This was also the month history was made with the signing of the health care reform bill. There was a lot of fighting over this, but President Obama got it done. Only time will tell whether it was a good or bad idea to reform health care. To be honest, I don’t think anyone knows what will happen and there will always be people out there who want to see it fail, so they can say “I told you so”.

On Mar 2, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 4691: Temporary Extension Act of 2010. To provide a temporary extension of certain programs, and for other purposes.

On Mar 4, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 1299: United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009. To make technical corrections to the laws affecting certain administrative authorities of the United States Capitol Police, and for other purposes.

On Mar 17, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
S. 2968: Trademark Technical and Conforming Amendment Act of 2010. A bill to make certain technical and conforming amendments to the Lanham Act.

On Mar 18, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 2847: Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act. Making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.

On Mar 23, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. An act entitled The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This is the Senate’s health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Senate is co-opting this bill as a vehicle for passage of their reform and will change the text of this unrelated bill in whole in the coming weeks. They do this because the Constitution requires all revenue bills to start in the House, and their health reform plan involves revenue. So they have chosen to work off of a bill that started in the House, even if that bill is unrelated.

On Mar 25, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 3433: To amend the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to establish requirements regarding payment of the non-Federal share of the costs of wetlands conservation projects in Canada that are funded under that Act, and for other purposes.

On Mar 31, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 4957: Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.

S. 1147: PACT Act. A bill to prevent tobacco smuggling, to ensure the collection of all tobacco taxes, and for other purposes.

On Feb 3, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 4508: Small Business Act Temporary Extension. To provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes.

On Feb 3, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
S. 692: A bill to provide that claims of the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt shall be treated as waived and relinquished in certain circumstances.

On Feb 3, 2010, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 1377: Amend title 38. To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a non-Department facility, and for other purposes.

Note: There were a lot of post office related name change laws this month. But since that’s not really a big deal, I decided not to post each one.

Today is the day the new rules for banks issuing credit cards to consumers take affect. Since the initial signing of the bill I’ve had the interest rate for two cards jump to 29.99% and a business card canceled because I didn’t use it enough. It doesn’t matter how good your credit score is anymore, which proves that no matter what their commercial says, your welfare is the last thing on their minds.

I’m no personal finance coach, so I thought I’d share an article I read by personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary regarding some of the loopholes in the credit card law. There’s also a fact sheet about the Credit Card Act on the White House Website. The best thing to do and my personal goal is to pay off all the credit cards. But if you’re not in a position to do it, know the law so they won’t take advantage of you.

It’s hard to believe it’s already 2010. But we’re here and there are still new things in store for this blog. When I started blogging, the main goal was to share information and hopefully open up dialogue on issues that affect the black community. I think I did that in some way this year, but it wasn’t to the extent that I’d done in previous years.

The goal for this year is to continue on the track of keeping the site informative. I plan on opening it up to others who are interested in sharing their point of view with the readers of this site. There are some talented, well-written people out there and I want to showcase them and get some real discussions going.

Late in the year, when I got swamped with projects for work, I fell off the blogging scene for a couple of weeks. Blogging can be a daunting task and coming up with things to write about can be time consuming (especially when it isn’t one of my strengths). So this year, I’m going to solicit your help. If you or someone you know are interested in blogging, but don’t want to manage their own site, email me at info @ theotalks.net. I’m always in need of someone to write and it usually turns out to be a win-win situation for both parties.

This year, I also want to focus more on minority small businesses. In these turbulent economic times, a lot of people are turning to owning their own business. I think that’s great, so I decided to start a list of some of my favorite small businesses. I’ll be highlighting small business owners throughout the year, so contact me if you’re interested in participating.

Finally, here are some websites that you need to keep an eye on for 2010. I’ll be blogging a lot about them and hope to be visible on most of them as time permits. Check them out when you get the chance:

• Liberate Magazine
• Tech Relations Firm
• Dallas South News
• Barter My Biz

Have a Happy New Year and God Bless!

New Traffic Laws (pdf)

HB 537 requires all occupants of a vehicle, no matter their age, to be secured by a safety belt, no matter where they are seated in the vehicle; changes the definition of a passenger vehicle to include a passenger van designed to transport 15 or fewer passengers including the driver; removes the current exemption for third-party Medicaid transportation provisions regarding the use of child passenger safety seats; and prohibits a motorcycle operator from carrying a passenger under the age of 5 unless the child is seated in a sidecar attached to the motorcycle.

