United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2010
Thanks the members of the National Guard for their service in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, and their continuing role in homeland security and military operations. Supports providing the National Guard with the necessary resources to ensure its readiness. Expresses condolences and gratitude to the families of those members of the National Guard who have lost their lives through their dedication and commitment to the freedom and security of the United States while serving in the National Guard. Honors and supports the compassionate, courageous, and dedicated members of the National Guard who serve a critical role in protecting the United States and its citizens' freedoms and treasured liberties.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2010
Recognizes Mark Twain as one of America's most famous literary icons and commemorates him on the 175th anniversary of his birth and the 100th anniversary of his death.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2010
Commends the city of Jacksonville, Arkansas, for its outstanding support in creating a unique and lasting partnership with Little Rock Air Force Base, members of the Armed Forces stationed there and their families, and the Air Force.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2010
Monuments Assembled and Domestically Engineered Act or the MADE Act - Requires a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs to be constructed using: (1) unmanufactured material mined or produced in the United States; and (2) material manufactured in the United States substantially all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States. Requires the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services (GSA), before issuing a permit for the construction of such a work, to determine that the contract documents demonstrate that the material to be used in its construction complies with such requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Housing Opportunity and Mortgage Equity Act of 2010 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises or GSEs) each to carry out a one-year program providing for the refinancing of qualified single-family housing mortgages it owns through a refinancing mortgage (and for the purchase of and securitization of such refinancing mortgages) in accordance with this Act and the policies and procedures of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Defines a qualified mortgage as one, regardless of whether the mortgagor is current on payments due or in default, that: (1) is an existing first mortgage for purchase of, or refinancing another first mortgage on, a one- to four-family dwelling, including a condominium or a share in a cooperative ownership housing association, that is occupied by the mortgagor as principal residence; (2) is owned or guaranteed by the particular GSE; and (3) was originated on or before enactment of this Act. Specifies the terms and conditions of a refinancing mortgage, including a 40-year term to maturity and a prohibition on borrower fees. Requires waiver or forgiveness of all fees and penalties related to any default or delinquency on the original mortgage. Requires a GSE to pay a fee of up to $1,000 to the servicer of a qualified mortgage refinance. Prohibits any requirement of a property appraisal.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2010
Recognizes the 45th anniversary of the White House Fellows program. Commends the White House Fellows for their commitment to public service and expresses appreciation for their past and continuing leadership.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Fair Playing Field Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: (1) repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Secretary of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; (2) direct the Secretary to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; (3) prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; (4) require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (5) eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor).
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2010
Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training to carry out a joint training program to provide eligible veterans with skills relevant to the job market. Makes eligible for such program any veteran who: (1) is not otherwise eligible for education or training services through the VA; (2) has not acquired a marketable skill since being separated or released from military service; (3) was discharged under honorable conditions; and (4) has been unemployed for at least 90 days during the 180-day period preceding program application, or, during such 180-day period, received a maximum hourly pay rate of not more than 150% of the federal minimum wage. Allows for payments to employers for the provision of apprenticeship or on-job training under such program. Allows a VA benefits claimant to waive any claim development period upon submission of a fully developed claim, and requires the Secretary to provide expeditious treatment of such a claim. Requires the Secretary to notify a claimant of a non-fully developed claim within 30 days after that determination. Extends the 120-day time limit for the filing of a notice of appeal of a final decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals for such time as justice may require, upon a showing of good cause. Applies such extension retroactively to final Board decisions issued on or after July 24, 2008. Excludes from annual income, for purposes of eligibility for VA pension benefits for veterans and their surviving spouses and children: (1) reimbursements for expenses resulting from any accident, theft or loss, or casualty loss, or medical expenses or pain and suffering related to such accidents or losses; and (2) payments of up to $5,000 paid by a state or municipality as a veterans' benefit due to injury or disease. Extends through FY2015 VA authority to obtain veterans' income verification information from the Commissioner of Social Security or the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Secretary to establish the VetStar Award Program to recognize annually businesses for their contribution to veterans' employment. Increases from $1,000 to $2,000 the monthly pension for Medal of Honor recipients. Provides that, for purposes of VA laws and benefits, a person who is mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness shall not be considered adjudicated as a mental defective without the order or finding of a judge, magistrate, or other judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such person is a danger to himself or herself or others.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2010
