United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Housing Assistance Council Authorization Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide financial assistance to the Housing Assistance Council to develop the capacity of community-based housing development organizations to undertake community development and affordable housing projects and programs in rural areas. Authorizes the Council to use such assistance for rural community-based housing development organizations to acquire: (1) technical assistance, training, support, and advice to develop business and administrative capabilities; and (2) loans, grants, or other financial assistance to carry out community development and affordable housing activities for low- and moderate-income families.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Requires the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Safety Administration) to issue regulations ensuring that federal aircraft security standards apply to all foreign aircraft maintenance employees (including requiring a criminal history record check and a review of law enforcement databases), as well as all foreign aircraft repair stations. Requires the Assistant Secretary, if the regulations are not issued by 60 days after enactment of this Act, to prohibit the use of foreign repair stations, except in an emergency. Reduces from 18 months to 9 months after enactment of this Act the deadline for a security review and audit of foreign repair stations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Community Health Workers Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to promote positive health behaviors for women and children in target populations, especially racial and ethnic minority women and children in medically underserved communities. Permits such funds to be used to support community health workers to: (1) educate and provide outreach regarding enrollment in health insurance; (2) educate, guide, and provide outreach regarding health problems among women and children, especially among racial and ethnic minority women and children; (3) educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities that target behavioral risk factors, including poor nutrition and tobacco use; (4) educate and guide regarding effective strategies to promote positive health behaviors within the family; (5) promote community wellness and awareness; and (6) educate and refer target populations to appropriate health care agencies and community based programs and organizations. Requires the Secretary to give priority to experienced applicants who propose to target geographic areas: (1) with a high percentage of uninsured or underinsured residents who are eligible for health insurance; and (2) with a high percentage of families for whom English is not their primary language. Requires the Secretary to: (1) encourage community health worker programs to collaborate with academic institutions; and (2) establish guidelines for assuring the quality of the training and supervision of community health workers under programs funded under this Act and for assuring the cost-effectiveness of such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2007 - Directs the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates in federal prisons and upon reentry into the community. Requires such policy to include provisions for: (1) testing of inmates upon intake and counseling; (2) HIV/AIDS prevention education; (3) HIV testing of prisoners annually or upon exposure to HIV; (4) HIV testing of pregnant inmates; (5) comprehensive medical treatment of inmates who test positive for HIV and confidential counseling on managing their medical condition and preventing its transmission to other persons; (6) protection of confidentiality; (7) testing, counseling, and referral prior to reentry into the community; (8) allowing inmates the right to refuse routine HIV testing; (9) mandatory testing after a documented exposure to HIV; and (10) timely notification of test results. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) require HIV testing for all federal prison inmates upon intake regardless of length of sentence or risk factors; (2) allow inmates to decline testing prior to release from incarceration; and (3) make HIV testing part of the routine health screening conducted at intake.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add provisions concerning the prevention of homegrown terrorism (terrorism by individuals born, raised, or based and operating primarily in the United States). Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a grant program to prevent radicalization (use of an extremist belief system for facilitating ideologically-based violence) and homegrown terrorism in the United States; (2) establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States; and (3) conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to prevent ideologically-based violence and homegrown terrorism from violating the constitutional and civil rights, and civil liberties, of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers. Requires that grant funds be used to provide teachers to local educational agencies that serve a substantial percentage of students eligible for free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide for a study, at least once every three years, comparing the academic achievement of students taught by teachers assisted by this Act with the academic achievement of students taught by other teachers in the same schools and positions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement (TREE) Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a tax deduction for 60% of qualified timber gains; (2) exempt deductible timber gains from the excise tax on the undistributed income of real estate investment trusts (REITs); (3) provide for the treatment of timber gains as qualifying REIT income and for mineral royalty income as qualifying income for timber REITs; and (4) provide special rules relating to income limitations and prohibited transactions for timber REITs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Medicare Academic Anesthesiology and CRNA Payment Improvement Act of 2007- Amends title XVIII (Medicare) part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of the Social Security Act to set forth a special payment rule for teaching anesthesiologists (TAs) and teaching certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). Requires payment of 100% of the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable for anesthesia services personally performed by the TA alone when the TA is training physician residents or student nurse anesthetists in a single anesthesia case or two concurrent anesthesia cases, if: (1) the TA is present during all critical or key portions of the anesthesia service or case involved; and (2) either the TA or an anesthesiologist or a CRNA with whom the TA has made special arrangements is immediately available to furnish anesthesia services during the entire case. States that this special payment rule shall not apply in the case of physician services furnished by an anesthesiologist who medically directs a CRNA involved in the training of student nurse anesthetists in a single anesthesia case or two concurrent anesthesia cases. Applies to a CRNA medically directed or medically supervised by a physician in the performance of anesthesia services the current fee schedule amount of one-half of the amount for a physician's medical direction of the performance of such services, regardless of whether or not the CRNA is involved in the training of student nurse anesthetists in a single case or two concurrent cases. Requires payment, however, of 100% of the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable for anesthesia services personally performed by a teaching CRNA alone when the teaching CRNA is not medically directed but is involved in the training of student nurse anesthetists in a single anesthesia case or two concurrent anesthesia cases, if: (1) the teaching CRNA is present during all critical or key portions of the anesthesia service or case involved; and (2) the teaching CRNA (or other CRNA or anesthesiologist with whom the CRNA has made special arrangements) is immediately available to furnish anesthesia services during the entire case.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide payment under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) on a reasonable cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by a physician who is an anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to permit states, at their option, to require certain individuals to present satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality for Medicaid eligibility. Revises the rules for children born in the United States to mothers eligible for Medicaid. Declares that a Medicaid-eligible individual shall be deemed to have provided satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality, and shall not be required to provide further evidence, on any date during or after the period in which the individual is eligible for Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts attributable to the discharge of certain residential mortgage obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Ready, Willing, and Able Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting jointly, to establish a working group to assist their respective departments to: (1) promote the development of disaster plans that will protect the maximum number of citizens; (2) help state and local officials provide the necessary means and infrastructure for the American public to volunteer to assume a direct and influential role in community-based disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation planning efforts; and (3) develop standards to measure the success of a community's level of direct, participatory disaster planning efforts. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the requirements for a state application for a grant to improve state, local, and hospital preparedness for and response to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Requires the application to include an assurance that the state will take specific steps to comply with any recommendations of the working group.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas; (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Commends public servants for their outstanding contributions to the nation during Public Service Recognition Week and throughout the year. Honors government employees who have given their lives in service to their country. Encourages efforts to promote public service careers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Condemns the horrific terrorist attacks that occurred in Casablanca, Morocco, on April 10 and 14, 2007, and in Algiers, Algeria, on April 11, 2007. Expresses condolences to the families and friends of those individuals who were killed in the attacks and expresses sympathies to those individuals who have been injured. Expresses: (1) the solidarity of the people and government of the United States with the people and governments of Morocco and Algeria; and (2) readiness to support the Moroccan and Algerian authorities' efforts to bring to justice the responsible individuals and to dismantle the networks that plan and carry out such attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Encourages all Americans to observe Negro Leaguers Recognition Day each year. Recognizes the teams and players of the Negro Baseball Leagues for their achievements, dedication, sacrifices, and contributions to both baseball and our nation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Medicare Access to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) access to outpatient occupational and physical therapy services provided incident to a physician's professional services if furnished by an educated or credentialed therapist who does not have a license; and (2) coverage of certified athletic trainer services and lymphedema therapist services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare, including those provided in rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), or the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), and acting through existing programs at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to establish a grant program for joint ventures, comprised of both Israeli and U.S. private business entities or of U.S. and Israeli academic persons, to implement projects to encourage cooperation between the United States and Israel on research, development, or commercialization of alternative energy, improved energy efficiency, or renewable energy sources. Establishes in the Department of Energy an International Energy Advisory Board to advise the Secretary on the grant program and grant recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
