United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Afterschool Flexibility to Expand Reimbursement for School Meals Act of 2009 or the AFTERSchool Meals Act of 2009 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make institutions in any state eligible for reimbursement for meals provided to at-risk school children under programs organized primarily to provide care to at-risk school children during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year. (Currently, reimbursement is limited to institutions in 10 states.) Assists states in providing meals and meal supplements to children participating in after-school programs in elementary and secondary schools. (Currently, assistance is provided for meal supplements.) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to states to encourage institutions and schools to participate in these expanded programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2009 or the SHOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate an office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer a health insurance program for small businesses and self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance coverage meeting certain requirements. Establishes a Small Business Health Board to monitor the implementation of the program and make recommendations for improvements. Requires the Administrator of the program to: (1) enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to provide health insurance coverage under this Act; and (2) enter into agreements with entities to serve as navigators to provide information about the program, provide referrals to applicable agencies for any grievance, complaint, or question, and assist in enrollment. Requires a participating employer to ensure that each eligible employee has an opportunity to enroll in a plan. Sets forth requirements for health plans offered under this Act. Requires the Administrator to contract with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to study: (1) the rating requirements that apply to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in the states and to develop recommendations concerning rating requirements; and (2) the administrative procedures that apply to the program and to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in states. Sets forth premium-setting rules for plans under this Act. Allows a state to prohibit participation in this program if the state offers alternative health benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small employers for qualified employee health insurance expenses under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish the Center for Tobacco Products to implement this Act. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Authorizes the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if appropriate for the protection of the public health. Sets forth limits on such regulations, including prohibiting establishment of a minimum age greater than 18 for product purchases. Prohibits: (1) cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee; or (2) a tobacco product manufacturer from using tobacco that contains a greater level of pesticide chemical residue than is specified by any tolerance applicable to domestically grown tobacco. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) banning all cigarettes, all smokeless tobacco products, all little cigars, all other cigars, all pipe tobacco, or all roll-your-own tobacco products; or (2) requiring the reduction of the nicotine yields of a tobacco product to zero. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Revises tobacco product warning labels and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2009
Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009 - Authorizes FY2009-FY2013 appropriations for assistance to Pakistan under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for projects to benefit the people of Pakistan, including projects that promote: (1) democratic governance; (2) economic freedom and growth; and (3) investments in people, and particularly, women and children. Specifies that certain of such funds should be used for police reform and training. Limits, beginning in FY2010, certain military assistance and arms transfers to Pakistan until the Secretary of State certifies that Pakistan's security forces: (1) are making concerted efforts to prevent al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist groups from operating in Pakistan's territory; and (2) are not materially interfering in Pakistan's political or judicial processes. Provides for a national security waiver of such limits. Expresses the sense of Congress that coalition support funds are critical components in the fight against terrorism. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a comprehensive, cross-border strategy for working with the government of Pakistan, the government of Afghanistan, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), and other allies to implement effective counterterrorism and counterinsurgency measurers along the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan; and (2) submit a related report to the appropriate congressional committees. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should: (1) recognize the bold political steps the Pakistan electorate has taken to elect a new civilian government; (2) expand its engagement with the government and people of Pakistan in areas of particular interest and importance to the people of Pakistan; and (3) continue to build a reciprocal security relationship with Pakistan.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2009
New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of Congress, to: (1) the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission to the surface of the moon, Neil A. Armstrong (the first human to walk on the moon), Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. (pilot of the lunar module Eagle and second person to walk on the moon), and Michael Collins (pilot of their command module Columbia) in recognition of the first lunar landing, on July 20, 1969; and (2) John Herschel Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, on February 20, 1962.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2009
Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to activate the coverage of short-term emergency health care services if the Secretary determines that there is a public health emergency. Sets forth factors for the Secretary to consider, including the degree to which the emergency is likely to overwhelm health care providers in the region. Requires the Secretary to establish a medical monitoring program for monitoring and reporting on the health care needs of the affected population over time. Limits eligibility for coverage of emergency health care services to: (1) uninsured or underinsured emergency victims who need health care services due to injuries or disease resulting from the public health emergency; or (2) uninsured individuals residing in the affected area whose ability to access care or medicine is disrupted as a result of the emergency. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a streamlined process for determining eligibility for emergency health care services; (2) report to Congress on the number and adequacy of volunteers enrolled in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) who will be available to each state in the event of a public health emergency; and (3) conduct an outreach and public education campaign to inform health care providers and the general public about the availability of emergency health care coverage during the period of the emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Contaminated Sediment Remediation Reauthorization Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize appropriations through FY2014 for: (1) the remediation of sediment contamination in Great Lakes areas of concern; (2) the public information program that provides information relating to the remediation of contaminated sediment to the public in U.S. areas of concern; and (3) research on the development and use of innovative approaches, technologies, and techniques for the remediation of sediment contamination in U.S. areas of concern.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish science-based nutrition standards for foods served in schools other than foods served under the school lunch or breakfast programs. Applies such standards to all food sold outside such programs anywhere on school campuses during the school day, with the possible limited exemption of food sold at school fundraisers. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider the recommendations of authoritative scientific organizations and evidence concerning the relationship between diet and health when establishing the standards; and (2) review the standards as soon as practicable after the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services publish a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Recognizes the threats to press freedom and expression on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2009. Commends journalists for the essential role in promoting government accountability and strengthening civil society and pays tribute to the journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Condemns all actions that suppress press freedom. Reaffirms the centrality of press freedom to U.S. efforts to support democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good governance. Calls on the President and the Secretary of State to develop means by which the United States can more rapidly respond to threats against press freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Correction of Long-Standing Errors in Agencies' Unsustainable Procurements Act of 2009 or the CLEAN-UP Act - Requires executive agencies to ensure that: (1) inherently governmental functions, functions closely related to such functions, and mission-essential functions are performed by federal employees; (2) other functions are performed by the more efficient form of personnel, whether federal employees, contractors, or military personnel; and (3) consideration is given to using federal employees to perform new functions on a regular basis. Requires each agency head to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): (1) an annual report on service contracts for new work; (2) a Functions At Risk Report that describes those functions required to be performed by federal employees that are actually performed by contractors (requires agencies to reduce the total number of contractor employees described in that Report by 70% within six years); and (3) a strategic human capital plan to ensure the capability of the agency's federal employee workforce to perform agency functions. Prohibits an agency from conducting a public-private competition for any function that such plan identifies as experiencing a gap in its federal employee workforce. Requires agencies subject to the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act of 1998 (other than the Department of Defense [DOD]) to: (1) submit an annual inventory of activities performed pursuant to contracts for services; (2) review those contracts and identify activities that should be considered for conversion to performance by civilian employees; and (3) develop a plan for such conversion by June 30 of the following year. Authorizes agency heads to expedite the hiring of certain professionals in shortage category positions. Requires the Director to: (1) develop guidelines for the establishment of business process re-engineering projects; and (2) conduct annual performance reviews of such projects that are ongoing. Sets forth revisions, requirements, and restrictions applicable to studies and public-private competitions for the conversion of agency functions to contractor performance pursuant to OMB Circular A-76.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 - Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, or franchise, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity or enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the Constitution of the United States, a state constitution, or a federal or state statute, or public policy arising therefrom.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of National Early Educator Worthy Wage Day. Urges public officials and the general public to honor early childhood care and education staff and programs in their communities, and to work together to resolve the early childhood education staff compensation crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on bona fide factors that the employer demonstrates are job-related or further legitimate business interests.) Prohibits the discharge of, or any other discrimination against, an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows any such action to be maintained as a class action. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to: (1) undertake studies and provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act; and (2) carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance with specified components related to the purposes of this Act. Makes conforming amendments relating to congressional and executive branch employees to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Presidential and Executive Office Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act - Adopts the definition of "hate crime" as set forth in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (i.e., a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim or, in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of the crime because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person). Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) provide state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies with technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the investigation or prosecution of violent crimes and hate crimes; and (2) award grants to assist such agencies with the extraordinary expenses associated with the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. Authorizes the Office of Justice Programs to award grants to state, local, or tribal programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Justice (DOJ), including the Community Relations Service, for FY2010-FY2012 to prevent and respond to hate crime acts. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to expand data collection and reporting requirements under such Act to include: (1) crimes manifesting prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) hate crimes committed by and against juveniles. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the exercise of constitutionally-protected free speech.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should continue to support diplomatic efforts in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council to end Iran's illicit nuclear activities; (2) diplomatic efforts with Iran are more likely to be effective if the President is empowered with the explicit authority to impose additional sanctions on the government of Iran; (3) it should be U.S. policy to encourage foreign governments to direct state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran's energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran; (4) the President is urged to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian financial institution engaged in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; (5) the Department of the Treasury should continue to work with allies to protect the international financial system from deceptive and illicit practices by Iranian financial institutions involved in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; (6) U.S. concerns regarding Iran are strictly the result of that government’s actions; and (7) the people of the United States have feelings of friendship for the people of Iran and regret that developments in recent decades have created impediments to that friendship. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose two or more current sanctions under such Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, made an investment of $20 million or more (or any combination of investments of at least $5 million which in the aggregate equals or exceeds $20 million in any 12-month period) that directly and significantly contributed to Iran's ability to develop its petroleum resources. (Under current law the sanction thresholds are $40 million, $10 million, and $40 million, respectively.) Directs the President to impose: (1) sanctions established under this Act (in addition to any current sanctions imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996) if a person has, with actual knowledge, sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, technology, information, or support that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources, including any assistance in refinery construction, modernization, or repair; and (2) sanctions established under this Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, provided Iran with refined petroleum resources or engaged in any activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources, including providing shipping, insurance, or financing services for such activity. Establishes additional sanctions prohibiting specified foreign exchange, banking, and property transactions. Includes references to refined petroleum resources in a presidential report to Congress requesting waiver of sanctions for purposes of national interest. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees every six months regarding any person who has: (1) provided Iran with refined petroleum resources; (2) sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, or technology that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources; or (3) engaged in any activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2009
Services, Education, and Rehabilitation for Veterans Act or the SERV Act - Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to delegate to the Department of Justice (DOJ) the authority to administer the veteran's treatment courts program established by this Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to states and other entities: (1) to develop, implement, or enhance veteran's treatment courts or to expand operational drug courts to serve veterans; and (2) for programs that involve continuing judicial supervision over nonviolent offenders with substance abuse or mental health problems who have served in the U.S. military. Requires such programs to include mandatory periodic testing for the use of drugs, substance abuse and mental health treatment, opportunities for diversion, probation, or supervised release, and programmatic, offender management, and aftercare services. Directs the National Drug Court Institute to conduct national training programs for state and local communities to improve the professional skills of drug court practitioners and provide comprehensive technical assistance to adult, juvenile, and family dependency drug courts.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2009
Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 - Amends federal bankruptcy law governing a Chapter 13 debtor (adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income). Excludes from computation of debts specified debts secured by the debtor's principal residence. Applies the credit counseling requirement to a Chapter 13 debtor who certifies receipt of notice that the holder of a claim secured by the debtor's principal residence may commence a foreclosure on it. Allows such a debtor to satisfy the requirement within 30 days after filing a petition for relief from debt. (Currently the requirement must be satisfied within 180 days before the filing of a petition.) Requires the court to disallow a claim that is subject to any remedy for statutory rescission, notwithstanding a prior foreclosure judgment. Authorizes, in specified circumstances, reduction of a claim secured by the debtor's principal residence. Permits a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan to: (1) modify the rights of claim holders with respect to certain loans secured by a security interest in a principal residence that is the subject of a foreclosure notice; and (2) deny debtor liability for certain fees and charges incurred while the bankruptcy case is pending and arising from a debt secured by the debtor's principal residence. Adds to conditions for court confirmation of a plan in bankruptcy. Excludes from the final discharge of debts any unpaid portion of a reduced claim. Amends the federal judicial code to prescribe standing trustee fees regarding certain payments received under a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan. Expands federal procedures governing default on veterans' housing loans. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in the event of a modification in bankruptcy, but only in specified circumstances, to pay the holder of the obligation the unpaid balance that is due as of the filing date of the bankruptcy petition. Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: (1) pay Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance benefits for a mortgage modified under federal bankruptcy law; and (2) implement a program to encourage loan modifications for eligible delinquent mortgages through the payment of insurance benefits, assignment of the mortgage to the Secretary, and mortgagee-approved loan modification. Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to pay: (1) the guaranteed portion of losses incurred by mortgage holders or servicers that result from a modification in a bankruptcy proceeding; and (2) for losses incurred in the event of a modification pursuant to a bankruptcy proceeding. Declares certain investment contracts contrary to public policy and therefore unenforceable. Shields loan servicers from liability for implementing mortgage loan modifications or loss mitigation plans as long as they are in compliance with certain fiduciary duties. Amends the National Housing Act to modify the HOPE for Homeowners Program (HOPE). Reduces the limit on the Secretary of the Treasury's authority to purchase troubled assets under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) and the Federal Credit Union Act (FCUA) to increase: (1) deposit insurance coverage permanently to $250,000; and (2) the borrowing authority of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Amends the FDIA to: (1) extend the time period applicable to a Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) restoration plan; and (2) revise requirements for special assessments to recover DIF losses arising from actions taken to contain systemic risk in connection with certain insured depository institutions. Amends the FCUA to direct the NCUA Board to establish a National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund Restoration Plan whenever the Board projects that the equity ratio of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund will fall below a minimum designated equity ratio. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury should use specified funds to purchase mortgage revenue bonds for single-family housing issued through state housing finance agencies and local governmental entities; and (2) certain foreclosures on a principal dwelling should not be initiated until the foreclosure mitigation provisions of this Act and the President's "Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan" have been implemented and determined to be operational. Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Department of Justice the Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2009
Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 - Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement a program solely to encourage loan modifications for eligible delinquent mortgages through the payment of insurance benefits and assignment of the mortgage to the Secretary and the subsequent modification of the terms of the mortgage according to a loan modification approved by the mortgagee. Requires the Comptroller General to report to certain congressional committees on the volume of mortgage modifications reported to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), under the mortgage metrics program of each such Office, during the previous quarter. Shields servicers from liability for implementing mortgage loan modifications or loss mitigation plans if they are in compliance with fiduciary duties required by the Truth in Lending Act (including any refinancing undertaken pursuant to standard loan modification, sale, or disposition guidelines issued by the Secretary of the Treasury). Amends the National Housing Act to modify the HOPE for Homeowners Program (HOPE). Requires mortgagor certification to HUD that the mortgagor has neither intentionally defaulted on an existing mortgage, nor provided false information, nor (as under existing law) been convicted for fraud during the 10-year period ending upon the insurance of the mortgage under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to permit the establishment of a second lien on a property under an eligible mortgage to be insured, for the purpose of facilitating payment of closing or refinancing costs by a state or locality using funds provided: (1) under the HOME Investment Partnerships program; (2) under the community development block grants program under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974; or (3) by a state or local housing finance agency. Authorizes HUD to provide exceptions to primary residence and exclusive present ownership interest requirements for any mortgagor who has inherited a property or has relocated to a new jurisdiction, and is in the process of trying to sell such property or has been unable to sell it due to adverse market conditions. Bans from the HOPE program mortgagors whose net worth exceeds $1 million. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a payment of up to $1,000 per insured loan to the loan servicer of the existing senior mortgage for every loan insured under HOPE. Directs the Secretary to establish, if feasible, an auction to refinance eligible mortgages on a wholesale or bulk basis. Reduces by $2.316 billion the $700 billion limit on the Secretary of the Treasury's authority to purchase troubled assets under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) (in order to offset the costs of program changes). Limits participation in the origination of an FHA-insured loan to a person or entity approved by the Secretary as a mortgagee, unless the Secretary otherwise authorizes such participation. Prohibits approval as a mortgagee of any applicant any of whose officers, partners, directors, principals, managers, supervisors, loan processors, loan underwriters, or loan originators is currently suspended, debarred, otherwise restricted, indicted or convicted of certain offenses, engaged in nonconforming business practices, or subject to unresolved findings of a HUD audit, investigation, or review. Requires an approved mortgagee to notify the Secretary immediately of any such sanctions applied to it or any of its personnel, including revocation of a state-issued mortgage loan originator license or similar declaration of ineligibility under state law. Directs the Secretary to: (1) expand the existing process for reviewing new applicants for participation in FHA-insured mortgages on one- to four-family residences in order to identify applicants who represent a high risk to the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMIF); and (2) implement procedures that, for mortgagees approved during the 12 months before enactment of this Act, expand the number of mortgages originated by such mortgagees reviewed for compliance with laws, regulations, and policies, including a process for random reviews and one for reviews based on volume of such mortgages. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) and the Federal Credit Union Act (FCUA) to: (1) increase deposit insurance coverage permanently to $250,000; and (2) increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Amends the FDIA to: (1) extend to eight years the time period applicable to a Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) restoration plan; and (2) revise requirements for special assessments to recover the loss to the DIF arising from actions taken to contain systemic risk with respect to certain insured depository institutions. Amends the FCUA to direct the NCUA Board to establish a National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund Restoration Plan whenever the Board projects that the equity ratio of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund will fall below a minimum designated equity ratio. