zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
ADA Notification Act of 2009 - Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to deny jurisdiction to a state or federal court in a civil action a plaintiff commences for remedies for disability discrimination in public accommodations and certain services provided by private entities unless: (1) the plaintiff notified the defendant in writing of the alleged violations prior to filing the complaint; (2) the notice identified the specific facts that constitute the alleged violation; (3) a remedial period of 90 days elapses after the notice; (4) the notice informed the defendant that the civil action could not be commenced for 90 days; and (5) the complaint states that the defendant has not corrected the alleged violation.

Date: 2009-05-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Law
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 (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to use such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members; or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act. Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act. Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics annually to compile information annually on paid sick time, and the Comptroller General to study related matters. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.

Date: 2009-05-18
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Labor and employment
Medicare Secondary Payer and Workers' Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) create an exception to Medicare secondary payer requirements for certain workers' compensation settlement agreements; and (2) provide for the satisfaction of such requirements through use of qualified Medicare set-asides under workers' compensation settlement agreements.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Retirement Security Needs Lifetime Pay Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an exclusion from gross income for 50% of lifetime income payments from certain annuity contracts, up to $10,000; (2) exclude longevity insurance benefits from employee benefit plan minimum distribution requirements; and (3) allow a tax exclusion for amounts received as an annuity under any portion of an annuity, endowment, or life insurance contract.

Date: 2009-06-08
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Measuring American Poverty Act of 2009 - Amends part A of title XI of the Social Security Act to direct the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau), in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), to calculate modern poverty thresholds and modern poverty rates for each calendar year. Directs the Census Bureau and the BLS to choose: (1) the most appropriate distribution of consumption expenditures on food, clothing, and shelter, which may, if appropriate, exclude families receiving subsidies for food, clothing, or shelter; and (2) the reference family for the modern poverty measure. Declares that the modern poverty threshold for a reference family shall be an amount equal to the average of 120% of the 33rd percentile of the distribution chosen, allowing for calculations to rely on a limited band converging on this percentile, during four or more of the most recent years for which data is available from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, a superior federal government source of data, or some combination of such sources. Prescribes requirements for determining modern poverty rates. Directs the Census Bureau, in collaboration with the BLS, to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to develop and publish methods of: (1) calculating a decent living standard threshold; and (2) measuring the extent to which the income of families in the United States is sufficient to meet it. Directs the Census Bureau, in collaboration with the BLS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to contract with NAS to develop and publish a method of: (1) measuring the extent of medical care risk in the United States; and (2) calculating the number and percentage of individuals in the United States who lack adequate health insurance, leaving them at risk of being unable to afford needed treatment. Directs the Census Bureau to contract with NAS to develop a set of recommendations for methods to implement annual modern poverty measurement at the state and local level and a timeframe for the implementation.

Date: 2009-06-17
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal the denial to drug felons of eligibility for benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Cost of Living Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Commissioner of Social Security to make an adjustment of the percentage increase in OASDI benefits to ensure that such increases are in no case less than the percentage increases in compensation of Members of Congress.

Date: 2009-07-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) WIPA and PABSS Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to extend through FY2010 the authorization of appropriations for the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) programs.

Date: 2009-07-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Illegal Garnishment Prevention Act - Prohibits funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or the Commissioner of Social Security for FY2010 or any fiscal year thereafter from being used to promote or otherwise encourage recipients of veterans benefits or benefits paid under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to use direct deposit for the payment of such benefits until: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury promulgates rules establishing procedures to ensure that such benefits are protected from attachment and garnishment; and (2) at least five of the seven members of the advisory committee established under this Act concur in advising the Secretary that such procedures provide adequate safeguards. Establishes a Social Security Benefits Protection from Attachment or Garnishment Advisory Committee.

Date: 2009-07-28
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Social Security COLA Fix for 2010 Act - Authorizes an increase of $150 in Social Security benefits for one month in 2010 to compensate for the lack of a cost-of-living adjustment for that year.

Date: 2009-09-08
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Senior Investment Protection Act of 2009 - 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: 2009-09-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prescribe a formula for an emergency cost-of-living increase for Social Security benefits for calendar 2010.

Date: 2009-09-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
COLA Assistance Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide a cost-of-living increase for Social Security benefits for 2010 of 2.9% with respect to the base quarter in 2009.

Date: 2009-09-15
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security COLA Fix for 2010 Act - Authorizes an increase of $150 in Social Security benefits for one month in 2010 to compensate for the lack of a cost-of-living adjustment for that year. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require an annual adjustment in the OASDI contribution and benefit base regardless of whether a cost-of-living increase in benefits has occurred.

