United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Recognizes the 98th anniversary of the historic founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors and praises the NAACP for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2007
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the greatest extent possible, the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Limits the period for coin issuance to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Imposes a $10 surcharge per coin, to be distributed to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the purpose of establishing an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2007
Mark-to-Market Extension Act of 2007 - Amends the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 to reauthorize through FY2011: (1) the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Restructuring (Mark-to-Market) program; and (2) the Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring. Permits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to waive rent level limits for: (1) disaster-damaged eligible projects; and (2) up to 9% (currently 5%) of all units subject to restructured mortgages in any fiscal year, based on certain findings of special need. Redefines multifamily housing project eligible for the Mark-to-Market program to authorize eligibility treatment, upon owner request, for certain projects whose rents do not, on an average per unit or per room basis, exceed the rent of comparable properties in the same market area, if the Secretary determines that such treatment is necessary to preserve a project in the most cost-effective manner in relation to other alternative preservation options. Requires each mortgage restructuring and rental assistance sufficiency plan to determine, for units assisted with project-based assistance in eligible multifamily housing projects, adjusted rent levels for disaster-damaged eligible projects equal to 100% of the fair market rents for the relevant market area. Revises requirements for an approved mortgage restructuring and rental assistance sufficiency plan with respect to modification or forgiveness of all or part of a second mortgage held by the Secretary (debt relief) if the project concerned is acquired by a tenant organization or tenant-endorsed community-based nonprofit or public agency. Sets forth requirements for alternative periods of eligibility for such nonprofit debt relief if the purchaser acquires the project subsequent to the date of recordation of the related affordability agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2007
Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants (without certain otherwise-required loan guarantees) to eligible public entities and Indian tribes to assist in the environmental cleanup and economic development of brownfield sites including mine-scarred lands. Prohibits: (1) providing or using such grants in a manner that reduces the financial responsibility of any nongovernmental party that is responsible or potentially responsible for contamination on any real property; and (2) the provision of assistance from in any way relieving any party of liability with respect to such contamination, including liability for removal and remediation costs. Makes brownfields-related environmental cleanup and economic development activities eligible for community development block grant (CDBG) assistance. Applies the same prohibitions to CDBG grants. Authorizes CDBG use to administer renewal communities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2007
Congratulates Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears and Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts for their accomplishments and for being the first African-American head coaches of National Football League teams to qualify for the Super Bowl.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4230 Maine Avenue in Baldwin Park, California, as the "Atanacio Haro-Marin Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2007
Free Trade With Cuba Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal the embargo on trade with Cuba. Prohibits the exercise by the President with respect to Cuba of certain authorities conferred by the Trading With the Enemy Act and exercised on July 1, 1977, as a result of a specified national emergency. Declares that any prohibition on exports to Cuba under the Export Administration Act of 1979 shall cease to be effective. Authorizes the President to impose export controls with respect to Cuba and exercise certain authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act only on account of an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security that did not exist before enactment of this Act. Repeals: (1) the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992; (2) the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996; (3) the prohibition under the Food Security Act of 1985 against allocation of the annual sugar quota to any country unless its officials verify that it does not import for reexport to the United States any sugar produced in Cuba; and (4) the prohibition under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 on transactions or payments respecting certain U.S. intellectual property. Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the denial of foreign tax credit with respect to Cuba. Authorizes common carriers to install and repair telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba, and otherwise provide telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Prohibits regulation or banning of travel to and from Cuba by U.S. citizens or residents, or of any transactions incident to travel. Directs the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Urges the President to take all necessary steps to conduct negotiations with the Government of Cuba to: (1) settle claims of U.S. nationals against Cuba for the taking of property; and (2) secure protection of internationally recognized human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2007
