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United States · Official source
4,473 records where Rep. Abercrombie, Neil [D-HI-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
Honors Kelly Pavlik on his World Middleweight Boxing Championship victory on September 29, 2007, and for his commitment and loyalty to his community.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2007
Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish the Military Valor Roll of Honor registry which shall: (1) contain the names and citations of all members of the Armed Forces, members of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service), and civilians affiliated with the Armed Forces who have been awarded the medal of honor or any other medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces, the U.S. merchant marine, or affiliated civilians; and (2) be a publicly available database.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2007
Defined Contribution Plan Fee Transparency Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose penalties on: (1) employers and multi-employer defined contribution plans for the failure of their plan administrators to provide to plan participants or beneficiaries written notices of plan fees and expenses and investment alternatives; and (2) providers of services to defined contribution plans for failure to provide certain information to plan administrators, including an estimate of total fees and expenses expected to be paid under a service contract and an itemization of the services to be provided under such contract.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2007
Supports the establishment of National Surveyors Week.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2007
Commends Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre for establishing a National Football League record for most career touchdown passes. Recognizes Favre for his outstanding community service in Wisconsin and Mississippi and his 16 consecutive years of dedicated service with the Packers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Safety Assurance For Every Consumer Product Act or the SAFE Consumer Product Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to require (in current law, authorize) the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to prescribe consumer product testing programs. Requires nongovernmental, independent third party testing of children's products. Increases the actions the CPSC may take in ordering recalls of products presenting substantial hazards. Makes recalled product retail sale unlawful. Requires manufacturers to mark products or packaging to enable purchasers to determine the product's source, date, and production cohort. Removes the cap on Consumer Product Safety Act civil penalties. Removes a requirement that criminal penalties may only be imposed after noncompliance notice. Reduces the period after CPSC notification to manufacturers and private labelers before public disclosure of information obtained under the Act. Requires any person who must give public notice of a substantial product hazard to post a notice on the Internet. Declares any children's product containing more than a specified amount of lead to be a banned hazardous substance under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, allowing a temporary exception for electronic devices. Requires certain actions to facilitate recalls of children's products and authorizes the CPSC to extend the requirements to consumer products other than children's products. Requires children's product's warning labels to be included in Internet advertisements. Removes provisions requiring a minimum number of CPSC members to transact business. Modifies rulemaking notice requirements. Declares the sense of Congress that the full complement of five CPSC members is necessary to conduct CPSC business and the President should fill vacancies expeditiously. Prohibits any consumer product safety standard or other CPSC action after enactment of this Act from containing a preemption provision which affects any action under state statutory or common law unless the provision is expressly authorized by statute.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Urges the President to: (1) call upon associates and appointees who have asserted executive privilege to come forward and testify before Congress; and (2) use all legal means at his disposal to compel people to cooperate with a congressional investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2007
Constitutional War Powers Amendments of 2007 - Rewrites the War Powers Resolution. Includes consultation procedures concerning participation in military operations of the United Nations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2007
Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act of 2007 - 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) and with the involvement of other federal agencies, state and local health departments, and an advisory committee, to establish and operate a Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network. Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify, expand, and coordinate among existing data and surveillance systems, surveys, registries, and other federal public health and environmental infrastructure; (2) provide for public access to an electronic national database that accepts data from the State Environmental Public Health Network (established by this Act), subject to privacy requirements; (3) prepare and periodically publish a Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Status Report and a Coordinated Network Health and Environment Report; (4) operate and maintain National Environmental Health Rapid Response Services; (5) provide technical assistance; and (6) develop minimum standards and procedures for data collection and reporting. Authorizes: (1) states to apply for grants to implement pilot projects to develop State Environmental Public Health Network enhancements and programs; and (2) the Secretary to award grants to at least five accredited schools or programs of public health for Centers of Excellence. Directs the Secretary: (1) to award John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships to eligible students enrolled in accredited schools of public health or medicine; and (2) through the CDC Director, to enter into cooperative agreements to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in state and local health departments and to expand CDC biomonitoring data collection.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2007