Clean Renewable Energy Investment Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax-exempt new clean renewable energy bonds, to: (1) repeal the national limitation amount for such bonds; (2) allow such unlimited bonds to be issued until January 1, 2014; (3) eliminate the eligibility of governmental bodies for new clean renewable energy bond financing; (4) designate a tribal utility as a clean renewable energy bond lender; and (5) provide that any reimbursements with the proceeds of new clean renewable energy bonds are subject to reimbursement rules applicable to all tax-exempt bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Seniors Protection Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse a $250 payment to recipients of Social Security, SSI (Supplemental Security Income under title XVI of the Social Security Act), railroad retirement benefits, and veterans disability compensation or pension benefits if no cost-of-living adjustment is payable in 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Deficit Reduction Through Fair Oil Royalties Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from issuing new oil or natural gas production leases in the Gulf of Mexico under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to a person that does not renegotiate its existing leases in order to require royalty payments if oil and natural gas prices are greater than or equal to specified price thresholds. Authorizes the Secretary, in the case of multiple lessees, to implement a separate agreement modifying payment responsibilities (including such price thresholds) with any lessee that owns a lease share. Prescribes analogous requirements for lease transfers. Requires rentals or royalties received by the United States to be deposited in the Treasury for federal budget deficit reduction or, if there is no federal budget deficit, for reducing the federal debt. Directs the Secretary to agree to a lessee's request to amend any lease issued for any Central and Western Gulf of Mexico tract in the period of January 1, 1996, through November 28, 2000, to incorporate price thresholds applicable to royalty suspension requirements that are equal to or less than the price thresholds specified under OCSLA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act - States that it is the policy of the United States to ensure that funds made available for operations of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan are to be used only for providing for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense (DOD) contractor personnel in Afghanistan. Allows such funds to be obligated and expended only for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Stop Deducting Damages Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) deny a tax deduction for any amount paid or incurred for punitive damages in connection with any judgment in, or settlement of, any legal action; and (2) include any amount paid as punitive damages in gross income for income tax purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Electronic Health Record Incentives for Multi-Campus Hospitals Act of 2010 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to payments to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, to prescribe a special rule for applying Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments, at the election of a qualified main hospital, to its remote inpatient locations. Prohibits administrative or judicial review of: (1) the methodology and standards for determining a remote inpatient location, a qualified remote inpatient location, a component facility, a qualified component facility, a main provider, and a qualified main provider, and which such locations, facilities, and providers are qualified; and (2) the methodology and standards for the election in connection with such special rule. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to set forth a special rule for applying Medicaid EHR incentive payments, at the election of a qualified main hospital, to its remote locations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the passage of the legislation that created real estate investment trusts (REITs) and the enhanced opportunities for investment and retirement security that have been afforded to Americans as a result of this landmark legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2010
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Supreme Court tradition of openness as symbolized by its open front doors should be honored and continued to be upheld; (2) even in the face of threats from enemies, it is of critical and symbolic importance that the United States demonstrates to the world that its most sacred institutions will continue to be open for business to all who seek justice; and (3) the Supreme Court should act with great dispatch to take every step to open its main doors as a public entrance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2010
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for the removal costs and damages assessed for a discharge of oil under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2010
Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and reauthorize appropriations for Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness, which provide specified services to individuals who: (1) are suffering from serious mental illness, or are suffering from serious mental illness and from substance abuse; and (2) are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Revises the minimum state allotment for such program to be the greater of the amount received by the state in FY2009 or $750,000. (Current law sets forth a minimum allotment of $300,000 per state.) Provides that if funds appropriated are insufficient for all states to receive the minimum allotment, then states shall receive no less than the amount they received in FY2009 with additional money spent to give states the minimum of $750,000.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2010
