Statement by the Press Secretary on Bills Signed by the President

On Tuesday, October 05, 2010, the President signed into law:

H.R. 1517, which authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to convert certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who serve under an overseas limited appointment for at least 2 years to a permanent appointment in the competitive service;

S. 846, which provides for the award of a congressional gold medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his contributions to the fight against global poverty;

S. 1055, which provides for the award of a single congressional gold medal in honor of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service, United States Army.

S. 1674, the “Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act of 2009,” for purposes of determining an individual’s eligibility for Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid, provides an exclusion from income of the first $2,000 received for participating in certain Federally-supported clinical trials;

S. 2781, the “Rosa’s Law,” which changes references in many Federal statutes that currently refer to “mental retardation” to refer, instead, to “intellectual disability”; and

S. 3717, which repeals certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that give the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) protection from compelled disclosure of certain information related to surveillance, risk assessments, or other regulatory and oversight activities; and specifies that any entity regulated by the SEC is a “financial institution” for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act exemption for information relating to the regulation or supervision of financial institutions.