United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2009
Community Regeneration, Sustainability, and Innovation Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a demonstration program, under multiyear cooperative agreements with local governments experiencing at least 20% population loss since 1970 (or consortia of them), to encourage and test innovative vacant property reclamation and urban infrastructure renewal strategies in older industrial cities, their suburbs, and metropolitan areas with a history of severe population and employment loss, blight, and decay caused by vacant properties. Specifies as vacant property and program capacity activities establishment of: (1) local or regional land banks; (2) recovered building materials reuse and recycling infrastructure, facilities, and technical support; (3) local government purchasing requirements for deconstruction to make use of existing building materials stock in new and rehabilitation construction; and (4) the ability of state and local courts and administrative agencies to address problems caused by vacant and abandoned properties, and to facilitate their transfer to public control under a local or regional land bank. Enumerates other related activities, including: (1) expansion and improvement of code enforcement capabilities; (2) development of data and information systems such as comprehensive real property systems, early warning systems, and vacant property inventory and tracking systems; and (3) amendment or reform of state and local property tax foreclosure procedures. Specifies stabilization, design, development, reuse, and planning and policy innovation activities. Requires an applicant local government or consortium to establish a regeneration plan for the community or region. Directs the Secretary by regulation to provide for citizen participation requirements relating to the development and implementation of such plans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to local governments (and consortia of them) for sustainability demonstration projects. Directs the Secretary to convene a Federal Interagency Regeneration Communities Coordinating Council to develop federal agency support plans for communities receiving such grants.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Free Flow of Information Act of 2009 - Prohibits a federal entity from compelling a covered person (journalists and their employers, etc.) to testify or produce any document relating to protected information unless a court makes specified determinations by a preponderance of the evidence, including that all reasonable alternative sources have been exhausted, that the testimony or document sought is essential, and that nondisclosure would be contrary to the public interest, taking into account both the public interest in compelling disclosure and the public interest in gathering news and maintaining the free flow of information. Requires the content of compelled testimony or documents to be limited and narrowly tailored. Creates exceptions relating to alleged criminal or tortious conduct, prevention of death, kidnapping, or substantial bodily injury, prevention of terrorist activity, or prevention of national security harm. Applies this Act to communications service providers with regard to: (1) a communication to which a covered person is a party; (2) any document relating to such a communication; or (3) the contents of such a communication. Sets forth notice requirements. Permits a court to delay notice to a covered person upon determining that such notice would pose a substantial threat to the integrity of a criminal investigation. Declares that this Act does not supersede, dilute, or preclude any law or court decision compelling or not compelling disclosure by a covered person or communications service provider of information identifying a source who provided information without a confidentiality promise made as part of engaging in journalism or records, communication data, documents, or information obtained without a confidentiality promise.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity; and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with current research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention and intervention. Directs the Administrator to award grants to: (1) allow institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs; and (2) hire and train law enforcement officers as youth-oriented police to work with PCCs, other community-based organizations, and high-risk youth. Establishes a Center for Youth-Oriented Policing. Mynisha's Law - Authorizes any local or tribal government or a group of counties to submit an application to the Attorney General for designation as a High Intensity Gang Activity Area. City Youth Violence Recovery Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to partnerships comprising state mental health authorities and local or private entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in urban communities with a high or increasing incidence of such violence. Prevention Resources for Eliminating Criminal Activity Using Tailored Interventions in Our Neighborhoods Act of 2009 or the PRECAUTION Act - Establishes the National Commission on Public Safety Through Crime Prevention to: (1) carry out a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of certain crime and delinquency prevention and intervention strategies: and (2) make initial and final reports on such strategies to specified federal and state officials. Authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make three-year grants to public and private entities for the implementation and evaluation of innovative crime or delinquency prevention or intervention strategies. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to authorize grants for the creation and expansion of state, local, and tribal juvenile witness and victim protection grants.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 - Requires, beginning with FY2011, a two-fiscal-year new discretionary budget authority for the following accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) Medical Services; (2) Medical Support and Compliance; and (3) Medical Facilities. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the adequacy and accuracy of VA baseline model projections for health care expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Uniting American Families Act of 2009 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, any other individual other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines a "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Heart Disease Education, Analysis Research, and Treatment for Women Act or the HEART for Women Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny a new drug application if the application fails to include required information on clinical investigations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) require that a new drug application include any clinical data possessed by the applicant that relates to the safety and effectiveness of the drug involved by gender, age, and racial subgroup; and (2) develop guidance for the staff of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that new drug applications are adequately reviewed to determine whether they include the required clinical data. Authorizes the Secretary to place a clinical hold on an investigation under an investigational new drug application if the sponsor of the investigation fails to meet the requirements of an annual report on the status of each study in progress. Applies provisions relating to clinical data submission for new drug applications to applications for an investigational new drug, a biologics license for a biological product, premarket approval for a class III device, and investigational use of a device. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to provide that all nonidentifiable patient safety work product reported to and among the network of patient safety databases be identified by sex. Directs that analyses of statistics of information reported to the network of patient safety databases take into account data that specifically relates to women and any disparities between treatment and the quality of care between males and females. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to support research and demonstrations to identify and evaluate clinical and organizational strategies to improve the quality of and access to care for women with heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Requires the Secretary to: (1) distribute to females age 65 or older and appropriate health care professionals educational materials relating to the prevention diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases in women; and (2) conduct an education and awareness campaign for health care professionals relating to such diagnosis and treatment. Expands the grant program authorizing the Secretary to award grants for preventive health services to all states.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 or the Credit CARD Act of 2009 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require advance notice of any increase in the annual percentage rate of interest (APR) pertaining to a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan. Imposes a freeze on interest rate terms and fees on canceled cards. Sets limits on fees and interest charges, including a prohibition against penalties for on-time payments. Prohibits a creditor from furnishing information to a consumer reporting agency concerning a newly opened credit card account until the credit card has been used or activated by the consumer. Revises requirements for prompt and fair crediting of card payments. Prohibits universal default (except in certain circumstances) and unilateral changes to cardholder agreements. Increases the civil penalty against any creditor who fails to comply with specified requirements in the case of an individual action relating to an open end credit plan that is not secured by real property or a dwelling. Requires specified federal regulatory agencies to evaluate the policies and procedures used by credit card issuers for compliance with this Act. Revises: (1) payoff and repayment timing disclosure requirements; and (2) requirements relating to late payment deadlines and penalties. Prohibits issuance of: (1) a credit card on behalf of a consumer under age 21, unless the consumer has submitted a written application meeting specified requirements; and (2) certain affinity cards to students unless certain requirements have been met. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to allow underage consumers to elect to be included in certain listings compiled by a consumer reporting agency. Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to require all federal banking agencies and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to coordinate rulemaking and regulations. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to certain congressional committees on: (1) the status of regulations of the federal banking agencies and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) regarding unfair and deceptive acts or practices by depository institutions and federal credit unions; and (2) the extent to which interchange fees are required to be disclosed to consumers and merchants, and how such fees are overseen by the federal banking agencies. Directs the Comptroller General to establish the Credit Card Safety Rating System Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Artist-Museum Partnership Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers who create literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions or similar property a fair market value (determined at the time of contribution) tax deduction for contributions of such properties, the copyrights thereon, or both, to certain tax-exempt organizations, if such properties are properly appraised and are donated no sooner than 18 months after their creation. Limits the amount of such deduction based upon the donor's artistic adjusted gross income, as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2009
Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 or FERA - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) redefine "financial institution" to include a mortgage lending business; (2) define "mortgage lending business" for criminal law purposes; (3) prohibit false statements in mortgage applications by employees and agents of a mortgage lending business; (4) prohibit fraudulent activities related to the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) or a federal economic stimulus, recovery, or rescue plan; (5) expand securities fraud provisions to include fraud involving options and futures in commodities; (6) expand, for purposes of money laundering provisions, the concept of monetary proceeds to include gross receipts; and (7) expand money laundering provisions to prohibit the movement of money outside of the United States to avoid taxes. Authorizes appropriations to the Attorney General for FY2010-FY2011 for investigations, prosecutions, civil proceedings involving federal assistance programs and financial institutions. Authorizes additional appropriations to the U.S. Postal Service and to the Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for similar investigations. Amends the False Claims Act to: (1) expand liability under such Act for making false or fraudulent claims to the federal government; and (2) repeal the requirement that false claims be presented to a government employee. Requires persons violating such Act to reimburse the federal government for the costs of a civil action to recover penalties or damages under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2009