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer through Exchanges a health benefits plan (public health insurance option) that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high-quality coverage throughout the United States. Declares that the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care. Sets forth provisions related to the establishment and governance of the public health insurance option, including that such plan: (1) may be made available only through Exchanges; (2) must comply with requirements applicable to other health benefits plans offered through such Exchanges, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing; and (3) must offer bronze, silver, and gold plan levels. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option; (2) collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates; (3) establish geographically adjusted premiums at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of the health benefits provided and administrative costs related to the operation of the plan; and (4) establish payment rates and provide for greater payment rates for the first three years. Requires repayment of start-up costs for the public health insurance option. Authorizes the Secretary to utilize innovative payment mechanisms and policies to determine payments for items and services under the public health insurance option.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2010
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a pilot program under which a participating state, in lieu of obtaining any or a portion of the state's allotment of specialty food crops for use in the school lunch and breakfast programs, receives a grant in an amount equal to the value of the commodities for FY2011 and FY2012. Requires the grant funds to be used solely to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to schools and service institutions participating in the school lunch and breakfast programs. Limits pilot program participation to three states.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2010
Reduce and End our Deficits Using Commonsense Eliminations in the Agriculture Program Act - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to terminate cotton and peanut storage payments. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to terminate the Forest Service's Economic Action Program. Amends the Wool Suit and Textile Trade Extension Act of 2004 to terminate the grant program for manufacturers of worsted wool fabrics. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to terminate the Delta region health care services program. Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to terminate the grant and loan program for energy generation, transmission, and distribution facilities efficiency in rural communities with extremely high energy costs. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to revise income eligibility limitations for: (1) commodity program non-farm income; (2) direct payment farm income; and (3) conservation program non-farm income. Reduces crop year payment limits for covered commodity and peanut: (1) direct payments; (2) counter-cyclical payments; and (3) average crop revenue election (ACRE)/counter-cyclical payments. Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to revise the definition of "payment acres" for covered commodity and peanut direct and counter-cyclical payments. Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to reduce additional FY2011 and FY2012 funding for the market access program. Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce the reimbursement rate beginning in FY2011 for private insurance providers under the crop insurance program. Prohibits the Secretary from conducting timber sales in the Southwestern, Pacific Southwest, or Alaska region of the National Forest System where federal expenditures to support timber sales have been significantly higher than offsetting receipts until the Secretary certifies to Congress that timber sales in the region will generate receipts at least equal to supporting federal expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2010
Reduce and End our Deficits Using Commonsense Eliminations in the Defense Programs Act - Prohibits funds made available to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2011 or thereafter from being used for: (1) procurement of C-17 aircraft; or (2) procurement or research, development, test, or evaluation of EP-X aircraft or CG(X) vessels. Directs the Secretary of Defense to consolidate the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the Navy Exchange Command, and the Marine Corps exchange system into a single organization for the administration of the defense exchange stores system. Prohibits appropriated funds from being used to support the operation of exchange stores after such consolidation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2010
Reduce and End our Deficits Using Commonsense Eliminations in the Energy Program Act of 2010 - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to terminate allocations of abandoned mine reclamation fees, except payments for health benefits, to states and Indian tribes that are certified to have completed coal mining reclamation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate: (1) the enhanced oil recovery credit; (2) the credit for oil and gas produced from marginal wells; (3) the expensing of intangible drilling costs; (4) the deduction for tertiary injectants; (5) the exception to the passive loss limitation for working interests in oil and natural gas properties; (6) the percentage depletion deduction for oil and natural gas wells; and (7) the domestic manufacturing tax deduction for oil and natural gas companies. Increases to seven years the geological and geophysical amortization period for independent producers. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal authority for: (1) the oil and gas research programs; (2) the low-volume oil and gas reservoir program; and (3) the Complex Well Technology Testing Facility at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center. Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) discontinue the application before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license to construct a high-level nuclear waste geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; (2) plan for the sale of federally owned and operated electric energy generation facilities under the supervision of, or working in coordination with, the Southeastern Power Administration (SEPA); and (3) terminate SEPA following such sale. Excludes from such sale any dam, reservoir, or waterfront property. Directs the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to sell the rights and assets of its electric power program. Excludes from the sale any hydroelectric power generation facility owned and operated by TVA (including dams and appurtenant works and structures). Deems the remaining net proceeds from any such sale, after offset for sale costs, to extinguish the outstanding debt repayable to the United States and attributable to the assets being sold. Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to decrease the storage capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve from 1 billion to 650 million barrels. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the Secretary's program authority for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of technologies for ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and production.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2010