AmeriCare Health Care Act of 2007 - Adds a new title XXII to the Social Security Act (SSA) entitled "AmeriCare Health Benefits." Makes all U.S. residents eligible for AmeriCare benefits, including prescription drugs and biologicals. Requires the development of an AmeriCare enrollment mechanism that includes automatic enrollment at birth and the issuance of AmeriCare cards for identification and claims processing purposes. Provides that an individual may elect not to be enrolled for benefits under AmeriCare if the individual has health benefits coverage under a group health plan at least equivalent to AmeriCare coverage. Provides the same benefits under AmeriCare as are provided under parts A (Hospital Insurance) and B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of SSA title XVIII (Medicare). Provides additional AmeriCare coverage to children under age 24, pregnant women, and low-income individuals. Establishes the AmeriCare Trust Fund. Requires the modification of Medicaid (SSA title XIX), SCHIP (SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program), and other federal health programs to avoid their duplication of AmeriCare coverage. Provides for the regulation of AmeriCare supplemental policies. Establishes the general obligations for individuals and employers for the cost of health insurance coverage provided under this Act. Provides for additional premium subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from awarding any contracts under the competitive durable medical equipment items and services acquisition program unless: (1) the quality standards have been implemented; and (2) the Secretary has received advice from the program oversight committee. Requires the Secretary (who currently is authorized), in carrying out competitive acquisition programs, to exempt: (1) rural areas and areas with low population density within urban areas that are not competitive, unless there is a significant national market through mail order for a particular item or service; and (2) items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings. Exempts smaller metropolitan statistical areas as well. Modifies requirements for the protection of small suppliers in bidding and contracting. Requires the Secretary to permit all suppliers to continue to participate as suppliers at the selected award price so long as they submit bids at less than the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable and otherwise comply with program requirements. Provides for appeal rights (currently denied). Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings of at least 10%. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a program with respect to an item or service unless inclusion of the item or service will make significant savings of at least 10% probable, compared to the fee schedule in effect on January 1, 2007. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing certain payment rate basis requirements for covered items furnished after January 1, 2009, with respect to an area that is not a competitive acquisition area, unless a comparability analysis has been completed and published. Directs the Secretary, after fully implementing the initial 10 competitive acquisition areas, to analyze and report to Congress on the impact of competitive bidding in those areas. Prohibits expanding the coverage of competitive acquisition programs, or applying bid rates to non-bid areas, beyond the 10 competitive acquisition areas, unless specifically authorized by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to improve dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); (2) include dental services as a basic service under SCHIP; and (3) allow states to provide wrap-around coverage under SCHIP for dental services to privately-insured children. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Graduate Medical Education (GME) payments for dental residency programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a grant program to expand the availability of primary dental care services in dental health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas. Authorizes retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of HRSA and the Director of the Indian Health Service, to establish demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health; and (2) Chief Dental Officers for Medicaid and SCHIP, HRSA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Requires the Director of the CDC to collect data on dental, craniofacial, and oral health. Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries (tooth decay) and to develop prevention programs. Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to states and Indian tribes to improve their basic capacity to improve the oral health of children and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Recognizes that prostate cancer has created a health crisis for African American men. Urges federal agencies to designate additional funds for research and education, awareness, and early detection efforts at the grassroots levels to end such crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Acknowledges the observance of March 8, 2007, as International Women's Day. Applauds the enactment of the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act by the Kingdom of Lesotho. Lauds the Kingdom of Lesotho for demonstrating its commitment to improve gender equity. Commends the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for developing and implementing policies to advance gender equity in the Kingdom of Lesotho and other countries eligible for MCC financial assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify automatic fire sprinkler systems as five-year depreciable property. Makes this Act applicable to property