zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
More Transparent and Honest Communications with American Workers Reform Act of 2007 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for estimates of potential old-age insurance benefits in Social Security account statements eligible individuals may request. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, in any case in which the projections of future levels of receipts and disbursements of the Social Security Trust Funds indicate that the balance in the Funds may become insufficient to pay benefits in full when due, to indicate in benefits estimates the percentage reduction in payment level that could result without intervening enactment of remedies by Congress. Requires Social Security account statements also to: (1) estimate projected benefits for each eligible individual, assuming the current earnings rate and assuming, in the alternative, retirement at age 62, at the applicable normal retirement age, and at age 70; and (2) set forth a separate schedule of such estimated projected benefits reflecting any percentage reduction in the case of each retirement alternative which would occur after the future date of Trust Fund insufficiency.

Date: 2007-12-17
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security COLA Protection Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit increases in the monthly Medicare premium, including the Medicare Advantage prescription drug program premium, to 25% of any Social Security cost of living increase.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Social Security Trust Funds Investment Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the duty of the Board of Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds is to hold the Funds. Specifies that it is a duty to hold the Funds in trust for the beneficiaries and to ensure that the assets of the Funds are not diverted.Authorizes investment of the Funds in securities that are not limited to obligations of the United States or obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States. Allows investment in such other securities as the Board of Trustees may consider prudent investments. Requires the Board of Trustees to exercise the judgment and care under the circumstances then prevailing that persons of ordinary prudence, discretion, and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not in regard to speculation, but in regard to the permanent disposition of their funds, considering the probable income as well as the probable safety of their capital.

Date: 2007-12-19
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Immediate Financial Assistance for America's Seniors Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow social security recipients with earned income less than $3,000 a $300 refundable tax credit ($600 for married couples filing a joint tax return) in 2008. Reduces the amount of such credit by 5% of the amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000.

Date: 2008-01-29
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Social Security Fairness for the Terminally Ill Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the waiting period for disability insurance benefits for terminally ill individuals.

Date: 2008-02-28
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Medicare Part D Home and Community Services Copayment Equity Act of 2008 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate part D cost-sharing for certain non-institutionalized full-benefit dual eligible individuals with income below 135% of the poverty line who: (1) reside in an assisted living facility, a resident care program facility, a board and care facility, or any other appropriate licensed facility, including a community mental health center, a psychiatric health facility, a mental health rehabilitation center, and a mental retardation developmental disability facility; or (2) receive home and community-based services in a home setting under a home and community-based waiver.

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Robert James Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to authorize waivers by the Commissioner of Social Security of the five-month waiting period for entitlement to benefits based on disability in cases in which such waiting period would cause undue hardship to terminally ill beneficiaries.

Date: 2008-04-15
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Senior Citizens' Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 85 percent maximum tax rate on Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits enacted by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Appropriates from the general fund to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund amounts equal to the reduction in revenues resulting from this repeal.

Date: 2008-06-11
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Social Security Uninsured Children's Entitlement Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to entitle certain uninsured children to new monthly benefits treated as monthly insurance benefits payable under the OASDI benefit program.

Date: 2008-07-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a cost-of-living adjustment after 2008 to the base amounts used to determine the amount of social security benefits includible in gross income for income tax purposes.

Date: 2008-07-30
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
QI Program Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to provide supplemental funding for the qualifying individual (QI) program. Requires a state to have in operation, in mechanized Medicaid claims processing and information retrieval systems, an eligibility determination system which provides for data matching through the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) facilitated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including matching with medical assistance programs operated by other states. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make sponsors of certain antibiotic drugs eligible for a three-year or a five-year market exclusivity if a marketing application is submitted for an antibiotic drug that: (1) was approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services before November 21, 1997; or (2) was the subject of one or more applications received by the Secretary before November 21, 1997, none of which was approved. Authorizes the use of Medicaid integrity program funds for transportation and travel expenses for attendees at education, training, or consultative activities. Increases FY2014 funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to fees of persons representating claimants prevailing before the Commissioner of Social Security in a claim of entitlement to past-due benefits. Increases the maximum level of fees authorized to be charged by such representatives with respect to such claims. Requires the Commissioner to make annual cost-of-living adjustments to such fee level.

