I know! I’ve haven’t been good at posting this every month, but I have a good reason. The purpose for this post is to inform you of the new laws and acts enacted by President Bush. It’s good to know what’s going on because some of them may benefit us as a people. It’s important for us to watch every step our government takes. We elect them, so we need to make sure they are doing their job. The laws I list are posted at whitehouse.gov. For a more unbiased version, I’d recommend doing additional research at govtrack.us. As always feel free to leave any additional comments.

I fell off from doing this the past couple of months, so I grouped September and October together.

On Thursday, September 18, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2403, which designates the new Federal Courthouse, located in Richmond, Virginia, as the Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States Courthouse.

On Friday, September 19, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 6456, which extends and modifies certain authorities of the Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors; and
S. 2450, which limits the circumstances under which inadvertent disclosure of information results in waiver of the attorney-client privilege or work product protection.

On Monday, September 22, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5683, the “Government Accountability Office Act of 2008,” which adjusts pay, retirement benefits, and financial disclosure requirements for employees of the Government Accountability Office.

On Wednesday, September 24, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2617, the “Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act on 2008,” which provides a cost of living increase for the beneficiaries of veterans’ disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation.

On Thursday, September 25, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 3406, the “ADA Amendments Act of 2008,” which clarifies and broadens the definition of disability and expands the population eligible for protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

On Friday, September 26, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5938, which authorizes the U.S. Secret Service to provide protection to former Vice Presidents, their spouses, and their children under 16 years of age for up to six months after the date the former Vice President leaves office; and makes several changes to Federal criminal law related to computer fraud and identity theft, including authorizing restitution to victims of identity theft for the value of the time reasonably spent attempting to remediate the harm incurred as result of the offense.

On Tuesday, September 30, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 1777, the “Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2008,” which extends until September 30, 2015, the current exemption to antitrust law that permits two or more colleges or universities that admit all students on a need-blind basis to use common principles of analysis for determining the students’ need for financial aid; and
H.R. 6984, the “Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2008,” which extends through March 31, 2009, authorities to: collect taxes that fund the Airport and Airway Trust Fund; make expenditures from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund; and make grants to airports under the Airport Improvement Program.
H.R. 2608, the “SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act,” which extends, for two years, the eligibility of certain qualified aliens, including refugees, asylees, and certain humanitarian immigrants, for Supplemental Security Income benefits; and authorizes the Department of the Treasury to withhold portions of a taxpayer’s refund to collect certain unemployment compensation debt owed to States;
S. 171, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Commerce, Oklahoma, as the Mickey Mantle Post Office Building;
S. 2339, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Alpena, Michigan, as the Lieutenant Colonel Clement C. Van Wagoner Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic; and
S. 3241, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the CeeCee Ross Lyles Post Office Building.

On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 3009, which designates a Federal Bureau of Investigation building under construction as the J. James Exon Federal Bureau of Investigation Building.

On Thursday, October 2, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5551 which increases compensation of attorneys representing indigent defendants in the District of Columbia courts;
H.R. 5893, the “Library of Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs Reauthorization Act of 2008,” which authorizes appropriations to the Library of Congress annually through FY 2016 for its sound recording and film preservation programs; and
S. 996, which authorizes the use of passenger facility fees imposed at the Los Angeles International Airport to be used for noise mitigation projects for certain school buildings in the surrounding area that are adversely affected by airport noise.

On Friday, October 3, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, and Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008, which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a Troubled Assets Relief Program to purchase troubled assets from financial institutions; provides Alternative Minimum Tax relief; extends expiring tax provisions and establishes energy tax incentives; and temporarily increases Federal Deposit Insurance limits.

On Friday, October 3, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 3986, the “John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2008,” which authorizes appropriations to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for Fiscal Years 2008-2012;
S. 1760, the “Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007,” which reauthorizes the Healthy Start program, which provides grants to communities with high infant mortality rates in an effort to improve prenatal care;
S. 2135, the “Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008,” which makes the recruitment and use of child soldiers a Federal crime; and makes aliens convicted of engaging in these offenses inadmissible and deportable under the Immigration and Nationality Act;
S.J.Res. 35, which authorizes the Smithsonian Institution to carry out construction in support of the VERITAS project, a ground-based gamma ray observatory, at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory Base Camp on Mount Hopkins, Arizona; and
S.J.Res. 45, the “Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact,” which provides approval for an interstate compact to protect the water resources of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.

On Tuesday, October 7, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 923, the “Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007,” which requires the Attorney General to designate individuals in the Justice Department’s Federal Bureau of Investigation and Civil Rights Division to investigate and prosecute violations of criminal civil rights statutes that occurred prior to January 1, 1970, and resulted in death;
H.R. 1199, the “Drug Endangered Children Act of 2007,” which authorizes appropriations for FYs 2008-2009 for Justice Department grants to States for programs to aid children living in homes in which methamphetamine or other controlled substances are manufactured, distributed, dispensed, or used;
H.R. 5834, the “North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2008,” which reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Authorization Act of 2004;
H.R. 5975, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Waterville, New York, as the Cpl. John P. Sigsbee Post Office;
H.R. 6092, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Bremen, Georgia, as the Sergeant Paul Saylor Post Office Building;
H.R. 6437, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Odessa, Texas, as the Corporal Alfred Mac Wilson Post Office;
H.R. 6889, which extends the authority of the Secretary of Education to carry out provisions of the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 for one year, through June 30, 2010;
H.R. 6893, the “Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008,” which reauthorizes the Adoption Incentives Program for five years and increases incentives for special needs and older child adoptions; give States the option to use Federal funding to provide maintenance payments to relatives who serve as “kinship guardians”; establishes family connection grants to connect foster children with family members and assist them in meeting the needs of the foster children; and allows Federal funding of child welfare systems established by tribal entities;
S. 3015, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Lakeview, Oregon, as the Dr. Bernard Daly Post Office Building; and
S. 3082, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Kansas City, Missouri, as the Reverend Earl Abel Post Office Building.