placed in service after April 11, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a National Bio and Agro-defense Facility, which shall: (1) be an integrated human, foreign-animal, and zoonotic disease research, development, testing, and evaluation facility supporting the defense against the threat of agroterrorism and certain naturally-occurring incidents related to agriculture; and (2) produce and share knowledge and technology for the purpose of reducing economic losses caused by diseases of livestock and poultry and preventing human suffering and death caused by diseases in the agricultural sector. Includes among the Facility Director's responsibilities: (1) directing research, development, testing, and evaluation relating to such diseases; (2) developing an emergency response plan; (3) providing training in biological and agricultural research facility operations; and (4) forming cooperative relationships with the National Animal Health Laboratory Network and American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians to connect with the network of federal and state resources to enable an integrated, rapid, and sufficient response to animal health emergencies. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the Facility consists of state-of-the-art biocontainment laboratories capable of performing research and activities at Biosafety Levels 3 and 4; (2) enable the study of live virus of foot and mouth disease at the Facility; and (3) enter into agreements with the heads of appropriate federal departments to define their roles and responsibilities in carrying out animal disease research and development at the Facility to protect public health and animal health.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Pollinator Protection Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Agricultural Research Service, for: (1) personnel, facilities improvement, and additional research at Department of Agriculture Apicultural Research Laboratories; (2) research on honey bee physiology, insect pathology, insect chemical ecology, and honey bee toxicology at other Department facilities in New York, Florida, California, and Texas; and (3) research to identify causes and solutions for Colony Collapse Disorder. Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary, through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, for research grants to investigate: (1) honey bee immunology, genomics, biology, ecology, and bioinformatics; (2) pollination biology; and (3) the effects of genetically modified crops, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides on honey bees and other beneficial insects and pollinators.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
All Healthy Children Act of 2007 - Amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish under a new title XXII (All Healthy Children Program) a state-operated program receiving federal financial assistance to provide comprehensive health coverage for children and pregnant and postpartum women in place of benefits previously provided for them under SSA titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP). Establishes a Commission on Children's Health Coverage to: (1) evaluate annually for Congress the status of children's health coverage in the United States; and (2) report to Congress a legislative proposal that would assure health benefits coverage for all U.S. children. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of such proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
National Liberty Memorial Act - Authorizes the National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. (previously, the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation) to establish a memorial on specified federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the slaves and free persons who served as soldiers and sailors or provided civilian assistance during the American Revolution and to honor the men, women, and children who ran away from slavery or filed petitions with courts and legislatures seeking their freedom. Requires the National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. to establish the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2008. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) to replace the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security with a Directorate for Policy. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a Comprehensive Homeland Security Review. Requires the Inspector General of DHS to review Secure Border Initiative-related contracts having a value exceeding $20 million. Directs the Chief Financial Officer to establish the position of Authorization Liaison Officer to provide timely financial information to the homeland security committees. Directs: (1) the Chief Procurement Officer to provide homeland security procurement training to acquisition employees; and (2) the Secretary to establish a Council on Procurement Training. Requires Customs and Border Protection (CBP) positions to be treated the same as law enforcement officer positions for retirement purposes. Directs: (1) the Chief Human Capital Officer to transmit to the homeland security committees and the Comptroller General a plan addressing under-representation of minorities in DHS; and (2) the Secretary to conduct a DHS-wide review of security clearance and suitability review procedures. Establishes a Chief Security Officer within DHS. Designates DHS's Chief Medical Officer as Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer and expands such Officer's responsibilities. Establishes an Office of Health Affairs. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Biosurveillance Integration Center. Establishes within DHS an Office of Cybersecurity and Telecommunications. Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology to: (1) support research, development, testing, evaluation, and transition of cybersecurity technology; (2) transmit to Congress a strategic plan which includes a strategy to enhance the Directorate for Science and Technology workforce; (3) contract with the National Research Council to assess DHS's university programs; and (4) establish the Science and Technology Homeland Security International Cooperative Programs Office. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit a comprehensive strategy for the biometric entry and exit data system (US-VISIT) and complete the exit portion for airports or seaports by December 31, 2008; (2) take steps to control costs of hiring, training, and deploying new Border Patrol agents; and (3) assess the personnel, infrastructure, and technology required to reduce border crossing wait times to times comparable to prior to September 11, 2001. Modifies HSA information sharing provisions to require the Secretary to establish within DHS a State and Local Fusion Center Program to facilitate information sharing between DHS and local law enforcement. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a program of privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights protection training for fusion center employees participating in the Program; and (2) a program to expand homeland security training to local and tribal governments located in rural areas Establishes a Metropolitan Medical Response System Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Department of Homeland Security Secure American Federal Equipment Procurement Act or the DHS SAFE Procurement Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to prohibit the use of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds for the procurement of any of the following items that are not manufactured in the United States: (1) uniforms; (2) protective gear; (3) badges or other insignia indicating rank, office, or position; and (4) identification cards. Makes exceptions: (1) where the Secretary determines that satisfactory quality and sufficient quantity of the article cannot be procured as and when needed at U.S. market prices (in which case the Secretary shall notify the House and Senate homeland security committees and include a certification that manufacturing the article outside the United States does not pose a risk to national security and an explanation of steps required by the manufacturer to ensure that any elements used for the article are not misappropriated); (2) for acquisitions at or below the micro-purchase threshold; and (3) for acquisitions outside the United States for use outside the United States. Makes this Act applicable notwithstanding any presidential waiver of discriminatory purchasing requirements under the Trade Agreements Act of 1979.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to regulate the purchase and sale of ammonium nitrate to prevent its misappropriation or use in a terrorist act. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a threshold percentage for ammonium nitrate for a substance to be treated as ammonium nitrate under this Act; and (2) a process by which each applicant for registration as the owner of an ammonium nitrate facility and any person who seeks to be an ammonium nitrate purchaser are required to register with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and are issued a registration number. Directs the Secretary to require the owner of a facility engaged in selling or transferring ammonium nitrate to maintain a record of each sale or transfer of ownership of ammonium nitrate for three years after such sale. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) exempting persons producing, selling, or purchasing ammonium nitrate exclusively for use as an explosive material under a federal explosives license; (2) ensuring that access of agricultural producers to ammonium nitrate is not unduly burdened; (3) restricting the disclosure of information obtained under this Act; (4) inspecting and auditing facility owner records to prevent the misappropriation of ammonium nitrate; and (5) timely reporting of the theft or unexplained loss of ammonium nitrate. Prohibits: (1) buying and taking possession of ammonium nitrate, or owning or operating an ammonium nitrate facility, without a registration number; or (2) failing to comply with any requirement of this Act. Prescribes a civil penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
COPS Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the authority of the Attorney General to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program). Authorizes grants to: (1) hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools; (2) pay for officers hired to perform intelligence, anti-terror, or homeland security duties; (3) establish and implement programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug activities, including the manufacturing, distribution, and use of methamphetamine; and (4) meet emerging law enforcement needs, as warranted. Authorizes the use of COPS ON THE BEAT grants to hire former members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) assigning prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and to address counter-terrorism problems and violent crime in local communities; and (2) developing new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training. Grants the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services exclusive authority to perform functions and activities under COPS ON THE BEAT grant program. Authorizes the Attorney General to extend grant periods and to renew grants if the grant recipient can demonstrate significant progress in achieving the objectives of the initial grant application.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Common Sense Budget Act of 2007 - Requires certain reductions in amounts appropriated for FY2008 for specified Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) programs. Makes amounts from such reductions available for: (1) modernization of school facilities; (2) the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act; (3) adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities; (4) programs to increase energy efficiency and conservation and increase investment in sustainable and renewable energy alternatives; (5) sustainable development and humanitarian assistance programs to alleviate global poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, disease, and disaster; (6) homeland security safeguard improvements; (7) deficit reduction; and (8) veterans health care.