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009 - Allows federal employees to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay available for either the: (1) birth of a child; or (2) placement of a child with the employee for either adoption or foster care. Makes available (subject to specified requirements) for any of the 12 weeks of leave an employee is entitled to for such purposes: (1) four eight administrative weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth or placement involved; and (2) any accumulated annual or sick leave. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to promulgate regulations to increase the amount of paid parental leave available to such an employee to a total of eight administrative workweeks, based on the consideration of: (1) the benefits to the federal government, including enhanced recruitment and employee retention; (2) the cost to the government; (3) trends in the private sector and in state and local governments; and (4) the federal government's role as a model employer. Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow the same substitution for covered congressional employees, Government Accountability Office (GAO) employees, and Library of Congress employees.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2009
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make federal provisions which prohibit the obligation or expenditure of funds either in excess of appropriated amounts or in violation of sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1986 inapplicable to: (1) any amount collected or received as federal universal service contributions; or (2) the expenditure or obligation of amounts attributable to such contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of the historic founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors and praises the NAACP on the occasion of its anniversary for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2009
Elimination of the Single Parent Tax Act of 2009 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of the Social Security Act to repeal the requirement that states impose a $25 annual fee for successful child support collection for a family that has never received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) under SSA title IV part A.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2009
Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to implement a comprehensive program to achieve a 50% reduction in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2016. Includes within such program: (1) a strategic review and prioritization of research grants; (2) an expansion of research programs, such as on predispositions to lung cancer; and (3) the expedited development of computer assisted diagnostic, surgical, treatment, and drug testing innovations. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary to provide incentives for the development of chemoprevention drugs for precancerous conditions of the lung, drugs for targeted therapeutic treatments and vaccines for lung cancer, and new agents to curtail or prevent nicotine addiction. Provides for compassionate access to drugs, biological products, and devices under the lung cancer mortality reduction program. Requires the Secretary to establish an early disease research and management program targeted at the high incidence and mortality rates among minority and low income populations. Requires the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with the Secretary in: (1) the development of the lung cancer mortality reduction program under this Act; (2) the implementation of an early detection and disease management research program for military personnel and veterans whose smoking history and exposure to carcinogens during active duty service has increased their risk for lung cancer; and (3) the implementation of coordinated care programs for military personnel and veterans diagnosed with lung cancer. Requires the Secretary to establish a Lung Cancer Advisory Board to monitor the programs established under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Commuter Benefits Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to equalize and increase to $230, with a cost-of-living adjustment after 2009, the tax exclusion for both transportation and parking fringe benefits. Extends such benefits to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2009
Recognizes that U.S. hardwoods are an abundant, sustainable, and legal resource. Urges giving U.S. hardwoods and derivative products full consideration in programs directed at constructing environmentally preferable commercial, public, or private buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2009
Serve America Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to create two new service-learning programs: (1) a Youth Engagement Zones to Strengthen Communities program, providing competitive grants to partnerships between local educational agencies that serve high-need, low-income communities and certain community-based or state entities to engage students and out-of-school youth in service-learning addressing specific challenges faced by their communities; and (2) a Campus of Service program, which annually grants up to 30 institutions of higher education (IHEs) with exemplary service-learning programs the funds to assist their students' pursuit of public service careers, and the right to nominate additional individuals for ServeAmerica Fellowships. Directs the Corporation for National and Community Service (Corporation) to contract for a 10-year, longitudinal service-learning impact study. Establishes the Commission on Cross-Sector Solutions to America's Problems to study ways in which the federal government and businesses can more effectively