United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2008
Protecting Patients and Health Care Act of 2008 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from finalizing, enforcing, implementing, or taking other action in furtherance of specified proposed regulations regarding conscience clause protections for health care workers and facilities (under the authority of provisions commonly referred to as the Church Amendments and the Weldon Amendment).
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2008
Health Professions and Primary Care Reinvestment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions related to: (1) addressing workforce shortages for primary care health professions; and (2) assisting underrepresented minorities or disadvantaged students to enter health professions. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) make grants for the training of primary care physicians teaching in community-based settings; (2) provide for programs that improve clinical teaching and research in primary care; (3) provide for community health needs assessments; (4) provide for the establishment of Primary Care Training Institutes within academic health centers; and (5) provide for approved professional training programs in the field of general or pediatric dentistry. Revises provisions governing area health education centers, including to require the Secretary to make awards to improve the effectiveness and capabilities of existing programs. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the development and implementation of interdisciplinary training of psychology graduate students to provide behavioral and mental health services. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; (2) designate regional workforce analysis centers; (3) award grants or contracts to regional centers for research on high-priority workforce questions; (4) provide for monitoring of the supply, need for, and diversity and distribution of health professionals; and (5) establish the Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Information, Evaluation, and Assessment. Requires the Secretary, acting in conjunction with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award competitive grants to establish Academic Health Departments to provide for collaboration between the academic and practice aspects of public health.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2008
Acknowledges the 40th anniversary of the election of Shirley Anita St. Hill Chishom, the first African-American woman in Congress. Recognizes her dedicated work in promoting the rights of all individuals in the United States, particularly in the areas of education, employment, and health care.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2008
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to permit federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing (a process for extracting oil and gas from wells by the injection of fluids at high pressure).
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2008
Empowered at Home Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the income eligibility level for home and community-based (HCBS) services for elderly and disabled individuals. Revises the income eligibility limit for the state option to provide HCBS services under a waiver. Replaces the income limit of 150% of the poverty line with a limit of 300% of the supplemental security income (SSI) benefit rate. Authorizes a state to offer HCBS services under a waiver to eligible individuals that differ in type, amount, duration, or scope from the HCBS waiver services offered to other such individuals so long as they are within the scope of services for which the Secretary has authority to approve a waiver and do not include room or board. Increases the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for the provision of HCBS waiver services under Medicaid through the state plan option. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report annually to Congress on the extent to which state Medicaid plans have adopted a state plan amendment for medical assistance for HCBS waiver services for elderly and disabled individuals. Reauthorizes Medicaid investment grants (currently called transformation grants) at increased funding and specifies additional permissible uses to facilitate the provision of HCBS and other long-term care (LTC) services. Directs the Secretary to award grants on a competitive basis to eligible states to conduct an evidence- and community-based health promotion program. Amends SSA title XIX, with respect to treatment of the income and resources of HCBS waiver services recipients who would otherwise be institutionalized, to repeal the state option, and thus require, application to such individuals of spousal impoverishment protection requirements. Directs states to elect to exclude up to six months of the average cost of nursing facility services from assets or resources for purposes of eligibility for HCBS waiver services. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to revise certain data reporting forms and systems to ensure uniform and consistent state reporting under this Act. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the provision of home health services under different state Medicaid plans; and (2) the extent to which states offer consumer self-direction of such services, or allow for other consumer-oriented policies with respect to them.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Extends the authorizations for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery programs in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Includes within the definition of: (1) "capital projects" rehabilitation and repair of facilities; and (2) "facilities" those for protection of critical habitat and for preventing entrainment of fish in water diversions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2008 - 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 requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) prior to donation, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to issue guidelines on research involving human embryonic stem cells. Authorizes the Director to issue guidelines on research involving other human stem cells, as scientifically warranted. Provides for updates of guidelines under this Act. Directs the Secretary to take into consideration guidelines on human stem cell research developed by nationally- and internationally- recognized scientific organizations. Requires NIH research to comply with guidelines under this Act. Requires the Director to: (1) determine the extent to which the guidelines under this Act apply to research on human embryonic stem cells derived before the effective date of such guidelines; and (2) include in its biennial report to Congress a summary of research activities on human stem cells.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2008
Protection for Participants in Research Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require all human subject research conducted, supported, or otherwise subject to federal regulation, to be conducted in accordance with the Common Rule and the vulnerable-population rules, as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review and harmonize such regulations. Requires informed consent before an individual may be a subject of human research. Requires an Institutional Review Board to approve all human subject research proposals. Directs the Secretary to establish criteria for identifying and monitoring high-risk human subject research projects. Prohibits grants or awards to a public entity or private academic institution that does not have a program to educate investigators and Board members on the protection of human research subjects. Prohibits the use of federal funds for classified human subject research if: (1) the Board has waived the informed consent requirement; or (2) the research is exempt from Board review. Establishes the Office of Human Research Protections within the Office of the Secretary. Requires the Director of the Office to: (1) provide for the protection of human research subjects; (2) establish criteria regarding assurance of compliance with Common Rule requirements; and (3) coordinate federal activities with respect to the protection of human research subjects. Authorizes the Director to make grants for a model education program. Requires the Secretary to: (1) promulgate regulations enhancing the protection of people with diminished decisionmaking capacity participating in human subject research; and (2) study whether the number of certain members of Institutional Review Boards should be increased.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2008
Encourages the distribution of estate planning information by professionals to all Americans. Supports the designation of a National Estate Planning Awareness Week (third week of October).
