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United States · Official source
3,094 records where Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2009
Fair Treatment for Precious Metals Investors Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat bullion (e.g., gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) as a long-term capital asset (currently, treated as a collectible), eligible for preferential capital gains tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2009
Clean, Affordable, and Reliable Energy Act of 2009 - Establishes the American Renewable and Alternative Energy Trust Fund to support specified energy grants, incentives, technologies, and activities. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 with respect to: (1) the Nuclear Waste Fund budget status; (2) use of such Fund for grants to or contracts with private-sector entities for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Prohibits the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) from denying a license, permit, or other authorization under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 because of insufficient spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste disposal capacity. Establishes an interagency working group to promote the increase of domestic manufacturing capacity and the export of domestic nuclear energy products and services. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal a certain requirement for federal purchases of alternative or synthetic fuel. Limits to 25 years the maximum multiyear contract authority of the Secretary of Defense for fuel derived from coal, oil shale, and tar sands. Amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 regarding the cancellation or termination costs of U.S. Forest Service stewardship multiyear contracts. Strengthening America's Science and Technology Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to make research grants to institutions of higher education and other institutions for science and technology education, including certain scholarships and fellowships. Prescribes requirements for allocation of outer continental shelf (OCS) receipts from oil and gas leasing planning areas to adjacent states and their coastal political subdivisions. Deems approved as a final oil and gas leasing program The Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015, issued by the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary). Directs the Secretary to conduct annual OCS lease sales in specified Planning Areas. Repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Instructs the Secretary to conduct an oil and gas leasing program within the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. Requires distribution of 50% of leasing revenues to the state of Alaska. Establishes a Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund. Directs the Secretary to offer certain public lands for leasing for research, commercial exploration, development, and production of oil shale resources. Revises requirements for natural gas pipeline integrity reassessment intervals based on risk. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) require a study of small refineries; and (2) redefine air pollutant to exclude carbon dioxide, methane from agriculture or livestock, or water vapor. Directs the Secretary to establish a separate Alaska Offshore Continental Shelf Coordination Office. Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to: (1) require temporary exemption from critical habitat prohibitions of certain actions to avoid or ameliorate the impact of a declared emergency; and (2) prohibit the consideration of the impact of a greenhouse gas upon fish, wildlife, or plants. Revises requirements for completion and review of environmental impact statements. Declares new source review requirements inapplicable to routine maintenance, repairs, and replacement of equipment at facilities in compliance with requirements of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Directs the Secretary to develop a methodology to conduct a national assessment of capacity for carbon dioxide. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow new tax credits for the cost of obtaining a certification under the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Nuclear Component Certification program, for investments in property for producing energy from an advanced nuclear power facility or from clean-coal equipment, for investment in nuclear power manufacturing projects or equipment, and for home energy audit expenses; (2) make permanent the tax credits for nonbusiness energy property, for gas produced from biomass, and for synthetic fuels produced from coal; (3) extend the excise tax credit for alternative fuels; (4) extend tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles, alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures, new qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles, new energy efficient home expenditures, and energy efficient appliances; (5) extend the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; and (6) allow bonus depreciation of coal-to-liquid plant property. Describes the following as acts that unreasonably burden and discriminate against interstate commerce. Prohibits states, political subdivisions, and any other taxing authority from: (1) assessing natural gas pipeline property at a value that has a higher ratio to its true market value than the ratio used to assess other commercial and industrial property in the same assessment jurisdiction; (2) levying or collecting a tax on such an assessment; (3) levying or collecting an ad valorem property tax on natural gas pipeline property at a rate that exceeds the rate applicable to commercial and industrial property in the same assessment jurisdiction; or (4) imposing any other tax that discriminates against a natural gas pipeline providing transportation subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2009
Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include the states of Idaho and Montana among affected areas for purposes of payments to individuals with certain medical conditions who were exposed to fallout emitted during the U.S. government's atmospheric nuclear tests.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2009
Energy-Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to provide grants to each state agency responsible for developing state energy conservation plans under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide owners of dated manufactured homes (manufactured homes constructed before January 1, 1976) rebates to use toward the purchase of new Energy Star qualified manufactured homes. Restricts rebates to owners of dated manufactured homes that are used on a year-round basis as a primary residence that will be destroyed (including appropriate recycling) and replaced in the same general location with an Energy Star qualified manufactured home. Limits rebates to: (1) one owner per household; (2) households with total incomes not exceeding 200% of the federal poverty level in the applicable area; and (3) $7,500 per manufactured home. Allows a state agency to supplement the amount of the rebate using state or other funds. Permits a state agency conducting a program the purpose of which is to replace dated manufactured homes with Energy Star qualified manufactured homes to use the amounts provided under this Act to support the program. Directs the Secretary to seek to achieve the purpose of this Act through similar federal programs, including: (1) the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons; and (2) the Department of Energy's (DOE's) State Energy Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2009
Enumerated Powers Act - Requires each Act of Congress to contain a concise explanation of the specific constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. Declares that failure to comply with this requirement shall give rise to a point of order in either chamber of Congress. Specifies procedures for disposition of such point of order in the Senate.
