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United States · Official source
3,868 records where Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2009
Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification, for depreciation purposes, of any motorsports entertainment complex as seven-year property.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2009
Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award multiyear grants to consortia: (1) to conduct research to create innovative and practical approaches to manage the environmental impacts of electronic devices through recycling, reuse, reduction of the use of hazardous materials, and life-cycle extension; and (2) through such research, to contribute to the professional development of scientists, engineers, and technicians in the fields of electronic device manufacturing, design, refurbishing, and recycling. Provides for the protection of proprietary information of trade secrets provided by any person or entity pursuant to this Act. Requires the Administrator to enter into an arrangement for the National Academy of Sciences to report to Congress on: (1) opportunities for, and barriers to, increasing the recyclability of electronic devices and making electronic devises safer and more environmentally friendly; (2) the risks posed by the storage, transport, recycling, and disposal of unwanted electronic devices; (3) the current status of research and training programs to promote the environmental design of electronic devices to increase the recyclability of such devices; and (4) regulatory or statutory barriers that may prevent the adoption or implementation of best management practices or technological innovations that may arise from the research and training programs established in this Act. Requires such reports to: (1) identify gaps in the current research and training programs in addressing the opportunities, barriers, and risks relating to electronic device recycling; and (2) recommend areas where additional research and development resources are needed to reduce the impact of unwanted electronic devices on the environment. Requires the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education to develop curricula that incorporates the principles of environmental design into the development of electronic devices: (1) for the training of engineers and other students; and (2) to support the continuing education of professionals in the electronic device manufacturing, design, refurbishing, or recycling industries. Requires: (1) the Administrator to conduct outreach to minority serving institutions to provide information about the grants; and (2) such grants to be used for activities that enhance the ability of an institution to broaden the engineering or professional continuing education curriculum to include environmental engineering design principles and consideration of product lifecycles related to electronic devices and increasing the recyclability of such devices. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to: (1) establish an initiative to develop a comprehensive physical property database for environmentally friendly alternative materials for use in electronic devices; and (2) develop a strategic plan to establish priorities and physical property characterization requirements for the database.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act or the FACE Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth automatic citizenship criteria for a child adopted outside the United States by a U.S. citizen parent. Deems such an adopted child to be a U.S. citizen at birth. Deems to be a U.S. citizen at birth, after the approval of an application filed within the United States or with a U.S. Embassy, a person who: (1) is older than 18 years of age; (2) was born outside the United States and was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent before such person reached 18 years of age; and (3) was adopted under 16 years of age and has lived with the adoptive parents for at least two years, was abused, or is an orphan who was under 16 years of age at the time an immediate relative status petition was filed on his or her behalf. Includes within the definition of nonimmigrant an individual brought to the United States as a child to be adopted by a U.S. citizen. Expresses the sense of Congress that the government of each foreign country from which children are adopted by U.S. citizens should provide the adoptive family with birth history documentation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include in the definition of "child," and thus in the exemption from required admissions vaccination documentation, certain children who have been adopted in a foreign country that is a signatory to the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Convention) or who are emigrating from such a country for U.S. adoption. Includes in such definition and exemption a child who is under the age of 18 at the time an immediate relative status petition is filed on his or her behalf, has been adopted abroad or is coming for U.S. adoption, and is the natural sibling of: (1) an adopted child from a Hague Convention signatory country; (2) a child adopted under the age of 16 who has lived with the adoptive parents for at least two years, or a child who has been abused; or (3) an orphan who was under the age of 16 at the time an immediate relative status petition was filed on his or her behalf.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2009
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 - 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) initial health evaluation, monitoring, 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 on the World Trade Center; 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.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2009