Climate Stewardship Act of 2007 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National Greenhouse Gas Database consisting of: (1) an inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by covered entities (specified entities that own or control a source of GHG emissions in the electric power, industrial, and commercial sectors of the U.S. economy that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of GHGs per year); and (2) a registry of GHG emission reductions and increased sequestration, applicable to both covered and noncovered entities. Establishes a program for the market-driven reduction of GHGs by covered entities through the use of tradeable emissions allowances. Requires the Administrator to establish a declining cap on tradeable allowances to reduce GHG emissions over time. Requires covered entities, beginning in 2012, to submit to the Administrator one tradeable allowance for every metric ton of GHGs emitted. Allows tradeable allowances to be sold, exchanged, purchased, retired, borrowed, offset, or otherwise used as authorized by this Act. Imposes civil penalties on covered entities that fail to submit allowances. Establishes the Climate Change Credit Corporation (CCCC) to receive, manage, buy, and sell tradeable allowances. Directs the Administrator to make allocations of allowances to covered sectors and entities, and to the CCCC, providing initial allocations for early action and accelerated participation. Requires the CCCC to establish a program to provide financial support for: (1) technology to assist in compliance with this Act; (2) incentives for GHG emission reductions or net increases in sequestration on agricultural lands; and (3) the restoration of habitat to help fish and wildlife adapt to climate change. Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) report to Congress on the oceanic and coastal impacts of climate change; and (2) assist certain coastal states in preparing persons to adapt to climate change. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) establish a program on adaptation technologies as part of the Climate Technology Challenge Program; and (2) perform regional infrastructure cost assessments of the impacts of climate change. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) submit a climate change adaptation plan to Congress; and (2) research the impact of climate change on low-income populations worldwide. Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to provide funding for the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account that may be used by states to develop and implement climate change impact mitigation plans.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2007
Reverse Mortgages to Help America's Seniors Act - Amends the National Housing Act to remove the aggregate and insurance benefit limitations on the number of home equity conversion (reverse) mortgages for elderly homeowners that may be insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2007
Home Ownership for America's Veterans Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the eligibility period of veterans for mortgage financing; and (2) require annual inflation adjustments after 2010 to limits on state veteran bond amounts based on the Conventional Mortgage Home Price Index (compiled by Freddie Mac).
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2007
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; (2) full and equitable funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006; (3) expansion of HIV/AIDS funding under Medicare and Medicaid; (4) the strengthening of stable African-American communities by addressing the need for more affordable housing; (5) taking specified measures to reduce the impact of incarceration as a driver of new HIV infections within the African-American community; (6) the expansion of HIV prevention education programs to promote the early identification of HIV through voluntary routine testing and to connect those in need to treatment as early as possible; (7) reducing the number of HIV infections in the African-American community resulting from injection drug use by expanding substance abuse prevention programs, drug treatment and recovery services, and innovative harm reduction programs; and (8) efforts to link those infected with HIV to accessible care and treatment options. Applauds the codification of the Minority AIDS Initiative within the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2007
Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007 - Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) end the occupation of Iraq; (2) accelerate the training and equipping of Iraq's military and security forces; (3) pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy; (4) help preserve the territorial integrity of Iraq as a nation state; (5) account for any missing U.S. Armed Forces personnel or U.S. citizens in Iraq; and (6) turn over internal security activities and military operations in Iraq to the elected government of Iraq within six months. Repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. Requires the withdrawal from Iraq of all U.S. Armed Forces and contractor security forces within six months. Prohibits, with exceptions, fund use to continue deployment of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq. Prohibits: (1) the construction of permanent U.S. military installations in Iraq; and (2) production sharing agreements for Iraqi petroleum resources. Limits the total number of personnel at the U.S. embassy in Iraq. Authorizes the President to: (1) support the deployment of international stabilization forces in Iraq; (2) provide assistance for an Iraqi reconstruction corps, mine and ordinance clearing, cultural and historical restoration, and for an Iraqi institute of peace; and (3) establish international funds to redevelop Iraqi civic and health institutions. Revises authorities respecting the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Provides for compensation of Iraqi noncombatant civilian casualties. Provides funding availability for veterans health care. Establishes the Joint Select Committee to Review the Origins and Conduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2007
Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007 - Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to states to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for children identified by a licensed health care provider or vision screener, with priority to children under age nine; (2) provide treatment or services to correct vision problems of such children; and (3) develop and disseminate educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2007
Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence: (1) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction which is sore or which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and (2) any horse or other equine which the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2007
