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Title: Appropriations, Tax Law Amendments, and Unemployment Benefit Amendments ("Stimulus Bill")
Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill that reduces government revenue by increasing tax credits and that appropriates $382.25 billion in direct spending and $42.15 billion for bonds and authorizations for a total of $424.4 billion in new spending.
Highlights:
- Allows an income tax credit of up to $500 for individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 or $1,000 for joint returns for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $150,000 (Division B, Sec. 1001).
- Requires projects funded by this bill to use only iron and steel produced in the United States, unless it is inconsistent with public interest, there are insufficient quantities produced in the United States, or it would increase the cost of the overall project by over 25 percent (Division A, Sec. 1110).
- Increases the credit percentage for taxpayers with three or more children to 45 percent and reduces the marriage tax by changing the formula for the amount of credit allowed (Division B, Sec. 1101).
- Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being used to enter into contracts with businesses that do not participate in the E-verify program for their employees (Division A, Sec. 1114).
- Increases the Hope Scholarship credit to allow a 100% deduction for the first $2000 spent on tuition and related expenses and a 25% deduction for another $4000 (Division B, Sec. 1201).
- Grants qualified school construction bonds for up to $11 billion in 2009 and $11 billion for 2010 (Division B, Sec. 1511).
- Extends tax credits for electricity produced from wind facilities until 2013, and from other renewable resource facilities such as biomass, geothermal, solar energy, landfill gas, trash combustion, and qualified hydropower facilities until 2014 (Division B, Sec. 1601).
- Extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act to December 31, 2009 (Division B, Sec. 2001).
- Provides COBRA assistance for coverage beginning after the enactment of this bill of up to 35 percent of the premium amount (Division B, Sec. 3002).
- Allows temporary Medicaid coverage for individuals who currently receive unemployment benefits or who were receiving but have exhausted unemployment benefits on or after July 1, 2008 (Division B, Sec. 3003).
- Establishes the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to allow for the electronic use and exchange of information that secures and protects patient health information, improves health care quality, reduces medical errors and health disparities, reduces costs from inefficiency, medical errors, inappropriate or duplicate care, and incomplete information, and improves coordination of care between hospitals, laboratories, and physician offices (Division B, Title IV).
- Establishes the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a broadband map of the United States to identify the availability of broadband service from commercial or public providers in each state (Division B, Sec. 6001).
- Authorizes grants for any non-recurring costs related to building broadband infrastructure (Division B, Sec. 6002).
- Provides financial assistance of up to 50 percent of costs for electric "smart grid" system demonstration projects to increase reliability, security, and efficiency while meeting future growth demands of energy (Division B, Sec. 7002).
- Expands the definition of low income families eligible for weatherization assistance to include families whose income is 200 percent of the poverty level and increases the assistance per household from $2,500 to $5,000 (Division B, Sec. 7004).
- Appropriates $67.79 billion for the Department of Education, including $1.34 billion for Pell Grant funding (Division A, Title IX).