United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2007
Notch Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act with respect to the benefit computation formula for individuals affected by the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977 who became eligible (at age 62) for (early retirement) old-age insurance benefits after 1978 and before 1989 (and reached age 65 for full-retirement benefits after 1981 and before 1992). Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55% to 5% keyed to the year an individual became eligible for (early retirement) benefits between 1978 and 1989. Provides for an election to receive such payments in a lump sum.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) after more than 3,000 American casualties, over $300 billion in expenditures, and almost four years of fighting, an increase in the number of members of the U.S. Armed Forces deployed in Iraq is the wrong course of action and should not be done without an express authorization for the increase in an Act of Congress; and (2) a drastic shift in U.S. political and diplomatic strategy, as well as the mission of the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq, is needed to secure and stabilize Iraq so that a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops can begin as soon as possible.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act of 2007 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit a state from imposing additional conditions or requirements on the eligibility of an individual to cast a vote in federal elections by mail, except to the extent that it imposes a deadline for requesting the ballot and returning it to the appropriate state or local election official.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Retired Pay Restoration Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only a disability rated at 50 percent or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following ethical requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 - Provides for implementation of recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission). Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth provisions governing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants for first responders to prevent, prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, or recover from terrorist attacks. Directs the DHS Secretary to: (1) evaluate and prioritize applications based on the degree to which applicants would lessen the threat to persons and critical infrastructure; and (2) ensure that each state receives no less than .25% of grant funds available in a fiscal year (.45% for international border states). Requires the Secretary to establish the Improve Communications for Emergency Response Grant Program. Requires state, local, and tribal governments to pre-identify sites where a unified command system can be quickly established. Establishes the Checkpoint Screening Security Fund. Directs the Secretary to establish a system to inspect 100% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft. Permits containers to enter the United States only if scanned with equipment, and secured by seals, that meet prescribed standards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) take specified actions regarding human trafficking and terrorist travel; and (2) report on international collaboration and a plan to accelerate implementation of an automated biometric system. Requires the Secretary to carry out a Fusion and Law Enforcement Education and Teaming Grant Program. Establishes in DHS the Border Intelligence Fusion Center Program. Homeland Security Information Sharing Enhancement Act of 2007 - Renames the Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection as the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Directs the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to implement a Homeland Security Advisory System. Establishes, within the Office, an Internal Continuity of Operations Plan. Homeland Security Information Sharing Partnerships Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a State, Local, and Regional Fusion Center Initiative; and (2) establish a Homeland Security Information Sharing Fellows Program. Establishes, within DHS, an Office of Infrastructure Protection. Protection of Civil Liberties Act - Makes the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board an independent agency within the executive branch. Privacy Officer With Enhanced Rights Act of 2007 or the POWER Act - Sets forth provisions governing the DHS privacy officer's investigative authority. Directs the Secretary to prepare vulnerability assessments of critical infrastructure and to establish a National Asset Database, a National At-Risk Database, a National Asset Database Consortium. Requires the Secretary to establish a Strategic Transportation Security Information Sharing Plan. Directs the Secretary to implement a program to enhance private sector preparedness for acts of terrorism and other emergencies and disasters through the promotion of the use of voluntary consensus standards. Repeals or modifies limitations on assistance for preventing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should strive to expand and strengthen the Proliferation Security Initiative, including by working with the United Nations Security Council to authorize the Initiative under international law. Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and for the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration programs to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism. Establishes: (1) within the Executive Office of the President the Office of the United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism; and (2) the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. Nuclear Black Market Counter-Terrorism Act of 2007 - Directs the President to impose sanctions for transfers of nuclear technology involving foreign persons and terrorists. Requires the President to: (1) identify nuclear proliferation network countries; and (2) suspend arms sales to such countries. 