United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2008
Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for each of FY2008-FY2009 for public transportation formula grants for urbanized areas and for other areas. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make such grants for: (1) operating costs of equipment and facilities being used to provide the public transportation that the grant recipient is no longer able to pay as a result of reducing fares; and (2) operating and capital costs of equipment and facilities being used to provide transportation services that the recipient incurs as a result of expanding such services. Requires the federal share of the costs for such grants to be 100%. Requires a grant for FY2008-FY2009 that involves acquiring clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle-related equipment or facilities for the purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act to be for 100% of the net project cost of the equipment or facilities unless the grant recipient requests a lower percentage. Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users to require: (1) qualified federal agency employees serving in urbanized areas of the United States that are served by fixed route public transportation to be offered transit pass transportation fringe benefits; and (2) the Secretary to issue guidance on nationwide implementation of a transportation fringe benefit program. Requires the Secretary to establish a pilot program to carry out vanpool demonstration projects in not more than three urbanized areas and not more than two other areas. Requires a grant for a capital project during FY2008-FY2009 that involves the acquisition of real property for, or the design, engineering, or construction of, additional parking facilities at an end-of-line fixed guideway station to be for 100% of the net capital cost of the project unless the grant recipient requests a lower percentage.
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
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow a surviving spouse of a U.S. citizen who was married for less than two years at the time of the citizen's death who proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit to self-petition (within the required two years) for continued immediate relative status. Extends the petition filing deadline for two years after the date of the enactment of this Act for an alien spouse who failed to file within the required two-year period but would be considered by reason of this Act to remain an immediate relative.
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 · 8 May 2008
Amends provisions authorizing educational loan repayment in exchange for service as a health professional in the Selected Reserved of an armed force and determined to be needed critically in order to meet identified wartime combat medical skill shortages to limit payment amounts to $60,000 (currently, $20,000) per year of service. Eliminates provisions limiting the total amount that may be repaid on behalf of any person to $50,000.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2008
Gas Price Spike Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a windfall profit tax on crude oil, natural gas, or products of crude oil or natural gas. Defines "windfall profit" as so much of the profit on a sale of crude oil, natural gas, or related products as exceeds a reasonable profit. Establishes the Reasonable Profits Board to determine levels of reasonable profit from the sale of such products. Allows a tax credit for the purchase of certain fuel-efficient, American-made passenger vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to operators of mass transit systems, including bus and commuter rail systems, to reduce passenger fares on such systems.
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 · 8 May 2008
Amends Rule XIV (Order and Priority of Business) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require on the first legislative day of each month on which there is a record vote on any bill or joint resolution, immediately after that vote, a moment of silence to be observed on behalf of those killed or wounded (as well as their families) in current U.S. engagements in Iraq or Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2008
Expresses the sense of Congress that in the context of the current global food crisis the nutritional needs of children must be a humanitarian priority. States that Congress: (1) recognizes that we are facing a global food crisis caused by, among other things, rising fuel prices, increased diversion of land to biofuel production, drought, and population increases; and (2) calls for a world forum to be held on the issue of rising food prices and international response and for the United States to play an active role in alleviating the crisis.
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 · 6 May 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 West Main Street in Waterville, New York, as the "Cpl. John P. Sigsbee Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2008
Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 to authorize assistance to promote democracy and civil society in Belarus. Includes Internet broadcasting within the scope of increased support and funding for U.S. government and surrogate broadcasting to Belarus. Specifies that funding may be used for broadcasting by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Voice of America, and European Radio for Belarus and Belsat. Includes cessation of repression against student activists and ethnic minorities among the criteria that the government of Belarus must meet in order to end U.S. sanctions under such Act.
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 · 5 May 2008
Encourages all citizens to join in a national effort to salute AmeriCorps members and alumni. Acknowledges the significant accomplishments of AmeriCorps members, alumni, and community partners. Encourages citizens of all ages to consider serving in AmeriCorps.
