-Requires the President to designate one or more officials (referred to by the media as 'Car Czars') to be overseen by the Comptroller General in order to assess auto manufacturers recovery plans and approve bridge loans (Secs. 3, 4).

-Allocates $14 billion for bridge loans and long-term restructuring loans to American auto companies that submitted recovery plans to the government by December 2, 2008 (Secs. 4, 10).

-Requires participating auto manufacturers to submit a final restructuring plan to the Presidents designee by March 31, 2009, unless the designee chooses to postpone the deadline until April 30, 2009 (Sec. 6).

- Allows an individual who has no rights to federal or state regular unemployment compensation, or who has exhausted his or her rights to federal or state regular compensation, to receive the lesser of 80 percent (up from 50 percent) of the amount of his or her regular yearly compensation or 20 times (up from 13 times) his or her average weekly benefit amount (Sec. 2).

- Provides additional extended emergency unemployment compensation in an amount equal to the lesser of 50 percent of the individual's regular yearly compensation or 13 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount in states that are in an extended benefit period, as defined by the unemployment rates (Sec. 3).

- Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak for the next five years, including $5.32 billion for capital grants, $2.95 billion for operation grants, and $1.9 billion for intercity passenger rail services (Div. B).

- Authorizes $1.5 billion over the next ten years for capital and preventive maintenance projects for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Div. B, Sec. 601).

- Provides $1.63 billion for rail safety programs (Div. A).

- Allocates $18 million for 2009-2013 to design, develop, and construct the Facility for Underground Rail Station and Tunnel in Colorado to test and evaluate above-ground and underground rail tunnels to prevent accidents, mitigate and remediate the consequences of any such accidents, and to provide a realistic scenario for training emergency responders (Div. A, Sec 3).

-Provides for the transfer of nuclear technology and materials to India for non-military use (Sec 101).

-Opens civilian nuclear facilities for inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (Sec 101, 104).

-Requires the president to certify to Congress that this agreement does not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by assisting India to produce or acquire nuclear weapons (Sec. 102).

-Establishes the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to allow the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase troubled assets from any financial institution (Div. A, Sec. 101).

-Sets the initial authority for purchasing troubled assets at $250 billion, allows for the President to extend the authority up to $350 billion, and allows for an extension of up to $700 billion with both Congressional and Presidential approval (Div. A, Sec. 115).

-Establishes a plan to prevent 12 million new HIV infections worldwide, provide support care for 12 million who are already infected with HIV/AIDS including 5 million orphans and children, and help countries reach 80 percent of the targeted group with counseling, testing, and treatment (Sec. 101).

-Allows individuals with AIDS to receive a visa to travel into the United States (Sec. 305).

-Provides assistance for counseling, testing, and treatment to prevent the transmission of HIV among men who have sex with men and by providing male and female condoms (Sec. 301).

-Requires "balanced funding" for sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS prevention (Sec. 403).

-Requires that employers be able to prove that any disparities in pay between male and female employees are job-related (Sec. 3).

-Prohibits employer retaliation against employees who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their own wage or that of another employee (Sec. 3).

-Increases penalties against a discriminatory employer including compensation of legal fees and liability for punitive damages against an employee (Sec. 3).

-Issues grant money for salary negotiation skills training for girls and women (Sec. 5).

- 900 Billion Dollar Economic Stabilization Act

- Please go to http://thomas.loc.gov and search for HR 1 to read more. There is too much information to list here

-Changes the current unlawful employment discrimination laws to include the adoption of discriminatory compensation decisions or practices, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid, and when an individual is subjected to or affected by such practices (Sec. 3, 4, 5).

-Allows the recovery of back pay for up to two years prior to the complaint in addition to existing penalties (Sec. 3).

-Takes effect as if enacted on May 28, 2007 and applies to all claims made on or after that date (Sec. 6).

- Provides a 3.9 percent basic pay increase for members of the armed forces (Sec. 601).

- Prohibits funds in this bill from being used for permanent stationing of armed forces in Iraq, and from exercising United States control over Iraqi oil resources (Sec. 2913).

- Prohibits detainees from being interrogated by contracted personnel (Sec. 1036).

- Requires the Department of Defense to develop a plan to increase the roll of the National Guard and Reserves in national defense (Sec. 1053).

- Authorizes $153.55 billion for operations and maintenance

- Authorizes an additional $19.86 billion for operations in Afghanistan, and an additional $49.63 billion for operations in Iraq

-Increases annually the amount covered by Medicare of health care costs associated with mental, psychoneurotic, and personality disorders until 100% of related costs are covered in 2014 (Sec. 102).