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Training for Realtime Writers Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to make competitive grants to eligible entities to promote recruitment, training, and placement of individuals, including individuals who have completed a court reporting training program, as realtime writers providing closed captioning in video programming. Sets forth priorities in making grants. Limits grants to $1.5 million for a two-year period. Repeals this Act five years after funds are appropriated to carry it out.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Public Service Academy Act of 2007 - Establishes in the Department of Homeland Security a U.S. Public Service Academy for the instruction in and preparation for public service of selected individuals. Sets forth provisions relating to: (1) key personnel positions and faculty and departments; (2) student qualifications and requirements for admission; (3) procedures for the appointment of students to the Academy by Members of Congress and the President; (4) curriculum standards; and (5) study abroad requirements. Requires each Academy student to sign an agreement with respect to length of public service. Imposes tuition and cost repayment requirements for Academy students who fail to graduate or accept or complete assigned public service. Establishes a Board of Visitors to inquire into the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of the Academy. Requires the tuition of each Academy student to be fully subsidized. Provides for public (80%) and private funding for the Academy.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Prohibits any entity performing lead system integrator functions in the acquisition of a major system by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from having any direct financial interest in the development or construction of any individual system or element of any system of systems with respect to contracts entered into after May 1, 2007. Makes exceptions if: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies that an entity was selected by DHS as a contractor through competitive procedures and DHS took appropriate steps to prevent any organizational conflict of interest in the selection process; (2) an entity was selected by a subcontractor to serve as a lower-tier subcontractor through a process over which the entity exercised no control; or (3) the work to be performed is work necessary to integrate two or more individual systems or elements. Directs the Secretary, by May 1, 2007, to update DHS's acquisition regulations to: (1) specify the matters regarding lead system integrators set forth in this Act; and (2) include a definition of "lead system integrator" modeled after that used by the Department of Defense (DOD) and a specification of appropriate types of contracts and fee structures for use by integrators in the production, fielding, and sustainment of complex systems.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a flexibility incentive grant pilot program to encourage states to establish new sources of revenue for public transportation projects and services and to reward states for creating more flexibility in the use of their existing transportation funds. Requires the Secretary to make a grant for FY2008-FY2011 to: (1) each state whose increase in expenditures for public transportation projects and services over the preceding fiscal year was 10% or more and aggregate expenditures for such projects and services was $1 billion or less; (2) each large state whose increase in expenditures for such projects and services over the preceding fiscal year was 1% or more and aggregate expenditures for such projects and services was more than $1 billion; (3) each state that established in the first preceding fiscal year a dedicated source of revenue (i.e., state motor fuels tax, sales tax, or other specified sources of revenue) for carrying out public transportation projects and services that was not in effect in the second preceding fiscal year and which will result in a 10% increase of state funds expended for such projects and services within two years after such implementation; and (4) each state that in the preceding fiscal year amended state law or the state constitution to allow restricted highway funds to also be used for public transportation projects and services. Sets forth certain grant eligibility requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct, and report to Congress on, a study to evaluate the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Second Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety Through Recidivism Prevention or the Second Chance Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize, rewrite, and expand provisions for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects to provide expanded services to offenders and their families for reentry into society. Directs the Attorney General to award grants for: (1) state and local reentry courts; (2) Comprehensive and Continuous Offender Reentry Task Forces: (3) evaluation of methods to improve academic and vocational education for offenders at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (4) demonstration programs to reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs in long-term substance abusers and reduce illegal drug demand by providing drug treatment; (5) incentive grants to improve drug treatment for offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (6) pharmacological drug treatment services to incarcerated offenders; (7) technology career training for offenders; and (8) mentoring services for reintegrating offenders into the community. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants for: (1) the establishment of a National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center; (2) drug treatment programs as an alternative to imprisonment; (3) prison-based family treatment programs for incarcerated parents of minor children; and (4) a study of parole or post-incarceration supervision violations and revocations. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to establish: (1) a prisoner reentry program; and (2) a pilot program for the release of elderly nonviolent offenders (age 60 or older).
