United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2009 - Sets conditions for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Allows the introduction of collateral source benefits and the amount paid to secure such benefits as evidence. Prohibits a provider of such benefits from recovering any amount from an award in a health care lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death. Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Denies punitive damages in the case of products approved, cleared, or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or otherwise considered in compliance with FDA standards. Provides for periodic payments of future damages.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009 - Amends the Peace Corps Act to: (1) authorize appropriations for the Peace Corps; and (2) increase readjustment allowances for Peace Corps volunteers and volunteer leaders.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Condemns the government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Calls on the government of Iran to release the seven leaders and all other prisoners held solely on account of their religion, including: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, Ms. Raha Sabet, Mr. Sasan Taqva, and Ms. Haleh Roohi.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) Bosnia and Herzegovina work toward the creation of an effective state; (2) any agreement on constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina should advance the principles of democracy and human rights and be consistent with the goal of European Union (EU) membership; (3) continued efforts should be made domestically and at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia to achieve justice for victims of war crimes and to promote ethnic reconciliation; and (4) the United States should work with the EU in the transition to a European Union Special Representative to manage post-Office of the High Representative Bosnia and Herzegovina.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2009
Expresses the sense of the House Representatives that the poet Robert Burns was a true friend of the United States, that his work inspired the citizens of this nation, as well as his native Scotland, and that the annual celebration of his birth is a tradition that transcends national boundaries, and as a result, should be observed.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act - Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 to require a program under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides chiropractic care and services to veterans through Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and clinics to be carried out at: (1) no fewer than 75 medical centers by December 31, 2010; and (2) all medical centers by December 31, 2012. Includes chiropractic examinations and services within required VA medical, rehabilitative, and preventive health care services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Promoting Health Information Technology Act of 2009 - Establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Establishes the Health Information Technology Resource Center to provide assistance for the adoption and use of interoperable health information technology. Amends title XI (General Provisions, Peer Review, and Administrative Simplification) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for an expedited upgrade program to develop and approve additions and modifications to adopted standards for the electronic exchange of health information. Sets forth the process for such additions and modifications. Prohibits federal funds from being used for the purchase of any health information technology that has not been certified in compliance with such standards. Requires federal agencies to comply with standards. Requires the Secretary to study current federal security and confidentiality standards. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the limit on the amount a taxpayer may elect to expense for health care information technology as a depreciable asset. Requires the Secretary to encourage and facilitate the adoption of state reciprocity agreements for practitioner licensure in order to expedite the provision across state lines of telehealth services. Provides for studies related to telehealth services, including on expanding the list of Medicare telehealth originating sites, to include mental health facilities. Requires the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services to make federally qualified health centers eligible to participate in demonstration projects related to health records and heath information technology. Requires the Secretary to establish an interest-free loan program for hospitals to purchase and implement certified health information technology products.
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 · 12 February 2009
Requires the President to issue a proclamation each year: (1) recognizing the anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln; and (2) encouraging state and local educational agencies to devote sufficient time to study and appreciate the significance of Lincoln in the development of American history and the spread of freedom worldwide.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2009
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2009
Keeping America's Food Safe Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require: (1) certification of any food safety laboratory or a sampling service that is analyzing, testing, or collecting samples of imported food; and (2) such laboratories or services to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services the results of all tests conducted on behalf of an importer. Sets forth civil penalties for: (1) an importer that knowingly engages in the falsification of test results submitted to the Secretary; and (2) a laboratory or service that knowingly submits false test results to the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to establish a certification program to ensure that imported food meets the food safety standards applied to food produced in the United States. Prohibits food from being permitted entry into the United States from a foreign facility in a foreign country unless there are certifications from the facility and country, except if the certification is not needed for the Secretary's evaluation of whether the facility's or country's standards are at least equivalent to standards applicable to food produced in the United States. Sets forth certification requirements for foreign countries. Requires the Secretary to develop and maintain websites on: (1) food safety issues; and (2) the development of school curricula regarding food safety issues. Establishes whistle-blower's protections. Revises the definition of "responsible party" to include an establishment that analyzes or tests samples of food for consumption in the United to States to ensure its safety. Requires a responsible party to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 24 hours about test results that suggest that an article of food is reportable food, irrespective of whether the party subsequently determines that such article isn't reportable food. Authorizes the Secretary to request and, in the absence of voluntary compliance, to order an establishment to recall food that has been distributed and that presents a risk of illness, injury, or gross consumer deception when necessary to protect the public health.