zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Food Outreach and Opportunity Development for a Healthy America Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to: (1) extend assistance for community food projects; and (2) obligate funds for food stamp nutrition education. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to: (1) extend the fresh fruit and vegetable program; (2) extend the farm-to-cafeteria program; and (3) authorize Department of Agriculture and Department of Defense (DOD) geographic preferences to purchase locally produced agricultural or food products. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to revise the farmland protection program. Gives priority to farm and ranchland with prime, unique, or other productive soils at risk of nonagricultural development. Provides for: (1) grants to eligible state or local entities to purchase conservation easements; and (2) grant agreements with eligible state or local entities to purchase conservation easements using a combination of their own funds and grant funds. Amends the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to establish the Farmers' Market Promotion Program Plus to make grants to eligible entities to establish and promote direct farmer-to-consumer marketing opportunities. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the seniors farmers' market nutrition program. Amends the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Marketing Service, to: (1) establish a grant program for eligible entities to conduct enterprise feasibility studies, including studies of consumer preference; and (2) provide loans and loan guarantees to eligible entities and individual producers to develop processing, distribution, and information infrastructure for locally or regionally produced food.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a specified period from reducing the state family assistance grant to or imposing other penalties against a state under part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of title IV of the Social Security Act for failure to satisfy minimum work participation rates or comply with work participation verification procedures.Specifies such period as the months from October 2006 through the end of the 12-month period that begins on the date the Secretary approves the state's work verification plan.

Date: 2007-05-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Food Stamp Fairness and Benefit Restoration Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 with respect to: (1) inflation adjustments for standard deductions and for household resources; (2) retirement account and education account exclusions; (3) eligibility for unemployed adults; (4) dependent care deduction cap elimination; (5) legal immigrant eligibility; and (6) extension of commodity availability for the emergency food assistance program.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Hunger Relief Trucking Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the cost of transporting food to assist hunger relief efforts of certain charitable organizations.

Date: 2007-06-05
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Food Employment Empowerment and Development Program Act of 2007 or the FEED Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a food employment empowerment and development program of grants to eligible public agencies and private nonprofit institutions to encourage the use of community resources to combat hunger and the root causes of hunger by creating opportunity through food recovery and job training.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 - Requires the Federal Acquisition Regulation to be revised to require all government contracts above $25,000 for the provision, service, or sale of food in the United States, or for the lease or rental of federal property to a private entity for events at which food is provided in the United States, to include clauses that: (1) encourage the donation of excess, apparently wholesome food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to people with inconsistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food; (2) provide that the head of an executive agency involved shall not assume responsibility for the costs and logistics of collecting, transporting, maintaining the safety of, or distributing such food; and (3) exempt any executive agency and any contractor making donations pursuant to such a contract from liability to the extent provided under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.

Date: 2007-12-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Declares Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," to be null and void. Prohibits the use of funds for the promulgation or enforcement of an executive order that creates an entitlement to services provided in a language other than English.

Date: 2008-03-05
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Bonus TEFAP Assistance Act of 2008 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance for the costs of intrastate transportation, storage, and distribution of bonus commodities provided to states and food assistance agencies under the emergency food assistance program.

Date: 2008-03-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to change the TANF supplemental grant for population increases in certain states into simply a supplemental grant for certain states, for FY2009 and FY2010, including both qualifying states that received and qualifying states that did not receive a supplemental grant for FY2008, if their TANF resources are below average.

Date: 2008-04-03
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Low-Income Gasoline Assistance Program Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to enable states to establish emergency assistance programs to make certain payments to eligible low-income households for the purchase of gasoline. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize a state to use funds from any TANF grant to carry out such a program.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act - Makes appropriations for FY2008 for payments under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (LIHEAP Program).

Date: 2008-06-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Energy
Emergency Energy Assistance Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the credit percentage for purposes of the earned income tax credit for taxable years beginning in 2008. Makes appropriations for FY2008 for payments under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (LIHEAP Program). Makes appropriations for FY2008 to carry out the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons under the Energy Conservation and Production Act.

Date: 2008-07-21
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Energy
Weatherization, Assistance, and Relief for Middle-Income Households Act of 2008 or the WARM Act of 2008 - Makes additional appropriations in FY2008 for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a income-based tax credit for 50% of home heating oil expenditures made on or after June 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2009, up to $1,000 ($2,000 for joint returns); (2) deny major integrated oil companies a tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, gas, or primary products thereof; and (3) establish a fair market value standard for determining foreign oil and gas extraction income.