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, when using certain funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to prevent and mitigate foreclosures on residential properties (including mortgage modifications), to provide that the limitation on the maximum original principal obligation of a mortgage that may be assisted shall not be less than the dollar amount limitation on the maximum original principal obligation of a mortgage that may be purchased by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) for the area in which the property involved in the transaction is located. Amends the National Housing Act with respect to insurance of home equity conversion mortgages for the elderly. Redefines a mortgage on the alternative kind of leasehold under such insurance program as one that has a term that ends no earlier than the minimum number of years, as specified by HUD, beyond the actuarial life expectancy of the mortgagor or comortgagor, whichever is the later date. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury should use amounts made available in this Act to purchase mortgage revenue bonds for single-family housing issued through state housing finance agencies and through local governments and their agencies. Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Department of Justice the Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force to address mortgage fraud in the United States. Requires the Task Force to: (1) establish federal, state, and local coordinating entities to organize initiatives to address mortgage fraud; (2) provide training to federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies with respect to mortgage fraud; (3) collect and disseminate data with respect to mortgage fraud; and (4) perform other functions determined by the Attorney General to enhance the detection of, prevention of, and response to mortgage fraud in the United States. Authorizes the Task Force to: (1) initiate and coordinate federal mortgage fraud investigations and, through the coordinating entities, state and local investigations; (2) establish a toll-free hotline for reporting mortgage fraud and providing the public with access to related information and resources; (3) create a database about suspensions and revocations of mortgage industry licenses and certifications to facilitate the sharing of such information by states; and (4) make recommendations and propose federal, state, and local government legislation. Expresses the sense of Congress that mortgage holders, institutions, and mortgage servicers should not initiate a foreclosure proceeding or a foreclosure sale on any homeowner until foreclosure mitigation provisions of title II of this Act, and the President's "Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan," have been implemented and determined to be operational. States that the foreclosure moratorium should apply only for first mortgages secured by the owner's principal dwelling. Sets forth duties of the consumer to maintain property and to respond to reasonable inquiries.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009 - Declares it is U.S. policy to promote peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by supporting the efforts of the DRC, other governments in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and the international community to: (1) monitor and stop commercial activities involving the natural resources of the DRC (the minerals columbite-tantalite [coltan], cassiterite, wolframite, and gold) that contribute to illegal armed groups and human rights violations in the eastern region of the DRC; and (2) develop stronger governance and economic institutions that can facilitate and improve transparency in the cross-border trade involving such natural resources in order to reduce exploitation by illegal armed groups and promote local and regional development. Directs the President, acting through the Secretary of State, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), and other appropriate U.S. officials to use the voice of the United States at the UN Security Council to renew the mandate and strengthen the capacity of the UN Group of Experts on the DRC to investigate links between such minerals and the financing of illegal armed groups. Directs the Secretary to work with UN member states and local and international organizations to: (1) produce, and make public, a map of mineral-rich zones and illegal armed groups in the eastern region of the DRC; and (2) provide guidance to commercial entities to ensure that the raw materials used in their products do not finance armed conflict, result in labor or human rights violations, or damage the environment. Requires the Secretary, working with the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to report to Congress on a strategy to address the links that exist between human rights abuses, armed groups, and the mining of the minerals in the DRC. Requires specified annual reports to cover such links. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to promulgate rules to require certain persons who engage in the trade or use of coltan, cassiterite, and wolframite to disclose annually to the SEC the country of origin and mine of origin of such minerals. Expresses the sense of Congress on assistance to communities in the eastern DRC that depend economically on the mineral trade, particularly those affected by sexual and gender-based violence, as well as individuals displaced by violence.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the Boards of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, in honor of the distinguished service of the American military men and women who have been Medal of Honor recipients. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2011. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin and $10 per coin for the $1 coin, to be distributed to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance educational, scholarship, and outreach programs of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2009 - Amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise employer and government provisions regarding H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfer) nonimmigrant aliens. Amends H-1B employer application requirements to: (1) revise wage determination requirements; (2) require Internet posting and description of employment positions; (3) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection: (4) apply certain requirements to all H-1B employers rather than only to H-1B dependent employers; (5) prohibit employer advertising that makes a position available only to, or gives priority to, H-1B nonimmigrants; and (6) limit the number of H-1B and L-1 employees that an employer of 50 or more workers in the United States may hire. Revises application review provisions. Authorizes the Department of Labor (DOL) to: (1) investigate applications for fraud; and (2) conduct H-1B compliance audits. Directs DOL to conduct annual audits of companies with large numbers of H-1B workers. Authorizes DOL to initiate H-1B employer application investigations. Increases employer penalties. Revises provisions regarding initiation of employer violation investigations by DOL. Provides for information sharing between DOL and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services regarding employer noncompliance. Authorizes DOL to hire 200 additional employees to administer H-1B programs. Prohibits, with a specified waiver by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), an employer from hiring an L-1 nonimmigrant for more than one year who will: (1) serve in a capacity involving specialized knowledge; and (2) be stationed primarily at the worksite of an employer other than the petitioning employer. Specifies L-1: (1) employer petition requirements for employment at a new office; (2) wage rates and working conditions; and (3) employer penalties. Authorizes the Secretary to initiate an L-1 employer investigation. Requires a report to Congress regarding the L-1 blanket petition process.