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Truth in Accounting Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to include in the audited financial statement of executive branch accounts of the previous year a calculation of the net present value of the overall fiscal exposures of the U.S. government. Requires such financial statement to include a program-by-program calculation of: (1) the generational imbalance; (2) the fiscal imbalance; and (3) the total amount of the fiscal imbalance plus the public debt. Instructs the President, in preparing the federal budget, to take this financial statement into consideration, including the effect of the overall budget upon: (1) the generational imbalance calculation and the fiscal imbalance calculation; and (2) the net present value of the overall fiscal exposures of the federal government. Directs the Secretary to testify each year before Congress on the financial statement for the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) assess the financial condition of the U.S. government in an annual report to Congress; and (2) testify before Congress on that condition, upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2009
Family-Friendly Workplace Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to private employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required. Authorizes an employer to provide compensatory time only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, an agreement between the employer and employee. Prohibits an employee from accruing more than 160 hours of compensatory time. Requires an employee's employer to provide monetary compensation, after the end of a calendar year, for any unused compensatory time off accrued during the preceding year. Requires an employer to give employees 30-day notice before discontinuing compensatory time off. Prohibits an employer from intimidating, threatening, or coercing an employee in order to: (1) interfere with the employee's right to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment of monetary overtime compensation; or (2) require an employee to use such compensatory time. Makes an employer who violates such requirements liable to the affected employee in the amount of the compensation rate for each hour of compensatory time accrued, plus an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, reduced for each hour of compensatory time used.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2009
Commemorates the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. Recognizes his commitment to unity and harmony in the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to recommit to fulfilling his vision of equal rights for all.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) prior to donation, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Middle Class Investor Relief Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $20,000 the limitation on the amount of losses from the sale or exchange of capital assets that an individual taxpayer may deduct in a taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 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 · 4 February 2009
Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2009 - Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 to extend the award of remaining coral reef conservation program grant funds to appropriate projects, including monitoring and assessment, research, pollution reduction, education, and technical support. Authorizes actions to minimize injury to a coral reef or loss of an ecosystem function from vessel impacts, derelict fishing gear, vessel anchors and anchor chains, and unforeseen or disaster-related circumstances as a result of human activities and to stabilize, repair, or restore the reef, including vessel removal and emergency stabilization of the vessel or reef. Deems specified terms (such as "sanctuary resources" and "national marine sanctuary") to include any coral reef that is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States or (subject to state consent) any state, regardless of whether the reef is in a national marine sanctuary. Modifies the Act's purposes, the goals and objectives of the national coral reef action strategy, and the Act's authorized activities. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to provide for the long-term stewardship of environmental data. Allows the Coral Reef Conservation Fund to be used to address emergency response actions. Authorizes the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to: (1) make community-based planning grants for increased protection of high priority coral reefs; (2) maintain an inventory of all vessel grounding incidents involving coral reefs; and (3) identify all coral reefs with a high incidence of vessel impacts and measures to reduce such impacts. Establishes the International Coral Reef Conservation Program for ecosystems outside U.S. jurisdiction and establishes an international coral reef ecosystem partnership program. Establishes the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to coordinate federal actions regarding such ecosystems. Amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to include such ecosystems in the definition of "wildlife" and "wildlife resources." Requires, regarding authorities under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978, that references to "wildlife" and "fish and wildlife" be construed to include such ecosystems. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, subject to appropriations, to provide financial assistance to coastal states.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2009