-Prohibits Medicare Advantage marketing from conducting direct soliciting via telemarketing, door-to-door marketing, in health care settings, at educational activities, and from attempting to sell non-health related products at events related to Medicare Advantage plans (Sec. 103).

-Makes available an additional $100 million to aid states in giving assistance to low-income Medicare beneficiaries through September 30, 2008, and makes available a total of $600 million through December 31, 2009 (Sec. 111).

-Makes available $48.9 million for low income Medicare subsidies and Medicare Savings Program administrative costs (Sec. 113).

-Removes life insurance policy values from being factored into determining an individuals income eligibility for Medicare low-income subsidies (Sec. 116).

-Grants $37 million in technical assistance to specialty crop producers (Sec. 3203).

-Prohibits persons with adjusted gross non-farm income of over $500,000 or adjusted gross farm income of over $750,000 from receiving certain types of subsidies (Sec. 1604).

-Reauthorizes the Federal Food and Nutrition Program, the Commodity Distribution Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects through 2012 (Sec. 4406).

-Establishes a table of market assistance loan rates for 19 commodities including corn, wheat, barley, oats, and soybeans (Sec. 1202).

-Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to spend $991 million during 2008-2012 (and $206 million each subsequent fiscal year) for the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and nuts for nutritious foods in domestic nutrition assistance programs and an additional $250 million during 2008-2012 for fruits and vegetables for schools (Sec. 4404).

This bill has been referred to a house committee. It has been introduced into the congress for the past 3 years and never been voted on from what we have found.
Here are the details we know thus far. We will update you when we know more:

TITLE I--REPEAL OF THE INCOME TAX, PAYROLL TAXES, AND ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES
SEC. 101. INCOME TAXES REPEALED.
SEC. 102. PAYROLL TAXES REPEALED.
SEC. 103. ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES REPEALED.
SEC. 104. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS; EFFECTIVE DATE.
TITLE II--SALES TAX ENACTED
SEC. 201. SALES TAX.

1) Allow bankruptcy judges to reduce the amount of principal owed in a mortgage loan.
2) Attempt to stop foreclosures and rescue people upside down on mortgages they cant afford.

1) Close Guantanamo Bay Cuba Detention facility.
2) Limit use of certain interrogation techniques.
3) Prohibit interrogation by contractors.
4) Require notification of the International Committe of the Red Cross of detainees.
5) Bill currently going through house committee.

- Amends the Public Health Service Act to state that regardless of the date in which stem cells were derived from a human embryo, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct and support embryonic stem cell research (Sec. 2)

- Amends the Public Health Service act to establish the following ethical requirements for research: (1) the stem cells have to be derived from human embryos that have been donated to in-vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatments and are deemed in excess of the clinical need for individual treatment, (2) it must be determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman, and therefore would be discarded, and (3) the individual who donated the embryos did so without receiving any financial or other inducement to make the donation (Sec. 2)

- Amends the Public Health Service Act to state that the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct and support research to develop techniques for isolation, derivation, production, or testing of non-embryonic stem cells that are producing all or almost all cell types in the body (Sec. 3)

1) Spending bill keeps federal government operating through September 30, 200
2) Bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration
3) Some argue the bill's spending increases are too large

1) Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from possessing a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act or a state system certified under this Act and such license has not been invalidated or revoked. Prescribes license application, issuance, and renewal requirements.

2) Prohibits transferring or receiving a qualifying firearm unless the recipient presents a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer records a tracking authorization number. Prescribes firearms transfer reporting and record keeping requirements. Directs the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal record of sale system.

-Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance under CHIP for pregnant women whose income is at least 185 percent of their state's poverty level or at least 200 percent of the poverty level for children under 19 years of age (Sec. 111).

-Phases out coverage of non-pregnant childless adults by prohibiting the approval or renewal of waivers after September 30, 2009, unless a state requests a one year extension (Sec. 112).

-Expands CHIP coverage to children of families whose incomes would exceed 300% of the poverty line but for a general exclusion for blocks of income (Sec. 114).

-Expands CHIP to allow states the option of covering children of legal immigrants and pregnant legal immigrants and allows them to bypass the normally required five-year waiting period before eligibility (Sec. 214).

-Prohibits states from providing CHIP to any undocumented immigrants (Sec. 214, 605).M

-Increases the federal excise taxes on tobacco products, including raising the cigarette tax by $0.61 to $1 per pack, in order to fund CHIP (Sec. 701).

