zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Kids Wish II Act - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to: (1) include child care facilities among public or private nonprofit facilities covered by such Act; (2) make a private for-profit child care facility eligible for assistance under the Act to the same extent as a private nonprofit child care facility; and (3) include child care within provisions regarding essential services, critical services, and federal assistance to individuals and households to address necessary expenses from a major disaster. Directs the President to: (1) encourage states and localities to include consideration of services and facilities for children within all phases of their disaster planning, training, and exercises; (2) take necessary actions to include the provision of services and facilities for children within national planning activities; (3) ensure that disaster plans for services and facilities for children incorporate specific measurable capabilities for shelter-in-place, evacuation, relocation, family reunification, temporary operating standards, and accommodation of children with disabilities and chronic health needs and other special needs child populations; and (4) establish a single federal disaster case management program with an emphasis on achieving tangible, positive outcomes for all children and families who are victims of a major disaster. Authorizes the President to: (1) provide mass care shelters for victims of major disasters, which shall provide a safe and secure mass care shelter environment for children; and (2) provide financial and other assistance for victims of a major disaster to ensure an expedited transition into permanent housing, especially for families with children who have disabilities or other special health, mental health, or educational needs. Directs the President to: (1) give priority to families with children in providing disaster housing assistance; and (2) develop a standardized, interoperable national evacuee tracking and family reunification system that ensures the safety and well-being of children. Requires disaster related information to be made available to individuals affected by a major disaster or emergency in formats that can be understood by children.

Date: 2010-01-20
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Emegency Health Services for Haitian Earthquake Victims Act of 2010 - Directs the President, acting through the National Disaster Medical System, to reimburse states for expenses incurred in providing treatment for health conditions and illnesses resulting from the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010.

Date: 2010-02-03
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Health
Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2010 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Program under which the Administrator may waive, for up to three years and $15,000 total, the interest payments of small businesses that resume operations in a declared disaster area during the period beginning on: (1) September 1, 2005, and ending on October 1, 2006, for loans relating to Hurricanes Katrina or Rita of 2005; or (2) September 1, 2008, and ending on January 1, 2009, for loans relating to Hurricanes Gustav or Ike of 2008.

Date: 2010-02-04
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Commerce
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps of Engineers, to acquire all right, title, and interest of the city of New Bedford and the town of Fairhaven, Massachuetts, to the New Bedford-Fairhaven hurricane barrier if an offer is made by the city and the town to convey it to the Secretary, by quitclaim deed without consideration, within two years of this Act's enactment. Permits the city and the town to retain an easement authorizing the construction and recreational use of a boardwalk as a bike path, pedestrian path, boardwalk, and noncommercial fishing pier. Makes the Secretary responsible for the operation and maintenance, repair, replacement, rehabilitation, and structural integrity of the barrier in coordination with the city and the town.

Date: 2010-03-02
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to establish within USGS a National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System program to monitor volcanic activity and to warn and protect U.S. citizens from harm. Sets forth as System purposes to organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize monitoring systems of U.S. volcano observatories and to unify monitoring systems into a single interoperative system. Sets forth as System objectives to monitor all U.S. volcanoes at a level commensurate with the threat they pose by upgrading existing networks on monitored volcanoes and installing new networks on unmonitored volcanoes. Requires the System to include: (1) a national volcano watch office that is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week; (2) a national volcano data center; and (3) an external grants program to support research in volcano monitoring science and technology. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to Congress a five-year management plan for establishing and operating the System and an annual report; (2) establish an advisory committee; and (3) coordinate activities under this Act with the heads of relevant federal agencies. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with universities and state agencies as volcano observatory partners.

Date: 2010-03-15
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
PAL Extension Act - Authorizes a regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to extend the Provisional Accredited Levee (PAL) period for up to 24 months from the date of the expiration of the original 24-month PAL period upon determining that the community, levee owner, or individual responsible for upgrading the levee has applied for a waiver and is making a good faith effort to complete the upgrade to the accredited level. Defines "good faith" to mean the responsible party provides evidence to the regional director that it: (1) has adequate funds available to upgrade the levee; and (2) has a contract with a qualified private contractor or an appropriate federal agency to verify the levee's certification. Requires FEMA to suspend any mapping activities in the area surrounding the levee during any extension period granted.