Date: 2009-09-29
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Emergency Senior Citizens Relief Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend the $250 economic recovery payment payable to certain individuals through calendar year 2010. Applies the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance tax in 2010 to certain earnings in excess of $1.29 million.

Date: 2009-10-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Pandemic Protection for Workers, Families, and Businesses Act - Requires certain covered employers to provide annually to each of their covered: (1) full-time employees at least seven days of paid sick time, and specified employment benefits; and (2) part-time employees the same employment benefits and a number of days or hours of paid sick time, determined under a specified pro rata formula. Allows the covered employee to use such sick time for an absence: (1) resulting from a medical condition involving symptoms of a contagious illness (including influenza-like illnesses such as the 2009 H1N1 virus), the need to obtain medical diagnosis or care, or to obtain preventive care for such illness; (2) due to determination by a health authority or a health care provider that the employee's presence on the job, after exposure to a contagious illness, would jeopardize the health of others; (3) to care for a child experiencing such symptoms; or (4) to care for a child due to determination by a health authority or a health care provider that the child's presence in the community, after exposure to a contagious illness, would jeopardize the health of others. Permits use of sick leave if the covered employee's place of business is closed due to a contagious illness or his or her need to care for a child whose school or child care or early childhood program has been closed for such reason. Specifies prohibited acts by an employer, and penalties for violations.

Date: 2009-11-17
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Labor and employment
Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors 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 that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals in the United States who are age 62 or older. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) require the use of such index to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits; and (2) provide, in the case of individuals who have attained age 62, for an annual cost-of-living increase of at least 3%.

Date: 2009-12-03
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Transitional Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend the increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Extends the entire recession adjustment period from December 31, 2010, through June 30, 2011. Provides for adjusted FMAP percentage rates during a transitional assistance period from July 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013. Prescribes formulae for determining the adjusted FMAP through FY2012 and subsequent fiscal year quarters.

Date: 2009-12-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
State Medicaid Assistance Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend for one year the period of temporary increase in the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Extends the entire recession adjustment period from December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2011. Requires the substitution for the FMAP for the first calendar quarter in FY2012 of the FMAP for either FY2008, FY2009, FY2010, or FY2011, as adjusted under ARRA, whichever is greatest, if the FY2012 FMAP is less than any of them.

Date: 2009-12-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Medicaid Options for Dental Fillings Act of 2010 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the cost-sharing charged for a resin-based filling from exceeding: (1) the amount charged in the state for a mercury-based dental filling on January 1, 2010; or (2) the amount that the state charges for such a filling if less than the amount charged on that date. Prescribes a formula for determining Medicaid provider reimbursement rates for resin-based dental fillings.

Date: 2010-03-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Expanding Opportunities for Older Americans Act of 2010 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to expand the Senior Community Service Employment (SCSE) Program. Lowers the age of eligibility from 55 to 52. Repeals the requirement that the eligible individual be unemployed. Increases from 125% to 200% of the poverty line the maximum income for eligibility. Excludes from the counting of an eligible individual's income any income received by another member of the eligible individual's household. Prohibits any limit of fewer than 40 hours per week on the number of hours per week a grant recipient may permit a participant to work in a job assisted under the grant. Declares the sense of Congress that not less than $700 million should be appropriated to carry out the SCSE Program in each of FY2011-FY2016.

Date: 2010-03-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Labor and employment
Benefit Adjustment of Social Security Income Compensation Act of 2010 or the BASIC Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide that: (1) an individual's entitlement to any OASDI benefit shall continue through the month of his or her death (without affecting any other person's entitlement to benefits for that month); and (2) the benefit shall be payable for such month only to the extent proportionate to the number of days in the month preceding the date of death. Revises the formula for computation of a lump-sum death payment to the widow or widower of a fully or currently insured individual.

Date: 2010-04-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish cost-effective procedures to ensure that: (1) a Social Security account number (or any derivative) is not displayed, coded, or embedded on the Medicare card issued to an individual entitled to benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act or enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); and (2) any other identifier displayed on such card is easily identifiable as not being the Social Security account number (or a derivative).

Date: 2010-07-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Senior Citizens Income Security Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) to replace the formula for including social security benefits in gross income for income tax purposes with the formula in existence prior to the enactment of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993; (2) eliminate mandatory withdrawals from retirement accounts after age 70-1/2; (3) eliminate employment taxes on individuals receiving social security retirement and Medicare benefits; and (4) allow an exclusion from gross income, up to $250 ($500 for joint returns), for dividends, interest, and capital gains. Appropriates additional amounts to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to compensate for losses in revenue resulting from the revision of the formula for including social security benefits in gross income. Amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a procedure for allowing Medicare beneficiaries to waive Medicare entitlements and be automatically enrolled in the Medicare Alternative Voucher Program established by this Act.