-Establishes a 25 percent tax on the "windfall profits" of major oil companies, defined as those oil companies that produce at least 500,000 barrels of oil per year and meet certain other criteria (Sec. 103).

-Defines "windfall profit" as the excess of the adjustable taxable income of a taxpayer for the taxable year that exceeds the "reasonably" inflated average profit for such taxable year (Sec. 103).

-Prohibits major oil companies from deducting the receipts from the production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of petroleum primary products from their taxable income (Sec. 101).

-Reduces the foreign tax credit for foreign oil or gas related income (Sec. 102).

-Allows oil companies to deduct investment in alternative energy production (including wind facilities, closed-loop and open-loop biomass facilities, geothermal or solar energy facilities, landfill gas facilities, small irrigation power facilities, trash combustion facilities, and qualified hydropower facilities) from the "windfall profits" tax (Sec. 103).

-Establishes the Energy Independence and Security Trust Fund with the revenue created by this bill, with the stated purpose of decreasing the United States' dependence on foreign and "unsustainable" energy sources and combating global warming (Sec. 104).

-Authorizes the president to declare a Federal energy emergency for a maximum initial period of 30 days in an area where there is a fuel supply shortage or price anomaly that affects the well-being of citizens (Sec. 204).

-Prohibits suppliers from selling fuel at an "unconscionably" excessive price in an area that the president has declared the subject of an energy emergency (Sec. 203).

-Suspends the acquisition of petroleum for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until December 31, 2008 (Sec. 301).

-Authorizes the Attorney General to take action against foreign states or agents thereof that attempt to collectively limit petroleum production, limit petroleum distribution, set the price of petroleum products, or restrain the trade of petroleum products (Sec. 401).

-Mandates that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission promulgate regulations to increase margin levels for crude oil trading to reduce oil speculation (Sec. 502).

-Extends the renewable energy tax credit by one year for new wind facilities (Sec. 101).

-Extends the renewable energy tax credit by 3 years for new qualified closed-loop or open-loop biomass facilities, geothermal or solar energy facilities, small irrigation power facilities, landfill gas facilities, trash combustion facilities, and qualified hydropower facilities (Sec. 101).

-Designates marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy as being qualified energy resources eligible for the renewable energy tax credit (Sec. 102).

-Extends for 6 years the 30 percent energy tax credit for qualified fuel cell property and solar energy property and the 10 percent credit for microturbine property (Sec. 103).

-Extends the tax credit for certain new residential "energy efficient" property for 6 years and raises the total tax credit for new solar electric property from $2,000 to $4,000 (Sec. 104).

-Extends the research tax credit, restaurant property depreciation tax credits, and optional state sales tax deductions for one year (Sec. 221, 225, 201).

-Extends tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel for one year, and raises the biodiesel credits and biodiesel mixture credits from 50 cents per gallon to $1 per gallon (Sec. 122).

-Provides an additional standard deduction for real property taxes for non-itemizers of up to $350 or $700 for a joint return (Sec. 301).

-Increases the child tax credit for low-income parents (Sec. 302).

-Delays tax code provisions that would allow companies to allocate interest on a worldwide basis for 10 years (Sec. 402).

-Mandates that compensation deferred under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan of a foreign corporation shall be includible in gross income in the absence of a substantial risk of forfeiture of rights to such compensation (Sec. 401).

-Vote to pass a bill that appropriates $850 million to the Department of Transportation in order to fund grants for the expansion of public transportation, the reduction of public transportation fares or avoidance of increases in fares, the use of alternative fuel vehicle-related equipment or facilities, or the expansion or establishment of commuter matching services with information about alternatives to single occupancy vehicle use.

-Specifies that grants for projects that involve designing, engineering, constructing, or acquiring property for additional parking facilities at end-of-line fixed guideway stations or at park-and-ride lots that serve commuter bus routes of more than 20 miles in length shall be for 100 percent of the net capital cost unless the recipient requests a lower percentage (Sec. 7).

-Extends tax credits for wind facilities, closed loop and open loop biomass facilities, geothermal and solar facilities, small irrigation power facilities, landfill gas facilities, trash combustion facilities, and hydropower facilities for three years (Sec. 101).

-Designates tax credits for marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy (Sec. 102).

-Extends by eight years the 30 percent tax credit for solar energy property and fuel cell property (Sec. 103).

-Creates new "clean renewable energy" bonds and designates a $2 billion limit on those bonds, which would be allocated to qualified projects of public power providers and cooperative electric companies (Sec. 104).

-Extends tax credits for residential energy efficient property for six years (Sec. 106).

-Raises the maximum credit for solar electric property from $2,000 to $4,000 (Sec. 106).