Date: 2008-11-19
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Notch Fairness Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals affected by the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977 who became eligible (at age 62) for (early retirement) old-age insurance benefits after 1978 and before 1989 (and reached age 65 for full-retirement benefits after 1981 and before 1992). Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55% to 5% keyed to the year an individual became eligible for (early retirement) benefits between 1978 and 1989. Provides for an election to receive such payments in a lump sum.

Date: 2008-11-20
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.

Date: 2007-01-09
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Lock-Box Act of 2007 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide a point of order against consideration of any: (1) budget resolution that sets forth totals for any fiscal year with respect to the Social Security Trust Funds that are less than the totals of the Social Security Trust Funds for that fiscal year as calculated in accordance with a current services baseline; or (2) spending or tax legislation that would cause any totals to be less than the Funds totals for the covered fiscal year.Makes the point of order described in (2) above inapplicable to Social Security reform legislation. Requires any federal budget submitted by the President that recommends totals for any fiscal year with respect to the Funds that are less than the totals of the Funds for that fiscal year to include a detailed proposal for Social Security reform legislation. Makes this Act inapplicable upon the enactment of such legislation. Defines "Social Security reform legislation" as a bill or joint resolution to save Social Security that specifies that it constitutes reform legislation.

Date: 2007-01-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Comprehensive Entitlement Reform Commission Act of 2007 - Establishes the Comprehensive Entitlement Reform Commission to review Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and make comprehensive recommendations to sustain the solvency and stability of these programs for future generations.

Date: 2007-04-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Government Pension Offset Reform Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to modify the formula for determining the amount of reduced monthly OASDI benefits payable to a spouse, surviving spouse, or parent receiving monthly payments from a federal or state pension plan. Declares that such benefit reductions shall be equal to the amount by which two-thirds of the total amount of the combined monthly benefit (before reduction) and monthly pension exceeds $1,200, adjusted for inflation.

Date: 2007-05-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to revise the process for congressional consideration of international social security agreements.

Date: 2007-06-20
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Life Insurance Fairness for Travelers Act of 2007 - Amends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 to require an insurer to make available, in all of its life insurance policies for an insured who is either a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, coverage that neither considers past, nor precludes future, lawful foreign travel by the insured. Prohibits the insurer from: (1) declining such coverage based on past or future lawful foreign travel by the insured; or (2) charging a premium for the coverage that is excessive and not based on a good faith actuarial analysis. Allows declination of or limited coverage for travel to foreign destinations for which serious health-related warnings have been issued, or in which an ongoing military conflict or serious unlawful situation is taking place.

Date: 2007-07-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Arthur Woolweaver, Jr. Social Security Act Improvements for the Terminally Ill Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the waiting period for disability insurance benefits for terminally ill individuals.

Date: 2007-09-12
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Americans Giving care to Elders (AGE) Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow caregivers a tax credit for up to $6,000 of the eldercare expenses incurred for their parents (or ancestors of such parents).Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to: (1) increase funding for the National Family Caregiver Support Program through FY2011; and (2) establish a National Resource Center on Family Caregiving to provide information on and support for family caregiver support programs.

Date: 2007-10-31
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Robert James Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to authorize waivers by the Commissioner of Social Security of the five-month waiting period for entitlement to benefits based on disability in cases in which such waiting period would cause undue hardship to terminally ill beneficiaries.

Date: 2008-01-29
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Medicare Funding Warning Response Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop and implement a system for encouraging nationwide adoption and use of interoperable electronic health records and to make available personal health records for Medicare beneficiaries; (2) develop and implement a plan for ensuring that, by the year 2013, quality measures are available and reported with respect to at least 50% of the care provided under the Medicare program; (3) design and implement a system under which a portion of Medicare payments that would otherwise be made to some or all classes of individuals and entities furnishing items or services to beneficiaries would be based on the quality and efficiency of their performance; (4) implement incentives for Medicare beneficiaries to use more efficient providers and preventive services known to reduce costs; and (5) use and release Medicare data for quality improvement, performance measurement, public reporting, and treatment-related purposes. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize the public release of physician performance measurements. Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2008 - Sets conditions for health care lawsuits to: (1) require commencement of such lawsuits within three years after manifestation or one year after discovery of injury; (2) limit noneconomic damages and attorneys' contingent fees; (3) prescribe requirements for determining punitive damages; (4) deny punitive damages in the case of products approved, cleared, or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or otherwise considered in compliance with FDA standards; and (4) authorize periodic payment of future damages. Amends SSA title XVIII part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) to require high income-related reductions in the part D premium subsidy.