Date: 2008-07-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Energy
Drug Free Families Act of 2008 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state TANF programs to implement a program to test TANF applicants and recipients for illegal drug use. Requires state TANF programs to deny assistance to individuals who test positive for illegal drugs and individuals convicted of drug-related crimes.

Date: 2008-07-29
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to count 24 months of participation in post-secondary education toward work requirements.

Date: 2008-07-31
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Food Insecurity Reduction Act of 2008 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Food Stamp Act of 1977 as renamed by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) to increase to 12 months the amount of time certain work capable adults can receive supplemental nutrition assistance benefits (formerly, food stamp benefits). Revises the definition of "covered individual."

Date: 2008-09-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Drug Free Families Act of 2008 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state TANF programs to implement a program to test TANF applicants and recipients for illegal drug use. Requires state TANF programs to deny assistance to individuals who test positive for illegal drugs and individuals convicted of drug-related crimes.

Date: 2008-09-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Obesity Prevention, Treatment, and Research Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to convene a United States Council on Overweight-Obesity Prevention with duties to include developing strategies to comprehensively prevent, treat, and reduce overweight and obesity. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a grant demonstration and pilot program to address overweight and obesity issues, including through promoting increased physical activity and healthier lifestyles.Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to award grants to promote health behaviors for women and children in target populations.Provides for the collection and analysis of data on fitness levels, health, and nutrition. Includes community education programs designed to address and prevent overweight, obesity, and eating disorders as activities states may carry out under preventive health services and health services block grants.Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture to update and reform federal oversight of food and beverage labeling.Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to provide for additional funding for a program to make free fresh fruits and vegetables available in elementary schools.Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant titles of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of certain services related to overweight and obesity, including diet and exercise counseling, medical nutrition therapy services, and weight and body mass index (BMI) measurement and monitoring.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Health
Anti-hunger Empowerment Act of 2009 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (formerly known as the Food Stamp Act of 1977) to replace current supplemental nutrition assistance program (formerly known as the food stamp program) administrative cost provisions with provisions authorizing 75% reimbursement for specified state activities to increase program access. States that fingerprinting shall not be required for program participation. Beyond the Soup Kitchen Grants Program Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Beyond the Soup Kitchen pilot program to provide grants: (1) to a primary community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger group in each designated pilot community which shall allocate subgrants to other nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups in such community; and (2) for technical assistance grants. Sets forth program provisions.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Food Assistance to Improve Reintegration Act of 2009 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of food stamp eligibility for a person convicted of a felony which has as an element the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance.

Date: 2009-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Summer Food Service Rural Expansion Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act with respect to the summer food service programs for children in service institutions (e.g., schools and summer camps). Revises the condition limiting eligibility to institutions conducting a regularly scheduled food service for children from areas in which poor economic conditions exist (i.e., where at least 50% of the children meet eligibility requirements for certain free or reduced price school meals.) Eliminates the special 2005 and 2006 exemption from this requirement for rural areas in Pennsylvania which lowers the threshold eligibility to areas where at least 40% of the children meet eligibility requirements for free or reduced price school meals. Applies such 40% threshold to rural areas of all states and makes it permanent.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Economic Recovery Through Increased Feeding Act of 2009 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Food Stamp Act of 1977 as renamed by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) to increase to 12 months the amount of time certain work capable adults can receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (formerly, food stamp benefits). Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to require appropriate states to: (1) submit to the Secretary reports identifying SNAP participation in the 25 largest U.S. cities; and (2) implement practices to increase program participation in cities where eligible household participation is less than 85%. Increases funding for grants to increase program participation. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to support the use of electronic benefits transfers for federal nutrition programs at farmers' markets.

Date: 2009-01-15
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Poverty Impact Trigger Act of 2009 - Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order to consider a public bill or joint resolution authorizing an appropriation of $10 million or more, unless: (1) the accompanying committee report includes a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Poverty Impact Division impact statement; or (2) the chair of the committee reporting the legislation submits such statement for publication in the Congressional Record before consideration of the measure. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish the CBO Poverty Impact Division to prepare and submit poverty impact statements to the chair of House committees.