Date: 2010-07-13
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Preserving Our Promise to Seniors Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish for each calendar month a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPIEC) that indicates changes over time in consumption expenditures typical for individuals in the United States 62 years of age or older. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to tie the CPIEC to computation of cost-of-lving increases in OASDI benefits. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse a cash payment of $250 (adjusted for inflation) for each non-COLA year to certain recipients of OASDI benefits, railroad retirement benefits, veterans disability compensation or pension benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits under SSA title XVI. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prescribe special rules for the determination of wages and self-employment income above the contribution and benefit base after 2010. Develops points of order in the House of Representatives and the Senate with respect to consideration of any legislation whose effect would be a program: (1) reducing OASDI benefits in connection with contributions to individual beneficiary accounts in the private sector; or (2) providing for investment of amounts in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund in any investment vehicle other than interest-bearing U.S. obligations or U.S.-guaranteed obligations.

Date: 2010-07-22
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report to Congress on the epidemiology of, impact of, and appropriate funding required to address neglected diseases of poverty, including neglected parasitic diseases such as Chagas disease, cysticercosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, the soil-transmitted helminths, and other related diseases. Requires the report to provide the information necessary to guide future health policy to: (1) accurately evaluate the current state of knowledge concerning such diseases and define gaps in such knowledge; and (2) address the threat of such diseases.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Securing America's Veterans Insurance Needs and Goals Act of 2010 or SAVINGS Act of 2010 - Requires a life insurance company, in order to provide life insurance for veterans under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program, to: (1) provide financial counseling to the beneficiary or other person entitled to payment upon the establishment of a valid claim; and (2) include full disclosure with respect to such payment, including specified information with respect to interest payable and the various methods of receiving payment(s). Prohibits a company from charging fees to a payee for maintaining such payment with the company. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include in each annual performance and accountability report submitted to Congress information concerning individuals receiving the counseling and disclosures required under this Act. Requires: (1) the Director of the VA's Office of Survivor Assistance to attend each meeting of the Advisory Council on Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance; and (2) the Secretary to ensure that such Office has the necessary personnel to provide information on the receipt of such counseling.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Terminally Ill Disability Beneficiary Act of 2009 [sic] - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to create an exception from the waiting period otherwise required for Social Security disability insurance benefits for beneficiaries suffering from a medically determined terminal illness with not more: (1) than six months to live; or (2) 12 months to live in the case of an impairment consisting of a burn injury.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Strengthening Medicare Anti-Fraud Measures Act of 2010 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to exclude from participation in any federal health care program entities affiliated with a sanctioned entity, as well as any officer or managing employee of an affiliated entity (currently, only individuals with an ownership or control interest in a sanctioned entity), if the affiliated entity was so affiliated at the time of any of the conduct forming the basis for the conviction or exclusion of the sanctioned entity. Provides that the budgetary effects of this Act, for compliance with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act, provided that such statement has been submitted before the vote on passage.

Date: 2010-09-15
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Back to Work Extension Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for one year the exemption from employment and railroad retirement taxes for employers who hire certain unemployed individuals prior to January 1, 2012 (currently, January 1, 2011). 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: 2010-09-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Provider Tax Administrative Simplification Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to approve a waiver of the uniform tax requirement (whether or not the tax is broad based), regardless of whether the state concerned satisfies certain requirements, for any state with a provider tax that does not apply to continuing care retirement communities or life care communities that: (1) have no beds certified to provide medical assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act; or (2) do not provide services for which Medicaid payment may be made.

Date: 2010-09-22
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) WIPA and PABSS Extension Act of 2010 - Amends part A of title XI of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2011 the authorization of appropriations for the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Program. Requires each entity awarded a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract under the WIPA Program to report annually to the Commissioner of Social Security on the benefits planning and assistance provided to individuals under such grant, agreement, or contract. Requires up to 10% of the total amount obligated through a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract awarded under the WIPA Program for a fiscal year to a state, private agency, or organization to remain available until the end of the succeeding fiscal year. Limits the extended availability of such amount, however, to benefits planning and assistance only for individuals who are within the grant, agreement, or contract recipient's caseload as of immediately before the beginning of such fiscal year.

