Congressional investigations Legislation - Federal Government

To authorize financial assistance to eligible automobile manufacturers, and for other purposes. 12/10/2008--Passed House amended.    (There is 1 other summary) Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act - (Sec. 3) Directs the President to designate one or more executive branch officers (designee) to carry out the purposes of this Act. Requires such designee to have appropriate expertise to facilitate the restructuring necessary to achieve the long-term financial viability of domestic automobile manufacturers. (Sec. 4) Requires the designee to authorize and direct the disbursement of bridge loans or to enter into commitments for lines of credit to each automobile manufacturer that submitted to Congress a plan on December 2, 2008, and request for such loan or commitment ("automaker," for purposes of this Act). Establishes as the amount of such assistance the amount intended to facilitate continued operations of the automaker and prevent [...]

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A bill to require a 50-hour workweek for Federal prison inmates, to reform inmate work programs, and for other purposes. 11/19/2008--Introduced. Prisoner Opportunity, Work, and Education Requirement Act or the POWER Act - Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require federal prison inmates to: (1) work for not less than 50 hours weekly; and (2) engage in job training and educational and life skills preparation study. Requires Federal Prison Industries (a government corporation) to employ inmates in manufacturing activities by subcontracting with private sector contractors. Requires inmate wages earned in a 50-hour work week program to be used for the costs of incarceration, victim restitution, inmate expenses, and related state and local prisoner programs.Repeals certain provisions restricting the funding of, and purchase of products from, Federal Prison Industries and prohibiting a public private competition for work performed by employees of the Bureau of [...]

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A bill to provide for financial market investigation, oversight, and reform. 9/29/2008--Introduced. Financial Market Investigation, Oversight, and Reform Act of 2008 - Establishes the Commission on Financial Regulatory Reform to review the nation's existing financial regulatory structure and its contribution to the stability or instability of financial markets. Requires the Commission to review: (1) bank holding companies, financial holding companies, commercial banks, investment banks, thrifts, credit unions, and industrial loan companies; (2) payment and settlement systems; (3) hedge funds, private equity funds, and markets for alternative investments; (4) special purpose vehicles and off-balance sheet financing for financial companies; (5) securitization of mortgages and other assets; (6) exchange-based, electronic, and over-the-counter markets for financial derivative products; (7) the mortgage finance industry, including mortgage brokers and mortgage lending institutions;[...]

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A bill to amend section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to improve the program under such section for supportive housing for persons with disabilities. 9/25/2008--Introduced. Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (the Act) to revise requirements for supportive housing for persons with disabilities. (Retains authority to provide such assistance to private nonprofit organizations to expand the supply of such housing.) Repeals the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide tenant-based rental assistance directly to eligible persons with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for such assistance under section 8 (rental voucher program) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 for persons with disabilities in FY2009. Modifies project rental assistance contract requirements, including renewal of, and increases in, annual [...]

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A bill to stimulate social policy and community environments to improve health by encouraging policies and programs to improve community health by policy and design, and for other purposes. 9/24/2008--Introduced. Health Impact Assessments Act of 2008 or the HIA Act of 2008 - Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study to determine the best practices, standardized tools, and models for using health impact assessments as a method to promote health and reduce health disparities through social policy, land use, the built environment, and other public policies and projects.Requires the Comptroller General to review: (1) the positive and negative health consequences of federal policies and programs; and (2) how to consider health impact assessments for any federal, state, local project that involves federal funding or work performed by the federal government.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease [...]

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To extend the Andean Trade Preference Act, and for other purposes. 10/16/2008--Public Law.    (There are 2 other summaries) (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on October 2, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.)Amends the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) to prohibit the extension of duty-free treatment or other preferential treatment to: (1) Colombia or Peru after December 31, 2009; (2) Ecuador after June 30, 2009, except that such preferential treatment shall remain in effect through December 31, 2009, unless the President reports to specified congressional committees on or before June 30, 2009, that Ecuador does not satisfy certain beneficiary country designation requirements; and (3) Bolivia after June 30, 2009, except that such preferential treatment shall remain in effect through December 31, 2009, only if the President reports to specified congressional committees on or before June 30,[...]

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A bill to provide employees of small employers with access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage. 9/24/2008--Introduced. Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act of 2008 - Establishes the National Health Coverage Policy Board as an independent agency to oversee a program to provide health insurance coverage to small employers and their employees.Directs the Policy Board to: (1) determine a comprehensive, quality, and affordable standard benefit package similar to that provided under specified large federal employees health benefits (FEHB) plans; (2) apportion the United States into regions with no less than two states each; (3) establish a Regional Health Coverage Exchange for each region to serve as a central purchasing site for health coverage, to provide information about plans, to facilitate enrollment, and to ensure health plan compliance with requirements; and (4) establish the Regional Health Coverage Exchange Board.Requires the Regional [...]

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