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
A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center Act - Directs the Attorney General to make annual grants to the A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Center to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in recovering missing children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2009
Establishes the Commission on Congressional Budgetary Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies. Directs the President to designate two Commission co-chairpersons. Requires the Commission to: (1) establish a systematic method for assessing the effectiveness and accountability of agency programs; (2) divide such programs into four equal budgetary parts; (3) evaluate executive agencies and their programs identified in each unit identified in the assessment; and (4) submit to Congress each of the next four years a plan recommending agencies and programs that should be realigned or eliminated and proposing implementing legislation. Provides for expedited consideration of such legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2009
Military Voters' Equal Access to Voter Registration Act of 2009 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require designating direct each Secretary of a military department to designate an office on each Armed Forces installation to ensure that certain individuals are provided the opportunity to register to vote in federal elections, update voter registrations, and request absentee ballots under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Designates as those individuals those who are: (1) members of the Armed Forces and are undergoing a permanent change of duty station, deploying overseas for at least 6 months, returning from an overseas deployment of at least 6 months, or requests assistance related to voter registration; and (2) are dependents of members of the Armed Forces, request assistance, and are at least 18 years old. Considers an office so designated to be a voter registration agency for all purposes of the Act. Requires informing Armed Forces members and their dependents of the assistance available under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2009
Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary), for any film crew of five persons or fewer, to require a permit and assess an annual fee of $200 for commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal lands and waterways administered by the Secretary. Makes such a permit valid for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on all federal lands and waterways administered by the Secretary for a 12-month period. Prohibits the Secretary, for persons holding such a permit, from assessing any additional fee for commercial filming activities and similar projects that occur in those areas during those hours. Bars the Secretary from prohibiting, as a mechanized apparatus or under any other purposes, the use of cameras or related equipment used for commercial filming activities or similar projects in accordance with this Act on federal lands and waterways administered by the Secretary.