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Safe Climate Act of 2007 - 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 2010, 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.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for conducting and supporting research on Alzheimer's disease in FY2008-FY2012. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute on Aging to: (1) give priority to projects for conducting and supporting Alzheimer's disease research; (2) increase the emphasis on the need to conduct Alzheimer's disease prevention trials within NIH; (3) ensure that Alzheimer's disease is maintained as a high priority for the existing neuroscience initiative; (4) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's disease; and (5) make grants for research related to the early detection, diagnosis, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, the relationship of vascular disease and Alzheimer's disease, and Alzheimer's disease services and caregiving. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) convene a summit of researchers and other industry representatives on Alzheimer's disease; (2) make grants for public education programs on risk factors associated with cognitive health, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias; and (3) make grants to community organizations to establish and operate Alzheimer's call centers to provide 24-hour information on Alzheimer's disease. Extends through FY2012 funding for demonstration projects relating to Alzheimer's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Prescription Coverage Now Act of 2007 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide for an expedited process for the qualification for low-income assistance through a request to the Secretary of the Treasury for tax return and other information sufficient to identify: (1) whether the individual involved is likely eligible for subsidies; and (2) the amount of premium and cost-sharing subsidies for which they would qualify based on such information. Provides for modification of resource standards for determination of eligibility for low-income subsidy and revision of income and asset rules. Requires indexing of deductibles and cost-sharing above the annual out-of-pocket threshold for individuals with income below 150% of the poverty line. Requires screening by the Commissioner of Social Security for eligibility under Medicare savings programs. Creates a special enrollment period for subsidy eligible individuals. Waives the late enrollment penalty for subsidy eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Gestational Diabetes Act of 2007 or the GEDI Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to convene a Research Advisory Committee. Requires the Director of CDC to develop a multisite research project to expand and enhance surveillance data and public health research on gestational diabetes. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations or state health agencies for demonstration projects that test specified hypotheses about interventions designed to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and obesity among young women and implement relevant activities. Requires the Director of CDC and the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to conduct and support basic, clinical, and public health research regarding gestational diabetes and obesity during pregnancy. Requires the Director of CDC to encourage screening for gestational diabetes within state-based diabetes prevention and control programs to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and its related complications.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Chemical Facility Security Improvement Act of 2007 - Prohibits federal funds from being used by the Secretary of Homeland Security to approve a site security plan for a chemical facility unless the facility meets or exceeds security standards and requirements to protect it against terrorist acts established by the state or local government for the area where it is located. Amends the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 to: (1) repeal a provision prohibiting the Secretary from disapproving a site security plan based on the presence or absence of a particular security measure; (2) require vulnerability assessments and site security plans to be treated as sensitive security information; and (3) repeal a provision limiting to the Secretary any right of action against a chemical facility owner or operator to enforce security measures.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Honors the work of U.S. Attorneys and thanks David Iglesias, Daniel Bogden, Paul Charlton, Harry E. Cummins, III, Carol Lam, John McKay, Margaret Chiara, and Kevin Ryan for their service and contributions to the legal system.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Allows employees of federally-qualified health centers to enroll in an approved health benefits plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2007
Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 - Establishes in the executive branch the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation to carry out this Act under the authorities of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. Requires the Foundation to award grants, increasingly for study in nontraditional study abroad destinations, to: (1) U.S. students; (2) nongovernmental institutions that provide and promote study abroad opportunities for U.S. students, in consortium with institutions of higher education (IHEs); and (3) IHEs, individually or in consortium.
![Official portrait of Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000193_200.jpg)