-Allots income tax credits to consumers who buy plug-in hybrid vehicles (Sec. 201).

-Extends and modifies tax credits for energy efficient appliances (Sec. 234).

-Prevents tax deductions to major integrated oil companies for income resulting from the domestic production of oil and gas (Sec. 301).

-Reduces the tax deduction of taxpayers with oil-related qualified production activities income by 3 percent after 2008 (Sec. 301).

- Impose a 90% Tax on Bonuses for People with Incomes Over $250,000 if their Company received more than $5 Billion in TARP Money.
- This will not tax Commissions, Welfare, Fringe Benefits or Expense Reimbursements for indivuduals.

- Expand Americorps from 75,000 position to 250,000 Positions
- Increase School programs to provide nutition education to students and manage physical activity programs.
- Include new grants for College Students that participate in the Volunteer programs.
- Expands the Senior Volunteer Age to 55
- Increase current spending to $5 Billion over the next 5 years.

- This act established the National Sex Offender Registry law.
- Extends funding for the Sex Offender Management Assitance program
- Federal assitance to states for enforcing sex offender registration requirements
- Pilot programs for monitoring sex offenders
- Grants to combat sexual abuse of children
- The Jessica Lunsford Address verifcation grant program
- The program for safe surrender of fugitives
- Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets act of 1968 to extend through FY2014 funding for sex offender apprehension grants and juvenile sex offender treatment grants.

- Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim, or is a violation of the state, local, or tribal hate crime laws. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one state and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses.

- Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist state, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles.

- Repeals the authority of the Comptroller General to carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company only if the appropriate federal regulatory agency has consented in writing. (Retains the authority of the Comptroller General to audit a federal agency.)

- Directs the Comptroller General to complete, before the end of 2010, an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and of the federal reserve banks, followed by a detailed report to Congress.

- Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require advance notice of any increase in the annual percentage rate of interest (APR) pertaining to a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan.

- Imposes a freeze on interest rate terms and fees on canceled cards.
- Sets limits on fees and interest charges, including a prohibition against penalties for on-time payments.

- Prohibits a creditor from furnishing information to a consumer reporting agency concerning a newly opened credit card account until the credit card has been used or activated by the consumer.
- Revises requirements for prompt and fair crediting of card payments.

- Prohibits universal default (except in certain circumstances) and unilateral changes to cardholder agreements.

- Increases the civil penalty against any creditor who fails to comply with specified requirements in the case of an individual action relating to an open end credit plan that is not secured by real property or a dwelling.

- Prescribes procedures for specified federal regulatory agencies to evaluate credit card issuers for compliance with this Act.

- Revises: (1) payoff and repayment timing disclosure requirements; and (2) requirements relating to late payment deadlines and penalties.

- Prohibits issuance of: (1) a credit card on behalf of a consumer under age 21, unless the consumer has submitted a written application meeting specified requirements; and (2) certain affinity cards to students unless certain requirements have been met.

- Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to allow underage consumers to elect to be included in certain listings compiled by a consumer reporting agency.

- Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to require all federal banking agencies and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to coordinate rulemaking and regulations.

- Cost is around $6 per American from 2010-2014

A local educational agency receiving a grant under this title shall use the grant for modernization, renovation, or repair of public school facilities, including, where applicable, early learning facilities.

- Cost $6.4 Billion

- repairing, replacing, or installing roofs, including extensive, intensive or semi-intensive green roofs, electrical wiring, plumbing systems, sewage systems, storm water runoff systems, lighting systems, or components of such systems, windows, ceilings, flooring, or doors, including security doors;

- repairing, replacing, or installing heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems, or components of such systems (including insulation), including indoor air quality assessments;

- bringing public schools into compliance with fire, health, seismic, and safety codes, including professional installation of fire/life safety alarms, including modernizations, renovations, and repairs that ensure that schools are prepared for emergencies, such as improving building infrastructure to accommodate security measures;

- modifications necessary to make public school facilities accessible to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794);

- abatement, removal, or interim controls of asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, mold, mildew, or lead-based hazards, including lead-based paint hazards;

- measures designed to reduce or eliminate human exposure to classroom noise and environmental noise pollution;

- modernizations, renovations, or repairs necessary to reduce the consumption of coal, electricity, land, natural gas, oil, or water;

- upgrading or installing educational technology infrastructure to ensure that students have access to up-to-date educational technology;

- modernization, renovation, or repair of science and engineering laboratory facilities, libraries, and career and technical education facilities, including those related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, and improvements to building infrastructure to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian access;