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 · 10 June 2009
Free Enterprise Act of 2009 - Requires congressional approval before any Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds are provided or obligated to any entity, on and after May 29, 2009, whose receipt of such funds would result in federal government acquisition of its common or preferred stock.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2009
Home Buyer Tax Credit Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the current tax credit for first-time homebuyers with a one-time credit for 10% of the purchase price of a principal residence, up to $15,000. Requires repayment of credit amounts if the taxpayer sells or fails to occupy the residence within 24 months after the date of purchase.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Amends the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 to renew, for three years, the President's authority to ban the import of Burmese products. Approves the renewal of certain import restrictions contained in the Act. Deems this resolution a renewal resolution which shall take effect upon its enactment or July 26, 2009, whichever occurs first.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2009
Expresses the sense of the Sentate that: (1) all individuals should have the choice of a community health center as their health care home; (2) every health center should be appropriately reimbursed for the high-value preventive and primary care they provide; (3) health care reform should include measures to expand community health centers; (4) the current payment mechanisms for federally qualified health centers through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) are essential to ensuring access to affordable and high-quality preventive and primary care services for program beneficiaries; (5) any expansion of private insurance must include mechanisms to ensure the full participation of, and appropriate reimbursement to, federally qualified health centers and other safety net providers; and (6) ensuring access to all safety net providers is vital to ensuring that health care reform is successful in expanding access, improving quality, and reducing cost.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2009
Grow Research Opportunities With Taxcredits' Help Act or GROWTH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the tax credit for increasing research activities through 2010; (2) modify the rate of such credit and make such modified credit permanent after 2010; and (3) increase to 20% the rate of the alternative simplified research tax credit after 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Rural Transit Improvement and Flexibility Act of 2009 - Revises the apportionment of nonurbanized formula grants for amounts remaining after apportionment for grants to Indian tribes for public transportation on Indian reservations for FY2006-FY2009. Increases from 20% to 25% the amount of remaining funds to be apportioned to a state based on its land area. Decreases correspondingly from 80% to 75% the amount of remaining funds to be apportioned to a state based on population in nonurbanized areas. Limits to 25% of its apportionment for a formula grant for a capital project for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities the amount a state may use for operating costs of equipment and facilities. Limits a grant for operating assistance from exceeding 50% of the net operating project costs. Increases such limit to 62.5% of the government share of project costs in the case of a state containing nontaxable Indian lands, individual and tribal, and public domain lands (both reserved and unreserved), national forests, and national parks and monuments. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish a pilot program for the award of grants to states to establish transit centers to improve transit service (buses and other transit vehicles) in urbanized areas with a population of less than 200,000 and in nonurbanized areas.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2009
Good Neighbor Forestry Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with state foresters to provide the forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services as specified below on National Forest System and Bureau of Land Management lands. Requires that such authorized services include: (1) activities to treat insect infected trees; (2) activities to reduce hazardous fuels; and (3) any other activities to restore or improve forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitat. Permits state foresters to enter into subcontracts to provide the restoration and protection services authorized under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2009
Voter Fraud Prevention Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prescribe standards for paid distribution of voter registration application forms and registration requirements for organizations. Prohibits any individual from distributing, for compensation, a voter registration application form for federal elections in a state if the individual: (1) has been convicted of a felony under any state or federal law; (2) does not sign and print legibly the individual's name on the form; (3) does not provide identifying information to the proper election official; or (4) does not certify, under penalty of perjury, that he or she has not received financial compensation based on the number of voter registration application forms submitted by the individual to an election official upon completion by the applicant, and that the information provided by the individual is accurate to the best of the individual's knowledge. Excepts from this prohibition the distribution of a voter registration application form by an individual who is not compensated directly or indirectly for it. Imposes criminal penalties upon: (1) individuals not meeting such standards; and (2) anyone who employs such an individual knowingly, or who should reasonably be expected to know the individual is ineligible.
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
Protecting America's Communities Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the admission, asylum entry, or parole entry into the United States of an alien who, as of January 1, 2009, was being detained by the Department of Defense (DOD) at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Requires the additional six-month detainment of such an alien ordered removed if the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) certifies that: (1) the alien cannot be removed due to the refusal of all countries designated by the alien to receive the alien; and (2) the Secretary is making reasonable efforts to find alternative means for removing the alien. Authorizes the Secretary to renew such certification after providing the alien with an opportunity to request and provide evidentiary support for reconsideration of the detainment certification. Prohibits: (1) an immigration judge or official of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement from releasing a detained alien on bond or parole; and (2) the Secretary from delegating certification authority to an official below the level of the Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Directs the Attorney General to take into custody upon release an alien who, as of January 1, 2009, was being detained by DOD at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Reaffirms that: (1) the United States is in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces; and (2) the President is authorized to detain enemy combatants in connection with such conflict regardless of their place of capture.
