatment as breaching a fiduciary duty any person divesting employee benefit plan assets from, or avoiding investing plan assets in, such persons.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2009
Healthy Schools Act of 2009 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to require the state to certify that it has implemented procedures to pay for covered items and services furnished by school-based health clinics under Medicaid and CHIP.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Travel Promotion Act of 2009 - Establishes the Corporation for Travel Promotion as a nonprofit corporation that is not an agency or establishment of the U.S. government. Makes the Corporation subject to the provisions of the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Corporation should not engage in lobbying activities. Requires the Corporation, among other things, to provide useful information to people interested in traveling to the United States, counter and correct misperceptions regarding U.S. entry policy, and promote U.S. travel. Requires the Corporation to establish and maintain a publicly accessible website. Establishes in the Treasury the Travel Promotion Fund. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require (under current law, authorize) the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish and collect a fee for the use of an electronic data sharing system concerning the admissibility of certain aliens into the United States that will ensure recovery of the full costs of providing and administering such system. Terminates such fee following FY2014. Authorizes the Corporation to impose an annual assessment on U.S. members of the travel and tourism industry represented on the Board of Directors of the Corporation. Establishes in the Department of Commerce the Office of Travel Promotion, to be headed by a Director. Amends the International Travel Act of 1961 to require that the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries expand its research and development activities to promote international travel to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Patient-Focused Critical Care Enhancement Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to conduct research to assess: (1) the standardization of critical care protocols, intensive care unit layout, equipment interoperability, and medical informatics; and (2) the impact of differences in staffing, organization, size, and structure of intensive care units on access, quality, and efficiency of care. Requires the Secretary to undertake demonstration projects to: (1) optimize the provision of critical care services to Medicare beneficiaries through innovations in such areas as staffing and utilization of technology; and (2) measure and evaluate outcomes derived from a "family-centered" approach to the provision of inpatient critical care services that includes direct and sustained communication and contact with the beneficiary family members, involvement of family members in the critical care decisionmaking process, and responsiveness of critical care providers to family requests. Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 to authorize appropriations for FY2010-FY2015 for augmenting the delivery of critical care services in the rural or other medically underserved area inpatient setting through the use of telecommunications systems that allow for consultation with critical care providers not located in the rural or other medically underserved area facility regarding the care of such patients. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to give preference in awarding telehealth grant funds to entities to develop plans for, or to establish, such critical care telehealth networks. Requires the Secretary to undertake an initiative to recruit providers of critical care services into the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Nurses' Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to repay education loans in exchange for an individual working as a full-time member of the faculty of an accredited school of nursing. Terminates the provisions of this Act on December 31, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2009
Reduces the level of difficulty required in the use of prostheses by veterans suffering the loss of hands, arms, or legs as a result of military service before becoming eligible for a higher level of veterans' disability compensation for such injury. Authorizes additional veterans' disability compensation for service-disabled veterans determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to be in need of regular aid and attendance due to residual effects of traumatic brain injury.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2009
Celebrates the 20th anniversary of the end of communist rule in Poland. Congratulates the people of Poland for their accomplishments in building a free democracy and for their contributions as international partners. Expresses appreciation for the close friendship between the governments of the United States and Poland.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 - Establishes the U.S. Office for Native Hawaiian Relations within the Office of the Secretary of the Interior. Establishes the Native Hawaiian Interagency Coordinating Group. Recognizes the right of the Native Hawaiian people to reorganize the single Native Hawaiian governing entity to provide for their common welfare and to adopt appropriate organic governing documents. Establishes a Commission to: (1) prepare and maintain a roll of the adult members of the Native Hawaiian community who elect to participate in such reorganization; and (2) certify that the adult members of the Native Hawaiian community proposed for inclusion on the roll meet the definition of Native Hawaiian. Outlines the process for the reorganization, which includes forming a Native Hawaiian Interim Governing Council. Reaffirms the special political and legal relationship between the United States and the Native Hawaiian governing entity upon certification required by the Secretary regarding the organic governing documents and the election of the entity's officers. Extends federal recognition to the governing entity as the representative governing body of the Native Hawaiian people. Authorizes the United States, upon the reaffirmation of such political and legal relationship, together with the state of Hawaii, to enter into negotiations with the governing entity to lead to an agreement addressing specified matters, including the transfer of lands, natural resources, and other assets, and the protection of existing rights related to such lands or resources.