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Shark Conservation Act of 2009 - Amends the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to list a nation in the biennial report on international compliance if the nation's fishing vessels are or have been engaged in fishing activities that target or incidentally catch sharks and the nation has not adopted a shark conservation program that is comparable, taking into account different conditions, to that of the United States, including measures to prohibit removal any of the fins of a shark (including the tail) and discarding the carcass of the shark at sea. Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to revise provisions prohibiting the removal of shark fins to make it a prohibited act to: (1) remove any shark fin (including the tail) at sea; (2) have a fin aboard a fishing vessel unless the fin is naturally attached to the carcass; (3) transfer a fin from one vessel to another or receive a fin unless it is naturally attached; or (4) land a fin that is not naturally attached to a carcass or land a carcass without fins naturally attached. Revises the current rebuttable presumption provision concerning shark fins on fishing vessels to create a rebuttable presumption that, if any shark fin (including the tail) is aboard a non-fishing vessel without being naturally attached, the fin was transferred from a fishing vessel in violation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
No Child Left Inside Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, as a prerequisite to receiving implementation grants, to develop environmental literacy plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Directs the Secretary to award Environmental Education Professional Development Grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the development of more rigorous environmental education curricula that advance the teaching of interdisciplinary courses. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, IHEs, other educational entities, federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, or park and recreation departments, for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards; (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs; and (3) research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the minimum level of sound that is necessary to be emitted from a motor vehicle, or some other method, to alert blind and other pedestrians of the presence of operating motor vehicles while traveling.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Gun Show Background Check Act of 2009 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require registration of gun show promoters and to set forth the responsibilities of promoters, licensees, and other transferors. Provides that if any part of a firearm transaction takes place at a gun show, each licensed importer, manufacturer, and dealer who transfers one or more firearms to a person who is not licensed shall, within 10 days after the transfer, submit a report of the transfer to the Attorney General. Sets forth penalties for violations. Grants the Attorney General authority to enter the place of business of any gun show promoter and any place where a gun show is held, during business hours and without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, for purposes of examining records and the inventory of licensees conducting business to determine compliance with this Act. Increases penalties for: (1) serious record-keeping violations by licensees; and (2) violations of criminal background check requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
National Guard and Reserve Retired Pay Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to back-date to September 11, 2001, the period of active duty or performed active service, in support of a contingency operation or in other emergency situations, for which members of Ready Reserve components of the Armed Forces shall receive credit in determining eligibility for early receipt of non-regular service retired pay.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for certain low-income HIV-infected individuals. Provides states taking advantage of this option with an enhanced federal Medicaid match.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Patriot Employers Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer certified as a Patriot employer by the Secretary of the Treasury a tax credit for 1% of such employer's taxable income. Defines a "Patriot employer" as any taxpayer who: (1) maintains its headquarters in the United States; (2) pays at least 60% of the health care premiums of its employees; (3) observes a policy requiring neutrality in employee organizing drives; (4) maintains or increases the number of its full-time workers in the United States relative to its full-time workers outside of the United States; (5) provides full differential salary and insurance benefits for all National Guard and Reserve employees called to active duty; and (6) provides its employees with a certain level of compensation and retirement benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2009
Designates April 24 through 26, 2009, as Global Youth Service Days. Recognizes and commends the significant contributions of the youth of the United States and encourages the cultivation of a civic bond between young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Legal Services Benefit Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore, increase, and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow an alien widow of a U.S. citizen who was married for less than two years at the time of the citizen spouse's death who proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit to self-petition (within the required two years) for continued immediate relative status. Applies such provision to all applications and petitions pending on or after the date of enactment of this Act. Extends the petition filing deadline for two years after the date of enactment of this Act for an alien spouse if: (1) the U.S. citizen spouse died before the date of enactment of this Act; (2) the alien and the citizen spouse were married for less than two years at the time of the citizen spouse's death; and (3) the alien has not remarried.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Elder Justice Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to establish an Elder Justice program under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC). Establishes the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to establish stationary and mobile forensic centers, to develop forensic expertise regarding, and provide services relating to, elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for individuals to train for, seek, and maintain employment providing direct care in a long-term care (LTC) facility. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LTC facilities to: (1) offer continuing training and varying levels of certification to employees who provide direct care to LTC facility residents; and (2) provide bonuses or other benefits to employees who achieve certification. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to assist LTC facilities in offsetting the costs for standardized clinical health care informatics systems designed to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events and health care complications resulting from medication errors. Directs the Secretary to ensure that HHS: (1) provides funding to state and local adult protective services services offices that investigate reports of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and (2) collects and disseminates related data in coordination with the Department of Justice. Establishes a program of annual adult protective services grants to states. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) improve the capacity of state LTC ombudsman programs to respond to and resolve abuse and neglect complaints; and (2) conduct pilot programs with state or local LTC ombudsman offices. Directs the Secretary to establish programs to provide and improve ombudsman training for national organizations and state LTC ombudsman programs. Amends part A of SSA title XI to require each individual owner, operator, employee, manager, agent, or contractor of an LTC facility receiving certain federal support to report to the Secretary and local law enforcement entities any reasonable suspicion of crimes occurring in such facility. Requires the owner or operator of such an LTC facility to notify the Secretary and the appropriate state regulatory agency of a facility's impending closure, as well as a plan for the transfer and adequate relocation of facility residents. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the EJCC and appropriate congressional committees on establishing a national nurse aide registry.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Clean Water Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to replace the term "navigable waters" that are subject to such Act with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting them, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution. Declares that nothing in such Act affects the authority of the Secretary of the Army or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the provisions of the Clean Water Act related to discharges: (1) composed entirely of return flows from irrigated agriculture; (2) of stormwater runoff from certain oil, gas, and mining operations composed entirely of flows from precipitation runoff conveyances, which are not contaminated by or in contact with specified materials; (3) of dredged or fill materials resulting from normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities, from upland soil and water conservation practices, or from activities with respect to which a state has an approved water quality regulatory program; or (4) of dredged or fill materials for the maintenance of currently serviceable structures, the construction or maintenance of farm or stock ponds, irrigation ditches and maintenance of drainage ditches, or farm, forest, or temporary roads for moving mining equipment in accordance with best management practices, or the construction of temporary sedimentation basins on construction sites for which discharges do not include placement of fill material into the waters of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Family Caregiver Program Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to waive charges for care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in emergency cases to attendants accompanying veterans severely injured while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, while such veterans are receiving VA care for such injuries. Directs the Secretary, as part of authorized VA home health services for veterans, to furnish family caregiver assistance to family members of veterans in need of personal care services due to a serious injury incurred or aggravated during active duty. Requires the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the services needed by each veteran; (2) provide training and certification to the caregivers; (3) designate a primary personal care attendant for each eligible veteran; (4) provide ongoing family caregiver assistance to such family members; (5) provide respite care, in appropriate cases; (6) pay monthly caregiver stipends; (7) conduct oversight of the caregiver assistance program; (8) provide program outreach; and (9) report on program implementation and evaluation. Authorizes the provision of VA health care to primary personal care attendants. Directs the Secretary to reimburse attendants for travel expenses, including lodging and subsistence, in connection with authorized VA treatment for veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Department of Veterans Affairs Vision Scholars Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and carry out a scholarship program of financial assistance for individuals who: (1) are accepted for, or currently enrolled in, a program of study leading to a degree or certificate in visual impairment or orientation and mobility, or both; and (2) enter into an agreement to serve, after program completion, as a full-time Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee for three years within the first six years after program completion. Sets maximum assistance amounts of $15,000 per academic year and $45,000 total. Requires prorated repayment for failure to satisfy education or service requirements, while allowing the Secretary to waive or suspend such repayment whenever noncompliance is due to circumstances beyond the control of the participant, or when waiver or suspension is in the best interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to implement an Autism Care Center Program to provide grants and other assistance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in providing comprehensive care to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide grants for services to enable adults with autism spectrum disorders to be as independent as possible; (2) establish the National Registry for Autism Spectrum Disorders; and (3) award grants for multimedia campaigns to increase public education and awareness and reduce stigma concerning such disorders. Establishes the Interdepartmental Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate all federal efforts concerning autism spectrum disorders. Repeals provisions establishing the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to coordinate all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorders. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) the National Network for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services to provide resources for, and facilitate communication between, autism spectrum disorder researchers and service providers; and (2) a National Data Repository for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services to facilitate the development and rapid dissemination of research into best practices that improve care. Requires the Secretary to award national training initiative supplemental grants to address the unmet needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to require group health plans to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert; (3) Grand Staircase-Escalante; (4) Moab-La Sal Canyons; (5) Henry Mountains; (6) Glen Canyon; (7) San Juan-Anasazi; (8) Canyonlands Basin; (9) San Rafael Swell; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas; (3) federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to consolidate housing assistance programs for homeless persons. Declares that the mission of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is to coordinate the federal response to homelessness and to create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of federal contributions to end homelessness. Prescribes requirements for the selection of community homeless assistance planning boards, particularly for collaborative applicants. Requires the relevant parties in a geographic area to establish a collaborative applicant to apply for a homeless assistance grant. Requires a collaborative applicant to: (1) design a collaborative process to develop such grant applications and evaluate project outcomes; (2) establish priorities for funding projects; (3) participate in the Consolidated Plan for the geographic area served by the applicant; (4) ensure operations of, and consistent participation by, project sponsors in a community-wide homeless management information system (HMIS); and (5) act as a unified funding agency to distribute HUD funds to other project sponsors in the applicable geographic area funds for their projects. Prescribes requirements for: (1) an emergency solutions grants program; (2) a continuum of care grants program; (3) designation of high-performing communities; and (4) a rural housing stability assistance program. Increases from 5% to 7.5% the amount of any emergency solutions grant a recipient may use for administrative purposes. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) appropriate administrative costs for implementing the emergency solutions grants program; and (2) homelessness and homeless assistance in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Expresses support for: (1) the expansion of quality urban youth sports programs to increase urban youth involvement in sport; and (2) the establishment of an Urban Youth Sport Initiative in partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2009 or the SECTORS Act of 2009 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to award competitive industry or sector partnership grants to eligible entities to develop strategies that: (1) encourage growth and competitiveness through work with employers within a targeted industry cluster; (2) help workers move toward economic self-sufficiency and ensure that they have access to supportive services; (3) address the needs of firms with limited human resources or in-house training capacity, including small- and medium-sized firms; and (4) coordinate with entities that carry out state and local workforce investment, education, and economic development activities. Requires federal agency coordination with the Secretary in carrying out such program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Independent Drug Education and Outreach Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to award grants or contracts for: (1) the development and production of educational materials concerning the evidence available on the relative safety, effectiveness, and cost of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and nondrug interventions for treating selected conditions, to be distributed and presented to health care providers who prescribe such drugs and their patients; and (2) the development and implementation of a program to appropriately train and deploy health professionals to distribute such materials to, and otherwise educate, physicians and other drug prescribers concerning such drugs and interventions. Requires that grantees receive no support from any entity that manufactures products used to treat the medical conditions discussed.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Tobacco Cessation Promotion Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of: (1) counseling for cessation of tobacco use; and (2) tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy. Provides for similar benefits under SSA titles V (Maternal and Child Health Services) and XIX (Medicaid).
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Fair Elections Revenue Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on payments made pursuant to a U.S. government contract to any person which is not a state or local government or a foreign nation and has contracts with the U.S. government in excess of $10 million. Sets the rate of such tax at 0.50% of amounts paid under any such contract and limits the aggregate annual amount of tax imposed each year to not more than $500,000. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the tax revenues raised by this Act be used for the financing of a Fair Elections Fund and the public financing of Senate elections.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements and benefits of fair elections financing of Senate election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations; (4) contribution and expenditure requirements; (5) a public debate requirement; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) matching payments for qualified small dollar contributions; (9) political advertising vouchers; (10) establishment of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; (12) prohibition of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee; and (13) a specified limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) prohibit the preemption of the use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified Senate candidate who has purchased and paid for such use; (2) revise Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to revoke licenses for broadcasting stations who fail to provide access to Senate candidates; and (3) revise the formula for determining reduced broadcast rates for participating candidates in certain circumstances. Directs the FCC to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a standardized form to be used by broadcasting stations to record and report the purchase of advertising time by or on behalf of a candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to federal elective office. Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action; (2) require all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed directly with the FEC, and in computer-accessible electronic form; and (3) reduce from 48 to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2009
Designates April 2009 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 · 31 March 2009
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!"
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)