Date: 2010-09-23
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Safety Dividend Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse a $250 payment for a particular year to recipients of Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits (under title XVI of the Social Security Act), railroad retirement benefits, or veterans disability compensation or pension benefits if no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is payable for any month in such a year.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Death Benefit Increase Act of 2010 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to increase the maximum lump-sum death payment from $255 to $332.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse a one-time payment equal to 60% [sic] of the total annual amount of their benefits under Social Security, SSI (Supplemental Security Income under title XVI of the Social Security Act), the railroad retirement benefits program, and the veterans disability compensation or pension benefits program to recipients of such benefits if no cost-of-living adjustment is payable in 2011.

Date: 2010-11-16
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Middle Class Opportunity Act of 2009 - Declares that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to improve the lives of middle class families and provide them with greater opportunity to achieve the American dream by: (1) providing middle class tax relief while making the tax laws simpler and more reliable; (2) promoting investments in the new economy and enacting policies that create good, well-paying domestic jobs, and promoting families by improving the access and affordability of child and elder care; (3) enhancing the incentives and protections to help middle class families adequately meet their needs in retirement; (4) improving programs to help families acquire the education and training to be productive participants in the modern economy; (5) restoring fairness, prosperity, and economic security for working families by ensuring workers can exercise their rights to freely choose to form a union without employer interference; and (7) removing barriers to fair pay for all workers.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Social Security Totalization Agreement Reform Act of 2009 or STAR Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide that any agreement to establish a totalization arrangement which is entered into with another country shall enter into force with respect to the United States if (and only if): (1) the President, at least 90 calendar days before the date on which he enters into the agreement, notifies each House of Congress of his intention to enter into it, and promply thereafter publishes notice of such intention in the Federal Register; (2) he transmits the text of such agreement to each House of the Congress; and (3) a joint resolution regarding such agreement has passed both Houses of Congress and been enacted into federal law. Sets forth procedures for the consideration of such a joint resolution.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
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: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Lock-Box Act of 2009 - 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: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide that wages earned, and self-employment income derived by, individuals while they were not U.S. citizens or nationals, and were in the United States illegally, shall not be credited for coverage under the OASDI program.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security and Medicare Improved Burn Injury Treatment Access Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to waive the application of the five-month Social Security disability waiting period in cases of individuals with disabling burn injuries. Eliminates the 24-month Medicare disability waiting period in cases of individuals with disabling burn injuries.

Date: 2009-02-03
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Social Security Solvency Act of 2009 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to provide for progressive indexing of old age insurance benefits with respect to any individual who initially becomes eligible for them or who dies (before becoming eligible for them) in calendar year 2012 or later. Provides for: (1) modification of primary insurance amount (PIA) factors to reflect changes in life expectancy; (2) computation of the PIA for an individual who has or has had a period of disability and who initially becomes eligible for such benefits in or after 2012; (3) acceleration of the increase in retirement age to 67; and (4) automatic appropriations to maintain the balance ratio of the Social Security Trust Funds at not less than 100% for the calendar year commencing during each fiscal year.

Date: 2009-02-12
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: 2009-02-12
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones Act of 2009 - Declares the purposes of this Act, including to stimulate economic activity and development in Afghanistan and the border region of Pakistan in an effort to combat violent extremism. Authorizes the President to: (1) designate an area within Afghanistan or Pakistan as a Reconstruction Opportunity Zone, provided such country meets certain eligibility requirements; and (2) proclaim duty-free treatment for certain articles (including certain textile and apparel articles as well as non-textile or non-apparel articles) that are imported into the United States from a designated zone within such country, provided certain requirements are met. Specifies rules of origin for such articles.Prohibits duty-free treatment for any such articles unless the country in question adopts certain enforcement measures to prevent their unlawful transshipment and the use of false documents relating to importation into the United States.Authorizes the President to: (1) waive duty-free treatment for such articles if it is inconsistent with the national interests of the United States; and (2) withdraw, suspend, or limit such treatment.

Date: 2009-02-26
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Wartime Treatment Study Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of European Americans to review U.S. government wartime treatment (from September 1, 1939, through December 31, 1948) of European Americans and European Latin Americans. Requires the Commission to review: (1) government actions with respect to European Americans and European Latin Americans pursuant to United States laws and directives, including the Alien Enemies Acts, Presidential Proclamations 2526, 2527, 2655, 2662, 2685, Executive Orders 9066 and 9095, and related directives pursuant to these and other pertinent laws, proclamations, or executive orders; (2) registration requirements, travel and property restrictions, internment, and forced abandonment of property; (3) participation by European Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces; and (4) appropriate remedies, including public education programs and the creation of a comprehensive online database by the National Archives and Records Administration of documents related to the government's wartime treatment of European Americans and European Latin Americans during World War II. Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of Jewish Refugees to review the U.S. government's refusal to allow entry into the United States of Jewish and other refugees fleeing persecution or genocide in Europe. Directs the Commission to include reviews of: (1) the rationale for such refusal, its perceived benefit, and its impact on refugees; and (2) federal refugee policy concerning those fleeing persecution or genocide.