collaborate with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to address pressing national and local challenges. Creates a Community Solutions Funds Pilot program awarding competitive matching grants to grantmaking institutions or partnerships between such institutions and state or local governmental entities which will use the grants to provide competitive matching subgrants to community organizations for use in replicating or expanding proven solutions to specifically identified community challenges. Establishes an Innovation Fellowships Pilot program awarding competitive grants to individuals who are veterans, or have completed at least one period of national service, to establish innovative nonprofit organizations that address national and local challenges. Creates a ServeAmerica Corps program providing formula grants to states and awarding competitive grants to states and nonprofit organizations to fund national service in low-income communities by: (1) Clean Energy Service Corps that improve certain clean energy indicators, including energy efficiency and conservation measures; (2) Education Corps that improve certain education indicators, including student engagement, achievement, and graduation; (3) Healthy Futures Corps that improve certain health indicators, including health care access; (4) Opportunity Corps that improve certain opportunity indicators, including financial literacy and access to housing, and employment-related services; and (5) Encore programs designed to take advantage of the skills of participants age 50 and older. Creates additional incentives for national service participation by individuals age 50 and older. Makes ServeAmerica Corps participants eligible for national service educational awards. Directs a partnership composed of the Corporation, the Director of the Bureau of the Census, and the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to: (1) create a Civic Health Index enabling states and communities to assess their civic health; and (2) conduct research on, and assessments of, domestic and international volunteering. Establishes the ServeAmerica and Encore Fellowships program providing ServeAmerica Fellowships to IHE-nominated individuals and Encore Fellowships to individuals age 50 or older who agree to be placed with nonprofit organizations to carry out projects in specified areas of national need. Makes ServeAmerica fellows eligible for national service educational awards. Creates a Volunteer Generation Fund program awarding competitive matching grants to states and nonprofit organizations to increase the availability and capacity of volunteers to address state priorities with regard to areas of national need or work with nonprofit civic entities, including faith-based organizations, to address such needs. Establishes a National Service Reserve Corps of individuals who have completed a term of national service to respond to national disasters and other emergencies. Directs the Corporation, within 180 days of this Act's enactment, to conduct a nationwide Call to Service Campaign. Requires the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a VfPServe program providing skilled professionals with fixed-amount stipends to offset their costs of volunteering abroad to address specified VfP objectives aimed at ameliorating living conditions in developing countries.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand training for health professionals in the fields of geriatrics, long-term care, and chronic care management. Requires an analysis of the health and long-term care workforce. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for information to adults and dislocated workers about health care and long-term care occupations. Provides for information to veterans about training, internship, and employment opportunities in geriatrics, gerontology, and long-term care. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to require the Assistant Secretary for Aging to: (1) develop family caregiver training materials; and (2) provide for the establishment and operation of a National Resource Center on Volunteers, Students, and Seniors to promote partnerships between entities in the aging network and institutions of higher education and secondary schools, and to encourage projects that involve underserved communities. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development of core training competencies for personal or home care aides and additional training content for nurse aides and home health aides; and (2) establish a panel of long-term care workforce experts. Provides for the development of information and referral protocols for family caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of assessments of family caregiver support needs. Provides for studies on: (1) the mental health workforce; (2) the aging network's capacity to meet current and future needs; (3) retention and tenure of nurse aides and home health aides; and (4) spending by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on conditions and illnesses that disproportionately impact the health of older individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from increasing any annual percentage rate of interest (APR) applicable to the existing balance on an open end credit card account unless specified conditions are met. Allows a creditor to increase an APR on the existing credit card balance only if the increase is due solely to one of three specified circumstances. Requires a 45-day advance notice of credit card account rate increases. Prohibits imposition of a finance charge, with certain exceptions, upon a credit card account balance that is based on balances for days in billing cycles preceding the most recent billing cycle (double cycle billing). Prohibits the imposition of a fee on an outstanding credit card balance, at the end of a billing period, that is attributable only to interest accrued during the preceding billing period on an outstanding balance fully repaid during that preceding billing period. Requires each periodic statement of account to provide the telephone number, Internet address, and website at which the payoff balance may be requested. Grants a consumer the right to reject a new credit card before the creditor notifies a consumer reporting agency of its corresponding account. Sets forth special rules for accounts with promotional rate balances or deferred interest balances. Prohibits a creditor from denying a cardholder a specified payment grace period if the cardholder