Reduce and End our Deficits Using Commonsense Eliminations in the Treas-HUD and OPIC Programs Act - Prohibits the total amount obligated in the Treasury for each of FY2011-FY2015 by: (1) the Bureau of the Public Debt from exceeding $186.244 million; and (2) the Financial Management Service from exceeding $235.132 million. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, for pay periods ending in FY2011 and subsequent fiscal years, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to issue electronic pay stubs to Department of the Treasury employees who receive their pay by electronic funds transfer. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the requirement for advance payment of the earned income tax credit. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1939 to set the payment standard for a market area efficiency dwelling unit as the standard for rent subsidies under Section 8 of the housing voucher program for one-person households. Prohibits the use of the payment standard for a one-bedroom dwelling unit or any larger dwelling unit. OPIC Repeal Act - Abolishes the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and makes conforming amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2010
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Amendments Act of 2010 - Amends the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Act to expand the boundary of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont to include the King Farm in Woodstock, Vermont. Requires King Farm to be added to, and administered as part of, the Park and to be used for agricultural, forestry, conservation, and educational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2010
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the imposition or collection of copayments for telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2010
Federal Contracting Oversight and Reform Act of 2010 - Amends the Clean Contracting Act of 2008 to: (1) require the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to ensure that the information in the database of information regarding the integrity and performance of persons awarded federal contracts and grants is available to any Member of Congress (currently, limited to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committees having jurisdiction); and (2) expand the scope of the database, including doubling the period of coverage. Prohibits funds appropriated or otherwise made available by any Act from being used for any federal contract for the procurement of property or services in excess of: (1) the simplified acquisition threshold unless the contractor has first made the certifications set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulation regarding debarment, suspension, proposed debarment, and other responsibility matters; and (2) $500,000 unless the contractor certifies that he or she has submitted to the Administrator specified required information and that such information is current as of the date of the certification, or that the contractor has cumulative active federal contracts and grants valued at less than $10 million. Requires the Inspector General of each federal agency to periodically: (1) conduct an inspection or review of required contract files to determine if the agency is providing appropriate consideration of the information included in the database; and (2) report to Congress on the results of the inspection or review. Requires the Comptroller General to annually report on the extent to which suspended or debarred contractors on the Excluded Parties List System are identified as having received contracts on USAspending.gov or were granted waivers from suspension or debarment. Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report to Congress a plan for integrating and consolidating specified existing contracting information databases into a single searchable and linked network; and (2) the Inspector General of GSA to conduct a study on the use of identifying numbers for federal contractors.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2010
Commends Google Inc. and other companies for advocating for an uncensored Internet, adhering to free speech principles, and keeping the Internet open for users worldwide. Encourages other companies and institutions to protect freedom of speech and monitor cybersecurity issues around the world by encouraging their participation in the Global Network Initiative. Calls on the President, Secretary of State, and the U.S. Trade Representative to make Internet access for lawful uses an important part of U.S. foreign policy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Main Street Fairness Act - Grants the consent of Congress to the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (Agreement), the multistate agreement on sales and use tax collection and administration adopted on November 12, 2002. Authorizes each state that is a party to the Agreement (member state), after 10 states (comprising at least 20% of the total population of all states imposing a sales tax) have petitioned for and have become member states, to require all remote sellers not qualifying for the small seller exception to collect and remit sales and use taxes on remote sales owed to each such member state under the terms of the Agreement. Terminates such authority if the requirements of this Act cease to be satisfied or an amendment adopted to the Agreement is outside the scope of administration of sales and use taxes by the member states or is inconsistent with the provisions of this Act. Permits a federally recognized Indian tribe that imposes a generally applicable sales tax to petition to become a member state. Allows any person affected by the Agreement to petition the Governing Board established by the Agreement for a determination of any issue arising under the Agreement. Provides for judicial review of Governing Board determinations by the United States Court of Federal Claims and grants such Court exclusive jurisdiction over actions for judicial review. Sets forth minimum requirements for simplifying the administration of multistate sales and use taxation under the Agreement. Provides for judicial review of any civil action challenging the constitutionality of this Act by a panel of three judges of a U.S. District Court. Expresses the sense of Congress that each member state under the Agreement should work with other member states to prevent double taxation where a foreign country has imposed a transaction tax on a digital good or service.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2010