Haitian Protection Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti as a country whose qualifying nationals may be eligible for temporary protected status. Provides for: (1) an initial 18-month designation period; and (2) authorization for temporary travel abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2007
States that: (1) the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date; (2) a quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region; and (3) the United States shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2007
Requests the President to inform Congress and the Secretary General of the United Nations regarding U.S. efforts and measures taken with respect to implementation and observance of Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and certain U.N. resolutions calling for U.S. and world nuclear disarmament. Calls on the President to implement and observe all NPT obligations and commitments and to revise national policies on nuclear weapons accordingly. Urges the President, in the interests of protecting and advancing human, national, and global security, to: (1) declare that the United States will not use nuclear weapons first, and that pending their elimination, such weapons serve only to deter a nuclear attack by a hostile state or other entity; (2) initiate and conclude multilateral negotiations on verifiable steps nuclear states shall take to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons; (3) cooperate with the Russian Federation to remove from deployment nuclear weapons that are operational; (4) reaffirm the moratorium on nuclear testing and work for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; (5) terminate all efforts to enhance U.S. military capabilities of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and to develop ballistic missile defenses; and (6) support initiatives to ban weapons in outer space.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2007
Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for projects to prevent teen pregnancies in racial, ethnic minority, or immigrant communities with a substantial incidence or prevalence of cases of teen pregnancy as compared to the average number of such cases in communities in the state involved. Allows the Secretary to make grants to: (1) provide necessary social and cultural support services regarding teen pregnancy; (2) provide health and educational services related to the prevention of teen pregnancy; (3) promote better health and educational outcomes among pregnant teens; (4) provide training for individuals who plan to work in school-based support programs regarding the prevention of teen pregnancy; and (5) provide public education and increase awareness with respect to the issue of teen pregnancy and related social and emotional issues. Requires the Secretary to make grants to establish and operate a National Clearinghouse for Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to conduct, support, and coordinate research on the prevention of teen pregnancy in such communities. Allows a grant to be made under this Act only if the applicant agrees that: (1) all information provided pursuant to the Act will be age-appropriate, factually and medically accurate and complete, and scientifically based; and (2) information, activities, and services under the grant will be provided in the language and cultural context that is most appropriate for individual groups.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2007
Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act of 2007, or the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the deduction from gross income of any attributable to domestic production activities. Excludes from domestic production gross receipts those derived from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of oil, natural gas, or any related primary product. (Thus denies a deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or their related primary products.) Increases from five to seven years the amortization schedule for geological and geophysical expenditures for certain major integrated oil companies. Royalty Relief for American Consumers Act of 2007 - Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to agree to any lessee request to amend any lease issued for any Central and Western Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) tract during 1998 and 1999 to incorporate specified price thresholds applicable to royalty suspension provisions. Reaffirms the authority of the Secretary to vary, based on the price of production from a lease, the suspension of royalties under specified leases on the Outer Continental Shelf. Cites conditions for the issuance of new leases authorizing oil or natural gas production in the Gulf. Instructs the Secretary to establish conservation of resources fees for both producing and nonproducing federal oil and gas leases in the Gulf. Sets forth terms restricting the transfer of such leases. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal: (1) specified incentives for natural gas production from deep wells in shallow waters of the Gulf; (2) royalty relief for deep water production in the Gulf; and (3) the prohibition on cost recovery fees for drilling-related permit application during the Federal Permit Streamlining Pilot Project. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to remove the Planning Areas offshore Alaska from the list of areas for which the Secretary is authorized to reduce or eliminate any royalty or net profit share set forth in the pertinent lease. Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to repeal provisions governing oil and gas leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska regarding: (1) renewal of competitive oil and gas leases, with or without discoveries; and (2) waiver, suspension, or reduction of rental fees or royalties on leaseholds as exploration incentives. Establishes the Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve to hold federal receipts acquired as a result of the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2007