9/11 Commission International Implementation Act of 2007 - Declares U.S. policy regarding increasing the availability of modern basic education in Arab countries. Authorizes: (1) the President to establish an International Arab and Muslim Youth Opportunity Fund; and (2) the Secretary of State to fund a private, nonprofit Middle East Foundation. Sets forth authority for providing a surge capacity for international broadcasting activities to support U.S. foreign policy objectives. Requires reports on: (1) expanding U.S. scholarship, exchange, and library programs in Arab and predominantly Muslim countries; and (2) progress towards implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations for developing a common coalition approach toward the detention and humane treatment of captured terrorists. Sets forth statements of U.S. policy and strategy with respect to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Applies federal minimum wage requirements to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage in the Commonwealth shall be gradually increased to equal the federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument Act of 2007 - Adjusts the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument located in Idaho to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni ("Let it not happen again") memorial that commemorates the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who were the first to be forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to internment camps during World War II. Authorizes the Secretary, for the purposes of defining the role of the National Park Service (NPS) in administering the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial owned by the City of Brainbridge Island to enter into agreements with: (1) the City of Bainbridge Island; (2) the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreational District; (3) the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community Memorial Committee; (4) the Bainbridge Island Historical Society; (5) successor entities to all such named entities; and (6) other appropriate individuals or entities. Authorizes the Secretary to operate and maintain a site in Seattle, Washington, for administrative and visitor use purposes associated with Minidoka Internment National Monument, using the facilities and other services of the Seattle unit of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Requires the Secretary to coordinate the development of interpretive and educational materials and programs for the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial and the Minidoka Internment National Monument site in Idaho with the Manzanar National Historic Site in California.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts from taxation benefits paid under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 - Supports state, city, and university efforts to divest funds from, or restrict investments in, companies that conduct business operations in Sudan. Directs: (1) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require all companies trading in registered securities that conduct business operations directly or through parent or subsidiary companies in Sudan to disclose the nature of such operations; and (2) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the existence and extent of such companies' Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board investments. Prohibits U.S. government contracts with such companies, with exceptions for companies whose activities are related to: (1) southern Sudan, southern Kordofan/Nuba Mountains State, Blue Nile State, or Abyei; (2) the implementation of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement; (3) the provision of military equipment for nongovernmental organizations in the Darfur region of Sudan, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), or the United Nations; or (4) the provision of humanitarian assistance that is of immediate and substantial benefit to the majority of people of the Darfur region of Sudan or the majority of people of eastern Sudan, including the Red Sea, Kassala, and Gedaref States. Authorizes a national security waiver of such prohibition on a case-by-case basis.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) sponsoring or exhibiting a bird in a fighting venture in a state where it would not otherwise be in violation of the law, only if the person knew that any bird in the venture was knowingly bought, sold, delivered, transported, or received in interstate or foreign commerce for such purpose; or (2) knowingly sponsoring or exhibiting in an animal fighting venture any other animal that was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits knowingly: (1) selling, buying, transporting, delivering, or receiving, for purposes of transportation in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal to participate in an animal fighting venture; (2) using interstate mail service for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the states (with an exception for bird fights in states whose laws allow them); or (3) selling, buying, transporting, or delivering in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument to be attached to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting venture. Increases the penalties to a fine and up to three years' imprisonment for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Federal Election Integrity Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official to take active part in political management or in a political campaign with respect to any election for federal office over which the official has supervisory authority.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring former Representative Shirley Chisholm; and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2006
Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Act of 2006 - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to recognition of the threat to the United States of nuclear terrorism, as well as appropriate steps to be taken to prevent such terrorism. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to establish a Senior Advisor to the President for the Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism. Requires an annual report from the President to Congress on the security of formula quantities of strategic special nuclear material. States as the policy of the United States that all possible steps be taken as rapidly as possible to ensure that all nuclear weapons and formula quantities of strategic special nuclear materials are secure and accounted for. Directs the President to seek an international agreement on a global standard that implements such policy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2006
Free File Reform Act of 2006 - Requires the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to ensure that: (1) all services presented through the Free File program (free electronic filing of tax returns) are made available to all eligible taxpayers, particularly low-income, disadvantaged, and underserved taxpayers; and (2) companies participating in the Free File program protect taxpayer privacy rights and provide free tax return preparation services to state Free File programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2006
Designates Room H-139 of the Capitol as the "Henry J. Hyde Room." Makes this resolution effective on the day after Henry J. Hyde is no longer serving as a Member of the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2006
Expresses condolences to the families of women and girls murdered in Guatemala. Condemns the ongoing abductions and murders of women and girls in Guatemala. Urges the government of Guatemala to recognize domestic violence and sexual harassment as criminal acts and encourages the government of Guatemala to investigate the killings of women, prosecute those responsible, and eliminate the tolerance of violence against women. Supports efforts to identify perpetrators and unknown victims through forensic analysis, including DNA testing. Encourages the Secretary of State to urge the government of Guatemala to: (1) honor the victims of the brutal murders and to continue to include in the Department of State's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices all instances of improper investigatory methods, threats against human rights activists, and the use of torture with respect to cases involving the murder and abduction of women and girls in Guatemala; (2) hold accountable those law enforcement and judicial officials who fail to investigate and prosecute the murders adequately; and (3) take measures to ensure that the special Guatemalan police and prosecutorial units are adequately staffed and have sufficient resources. Recommends that the Secretary develop a comprehensive plan to combat the growing problem of violence against women in Latin America.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2006
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to extend through December 31, 2008, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits for water projects.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2006
Provides that, for purposes of carrying out the duties of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Inspector General), any funds appropriated or otherwise made available for FY2007 for the Iraq Security Forces Fund shall be treated as amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund. Amends the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, 2004 to terminate the Office of the Inspector General ten months after the date on which 80 percent of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to both the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund and the Iraq Security Forces Fund have been expended.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Recognizes the Reverend Waitstill Sharp and Martha Sharp as genuine American heroes, and pays tribute to them as their names are added to the Wall of Rescuers in the permanent exhibition of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on September 14, 2006. Commends the organization founded to support the Sharps' work, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, for its efforts to rescue Jews and opponents of the Nazi regime in Europe and for carrying on the Sharps' legacy by working to save the lives of the people of Darfur, Sudan, and to protect human rights worldwide.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Authorizes appropriations for FY2007 to carry out title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act (popularly known as the Ryan White Care Act). Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in determining the amounts of formula grants for FY2007, from using a methodology for counting the number of AIDS or HIV cases that is different than the methodology used by the Secretary for FY2006.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Older Kids Act of 2006 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions allowing a tax credit for adoption expenses to increase: (1) the dollar limitation on the amount of adoption expenses eligible for the credit for children with special needs or children age nine or older; and (2) the adjusted gross income limitation applicable to such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2006
Puget Sound Regional Shellfish Settlement Act of 2006 - Approves, ratifies, and confirms the Settlement Agreement entered into by and between specified Indian tribes in the region of Puget Sound, Washington, commercial shellfish growers, the state of Washington, and the United States to resolve certain disputes regarding implementation of tribal treaty rights to take shellfish from certain covered tidelands owned, leased or otherwise subject to harvest by the growers. Establishes in the Treasury the Puget Sound Regional Shellfish Settlement Trust Fund and the Puget Sound Regional Shellfish Settlement Special Holding Account. Declares that the Secretary of the Interior shall not be accountable for nor incur any liability for the collection, deposit, management, or nonpayment of a specified state of Washington payment to the tribes pursuant to the Settlement Agreement. Declares that all right of any other tribe, within 20 years after the deposit of funds in the Special Holding Account, to bring an action to enforce or exercise its treaty rights to take shellfish from public and private tidelands in Washington, including from some lands owned, leased, or otherwise subject to harvest by any and all commercial growers, shall be determined in accordance with the decisions of federal courts in United States v. Washington . Provides that if any payment by the United States is not paid in the amount or manner specified by this Act, or is not paid within six months after the date specified by the Settlement Agreement, such failure shall give rise to a cause of action by the tribes against the United States. Authorizes the tribes to bring such an action in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2006