Stem Cell Research Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) prior to donation, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to issue guidelines on research involving human embryonic stem cells. Authorizes the Director to issue guidelines on research involving other human stem cells, as scientifically warranted. Provides for updates of guidelines under this Act. Directs the Secretary to take into consideration guidelines on human stem cell research developed by nationally- and internationally- recognized scientific organizations. Requires NIH research to comply with guidelines under this Act. Requires the Director to: (1) determine the extent to which the guidelines under this Act apply to research on human embryonic stem cells derived before the effective date of such guidelines; and (2) include in its biennial report to Congress a summary of research activities on human stem cells.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Pancreatic Cancer Research and Education Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and implement a Pancreatic Cancer Initiative to assist in coordinating activities to address the high mortality rate associated with pancreatic cancer. Requires the Secretary to establish the Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Coordinating Committee to: (1) provide advice on overall research objectives and benchmarks for pancreatic cancer research; (2) develop and annually update a strategic plan for pancreatic cancer research awareness; and (3) conduct evaluations and make recommendations to the Secretary, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Director of the National Cancer Institute regarding the prioritization and award of NIH research grants relating to pancreatic cancer. Requires the Secretary to develop a primary care provider education program on pancreatic cancer. Requires the Director of NIH and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a communication tool kit for patients and their families that focuses on specific pancreatic cancer issues relating to patient choices and patient care. Allows the Secretary to award grants to research institutions for use in developing innovative compounds or technologies for the prevention, early detection, or treatment of those cancers with five-year survival rates of less than 50%. Requires the Secretary to focus on pancreatic cancer during the initial five fiscal years of awarding such grants. Allows the Secretary to designate two additional Specialized Programs of Research Excellence focusing solely on pancreatic cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 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 · 28 January 2009
Pediatric Research Consortia Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements for planning, establishing, and providing basic operating support for up to 20 national pediatric research consortia. Requires each such consortium to: (1) supplement, but not replace, the establishment of a comprehensive pediatric research portfolio; (2) conduct basic, clinical, behavioral, social, and translational research; and (3) conduct training and demonstration of advanced diagnostic and treatment methods relating to pediatrics. Requires the Director of NIH to provide for the coordination of information and ensure regular communication between consortia.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2009
Urges the Secretary of State to take measures to certify that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) operates in full compliance with the Foreign Assistance Act and that no American taxpayer dollars are being directed to terrorists or to further terrorist propaganda. Calls on UNRWA to improve the transparency of educational materials used in UNRWA-administered schools. Urges UNRWA to implement terrorist name recognition software and other screening procedures to help ensure that UNRWA staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries are neither terrorists nor affiliated with terrorist organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2009
Home Front to Heroes Postal Benefits Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide for a program under which postal benefit vouchers are provided during FY2010 for members of the Armed Forces who are serving in overseas operations or who are hospitalized due to a disease or injury incurred as a result of such service. Permits the vouchers to be transferred to another person to allow that person to mail correspondence and small parcels to the member. Limits vouchers to one per month. Allows a voucher earned during FY2010 to be used after the end of that fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to transfer to the Postal Service an amount representing the amount of the vouchers used.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2009 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to revise the medical criteria for evaluating disability caused by adult-onset and juvenile Huntington's Disease. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility for individuals disabled by Huntington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Amends Rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) of the Rules of the House of Representatives with respect to whether a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissiorer (Member) has a financial interest in any requested congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit in any bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report), or in any related conference report (or accompanying joint statement of managers). Treats as such a financial interest any campaign contribution to such individual in excess of a de minimis amount made by or on behalf of: (1) any political, for profit, or nonprofit entity; (2) any employee or person affiliated with any such entity; or (3) any political action committee (PAC) established by, administered by, or affiliated with any such entity, by or on behalf of its registered lobbyist, or by or on behalf of such PAC during the current or previous session of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2009
Supports the goals and ideals of National Campus Safety Awareness Month. Encourages colleges and universities to provide campus safety and other crime awareness and prevention programs to all students throughout the year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes; and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income).