Disaster State Housing Recovery Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 with respect to grants for 2009 to a state housing credit agency for low-income housing projects in lieu of low-income housing credit allocations. Revises the formula for determining a state's low-income housing grant election amount to reflect any increase in the state housing credit ceiling for 2009 attributable to any such ceiling returned to the state in 2009 by reason of the additional low-income housing credit dollar amounts allocated by the state housing credit agency to buildings located in the Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone (including the Hurricanes Katrina and Ike disaster areas in Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi). Requires application of the additional low-income housing credit amount for the GO Zone in the 2009 grant election formula without regard to certain special rules for small timber producers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2009
Commends the recreational boating community and the U.S. boating industry for contributing to the economy, benefiting the well-being of U.S. citizens, and providing responsible environmental stewardship of marine resources. Urges the United States to observe National Boating Day.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2009
Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reestablish the Program Office of the Gulf of Mexico Program as an office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be headed by a Director. Requires the Office to: (1) coordinate the actions of EPA and of other federal agencies and state and local authorities; (2) assist in developing specific action plans to carry out the program; (3) coordinate and implement priority state- and community-led restoration plans and projects and facilitate activities that support the program; (4) implement outreach programs to foster stewardship of the Gulf's resources; (5) develop and make available information about the environmental quality and living resources of the Gulf; (6) serve as the liaison with the Mexican members of the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and Mexican counterparts of the EPA; and (7) focus on activities that will result in measurable improvements to water quality and living resources of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Authorizes the EPA Administrator to enter into interagency agreements to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to provide grants for use in: (1) monitoring the water quality and living resources of the Gulf ecosystem; (2) researching the effects of environmental changes on such water quality and resources; (3) developing cooperative strategies that address the water quality and needs of Gulf resources; (4) developing locally-based protection and restoration programs or projects within a watershed that complement those strategies; and (5) eliminating or reducing point sources that discharge pollutants that contaminate the Gulf ecosystem.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Emergency Management Assistance Compact Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to authorize the use of Emergency Management Assistance Compact grants to: (1) educate emergency response providers by offering training materials and courses relating to the Compact; (2) conduct exercises regarding deployments under the Compact and related procedures; (3) establish a system for tracking resources deployed under the Compact; and (4) conduct after-action assessments, prepare reports, and carry out recommendations in response to large-scale activations, as determined appropriate by Compact administrators. Authorizes appropriations for Compact grants for FY2010-2012.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act of 2009 - Prohibits an automobile manufacturer (manufacturer) in which the federal government has an ownership interest, or which receives loans from the federal government, from depriving an automobile dealer (dealer) of its economic rights. Requires the manufacturer to honor those rights as they existed for Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corporation dealers prior to the commencement of the bankruptcy cases of each corporation, including dealer rights to recourse under state law. Requires the appropriate manufacturer to restore the franchise agreement between the dealers and Chrysler LLC or General Motors that was in effect prior to the commencement of their respective bankruptcy cases, and to take assignment of such agreements. States that nothing in this Act is intended to make null and void the transfer of substantially all the assets of such corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2009
Recognizes that prostate cancer has created a health crisis for African-American men. Urges federal agencies to designate additional funds for research and for education, awareness, and early detection efforts at the grassroots level to end that crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Expresses sympathy for the family, friends, and patients of Dr. George Tiller (who was shot to death on May 31, 2009). Condemns the use of violence: (1) to prevent women from receiving reproductive health care; and (2) as a means of resolving differences of opinion.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2009
Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation & Surgery (CARES) Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan that covers surgical benefits to also cover outpatient and inpatient diagnosis and treatment of a congenital or developmental deformity, disease, or injury of a minor child (defined as child under the age of 22). Requires that such coverage: (1) be subject to pre-authorization or pre-certification requirements of the plan or issuer; and (2) include any surgical treatment deemed by the treating physician to be medically necessary to approximate a normal appearance. Defines "treatment" to include reconstructive surgical procedures that are performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease, including: (1) procedures that do not materially affect the function of the body part being treated; and (2) procedures for secondary conditions and follow-up treatment. Excludes cosmetic surgery performed to reshape normal structures of the body to improve appearance or self-esteem.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2009