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2008
Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research and Treatment Act of 2008 - 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: (1) develop a system to collect data on acquired bone marrow failure diseases; (2) establish the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry; and (3) establish the Advisory Committee on Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Diseases to provide recommendations to the Secretary on the Registry. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants to, and enter to contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for the management of the Registry. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, to conduct pilot studies to determine which environmental factors may cause acquired bone marrow failure diseases. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, to: (1) establish outreach and information programs targeted to minority populations affected by such diseases; (2) undertake a coordinated outreach effort to connect Hispanic, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities with comprehensive services focused on treatment of, and information about, such diseases; and (3) awards grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, entities to perform research on such diseases. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to award grants to entities to improve diagnostic practices and quality of care with respect to patients with such diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Oncology Quality Care Improvement Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish budget neutral demonstration projects to test and evaluate methods that: (1) improve the quality of care provided to eligible beneficiaries with certain cancer diagnoses; and (2) reduce expenditures that would otherwise be made under the Medicare program on behalf of such individuals for such diagnoses. Authorizes the participation of oncology care groups of physicians, or of physicians and oncology nurse practitioners, in such demonstration projects, subject to certain conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Civil Rights Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 - Requires quarter dollars to have designs on the reverse emblematic of prominent civil rights leaders and important events that have advanced civil rights in America. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to select such leaders and events. Requires five coin designs in each year of the period of issuance. Instructs the Secretary to strike and make available for sale silver bullion coins that are exact duplicates of such quarter dollars.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Recognizes: (1) the important contributions of African-American doctors on the event of the apology of American Medical Association (AMA) to the National Medical Association (NMA) for over a century of racial prejudices and wrongdoings; (2) the efforts of Dr. W. Montague Cobb, former president of the NMA, to break down the racial prejudices at the AMA that led to its full integration; and (3) Shaw University's Leonard Medical School and other historically black colleges and universities for their role in training African-American doctors. Encourages more African-Americans to work in medicine and become doctors, nurses, and researchers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2008
Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act - Provides that nothing shall prohibit the use of federal funds to establish or carry out a program of distributing sterile syringes to reduce the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a National Prader-Willi Awareness Month; and (2) increased funding for research into the causes, treatment, and cure for Prader-Willi syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Recognizes that it is imperative that this nation strengthen its public health system to provide all persons with the resources they need to make healthier choices and live healthier lives and to protect people from health threats beyond their control. Commits to creating public health strategies to eliminate health disparities and improve the health of all people in the United States. Expresses support for prioritizing public policies focusing on the prevention of disease and injury and calls for community-based programs to support healthy lifestyles. Urges the expansion of the prevention strategies of daily aspirin therapy, smoking cessation, colorectal cancer screening, annual flu immunizations, and breast cancer screening. Declares that the congressional budget process should reflect the savings associated with investments in the prevention of disease and injury. Encourages the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to consider the savings associated with a reduced chronic disease burden due to preventive services and programs when formulating its health care cost estimates. Pledges support for increasing the investment in federal public health programs to at least 1% of total federal spending within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2008
Authorizes the city of Aurora, Colorado, to convey by donation to the United States nonfederal lands consisting of parcel I of the former United States Army Garrison Fitzsimons, Colorado, as more specifically described in the deed, and the parcel of land described in the deed, for construction of a veterans' medical facility.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to activate the coverage of short-term emergency health care services if the Secretary determines that there is a public health emergency. Sets forth factors for the Secretary to consider, including the degree to which the emergency is likely to overwhelm health care providers in the region. Requires the Secretary to establish a medical monitoring program for monitoring and reporting on the health care needs of the affected population over time. Limits eligibility for coverage of emergency health care services to: (1) uninsured or underinsured emergency victims who need health care services due to injuries or disease resulting from the public health emergency; or (2) uninsured individuals residing in the affected area whose ability to access care or medicine is disrupted as a result of the emergency. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a streamlined process for determining eligibility for emergency health care services; (2) report to Congress on the number and adequacy of volunteers enrolled in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) who will be available to each state in the event of a public health emergency; and (3) conduct an outreach and public education campaign to inform health care providers and the general public about the availability of emergency health care coverage during the period of the emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement 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: (1) develop a system to collect data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases; (2) establish the National PF Registry; and (3) establish the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Advisory Board. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to provide for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases that can be confused with, misdiagnosed as, and progress to pulmonary fibrosis. Requires the Secretary, in developing the Registry, to: (1) expand and coordinate existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; and (2) provide for research access to pulmonary fibrosis data. Directs the Secretary to ensure that epidemiological and other types of information are made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute pulmonary fibrosis research activities. Requires the Director of CDC to prepare the National Pulmonary Fibrosis Action Plan. Requires the Secretary to: (1) convene a summit of individuals with expertise in research and care of pulmonary fibrosis to provide a detailed overview of NIH research activities and discuss potential collaborations between NIH and other federal health agencies; and (2) make information about NIH activities relating to pulmonary fibrosis publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2008
