hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Mortgage and Rental Disaster Relief Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-763
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance
Housing finance and home ownership
Transportation costs
Unemployment

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Mortgage and Rental Disaster Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide temporary assistance in the form of mortgage or rental payments to or on behalf of individuals and households who, as a result of financial hardship caused by a major disaster, have received written notice of dispossession or eviction from a residence because of a foreclosure of mortgage or lien, cancellation of sales contract, or lease termination, entered into before such disaster. 
 
Defines such a &quot;financial hardship&quot; to include: (1) the loss of employment or significant income because a job, a business, or a business interest was located in a disaster area; or (2) suffering financially because of travel restrictions or station or road closures affecting residents of such area.

Restricts eligibility for such assistance to individuals or households who have an adjusted gross income of not more than $75,000 ($100,000 for individuals or households who resided in an area with a high cost of living). Directs the President to adjust the limits annually to reflect inflation. Allows assistance to be provided for the duration of the period of financial hardship caused by the disaster, not to exceed 18 months. Requires recipients determined to be ineligible to return the full amount of assistance to the government.

Makes this Act applicable to any major disaster declared on or after October 21, 2007.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-23
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4175-4177)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Disaster Rebuilding Assistance Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-764
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance
Inflation and prices

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Disaster Rebuilding Assistance Act of 2009 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to increase the maximum amount of assistance available to individuals and households to $50,000 (the current limit is $25,000) with respect to a single major disaster. Authorizes the President to increase the amount for an individual or household residing in a state with a high cost of living. Prohibits an individual or household whose adjusted gross income was more than $100,000 during the most recent taxable year before the applicable major disaster from receiving such assistance. Makes this Act applicable to any major disaster declared on or after October 21, 2007.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4175-4177)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow the Secretary of the Treasury to not impose a penalty for failure to disclose reportable transactions when there is reasonable cause for such failure, to modify such penalty, and for other purposes.

Bill: 111-s-765
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Ben [D-NE]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a waiver of the penalty for failure to disclose reportable transactions (i.e., transactions which have a potential for tax avoidance or evasion) if such failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; (2) revise the amount of the penalty for such failure; and (3) limit the imposition of such penalty to the taxpayer (currently, any person).
 
Reaffirms the authority of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to rescind all or any portion of the penalty for failure to furnish information regarding reportable transactions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Denali National Park and Preserve Natural Gas Pipeline Act

Bill: 111-s-766
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Alaska
Licensing and registrations
Oil and gas
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pipelines
Roads and highways

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Denali National Park and Preserve Natural Gas Pipeline Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to issue in non-wilderness areas within the boundary of the Denali National Park and Preserve (the Park) in Alaska right-of-way permits for: (1) the high-pressure transmission pipeline located within, along, or near approximately seven miles of the George Parks Highway; (2) pipeline system appurtenances; and (3) any distribution and transmission pipelines needed to serve the Park. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4177-4178)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Independent Drug Education and Outreach Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-767
Sponsor: Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Drug therapy
Government information and archives
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Prescription drugs
Product safety and quality
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Independent Drug Education and Outreach Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to award grants or contracts for: (1) the development and production of educational materials concerning the evidence available on the relative safety, effectiveness, and cost of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and nondrug interventions for treating selected conditions, to be distributed and presented to health care providers who prescribe such drugs and their patients; and (2) the development and implementation of a program to appropriately train and deploy health professionals to distribute such materials to, and otherwise educate, physicians and other drug prescribers concerning such drugs and interventions. 
 
Requires that grantees receive no support from any entity that manufactures products used to treat the medical conditions discussed.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the soldiers from the United States who were prisoners of war at Bataan during World War II.

Bill: 111-s-768
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Asia
Congressional tributes
Military history
Military personnel and dependents
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
Philippines
Smithsonian Institution

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Authorizes the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to collectively honor the American soldiers who were prisoners of war in Bataan, Philippines, during World War II, in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country. Provides for the Medal's display at the Smithsonian Institution.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the prisoners of war at Bataan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4179)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-769
Sponsor: Sen. Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
Musculoskeletal and skin diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
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.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Tobacco Cessation Promotion Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-770
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Drug therapy
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Health care coverage and access
Medicaid
Medicare
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Medicare, Medicaid, and MCH Tobacco Cessation Promotion Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of: (1) counseling for cessation of tobacco use; and (2) tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy. 
 