College Student Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to phase-in cuts in the interest rate charged undergraduate student borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs, thereby reducing such rate from 6.8% in July 2006 to 3.4% in July 2011. Limits FFEL lender insurance to 95% of the unpaid balance of such loans. (Currently, 97% of a FFEL issued after June 2006 is federally-insured.) Provides for graduated reductions in the percentage of defaulted FFEL loan collections a guaranty agency is allowed to retain until, beginning in October 2010, it is equal to the average rate paid to collection agencies that have contracts with the Secretary of Education. Eliminates exceptional performer status for lenders, servicers, and guaranty agencies, which rewards such entities for high due diligence in FFEL collection. Reduces special allowance payments made to FFEL lenders to compensate them for the difference between FFEL interest rates and market rates. Exempts small lenders from such reduction. Increases the loan fee charged FFEL lenders from .5% to 1% of the principal amount of loans disbursed after June 2007. Prohibits its collection from borrowers. Increases, after June 2007, the rebate fee charged a holder of FFEL consolidated loans, provided that at least 90% of the total principal and accrued unpaid interest outstanding on loans held by such holder are such loans.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2007
Kristen's Act Reauthorization of 2007- Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to make grants to public agencies and/or nonprofit private organizations to: (1) maintain a national resource center and information clearinghouse for missing and unidentified adults; (2) maintain a national, interconnected database for tracking missing adults who are determined by law enforcement to be endangered due to age, diminished mental capacity, or the circumstances of disappearance, when foul play is suspected or circumstances are unknown; (3) coordinate public and private programs that locate or recover missing adults or reunite missing adults with their families; (4) provide assistance and training to law enforcement agencies, State and local governments, elements of the criminal justice system, nonprofit organizations, and individuals in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of cases involving missing adults; (5) provide assistance to families in locating and recovering missing adults; and (6) assist in public notification and victim advocacy related to missing adults. Directs the Attorney General, through the Director, to: (1) coordinate Government-funded programs relating to missing adults; and (2) provide the public agencies or nonprofit private organizations receiving grants to maintain a national resource center and information clearinghouse for missing and unidentified adults with access to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Crime Information Center.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2007
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal. Requires proceeds from the sale of such medals to be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2007
Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to continue, until February 15, 2007, to insure, and to enter into commitments to insure, home equity conversion mortgages for elderly homeowners under the National Housing Act, without regard to the maximum aggregate number of mortgages insured or maximum dollar amount of insurance benefits specified in such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2007
Declares that Marcus Mosiah Garvey (founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association): (1) was innocent of the charges brought against him by the U.S. government; and (2) should be recognized internationally as a leader and thinker in the struggle for human rights and dignity. Calls upon the President to endeavor to restore Garvey's honor and good name by granting him a full posthumous pardon that proclaims his conviction to have been unjust and affirms his innocence.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete a special resource study to determine: (1) appropriate methods for preserving and interpreting certain sites in Arizona, California, and other states that are significant to the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement in the western United States; and (2) whether any of the sites meets the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a national historic landmark.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Redesignates the: (1) Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Makes similar redesignations with respect to Department Assistant Secretaries and the General Counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2007 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Requires the: (1) President to submit to Congress a revised version of the most recent statement of such apportionment; and (2) Clerk of the House, upon receipt of such revision, to send to the executive of each state a certificate of the number of Representatives to which such state is entitled and to identify to the Speaker of the House the state (other than the District) which is entitled to one additional Representative. Subjects the general elections for such additional Representatives to specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) suicide among veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem; and (2) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should take into consideration the special needs of such veterans and of elderly veterans who are at high risk for depression and experience high rates of suicide in developing and implementing the comprehensive program outlined in this Act. Directs the Secretary to develop and carry out a comprehensive program designed to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans. Requires the program to include: (1) mandatory training for appropriate staff and contractors of the Department of Veterans Affairs who interact with veterans; (2) screening of veterans who receive medical care at a Department facility for suicide risk factors; (3) referral of at-risk veterans for counseling and treatment; (4) a suicide prevention counselor at each Department medical facility; (5) research for suicide prevention and for mental health care for veterans who have experienced sexual trauma while in military service; (6) 24-hour veterans' mental health care availability; and (7) a toll-free hotline.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Declares that it is the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States has an obligation to improve the lives of the 36.95 million Americans living in poverty and the 15.928 million of those who live in extreme poverty; and (2) the President should immediately present to Congress a comprehensive plan to eradicate poverty by 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to prescription drug plan sponsors and Medicare Advantage organizations for covered part D drugs for part D eligible individuals enrolled under a prescription drug plan or under a Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plan.