Safe Schools and Health Care Professional Pipeline Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make a grant to a qualified youth serving organization to establish and expand emergency preparedness pipelines consisting of: (1) health science curricula in secondary schools, institutions of higher education, and continuing education programs that prepare students for careers as health care professionals; and (2) school-based emergency preparedness chapters. Requires such a chapter to recruit and prepare students for federal, state, community, and school public health emergencies under the administration of such an organization and to provide training that is implemented uniformly, coordinated with and integrated into the school's health science curriculum, and provided through certified health science instructors serving as chapter advisors. Defines a "qualified youth serving organization" as a nonprofit organization that prepares youth exclusively for career entry and advancement opportunities in the health professions, offers a national recognition and competitive events program, and operates at least 2,500 chapters in at least 40 states. Requires the Secretary to make a grant each year to such an organization to conduct a national leadership conference that includes representatives of health science programs, emergency preparedness chapters, and the Medical Reserve Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2007
Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization Act - Authorizes Sealaska Corporation to select and receive conveyance of its remaining Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) land entitlement from federal lands in southeast Alaska from each of the following categories: (1) specified economic development land; (2) specified sites with sacred, cultural, traditional, or historical significance; and (3) specified native enterprise sites with traditional and recreational use value. Requires the Secretary of Interior to complete the conveyance of land to Sealaska within 180 days of selection. Declares that upon the exhaustion of Sealaska's remaining land entitlement under ANCSA and the completion of the conveyances of the land selected, the original southeast Alaska withdrawals shall expire and the lands within the withdrawals that are not conveyed to a Southeast Alaska Regional or Village Corporation shall be returned to the unencumbered management of the U.S. Forest Service as a part of the Tongass National Forest. Prohibits Sealaska from selecting or receiving conveyance of lands from within any Conservation System Unit, federally designated wilderness areas, or Land Use Designation I or II Areas. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) covenants and conditions on land conveyances to Sealaska, including subjecting conveyances of specified lands to a covenant prohibiting commercial timber harvesting; (2) authorized uses for the sacred, cultural, traditional, and historic sites; and (3) nonexclusive access and use rights that are required to be included in conveyances to Sealaska of native enterprise sites.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide medical monitoring and treatment benefits to: (1) eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the New York City terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) establish the WTC Health Program Steering Committee and the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (2) institute a program that provides education and outreach on the existence and availability of services under the WTC program; and (3) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish similar programs with respect to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Requires the administrator to conduct or support research on: (1) physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks; and (2) diagnosing and treating WTC-related health conditions. Requires the administrator to extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to provide, under certain circumstances, for an extension of time for filing claims under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) nonviolence and Mahatma Gandhi's teachings remain relevant in today's world; (2) our nation should take an active role in disseminating the message of nonviolence; and (3) the President should request the American people to observe the International Day of Non-Violence.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2007
Celebrates the 220th Anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Honors the efforts of the 42 delegates who attended the majority of the Constitutional Convention meetings and the 39 signers. Acknowledges the significance of the ideals established by the Constitution, including the principle of a limited federal government with a system of checks and balances. Recognizes the Constitution as the source responsible for our nation's ability to withstand calamity and preserve stability.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2007
Honors: (1) the sacrifices and commitment of the men, women, and families of the United States Transportation Command; and (2) the achievements of the Transportation Command during the global war on terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2007
Declares that Congress remembers, honors, and commends the achievements of the U.S. Air Force in serving and defending the United States on the 60th anniversary of its creation as an independent military service.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2007
Declares that there should be a day known as National Hunting and Fishing Day and that the President should issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe such a day. Encourages participation in hunting and fishing. Commends the contributions of hunters and fishermen toward the scientific management of wildlife and conservation of the natural environment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2007
Congratulates the Warner Robins Little League Baseball Team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2007
Community Clinical Laboratory Fairness in Competition Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the mandate for a Medicare Competitive Bidding Demonstration Project for Clinical Laboratory Services. Amends federal civil service to subject the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services (solely with respect to its capacity to issue rules governing the Medicare part B fee schedule for clinical laboratory services) to the requirement to submit to a small business advocacy review panel for comment any proposed rule which will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2007
Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into an agreement with the Free File Alliance to provide a forms-based software service for all individual taxpayers to electronically prepare and file their federal income tax returns through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website, free of charge, for taxable years beginning after 2007. Requires the Free File Alliance to meet certain standards promulgated by the federal government for business responsibility and commerciality of products or services. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a return-free tax system for taxable years beginning after 2007, unless authorized to do so by an Act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
College Affordability for Working Students Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to carry out a Demonstration Loan program providing guaranteed and direct loans to less than half-time students for not more than six terms, semesters, or substantially equivalent periods of enrollment over the duration of the students' studies. Limits program participation to up to 100 institutions of higher education or consortia of IHEs. Requires program loans to be: (1) subject to deferral of repayment while the borrower is enrolled as a student, even if less than half-time; and (2) repaid pursuant to a repayment plan selected by the borrower that commences six months after the borrower's enrollment ends. Authorizes the Secretary to waive, for IHE participants, certain requirements limiting what may be included in the cost of attendance for less than half-time students.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to implement a demonstration project providing competitive, four-year grants to at least 10 secondary schools that have a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of 60% or lower, for the provision of additional school counselors and counselor resources. Expresses the sense of Congress that grantees should provide one additional counselor for every 250 students at risk. Requires the additional school counselors to serve primarily students identified as being at risk of not graduating in four years. Makes grantees that demonstrate progress in improving their graduation rates eligible for subsequent grants.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Place to Call Home Act - Amends and reauthorizes the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase funding for the safe and stable families program. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to substance abuse prevention and the treatment performance partnership block grant program. Amends SSA title IV part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) with respect to the curtailment of involuntary separation of children from their families. Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to prohibit the involuntary separation of youth from their families. Provides for: (1) expanded eligibility for foster care and adoption assistance; (2) kinship guardianship assistance payments; (3) eligibility for foster care maintenance payments and adoption assistance payments through age 20; and (4) youth access to the child welfare system. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Reauthorization of 2008 - Reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a national homeless youth awareness campaign. Revises requirements for the use of funds under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. Directs the Attorney General to establish a Youth Offender Reentry Grants program. Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to provide for transitional housing assistance for youth victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified homeless youth a targeted group of the work opportunity credit. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 with respect to unaccompanied youth access to workforce investment activities. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to the prioritization of services for runaway, homeless, and street youth. Provides for enhanced youth access to medical assistance under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act with respect to the access of homeless children and youths to elementary and secondary education, including grants to increase student attendance. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to financial assistance for disconnected students and continued access to student housing for homeless youth. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for section 8 rental assistance (housing choice vouchers) for homeless youth. Amends SSA title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) with regard to young family concerns. Outlines requirements for custody, release, family reunification, and detention of unaccompanied immigrant youth, including: (1) access to child advocates and counsel; and (2) children's asylum claims. Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 with respect to the deinstitutionalization of status offenders.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Sales Tax Fairness and Simplification Act - Grants the consent of Congress to the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (Agreement), the multistate agreement for the administration and collection of sales and use taxes adopted on November 12, 2002. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Agreement provides sufficient simplification and uniformity to warrant federal authorizations to states that are parties to it (member states) to require remote sellers (sellers without a physical presence in the taxing state) to collect and remit the sales and use taxes of such states and their local taxing jurisdictions. Authorizes each member state, after 10 states (comprising at least 20% of all states imposing a sales tax) have petitioned for and become member states, to require all sellers, except those sellers with gross remote taxable sales nationwide of less than $5 million, to collect and remit sales and use taxes on remote sales owed to such member state under the terms of the Agreement. Allows any person affected by the Agreement to petition the Governing Board established by the Agreement for a determination of any issue arising under the Agreement. Provides for judicial review of Governing Board determinations by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Sets forth minimum simplification requirements for the Agreement. Expresses the sense of Congress that member states should work with each other to prevent double taxation where a foreign country has imposed a transaction tax on a digital good or service
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Employee Educational Assistance Act of 2007 - Renders the general terminating date (i.e., December 31, 2010) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 inapplicable to provisions of that Act that extended the exclusion of employer-provided educational assistance from the gross income of employees (thus making such tax exclusion permanent).