Provides for similar benefits under SSA titles V (Maternal and Child Health Services) and XIX (Medicaid).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4180-4191)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4179-4180)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Four Corners Television Access Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-771
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
Intellectual property

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Four Corners Television Access Act of 2009 - Amends federal copyright law and the Communications Act of 1934 to allow satellite or cable retransmission of signals of broadcast television stations located in the capital of a state to counties in that state if the counties meet specified criteria.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Honor Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-772
Sponsor: Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Department of Defense
Department of Veterans Affairs
Health personnel
Medical education
Mental health
Military medicine
Military operations and strategy
Neurological disorders
Student aid and college costs
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' medical care
Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Honor Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a program to provide scholarships for the pursuit of a graduate or postgraduate degree in behavioral health sciences to veterans who performed active-duty service in a theater of combat or during a contingency operation overseas. Requires the veteran, following completion of the degree requirements, to serve for an agreed-upon period with either the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or Department of Defense (DOD) furnishing mental health services to veterans or to members of the Armed Forces (members).
 
Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program to employ and train former members who performed service described above as DOD psychiatric technicians and nurses providing mental health counseling and related services to members deployed to a combat zone.
 
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, upon request, to provide: (1) referral and related assistance to former members not otherwise authorized for counseling through the VA; and (2) readjustment counseling and mental health services to former members through Vet Centers.
 
Requires the suicide of a former member with a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs within a two-year period after separation or retirement to be treated as a death in the line of active duty for purposes of eligibility for active-duty survivors' benefits provided through the VA.
 
Requires the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, jointly and annually, to: (1) review and assess their respective programs for the reintegration of members and veterans into civilian life following their retirement, discharge, or release; and (2) report review and assessment results to Congress.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the availability of appropriated funds for international partnership contact activities conducted by the National Guard, and for other purposes.

Bill: 111-s-775
Sponsor: Sen. Voinovich, George V. [R-OH]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Appropriations
Defense spending
Department of Defense
Executive agency funding and structure
International organizations and cooperation
Military civil functions
Military command and structure
Military operations and strategy
National Guard and reserves

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
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.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act

Bill: 111-s-776
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Government lending and loan guarantees
Health facilities and institutions
Health programs administration and funding
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a small house nursing home loan program under which the Secretary makes grants for the establishment, renovation, and construction of small house nursing homes that meet the requirements of this Act. 

Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a Small House Advisory Panel to evaluate applications for loans under the program in conjunction with lenders; and (2) an evaluation tool and evaluation criteria with which to prioritize borrowers.

Sets forth eligibility criteria for a loan under this Act, including that that home: (1) is designed to establish substantive culture change; (2) has been approved to operate a skilled nursing facility or a nursing facility; and (3) ensures that at least 30% of the residents of the facility are Medicaid-funded individuals.

Requires the Secretary to develop model small house nursing home guidelines. 

Sets forth requirements for a small house nursing home that obtains proceeds from a direct loan under this Act, including that the home provides specified training to all staff. 

Gives priority in awarding loans to nursing homes that have a certain residential structure, such as private bedrooms, and to homes with a legally binding collective bargaining agreement.

Terminates this program 25 years after the date on which amounts are initially appropriated.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
SECTORS Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-777
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Adult education and literacy
Economic development
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Government information and archives
Language arts
Poverty and welfare assistance
Small business
Vocational and technical education
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2009 or the SECTORS Act of 2009 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to award competitive industry or sector partnership grants to eligible entities to develop strategies that: (1) encourage growth and competitiveness through work with employers within a targeted industry cluster; (2) help workers move toward economic self-sufficiency and ensure that they have access to supportive services; (3) address the needs of firms with limited human resources or in-house training capacity, including small- and medium-sized firms; and (4) coordinate with entities that carry out state and local workforce investment, education, and economic development activities.
 
Requires federal agency coordination with the Secretary in carrying out such program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4192-4195)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4191-4192)
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish, within the Executive Office of the President, the Office of National Cybersecurity Advisor.

Bill: 111-s-778
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Establishes, within the Executive Office of the President, the Office of National Cybersecurity Advisor. Requires the Advisor to serve as the principal advisor to the President for all cybersecurity-related matters. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act

Bill: 111-s-779
Sponsor: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2009-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Intergovernmental relations
Licensing and registrations
Motor carriers
Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
State and local government operations
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: 
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Prohibits a state from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semi-trailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (NHS) (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the state on June 1, 2008, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date. 
 
Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the NHS (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under state law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semi-trailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by state law on June 1, 2008; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such state on or before June 1, 2008. 
 Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on January 4, 1975; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to state (grandfather) law. 
 
Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall also apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the NHS, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower state weight limits; or (2) a state allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the NHS that could be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2008.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-04-28
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine. Hearings held.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2009-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate