United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2008
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free). Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and more effectively facing the challenges of the future; and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2008
Crime Victim Restitution and Court Fee Intercept Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to direct the Secretary of the Treasury, upon receiving notice from a state judicial agency that a named person owes a past-due, legally enforceable state judicial debt, to pay such debt from any tax refund due to such person.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2008
Expresses support for the designation of a National Health Information Technology Week. Recognizes the value of information technology and management systems to transforming health care. Encourages the President to issue a proclamation calling upon all stakeholders to promote the use of such systems to transform the U.S. health care system.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
The White House Conference on Food and Nutrition - Directs: (1) the President to call the White House Conference on Food and Nutrition to be convened in order to make fundamental policy recommendations on ways to end hunger and to improve nutrition in the United States; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Treasury to plan and conduct the Conference. Sets forth Conference provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Responsibility in Drug and Device Advertising Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit direct-to-consumer advertising in the first three years after approval of a new drug or device. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) waive such prohibition if such advertising would have an affirmative value to public health; and (2) continue such prohibition in subsequent years if the drug or device has significant adverse health effects. Requires any direct-to-consumer advertisement to include a fair balance of the benefits and risks associated with the drug or device. Deems a drug to be misbranded if a direct-to-consumer television advertisement for such drug does not prominently display a statement encouraging individuals to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Requires the Secretary to discontinue the study designed to determine if such a statement is appropriate for television advertisements. Deems a device to be misbranded if a direct-to-consumer television advertisement for such device does not include a statement encouraging individuals to report negative side effects of medical devices to the FDA. Sets forth civil monetary penalties for violations relating to the advertising and promotion of a drug or device. Allows the Secretary to order the distribution of materials to notify the public and the medical community of such a violation and to provide corrective information. Requires the Secretary to conduct an education campaign to increase public awareness of risks that, for some patients, may outweigh the benefits of using a particular drug or device. Authorizes additional appropriations to regulate direct-to-consumer drug and device advertisements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Supports the goals and ideals of Vietnam Veterans Day. Calls on the American people to remember those men and women who sacrificed their lives defending the nation in Vietnam, recognize the prisoners of war and Armed Forces members who are missing in action, and honor all Vietnam veterans who served the nation faithfully to protect its freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by veterans, including department-wide management of acute and chronic pain, the standard of care, the consistent application of pain assessments, health care personnel education and training, and education for veterans and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Act of 2008 - Requires the President to establish, in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM education) within the National Science and Technology Council. Establishes an Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education in the Department of Education, to be administered by an Assistant Secretary. Requires the Assistant Secretary to conduct an annual evaluation of the STEM education programs administered by the department. Requires the Secretary of Education to award a grant to establish a voluntary State Consortium on STEM Education and a grant to the National Science Digital Library to establish a National STEM Education Research Repository.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
Recognizes the important social and economic contributions and accomplishments of the New Deal to our nation on the 75th anniversary of legislation establishing the initial New Deal social and public works programs. Encourages observation of National New Deal Week.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2008
National Domestic Violence Volunteer Attorney Network Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence to work in collaboration with the American Bar Association Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and other organizations to create, recruit lawyers for, and provide training, mentoring, and technical assistance for a National Domestic Violence Volunteer Attorney Network. Requires the Office on Violence Against Women of the Department of Justice to designate five states in which to implement the pilot program of a National Domestic Violence Volunteer Attorney Referral Project and distribute funds under this Act. Requires the Attorney General to award grants to national domestic violence legal technical assistance providers to expand their services to provide training and ongoing technical assistance to volunteer attorneys in the National Domestic Violence Volunteer Network, statewide legal coordinators, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and Internet-based legal referral organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) award grants to the National Domestic Violence Hotline to provide information about statewide legal coordinators and legal services; and (2) award grants to Internet-based non-profit organizations with a demonstrated expertise on domestic violence to provide state-specific information about statewide legal coordinators and legal services through the Internet. Directs the National Institute of Justice to study and report to Congress on the scope and quality of legal representation and advocacy for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Directs the Attorney General to establish the Domestic Violence Legal Advisory Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2008
Polar Bear Seas Protection Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from offering or approving any new lease, or approving an exploration or development plan, within any area of the Chukchi or Beaufort Sea marine and coastal ecosystems until: (1) the National Research Council reports to Congress on certain missing information regarding the composition, distribution, status, and ecology of the living marine resources in such ecosystems; (2) the polar bear is listed as either an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and critical habitat is designated for it; (3) the Secretary performs an oil spill response gap analysis for proposed and existing arctic oil operations; and (4) the Secretary makes specified determinations, including that oil and gas exploration and development can be conducted in the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas without posing a risk of substantial adverse impact to wildlife, or wildlife habitat and subsistence.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2008
