THE INTERESTING

TARP reform with fulltext. Introduced by Barney Frank (D-MA).

On Executive compensation:

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS- The standards established under paragraph (1) shall include–

(A) limits on compensation that exclude incentives for senior executive officers of an assisted institution which received assistance under this title to take unnecessary and excessive risks that threaten the value of such institution during the period that any assistance under this title is outstanding;

(B) a provision for the recovery by such institution of any bonus or incentive compensation paid to a senior executive officer based on statements of earnings, gains, or other criteria that are later found to be materially inaccurate;

(C) a prohibition on such institution making any golden parachute payment to a senior executive officer during the period that the assistance under this title is outstanding;

(D) a prohibition on such institution paying or accruing any bonus or incentive compensation, during the period that the assistance under this title is outstanding, to the 25 most highly-compensated employees; and

(E) a prohibition on any compensation plan that would encourage manipulation of such institution’s reported earnings to enhance the compensation of any of its employees.

Good, good. There’s lots more in that bill if you’re interested. Moving on…

• H.R. 391: To amend the Clean Air Act to provide that greenhouse gases are not subject to the Act, and for other purposes.
   
  Greenhouse gases aren’t toxic to people per se, the way the other pollutants covered in the Act are. As much as it pains me to say it, this restriction probably makes sense. Greenhouse gases should be addressed in their own bodies of legislation instead of being shoehorned into a bill that was never meant to account for greenhouse-type externalities.

 

• H.R. 374: To require the closure of the detention facility at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba, to limit the use of certain interrogation techniques, to prohibit interrogation by contractors, to require notification of the International Committee of the Red Cross of detainees, and for other purposes.

 

• H.R. 426: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce the depreciation recovery period for certain roof systems.
   
  Fulltext not available, but if it’s what I suspect it is — an amendment to the IRC that allows for a quicker accounting depreciation schedule for roofing systems — it’s a win for whatever businesses have these systems. The quicker you can write off a capital expense, the better it is for your bottom line.

 

• H.R. 448: To protect seniors in the United States from elder abuse by establishing specialized elder abuse prosecution and research programs and activities to aid victims of elder abuse, to provide training to prosecutors and other law enforcement related to elder abuse prevention and protection, to establish programs that provide for emergency crisis response teams to combat elder abuse, and for other purposes.
   
  My family owns a homecare agency for seniors and disabled, and elder abuse — usually through neglect — is quite common. I’ll be interested to read the fulltext when it’s available.

 

• H.R. 429: To permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings
   
  Change we hope to believe in… continuing the opening up and focus on transparency of government procedure. Sponsored by a Republican, no less.

THE BAFFLING

• H.R. 423: To provide compensation for certain World War II veterans who survived the Bataan Death March and were held as prisoners of war by the Japanese.
   
  The Bataan Death March took place in 1942… 67 years ago. Most of these folks are probably already dead. Why now? I’m not against it; it just seems a little late.

 

• H.R. 364: To restrict nuclear cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, and for other purposes
   
  The fulltext of this bill is not available, unfortunately. It’s a bipartisan bill, which surprised me; I would have pegged it as a Republican machination. In general, I am in favor of nuclear power, and while I realize that there’s not a single country on Earth that has nuclear power without some nuclear weapons capability, nuclear power is ultimately a clean, environmentally-friendly means of generating electricity. I don’t see the UAE as a particularly dangerous entity. They’re fairly progressive as Muslim nations go, and they’re interested in moving away from a petroleum-based economy, which is a good thing.

THE ABSURD

• H. J. Res. 17: Expressing support for designation of the month of October 2009 as “Country Music Month” and to honor country music for its long history of supporting America’s armed forces and its tremendous impact on national patriotism.
   
  Introduced by Ted Poe (R-TX). I’m not sure how this particular bill could possibly reinforce certain stereotypes more than it already does. It’s like a pre-packaged joke just begging to be used in a bad sitcom. And I resent the insinuation that music is patriotic because it may include jingoistic overtones and the glorification of “small town” values.