Offers deepest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Stephen T. Johns. Commends the staff members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for their courage and bravery in responding to the attack on June 10, 2009. Condemns: (1) anti-Semitism and all forms of religious, ethnic, and racial bigotry; and (2) acts of physical violence against, and harassment of, people based on race, gender, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. Calls on the leaders of all nations to speak out against the manifestations of anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hatred.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2009
Acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws. Apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws. Expresses Congress's recommitment to the principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all people of the United States to work toward eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and discrimination from our society. Declares that nothing in this resolution authorizes, supports, or serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2009
Modifies the rate of accrual of annual leave for administrative law judges, contract appeals board members, and immigration judges to require accrual of one day of annual leave for each full biweekly pay period.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2009
SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act with respect to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to extend funding and revise provisions, including those concerning set-asides and award levels, qualifications for program participation, collaboration and partnerships, acquisition preferences, performance measurement and oversight, workforce development, the Department of Defense (DOD) commercialization pilot program, nanotechnology, and intellectual property protections.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2009
Entrepreneurial Development Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act to reauthorize for FY2010-FY2012 the following programs for small businesses administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA): (1) the SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) program; (2) the small business development center (SBDC) program; (3) the drug-free workplace program; and (4) the women's business center program and the National Women's Business Council. Revises or adds provisions concerning the women's business center program with respect to: (1) the Office of Women's Business Ownership; (2) financial assistance; (3) the Interagency Committee on Women's Business Enterprise; and (4) a study of unique business issues facing women's business centers located in certain areas. Native American Small Business Development Act of 2009 - Establishes within the SBA the Office of Native American Affairs to implement programs for the development of business enterprises by Native Americans. Requires: (1) the SBA to provide financial assistance to create Native American business centers; and (2) each business center to conduct Native American business development assistance projects. Requires a study of unique economic issues facing Native American business centers. Authorizes a pilot program of economic development opportunities for Indian tribes. Establishes a veterans' business center program to provide financial assistance to private nonprofit organizations to conduct projects for the benefit of small businesses owned and controlled by veterans. Requires each organization to establish a veterans' business center to provide specific assistance to veterans, service-disabled veterans, and reservists, as well as their spouses. Directs the SBA's Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development to establish a microenterprise training and technical assistance and capacity building services grant program of training and technical assistance to disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Requires the SBA Administrator to make grants to resource partners to provide small businesses with information and educational materials regarding health insurance options, including coverage options within the small group market. Directs the President to convene a National Small Business Summit to examine present conditions and the future of U.S. small businesses. Allows the SBA Administrator to authorize a SBDC to provide assistance to small businesses outside the state of that SBDC if the small business is in an area for which the President has declared a major disaster. Requires the Comptroller General to evaluate SBDC pilot programs established or amended under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Medicaid Services Restoration Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend medical assistance coverage to therapeutic foster care services. Allows reasonable and efficient payment methodologies, including fee-for-service payments, case rates, daily rates, or other forms of capitated payment, as means of reimbursement for rehabilitative services. Includes medical or remedial services for attainment and retention of functional status among rehabilitative services. Includes among inpatient psychiatric hospital services for children early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services. Allows payment for medical assistance for diagnostic, screening, preventive, and rehabilitative services or optional targeted case management services furnished by qualified providers under non-medical programs, provided a state or local agency administering such plan complies with certain requirements. Allows reasonable and efficient payment methodologies for reimbursement for case management and targeted case management services. Authorizes the state to: (1) require case management services for each beneficiary; and (2) limit the case managers available in order to ensure that the case managers for eligible individuals are capable of ensuring that such individuals receive needed services. Allows staff of non-medical programs, or contractors with non-medical programs, to offer such services, so long as: (1) such individuals are state-qualified providers; and (2) the case management services are distinct from the non-medical program's direct services. Redefines case management services to mean those furnished to assist eligible individuals, who reside in a community setting or are transitioning to a community setting, in gaining access to needed medical, social, educational, and other services. Allows a state to provide case management or targeted case management services through multiple case managers to: (1) any qualified individual; (2) specific classes of individuals; or (3) individuals who reside in specified areas selected by the state.