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2008 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2012 the grant program for armor vests for law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2008
Family Fairness Act of 2008 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to make an employee eligible for coverage under such Act if that employee has been employed for at least 12 months by a covered employer with respect to whom such leave is requested. (Eliminates the requirement, under current law, that the employee have served at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period before the leave request.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of World Hepatitis Awareness Month; and (2) raising awareness of the consequences of untreated viral hepatitis and the urgency to seek appropriate care as a serious public health issue.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2008
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak for FY2009-FY2013. Authorizes Amtrak to contract for the operation of an intercity rail service or route not included in the national rail passenger transportation system. Requires Amtrak to: (1) implement a modern financial accounting and reporting system; (2) submit an annual budget and business plan and a five-year financial plan; (3) submit grant requests to the Secretary of Transportation for authorizations of appropriations for specified uses; and (4) develop a single, nationwide standardized methodology for establishing and allocating the operating and capital costs among the states and Amtrak associated with trains operated on state supported routes. Requires the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak jointly to develop or improve metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and service quality of intercity passenger train operations. Provides for: (1) a Northeast Corridor state-of-good-repair plan; and (2) a restructuring of Amtrak's indebtedness. Replaces the Northeast Corridor Coordination Board with a Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission. Authorizes: (1) congestion grants to states for the capital costs of facilities and equipment necessary for high priority rail corridor projects; and (2) state preparation of state rail plans. Requires studies of passenger rail service, locomotive biofuel, and the use of biobased lubricants. Requires Amtrak to establish a Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee. Directs the Secretary to establish a rail cooperative research program, and the Comptroller General to compare the U.S. passenger rail system with the systems in specified other countries. Authorizes a public transportation authority or rail carrier to submit disputes over trackage use and railroad rights-of-way to the Surface Transportation Board for nonbinding mediation. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to establish a high-speed rail corridor program, including capital project finance grants. Directs the Secretary to solicit proposals for projects for an initial high-speed rail system between Washington, DC, and New York City (Northeast Corridor), as well as for additional projects on any other corridor. Directs the Secretary to conduct an alternatives analysis of the December 1, 1998, extension of the designation of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2008
Extends condolences to the people of Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis, and vows full support with the people of Burma. Calls on Americans to provide emergency assistance to cyclone victims in Burma through humanitarian agencies. Calls for the Burmese military junta to consider the well-being of its people and accept international assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2008
Declares that the Secretary of Defense should immediately: (1) submit to Congress a plan to minimize the use of stop-loss orders that prevent Armed Forces members who have completed their contractual obligations from voluntarily separating from the Armed Forces; and (2) implement a new stop-loss policy to ensure that no member of the Armed Forces who has completed a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan is subject to a stop-loss order.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2008
Election Day Registration Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state with voter registration requirements relating to federal elections to permit any eligible individual on the day of a federal election to register to vote, and cast a vote, in such election.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2008
Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008 - Directs: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish procedures for the delivery of medical and mental health care to all immigration detainees in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody; and (2) that such procedures address all detainee health needs, including primary care, emergency care, chronic care, prenatal care, dental care, eye care, mental health care, medical dietary needs, and other medically necessary specialized care.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2008
International Violence Against Women Act of 2008 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish in the Department of State the Office of Women's Global Initiatives (which shall replace the Office of International Women's Issues) to coordinate U.S. government efforts respecting international women's issues. Establishes within the Department an Advisory Commission on International Violence Against Women. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent violence against women and girls. Directs the Coordinator of the Women's Global Initiatives to ensure that foreign assistance programs incorporate measures to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. Provides that U.S. training of foreign military and police forces incorporates training on prevention of violence against women and girls. Directs the Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist programs that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in all humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) encourage U.N. member states to expand the number of female members of U.N. peacekeeping missions; and (2) take emergency measures to respond to violence against women and girls during conflict or post-conflict operations. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations should strengthen its ability to prevent violence against women and girls by U.N. military and civilian personnel. Provides that Foreign Service training include instruction on prevention of violence against women and girls. Authorizes appropriations to support the United Nations Development Fund for Women Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Recognizes the sacrifices made by disabled veterans and their families. Calls on the people of the United States and local, state, and national organizations and governmental institutions to honor all disabled American veterans. Supports the goals and ideals of Disabled American Veterans Week.