- renewable energy generation and heating systems, including solar, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, or biomass, including wood pellet, woody biomass, waste-to-energy, and solar-thermal systems or components of such systems, and energy audits;

- (Sec. 2) Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from increasing any annual percentage rate of interest (APR) applicable to the existing balance on an open end consumer credit card account unless specified conditions are met. Allows a creditor to increase an APR on the existing credit card balance only if the increase is due solely to:

- a change in index;

- expiration of the promotional rate;

- payment not received during the 30-day grace period after the due date; or

- consumer failure to comply with a workout plan. Prohibits any such APR increase from exceeding the APR applicable to the particular category of transactions on the day before the effective date of the workout plan. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) to prescribe standards governing such workout plan. Requires a 45-day advance notice of:

- credit card account rate increases, except one resulting from a change in index, and

- significant contract changes. States that a notice of an account rate increase shall not be effective before the end of the one-year period beginning when the account is opened. States that, in the case of a promotional rate, no written notice of an increase in the APR shall be effective before the end of a six-month period beginning from the date the promotional rate takes effect. Requires a creditor to provide a 30-day advance notice of an account closure.

- Note: There was a rider attached to this bill in regards to Firearms. We couldnt find a summary on the Library of Congress but if you are interested please remember to do your own research.

- This bill is extremely detailed. Please visit our Facebook app under discussions to get the link to the full bill.

- Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 - Makes supplemental appropriations for FY2009 for the Department of Defense (DOD) for: (1) military personnel; (2) operation and maintenance; (3) the Iraq Freedom Fund; (4) the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund; (5) the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund; (6) procurement; (7) research, development, test and evaluation; (8) Defense Working Capital Funds; (9) the Defense Health Program; (10) drug interdiction and counter-drug activities; (11) the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund; (12) the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle Fund; (13) the Office of Inspector General; (14) military construction for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and DOD; (15) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Security Investment Program; and (16) the Department of Defense Base Closure Account 2005.

- Rescinds specified funds from various accounts under prior defense appropriations Acts.

- Makes supplemental appropriations for: (1) the Department of Agriculture for the Foreign Agricultural Service for Public Law 480 Title II grants (supplemental food program) and wildland fire management; (2) the Department of Justice (DOJ), including for the National Security Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Prison System; (3) the Department of Energy for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; (4) the National Nuclear Security Administration for defense nuclear nonproliferation; (5) the Executive Office of the President for the National Security Council; (6) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for firefighter assistance grants; (7) the Department of the Interior for wildland fire management; (8) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund; (8) the Capitol Police; (9) the Department of State for diplomatic and consular programs, the Office of Inspector General, and embassy security, construction, and maintenance;

Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2009 or the DREAM Act of 2009 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien\'s eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence.

- Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her 16th birthday and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal; and (6) was under age 35 on the date of this Act\'s enactment.

-Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status, including: (1) termination of status for violation of this Act; and (2) removal of conditional status to permanent status.

-Authorizes an alien who has satisfied the appropriate requirements prior to enactment of this Act to petition the Secretary for conditional permanent resident status.

-Provides for: (1) exclusive jurisdiction; (2) penalties for false application statements; (3) confidentiality; (4) fee prohibitions; (5) higher education assistance; and (6) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.

- NOTE: This bill failed last year which you can see in the news articles.

There are currently 2 bills introduced in Congress to define marriage as a union between man and woman. We will be monitoring to see if one makes it out of committee and is voted on. The details for each bill are as follows. We will post both bills on our discussion forums on Facebook.

HR. 1269 Marriage Protection Act of 2009
- Amends the federal judicial code to deny federal courts jurisdiction to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of, or the validity under the Constitution, of the provision of the Defense of Marriage Act declaring that no state shall be required to give effect to any marriage between persons of the same sex under the laws of any other state.

HR. 37 Proposing Amendment to the Constitution of the US relating to Marriage
- Requires marriage in the United States to consist only of a legal union of a man and a woman.
- Prohibits any federal or state court from having jurisdiction to determine whether the Constitution or any state constitution requires the legal incidents of marriage to be conferred upon any union other than a legal union between one man and one woman.
- Prohibits requiring any state to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state concerning a union between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage, or as having the legal incidents of marriage, under the laws of such other state.

-Grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco products (Sec. 101).

-Requires tobacco product manufacturers to disclose all ingredients in its products, the form and delivery method of nicotine, and any research into the health, toxicological, behavioral, or physiologic effects of tobacco products to the FDA and notify the FDA of any future changes to any of the above (Sec. 101).

-Requires tobacco manufacturers to release all marketing research documents to the FDA (Sec. 101).