Date: 2008-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Saving Social Security Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part B (Investment-Based Social Security) outlining a new program to allow any individual born on or after January 1, 1963, and meeting certain criteria, to receive Social Security benefits from a portion of their wages or self-employment income that has been contributed to a designated Social Security savings account for employees (SAFE Account) for investment. Guarantees a total monthly benefit to be not less than the monthly benefit promised under the current OASDI program (which is redesignated as part A (Debt-Based Social Security)). Allows certain individuals to elect to waive SAFE account eligibility. Establishes in the Treasury a SAFE Investment Fund which shall be maintained in the same manner as the Thrift Savings Fund (for federal employees and Members of Congress) and in which a SAFE Account for each such investing individual shall be established. Requires the Fund to charge each investing worker in the Fund a single, uniform annual administrative fee not to exceed 0.57% of the value of the assets invested in the worker's SAFE Account. Prescribes requirements for the timing of distributions from the SAFE Account of an investing worker. Requires transfer to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, on the determined distribution date, of so much of the balance in an investing worker's SAFE Account as does not exceed the old-age insurance amount. Entitles the investing worker to a federal annuity payment. Requires payment to the worker, in the manner and amounts the worker determines, of any funds remaining in an investment worker's SAFE Account after such transfer. Establishes within the Social Security Administration a Social Security Investment Board to maintain SAFE Accounts and the SAFE Investment Fund in the same manner as the Thrift Savings Accounts and the Thrift Savings Fund are maintained by the Thrift Savings Board. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide for a minimum monthly Social Security benefit; (2) exempt the SAFE Investment Fund and each SAFE Account from income taxation; (3) subject a personal Social Security savings account to certain other taxes; (4) treat any federal annuity payment under the new part B program as a Social Security benefit for purposes of Social Security and tier 1 railroad retirement benefits; and (5) include any distribution of excess assets from a SAFE Account in gross income. Amends SSA to make necessary additional fiscal year appropriations to the Social Security Trust Funds to maintain adequate balances.

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Senior Investor Protection Act of 2008 - Directs the Attorney General to establish a program of grants to states to: (1) investigate and prosecute misleading and fraudulent marketing practices; or (2) develop educational materials and training aimed at reducing misleading and fraudulent marketing of financial products toward seniors.

Date: 2008-04-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the owner of a telecommunications business to defer for three years the tax on the gain, up to $350 million, from a sale of such business to a business owned by a member or members of a socially or economically disadvantaged group (e.g., Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, or Asian Pacific Americans) or to reduce the basis of property held by such seller by the amount of gain realized from a sale. Defines "telecommunications business" as any business providing communication services by wire, cable, radio, satellite, or other technology if governed by the Communications Act of 1934 or the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Authorizes the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to guarantee loans for the purchase of a telecommunications business under this Act. Directs the Comptroller General to audit the administration of the tax deferral provisions of this Act, to report on such audit every five years, and to include in such report an assessment of the small business loan guarantee program.

Date: 2008-08-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
QI Program Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to provide supplemental funding for the qualifying individual (QI) program. Requires a state to have in operation, in mechanized Medicaid claims processing and information retrieval systems, an eligibility determination system which provides for data matching through the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) facilitated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including matching with medical assistance programs operated by other states. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make sponsors of certain antibiotic drugs eligible for a three-year or a five-year market exclusivity if a marketing application is submitted for an antibiotic drug that: (1) was approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services before November 21, 1997; or (2) was the subject of one or more applications received by the Secretary before November 21, 1997, none of which was approved. Authorizes the use of Medicaid integrity program funds for transportation and travel expenses for attendees at education, training, or consultative activities. Increases FY2014 funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund, and extends the Fund through FY2017 at a higher level.