takes advantage of a promotional rate balance or deferred interest rate balance. Requires creditors to send a periodic credit card statement of account to the consumer at least 25 calendar days before the due date for the next payment on the outstanding balance. Authorizes a consumer to opt-out of creditor authorization of over-the-limit transactions if fees are imposed. Prohibits imposition of any over-the-limit fee if the credit limit was exceeded due to a credit hold, unless the actual amount of the transaction for which the hold was placed would have resulted in the consumer's exceeding such credit limit. Prescribes the contents of credit card price and availability information which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) must collect and make public semiannually. Prescribes a standard for the initial issuance of subprime or "fee harvester" cards (accounts requiring first-year fee payments in excess of 25% of the total amount of credit authorized). Prohibits extensions of credit to consumers under age 18, unless they are emancipated under state law.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act - Establishes in the City of Auburn, New York, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Establishes in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide grant funding and enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities for the historic preservation, rehabilitation, interpretation, and maintenance of such historical parks. Requires the Secretary to complete a general management plan for them.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2009 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the protection of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and their full participation in the reestablishment of democracy are essential to Afghanistan's reconstruction, and to achieve such reconstruction the U.S. government must commit resources to advance the rights of women throughout Afghanistan. Amends the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 to revise the provisions respecting assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan. Extends funding authority. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) condition the provision of such assistance on the recipient adhering to international standards for women's rights and human rights; and (2) ensure that Afghan women-led nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated experience in delivering services to Afghan women and children receive grants without ethnic, religious, or any other discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2009
Prevention First Act of 2009 - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2009 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan from excluding or restricting benefits for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or health care services. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2009 - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. At-Risk Communities Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention research. Truth in Contraception Act of 2009 - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates. Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicaid's coverage of family planning services. Responsible Education About Life Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to states to conduct sex education programs, including programs that provide education on abstinence and contraception for the prevention of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Act of 2009 - Requires each air carrier and airport operator to submit for approval by the Secretary of Transportation a proposed contingency plan meeting minimum standards established by the Secretary. Requires an air carrier to provide passengers on a departure- or arrival-delayed grounded aircraft with: (1) adequate food, water, restrooms, ventilation, and medical services; as well as (2) a time frame under which passengers may deplane a delayed aircraft after three hours, except in specified circumstances. Requires an airport operator plan to describe: (1) how passengers will be deplaned following a long tarmac delay; and (2) how facilities will be shared and gates made available to aircraft that experience such delays. Authorizes the Secretary to assess a civil penalty against air carriers and airport operators that fail to submit, obtain approval of, or adhere to a contingency plan. Requires public access to such plans. Directs the Secretary to establish a consumer hotline telephone number for air passenger complaints.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2009
Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the rates and maximum allowable amount of the tax credit for employer-provided child care facilities; (2) increase the eligibility threshold amount and rate of the household and dependent care tax credit and make such credit refundable; (3) allow a new $2,000 tax credit for child care providers who hold a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, child care, or a related degree and who provide at least 1,200 hours of child care services in a taxable year; and (4) increase the tax exclusion for employer-provided dependent care assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Crane Conservation Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance for approved projects relating to the conservation of cranes, using amounts in the Crane Conservation Fund established by this Act. Allows a project proposal to be submitted by: (1) any wildlife management authority of a country located in the African, Asian, European, or North American range of a species of crane that carries out at least one activity that affects crane populations; (2) the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and (3) any person or organization with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of cranes. Establishes the Crane Conservation Fund in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of cranes to assist in carrying out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Ready Employers Willing to Assist Reservists' Deployment Act of 2009 or the REWARD Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a tax credit for 50% of the wages paid to their employees on active military duty for more than 90 days as Ready Reserve or National Guard and for 50% of the wages paid to temporary replacement employees.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Alice Paul Women's Suffrage Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal. Requires proceeds from the sale of such medals to be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