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
SCHIP Expansion for Kids in Need Act of 2009 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) to require states to provide SCHIP priority to children in families with gross income below 200% of the federal poverty level. Declares that no state child health plan shall be considered approved for a fiscal year unless the state has developed and submitted to the Secretary of Health and Human Services a plan to assure that all qualified low-income children are covered by creditable health coverage, such a plan has been approved, and the state implements it beginning with FY2010. Declares that no payment to a state that increases its state child health plan income eligibility level above the one in effect as of the enactment of this Act shall be made for any amount expended for an individual whose family income exceeds the unincreased income eligibility level unless no more than 10% percent of qualified low-income children residing in the state are still not covered under creditable health coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act of 2009 - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to: (1) shifting the funding mechanism for the regular budget of the United Nations from an assessed to a voluntary basis; (2) reform of U.N. peacekeeping operations; and (3) Security Council expansion. Withholds nonvoluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the United Nations: (1) unless the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that 80% of the the total regular budget of the United Nations is apportioned on a voluntary basis; and (2) to a U.N. human rights treaty monitoring body or committee that was established by a convention or a covenant to which the United States is not party. Establishes the Office of the United States Inspector General for Contributions to the United Nations System. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of a U.S. contribution to any U.N. entity unless the entity has provided the Inspector General with a transparency certification and is in compliance with such certification. Directs the Secretary to audit and report to the appropriate congressional committees respecting duplicative entities and efforts related to Israeli-Palestinian issues. Withholds funds for such entities until any report recommendations are implemented. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations with respect to: (1) publication of all U.N. subsidiary bodies and their functions, budgets, staff, and contributions; (2) employee, agency, and funding financial disclosure; (3) waiver of immunity; (4) adoption of a definition of terrorism and a comprehensive convention on terrorism; (5) anti-Semitism at the United Nations; and (6) Israel's inclusion in the Western European and Others Group. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to: (1) establish an Office of Compliance in the Secretariat of the IAEA; and (2) prohibit Iran's access to nuclear material, technology, equipment, or assistance until the IAEA determines that Iran is providing full access to IAEA inspectors and has permanently ceased and dismantled all nuclear-enrichment and reprocessing activities. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding U.N. reforms and personnel. Withholds annual U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) until certain conditions are certified, and then provides UNRWA with limited contributions. Withholds U.S. contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Council until the Secretary certifies to Congress that the Council does not include a member state: (1) subject to Security Council sanctions; (2) under a Security Council-mandated investigation for human rights abuses; (3) subject, within the prior five years, to a country-specific resolution passed by the former U.N. Human Rights Commission; (4) which the Secretary has determined is a government that has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism; or (5) which the President has designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Disapproves and nullifies the rule submitted by the Departments of the Interior and Commerce relating to interagency cooperation under the Endangered Species Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2009
Recognizes the need to continue diabetes research. Commends hospitals, community clinics, educational institutes, and other organizations that are: (1) working to increase diabetes awareness; and (2) conducting research for methods to help patients and families in the Latino community suffering from diabetes. Congratulates the work of the Latino Diabetes Association. Expresses support for the designation of Latino Diabetes Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to three years for possessing, shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption. Reduces the prison term to one year if the offense involves less than five horses or less than 2,000 pounds of horse flesh or carcass and the offender has no prior conviction for this offense.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2105 East Cook Street in Springfield, Illinois, as the "Colonel John H. Wilson, Jr. Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require certain vessels operating in U.S. waters to have invasive species management plans; (2) direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish vessel performance requirements, including provisions for ballast water exchange, treatment, and discharge, and civil and criminal penalties for violations; (3) require federal agencies to restrict the importation of live aquatic organisms of species not in trade without screening and approval; and (4) declare importation of such species to be unlawful and prescribe civil and criminal penalties for violations. Renames the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 as the Nonindigenous Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control Act of 1990. National Invasive Species Council Act - Prohibits federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would promote the introduction or spread of invasive species unless the benefits of the action outweigh the harm. Establishes the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) as an independent entity in the executive branch to lead and coordinate efforts to minimize the negative effects caused by invasive species and to reduce the threat of further invasions. Requires NISC to develop a National Invasive Species Management Plan and to establish an Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Reauthorizes and modifies the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide funding for wastewater assistance to certain municipalities and small publicly-owned treatment works; (2) authorize states to provide additional subsidization to benefit certain municipalities or state agencies that already receive assistance from the water pollution control revolving fund or to implement certain alternative techniques; (3) replace each reference to "navigable waters of the United States" with a reference to "waters of the United States"; (4) require the Great Lakes National Program Office to provide grants to reduce the quantity of mercury in the Great Lakes; and (5) require the President include a joint Great Lakes research plan in the annual budget submitted to Congress. Authorizes funding for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants for Great Lakes research and monitoring activities. Requires: (1) the President, acting through the National Ocean Research Leadership Council, to establish a system that detects and predicts changes in the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes environment that impact certain U.S. systems; and (2) the Council to establish an interagency program office to be known as OceanUS to be responsible for program planning and coordination of such system. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Program Office to develop specified science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide financial assistance for certain restoration or remediation projects; and (2) restore and remediate waterfronts and related areas. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as established by Executive Order 13340, as a task force within EPA; (2) a Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Executive Committee to hold meetings and make recommendations and reports on Great Lakes restoration goals and progress; and (3) the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to develop a restoration and protection strategy for use in Great Lakes program implementation and funding decisions, to serve as a forum for addressing regional issues relating to ecosystem restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, and to establish an oversight forum to coordinate and enhance implementation of Great Lakes programs. Provides funding for a variety of Great Lakes programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2009
Capital Gains and Estate Tax Relief Act of 2009 - Makes permanent the reduction in capital gains tax rates (from 20 to 15%) enacted by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) restore the unified credit against gift tax liability; (2) provide for annual increases in the estate tax exclusion amount between 2010 and 2015 and establish a permanent exclusion amount of $5 million for 2015 and thereafter; (3) provide for an inflation adjustment to the estate tax exclusion amount after 2015; (4) reduce estate tax rate brackets; and (5) allow a surviving spouse to use the unused unified estate tax credit of a deceased spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether state law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the Authority to issue regulations establishing rights and responsibilities for public safety employers and employees in states that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the Authority, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a voting majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of Authority regulations and orders, as well as prohibitions against lockouts or strikes, through appropriate state courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Prevention Through Affordable Access Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for the best price component of the formula for determination of the Medicaid rebate for a covered single source outpatient drug or a covered innovator multiple source outpatient drug. (Under current law, best prices shall not take into account prices that are merely nominal in amount.) Revises the list of entities to which sales by a manufacturer of covered outpatient drugs at nominal prices shall be considered to be sales at a nominal price, or merely nominal in amount (and thus excluded from computation of the best price for such drugs). Adds to such list any entity that is: (1) operated by a health center of an institution of higher education, primarily for its students (university-based clinic); or (2) a public or private nonprofit entity that provides family planning services under the Public Health Service Act (safety-net clinic).
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Protecting Senior's Nest Egg Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2010 the suspension of minimum distribution rules for tax-deferred retirement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Prohibits the use of federal funds for a project or program named for an individual currently serving as a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or Senator of the U.S. Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Boutique Fuel Reduction Act of 2009 - Amends the Clean Air Act to add as "extreme and unusual circumstances that prevent the distribution of an adequate supply of fuel or fuel additives to consumers" under which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may temporarily waive a control or prohibition on the use of a fuel or fuel additive circumstances that are the result of unexpected problems with equipment necessary for transportation and delivery of fuel or fuel additives. States that EPA shall have no authority, when considering a state implementation plan (SIP) or SIP revision, to approve any fuel included in such plan or revision if the effect of such approval increases the total number of fuels set forth on the published list of approved fuels (currently EPA does not have the authority to approve a fuel if it increases the total number of fuels approved as of September 1, 2004, in all SIPs). Requires notice and opportunity for comment before the Administrator removes a fuel from the list. Requires EPA to remove a fuel from the list if such fuel has ceased to be included in an SIP or is identical to a federal fuel control or prohibition. Repeals provisions prohibiting EPA from reducing the total number of authorized fuels. Requires EPA to publish a revised list reflecting the reduction in the number of fuels. Deletes as a condition under which the Administrator's authority to approve a control or prohibition respecting any new fuel is limited that such new fuel will increase the total number of fuels on the list.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Urges the President and the Secretary of State to: (1) build upon U.S. policy by publicly declaring that the United States will not fund or participate in any portion of the Durban Review Conference or its preparatory activities; (2) withhold from U.S. funding for the United Nations regular budget an amount equivalent to the U.S. share of assessed contributions for the Conference and such activities; and (3) lead high-level diplomatic efforts to encourage other responsible nations to not fund or participate in the Conference or such activities and to explore alternative forums for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. Commends Canada and Israel for publicly refusing to fund or participate in the Conference.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2009
Recognizes the threat that the spread of radical Islamist terrorism and Iranian adventurism in Africa poses to the United States, our allies, and interests. Acknowledges the commitment and cooperation of some African governments and regional organizations to deny the use of their territory to radical Islamist terrorist organizations. Calls on the U.S. government to work with governments in Africa to pursue an antiterrorism campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2009 - Prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. Sets forth civil penalties for persons who knowingly violate such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Kidney Disease Educational Benefits Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of kidney disease education services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Joseph Barnett Kirsner, M.D., Ph.D. (a leader in the field of gastroenterology) in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2009
Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to: (1) reinstate rule 10a-1 (the uptick rule) governing short sales of securities; (2) rescind the prohibition against applying certain price tests to short sales; and (3) reinstate price test restrictions that applied to short sales of securities prior to SEC action in a specified proceeding on June 28, 2007.
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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000360_200.jpg)