Date: 2008-09-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
QI Program Supplemental Funding Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to provide supplemental funding for the qualifying individual (QI) program. Requires a state to have in operation, in mechanized Medicaid claims processing and information retrieval systems, an eligibility determination system which provides for data matching through the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) facilitated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including matching with medical assistance programs operated by other states. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make sponsors of certain antibiotic drugs eligible for a three-year or a five-year market exclusivity if a marketing application is submitted for an antibiotic drug that: (1) was approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services before November 21, 1997; or (2) was the subject of one or more applications received by the Secretary before November 21, 1997, none of which was approved. Authorizes the use of Medicaid integrity program funds for transportation and travel expenses for attendees at education, training, or consultative activities. Increases FY2014 funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.

Date: 2008-09-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Social Security Identity Theft Prevention Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require Social Security cards to be made of tamperproof and wear-resistant material (currently, of banknote paper), and include a digital image of the cardholder as well as an encrypted, machine-readable electronic record containing biometric identifiers.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Securing Medicare and Retirement for Tomorrow Act of 2009 or SMART Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part B (Personal Social Security Savings Program) under which each employer shall establish and maintain for each participating employee a personal Social Security account under a Social Security payroll deduction plan. Provides for the participation by self-employed individuals and the investment of personal Social Security account funds in one qualified Social Security mutual fund designated by the participating individual. Establishes the Personal Accounts Management and Review Board, and requires it to establish a program for designating qualified Social Security mutual funds. Provides for election of SSA title II part A (Insurance Benefits) in lieu of part B benefits at retirement. Establishes in the Treasury the Social Security Escrow Fund and provides for investment of its holdings. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) with respect to personal Social Security accounts. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on the failure of Medicare retirees to obtain qualified health insurance coverage. Provides for a reduction in rate of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax on employers if the Fund is ever projected to have excess funds during the ensuing calendar year, and will have no need to borrow funds for the next 10 calendar years. Prohibits collection of the FICA tax with respect to individuals who have attained retirement age. Excludes from an individual's gross income any distributions from a personal Social Security account or any amount received under a qualified Social Security annuity. Provides for budget reform transfers from the general fund of the Treasury to the Social Security Escrow Fund of any tax revenues in excess of specified target revenue amounts (if any) for the fiscal year. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide for dedication of Social Security surpluses to reduction in the public debt.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Protecting the Privacy of Social Security Numbers Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the display, sale, or purchase of Social Security numbers without the affirmatively expressed consent of the individual, except in specified circumstances. Directs the Attorney General to study and report to Congress on all the uses of Social Security numbers permitted, required, authorized, or excepted under any federal law, including the impact of such uses on privacy and data security. Establishes a public records exception to the prohibition. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on Social Security numbers in public records. Grants the Attorney General rulemaking authority to enforce this Act's prohibition and to implement and clarify the permitted uses occurring as a result of an interaction between businesses, governments, or business and government. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prohibit: (1) the use of Social Security numbers on checks issued for payment by governmental agencies; and (2) inmate access to Social Security account numbers. Prohibits a commercial entity from requiring an individual to provide a Social Security number when purchasing a commercial good or service or denying an individual the good or service for refusing to provide that number, with exceptions. Establishes civil and criminal penalties. Extends civil monetary penalties for misuse of a Social Security number. Provides for: (1) criminal penalties under SSA title II for the misuse of a Social Security number; (2) civil actions and civil penalties against persons who violate this Act; and (3) federal injunctive authority with respect to any violation by a public entity.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Identity Theft Notification Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require the Commissioner of Social Security to notify individuals and appropriate authorities of evidence of a certain misuse of individual Social Security account numbers. Requires the Commissioner to determine, in certain instances of wage reports involving multiple addresses for the same employee name, whether there is evidence that the wages were not paid to the individual to whom the Social Security account number was assigned.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Beneficiary Tax Reduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, effective January 1, 2009, the 1993 increase in income taxes on Social Security benefits.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion of any social security or tier I railroad retirement benefits in gross income. Appropriates funds to cover reductions in transfers to the Social Security and Railroad Retirement Trust Funds resulting from the enactment of this Act. Expresses the sense of Congress against using tax increases to provide revenue necessary to carry out this Act.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Social Security Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require the Managing Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund (Social Security Trust Funds) to ensure that the annual surplus of the Social Security Trust Funds is invested in: (1) marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States or obligations guaranteed by the United States; or (2) certificates of deposit in insured depository institutions. Outlines requirements for determining the annual surplus of the Trust Funds. Prohibits disinvestment of Social Security Trust Fund amounts from public debt obligations, any refraining from making such investments, or any delay in making normal deposits in such Trust Funds for public debt limit-related purposes. Authorizes, with certain conditions, the sale of Social Security Trust Fund public debt obligations for the payment of cash benefits and administrative expenses.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill or joint resolution (or related amendment or conference report) that: (1) reduces or has the effect of reducing any current benefits under the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI) programs under title II of the Social Security Act; or (2) provides for or has the effect of providing for cost-of-living increases of OASDI benefits that are less than what would be provided as of the day of the measure's consideration.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Notch Baby Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals affected by the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977 who became eligible (at age 62) for (early retirement) old-age insurance benefits after 1978 and before 1989 (and reached age 65 for full-retirement benefits after 1981 and before 1992). Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 60% to 10% keyed to the year an individual became eligible for (early retirement) benefits between 1978 and 1989.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to 58.5 cents per mile the standard mileage rate for the tax deduction for the charitable use of a passenger automobile to deliver meals to homebound individuals who are elderly, disabled, frail, or at risk.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Social Security Earnings Test Repeal Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to remove the limitation on the amount of outside income which a beneficiary may earn (earnings test) without incurring a reduction in benefits.