-Requires tobacco manufacturers to notify the FDA of any future changes to the ingredients of their products (Sec. 101).

-Requires all owners and operators of companies manufacturing or processing tobacco products to register with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and to be inspected once every two years (Sec. 101).

-Prohibits the FDA from banning existing tobacco products or requiring that they eliminate nicotine (Sec. 101).

-Requires FDA review of new tobacco products before they can go to market unless they are similar to products marketed before February 15, 2007 (Sec. 101).

-Bans companies from promoting products as lower-risk alternatives to traditional tobacco unless the FDA certifies that its sale is likely to improve public health (Sec. 101).

-Establishes a mechanism to assess fees on tobacco companies and traders to finance FDA oversight of the industry (Sec. 101).

-Orders a study on the public health implications of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products (Sec. 104).

-Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a plan relating to enforce restrictions on the advertising and promotion of menthol and other cigarettes to minors (Sec. 105).

-Mandates larger, more varied, and more prominent warning labels on tobacco products (Secs. 201, 204).

- Cost $106 Billion Dollars

- $80 Billion for War time funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

- $5 Billion Line of credit to the International Monetary Fund to help developing countries combat the impact of the global recession.

- $7.7 Billion to combat the Swine Flu Virus in Foreign Countries

- $10.4 Billion in foreign aid to target and promote economic development and counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq

- $1 Billion to the \"cash for clunkers\" program for consumers to receive $4500 vouchers to trade in old gas guzzling vehicles for more fuel efficient vehicles.

Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to establish a combined efficiency and renewable electricity standard that requires utilities to supply an increasing percentage of their demand from a combination of energy efficiency savings and renewable energy (6% in 2012, 9.5% in 2014, 13% in 2016, 16.5% in 2018, and 20% in 2021-2039). Provides for: (1) issuing, trading, banking, retiring, and verifying renewable electricity credits; and (2) prescribing standards to define and measure electricity savings from energy efficiency and energy conservation measures.

- Amends the Clean Air Act (CAA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) set forth a national strategy to address barriers to the commercial-scale deployment of carbon capture and sequestration; (2) establish an approach to certify and permit geologic sequestration; and (3) promulgate regulations to minimize the risk of escape to the atmosphere of carbon dioxide injected for purposes of geological sequestration. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator to promulgate regulations for sequestration wells.

- Amends PURPA to provide for the development of electric vehicle infrastructure. Requires the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to establish: (1) a large-scale vehicle electrification program; and (2) a program to provide financial assistance for the manufacture of plug-in electric drive vehicles. Requires the Administrator to establish a program under which a state may create a State Energy and Environment Development Account.

- Safe Climate Act - Amends the CAA to require the Administrator to promulgate regulations to: (1) cap and reduce GHG emissions, annually, so that GHG emissions from capped sources are reduced to 97% of 2005 levels by 2012, 83% by 2020, 58% by 2030, and 17% by 2050; and (2) establish a federal GHG registry.

- Provides for trading, banking and borrowing, auctioning, selling, exchanging, transferring, holding, or retiring emission allowances.

- Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish a strategic reserve account and place into that account specified amounts (ranging from 1% to 3%) of the emission allowances for each of calendar years 2012-2050; and (2) auction such strategic reserve allowances once each quarter of each of such years.

Too Many Details to List. Mobile users please check out the Links on Visible Vote on Facebook.

- This is the Healthcare Bill Introduced by the House Democrats. We will be putting up the bill introduced by the Senate as well for Healthcare reform.

- This bill is 1018 pages long. If you are on a mobile device please visit Visible Vote on Facebook for even more details about this bill.

- Public Financed Health Insurance Option to compete with Private insurers

- Subsidies to help people buy insurance and requires all individuals purchase insurance or face a tax penalty.

- Ban insurers from denying coverage to anyone based on pre-existing medical conditions

- Drug manufacturers will be required to give rebates to those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

- Additional 5.4 percent increase on earners over $1million, 1 percent above $350k, 1.5 percent above $500,000, in 2013 both of these can be raised to 2 and 3 percent respectively.

- Penalty for no health insurance would be 2.5 percent of income

- Penalty for employers with payrolls over $250k would be 8 percent of a worker\'s wages.

- We will post the entire bill once its created. Due to the speed of this bill we are posting it now so you can tell your legistlators how you feel before they vote.

- Cash for Clunkers was passed as part of $106 Billion Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009

- Program has run out of money and would like another infusion of $2 billion dollars.

- People who owned a car made in 1984 or later that got 18 miles to the gallon or less could qualify.