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
Directs the Secretary of Defense, each fiscal year, to provide an increase in the rates of educational assistance payable to certain members of the Selected Reserve which is not less than the percentage by which the average cost of undergraduate tuition in the United States for the last academic year exceeds the average cost of such tuition for the year before that academic year. (Currently, such percentage increase is based on increases in the Consumer Price Index over such period.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2009
Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 - States that it is the policy of the United States to support the decision of state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and to prohibit the investment of assets they control in, persons that have investments of $20 million or more in Iran's energy sector. Authorizes a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, or prohibit the investment of assets they control in, such persons, including financial institutions which extend them credit to so invest. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to shield any registered investment company from civil, criminal, or administrative action based upon its divesting from, or avoiding investing in, securities issued by such persons. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to shield from treatment as breaching a fiduciary duty any person divesting employee benefit plan assets from, or avoiding investing plan assets in, such persons.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the award of a congressional gold medal to the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Securing America's Future Economy Commission Act or SAFE Commission Act - Establishes the Securing America's Future Economy (SAFE) Commission to develop legislation designed to address: (1) the unsustainable imbalance between long-term federal spending commitments and projected revenues; (2) increases in net national savings to provide for domestic investment and economic growth; (3) the implications of foreign ownership of federally issued debt instruments; and (4) revision of the budget process to place greater emphasis on long-term fiscal issues. Requires the Commission to: (1) hold at least one town-hall style public hearing within each federal reserve district; and (2) develop one or two methods for estimating the cost of legislation as a supplement to the estimates and assumptions provided by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Requires the Commission to submit a legislative proposal to Congress and the President that relies on such estimates and assumptions. Sets forth procedures for consideration of such legislation. Requires CBO to prepare a long-term cost estimate and have it published in the Congressional Record as expeditiously as possible whenever requested to do so by the Commission, the President, or the chairman or ranking minority member of the Committee on the Budget of either chamber.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2009
Constitutional Amendment - States that the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right. States that neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its government interest as applied to the child involved is of the highest order and not otherwise served. States that no treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Military Voting Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to direct the Secretary of Defense (the presidential designee) to establish procedures for: (1) collecting marked absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters in regularly scheduled general elections for federal office; and (2) delivering such ballots to the appropriate state election officials. Requires the designee to: (1) ensure that such ballots are delivered prior to the time established for the closing of the polls on the date of the election; (2) carry out delivery requirements by utilizing the express mail delivery services of the U.S. Postal Service, which shall include a mechanism for ballot tracking; (3) inform individuals who are anticipated to be absent overseas uniformed services voters in such an election of the procedures for collection and delivery of marked absentee ballots established pursuant to this Act; and (4) take steps to ensure that such voters are able to cast their votes in a private and independent manner, and that vote contents remain private while in the designee's possession or control.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2009
Designates July 25, 2009, as National Day of the American Cowboy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2009
Honors, recognizes, and thanks Concerns of Police Survivors for 25 years of service assisting family members of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Recognizes the sacrifices made by police families in providing essential support to one another.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2009
Constitutional Amendment - Grants Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2009
New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present gold medals, on behalf of Congress, to: (1) the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission to the surface of the moon, Neil A. Armstrong (the first human to walk on the moon), Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. (pilot of the lunar module Eagle and second person to walk on the moon), and Michael Collins (pilot of their command module Columbia) in recognition of the first lunar landing, on July 20, 1969; and (2) John Herschel Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, on February 20, 1962.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Medicare Long-Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to extend from three years to five years the delay in application of: (1) the 25% patient threshold payment adjustment to freestanding and grandfathered long-term care hospitals (LTCHs); (2) any payment adjustment, in certain circumstances, to any applicable LTCH or satellite facility located in a rural area or co-located with an urban single or metropolitan statistical area (MSA) dominant hospital; (3) the very short-stay outlier policy; and (4) a specified one-time prospective adjustment to LTCH prospective payment rates. Extends from three years to five years the moratorium on: (1) the establishment and classification of a LTCH or satellite facility, other than an existing one; and (2) an increase of LTCH beds in existing LTCHs or satellite facilities. Establishes a formula for annual adjustment of the base prospective payment rate for LTCHs for rate years 2011 through 2015 in order to implement a budget neutrality offset of the costs of implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2009