SB 61 amends the existing statute regarding child passenger safety seats. The bill requires that any child younger than 8 years of age be restrained in an approved child passenger safety seat unless the child is at least 4 feet, 9 inches in height. The fine is no more than $25 for a first offense and $250 for a second offense. The law also creates a new court cost for conviction of an offense under this section to be collected and used by TxDOT to buy safety seats for low income families. The law becomes effective on Sept. 1, 2009, but tickets for this offense cannot be issued until June 1, 2010. Police officers are allowed to issue a warning before that date.

HB 55 makes it illegal to use a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used. Cities or counties wanting to enforce this law must post a sign at the beginning of each school zone to inform drivers that using a wireless communications device is prohibited and the operator is subject to a fine. It is a defense to prosecution if the operator was making an emergency call.

HB 558 allows minors to be charged with public intoxication.

SB 554 makes it illegal to own or possess dog-fighting equipment and establishes that such equipment and property where dogs are found to be engaged in dog fighting is contraband and is subject to forfeiture. The law also makes dog-fighting subject to the elevated penalties authorized in the Texas Penal Code, Section 71.02(a), in an effort to deter organized criminal activity. (Thanks Mike)

On Mar 20, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 1541: Small Business Act Temporary Extension. To provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes.

On Mar 30, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 146, Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. An act to designate certain land as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

On Apr 21, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 1388: Serve America Act. A bill entitled “The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.”

On May 20, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
S. 386: Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act (FERA). An Act to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities and commodities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to Federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes. From the White House

S. 896: Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. A bill to prevent mortgage foreclosures and enhance mortgage credit availability. From the White House

On May 22, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
S. 454: Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act. A bill to improve the organization and procedures of the Department of Defense for the acquisition of major weapon systems, and for other purposes.

H.R. 627: Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009. To amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan, and for other purposes. From the White House

On June 22, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 1256: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. To protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products, to amend title 5, United States Code, to make certain modifications in the Thrift Savings Plan, the Civil Service Retirement System, and the Federal Employees’ Retirement System, and for other purposes.

On Feb 4, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 2, Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes. Read Full Text

On Feb 11, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
S. 352, DTV Delay Act. A bill to postpone the DTV transition date. Read Full Text

On Feb 17, 2009, the President signed the following bill(s) into law:
H.R. 1, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. Read Full Text

Fannie Mae

• 1-800-7FANNIE (8am to 8pm EST)
• www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup

Freddie Mac

• 1-800-FREDDIE (8am to 8pm EST)
• www.freddiemac.com/mymortgage

Be sure to check out the calculator that allows homeowners to estimate the possible reduction to their monthly mortgage payment they might receive under the plan. To see the press release of the new website visit the whitehouse.gov blog.

While sitting there, I had to think, what would I do with a little extra stimulus money? It was a pretty easy question to answer because I had a couple of times under the Bush Administration to do it. I have to admit, I wasn’t a good American because I used it to pay bills. I know the Republicans were counting on me “stimulate” the economy, but I had bills to pay. I guess in some way it helped because the electric, phone and water companies were able to get their money. Tax cuts and checks are great, but that can’t be the only solution. Even if I were to go out and spend a little money on something, how much of it would be on American made products anyway?

I don’t know whether the ARRA will work or not, but at least it’s a step in a different direction. The ideas of the past haven’t improved much, so let’s give it a try and pray things get better. If you would like to review and comment on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, it’s posted on the White House website for all to see.

ARRA Public Review

Text of the Conference Report — Division A
Text of the Conference Report — Division B
Joint Explanatory Statement — Division A
Joint Explanatory Statement — Division B

“This historic step won’t be the end of what we do to turn our economy around, but the beginning,” he says in his weekly address. To get us there, he invokes President Kennedy, who said, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”

President Obama acknowledges that some people are skeptical about the plan given how Washington has performed in the past, which is why he’s encouraging people to check back at Recovery.gov — the site where, once the plan is in action, you’ll be able to track the funds.

“Ultimately, this is your money, and you deserve to know where it’s going and how it’s spent,” he says.

Watch the President’s address and read the full text here.