Expresses support for the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to provide a special opportunity to offer education on the importance of monthly breast self-examinations and annual mammograms. Recognizes breast cancer survivors, the efforts of victims, volunteers, and professionals who combat breast cancer, and the work of national and community organizations in promoting breast cancer awareness, providing information, and offering treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2006
Healthy Farms, Foods, and Fuels Act of 2006 - Extends: (1) the conservation reserve program; (2) the wetlands reserve program; (3) the conservation security program; (4) the grassland reserve program; (5) the environmental quality incentives program; (6) the wildlife habitat incentive program; (7) the agricultural management assistance program; and (8) the organic agriculture research and extension initiative. Establishes: (1) the cooperative conservation partnership initiative; (2) the suburban and community forestry and open space program; (3) an integrated pest management initiative; and (4) a conservation initiative for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Revises: (1) the farmland protection program; (2) funding for the healthy forests reserve program; and (3) the national organic certification and transition cost share program. Makes permanent funding available for: (1) the education grant program for Hispanic-serving institutions; and (2) the fresh fruit and vegetable program. Revises and extends the biorefinery development program. Extends: (1) the energy audit and renewable energy development program; (2) the renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements program; (3) the Department of Agriculture bioenergy program; (4) biomass research and development; and (5) carbon cycle research. Extends: (1) the community food project grant program; (2) the farm-to-cafeteria program; (3) WIC farmers' market nutrition program; (4) the senior farmers' market nutrition program; and (5) farmers' market promotion program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2006
Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order to consider any bill or joint resolution containing an earmark unless: (1) a written request for the earmark's inclusion is sent to the chairman and ranking member of the committee of primary jurisdiction (and, in the case of the Committee on Appropriations, also to the chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee of jurisdiction) at least seven days before such earmark, or bill including it, is scheduled to be voted on by the committee or by the House; (2) such request includes the name of the Member of the House sponsoring the earmark, the name and address of its intended recipient, the earmark's purpose, and a statement of whether the Member sponsoring the earmark has a financial interest in it or in its intended recipient; and (3) the applicable committee makes available on its Internet website such information sent to it when the legislation is ordered reported. Prohibits a rule or order reported by the Committee on Rules that waives this Act or all or unspecified points of order from being considered over the objection of any Member, except when so determined by a vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the House. Amends Rule XXII (House and Senate Relations) to prohibit consideration of a conference report on such measure unless the joint explanatory statement accompanying it lists the earmarks in it (together with the names of requesting Members and all other required information) that were not committed to the conference committee by either chamber. Makes it out of order to consider: (1) a rule or order that waives such requirement; or (2) a conference report until 48 hours after such information is made available on its Internet website by the committee with primary subject matter jurisdiction over the report. Amends Rule II (Other Officers and Officials) to require the Clerk of the House to maintain, and make available to the public over the Internet free of charge, an electronic database that would link to all committee Internet websites to provide access to earmark information.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2006
Commends the efforts of U.S. officials who have helped secure the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Darfur Peace Agreement. Supports the appointment of an adequately staffed Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan to develop and coordinate U.S. policy toward Sudan. Urges the Envoy's mandate to include: (1) deterring further escalation of violence and humanitarian disaster in the Darfur region of Sudan while ensuring civilian protection and implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement; (2) facilitating the development of an international peacekeeping mission to Darfur; (3) coordinating reconstruction in Southern Sudan and other marginalized areas; (4) coordinating the return of refugees and displaced people in Darfur and southern Sudan; (5) consolidating peace in Northern Uganda; (6) coordinating efforts to ensure transformation of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) into a professional armed force; (7) working toward achieving a peaceful and democratic Sudan by ensuring that free and fair elections are held; and (8) coordinating efforts toward achieving accountability for the crimes committed in Darfur.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2006