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the civil penalties for violations of firearms law and the procedures for assessing such penalties. Requires fines to be based upon the nature and severity of the violation, the size of the firearms business involved, and the prior record of the firearm's licensee. Prohibits consideration of the amount of fines or license revocations imposed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in the retention, promotion, or transfer of such agents. Revises the definition of "willfully" for purposes of firearms violations and standards for criminal violations of firearms recordkeeping requirements. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) make preliminary determinations on firearms license applications and notify applicants in writing of a proposed denial; and (2) establish guidelines for ATF inspections, examinations, or investigations of possible firearms violations. Permits an owner of a firearms business whose license is expired, surrendered, or revoked 60 days to liquidate inventory. Allows purchasers of existing firearms businesses the right to cure firearms violations attributable to such businesses. Allows the transfer, possession, and importation of machineguns for industry testing, training, and film production. Eliminates the requirement of written permission for the use of a handgun for lawful purposes by a minor (under age 18) where a parent or legal guardian is present at all times during such use. Prohibits the Attorney General from electronically retrieving inactive firearms licensee information by name or personal identification code. Directs the Attorney General to authorize the importation of all frames or receivers of rifles, or barrels for firearms other than handguns, if the importation is for repair or replacement purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Budget Enforcement Legislative Tool Act of 2009 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to propose, at any time and in any manner provided in this Act, the rescission of any discretionary budget authority in an appropriation Act. Prohibits funds made available for obligation under this procedure from being proposed for rescission again. Sets forth requirements for: (1) the President's transmittal to Congress of a special message regarding a proposed rescission; and (2) expedited consideration of such proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should continue to support diplomatic efforts in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council to end Iran's illicit nuclear activities; (2) diplomatic efforts with Iran are more likely to be effective if the President is empowered with the explicit authority to impose additional sanctions on the government of Iran; (3) it should be U.S. policy to encourage foreign governments to direct state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran's energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran; (4) the President is urged to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian financial institution engaged in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; (5) the Department of the Treasury should continue to work with allies to protect the international financial system from deceptive and illicit practices by Iranian financial institutions involved in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups; (6) U.S. concerns regarding Iran are strictly the result of that government’s actions; and (7) the people of the United States have feelings of friendship for the people of Iran and regret that developments in recent decades have created impediments to that friendship. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to direct the President to impose two or more current sanctions under such Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, made an investment of $20 million or more (or any combination of investments of at least $5 million which in the aggregate equals or exceeds $20 million in any 12-month period) that directly and significantly contributed to Iran's ability to develop its petroleum resources. (Under current law the sanction thresholds are $40 million, $10 million, and $40 million, respectively.) Directs the President to impose: (1) sanctions established under this Act (in addition to any current sanctions imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996) if a person has, with actual knowledge, sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, technology, information, or support that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources, including any assistance in refinery construction, modernization, or repair; and (2) sanctions established under this Act if a person has, with actual knowledge, provided Iran with refined petroleum resources or engaged in any activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources, including providing shipping, insurance, or financing services for such activity. Establishes additional sanctions prohibiting specified foreign exchange, banking, and property transactions. Includes references to refined petroleum resources in a presidential report to Congress requesting waiver of sanctions for purposes of national interest. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees every six months regarding any person who has: (1) provided Iran with refined petroleum resources; (2) sold, leased, or provided to Iran any goods, services, or technology that would allow Iran to maintain or expand its domestic production of refined petroleum resources; or (3) engaged in any activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined petroleum resources.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2009
Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to provide to the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the Comptroller General, and the Congressional Oversight Panel ongoing, continuous, and close to real-time updates of the status of the use of funds distributed under EESA, including with respect to procurement contracts, through a standardized electronic database that combines all of the necessary information from existing public and private sources to track the status of the funds distributed under the Act. Requires the Secretary also to: (1) compare the data in such database with any other data for any activities that are inconsistent with EESA purposes; and (2) collect from all federal agencies any regulatory filings, data generated by the use of internal models, financial models, and analytics associated with the financial assistance on at least a daily basis in order to help the Secretary to determine the effectiveness of TARP in stimulating prudent lending and strengthening bank capital. Directs the Secretary, if TARP goals are not being met, to work with the federal agencies supplying the information to have them provide the recipients with recommendations for better meeting such goals. Requires the Secretary, furthermore, to adjust the future uses of TARP assistance if such goals are not met even following such recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2009