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 - Revises or adds provisions relating to the disability compensation system of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) require a study on adjusting the schedule for rating veterans' disabilities; (2) establish the Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation; (3) require a study on the employee work credit system of the VA's Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA); (4) require a study on the VBA's work management system; (5) require the certification and training of VBA employees responsible for processing claims; (6) require an annual independent assessment of the VBA's quality assurance program; (7) provide for the expedited VBA treatment of fully developed claims and a checklist for individuals submitting incomplete claims; (8) require a study of the VBA's need to employ additional medical professionals to act as a medical reference for employees handling claims; (9) provide for the assignment of partial disability ratings to certain veterans; (10) require a review and revision of VBA use of information technology; and (11) allow a claim beneficiary to be substituted as a claimant in the case of the death of a veteran claimant while a claim is awaiting adjudication or appeal. Requires the Chief Judge of the U.S.Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to report annually to the congressional veterans' committees on the Court's workload. Revises provisions concerning the jurisdiction and finality of decisions of the Court.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Emergency Housing Assistance Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2008 for grants under the Emergency Food and Shelter Program under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Allows only up to 3.5% of such funds to be used for administrative costs. Limits the use of grants to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board under this Act, and any monies received by any private nonprofit organization or local government from the National Board from such amounts, solely for housing-related assistance needed to prevent homelessness in connection with the foreclosure on a dwelling occupied by an eligible family. Specifies among the uses of such assistance relocation expenses, security and utility deposits, mortgage payments, rent payments, utility payments, and other foreclosure or eviction prevention expenses. Allows an eligible family to receive such assistance for up to three months. Requires such assistance to be provided directly to mortgage servicers, property managers, utility companies, or other entities necessary to prevent the homelessness of such family. (No funds shall be provided directly to the family). Requires the National Board, and any private nonprofit organization or local government receiving monies from it, to maintain such monies in an account separate from other funds provided under the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Recognizes that the incredible diversity of different racial and ethnic groups, including Asian American and Pacific Islander, is a source of strength for the United States. Recognizes that the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is influential and crucial to the society and culture of the United States. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to the goals and ideals of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Celebrates the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Recognizes: (1) Workers Memorial Day to honor and remember workers who have been killed or injured in the workplace; and (2) the importance of worker health and safety standards. Encourages the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), industries, employers, and employees to support activities aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of preventing illness, injury, and death in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2008
Recognizes: (1) on its 60th anniversary year the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a singular achievement of the community of nations; and (2) the contribution in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Urges all U.N. member states to uphold the principles of human dignity enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially on behalf of the world's most vulnerable persons.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2008
Environment and Public Health Restoration Act of 2008 - States that it is U.S. government policy to work with states, territories, tribal governments, international organizations, and foreign governments to act as a steward of the environment for the benefit of public health, to maintain air quality and water quality, to sustain the diversity of plant and animal species, to combat global climate change, and to protect the environment for future generations. Requires the President to enter into an arrangement under which the National Academy of Sciences will: (1) study and report to the public, Congress, and implementing agencies on the impact on public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, and the environment of specified clean water, clean air, and forest and land management regulations, laws, proposed laws, and guidance documents; and (2) make recommendations to maintain, restore, or improve protections for public health, air quality, water quality, wildlife, or the environment for each of such regulations, laws, proposed laws, or documents. Requires the head of each federal agency that issued or implemented such laws or regulations to submit to Congress a plan describing steps to restore or improve such protections.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month; and (2) the findings of the President's Commission on Mental Health that the nation's failure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy. Recognizes that mental well-being is as important as physical well-being for people, the economy, and the nation. Applauds the coalescing of national and community organizations in working to promote public awareness of mental health and in providing critical information and support to the people and families affected by mental illness. Encourages all organizations and health practitioners to use Mental Health Month as an opportunity to promote mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to appropriate services, and support overall quality of life for those with mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Congratulates the Winona State University Warriors for winning the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II men's Basketball National Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Expresses support for the goals of National STD Awareness Month by requesting that the federal government, states, localities, and nonprofit organizations observe the month with appropriate programs and activities with the goal of increasing knowledge of the risks of STDs and protecting Americans of all ages. Recognizes the human toll of the STD epidemic and makes the prevention and cure of STDs a higher public health priority. Calls on U.S. citizens to learn what screenings are recommended and to seek appropriate care.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners Act of 2008 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program of part B of title II with the Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners program. Authorizes the Secretary to provide funds, through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, to consortia of institutions of higher education, states or local educational agencies, and entities able to assist in the technology-related reform of teacher preparation programs, covering up to three-fourths of the costs of projects to: (1) develop long-term partnerships among consortium members that are focused on effective teaching with modern digital tools and content that connect pre-service teacher preparation with high-need schools; or (2) transform the way departments, schools, and colleges of education teach classroom technology integration to teacher candidates.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