Program for Real Energy Security Act or the PROGRESS Act - Establishes the National Commission on Energy Security and Transition to New Fuels. Sets forth the duties of the Commission, including to make recommendations to Congress and the President for: (1) preserving the national energy security in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster; and (2) reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil over a specified period. Establishes: (1) the New Manhattan Center for High Efficiency Vehicles; and (2) the Advisory Council on Federal Participation. Requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program of grants to federal and private sector researchers (including the Center) to research and develop alternative fuels and technologies to improve the productivity of U.S. automotive firms in the manufacture of high efficiency vehicles. Establishes a grant program to provide assistance to retail and wholesale motor fuel dealers or other entities to install, replace, or convert motor fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure for use in the storage and dispensing of biobased fuels. Sets forth requirements calling for: (1) the production and distribution of biobased fuels (ethanol) and deployment of new engine technologies for fuel-flexible, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and biodiesel vehicles; (2) greater use of alternative fuels in dual fueled vehicles operating in the federal fleet; and (3) the increase and expansion of employer-provided mass transit fringe benefits. Transit Rail Accommodation Improvement and Needs Act - Allows for the shared use of rail carrier trackage and rail rights-of-way by mass transportation authorities. Authorizes capital investment grants to improve intercity passenger rail service. Allows a tax credit to holders of qualified high-speed rail infrastructure bonds. Railroad Track Modernization Act of 2006 - Establishes a capital grant program for the rehabilitation, preservation, or improvement of railroad track of class II and class III railroads. Requires the issuance of regulations implementing reliability standards for the safe transportation of energy supplies by rail.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2006
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a major medical facility project for seismic correction, including replacement of the nursing home care unit and dietetics facilities, of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, American Lake, Washington.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2006
Supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2006
Recognizes the 185th anniversary of Peru's independence. Extends congratulations and best wishes to Peru, Peruvians, and Peruvian-Americans as they celebrate the 185th anniversary of Peru's independence.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act of 2006 or the GROWTH Act of 2006 - Targets assistance for women in developing countries with respect to: (1) microenterprises; (2) small and medium enterprises; (3) private property rights and land tenure security; (4) employment access; (5) trade benefits; (6) exchanges with U.S. entrepreneurs; (7) Millennium Challenge Account assistance; and (8) indigenous women's organizations. Directs the Secretary of State to establish the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) Fund to enhance economic opportunities for very poor, poor, and low-income women in developing countries with a focus on: (1) increasing women-owned enterprise development; (2) increasing property rights for women; (3) increasing women's access to financial services; (4) increasing women in leadership in implementing organizations, such as indigenous nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and regulated financial intermediaries; (5) improving women's employment benefits and conditions; and (6) increasing women's ability to benefit from global trade.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2006
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Night Out. Requests that the President: (1) focus appropriate attention on neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, and reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, convening meetings, and directing the Administration to make crime reduction an important priority; and (2) coordinate the efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the USA Freedom Corps, the Citizen Corps, the National Senior Service Corps, and AmeriCorps to participate by supporting local efforts, neighborhood watches, and local officials, including law enforcement personnel, to provide homeland security and combat terrorism in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act of 2006 - Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish policies and standards for federal agencies to follow in the event of a breach of data security involving the disclosure of sensitive personal information; and (2) each federal agency to establish procedures for notifying individuals whose sensitive personal information is compromised. Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) an Under Secretary for Information Services. Outlines responsibilities of the VA's Chief Information Officer with respect to personal information security management. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report quarterly to the congressional veterans' committees on any data breach with respect to sensitive personal information possessed or maintained by the VA. Requires within the VA, with respect to each data breach, an independent risk analysis to determine the level of risk for the potential misuse of such information. Provides for, after a data breach: (1) fraud alerts; (2) credit security freezes; and (3) credit protection services. Outlines requirements for contractors who contract to perform any VA function that requires access to sensitive personal information. Directs the Secretary, in order to ensure appropriate information security skills for VA employees, to carry out programs to provide financial support for the education of such personnel in information security at institutions of higher education. Authorizes: (1) a scholarship program under which the Secretary may provide financial assistance to an individual for up to five years with a limit of $50,000 per year; and (2) a debt reduction program under which the Secretary makes payments on loans taken by VA employees to obtain appropriate information security education, with a payment limit of $82,500 over a five-year period. Provides a first and second priority, in the provision of assistance under this section, to: (1) veterans with service-connected disabilities; and (2) other veterans. Requires any veteran receiving assistance to have been discharged from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2006
Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) establish a national program for the elimination of tuberculosis and expand tuberculosis research and development activities and demonstration projects; (2) expand the duties and membership of the Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and require the Council to develop and implement a national plan to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States; (3) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Federal Tuberculosis Task Force to develop new tools for the elimination of tuberculosis, including drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines; (4) require the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH tuberculosis research, to make awards to faculties of medical and osteopathic schools to develop curricula for tuberculosis prevention, management, and control, and to make awards to support career development of clinically trained professionals committed to pulmonary infection research; (5) require the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH to work to develop a tuberculosis vaccine; (6) require the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences to carry out an international training program regarding tuberculosis; and (7) require the Secretary to ensure that a portion of funds appropriated to repay education loans of qualified health professionals, researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds, and clinical researchers is reserved for contracts with individuals who research tuberculosis.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2006
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument Act of 2006 - Adjusts the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument located in Idaho to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni ("Let it not happen again") memorial that commemorates the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who were the first to be forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to internment camps during World War II . Authorizes the Secretary, for the purposes of developing, interpreting, operating, and maintaining the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial, in partnership with other public and private entities, to enter into agreements with: (1) the City of Bainbridge Island; (2) the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park Camp Recreational District; (3) the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community Memorial Committee; (4) the Bainbridge Island Historical Society; (5) successor entities to all such named entities; and (6) other appropriate individuals or entities. Requires the Secretary to coordinate the development of interpretive and educational materials and programs for the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial and the Minidoka Internment National Monument with the Manzanar National Historic Site in California.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2006
Expresses: (1) condolences to the families and friends of the individuals killed in the July 2006 terrorist bombing attacks in Mumbai, India; and (2) deepest sympathy to the individuals injured in such attacks and to the people of the Republic of India. Condemns the cowardly and unjustified attacks on innocent civilians. Commends the authorities and people of Mumbai for their prompt and effective response to this atrocity. Expresses: (1) solidarity with the government and people of India as that nation continues combating terrorism; and (2) readiness to assist the Indian authorities in their efforts to bring to justice those individuals responsible for the recent attacks in India and to pursue and dismantle the networks that plan and carry out such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program for reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans. Requires the program to include: (1) mandatory training for appropriate staff and contractors of the Department of Veterans Affairs who interact with veterans; (2) screening of veterans who receive medical care at a Department facility for suicide risk factors; (3) referral of at-risk veterans for counseling and treatment; (4) a suicide prevention counselor at each Department medical facility; (5) research for suicide prevention and for mental health care for veterans who have experienced sexual trauma while in military service; (6) 24-hour veterans' mental health care availability; and (7) a toll-free hotline. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) suicide among veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem; and (2) the Secretary should take in the special needs of PTSD-afflicted veterans in developing and implementing the program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2006
Expresses condolences to the people of India and the victims and their families for the July 11, 2006, terrorist attacks that occurred in Mumbai, and condemns these heinous attacks on the people of Mumbai. Expresses U.S. resolve to strengthen the newly-expanded relationship with India, a friend and democratic ally of the United States. Calls upon the international community to strengthen efforts to: (1) combat the social injustice, oppression, poverty, and extremism that breeds terrorism; (2) defeat terrorists in all countries by defeating the ideology and the terrorist networks that train and carry out attacks; and (3) increase international cooperation to advance human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2006