Limitation on Government Spending Act of 2009 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to define GDP as the gross domestic product for the relevant fiscal year as most recently estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Defines federal spending limits for: (1) FY2011, as outlays not exceeding 22% of the GDP; (2) FY2012, as outlays not exceeding 21% of the GDP; and (3) FY2013 and fiscal years thereafter, as outlays not exceeding 20% of the GDP. Makes it out of order in the Senate to consider any legislation that includes any provision that would result in a deficit for a fiscal year that exceeds the maximum deficit amount or federal spending limit, as applicable, for such fiscal year. Permits waiver or suspension of such prohibition, or successful appeals from rulings of the Chair, only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60) of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the Boards of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, in honor of the distinguished service of the American military men and women who have been Medal of Honor recipients. Limits the period for coin issuance to calendar year 2011. Imposes a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin and $10 per coin for the $1 coin, to be distributed to the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to help finance educational, scholarship, and outreach programs of the Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2009
Designates February 8, 2010, as Boy Scouts of America Day, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the largest youth scouting organization in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act of 2009 - Revises specified provisions of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, including provisions concerning recreation fee authority, use of funds, distribution of revenue, recreation passes, and cooperative agreements. Provides for the application and administration of certain admission and use fee authorities under the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986, and the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 as if the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the tax credit for producing electricity from closed or open-loop biomass facilities equipped with a metering device to determine electricity consumption or sale to allow a tax credit after 2008 for electricity produced and consumed at such facilities and to extend the credit period for such production.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2009
Recognizes the extraordinary bravery shown by the girls and families of the Mirwais School for Girls in Kandahar, Afghanistan, especially the girls injured in the November 2008 attack, in the decision to return to school in the face of threats of violence. Supports efforts to decrease illiteracy and gender-based violence in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2009
Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to provide for reciprocity for the carrying of certain concealed firearms in states that allow their residents to carry such firearms by persons who are not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm and who are: (1) carrying a valid state license or permit for carrying a concealed firearm; or (2) otherwise entitled to carry a concealed firearm in their state of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Net Operating Loss (NOL) Carryback Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a five-year carryback of net operating losses, including the operating losses of life insurance companies, incurred in 2008 and 2009. Denies such extended loss carryover period to: (1) taxpayers in whom the federal government acquires an equity interest under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008; (2) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac); and (3) members of certain affiliated groups.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Preservation of the Second Amendment in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges Act - Allows, except as provided under federal criminal law relating to the possession of firearms and other dangerous weapons in federal facilities, a person to possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded, and operable firearms within a national park area or national wildlife refuge area in accordance with the laws of the state in which such area, or that portion thereof, is located.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2009
Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Makes funds appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) available for costs incurred by the National Guard in conducting international military-to-civilian contacts, civilian-to-civilian contacts, and comparable activities in order to: (1) support objectives of the commander of the combatant command for the theater of operations in which the contacts occur; (2) build international civil-military partnerships and capacity; (3) strengthen cooperation between U.S. and foreign departments and agencies; (4) facilitate intergovernmental collaboration between the U.S. government and foreign governments; and (5) facilitate the exchange of information between the U.S. government and foreign governments on matters relating to defense and security.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2009
Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national minimum payment amount for CPT code 77080 (relating to dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, the most widely accepted method of measuring bone mass to predict fracture risk) and CPT code 77082 (relating to vertebral fracture assessment, or VFA), and any successor to such codes as identified by the Secretary (bone mass scans). Directs the Secretary to arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study and report to the Secretary and Congress on: (1) the ramifications of Medicare reimbursement reductions for DXA and VFA on beneficiary access to bone mass measurement benefits; and (2) the methods to increase use of bone mass measurement by Medicare beneficiaries.