Honors Dr. Robert Campbell for his lifelong devotion to children's health care. Congratulates Dr. Campbell and his colleagues on their extraordinary achievement in pediatric and orthopedic innovation. Recognizes the Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib device which has saved the lives of many infants and children. Calls on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue to support and incentivize other medical advances to save children's lives threatened by rare disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2010
End Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require seven-year amortization of the geological and geophysical expenditures of covered large oil companies. Defines "covered large oil company" as a taxpayer which is a major integrated oil company or which has gross receipts in excess of $50 million in a taxable year. Denies certain tax benefits to any taxpayer that is not a small, independent oil and gas company, including: (1) the tax credits for producing oil and gas from marginal wells and for enhanced oil recovery; (2) expensing of intangible drilling and development costs in the case of gas wells and geothermal wells; (3) percentage depletion; (4) the tax deduction for qualified tertiary injectant expenses; (5) the exemption from limitations on passive activity losses; and (6) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities. Prohibits the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method by major integrated oil companies. Denies the election to expense the cost of refinery property which is used to process liquid fuel from tar sands, shale, or coal (including lignite).
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2010
Acknowledges the family planning services programs operating under title X of the Public Health Service Act as a critical component of the U.S. public health care system. Expresses support for the mission of such programs. Recognizes family planning providers at Title X health centers who work tirelessly to provide quality care to millions of low-income individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2010
Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions prohibiting knowingly creating, selling, or possessing a depiction of animal cruelty to prohibit knowingly and for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain selling or distributing an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce. States that such prohibition does not prohibit the sale or distribution of any visual depiction of hunting, trapping, fishing, or customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices. Defines "animal crush video" as any obscene photograph, motion-picture film, video recording, or electronic image that depicts actual conduct in which one or more living animals is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, or impaled in a manner that would violate a criminal prohibition on cruelty to animals in the federal or state jurisdiction in which the depiction is created, sold, distributed, or offered for sale or distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2010
Firearms Excise Tax Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require: (1) excise taxes on recreational equipment to be due and payable on the date for filing the return for such taxes (i.e., quarterly); and (2) the Secretary of the Treasury to assess and collect, in the same manner as delinquent taxes are assessed and collected, mandatory orders of restitution for victims of crime.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2010
Supports the designation of Gospel Music Heritage Month (September 2010), which would recognize the contributions to U.S. culture derived from the rich heritage of gospel music and gospel music artists.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Birth Defects Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Awareness Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and implement a birth defects prevention and public awareness program, which includes: (1) a nationwide media campaign to increase awareness among health care providers and at-risk populations about pregnancy and breastfeeding information services; (2) grants for the provision of, or campaigns to increase awareness about, pregnancy and breastfeeding information services; and (3) grants for the conduct or support of surveillance of or research on maternal exposures and maternal health conditions that may influence the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and maternal exposures that may influence health risks to a breastfed infant, or of networking to facilitate such surveillance or research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010 - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA) to require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to transmit, within 45 days of a congressional session after the enactment of the funding in question, a message to Congress with specified information requesting any rescission the President proposes under the procedures in this Act. Prescribes requirements for timing and packaging of rescission requests. Authorizes OMB, subject to a specified time limit, to withhold funding from obligation temporarily if the President proposes a rescission. Prohibits the President from invoking such expedited procedures or such authority to withhold funding on more than one occasion for any Act providing funding. Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of proposed rescissions. States that, if budget authority or funding is rescinded under the ICA, the amount so rescinded shall revert to the fund whence it came (general fund, trust fund, special fund, revolving fund, and so on as applicable), except to the extent legislation specifies otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2010