Date: 2009-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Elder Caregiver Support and Information Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize additional appropriations for FY2010-FY2012 for the family caregiver support program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010-2012 for the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Social Security Number Fraudulent Use Notification Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require the Commissioner of Social Security to notify an individual when: (1) the Social Security account number ascribed to the individual in the wage records provided by an employer to the Social Security Administration does not match relevant Administration records; or (2) the individual's Social Security account number has otherwise been used by any other person in a fraudulent or otherwise illegal manner.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, with respect to Medicare quality standards for suppliers of items and services which shall be applied by recognized independent accreditation organizations. Applies to pharmacies and pharmacists the eligible professional exemption from such accreditation requirements, unless such standards are designed specifically for application to pharmacies and pharmacists. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exempt pharmacies and pharmacists from such standards if licensing, accreditation, or other mandatory quality requirements apply to them with respect to the furnishing of items and services.

Date: 2009-01-21
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Employee Verification Amendment Act of 2009 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to extend the employment eligibility confirmation pilot programs (which includes the E-Verify basic pilot program). Directs the Commissioner of Social Security and the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into a fiscal year agreement which shall: (1) provide funds to the Commissioner for such programs' full costs in quarterly advances; and (2) require an annual accounting and reconciliation of costs incurred and funds provided. Provides for funding continuation in the absence of an agreement. Requires that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct studies regarding: (1) erroneous tentative nonconfirmations under the E-Verify program; and (2) such program's effects on small entities.

Date: 2009-01-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Immigration
Fair Taxes for Seniors Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a one-time increase (from $250,000 to $500,000, or from $500,000 to $1 million for married taxpayers filing joint returns) in the exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence by a taxpayer who has attained the age of 50 before such sale. Provides that in the case of a joint return, only one spouse need satisfy the age requirement.

Date: 2009-01-26
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the seven-year restriction on eligibility for widow's and widower's insurance benefits based on disability.

Date: 2009-01-28
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Benefits Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide that, if an OASDI recipient dies during the first 15 days of a month, the last payment of the monthly benefit for that month shall be half the usual benefit amount.

Date: 2009-02-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Elder Serve Act of 2009 - Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime of the Department of Justice (DOJ), to carry out a three-year Elder Serve Coordinating Councils grant program to provide grants to eligible entities to establish pilot programs to facilitate and coordinate Emergency Crisis Response Team programs to provide short-term emergency services for victims of elder abuse. Requires grant recipients, within one year, to establish counseling, mental health screening, legal advocacy, job placement assistance, and bereavement counseling programs for such victims.