Soldiers Targeted by Offensive Profiteering Act of 2006 (STOP Act) - Prohibits any person, except with permission, from using the name or image of a protected individual in connection with any merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner calculated to: (1) connect the protected individual with that individual's service in the Armed Forces; and (2) convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the protected individual. Defines as a "protected individual" any person who: (1) is a member of the Armed Forces; or (2) was a member at any time after April 5, 1917, and, if not living, has a surviving spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring actions to enjoin violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2006
Congratulates Avery Johnson for being named the 2006 National Basketball Association (NBA) Coach of the Year and for leading the Dallas Mavericks to their first Western Conference Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2006
Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006 - States that is U.S. policy to: (1) support human rights, democracy, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press, peacekeeping capacity building, and economic development in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; (2) collaborate with Ethiopia in the Global War on Terror; (3) seek the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia; (4) foster stability, democracy, and economic development in the region; and (5) strengthen U.S.-Ethiopian relations. Directs the Secretary of State to take specified actions to support human rights and democratization in Ethiopia. Prohibits until the President makes specified congressional certifications: (1) security assistance to Ethiopia, with exceptions for peacekeeping or counter-terrorism assistance; and (2) U.S. entry of any Ethiopian official involved in giving orders to use lethal force against peaceful demonstrators or accused of gross human rights violations, government security personnel involved in shootings of demonstrators, and Ethiopian civilians involved in killings of Ethiopian policemen. Directs the President to provide assistance for the rehabilitation of Ethiopian torture victims. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. government should: (1) encourage the government of Ethiopia to enter into discussions with the Oromo Liberation Front to bring them into full participation in Ethiopia's political and economic affairs; and (2) provide necessary assistance to help achieve such goal. Directs the President to provide Ethiopia with: (1) economic policy assistance; (2) financing for U.S.-Ethiopian commercial ventures; and (3) resource policy assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2006
Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) pursue a global HIV prevention strategy that emphasizes the needs of married and unmarried women and girls and addresses the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; and (2) balance funding for HIV prevention methods. Directs the President to: (1) formulate and submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and make available to the public, a comprehensive and culturally appropriate global HIV prevention strategy that addresses the HIV vulnerability of married and unmarried women and girls and seeks to reduce the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; (2) ensure that the United States coordinates its overall HIV/AIDS policy and programs with foreign governments, international organizations, other donor countries, and indigenous organizations; (3) provide clear guidance to U.S. field missions; and (4) implement a monitoring and evaluation system.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2006
Safe Climate Act of 2006 - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate: (1) targets for a 2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year from 2010-2050 ; and (2) regulations requiring reductions to meet such targets, including by setting caps on emissions of sources and sectors with the largest emissions or the best opportunities to reduce them, by issuing and authorizing trading of emission allowances, and by imposing penalties for excess emissions. Requires relevant federal agencies to finalize a rule to carry out the National Academies' recommendations for regulatory action needed to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations or explain their reasons for declining to act. Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan for the distribution of emission allowances (including through auctions) and the use of proceeds (to be deposited in a Climate Reinvestment Fund) for specified goals, including mitigating the effects of energy cost increases and climate change. Requires the EPA to ensure that emissions and allowances are accurately tracked, reported, and verified. Authorizes the emission reduction regulations to include: (1) additional requirements for any source or sector; and (2) performance standards, best management practices, and technology-based requirements. Requires such regulations to set standards for the reduction of greenhouse emissions from motor vehicles at least as quickly as the standards adopted by the California Air Resources Board at its September 2004 hearing. Requires the EPA to revise such standards in 2014 and every five years thereafter to further reduce emissions. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) require, beginning in 2009, an annual increase in the percentage of electric energy generated from renewable sources that is sold at the retail level in the United States and to require such percentage to be at least 20% of the total electricity sold by 2020; and (2) set end-user savings targets for retail electric-energy and natural gas suppliers. Authorizes DOE to: (1) increase the required percentage of end-user savings for years after 2020; and (2) allow suppliers to achieve the targets through a market-based trading system.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_wa_9_smith_adam_200.jpg)