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Empowerment Zone, Renewal Community and Enterprise Community Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to tax-preferred empowerment zones, rural enterprise communities, and renewal communities to: (1) extend the period of designation for such areas through 2015; (2) provide a safe harbor standard for employee residency requirements in empowerment zones; (3) eliminate certain residency requirements for the empowerment zone employment tax credit; (4) grant authority to expand the boundaries of empowerment zones and enterprise communities, including those located in rural areas; (5) allow carryovers of unused expensing allowances for enterprise zone businesses; (6) allow certain empowerment zone businesses to elect to receive payments in lieu of tax benefits; (7) allow federal guarantees and tax exemptions for enterprise zones and renewal communities; and (8) allow the issuance of tax-exempt rural enterprise community bonds and empowerment zone facility bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Amends the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 to renew, for three years, the President's authority to ban the import of Burmese products. Approves the renewal of certain import restrictions contained in the Act. Deems this resolution a renewal resolution which shall take effect upon its enactment or July 26, 2009, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2009
Small Business International Trade Enhancements Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act to establish an Associate Administrator for International Trade as the head of the Office of International Trade of the Small Business Administration (SBA), who shall be responsible for international trade policy. Grants the SBA Administrator the authority to appoint additional Associate Administrators. Requires Export Assistance Centers (one-stop shops for U.S. exporters) to aid the Associate Administrator in maintaining a trade distribution network for trade promotion and trade assistance for small businesses. Requires the Associate Administrator to establish annual goals to enhance the export capabilities of small businesses and small manufacturers to compete against foreign entities. Directs the Associate Administrator, in order to provide small businesses access to certain export financing programs, to appoint at least one trade financial specialist within the SBA to oversee international loan programs and assist SBA employees with trade finance issues. Directs the SBA Administrator to ensure that the number of full -time equivalent Office employees assigned to the Export Assistance Centers for U.S. exporters is at least the number that were assigned on January 1, 2003. Increases: (1) the total outstanding amount of an international trade loan guaranteed by the SBA under the Export Working Capital Program; (2) the maximum amount of an international trade loan; and (3) the maximum amount available for export working capital, supplies, or financing. Allows such loan to be secured by a second lien position on the property or equipment financed by the loan or on other assets of the small business concern. (Currently, a first lien position or first mortgage on the property, equipment, or other business assets is required.) Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) should establish the position of Assistant USTR for Small Business to promote the trade interests of small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2009
Homes for Heroes Act of 2009 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veteran access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs; (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans; and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families (that is, families with incomes not exceeding 50% of the area median income). Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to all homeless veterans, regardless of medical condition; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning. Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans; and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the VA Secretary on HUD activities relating to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act - Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to reauthorize appropriations for FY2010-FY2014 for the safe routes to school program. Revises program requirements to specify children kindergarten through 12th grade as the ones to be benefited by the program. Revises apportionments to replace the current specific dollar amounts with formulae. Includes projects for other nonmotorized modes of transportation besides walking and bicycling as noninfrastructure-related projects. Authorizes states to set-aside up to 10% of apportioned funds for infrastructure improvements that create safe routes to bus stops located outside of the vicinity of schools. Requires any state that receives an apportionment of funds to form a multidisciplinary state advisory committee. Prescribes requirements for the treatment of noninfrastructure and infrastructure projects. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) develop and implement a comprehensive plan for evaluating the effectiveness of safe routes to school; and (2) establish a working group of federal agencies, states, and stakeholders to examine the issue of school siting.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009 - Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban depository institution to a U.S. depository institution in payment for a product or agricultural commodity authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to U.S. agricultural producers, cooperative organizations, or state agencies to promote U.S. agricultural exports products to Cuba. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the airport ticket tax for transportation between the United States and Cuba by $1; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Agricultural Export Promotion Trust Fund. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should issue temporary entry visas to Cuban nationals whose itinerary documents an intent to conduct activities, including phytosanitary inspections, relating to the purchase of U.S. agricultural commodities or products. Amends the Democracy Act of 1992 to repeal the requirement for onsite verification of certain medical exports to Cuba. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel. States that: (1) any regulation restricting or prohibiting such travel shall have no effect; and (2) such prohibition shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents. Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the prohibition on enforcement of rights to certain U.S. intellectual properties and such properties' transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 - Provides that a federal employee and his or her domestic partner shall be entitled to benefits available to, and shall be subject to obligations imposed upon, a married federal employee and his or her spouse. Defines "domestic partner" to mean an adult unmarried person living with another adult unmarried person of the same sex in a committed, intimate relationship. Defines "benefits" to include federal health insurance and enhanced dental and vision benefits, retirement and disability benefits, family, medical, and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care insurance, compensation for work injuries, and benefits for disability, death, or captivity. Excludes members of the uniformed services from the definition of "employee." Sets forth requirements for filing: (1) an affidavit of eligibility as such a domestic partner, which shall include a certification that the employee and the domestic partner are each other's sole domestic partners and intend to remain so indefinitely; and (2) a statement upon dissolution of such a domestic partnership.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Deems: (1) certain activity in a coastal high hazard area to be an eligible use of assistance under provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act regarding hazard mitigation and repair, restoration, and replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Gustav, or Ike; and (2) any new construction or substantial improvements to structures under such an activity involving critical actions to not be required to elevate to the 500-year floodplain if it would be impracticable. Makes this Act applicable to any assistance under such Act relating to a major disaster declared on or after August 28, 2005, relating to such hurricanes.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Selected Reserve Continuum of Care Act - Directs (current law authorizes) the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide certain medical and dental services to members of the Selected Reserve and Individual Ready Reserve not otherwise eligible for such services if a qualified health professional determines that the services are necessary to ensure that the member meets applicable standards of medical and dental readiness. Provides funding for such services through the Defense Health Program. Requires (current law authorizes) the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide, to each member of the Ready Reserve ordered to active duty of more than 30 days, necessary medical and dental screening and care to ensure that the member meets applicable medical and dental standards for deployment.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 - Directs the President to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a regional strategy to guide U.S. support for multilateral efforts to eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and to enforce the rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in LRA-affected areas. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs of populations in northeastern Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic affected by LRA activity. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) should work with the appropriate congressional committees to increase future assistance to Uganda if the government of Uganda demonstrates a commitment to reconstruction in war-affected areas of northern and eastern Uganda. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the government of Uganda to: (1) promote local and national reconciliation including mechanisms outlined in the Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation between the government of Uganda and the LRA; and (2) assist internally displaced people, establish mechanisms for the demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, and enhance the competency of local institutions including the police.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Ratepayer Recovery Act of 2009 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to cite conditions under which the President is authorized to make disaster assistance contributions for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of private or investor-owned power transmission and distribution facilities damaged or destroyed by a major disaster. Cites conditions for large in-lieu contributions to a private or investor-owned power facility in any case in which the owner determines that the public welfare would not best be served by repairing, restoring, reconstructing, or replacing the facility.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009 - Amends the Fur Products Labeling Act to: (1) eliminate the exemption to fur labeling requirements for products containing relatively small amounts of fur; and (2) permit states to enforce more restrictive labeling requirements. Directs the the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in the Fur Products Name Guide, to replace the term "Raccoon, Asiatic" with "Dog, Raccoon."