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
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) it is U.S. policy to oppose slavery, torture, racism, discrimination, and xenophobia; (2) the United States should give thorough review to domestic policy and legislative proposals that would improve the lives of marginalized U.S. communities; and (3) the Senate and the United States should ratify specified international conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2008
Alopecia Areata Medicaid Improvement and Parity Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to inpatient hospital services to require states to provide hair prostheses under the Medicaid program for: (1) individuals diagnosed with alopecia areata universalis or alopecia areata totalis; or (2) individuals whose attending physician certifies in writing the medical necessity of that proposed course of rehabilitative treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2008
American Steel First Act of 2008 - Prohibits heads of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Transportation (DOT) from obligating or expending funds or providing financial assistance for projects for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron and steel used in such project is produced in the United States. Waives such prohibition in cases where: (1) the prohibition would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron and steel are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron and steel produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project contract by more than 25%. Prohibits waivers by a department head for products produced in a foreign country that is determined by the U.S. Trade Representative to have violated the terms of an agreement with the United States by discriminating against products covered by the agreement that are produced in the United States. Prohibits such department heads from imposing financial assistance restrictions on: (1) states that impose more stringent requirements on the use of iron and steel in foreign countries in projects carried out with such assistance; or (2) recipients that comply with such state imposed requirements. Makes any person who intentionally labels or represents a product used in a project under this Act as "Made in America" when it is not ineligible for another department contract from for six years. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) publish a justification for a waiver of the prohibition against obligating funds to carry out the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, highway projects, public transportation projects, or aviation programs unless the steel, iron, and manufactured products used are produced in the United States; and (2) provide for public notice and comment for such waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
International Partnership for Reconciliation in Iraq Act of 2008 - Expresses the sense of Congress supporting reconciliation efforts within Iraq and the creation of an Iraqi-supported international commitment to reconciliation in Iraq. Authorizes the United States Institute of Peace to provide assistance to support international efforts to encourage peaceful and positive contact, dialogue, and reconciliation among the Iraqi people.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Condemns recent decisions by the government of the Russian Federation to establish official ties with the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a process that impedes reconciliation between those regions and the government of the Republic of Georgia and that violates Georgia's sovereignty and Russia's commitments to international peacekeeping. Encourages Russia to work with Georgia, the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the international community to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Calls on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate the April 2008 downing of an unarmed Georgian reconnaissance aircraft. Supports the declaration of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Bucharest Summit stating that Georgia will become a NATO member.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Expresses support for the USS Constellation, a 153-year-old American warship berthed in Baltimore, Maryland, as an appropriate site for the nation to commemorate the bicentennial of the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5522) to require the Secretary of Labor to issue interim and final occupational safety and health standards regarding worker exposure to combustible dust.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Honors the life and accomplishments of the late James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart and the artistic, military, and political contributions he made to the nation on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
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 · 29 April 2008
Reaffirms that youth should be involved in long-term, visionary solutions to violent conflicts. Honors the accomplishments of Seeds of Peace in its 15 years of promoting understanding and peace among youth from the Middle East and other regions of conflict around the world. Views Seeds of Peace as a creative and successful effort to achieve reconciliation among peoples from areas of conflict which inspires hope that nations in conflict can learn to live together in peace.
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
Supports the goals and ideals of National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month (April 2008). Recognizes that sarcoidosis: (1) has played a prominent yet hidden role in America's workforce history, being the chief diagnosis of the deaths of fluorescent light bulb workers in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1940s; (2) disproportionately affects factory workers and Navy deckgrinders; and (3) was the first diagnosis for an overwhelming majority of rescue workers who assisted with the rescue and recovery operations after the attacks on September 11, 2001. Supports research efforts to better understand the links between sarcoidosis and specific occupations where sarcoidosis is disproportionately represented.
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
Honors Arnold Palmer for his outstanding golf career and for his dedication to charity and helping others. Expresses support for the U.S. Golf Association as it celebrates Palmer with the opening of the Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History.
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
Providing Responsible Oversight and Testing of Equipment for Combat Troops Act of 2008 or the PROTECT Act of 2008 - Removes provisions requiring the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation in the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide guidance to and consult with the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, and the Secretaries of the military departments with respect to operational test and evaluation or survivability testing (or both) in the DOD of force protection equipment (including nonlethal weapons). Adds items of (or key components of) personal equipment designed to provide some degree of protection to the user in combat to provisions requiring survivability and lethality testing before full-scale production.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2008
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and congratulates the men and women who provide exceptional service to our military and keep our Pacific Fleet fit to fight.
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
Family Leave Insurance Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Family and Medical Insurance Program, mandatory for certain covered employers. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) contract for a state to provide specified leave benefits in that state through the Program, including expansion of a pre-existing state program; or (2) at a governor's request enter an interagency agreement with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to establish and provide Program benefits directly through a state Family and Medical Insurance Program. Entitles eligible employees to Program benefits that include specified percentages of their daily earnings for 12 workweeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 during any 12-month period. Authorizes any employer, with the Secretary's approval, to establish a voluntary plan meeting specified criteria. Specifies prohibited acts by an employer, and penalties for violations. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a Civil Service Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program with the same Program benefits for certain federal agency employees. Establishes the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund in the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a family and medical leave premium on every individual and every employer to finance a Family and Medical Leave Trust Fund in the Treasury for Program benefits. Exempts from such premium: (1) employers or self-employers with voluntary plans approved by the Secretary as equivalent or better than the Program; and (2) small employers who have elected not to participate in it.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Calls for establishment of a National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Applauds the actions of medical professionals and others who strive to combat and raise public awareness of brain tumors and brain cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Thanks and promotes the teaching profession to encourage students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-May 10, 2008.
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
Minute Man National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act - Modifies the boundary of Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts to include the Colonel James Barrett Farm in Concord.
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
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 · 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 · 16 April 2008
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund and to allow individual taxpayers to designate on their tax returns $3.00 of income taxes ($6.00 in the case of joint returns) to be paid over to such Fund to provide assistance to homeless veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2008
School Emergency Notification Deployment Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish competitively neutral rules to permit universal service support to public and nonprofit elementary and secondary schools to be used for a communications service or system that can be used by school administrators and other public officials to deliver emergency messages to students and their parents, faculty, and staff, and their designated emergency contacts, via messages carried over telecommunications and information services, including those transmitted by providers of commercial mobile service.
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
National Guard and Reserve Readiness Act of 2008 - Revises the effective date for being considered on active duty, for purposes of entitlement to active-duty medical and dental care, for members of the reserves receiving an alert order anticipating a call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation.
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
Food Assistance to Improve Reintegration Act of 2008 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of food stamp eligibility for a person convicted of a felony which has as an element the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance. .