On Thursday, October 9, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 2851, the “Michelle’s Law,” which requires that health plans continue to provide coverage for certain dependent children who take a medically necessary leave of absence from a post-secondary educational institution;
S. 2840, the “Military Personnel Citizenship Processing Act,” which requires the Department of Homeland Security to process and adjudicate naturalization applications filed by members of the Armed Forces within 6 months of receipt; and establish an Office of the FBI Liaison to monitor and assist the FBI in the expeditious completion of background checks pertaining to these applications.

On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 3550, which designates a portion of the Rappahannock River in the Commonwealth of Virginia as the John W. Warner Rapids.

On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 1594, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, as the Michael A. Marzano Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic;
H.R. 2786, the “Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2008,” which reauthorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s affordable housing programs for Native Americans and creates a new guaranteed loan program for community and economic development activities for tribes;
H.R. 6098, the “Personnel Reimbursement for Intelligence Cooperation and Enhancement of Homeland Security Act of 2008″ or the “PRICE of Homeland Security Act,” which prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from imposing a limit of more or less than 50 percent on the amount of funds received under specified DHS grant programs that can be used to pay salaries and benefits for State and local personnel; and removes the limitations on the period of time that intelligence analysts can serve under awarded grants;
H.R. 7198, the “Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal Act of 2008,” which provides for the establishment of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal for organ donors and families of organ donors;
S. 906, the “Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008,” which prohibits the transfer of elemental mercury by Federal agencies, bans U.S. export of elemental mercury, and requires the Department of Energy to designate and manage an elemental mercury long-term disposal facility;
S. 1276, the “Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008,” which specifies methods, when sellers of certain pharmaceuticals use electronic logbooks, of obtaining signatures of purchasers in meeting Federal requirements for recording transactions at the time of the sale; and
S. 2304, the “Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2008,” which reauthorizes a Justice Department grant program to assist mentally ill adults and juveniles accused of nonviolent offenses; and authorizes a new Justice grant program to help law enforcement personnel respond appropriately to mentally ill offenders.

On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.J.Res. 100, which provides that the first regular session of the 111th Congress will begin at noon on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, and that electoral votes for President and Vice President will be counted on Thursday, January 8, 2009;
H.R. 1714, which replaces the Coastal Barrier Resource System map relating to the Clam Pass Unit FL-64P in Collier County, Florida;
H.R. 4544, the “Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008,” which provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Native American code talkers;
H.R. 6045, the “Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2008,” which authorizes annual appropriations for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program of $50 million through Fiscal Year 2012;
H.R. 6063, the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008,” which authorizes appropriations to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Fiscal Year 2009; requires NASA to add to its baseline flight manifest two Space Shuttle missions to the International Space Station and take all necessary steps to fly a third additional Shuttle mission; requires NASA to take steps to ensure that the International Space Station remains viable through at least 2020; and affirms congressional support for U.S. space exploration policy;
H.R. 6073, which requires the Office of Personnel Management to ensure that all Federal employees who are paid by electronic funds transfer are given the option of receiving pay stubs electronically;
H.R. 6083, which authorizes appropriations of $4.75 million for each of Fiscal Years 2009-2012 for a Department of Justice grant for a national training program for State and local prosecutors;
H.R. 6353, the “Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008,” which amends the Controlled Substances Act to address online pharmacies;
H.R. 6469, the “Stephanie Tubbs Jones Organ Transplant Authorization Act of 2008,” which authorizes an increase in funding for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network;
H.R. 6524, which authorizes the General Services Administration to take certain actions with respect to parcels of real property located in Eastlake, Ohio, and Koochiching County, Minnesota;
H.R. 7082, the “Inmate Tax Fraud Prevention Act of 2008,” which authorizes the Treasury Department to disclose certain prisoner tax return information to the Justice Department’s Federal Bureau of Prisons; and restores certain judicial survivors’ annuities;
H.R. 7177, which amends the Arms Export Control Act for the Republic of Korea and Israel, authorizes military assistance for Israel, and authorizes the transfer of U.S. naval vessels to foreign governments; and
S. 3641, which reauthorizes funding for certain Department of Justice crime victims programs.

On Monday, October 20, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5159, the “Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008,” which establishes the Office of the Capitol Visitor Center; and the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services; and
S. 3197, the “National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008,” which temporarily exempts members of the Armed Forces reserves and the National Guard from a means test in determining eligibility for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief, if, after September 11, 2001, they were on active duty or performing a homeland defense activity for at least 90 days.

On Tuesday, October 21, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 3511, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Murphy A. Tannehill Post Office Building;
H.R. 4010, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Minnie Cox Post Office Building;
H.R. 4131, which designates a portion of California States Route 91, as the Juanita Millender-McDonald Highway;
H.R. 6558, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Gordon N. Chan Post Office Building;
H.R. 6681, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Jacob M. Lowell Post Office Building;
H.R. 6834, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the CWO Richard R. Lee Post Office Building;
H.R. 6847, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the First Lieutenant Noah Harris Ellijay Post Office Building;
H.R. 6902, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Staff Sergeant Nicholas Ray Carnes Post Office; and
H.R. 6982, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service as the Leo J. Ryan Post Office Building.

On Wednesday, October 22, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 6197, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located in Counce, Tennessee, as the Pickwick Office Building.