Date: 2009-01-22
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Congress
Troubled Asset Relief Program Transparency Reporting Act - Prohibits the use by a recipient or its subsidiary of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 for lobbying expenditures or political contributions. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, through enhanced internal reporting and oversight requirements, to develop and publish corporate governance principles and ethical guidelines for such recipients, including specified restrictions. Sets forth recipient reporting and certifying requirements governing such TARP funds. Requires the Secretary to make such reports and certifications publicly available online and free of charge. Subjects persons to civil fines for violating such prohibition on the use of TARP funds or failing to file the required report or certification. Bars recipients from future TARP funds for noncompliance with such guidelines unless the Secretary determines that reasonable steps have been taken to bring their actions into compliance with and to prevent future violations of this Act.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Welfare Reform Restoration Act of 2009 - Amends title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to repeal the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs (Emergency Fund), as added by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and eliminate related provisions.

Date: 2009-03-03
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize FY2010-FY2011 appropriations for: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for grants to domestic treatment centers for the costs of services provided in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs; (2) the President for grants to foreign treatment centers and programs for activities designed to treat victims for the physical and psychological effects of torture; and (3) the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.

Date: 2009-03-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: International affairs
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to deny certain agricultural commodity payments for not less than five years, or permanently, to a person or legal entity that has knowingly engaged in, or aided in the creation of a fraudulent document, or failed to disclose material information relevant to the administration of such benefits. (Current law authorizes payment denial for up to five crop years.) Requires that a person or legal entity that received benefits while ineligible due to excess income repay such amounts fully. Directs the Secretary to request the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to verify the income-related eligibility of a benefit applicant, and deny benefits to a person or entity determined to be ineligible. Authorizes Farm Service Agency reconsideration of a denial.

Date: 2009-03-19
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
The White House Conference on Food and Nutrition - Directs: (1) the President to call the White House Conference on Food and Nutrition to be convened in order to make fundamental policy recommendations on ways to end hunger and to improve nutrition in the United States; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Treasury to plan and conduct the Conference. Sets forth Conference provisions.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Savings for Working Families Act of 2009 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.

Date: 2009-05-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
The White House Conference on Food and Nutrition - Directs: (1) the President to call the White House Conference on Food and Nutrition to be convened in order to make fundamental policy recommendations on ways to end hunger and to improve nutrition in the United States; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Treasury to plan and conduct the Conference. Sets forth Conference provisions.

Date: 2009-05-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Healthy Food Choices for Kids Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to up to 10 states and, through them, subgrants to up to 10 schools in each of those states for a pilot program requiring schools to: (1) post nutritional content information in school cafeterias regarding the food they serve; and (2) teach students how to make healthy food selections. Requires the Secretary to encourage such schools to post the nutritional content information, including caloric information, on their websites.

Date: 2009-05-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Menu Education and Labeling Act or the MEAL Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require chain restaurants with 20 or more locations doing business under the same trade name to disclose: (1) in a statement adjacent to a standard menu item, the number of calories, grams of saturated plus trans fat, grams of carbohydrate, and milligrams of sodium in each such item; (2) other information designed to enable the public to understand the significance of the nutrition information provided in the context of a total daily diet; (3) that such nutrition information is available in writing at the point of ordering; and (4) the number of calories in food on a drive-through menu board, adjacent to each menu item. Exempts condiments, items placed on a table or counter for general use, daily specials, and temporary menu items. Requires restaurants that sell self-serve food and beverages, such as through a salad bar, buffet line, or cafeteria lines, to place a sign that lists the number of calories per serving adjacent to each food item or beverage offered. Requires vending machine operators who operate 20 or more vending machines to provide a conspicuous sign disclosing the number of calories contained in each article of food dispensed from such machines. Permits restaurants and vending machine operators to voluntarily provide, and states to require, additional nutritional information.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Health
IRA Charitable Giving Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2010 the exclusion from gross income for income tax purposes of distributions from individual retirement accounts for charitable purposes.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Charitable Goods Donation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2010 the tax deductions for contributions of food and book inventory and for contributions of computer technology or equipment to schools and public libraries.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Recidivism Reduction Act - Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income for Aged, Blind, and Disabled) (SSI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require the reinstatement upon release of an otherwise eligible disabled inmate for SSI benefits which were terminated owing to the inmate's incarceration in a jail, prison, penal institution, or correctional facility for a period of 12 or more consecutive months. Requires the inmate to apply for reinstatement and resumption of such benefits within 36 months after release. Allows application for reinstatement even before release. Permits provisional benefits to such an individual until the application is acted upon. Requires the reinstatement of SSI benefit eligibility for such an individual's spouse if the spouse was previously an SSI-eligible spouse. Amends SSA title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) (OASDI) to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to develop a system for prerelease application for resumption of suspended OASDI disability insurance benefits, or other benefits based on disability. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to require state Medicaid plans to provide that in the case of any individual enrolled for medical assistance immediately before becoming an inmate of a public institution: (1) the enrollment shall be reinstated upon the individual's release from such institution unless and until there is a determination that the individual is no longer eligible to be so enrolled; and (2) any period of continuous eligibility in effect on the date the individual became such an inmate shall be reinstated as of the release date and the duration of such period shall be determined without regard to the period in which the individual was such an inmate. Increases from 90% to 95% the federal matching rate for any state implementing a Medicaid reinstatement system. Authorizes case management services in order to engage in planning for services following an individual's release from a public institution.