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish the Small Business Information Security Task Force to address the information technology security needs of small businesses and to help small businesses prevent the loss of credit card data. Requires the Task Force, among other duties, to make recommendations to the Administrator on the establishment of an Internet website to be used by the SBA to receive and dispense information and resources with respect to such needs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2009
Honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses during National Small Business Week beginning May 17, 2009. Applauds the efforts and achievements of small business owners and their employees. Recognizes the work of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its resource partners in providing assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Urges the President to ensure that: (1) applicable procurement goals for small businesses are reached by all federal agencies; (2) guaranteed loans, microloans, and venture capital are made available for startup and growing small businesses; (3) necessary federal resources are provided to management assistance programs delivered by SBA resource partners; (4) reforms to the SBA disaster loan program are implemented as quickly as possible; (5) tax policy spurs small business growth, creates jobs, and increases competitiveness; (6) the federal government reduces the regulatory compliance burden on small businesses; and (7) broader health reform efforts address specific needs of small businesses and the self-employed in providing quality and affordable health insurance coverage to their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 - States that it is the policy of the United States to support the decision of state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and to prohibit the investment of assets they control in, persons that have investments of $20 million or more in Iran's energy sector. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, or prohibit the investment of assets they control in, such persons, including financial institutions which extend them credit to so invest. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to shield any registered investment company from civil, criminal, or administrative action based upon its divesting from, or avoiding investing in, securities issued by such persons. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to shield from treatment as breaching a fiduciary duty any person divesting employee benefit plan assets from, or avoiding investing plan assets in, such persons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Medicare Ambulance Access Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to increase to 6% permanently the rate of increase in the fee schedule for ground ambulance services furnished on or after January 1, 2010, in rural and urban areas. Makes permanent the increase in the base rate of the fee schedule the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to make for a trip in the case of ground ambulance services furnished on or after July 1, 2004, (and beyond January 1, 2010) for which the transportation originates in a qualified low population density rural area.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
First Responders Support Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) increase death and disability benefits for public safety officers; and (2) expand educational benefits for dependents of public safety officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for up to $7,500 of the medical expenses paid or incurred by a public safety officer or a family member for injuries sustained while such officer was performing an official duty. Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants for mental health services or counseling to public safety officers seriously injured in the line of duty and the family members of such officers who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the reduction in the rate of the tax credit for producing electricity from open-loop biomass, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash, hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prohibit any employee from being terminated, demoted, or discriminated against in the terms or conditions of employment because the employee is absent or late as a result of serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services as part of a response to an emergency or major disaster. Excludes absences for which the employee: (1) is absent for more than 14 days per calendar year; (2) responds to an emergency or major disaster without being officially deployed in accordance with a coordinator national deployment system; or (3) fails to provide written verification within a reasonable period of time. Allows employers to: (1) reduce the employee's regular pay for such time as the employee is absent; and (2) require the employee to provide written verification from the supervising Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state, or local official that such employee responded in an official capacity at a specified time and date. Requires such an employee to make a reasonable effort to notify his or her employer that he or she may be absent or late. Gives such an employee a private cause of action for discrimination which violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Travel Promotion Act of 2009 - Establishes the Corporation for Travel Promotion as a nonprofit corporation that is not an agency or establishment of the U.S. government. Makes the Corporation subject to the provisions of the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Corporation should not engage in lobbying activities. Requires the Corporation, among other things, to provide useful information to people interested in traveling to the United States, counter and correct misperceptions regarding U.S. entry policy, and promote U.S. travel. Requires the Corporation to establish and maintain a publicly accessible website. Establishes in the Treasury the Travel Promotion Fund. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require (under current law, authorize) the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish and collect a fee for the use of an electronic data sharing system concerning the admissibility of certain aliens into the United States that will ensure recovery of the full costs of providing and administering such system. Terminates such fee following FY2014. Authorizes the Corporation to impose an annual assessment on U.S. members of the travel and tourism industry represented on the Board of Directors of the Corporation. Establishes in the Department of Commerce the Office of Travel Promotion, to be headed by a Director. Amends the International Travel Act of 1961 to require that the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries expand its research and development activities to promote international travel to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2009
Cane River National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Cane River Creole National Historical Park and National Heritage Area Act to: (1) revise the boundaries of the Cane River National Heritage Area, Louisiana; (2) revise the duties of the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission; and (3) terminate such Commission on August 5, 2025 (under current law, on the day occurring 10 years after the first official meeting of the Commission).