Date: 2010-03-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Water resources development
Small Business Disaster Assistance Grant Program Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make grants of up to $25,000 each to small businesses located: (1) in a state with an unemployment rate that exceeds the rate of at least 75% of all other states; and (2) in an area for which the President has declared a major disaster during the two-year period preceding the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2010-04-13
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Commerce
Prohibits the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from revising, updating, or publishing any flood insurance rate map under its Flood Map Modernization Program for any counties that are protected by a structure built or maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers unless the owner of, or the community protected by, such structure has been: (1) formally notified of any deficiencies in the structure; and (2) afforded seven years to rectify any deficiencies that would affect the flood insurance rate map for the area. Prohibits the Administrator, until after such seven years, from: (1) requiring property owners in any such county who were not required to purchase flood insurance prior to the date of this Act's enactment to purchase such insurance; or (2) increasing the flood insurance premium for any such owners.

Date: 2010-04-29
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Business Disaster Recovery Assistance Act of 2010 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a program to assist a covered entity affected by a major disaster. (Defines "covered entity" to mean a business or private nonprofit organization operating in an area with respect to which the President declared, during the 60-day period preceding the date the entity submitted a grant application, a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.) Authorizes the Administrator to make a grant to a covered entity to assist in: (1) the repair or replacement of the entity's property that was damaged as a direct result of a major disaster; and (2) meeting the entity's ordinary and necessary financial obligations that might not otherwise be met as a direct result of a major disaster. Limits each grant to $28,000. Directs the Administrator to adjust the limit annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Department of Labor.

Date: 2010-05-06
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Stable Flood Insurance Authorization Act of 2010 - Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend through FY2010 both the National Flood Insurance Program and the Pilot Program for Mitigation of Severe Repetitive Loss Properties. Repeals the September 30, 2009, termination date for, and thus makes permanent, the authority of the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance to any state or community. Extends eligibility for flood insurance at specified maximum premium rates to any community that has made adequate progress on construction (as under current law), reconstruction, or improvement of a flood protection system which will afford flood protection for the one-hundred year frequency flood (without respect to the level of federal investment or participation). Revises the requirement that a revised Flood Insurance Rate Map be prepared for the community to delineate as Zone AR the areas of special flood hazard that result from the disaccreditation of the flood protection system. Specifies that the areas of special flood hazard may be either coastal or riverine. Revises the requirement that a community will be considered to be in the process of restoration if its flood protection system has been deemed restorable by a federal agency in consultation with the local project sponsor. Replaces a federal agency as the deeming authority with the entity or entities that own, operate, maintain, or repair the system. Directs the Administrator to implement this Act so as not to materially weaken the financial position of the national flood insurance program, or increase the risk of financial liability to federal taxpayers. Authorizes the Administrator to establish floor insurance premium rates, and related terms and conditions, by notice. Amends the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to delay the effective date of the mandatory purchase requirement for newly designated special flood hazard areas until expiration of the three-year period beginning upon the date that certain flood insurance maps are either issued, revised, or updated. Requires the Administrator to notify residents of special flood hazard areas annually that: (1) they reside in such an area; and (2) it is mandatory to purchase flood insurance coverage for their properties. Requires such notice to contain a general estimate of what similar homeowners in similar areas typically pay for such coverage.

Date: 2010-05-07
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
National Commission on Children and Disasters Reauthorization Act of 2010 - Amends the Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, and Health Act of 2007 to authorize appropriations for the National Commission on Children and Disasters through FY2013. Requires any vacancy in the Commission to be filled within 90 days after the date of the vacancy. Requires the Commission to submit: (1) interim reports to the President and Congress annually; and (2) its final report by December 31, 2012.