- The car had to have been registered and insured over the past year, and it must have been able to start.

- If applicants to the program traded their clunker for a car that got four more miles per gallon, the government gave them $3,500.

- If the new car got 10 miles more per gallon, the person got $4,500.

- People trading an SUV, minivan or small pickup only had to improve their mileage by 2 to 5 miles per gallon.

- The vehicle purchased had to be brand new and cost less than $45,000.

- Expand an existing $300 billion program that encourages lenders to write down an individual\'s mortgage if the homeowner agrees to pay an insurance premium.

- Program Expires in 2011.

- Swap out homeowner\'s high-interest rate for a 30-year fixed loan backed by FHA.

- Extend the FDIC increase from $100,000 to $250,000 until 2013

- Increase FDIC borrowing authority from $30 billion to $100 billion.

- Remove subsidies to third parties distributing student loans and redistribute saving across Grants and various other places.

- Cut all federal funding to ACORN

- Invests $40 Billion to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship to $5550 in 2010, $6900 by 2019.

- Invest $3 Billion to bolster college access and completion support programs for students.

- Invests $2.55 Billion in Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving institutions.

- Loan forgiveness for members of the military who are called up to duty in the middle of an academic year.

- Expand the Perkins Loan Program to more colleges and provide the program with more reliable forms of credit.

- Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA).

- Requires a further additional Tier-3 period for deposits to an individual\'s EUCA, using the current formula, if, at the time the amount added to such individual\'s account under the Act is exhausted or at any time thereafter, the individual\'s state is in an extended benefit period.

- Prescribes a formula for determining if a state is in an extended benefit period.

- Allows the Tier-3 period augmentation to be applied to the individual\'s EUCA only once.

- Authorizes a state to pay extended compensation to an otherwise eligible individual before any further additional emergency unemployment compensation (EUC), if such individual claimed extended compensation for at least one week of unemployment after the exhaustion of additional EUC.

- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend from 2009 through 2010 the 6.2% surtax on employers under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA).

- Delays the scheduled 2010 reduction in the surtax to 6% until 2011.

- Provide $680 Billion to provide funds for Defense initiatives.

- Make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.

- Expand concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability benefits to disabled military retirees.

- Public Option - New Government run insurance plan to compete with private companies.

- Should provide health coverage to approximately 40 million uninsured Americans.

- Require all Americans have health insurance

- Ban insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions

- Surtax on individuals with incomes above $500,000

- Cost estimates anywhere from $900 Billion to 1.1 Trillion at the moment of this summary.

- This bill was the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009

- Senate voted to amend the bill (actually substitute it) with Patient Protection and Affordable Care act

- States can individually ban the public option for their residents

- Less strict prohibition on federal funds being used for abortion than recent Health care reform bill in the house.

- New rules for insurance providers, setting up new exchanges to make it easier and more transparent for people without employer insurance to get insurance coverage.

- Bill is paid for with new taxes on individuals earning $200,000 a year, couples who make more than $250,000 per year and people who have all inclusive benefit plans that are valued at more than $8,500 would face a 40% tax on policies.

- Estimated 31 million more people would have insurance.

- 5% Tax on the cost of elective cosmetic surgery

- Fees for insurers and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

- Fine for individuals who dont buy insurance, $95 first year, $750 by 2016.

- Does not require employers offer health care, however business with more than 50 workers and at least one employee qualifies for gov subsidies, will face $750 penalty per every employee it doesnt offer health care to.

- Many more stipulations please read bill carefully and news articles related to this bill.

- Provisions in the bill provide for Louisiana to receive $300 million in federal aid.

- Cost is estimated at $848 billion

Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 - Prohibits the imposition of any penalty under an Act of Congress for the possession of marijuana for personal use or for the not-for-profit transfer between adults of marijuana for personal use. Deems the possession of 100 grams or less of marijuana as personal use (one ounce or less for a not-for-profit transfer between adults). Allows the imposition of a civil penalty under the Controlled Substances Act for the public use of marijuana if such penalty does not exceed $100.