Grants a federal charter to the Military Officers Association of America (a nonprofit corporation and incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act of 2008 - Amends the National Housing Act to create the Refinance Program Oversight Board, charged with establishing program and oversight requirements for the programs established under this Act. Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to insure any (homeownership retention) mortgage covering a one- to four-family residence made to pay or prepay outstanding obligations under an existing mortgage on the residence. Declares that all penalties for prepayment of the existing mortgage, and all fees and penalties related to default or delinquency on all existing mortgages, shall be waived or forgiven. Sets forth terms for: (1) reduction of indebtedness under an existing senior mortgage; and (2) extinguishment of debt by refinancing. Requires any debt service payments due under a mortgage insured under this Act to be substantially reduced from the debt service payments due under the existing mortgage or mortgages. Requires the mortgage to provide that the HUD Secretary shall retain a lien on the residence which shall: (1) be subordinate to the mortgage insured under this Act but senior to all other existing mortgages on the residence; and (2) secure the repayment. Authorizes the Oversight Board to prohibit borrowers from granting a new second lien on the mortgaged property during the first five years of the term of the mortgage insured under this Act. Requires the mortgagee to document and verify the income of the mortgagor. Requires a mortgage insured under this Act to: (1) bear interest at a single fixed rate for the entire mortgage term; and (2) involve a principal obligation that does not exceed the limitation on the amount that would be allowable for a mortgage insured pursuant to the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. Requires the Oversight Board to establish specified underwriting standards for mortgages insured under this Act, including a limitation on origination fees. Prohibits the aggregate original principal obligation of all mortgages insured under this Act from exceeding $300 billion. Directs: (1) the Oversight Board and the HUD Secretary to monitor independent quality reviews of designated underwriters and risk; and (2) the Inspector General of HUD to conduct an annual compliance audit of the mortgage insurance program under this Act. Requires the HUD Secretary to ensure that securities based on and backed by a pool or trust composed of mortgages insured under this Act are available to be guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) for timely payment of principal and interest. Makes the insurance of each mortgage under this Act the obligation of the Special Risk Insurance Fund. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to study and report to specified congressional committees on the need for and efficacy of an auction or bulk refinancing mechanism to facilitate refinancing of existing residential mortgages that are at risk for foreclosure into mortgages insured under the National Housing Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Women's Health Week. Recognizes the importance of: (1) preventing diseases that commonly affect women; and (2) federally funded programs that provide research and collect data on common diseases in women. Calls on women to observe National Women's Check-Up Day by receiving preventative screenings.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and supports the goals and ideals of such Month. Urges national and community organizations, private businesses, colleges and universities, and the media to promote, through such Month, awareness of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2008
Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants and loans to qualified states, in accordance with HUD-approved plans, to carry out eligible housing stimulus activities. Allows such loans to be used by a state, a unit of local government or its entity, or a nonprofit organization. Limits the use of such loans to: (1) purchasing or financing the purchase of qualified foreclosed housing for resale as housing for homeownership to families having incomes of up to 140% of the median income for the area in which the housing is located; (2) rental of such housing only by families whose incomes do not exceed 100% of such median income in the area; and (3) rehabilitation of such property for the purpose of reselling it within three months at a price as close as possible to its acquisition price. Limits the use of grants to: (1) property holding and operating costs; (2) property-related acquisition costs; and (3) state-related administrative and planning costs. Requires the Secretary, by regulation, to prohibit the use of such grants or loans for: (1) political activities; (2) advocacy; (3) lobbying, whether directly or through other parties; (4) counseling services; (5) travel expenses; and (6) preparing or providing advice on tax returns. Requires the use of such grants to provide housing only for families with: (1) very low-income; and (2) extremely low-income. Prohibits a loan or grant recipient from discriminating against a prospective tenant because the individual holds a voucher or certificate of eligibility under section 8 (public housing rental assistance) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. Conditions the use of such loans or grants on a shared appreciation agreement between the federal government and the owner of such housing regarding the federal share of proceeds from its sale or disposition. Directs the Secretary to require a state to reimburse the Treasury for amounts of any misused funds.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2008
Hubbard Act - Amends federal employment, armed forces, military pay, and veterans' benefits law to authorize the provision of the following benefits to a member of the Armed Forces who is discharged at the member's request pursuant to a Department of Defense (DOD) policy permitting the early discharge of a member who is the only surviving child in a family in which the father or mother, or one or more siblings, served in the Armed Forces and, incident to such service, was killed, died as a result of wounds, accident, or disease, is in a captured or missing in action status, or is permanently disabled: (1) continued payment, through the original agreed-upon service period, of any bonus, incentive, or similar benefit to which the member was entitled during service; (2) separation pay, even though the member has completed less than six years of active service before discharge; (3) transitional health care, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for 180 days after discharge; (4) transitional commissary and exchange benefits, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for two years after discharge; (5) veterans' housing loan, employment and training, and basic educational assistance; (6) federal unemployment compensation; and (7) veteran's preference for federal employment purposes. Makes this Act effective with respect to any such discharge granted after September 11, 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2008
Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace Act of 2008 - Amends federal transportation law to: (1) prohibit any individual (except flight crew members or flight attendants) from engaging in voice communications using a mobile communications device on a passenger aircraft during a flight; and (2) direct the Secretary of Transportation to require all domestic and foreign air carriers to adopt this prohibition. Requires the Secretary to waive this prohibition for air carriers of foreign countries that have negotiated an alternative prohibition on voice communications using such devices during a flight.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2008
Women's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. Requires each such center to: (1) conduct basic or clinical research; (2) develop protocols and conduct training programs for physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health and allied health professionals; (3) disseminate information to such professionals and the public; and (4) emphasize activities that are directed toward preventing the development in women of the diseases and conditions involved. Allows a center to use funds to provide stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in training programs. Requires each center to establish and maintain ongoing collaborations with community organizations in the geographic area served by the center, including organizations that represent women or children with disorders that appear to stem from environmental factors. Requires the Director to provide for the coordination of information among centers and ensure regular communication between them.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2008
Cell Tax Fairness Act of 2008 - Prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property for five years after the enactment of this Act. Defines "new discriminatory tax" as a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2008
Environmental Hormone Disruption Research Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a comprehensive program to: (1) research the health effects on women and children that may result through disruption of the hormone systems; (2) carry out research, development, and demonstrations on technologies to mitigate the occurrence of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the environment and their unintended effects on ecological and wildlife health, in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS); and (3) coordinate U.S. research on hormone disruption with research conducted in other nations. Requires the program to provide for: (1) the collection and dissemination of scientifically valid information on human health effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants, the extent of human exposure to such pollutants, and the exposure of wildlife species to such pollutants and possible associated health effects; and (2) research on mechanisms by which such pollutants interact with biological systems, testing for hormone disruption, and the identity and fate of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the environment. Gives the Director principal responsibility for conducting and coordinating research on the unintended effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants on human health and the environment. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission. Establishes a Hormone Disruption Research Panel to make recommendations on the design and implementation of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2008
Honors the life and legacy of Dith Pran: (1) for his commitment to raising awareness about the atrocities that took place under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia; and (2) by remembering his life's work and continuing to acknowledge and remember the victims of genocides that have taken place around the world.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2008
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008 - Allows federal employees to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay available for either the: (1) birth of a child; or (2) placement of a child with the employee for either adoption or foster care. Makes available for any of the 12 weeks of leave an employee is entitled to for such purposes: (1) eight administrative weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth or placement involved; and (2) any accumulated annual or sick leave. Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to allow the same substitution for covered congressional employees. Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow the same substitution for Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Library of Congress employees. Requires GAO to study and report on the feasibility and desirability of providing an insurance benefit to federal employees which affords partial or total wage replacement with respect to periods of qualified leave. Defines "qualified leave" as leave that: (1) is available by reason of the need to care for the spouse, child, or parent of the employee having a serious health condition or by reason of a serious health condition affecting the employee that renders such employee unable to perform the functions of his or her position; and (2) would otherwise be leave without pay.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2008
Pathways Advancing Career Training Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make formula matching grants to states with approved plans for programs that provide preparatory and supportive services, information on career and technical education, training, pre-apprenticeship assistance, and related services, including tuition assistance, to: (1) single parents and displaced homemakers; and (2) individuals pursuing nontraditional training and employment in fields where individuals from one gender compose less than 25% of workers. Requires the Secretary, through the award of competitive grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with an independent institution of higher education, public or private nonprofit organization, or state agency, to conduct at least one multi-site evaluation of such programs. Requires eligible state agencies to administer such programs, make competitive subgrants to eligible entities, and identify certain core indicators of performance.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2008
Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the minimum level of sound that is necessary to be emitted from a motor vehicle, or some other method, to alert blind and other pedestrians of the presence of operating motor vehicles while traveling.
![Official portrait of Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_mn_4_mccollum_betty_200.jpg)