COPS Improvements Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the authority of the Attorney General to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program). Authorizes grants to: (1) hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools; (2) establish and implement programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug activities, including the manufacturing, distribution, and use of methamphetamine; and (3) meet emerging law enforcement needs, as warranted. Authorizes the use of COPS ON THE BEAT grants to hire former members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) assigning prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and to address counter-terrorism problems and violent crime in local communities; and (2) developing new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training. Grants the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services exclusive authority to perform functions and activities under COPS ON THE BEAT grant program. Authorizes the Attorney General to extend grant periods and to renew grants if the grant recipient can demonstrate significant progress in achieving the objectives of the initial grant application. Increases and extends the authorization of appropriations for the COPS ON THE BEAT grant program for FY2009-FY2014.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation; (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question; and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential; and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act - Amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate the four-year phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for combat-related disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Expresses commitment to the welfare and survival of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders and recognizes its right to act in self-defense. Reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure. Encourages the Administration to work to support a sustainable cease-fire in Gaza that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding its terrorist infrastructure. States that the lives of innocent civilians must be protected to the maximum extent possible. Calls on all nations to: (1) condemn Hamas for embedding its fighters, leaders, and weapons in private homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, and otherwise using Palestinian civilians as human shields while simultaneously targeting Israeli civilians; and (2) lay blame for the breaking of the calm and for subsequent civilian casualties on Hamas. Supports efforts to diminish the influence of extremists in the Palestinian territories. Calls: (1) on Egypt to intensify its efforts to halt smuggling between Gaza and Egypt; and (2) for the release of the kidnaped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Reiterates support for a two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Modernize Our Bookkeeping In the Law for Employee's Cell Phone Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to remove certain limitations on the tax deduction for employee use of cellular telephones.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2009 - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 regarding project rental assistance for supportive housing for the elderly. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to adjust the annual amount of a contract for project rental assistance to provide for reasonable project costs. States that owner deposits shall be used only to cover operating deficits during the first three years of operations and shall not be used to cover construction shortfalls or inadequate initial project rental assistance amounts. Allows a national private nonprofit organization that owns multiple housing projects assisted under such Act to satisfy the local governing board requirement by having a local advisory board to its national governing board. Requires the Secretary to permit an owner of assisted housing to give a preference in tenant selection to the homeless elderly. Directs the Secretary either to: (1) operate a national competition for the nonmetropolitan funds allocation of assistance for supportive housing for the elderly; or (2) make allocations to HUD regional offices. Amends the American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000 to revise requirements governing: (1) prepayment of debt for project-based rental housing assistance programs; (2) use of unexpended amounts; and (3) use of project residual receipts. Sets forth requirements governing senior preservation rental assistance contracts in order to: (1) prevent displacement of elderly project residents in the case of refinancing or recapitalization; and (2) further project preservation and affordability. Directs the Secretary to carry out a demonstration program to sell to state housing finance agencies portfolios of mortgages associated with loans related to supportive housing for the elderly. Expands the definition of assisted living facility with respect to grants for conversion of elderly housing to such facilities. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to rental assistance on behalf of a family that uses an assisted living facility as a principal place of residence. Provides that a family may be required at the time it initially receives such assistance to pay rent in an amount exceeding 40% of its monthly adjusted income. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing conditions that restrict the use of sale or refinancing proceeds, or require the filing of a financial report, in connection with a sale or refinancing of a multifamily housing project, or the transfer of an assistance contract on such a property, that requires HUD approval unless such condition is: (1) expressly authorized by an existing contract between the Secretary and the project owner; or (2) a general condition for new financing with a mortgage insured by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to establish and operate a national senior housing clearinghouse.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) impose penalties on individuals who knowingly commit a gang crime or other violent crime in furtherance of a criminal street gang or who recruit persons to participate in a gang; (2) expand the prohibition against committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity to include gang-related racketeering activity; and (3) increase criminal penalties for threats, attempts, or conspiracies to commit crimes of violence. Amends the Controlled Substances Act to impose criminal penalties on individuals who commit violent crimes in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Expands restrictions on the release of persons charged with using firearms in a drug trafficking crime or a crime of violence. Establishes a 10-year limitation period for prosecutions of any noncapital felony crime of violence. Increases criminal penalties for possession of firearms by felons with prior convictions for a violent felony or serious drug offense. Redefines and increases penalties for the crimes of carjacking and transfers of firearms to commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking. Increases penalties for conspiracy to commit a criminal offense or to defraud the United States. Extends to 10 years the limitation period for prosecuting certain federal crimes of terrorism. Establishes crimes committed in Indian country or in any other area of exclusive federal jurisdiction as a predicate for invoking federal racketeering laws. Establishes as a predicate for a wiretap authorization violations of the Controlled Substances Act relating to violent crimes in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and certain criminal street gang activity. Expands the prohibition against impeding commerce by threats or violence to include robbery or extortion attempts committed by a person unlawfully impersonating a law enforcement officer. Prohibits traveling in interstate or foreign commerce or using the mail to tamper with or retaliate against a witness, victim, or informant in a state criminal proceeding. Authorizes the Attorney General to designate and assist state high intensity gang activity areas in combating gang activity. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to establish a National Gang Research, Evaluation, and Policy Institute to design and evaluate anti-gang programs. Authorizes the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to develop community-based programs that provide crime prevention, research, and intervention services for gang members and at-risk youth. Authorizes the Attorney General to expand the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program and the Safe Streets Program. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a National Gang Activity Database; and (2) provide funding to the Regional Information Sharing Systems to use RISSNET to connect existing gang information systems with the Database. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to provide grants to assist prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in identifying gang members and violent offenders. Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to direct the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to expand the number of sites receiving juvenile delinquency reduction grants. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for carrying out projects involving innovative approaches to combat gang activity. Establishes in the U.S. Marshals Service a Short-Term State Witness Protection Section. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to states for projects to prevent family abductions. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to report on the appropriateness of sentences for minors in the federal criminal justice system. Amends the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 to require the Director of National Drug Control Policy to promote prevention of youth heroin use. Authorizes the National District Attorneys Association to use the National Advocacy Center in South Carolina for a training program to improve the professional skills of state and local prosecutors. Prevention Resources for Eliminating Criminal Activity Using Tailored Interventions in Our Neighborhoods Act of 2009 or the PRECAUTION Act - Establishes the National Commission on Public Safety Through Crime Prevention to study the effectiveness of crime and delinquency prevention and intervention strategies. Authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make grants for the implementation and evaluation of innovative crime or delinquency prevention or intervention strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid. Allows liability to accrue, and allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act - Recognizes the suffering and the loyalty of the people of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were raped, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war or survivors of compensable injured residents (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents). Defines "compensable Guam decedent" and "compensable Guam victim." Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to specify injuries that would constitute a severe personal injury or a personal injury. Authorizes the Commission to adjudicate claims and determine payment eligibility. Requires: (1) claims to be filed within one year after the Commission publishes public notice of the filing period in the Federal Register; and (2) the Commission to make filing period information available to the public through the media in Guam. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program for research, educational, and media activities that memorialize the events surrounding the occupation of Guam during World War II or honor the loyalty of the people of Guam during such occupation, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Stop the Congressional Pay Raise Act - Declares that no automatic pay adjustment shall be considered to have taken effect in FY2010 in the rates of basic pay for Members of Congress under the General Schedule (thus eliminating the pay adjustment for Members for such fiscal year).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom's Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act or the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act - Encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services to continue: (1) activities on postpartum depression; and (2) research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and treatments for, postpartum conditions. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health may conduct a nationally representative longitudinal study of the relative mental health consequences for women of resolving a pregnancy in various ways. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to make grants for projects for the establishment, operation, and coordination of effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with a postpartum condition and their families. Directs the Secretary to ensure that such projects provide education and services with respect to the diagnosis and management of postpartum conditions. Authorizes such projects to include: (1) delivering or enhancing outpatient home-based health and support services; and (2) providing education to new mothers and their families about postpartum conditions to promote earlier diagnosis and treatment. Sets forth grant requirements. Directs the Secretary to study the benefits of screening for postpartum conditions. Prohibits the Secretary from utilizing amounts appropriated under this Act to carry out activities or programs that are duplicative of activities or programs that are already being carried out through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2009
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation; (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question; and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential; and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer has made substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 46-02 21st Street in Long Island City, New York, as the "Geraldine Ferraro Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
Elimination of Single Parent Tax Act of 2008 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to prohibit states from charging child support recipients for the collection of child support.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2008
Protecting Hospital Outpatient and Community Clinic Services Act of 2008 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from taking any action before April 1, 2009 (including promulgation of regulations, issuance of regulatory guidance, use of federal payment audit procedures, or other administrative action, policy, or practice, including a Medical Assistance Manual transmittal or letter to state Medicaid directors), to impose any restrictions relating to a specified proposed regulation, if such restrictions are more restrictive in any aspect than those that applied to the subject matter of the proposed regulation as of September 27, 2007. Identifies the proposed regulation as the one published on September 28, 2007, relating to the outpatient clinic and hospital facility services definition and upper payment limit under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2008
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide: (1) medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) screening and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) implement a quality assurance program; (2) establish the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (3) establish the WTC Responders Steering Committee and the WTC Community Program Steering Committee; (4) provide for education and outreach on services under the WTC program; (5) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions; (6) conduct research on physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks; and (7) extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the Department to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to: (1) make individuals eligible for compensation under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 for harm as a result of debris removal; and (2) extend the deadline for making a claim for compensation. Sets forth provisions governing the application of the economic substance doctrine to transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2008
Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make disaster loans to assist eligible small businesses that have suffered or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury as the result of increases in the price of gasoline or diesel fuel. Makes eligible for such loans small businesses engaged in the transportation of persons or property for hire. Limits loan amounts to $250,000, with an authorized waiver by the SBA. States that, for purposes of such assistance, no declaration of a disaster area is required.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2008
Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to exempt from the prohibition on receiving direct payments, counter-cyclical payments, or average crop revenue election payments when the sum of a farm's base acres is 10 acres or less: (1) a farm owned by a socially disadvantaged or limited resource farmer or rancher; or (2) a producer whose aggregate total base acres of all farms are greater than 10 acres, including farms owned by a producer or operated by a producer with the owner's concurrence, including farms operated under a crop-share lease arrangement. Permits a producer to reconstitute any farms to exceed the 10 base acre minimum through consolidation of the farms' base acreage.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2008
Energy for Schools Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) state educational agencies (SEAs) in order to award subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist public schools with the increased costs of fuel for school buses and energy for public school buildings; and (2) LEAs that do not receive a subgrant from an SEA.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Second Amendment Enforcement Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (FCRA) to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or is readily restored to shoot automatically, more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Includes the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) requirement that licensed firearms dealers keep records of ammunition received into inventory and ammunition sold or transferred; and (3) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Amends FCRA to allow an individual to possess ammunition in the District if the individual owns (currently, holds the valid registration certificate for) a firearm of the same guage or caliber as such ammunition. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person. Amends the federal criminal code to make it lawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell or deliver a handgun to a District resident if such individual is licensed in Maryland or Virginia to do so.
![Official portrait of Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000555_200.jpg)