Date: 2009-02-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Seniors Financial Security Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion in gross income for income tax purposes of social security and tier 1 railroad retirement benefits.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Notch Fairness Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the computation of minimum Old Age Insurance benefits for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1979, and to whom applies the 15-year transition period for the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55% to 5% and keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1988. Allows such beneficiaries, in the alternative, to receive lump sum payments over four years totaling $5,000.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to fees of persons representating claimants prevailing before the Commissioner of Social Security in a claim of entitlement to past-due benefits. Increases the maximum level of fees authorized to be charged by such representatives with respect to such claims. Requires the Commissioner to make annual cost-of-living adjustments to such fee level.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Protection and Truth in Budgeting Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the receipts and disbursements of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund (Social Security trust funds) from being included in the federal budget baseline for any fiscal year and from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of offsetting any tax decrease or spending increase. Excludes Social Security trust fund receipts and disbursements totals from official Office of Management and Budget and Congressional Budget Office budget pronouncements. Makes proceeds to the Social Security trust funds from Social Security taxes available solely for OASDI purposes. Prohibits their availability for the establishment or funding of private accounts.

Date: 2009-03-03
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide that the value of certain funeral and burial arrangements involving an irrevocable trust whose named beneficiary is the funeral provider are not to be considered, under the SSI program, as resources available to the individual.

Date: 2009-03-05
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Elder Abuse Prevention Act - Requires a state that is receiving funds for certain law enforcement assistance programs under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to adopt laws and policies that prohibit parole for: (1) any individual who is convicted of a criminal sexual offense against a victim who is elderly; or (2) a sexually violent predator. Grants states three years to implement such laws and policies (with one additional two-year extension for states making good faith efforts at implementation). Renders any state that does not implement such laws and policies within the required period ineligible for 10% of funding for its law enforcement assistance programs. Requests the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promptly review its guidelines for sexual offenses committed against the elderly and to consider new guidelines for enhanced sentencing for such crimes.

Date: 2009-03-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Congressional Commission on Civic Service Act - Establishes the Congressional Commission on Civic Service to make recommendations to Congress for: (1) improving the ability of individuals to serve others; (2) training leaders in public service organizations to better utilize individuals committed to national service and volunteerism as they manage human and fiscal resources; (3) identifying solutions to the barriers that make it difficult for some individuals to volunteer or perform national service; and (4) building on the foundation of current service and volunteer opportunities. Specifies topics to be addressed by the Commission, including deterrents to service, a mandatory service requirement, and the need for a public service academy.

Date: 2009-03-11
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Education
Social Security Benefits Tax Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 85 percent maximum tax rate on Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits enacted by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Appropriates, from the general fund, to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund amounts equal to the reduction in revenues resulting from this repeal.

Date: 2009-03-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Amends titles XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require survivor annuity payments made to blind or disabled (including developmentally disabled) dependents to be disregarded in eligibility and benefit determinations under the SSI and Medicaid programs.

Date: 2009-03-18
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Community Choice Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.

Date: 2009-03-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Savings for Seniors Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to establish in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund a Social Security Surplus Protection Account to hold the Social Security surplus. Denies the availability of the balance in the Account for investment by the Managing Trustee. Establishes in the executive branch of Government a Social Security Investment Commission to study and report to the President and Congress on the most effective vehicles for investment of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, other than investment in the form of U.S. obligations resulting in the transfer of Trust Fund assets to the general fund of the Treasury.

Date: 2009-03-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Electronic Life Safety and Security Systems Federal Background Check Act of 2009 - Directs the Attorney General to establish a method to permit employers in the electronic life safety and security systems installation and monitoring industry to access criminal history records and other information to conduct background checks of prospective employees.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Windfall Elimination Provision Relief Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination requirement to individuals whose combined monthly income from the primary OASDI insurance amount and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds the cost-of-living adjusted amount of $2,500; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such requirement on amounts above such threshold by applying applicable percentages determined according to a specified formula.

Date: 2009-04-28
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) limit the penalty for late enrollment under part B to 10% and twice the period of no enrollment; and (2) exclude periods of COBRA and retiree coverage from such late enrollment penalty. Provides for a special enrollment period for individuals whose COBRA or retiree coverage terminates.

Date: 2009-05-04
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Disability Equity Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to eliminate: (1) the five-month waiting period for an individual (including a disabled widow or widower) to be eligible for benefits based on disability; and (2) the waiting period for benefits under SSA title XVIII (Medicare).

Date: 2009-05-05
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2009 - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPIEC) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to use such new CPIEC in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits, replacing the CPI for All Urban Consumers (U.S. city average).

Date: 2009-05-12
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Economics and public finance