Topics: Executive agency funding and structure, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal preemption, Financial crises and stabilization, Financial services and investments, Foreign and international banking, Women's employment, Small business, Women in business, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Securities, Real estate business, National Credit Union Administration, Minority and disadvantaged businesses, Marketing and advertising, Licensing and registrations, Judicial review and appeals, Insurance industry and regulation, Housing finance and home ownership, Government trust funds, Government investigations, Government information and archives, Fraud offenses and financial crimes, Bankruptcy, Business records, Banking and financial institutions regulation, Aging, Bank accounts, deposits, capital, Advisory bodies, Administrative remedies, Administrative law and regulatory procedures, Finance and financial sector, Accounting and auditing, Credit and credit markets, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Evidence and witnesses, Employment discrimination and employee rights, Department of the Treasury, Congressional oversight, Consumer credit, Consumer affairs, Commodities markets, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Civil actions and liability

- Cost $140billion, $80billion of that going to unemployment benefits

- Extend the filing deadline for existing unemployment benefits until Dec 31, 2010

- COBRA health care subsidies for the unemployed are also extended

- Extension of the current rate of Medicare payments to doctors and dozens of targeted tax cuts

- Undocumented immigrants to show they have contributed to the US through work, military service, education or other such service.

- Undocumented immigrants do not have any felony convictions and ano more than three misdemeanors.

- Undocumented immigrants need to prove they were in the US before Dec 15th, 2009, wait 6 years from the date of their application before gaining citizens status and pay a fine of $500.00.

- Homeland Security - Develop and submit to Congress a National Strategy for Border Security

- Homeland Security - Increase the number of Customs and Border Protection officers, agriculture specialists, and border security support personnel, and enhance related equipment, assets, and technology;

- Homeland Security - Develop a comprehensive land and maritime border surveillance plan, including aerial and integrated surveillance demonstration programs;

- Homeland Security - Issue a rule for electronic device searches and related agent training;

- Homeland Security - Improve coordination efforts to combat human smuggling;

- Homeland Security - Establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every Border Patrol sector at the southern and northern borders;

- Homeland Security - Carry out a ports of entry technology demonstration program; and

- Homeland Security - Establish a Southern Border Security Task Force.Authorizes appropriations for border security improvements at U.S. ports of entry.

- Estimated Cost: $85 Billion

- Hiring tax credits to allow employers an exemption of payroll taxes if they hire new employees.

- Infrastructure (Build America Bonds, 1 year extension of highway trust fund)- total for this is $15 billion.

- Extension of the Patriot Act for 1 year.

- Increase in medicare payments for doctors.

- Tax extenders ($35 billion, just date changes to extend from 2009 to 2010).

- Unemployment insurance 3 month extension, COBRA 3 month extension, Doc Fix 7 month extension ($35 billion total)

- Extension of the flood insurance program

- Small business (waiving fees for small business loans)

- Satellite Homeowner Act 5 year fix

- $1.5 billion in disaster relief for farmers

- Cost approx $10 Billion.

- One month extension of unemployment benefits.

- One month extension for COBRA subsidies

- 200,000 of the 15 million unemployed workers' benefits expired April 5th.

- Another 1 million will expire at the end of April without Bill.

Summary From the Congressional Finance Committee-

Consumer Protections with Authority and Independence- Creates a new independent watchdog, housed at the Federal Reserve, with the authority to ensure American consumers get the clear, accurate information they need to shop for mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products, and protect them from hidden fees, abusive terms, and deceptive practices.

Ends Too Big to Fail- Ends the possibility that taxpayers will be asked to write a check to bail out financial firms that threaten the economy by- creating a safe way to liquidate failed financial firms, imposing tough new capital and leverage requirements that make it undesirable to get too big, updating the Feds authority to allow system-wide support but no longer prop up individual firms; and establishing rigorous standards and supervision to protect the economy and American consumers, investors and businesses.

Advanced Warning System- Creates a council to identify and address systemic risks posed by large, complex companies, products, and activities before they threaten the stability of the economy.

Transparency & Accountability for Exotic Instruments- Eliminates loopholes that allow risky and abusive practices to go on unnoticed and unregulated - including loopholes for over-the-counter derivatives, asset-backed securities, hedge funds, mortgage brokers and payday lenders.

Federal Bank Supervision- Streamlines bank supervision to create clarity and accountability. Protects the dual banking system that supports community banks.

Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance- Provides shareholders with a say on pay and corporate affairs with a non-binding vote on executive compensation.

Protects Investors- Provides tough new rules for transparency and accountability for credit rating agencies to protect investors and businesses.

Enforces Regulations on the Books- Strengthens oversight and empowers regulators to aggressively pursue financial fraud, conflicts of interest and manipulation of the system that benefit special interests at the expense of American families and businesses.

Creation of a $50 billion dollar fund being debated to handle bank failures.

- Budget relief to states and local school districts and medicaid budget relief.

- $10 Billion for Grants to School Districts to delay teacher layoffs.

- $16 Billion to help fund Medicaid Budgets

- Estimated to save up to 300,000 teachers, police and other public workers jobs.