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following ethical requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 - Provides for implementation of recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission). Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth provisions governing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants for first responders to prevent, prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, or recover from terrorist attacks. Directs the DHS Secretary to: (1) evaluate and prioritize applications based on the degree to which applicants would lessen the threat to persons and critical infrastructure; and (2) ensure that each state receives no less than .25% of grant funds available in a fiscal year (.45% for international border states). Requires the Secretary to establish the Improve Communications for Emergency Response Grant Program. Requires state, local, and tribal governments to pre-identify sites where a unified command system can be quickly established. Establishes the Checkpoint Screening Security Fund. Directs the Secretary to establish a system to inspect 100% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft. Permits containers to enter the United States only if scanned with equipment, and secured by seals, that meet prescribed standards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) take specified actions regarding human trafficking and terrorist travel; and (2) report on international collaboration and a plan to accelerate implementation of an automated biometric system. Requires the Secretary to carry out a Fusion and Law Enforcement Education and Teaming Grant Program. Establishes in DHS the Border Intelligence Fusion Center Program. Homeland Security Information Sharing Enhancement Act of 2007 - Renames the Directorate for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection as the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Directs the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to implement a Homeland Security Advisory System. Establishes, within the Office, an Internal Continuity of Operations Plan. Homeland Security Information Sharing Partnerships Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a State, Local, and Regional Fusion Center Initiative; and (2) establish a Homeland Security Information Sharing Fellows Program. Establishes, within DHS, an Office of Infrastructure Protection. Protection of Civil Liberties Act - Makes the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board an independent agency within the executive branch. Privacy Officer With Enhanced Rights Act of 2007 or the POWER Act - Sets forth provisions governing the DHS privacy officer's investigative authority. Directs the Secretary to prepare vulnerability assessments of critical infrastructure and to establish a National Asset Database, a National At-Risk Database, a National Asset Database Consortium. Requires the Secretary to establish a Strategic Transportation Security Information Sharing Plan. Directs the Secretary to implement a program to enhance private sector preparedness for acts of terrorism and other emergencies and disasters through the promotion of the use of voluntary consensus standards. Repeals or modifies limitations on assistance for preventing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should strive to expand and strengthen the Proliferation Security Initiative, including by working with the United Nations Security Council to authorize the Initiative under international law. Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and for the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration programs to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism. Establishes: (1) within the Executive Office of the President the Office of the United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism; and (2) the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. Nuclear Black Market Counter-Terrorism Act of 2007 - Directs the President to impose sanctions for transfers of nuclear technology involving foreign persons and terrorists. Requires the President to: (1) identify nuclear proliferation network countries; and (2) suspend arms sales to such countries. 9/11 Commission International Implementation Act of 2007 - Declares U.S. policy regarding increasing the availability of modern basic education in Arab countries. Authorizes: (1) the President to establish an International Arab and Muslim Youth Opportunity Fund; and (2) the Secretary of State to fund a private, nonprofit Middle East Foundation. Sets forth authority for providing a surge capacity for international broadcasting activities to support U.S. foreign policy objectives. Requires reports on: (1) expanding U.S. scholarship, exchange, and library programs in Arab and predominantly Muslim countries; and (2) progress towards implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations for developing a common coalition approach toward the detention and humane treatment of captured terrorists. Sets forth statements of U.S. policy and strategy with respect to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2007
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Applies federal minimum wage requirements to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage in the Commonwealth shall be gradually increased to equal the federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Shirley A. Chisholm United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish the Shirley Chisholm United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Program under which scholars and secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students from the Caribbean would attend U.S. schools, participate in activities designed to promote a greater understanding of U.S. values and culture, and have the option to live with a U.S. host family. Directs the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a comprehensive program that extends and expands existing primary and secondary school initiatives in the Caribbean to provide: (1) teacher training methods; and (2) increased community involvement in school activities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Justice for the Unprotected Against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act of 2007 or the JUSTICE Act of 2007 - Requires the Attorney General to direct the Bureau of Prisons to allow community organizations to distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and to engage in sexually transmitted infection (STI) counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Prohibits a federal correctional facility from taking adverse action against a prisoner who possesses or uses a sexual barrier protection device. Expresses the sense of Congress that states should allow for the legal distribution of sexual barrier protection devices in their correctional facilities. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct a survey of all educational, testing, and other programs in federal and state correctional facilities for reducing the spread of STIs; and (2) develop and implement a five-year strategy to reduce the prevalence and spread of STIs in such facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 - Supports state, city, and university efforts to divest funds from, or restrict investments in, companies that conduct business operations in Sudan. Directs: (1) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require all companies trading in registered securities that conduct business operations directly or through parent or subsidiary companies in Sudan to disclose the nature of such operations; and (2) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the existence and extent of such companies' Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board investments. Prohibits U.S. government contracts with such companies, with exceptions for companies whose activities are related to: (1) southern Sudan, southern Kordofan/Nuba Mountains State, Blue Nile State, or Abyei; (2) the implementation of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement; (3) the provision of military equipment for nongovernmental organizations in the Darfur region of Sudan, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), or the United Nations; or (4) the provision of humanitarian assistance that is of immediate and substantial benefit to the majority of people of the Darfur region of Sudan or the majority of people of eastern Sudan, including the Red Sea, Kassala, and Gedaref States. Authorizes a national security waiver of such prohibition on a case-by-case basis.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) sponsoring or exhibiting a bird in a fighting venture in a state where it would not otherwise be in violation of the law, only if the person knew that any bird in the venture was knowingly bought, sold, delivered, transported, or received in interstate or foreign commerce for such purpose; or (2) knowingly sponsoring or exhibiting in an animal fighting venture any other animal that was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits knowingly: (1) selling, buying, transporting, delivering, or receiving, for purposes of transportation in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal to participate in an animal fighting venture; (2) using interstate mail service for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the states (with an exception for bird fights in states whose laws allow them); or (3) selling, buying, transporting, or delivering in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument to be attached to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting venture. Increases the penalties to a fine and up to three years' imprisonment for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend the Act through FY2013. Revises requirements regarding the merchantable material contracting pilot program. Requires counties participating in county projects to submit a specified notification for each project for which the participating county obligated county funds. Provides for the review of such notifications.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act - Designates specified lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) phase out the waiting period for disabled individuals to become eligible for benefits under SSA title XVIII (Medicare); and (2) eliminate the waiting period for individuals with life-threatening conditions to become eligible for such benefits. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to study the range of disability conditions that can be delayed or prevented if individuals receive access to health care services and coverage before a condition reaches disability levels.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Requires the Architect of the Capitol to establish and display in a prominent location within the Capitol Visitor Center suitable exhibits which: (1) depict the congressional careers, accomplishments, and contributions of the 22 African-American Members of Congress who served during the Reconstruction and Post-Reconstruction Eras, including the two African-American Senators, beginning with Congressman Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina (1870-1879) and ending with Congressman George H. White of North Carolina (1897-1901); and (2) acknowledge the use of slave labor in the construction of the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to expand and intensify research and related activities on postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. Requires the Director of NIMH to conduct or support research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, such conditions. Directs the Secretary to make grants to establish, operate, and coordinate effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with such conditions and their families. Allows the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grant recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Social Security Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States has the inherent right to defend itself against imminent or actual attack, as codified in the Charter of the United Nations and embodied in the traditions of international law, but that right does not extend to undertaking military action in the absence of such an imminent or actual attack. Disavows the doctrine of preemption because it poses a threat to international law and to U.S. national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Urges the League of Arab States to: (1) declare the systematic torture, rape, and displacement of Darfurians a genocide; (2) pass a resolution to support and accept U.N. peacekeepers to enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure access to humanitarian assistance in Darfur; and (3) work with the United Nations, the African Union, and the United States Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring about peace and stability to Darfur, the refugee camps, and along the Chadian border.
![Official portrait of Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000187_200.jpg)