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Excessive Pay Capped Deduction Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny employers a tax deduction for excessive compensation paid to any employee. Defines: (1) "compensation" to include wages, salary, fees, commissions, fringe benefits, deferred compensation, retirement contributions, options, bonuses, and property; and (2) "excessive compensation" as the amount by which an employee's compensation exceeds 100 times the average compensation paid to all other employees.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish programs related to mental health services for children and adolescents, to include: (1) entering into contracts with qualified individuals to pay educational loans in exchange for providing mental health services to children and adolescents; (2) awarding scholarships to students who agree to work as child and adolescent mental health service professionals after graduation or completion of residency or fellowship; (3) awarding competitive grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand internship or other field placement programs for students receiving specialized training or clinical experience in child and adolescent mental health; (4) awarding grants to state-licensed mental heath organizations to pay for programs for preservice or in-service training of paraprofessional child and adolescent mental health workers; and (5) awarding grants to higher education institutions to establish or expand graduate child and adolescent mental health programs. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to adjust the graduate medical education program to: (1) exclude a reasonable number of residents or fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry when calculating the maximum number of residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine for which the hospital may be paid; and (2) extend the period of board eligibility for residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry. Directs the Administrator to study and report to Congress on the distribution of, and need for, child mental health service professionals and on a comparison of such distribution and need on a state-by-state basis.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Excessive Pay Shareholder Approval Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit the compensation for an employee of an issuer of securities in any single taxable year from exceeding 100 times the average compensation for services performed by all the issuer's employees during such taxable year. Allows higher compensation only if at least 60% of the shareholders have voted to approve it (through a proxy or consent or authorization for an annual or other meeting of the shareholders, occurring within the preceding 18 months).
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
National Foreign Language Coordination Act of 2009 - Establishes, in the Executive Office of the President, a National Foreign Language Coordination Council to: (1) oversee and implement continuing national security and education language initiatives; (2) develop a national foreign language strategy; (3) conduct a survey of the status of federal agency foreign language and area expertise and agency needs for such expertise; and (4) monitoring the implementation of such strategy. Establishes a National Language Advisor, to be appointed by the President, to: (1) chair the Council; (2) develop and monitor implementation of the strategy, built upon the efforts of the National Security Language Initiative; (3) establish formal relationships among major stakeholders, including federal, state, and local government agencies, academia, industry, labor, and heritage communities; and (4) coordinate and lead a public information campaign. Requires the Council to consult with states to provide for designation of state contact persons. Encourages formation of state interagency councils, or designation of state lead agencies, to coordinate with the Council and state and local agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Child Care Facilities Financing Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to eligible entities to deposit into child care capital funds for technical and financial assistance to eligible child care providers to pay the costs of acquisition, construction, renovation, or improvement of child care facilities or equipment, or for technical assistance to such providers to help them undertake facilities improvement and expansion.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Honors, recognizes, and thanks Concerns of Police Survivors for 25 years of service assisting family members of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Recognizes the sacrifices made by police families in providing essential support to one another.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance, including through multilateral, nongovernmental, and faith-based organizations, to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women. Sets forth priority assistance criteria. Directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to establish a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage. Sets forth strategy elements. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that Department of State country reports on human rights practices include a description of the status of child marriage for countries with specified rates of child marriage. Defines "child marriage" as the marriage of a girl or boy not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law in the country in which the girl or boy is a resident.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)