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2009
National Park Service and Northwestern State University Collections Conservation Center Act - Amends the Cane River Creole National Historical Park and National Heritage Area Act (the Act) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, to construct a facility on land owned by the University to be used for: (1) housing the museum collection of the Historical Park; (2) providing additional space for use by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training; and (3) providing space to the University for educational purposes related to the Williamson Museum collection if the University pays an appropriate rental fee to the National Park Service (NPS), as determined in such agreement. Requires the proceeds from the rental fees collected pursuant to this Act to be made available for the Historical Park.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Sequestration Program Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out a demonstration program for the commercial application of integrated systems for the capture, injection, monitoring, and long-term geological storage of carbon dioxide from industrial sources. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements to provide financial and technical assistance to up to 10 demonstration projects. Sets forth requirements for demonstration projects relating to site safety, environmental protection and remediation, and site closure. Directs the Secretary of Energy to provide grants for training of state employees involved in permitting and management of carbon capture, transportation, and storage projects.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 or EARLY Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign: (1) to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain racial, ethnic and cultural groups; and (2) focusing on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns. Directs the Secretary to award grants to entities to establish national multimedia campaigns that: (1) will encourage young women to be aware of their personal risk factors, strategies and methods for increasing early detection and self awareness, genetic counseling and testing, imaging-based screening methods, evidence based preventative lifestyle changes, and other appropriate breast cancer early detection and risk reduction strategies; (2) will encourage young women of specific higher-risk populations to talk to their medical practitioners about those risks and methods for appropriate screening and surveillance; and (3) may include advertising through specified media. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish an advisory committee to assist in creating and conducting the public education campaign; (2) conduct an education campaign to increase awareness among health care professionals; and (3) conduct prevention research. Directs the Secretary to award grants to organizations and institutions to provide to young women diagnosed with breast cancer substantive assistance and health information from credible sources on: (1) education and counseling regarding fertility preservation; (2) social, emotional, psychosocial, financial, lifestyle, and caregiver support; (3) familial risk factors; and (4) risk reduction strategies to reduce recurrence or metastasis.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2009 - Authorizes the President to provide assistance, including through multilateral, nongovernmental, and faith-based organizations, to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women. Sets forth priority assistance criteria. Directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to establish a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries and to promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage. Sets forth strategy elements. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that Department of State country reports on human rights practices include a description of the status of child marriage for countries with specified rates of child marriage. Defines "child marriage" as the marriage of a girl or boy not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law in the country in which the girl or boy is a resident.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009 - Amends part B (Child-Welfare Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states to support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using networks of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care. Authorizes a grant award directly to a political subdivision if the subdivision serves a substantial number of foster care youth. Prescribes program implementation guidelines, including: (1) application requirements; (2) training; (3) screening; (4) educational requirements; (5) federal and nonfederal share of funds for the program; (6) considerations in awarding grants; and (7) use of funds. Sets forth a maximum grant amount to be awarded to a state or political subdivision. Authorizes the Secretary to award a competitive grant to an eligible entity to establish a National Hotline Service or website to provide information to individuals interested in becoming mentors to youth in foster care. Instructs the Secretary of Education to implement a program to provide for the discharge or cancellation of the federal student loan indebtedness of an eligible mentor.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Congratulates the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of charter schools across the country for their ongoing contributions to education and our public school system. Supports the ideas and goals of the tenth annual National Charter Schools Week (May 3-May 9, 2009).
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish the Center for Tobacco Products to implement this Act. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Authorizes the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if appropriate for the protection of the public health. Sets forth limits on such regulations, including prohibiting establishment of a minimum age greater than 18 for product purchases. Prohibits: (1) cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee; or (2) a tobacco product manufacturer from using tobacco that contains a greater level of pesticide chemical residue than is specified by any tolerance applicable to domestically grown tobacco. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) banning all cigarettes, all smokeless tobacco products, all little cigars, all other cigars, all pipe tobacco, or all roll-your-own tobacco products; or (2) requiring the reduction of the nicotine yields of a tobacco product to zero. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Revises tobacco product warning labels and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Community Building Code Administration Grant Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to the extent amounts are made available for grants under this Act, to award grants, on a competitive basis and with federal matching funds, to qualified local building code enforcement departments to increase staffing, provide staff training, increase staff competence and professional qualifications, support individual certification or departmental accreditation, or for capital expenditures specifically dedicated to department administration. Sets forth criteria for rating and ranking of grant proposals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2009
Commends jockey Calvin Borel and Mine that Bird for their victory at the 135th Kentucky Derby.