Date: 2009-06-11
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Food Desert Oasis Act of 2009 - Designates certain U.S. cities as Food Desert Zones. Defines a "qualified food desert business" as a wholesale or retail business that derives at least 25% of its gross receipts from the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables. Grants certain tax benefits to a qualified food desert business, including an increased tax credit rate for rehabilitation expenditures, empowerment zone status, and tax-exempt bond financing. Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to: (1) increase to 100% the federal share of costs associated with hunger-free communities program activities in a Food Desert Zone in FY2010-FY2015; and (2) extend the authorization of appropriations for such program through FY2015. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to submit annual reports to Congress on the Food Desert Oasis Pilot Program under this Act.

Date: 2009-06-26
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Access to Books for Children Act or the ABC Act - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to local agencies to provide vouchers to women participating in the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) for the purchase of educational books for their infants and children. Limits to one $5 voucher the maximum amount any one woman may receive, regardless of the number of her infants or children.

Date: 2009-07-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
DSHEA Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2009 - Authorizes and makes appropriations to: (1) carry out the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) and all applicable regulatory requirements for dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; and (2) expand research and development of consumer information on dietary supplements by the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fully and appropriately use such funds to regulate dietary supplements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress on the implementation and enforcement of DSHEA.

Date: 2009-07-20
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Health
Afterschool Flexibility to Expand Reimbursement for School Meals Act of 2009 or the AFTERSchool Meals Act of 2009 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make institutions in any state eligible for reimbursement for meals provided to at-risk school children under programs organized primarily to provide care to at-risk school children during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year. (Currently, reimbursement is limited to institutions in 10 states.) Assists states in providing meals and meal supplements to children participating in after-school programs in elementary and secondary schools. (Currently, assistance is provided for meal supplements.) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to states to encourage institutions and schools to participate in these expanded programs.

Date: 2009-07-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction, up to $3,500 per year, for pet care expenses (including veterinary care).

Date: 2009-07-31
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Nutritious Food for Health Families Act of 2009 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to reduce the maximum interval for the issuance of supplemental nutrition assistance (formerly known as food stamp) benefits from 40 days to 17 days.

Date: 2009-09-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to prohibit any entity in receipt of financial assistance under the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) (or any other program enacted by the Secretary under EESA authorities) from providing any direct or indirect assistance to, funding, promoting, or in any way contributing to the activities of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or an ACORN-related affiliate. Exempts from this prohibition any entity that has repaid all outstanding amounts of TARP or related financial assistance.

Date: 2009-10-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Expand School Meals Act of 2009 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to expand eligibility for free meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs to children whose family income falls at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. (This makes children who are currently eligible for reduced price meals eligible for free meals.)

Date: 2009-10-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Energy Assistance for American Families Act - Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to authorize appropriations for FY2011-FY2014. Permits a state to use any allotment from such appropriations to assist households whose income does not exceed 75% of the state median income.

Date: 2010-02-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a limited exclusion from gross income for income resulting from the discharge of qualified individual indebtedness. Defines "qualified individual indebtedness" as any indebtedness of an individual other than indebtedness which is discharged on account of services performed for the lender or held at any time by a person related to such individual.