Amends the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to require the term and acreage of ski area permits for the operation of ski areas and associated facilities (under current law, for the operation of nordic and alpine ski areas and facilities) on National Forest System lands to be governed by provisions under the Act relating to such permits and other applicable law. Provides for the issuance of ski area permits for the use and occupancy of suitable lands within the National Forest System for skiing and other snow-sports and such other seasonal or year-round recreational activities associated with mountain resorts as the Secretary of Agriculture may authorize pursuant to this Act. Allows the Secretary to authorize the holder of a ski area permit issued pursuant to the Act to also provide on lands subject to such permit such other seasonal or year-round outdoor and natural-resource based developed recreation activities and associated facilities, in addition to skiing and other snow-sports, as determined appropriate. Prohibits any activity or facility from being authorized under this Act if its authorization would result in the primary recreational purpose of lands subject to a ski area permit not being skiing or other snow-sports.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2008
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital under construction on the Fitzsimons Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, as the "Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital."
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2008
Recognizes and honors Anne d'Hanoncourt for her contributions as an internationally-esteemed museum leader and art scholar. Expresses condolences of the House of Representatives upon the death of Anne d'Hanoncourt to her husband Joseph J. Rishel, and her surviving family members and friends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, across the Philadelphia region and around the world.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Organ Transplant Authorization Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to increase the maximum amount of funds provided for the establishment and operation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network for any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Tay-Sachs Awareness Month. Encourages and expresses support for education and research efforts with respect to Tay-Sachs disease.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect: (1) an application fee from persons who submit an abbreviated application for a generic new animal drug on or after July 1, 2008; (2) an annual product fee from applicants named in an abbreviated application or supplemental abbreviated application for a generic new animal drug product that has been submitted for listing for commercial distribution who have such an application pending before the Secretary after September 1, 2008; and (3) an annual sponsor fee from generic new animal drug sponsors who have such an application or an investigational submission pending after such date. Sets forth the total revenues to be collected from each of such fees in each of FY2009-FY2013. Provides for revenue adjustments based on application review workloads. Requires the Secretary to establish such fees before each fiscal year based on such revenue amounts and adjustments and total review costs. Deems such an application or investigational submission to be incomplete until all such fees have been paid. Authorizes the Secretary to waive or reduce such fees where the drug is intended solely to provide for a minor use or minor species indication. Conditions fee assessment and obligation on appropriation funding levels. Requires the Secretary to report annually on: (1) the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) progress in expediting the development process and the review of abbreviated applications and investigational submissions for generic new animal drugs; and (2) implementation of the fee authority and FDA's use of the fees. Sets forth consultation requirements regarding the process for the review of such abbreviated applications for the five years after FY2013.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Animal Drug User Fee Amendments of 2008 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess a partial fee for a new drug application for a drug that combines active ingredients that have been approved separately. Sets forth the amount of revenue that animal drug fees are to generate for FY2009-FY2013. Reauthorizes appropriations for animal drug fees for FY2009-FY2013. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress and make publicly available information on: (1) progress toward the goal of expediting the animal drug development process and the review of animal drug applications; and (2) the implementation of the authority for and use of animal drug fees. Sets forth a process for the Secretary to develop recommendations for the process of review of animal drug applications after FY2013. Specifies the reporting period and due date for periodic drug experience reports on antibiotic new animal drugs. Terminates the authority to assess and use animal drug fees on October 1, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Quit Smoking for Life Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to cover diagnostic, therapy, and counseling services, furnished by or under a physician's supervision, for cessation of tobacco use. Provides for payment of 80% of the lesser of the actual charge or the fee schedule amount. Eliminates the deductible. Includes tobacco cessation agents as covered drugs under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program). Amends SSA titles V (Maternal and Child Health Services) and XIX (Medicaid) also to cover counseling and medication for cessation of tobacco use. Requires inclusion of anti-tobacco messages in health promotion counseling as part of quality maternal and child health services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income for income tax purposes AmeriCorps educational awards awarded under the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Medical Device Safety Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide that provisions preempting state and local requirements for medical devices intended for human use shall not be construed to modify or otherwise affect any action for damages or the liability of any person under state law. Makes this Act effective as if it were included in the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 and applicable to any civil action pending or filed on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Recognizes the essential role played by Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) during World War II, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, and many other military and humanitarian operations. Honors the service of the Navy and Coast Guard sailors who served their country aboard the LSTs. Acknowledges the debt modern amphibious operations owe to the LST sailors and ships. Commends the many volunteers of the USS LST Ship Memorial who have preserved the LST 325 as a living memorial in honor and remembrance of the ships and veterans in their service.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Commemorates Bhutan's participation in the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Recognizes the important cultural, artistic, agricultural, and environmental achievements of Bhutan and the Bhutanese people. Commends the Bhutanese people, the government of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck for their commitment to conducting parliamentary elections and transitioning from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008
Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation and sponsored by drinking water utilities, to assist suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects of climate change. Requires research areas to include: (1) water quality and quantity impacts and solutions; (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration; (3) infrastructure impacts and solutions; (4) desalination, water reuse, and alternative supply technologies; (5) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization; (6) regional and hydrological basin cooperative water management solutions; (7) utilities management, decision support systems, and water management models; (8) greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy demand management; (9) water conservation and demand management; and (10) communications, education, and public acceptance.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Honoring Our Nation's Obligation to Returning Warriors Act or HONOR Warriors Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide scholarships to individuals pursuing education or training in behavioral health care specialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers (centers for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans) in order to recruit and retain individuals with such specialties for service in Vet Centers. Conditions the scholarship agreeing to serve in such a capacity for whatever period the Secretary specifies in the agreement. Makes any Armed Forces member who serves in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers regardless of whether the member is on active duty at the time of receipt of counseling and services. Directs the Secretary, on receipt of a request for counseling from an individual who has been discharged or released from active service, to: (1) provide referrals to assist the individual in obtaining mental health care and services outside the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (2) if pertinent, advise such individual of the individual's rights to apply for review of the discharge or release. Treats the suicide of a former member that occurs within two years after separation or retirement, if the member had a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a death in line of duty for purposes of the survivors' eligibility to burial benefits and benefits under the Survivor Benefit Plan, laws administered by the Secretary, and the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide emotional support services for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces and deceased veterans through the survivors' peers. Directs the Secretary of the Army to carry out at Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of various means of enhancing awareness among members of the Army of PTSD.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Prescribes requirements for application of accreditation in implementing quality standards. Requires suppliers to disclose subcontractors. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Specifies topics for the Comptroller General's required study and report to Congress on the impact of competitive acquisition of DME on suppliers, manufacturers, and patients. Sets forth a special rule for the competitive acquisition program for diabetic testing strips.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008
Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish an interagency working group to study and report to specified congressional committees on: (1) factors that affect the pricing of crude oil and refined petroleum products; and (2) the roles, missions, and structures of relevant federal agencies, interagency coordination, and the gaps which need to be filled for the federal government to effectively oversee and regulate crude oil and refined petroleum product markets.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008
Congratulates East High School of Denver, Colorado, on winning the 2008 "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" national competition.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008
Supports the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month (June 2008). Recognizes that the month provides the U.S. citizens an opportunity to learn more about being safe and responsible online. Commends national and community organizations for promoting safe Internet use and providing information and training that develops critical thinking and decision making skills needed to use the Internet safely. Calls on parents, educators, Internet safety organizations, law enforcement, community leaders, Internet service providers, and volunteers to increase their efforts to raise the level of awareness for the need for online safety.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008
Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2008 or the SHOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate an office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer a health insurance program for small businesses and self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance coverage meeting certain requirements. Establishes a Small Business Health Board to monitor the implementation of the program and make recommendations for improvements. Requires the Administrator of the program to: (1) enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to provide health insurance coverage under this Act; and (2) enter into agreements with entities to serve as navigators to provide information about the program and assist in enrollment. Requires a participating employer to ensure that each eligible employee has an opportunity to enroll in a plan. Sets forth requirements for health plans offered under this Act. Requires the Administrator to contract with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to study the rating requirements, administrative procedures, and standards of external and internal review that apply to such plans and to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in the states and to develop recommendations concerning rating requirements. Sets forth premium-setting rules for plans under this Act. Allows a state to prohibit participation in this program if the state offers alternative health benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small employers for qualified employee health insurance expenses under this Act.