Date: 2009-03-10
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Immigration
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: 2009-03-24
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Elder Justice Act of 2009 - Amends the Social Security Act to establish an Elder Justice program under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC). Establishes the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to establish stationary and mobile forensic centers, to develop forensic expertise regarding, and provide services relating to, elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for individuals to train for, seek, and maintain employment providing direct care in a long-term care (LTC) facility. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LTC facilities to: (1) offer continuing training and varying levels of certification to employees who provide direct care to LTC facility residents; and (2) provide bonuses or other benefits to employees who achieve certification. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to assist LTC facilities in offsetting the costs for standardized clinical health care informatics systems designed to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events and health care complications resulting from medication errors. Directs the Secretary to ensure that HHS: (1) provides funding to state and local adult protective services services offices that investigate reports of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and (2) collects and disseminates related data in coordination with the Department of Justice. Establishes a program of annual adult protective services grants to states. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) improve the capacity of state LTC ombudsman programs to respond to and resolve abuse and neglect complaints; and (2) conduct pilot programs with state or local LTC ombudsman offices. Directs the Secretary to establish programs to provide and improve ombudsman training for national organizations and state LTC ombudsman programs. Amends part A of SSA title XI to require each individual owner, operator, employee, manager, agent, or contractor of an LTC facility receiving certain federal support to report to the Secretary and local law enforcement entities any reasonable suspicion of crimes occurring in such facility. Requires the owner or operator of such an LTC facility to notify the Secretary and the appropriate state regulatory agency of a facility's impending closure, as well as a plan for the transfer and adequate relocation of facility residents. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the EJCC and appropriate congressional committees on establishing a national nurse aide registry.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Social welfare
Senior Investment Protection Act of 2009 - 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: 2009-04-28
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Medicare Early Access Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to add a new part E (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals 55 to 65 Years of Age). Provides access to Medicare benefits for individuals 55 to 64 years of age who do not have coverage under a federal health insurance program or under a group plan. Requires enrollees to pay a premium to receive Medicare coverage. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to base the premium on the Secretary's estimate of the average, national annual per capita amount of the cost of providing services to the population. Allows early retirees with access to retiree coverage to enroll under this part while keeping their federal or state COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation coverage. Allows an employer that offers employment-based retiree health coverage to an individual who enrolls under this part to modify such coverage to provide for: (1) employer payment of items and services for which payment may not be made under Medicare; and (2) employer payment of 25% of the monthly premium applicable to the individual after enrollment. Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold the premiums collected under this Act and to support the new program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow program enrollees to receive a 75% advance, refundable credit to offset Medicare early access premium costs (thus requiring program enrollees in the Medicare early access program to be responsible for 25% of the monthly premiums).

Date: 2009-05-01
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Health
Illegal Garnishment Prevention Act - Prohibits funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or the Commissioner of Social Security for FY2010 or any fiscal year thereafter from being used to promote or otherwise encourage recipients of veterans benefits or benefits paid under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to use direct deposit for the payment of such benefits until: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury promulgates rules establishing procedures to ensure that such benefits are protected from attachment and garnishment; and (2) at least five of the seven members of the advisory committee established under this Act concur in advising the Secretary that such procedures provide adequate safeguards. Establishes a Social Security Benefits Protection from Attachment or Garnishment Advisory Committee.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members; or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act. Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act. Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics annually to compile information annually on paid sick time, and the Comptroller General to study related matters. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Labor and employment
International Adoption Simplification Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include in the definition of "child," and thus in the exemption from required admissions vaccination documentation, certain children who have been adopted in a foreign country that is a signatory to the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Convention) or who are emigrating from such a country for U.S. adoption. Includes in such definition and exemption a child who is under the age of 18 at the time an immediate relative status petition is filed on his or her behalf, has been adopted abroad or is coming for U.S. adoption, and is the natural sibling of: (1) an adopted child from a Hague Convention signatory country; (2) a child adopted under the age of 16 who has lived with the adoptive parents for at least two years, or a child who has been abused; or (3) an orphan who was under the age of 16 at the time an immediate relative status petition was filed on his or her behalf. Makes such provisions effective on the date of enactment of this Act, except that such an alien sibling who has attained the age of 18 on or after April 1, 2008, shall be deemed to meet the age requirement if a petition for classification of the alien as an immediate relative is filed not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Social Welfare (Elderly Assistance)
Subject: Immigration