Date: 2010-05-11
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Help Disaster Victims Buy a New Home Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) treat individual taxpayers who purchase a principal residence to replace a principal residence damaged or destroyed by a federally declared disaster as first-time homebuyers for purposes of the tax credit allowed to such homebuyers; (2) allow taxpayers who do not itemize their tax deductions a deduction from gross income for net casualty losses due to a federally declared disaster and permit a carryover of such losses for five years; and (3) exclude from gross income unemployment compensation paid to workers in a federally declared disaster area.

Date: 2010-05-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Taxation
Volunteer Firefighter Fairness Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat qualified emergency service volunteers as independent contractors, not employees, for tax purposes. Defines "qualified emergency service volunteers" to include volunteers performing fire fighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, and ambulance services.

Date: 2010-06-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Taxation
Flood Insurance Fairness Act of 2010 - Amends the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to delay, for certain areas not previously designated as having special flood hazards, the effective date for the mandatory purchase of flood insurance until the expiration of the five-year period beginning upon the date that revisions to certain flood insurance maps become available. Prohibits this Act from being construed to authorize or require any payment or refund for flood insurance coverage purchases that covered any period during which such coverage is not required for the insured property. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to prescribe a five-year phase-in schedule for flood insurance rates for areas newly mapped as having special flood hazards. Requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse property owners for costs incurred in requests to remove property from base flood elevations. Instructs the FEMA Administrator to submit to Congress a community outreach plan updating floodplain areas and flood-risk zones. Instructs the FEMA Administrator to notify the appropriate Members of Congress of actions taken regarding any modernization of a floodplain area or flood-risk zone in their respective states or districts.

Date: 2010-06-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2010 - Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the National Flood Insurance Program from September 30, 2008, through September 30, 2010. Reduces the total amount of notes and obligations which the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may through FY2010, with the President's approval, issue to finance the Program. Deems the amendments made by this Act to have taken effect on May 31, 2010. States that, to comply with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, the budgetary effects of this Act shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" submitted to the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, if such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

Date: 2010-06-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Good Samaritan Protection for Construction, Architectural, and Engineering Volunteers Act - Grants construction companies and architectural and engineering firms and their employees immunity from liability for negligence, except for gross negligence or willful misconduct, when providing emergency assistance on a voluntary basis in response to a declared emergency or disaster, in good faith, and without expectation of compensation.

Date: 2010-06-23
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Law
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the National Flood Insurance Program (Program) from September 30, 2008, through May 31, 2011. Extends through May 31, 2011, the increased total amount of notes and obligations which the Director of FEMA may, with the approval of the President, issue to finance the Program.

Date: 2010-06-30
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
SBA Disaster Loan Relief Act of 2010 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue regulations providing for the refinancing or consolidation, during the period beginning on April 22, 2010, and ending 180 days after the last date on which the SBA makes a loan to any person directly affected by the discharge of oil arising from the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, of any SBA disaster loan made to such person.

Date: 2010-07-20
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Commerce
Extends through FY2011 the deadline for state expenditure of certain emergency supplemental appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Administration for Children and Families provided for recovery from Hurricanes Ike and Rita and other 2008 natural disasters under the title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Security Services) of the Social Security Act.

Date: 2010-07-20
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Social welfare
Multi-State Disaster Relief Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation with representatives of state and local emergency management agencies, to review, update, and revise through rulemaking the factors considered, when evaluating a governor's request for a major disaster declaration, to measure the severity, magnitude, and impact of a disaster. Requires the Administrator to include as a factor whether a contiguous county in an adjacent state has been designated in a major disaster or emergency as a result of the same incident.Directs the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on FEMA's current regulations, policies, procedures, and practices on: (1) recommending major disaster or emergency declarations in order to provide assistance to individuals and households; and (2) making post-declaration designations of the need for assistance to individuals and households in a county that is contiguous to a state that has received a major disaster or emergency declaration for the same incident.

Date: 2010-07-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Firefighting Investment, Renewal, and Employment Act or the FIRE Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for competitive grants for modifying, upgrading, or constructing non-federal fire stations for FY2011-FY2015.

Date: 2010-07-26
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Firefighters Special Operation Task Force Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to award up to 100 grants for task forces (two or more fire services that collectively consist of at least 50 firefighting personnel, operating under a cooperative agreement to coordinate incident response) each fiscal year for: (1) salary and benefits to hire firefighting personnel; (2) training; (3) equipment or support systems; (4) communications between task force members and a local police department or hospital or with any other appropriate governmental or private sector entity; and (5) compatibility and interoperability of training and equipment.Requires the Administrator to give priority to task forces serving geographic areas that have a high population density or that are located within 50 miles of: (1) a nuclear power facility; (2) a large facility that produces, treats, or refines chemicals or petroleum products; (3) a business district of national significance; or (4) a location with one or more critical infrastructures.Requires grantees to obtain non-federal matching funds of at least 55% of the amount awarded by the Administrator for each fiscal year.

Date: 2010-07-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Catastrophe Savings Accounts Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create tax-exempt catastrophe savings accounts (CSAs). Allows tax-free distributions from CSAs to pay expenses resulting from a presidentially declared major disaster. Limits CSA balances to: (1) $2,000 (for individuals with homeowner insurance deductibles of not more than $1,000); and (2) the lesser of $15,000 or twice a homeowner's insurance deductible (for individuals with deductibles of more than $1,000).

Date: 2010-07-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Taxation
Corporate Liability and Emergency Accident Notification Act or CLEAN Act - Requires an owner or operator of a pipeline facility to provide immediate telephonic notice to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) and the National Response Center within one hour following the discovery of a release of a hazardous liquid (or another substance) and gas. Requires the Secretary to issue guidance to clarify the meaning of the term "discovery." Requires the Secretary to: (1) maintain on the DOT website a database of all reportable releases involving gas or hazardous liquid pipelines; and (2) allow the public to search the database for incidents by pipeline facility owner or operator. Subjects to a civil penalty any person who has obstructed or prevented the Secretary from carrying out an inspection or investigation with respect to a gas or liquid pipeline accident. Increases the maximum civil penalty: (1) from $100,000 to $250,000 for each violation of a federal pipeline safety requirement or order (including one-call notification and related requirements); and (2) from $1 million to $2.5 million for a related series of violations.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Gulf Coast Health Monitoring and Research Program Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a short-term and long-term comprehensive health screening, monitoring, and research program of: (1) oil spill workers and vulnerable residents; and (2) food safety affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Directs the Secretary to appoint the Gulf Coast Health Research Advisory Committee in order to: (1) offer high-quality scientific research advice to the program established under this Act, including proactive advice regarding each federal agency's long-term monitoring and research objectives relating to workers and vulnerable residents at risk from the Deepwater Horizon disaster and other oil spills; and (2) provide a forum for ensuring that health concerns of workers and the public are considered in determining the priorities for scientific research. Requires the Secretary to ensure that members of the Advisory Committee do not have any conflicts of interest. Requires the Advisory Committee to: (1) provide advice on the development and implementation of the health research program; (2) respond to requests for advice from the appropriate federal official on matters within the Advisory Committee's expertise; and (3) as appropriate, review reports or other documents submitted to the appropriate federal officials pursuant to this Act to obtain information on protecting the health and safety of cleanup workers and vulnerable communities. Authorizes the Secretary to compel BP PLC to provide health-related data and information collected by or on behalf of BP PLC, except to the extent such data or information is protected from disclosure under federal law.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Health
Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide assistance to a person who owns or operates a rental dwelling unit damaged or destroyed by a major disaster for that unit's repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement if: (1) before the disaster the unit was made available for occupancy only by low- or moderate-income tenants; (2) the person will continue, for a specified minimum period, to make available rental dwelling units for occupancy only by such tenants; and (3) the person has applied for a disaster loan under the Small Business Act and either has been determined to be ineligible for such a loan or has obtained such a loan in the maximum amount for which the Small Business Administration (SBA) determines the person is eligible.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to create an exception to the mandatory 30-day waiting period for new flood insurance coverage to take effect under the National Flood Insurance Program. Exempts from the waiting period the purchase of flood insurance coverage for which the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) waives the period because of an occurrence that has caused the area covered by the insurance to be more susceptible to flooding than before the occurrence. Specifies in particular property located in an area that, because of a wildfire beginning on June 20, 2010, became more susceptible to flooding than before the wildfire. Allows the Secretary to apply the waiver retroactively. Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that flood insurance coverage of such a covered property takes effect on the date that all obligations for coverage (including completion of the application and payment of any initial premiums owed) were satisfactorily completed.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to permit an agricultural producer who owns livestock to plant a second crop on the same acreage for harvest in the same crop year as a first crop and receive full prevented planting indemnity payments if such producer: (1) is located in an area that experienced excessive precipitation which prevented the first crop's planting by its final planting date; and (2) uses the second crop solely for emergency feed for the producer's livestock.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Gulf of Mexico Economic and Environmental Restoration Act of 2010 - Establishes the Gulf of Mexico Recovery Council, consisting of each member of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. Directs the Council to: (1) establish guidelines for, approve or disapprove, and annually review Gulf state comprehensive restoration plans that address the effects in such a state of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon that began on April 20, 2010, with regard to the economy, the environment, and public health; (2) distribute funds to states whose plans are approved; (3) establish a Gulf of Mexico Observation System, to be implemented through a Gulf of Mexico Exploration Research Center, to increase observation and monitoring capabilities in the Gulf; (4) establish a Gulf of Mexico sea grant program to fund Gulf coast restoration projects carried out by sea grant colleges or institutions located in the Gulf states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi); (5) establish a Gulf of Mexico seafood marketing program and a Gulf of Mexico Seafood Marketing Board to submit a seafood marketing plan; (6) establish a Gulf of Mexico clean energy program to make grants for qualified clean energy projects and energy efficiency projects; (7) establish a Gulf coast-based working group to implement policies and programs to accomplish Gulf coast economic development, ecosystem restoration, and public health rehabilitation; (8) coordinate the sharing of scientific information and other research associated with Gulf coast economic development, ecosystem restoration, and public health rehabilitation; and (9) submit an annual report to Congress. Establishes in the Treasury a Gulf of Mexico Economic and Environmental Recovery Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into the Fund not less than 80% of any amounts collected as penalties, settlements, or fines under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) in relation to the oil spill. Requires the Fund to be made available to the Council only for activities related to Gulf coast economic development, ecosystem restoration, and public health rehabilitation that are not inconsistent with the regional ecosystem restoration strategy developed by the Task Force.

Date: 2010-11-18
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Disability Integration and Coordination Improvement Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) establish an Office of Disability Integration and Coordination; (2) use such Office to implement strategies and activities in support of the responsibilities of the Disability Coordinator, who shall serve as the Director of the Office. and (3) establish specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant performance measures for the Office, including to ensure the integration of people with disabilities into emergency, preparedness, protection, mitigation, evacuation, sheltering, transition, resiliency, and recovery plans. Directs the Administrator to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to: (1) conduct an assessment of the efficacy of state, local, and tribal governments' and nonprofits' registries of people with disabilities to guide planning and preparedness during local, state, and national disasters or emergencies resulting from a natural disaster, an act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster; and (2) provide recommendations for establishing a federal disabilities registry.

Date: 2010-12-02
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Federal Emergency Management Advancement Act of 2009 or the FEMA Act - Reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent establishment in the executive branch. Requires FEMA to be headed by a Director appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Designates the Director as the principal advisor to the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Homeland Security for all matters relating to emergency management in the United States. Directs the President to designate the Director to serve as a Cabinet member in the event of specified disasters. Establishes as FEMA's primary mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards, including natural and man-made disasters, through a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.Prescribes the Director's responsibilities. Provides for 10 regional offices. Requires each Regional Administrator to: (1) establish a Regional Advisory Council; and (2) oversee multi-agency strike teams. Establishes a National Operations Center. Requires the Director to: (1) establish Area Offices in appropriate Regional Offices; (2) defer to substantiating documentation submitted by states in determining the duration of a major disaster and in establishing the eligibility period for assistance; (3) establish and implement the voluntary private sector preparedness accreditation and certification program; (4) ensure that the National Response Plan provides for a clear chain of command to lead and coordinate the federal response to disasters; and (5) enter into a memorandum of understanding with specified individuals to collaborate on developing standards for deployment capabilities. Transfers specified functions and personnel to FEMA. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to make necessary determinations regarding such functions and incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, and property.