Date: 2010-02-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Emergency Jobs Program and Assistance for Families Extension Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to extend for one year the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make a grant from the Fund for each calendar quarter in FY2010 or FY2011 to each requesting state whose total expenditures for work support services in the quarter, whether under the state program funded under TANF or as qualified state expenditures, exceeds the state's total such expenditures in the corresponding quarter in its emergency fund base year. Requires a grant to equal 80% of such excess.

Date: 2010-02-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Support for Working Families Extension Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2012 the Emergency Contingency Fund for State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs. Increases the amount of the quarterly grant to a state from the Emergency Fund for subsidized employment expenditures. Establishes new Emergency Fund grants to states for work support services expenditures.

Date: 2010-02-09
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Back to Work Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exempt for-profit and nonprofit employers from social security taxes in 2010 for new employees who are hired after February 3, 2010, and before January 1, 2011, and who certify that they have not worked more than 40 hours during the last 60 days; and (2) allow an increase in the general business tax credit for the retention of such employees for at least one year at specified wage levels. Prohibits a carryback of unused business tax credit amounts to previous taxable years. Appropriates to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund under title II of the Social Security Act amounts necessary to cover any reduction in revenues resulting from the tax exemptions provided by this Act.

Date: 2010-02-22
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Farm to School Improvements Act of 2010 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide competitive matching grants to schools, nonprofit organizations, and other able entities for farm to school programs that improve the access of school lunch and breakfast program participants to local foods. Provides that each grant may include an implementation grant, training and technical assistance grant, and planning grant. Requires farm to school programs to be designed to: (1) improve the nutritional health and well being of children; (2) procure healthy local foods from small and medium-sized farms; (3) support experiential nutrition education by involving school children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities; (4) commit public and private community stakeholders to the sustained success of such programs; and (5) increase farmers' income by facilitating their access to institutional markets. Directs the Secretary to provide grant recipients with technical assistance that includes sharing information, best practices, research, and data on existing farm to school programs.

Date: 2010-02-26
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Increased Program Access Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to reimburse summer food service programs for children in service institutions and food programs for children in afterschool care for free meals or snacks served to children in areas where at least 40% (currently, 50%) of the children meet the income eligibility criteria for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to service institutions to increase participation at congregate feeding sites in summer food service programs for children through innovative approaches to limited transportation in underserved areas.

Date: 2010-03-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 to increase from $600 million to $750 million the annual authorization of appropriations for the home energy assistance needs of states arising from a natural disaster or other emergency.

Date: 2010-03-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Energy
Healthy Milk and Dairy Choices in Schools Act of 2010 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the fat content of milk served in school lunches to be consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to include nonprofit schools and child care institutions that participate in the school lunch or breakfast programs in the special milk program. (Currently, the special milk program reimburses nonprofit schools and child care institutions which do not participate in the school lunch or breakfast programs for the milk they provide to children.) Establishes a three-year pilot program under which the Secretary of Agriculture purchases low-fat cheeses, in addition to commodities currently purchased, for use in the school lunch and breakfast programs. Requires the Secretary to evaluate and report to Congress on the program. Allows the Secretary, through FY2016, to satisfy the requirement that at least 12% of school lunch program assistance be in the form of commodity assistance by using commodities procured by the Secretary under any provision of law.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to change from discretionary authority to a mandate that states adopt and enforce standards and procedures to ensure the right and entitlement of victims of domestic and sexual violence seeking or receiving TANF under the state program.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Social welfare
Weekends Without Hunger Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture, subject to the availability of appropriations, to implement a pilot program providing commodities, on a competitive basis, to nonprofits for the provision of nutritious food to at-risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays during the school year. (At-risk school children are those who participate in the school lunch program and reside in an area served by a school in which at least 50% of the students receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs.) Includes elementary and secondary schools, school food authorities, food banks or pantries, homeless shelters, and other Secretary-approved emergency feeding agencies as eligible nonprofit recipients of such commodities. Requires commodity recipients to satisfy safe food storage, handling, and delivery standards established by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to: (1) complete an interim evaluation of the pilot program by November 30, 2013; and (2) submit a final report to Congress by December 31, 2015, that contains an evaluation of such program and any recommendations the Secretary may have for legislative action. Authorizes appropriations for the pilot program.

Date: 2010-04-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Nutrition Education and Wellness in Schools Act or NEW Schools Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to replace the nutrition promotion program with a program that requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that their local wellness policies: (1) include goals for nutrition and physical education, physical activity, on-campus food marketing and advertising, and other school-based activities that promote nutrition and wellness throughout the extended school day; (2) include plans for implementing, and measuring the implementation of, such policies; (3) require reimbursable school meals to meet certain nutritional guidelines; and (4) require the nutritional guidelines for nonreimbursable foods and beverages sold in schools to be in compliance with standards established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Requires each LEA, within two years of this Act's enactment and every three years thereafter, to complete and disseminate an assessment of their local wellness policy. Directs each LEA to designate a standing Local Wellness Policy Committee made up of education, health, and nutrition stakeholders to foster the integration of a local wellness policy that meets this Act's requirements with other health-related activities in the LEA's schools and community. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide technical assistance and outreach to key state and local stakeholders to promote effective local wellness policies; and (2) prepare a report, in conjunction with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on the implementation, strength, and effectiveness of local wellness policies. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to replace the Team Nutrition Network program with The Wellness and Nutrition Network (TWNN) program providing grants to states to: (1) establish a comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated State Wellness and Nutrition Network; and (2) allocate grants to LEAs to promote and support healthy eating and physical activity programs, policies, or initiatives for children that participate in the child nutrition programs. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated national nutrition promotion and education strategy as part of TWNN.

Date: 2010-04-21
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
School Meals Stigma Reduction Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow local educational agencies (LEAs) to revise previously submitted meal claims to approve children retroactively for up to 90 days for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch program. Requires children who are eligible for free meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs to be provided the meal that is provided on any given day, regardless of unpaid fees. Requires children who are eligible for reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs to be provided the meal that is provided on any given day, as long as the child pays the reduced-price meal fee that day, regardless of unpaid fees. Directs LEAs that wish to implement a substitute meal policy for children with unpaid school meal fees to ensure that it doesn't stigmatize the children. Requires LEAs to directly certify children who owe at least a week of meal fees as eligible for free meals or provide their households with the materials and encouragement to apply for such meals. Prohibits LEAs attempting to collect unpaid school meal fees from a household from taking any action directed at the household's child or using a debt collector.

Date: 2010-04-28
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
National School Lunch Protection Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to issue guidance to school food authorities participating in the school lunch and breakfast programs covering program rules pertaining to the costs that may be charged to the nonprofit school food service accounts of such authorities, including indirect and direct costs. Requires the Secretary to assess the extent to which school food authorities pay such indirect and direct costs, and then issue additional guidance relating to the types of costs that are reasonable and necessary. Authorizes the Secretary, after the completion of such assessment, to promulgate regulations addressing: (1) any identified deficiencies in the allocation of such indirect and direct costs to school food authorities; and (2) the authority of school food authorities to reimburse only those costs identified by the Secretary as reasonable and necessary.

Date: 2010-05-04
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education
Start Healthy Habits Early Act - Amends the child and adult care food program (CACFP) under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, at least once every ten years, to review and, as appropriate, update nutritional requirements for meals and snacks served under the CACFP to ensure that they meet the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and promote the health of those served. Prohibits CACFP providers from using reimbursable meal service as a punishment or reward. Requires fluid milk served as part of a reimbursable meal or snack to meet the most recent Dietary Guidelines and appropriate authoritative scientific recommendations for young children. Allows nondairy substitutes to be served to children who cannot consume fluid milk, provided the substitutes are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet certain nutritional standards. Requires CACFP providers to make potable water available to children throughout the day, including at meal times. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance and guidance to CACFP providers and states regarding: (1) nutritional requirements; (2) age-appropriate physical activity and electronic media use by children; (3) parental involvement in nutrition and wellness initiatives; and (4) food choking hazards. Requires the Secretary to: (1) award competitive grants to states and, through them, subgrants to institutions participating in the CACFP to promote health and nutrition in child care settings; and (2) provide states and such institutions with best practices for implementing effective nutrition and wellness initiatives.

Date: 2010-05-27
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Families
Service for Healthier Kids Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community Service that provides the Corporation with funding for a Nutrition Corps to carry out national service programs that: (1) increase access to, participation in, and the quality of, the nutrition assistance programs the Secretary administers; and (2) support local agriculture and farm to school initiatives undertaken by the Secretary.

Date: 2010-05-27
Topic: Social Welfare (Other)
Subject: Education