Building Star Energy Efficiency Act of 2010 - Establishes in the Department of Energy (DOE) the Building Star Energy Efficiency Rebate Program of 2010. Directs the Secretary of Energy to issue rebates to building owners to offset a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing qualifying equipment or materials or undertaking qualifying services to enhance the energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings and multifamily residential buildings. Prescribes rebates for the purchase and installation of qualifying: (1) insulation, windows, and qualified high-efficiency window films and screens; (2) new energy efficient equipment, such as boilers, furnaces, and water heaters; (3) unitary air conditioners and unitary heat pumps; (4) variable speed drives for motors; and (5) interior lighting. Prescribes calculations for reductions in: (1) installed lighting power resulting from installation of qualified interior lighting; and (2) annual energy usage resulting from installation of qualified exterior lighting. Prescribes calculations also for rebates for qualified: (1) replacement chillers; (2) qualifying services to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings; (3) energy-efficient building operation and maintenance training; (4) service on space heating equipment and cooling systems, (5) energy monitoring and management systems with analog controls; and (6) HVAC testing, balancing, and duct sealing. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Building Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program to make grants to states to support financial assistance provided by qualified program delivery entities for making energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to existing buildings that qualify under the Building Star energy retrofit program. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) direct the Secretary to make guarantees for energy efficiency projects, including projects to retrofit residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, facilities, and equipment; and (2) authorize the Secretary, in the case of programs that finance such retrofitting, to offer loan guarantees for portfolios of debt obligations, and to purchase or make commitments to purchase portfolios of debt obligations. Prescribes prevailing wage rate requirements for work conducted using rebates or financial assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2010
Small Business Asset Investment and Modernization (AIM) Act of 2010 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 concerning the 504 program (Small Business Administration [SBA] financings to small businesses through certified development companies) to increase maximum program loan amounts. Authorizes the Administrator of the SBA, from the date of enactment of this Act through FY2012, to approve under such program the refinancing of indebtedness that is secured by a lien on commercial real estate or equipment of a small business, under specified terms and conditions. Limits to $7.5 billion the total amount of such financing in a fiscal year. Authorizes the Administrator, in order to carry out such program, to make personnel appointments of at least one year and not more than six years. Allows the Administrator to eliminate the pension offset for the reemployment of retired federal employees for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2010
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the National Council for International Visitors and its efforts to promote excellence in citizen diplomacy. Commends the achievements of the thousands of citizen diplomats who have worked for generations to share the best of the United States with foreign leaders, specialists, and scholars. Supports the designation of Citizen Diplomacy Day.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2010
Overseas Contractor Reform Act - Requires any person found to be in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 to be proposed for debarment from any federal contract or grant within 30 days after final judgment of such violation. Authorizes the head of a federal agency to waive this provision for a federal contract or grant and to report such waiver to Congress within 30 days with a justification. Declares that it is U.S. government policy that no government contracts or grants should be awarded to individuals or companies who violate that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2010
Supports the goals of National Dairy Month (June). Recognizes the dairy industry's important role in the economic and nutritional well being of Americans. Commends dairy farmers for their hard work and commitment to the U.S. economy and to the preservation of open space.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Post-9/11 GI Bill Improvement Act - Allows a member of the Armed Forces to transfer educational assistance under the post-9/11 educational assistance program to a dependent child at any time before the child attains age 26.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2010
Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2010 - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to: (1) include nonprofit organizations within the meaning of "eligible entity" for purposes of brownfields revitalization funding; (2) increase the limit on the maximum amount of a grant for brownfields remediation for each site; (3) authorize the President to transfer any duties under the brownfield remediation grant program to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (4) revise eligibility requirements for brownfields revitalization funding; (5) require the Administrator to establish a program to provide multi-purpose grants to inventory, characterize, assess, conduct planning related to, or remediate brownfield sites in an area; (6) require the Administrator to establish a program to make competitive grants to be used at brownfield sites for projects that reduce environmental impact, increase community livability, and encourage sustainability; (7) authorize the Administrator to assign EPA employees to entities servings small, disadvantaged, or rural communities to build local capacity for the remediation and revitalization of brownfield sites in such communities; (8) increase and extend funding for brownfields revitalization; (9) require at least 7.5% of such funding to be used to carry out projects that reduce environmental impact, increase community livability, and encourage sustainability; and (10) increase and extend funding for state response programs established under such Act.
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