Date: 2009-02-11
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Homeowners' Defense Act of 2009 - Establishes the National Catastrophe Risk Consortium as a nonprofit, nonfederal entity to: (1) maintain an inventory of catastrophe risk obligations held by state reinsurance funds and state residual insurance market entities; (2) issue, on a conduit basis, securities and other financial instruments linked to catastrophe risks insured or reinsured through Consortium members; (3) coordinate reinsurance contracts; (4) act as a centralized repository of state risk information accessible by certain private-market participants; and (5) use a database to perform research and analysis that encourages standardization of the risk-linked securities market. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to implement a national homeowners' insurance stabilization program to make liquidity loans and catastrophic loans to qualified reinsurance programs to: (1) ensure their solvency; (2) improve the availability and affordability of homeowners' insurance; (3) provide incentive for risk transfer to the private capital and reinsurance markets; and (4) spread the risk of catastrophic financial loss resulting from natural disasters and catastrophic events.Authorizes the Secretary to establish and collect, from qualified and precertified reinsurance programs, a reasonable fee to offset expenses of the program.Instructs the Secretary to require full repayment of all loans made under this Act.

Date: 2009-02-27
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Greensburg, Kansas Recovery Extension Act - Requires funds from any national emergency grant made under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to address the effects of the May 4, 2007, Greensburg, Kansas, tornado to remain available for expenditure through June 30, 2010.

Date: 2009-03-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
FEMA Accountability Act of 2009 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) complete an assessment to determine the number of temporary housing units purchased by FEMA that it needs to maintain in stock to respond appropriately to emergencies or major disasters; and (2) establish criteria for determining whether individual temporary housing units stored by FEMA are in usable condition, including appropriate criteria for formaldehyde testing and exposure of such units.Requires the Administrator to establish and implement a plan for: (1) storing the number of temporary housing units that the Administrator has determined that FEMA needs to maintain in stock; (2) transferring, selling, or otherwise disposing of such units in FEMA's inventory that are in excess of that number and in usable condition; and (3) disposing of such units that are determined not to be in usable condition. Makes the plan subject to Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act disposal requirements and other applicable law.Directs the Administrator to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the status of the distribution, sale, transfer, or other disposal of temporary housing units under this Act.

Date: 2009-03-26
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
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 "financial hardship" 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.

Date: 2009-04-01
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
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.

Date: 2009-04-01
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish within the United States Geological Survey (USGS) a National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program, consisting of a national volcano watch office and data center, to oversee and coordinate the activities of USGS regional volcano watch and data centers. Sets forth as Program purposes: (1) to monitor and study volcanic activity throughout the United States at a level commensurate with the threat; and (2) to warn and protect people and property from harm. Requires the Secretary to prepare a management plan for the Program, which shall include: (1) annual cost estimates of operating the Program and updating the data collection, monitoring, and analysis systems; (2) annual standards and performance goals; and (3) recommendations for establishing or enhancing partnerships with state agencies or universities. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements or partnerships under which state agencies or universities are designated as volcano observatory partners for the Program. Directs the Secretary to coordinate activities under this Act with the heads of relevant federal agencies, including the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Authorizes the Secretary to establish a competitive grant program to support research and monitoring of volcanic activities in furtherance of this Act.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Catastrophe Obligation Guarantee Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to guarantee holders of debt against loss of principal or interest, or both, on debt issued by eligible state programs designed to: (1) promote the availability of private capital to provide liquidity and capacity to state catastrophe insurance (specifically, residential property insurance and reinsurance) programs; and (2) expedite the payment of claims under such programs and better assist financial recovery from significant natural catastrophes. Limits the total principal amount of debt obligations guaranteed by the Secretary to: (1) $5 billion for eligible state programs that cover earthquake peril; and (2) $20 billion for eligible state programs that cover all other perils. Makes appropriations to satisfy debt guarantee commitments. Requires the Secretary, upon request of an eligible state program, to provide such debt guarantees. Requires an eligible state program to show to the Secretary's satisfaction that covered insured losses in the state are likely to exceed the program's available cash resources, as calculated on the date of the event. Prescribes requirements for eligible state programs. Pledges the full faith and credit of the United States to the payment of all guarantees issued under this Act.