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 · 22 May 2008
Declares that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability through economic, political, and diplomatic means is vital to U.S. national security. Urges the President to use his authority to impose sanctions on: (1) Iranian banks engaged in proliferation activities or the support of terrorist groups; (2) international banks which conduct financial transactions with proscribed Iranian banks; (3) energy companies with large investments in the Iranian petroleum or natural gas sector; and (4) all companies which do business with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Demands that the President initiate an international effort to increase economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. Urges the President to lead a regional diplomatic effort to support the legitimate governments in the region against Iranian destabilization efforts.
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 · 20 May 2008
Pediatric Research Consortia Establishment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements for planning, establishing, and providing basic operating support for up to 20 national pediatric research consortia. Requires each such consortium to: (1) supplement, but not replace, the establishment of a comprehensive pediatric research portfolio; (2) conduct basic, clinical, behavioral, social, and translational research; and (3) conduct training and demonstration of advanced diagnostic and treatment methods relating to pediatrics. Requires the Director of NIH to provide for the coordination of information and ensure regular communication between consortia.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2008
National Silver Alert Act - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a national Silver Alert communications network to assist regional and local search efforts for missing seniors; (2) assign a Department of Justice officer to serve as the Silver Alert Coordinator to coordinate the network with states; and (3) award grants to states for support of Silver Alert plans and the network. Defines "missing senior" as any individual who is reported as missing to or by a law enforcement agency and who meets state requirements for designation as a missing senior. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) establish minimum standards for the issuance of, and the extent of the dissemination of, alerts issued through the network; and (2) make available to states, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and other concerned entities network training and information.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2008
Expresses the sense of Congress that the 225th Anniversary of the Continental Congress meeting at Nassau Hall in Princeton, New Jersey, should be commemorated.
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 · 8 May 2008
Protecting Children's Health Coverage Act of 2008 - Nullifies any effectiveness of the August 17, 2007, State Health Official Letter issued by the Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (with respect to extension to uninsured children of health insurance under title XIX (Medicaid) or XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)).
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2008
Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act of 2008 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) more states should enact legislation that allows the issuance of a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth; and (2) the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should increase the allocation of funds and other resources for stillbirth research. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and maintain a scientific registry of stillbirths in the United States, which shall include for each stillbirth information on the stillborn fetus and the mother's health and pregnancy as collected and submitted by states on the U.S. Standard Report of Fetal Death. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development of a standard definition of stillbirth and a standard protocol for stillbirth data collection and surveillance; and (2) carry out a national campaign to increase public and state awareness of such definition and protocol and public awareness and knowledge of stillbirths.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2008
Creates, for veterans who were subjected to certain chemical or biological warfare testing involving Project 112 conducted through Deseret Test Center (including the Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project, also known as Project SHAD), a presumption that a disease was incurred in or aggravated by service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of the disease during the period of service, if the disease warrants presumtion of service connection by reason of increased exposure to a biological, chemical, or other toxic agent.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2008
National Trauma Center Stabilization Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions governing grants to trauma centers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish four programs to award grants to public or nonprofit trauma centers to: (1) assist in defraying substantial uncompensated care costs; (2) further a center's core mission; (3) provide emergency relief to ensure continued and future availability of trauma service; and (4) support the development and maintenance of innovative information technology systems. Sets forth: (1) minimum qualifications of eligible centers, including requirements for levels of uncompensated care provided; and (2) preferences for awarding grants among level I, II, III, and IV trauma centers and among centers based on the changing availability of or demand for trauma care in the area served and financial need. Requires grantees to submit a long-term plan for providing trauma care. Requires the Secretary to: (1) annually determine and notify centers of their eligibility to receive a grant; and (2) periodically report on the status of such grants, the financial stability of the centers, the populations using the centers, and the effectiveness and efficiency of center activities. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY2009-FY2014 and specifies percentages to be reserved for the different types of grants.
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