Date: 2009-04-23
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prohibit any employee from being terminated, demoted, or discriminated against in the terms or conditions of employment because the employee is absent or late as a result of serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services as part of a response to an emergency or major disaster. Excludes absences for which the employee: (1) is absent for more than 14 days per calendar year; (2) responds to an emergency or major disaster without being officially deployed in accordance with a coordinator national deployment system; or (3) fails to provide written verification within a reasonable period of time. Allows employers to: (1) reduce the employee's regular pay for such time as the employee is absent; and (2) require the employee to provide written verification from the supervising Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state, or local official that such employee responded in an official capacity at a specified time and date. Requires such an employee to make a reasonable effort to notify his or her employer that he or she may be absent or late. Gives such an employee a private cause of action for discrimination which violates this Act.

Date: 2009-05-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Labor and employment
Deems: (1) certain activity in a coastal high hazard area to be an eligible use of assistance under provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act regarding hazard mitigation and repair, restoration, and replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Gustav, or Ike; and (2) any new construction or substantial improvements to structures under such an activity involving critical actions to not be required to elevate to the 500-year floodplain if it would be impracticable. Makes this Act applicable to any assistance under such Act relating to a major disaster declared on or after August 28, 2005, relating to such hurricanes.

Date: 2009-05-20
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Emergency Management Assistance Compact Grant Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to authorize appropriations for Emergency Management Assistance Compact grants for FY2010-FY2012.

Date: 2009-06-18
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide: (1) medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) initial health evaluation, monitoring, and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) implement a quality assurance program; (2) establish the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (3) establish the WTC Responders Steering Committee and the WTC Community Program Steering Committee; (4) provide for education and outreach on services under the WTC program; (5) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions; (6) conduct research on physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center; and (7) extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the Department to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to: (1) make individuals eligible for compensation under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 for harm as a result of debris removal; and (2) extend the deadline for making a claim for compensation.

Date: 2009-06-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Health
Local Disaster Contracting Fairness Act of 2009 - Prohibits the head of an executive agency from entering into an agreement for debris removal or demolition services in connection with natural disaster reconstruction efforts unless the agreement specifies that: (1) all of the work under the contract will be performed by the prime contractor or one or more subcontractors at one tier under the contract; (2) any work performed under the contract by subcontractors will be performed by local subcontractors, except to the extent that local subcontractors are not available to perform any such work; (3) the prime contractor will act as the project manager or construction manager for the contract; and (4) the prime contractor has primary responsibility for managing all work under the contract and is to be paid a certain percentage of the overall value of the contract as sole compensation for assuming the risk associated with such responsibility. Requires the agency head, in entering into an agreement for debris removal or demolition services in connection with natural disaster reconstruction efforts, to give preference in the source selection process to each offeror who certifies that any work that is to be performed under the contract by subcontractors will be performed by local subcontractors.

Date: 2009-07-09
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management
Natural Disaster Fairness in Contracting Act of 2009 - Requires agencies, in entering into a contract to procure property or services in connection with natural disaster reconstruction efforts, to use specified competitive procedures.Allows agencies to enter into a contract to procure property or services in connection with such reconstruction efforts using other than full and open competition only upon the written approval of the President or the President's designee. Requires congressional notification when procedures other than full and open competitive procedures are to be used. Instructs agencies that enter into a contract for the procurement of property or services in connection with such reconstruction efforts through the use of other than full and open competitive procedures to publish in the Federal Register or Federal Business Opportunities and otherwise make available to the public specified information concerning the contract seven days before it is finalized. Permits the use of noncompetitive procedures by agencies when: (1) a contract will be performed within a six-month period; and (2) the need for the property or services is of such an unusual and compelling urgency that the government would otherwise be seriously injured.

Date: 2009-07-09
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Disaster Relief)
Subject: Emergency management