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Small Community Visioning Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to eligible recipients for small community visioning processes to: (1) help small communities address pressing local needs; (2) facilitate coordination between small communities, land-grant and other universities, and design professionals; (3) encourage public-private partnerships; and (4) develop design projects that integrate physical planning and design techniques with sustainable community action.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
200th Anniversary Commemoration Commission of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Act of 2007 - Establishes the Transatlantic Slave Trade 200th Anniversary Commission. Sets forth Commission duties, including: (1) plan activities appropriate to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; (2) encourage civic, historical, educational, religious, economic entities, as well as state and local governments to participate in anniversary activities; (3) facilitate the convening of a joint meeting or joint session of the Congress for related ceremonies and activities; (4) promote the sponsorship of related conferences and exhibitions; and (5) examine reports and raise public awareness of of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Terminates the Commission on December 31, 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Homeowners' Defense Act of 2007 - Declares that the purposes of this Act is to provide a federal backstop for state-sponsored insurance programs to help homeowners prepare for and recover from the damages caused by natural catastrophes. Establishes a nonprofit National Catastrophe Risk Consortium, which shall not be an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government, to: (1) gather an inventory of catastrophe risk obligations held by participating states' reinsurance funds, risk pools, or primary insurance corporations; (2) issue securities and other financial instruments linked to the catastrophe risk in the capital markets; (3) enter into reinsurance contracts with private parties, on a conduit basis; (4) act as a centralized repository of state risk information accessible by private-market participants interested in underwriting risk-linked securities or entering into reinsurance contracts; and (5) use an acquired catastrophe risk database to perform research and analysis that encourages standardization of the risk-linked securities market. Makes the Consortium eligible for discretionary federal grants, contracts, gifts, contributions, or technical assistance. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to carry out a national homeowners' insurance stabilization program to make liquidity loans and catastrophic loans to state and regional reinsurance programs to: (1) ensure their solvency; (2) improve the availability and affordability of homeowners' insurance; and (3) spread the risk of catastrophic financial loss resulting from natural disasters and catastrophic events. Authorizes the Secretary to establish and collect a reasonable fee from precertified qualified reinsurance programs to offset stabilization program expenses. Prescribes requirements for qualified reinsurance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
National Homelessness Task Force Act of 2007 - Establishes in the legislative branch a National Homelessness Task Force to: (1) analyze reports by federal, state, and local agencies and academic institutions relating to homelessness; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs addressing homelessness, particularly their interaction with state and local entities which also address homelessness; (3) analyze options and make recommendations to alleviate the causes and effects of such homelessness; and (4) conduct related research and develop methods to improve, federal, state, and local agency coordination.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to raise monetary caps on the federal share of National Writing Project teacher training costs. Reauthorizes the National Writing Project through FY2013.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Law Enforcement Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to set forth the due process rights, including procedures, that shall be afforded a law enforcement officer who is the subject of an investigation or disciplinary hearing. Requires law enforcement agencies to adopt and comply with a written complaint procedure that: (1) authorizes written complaints about a law enforcement officer from within and outside a law enforcement agency; (2) sets forth procedures for the investigation and disposition of such complaints; (3) provides for public access to required forms and information for submitting complaints; and (4) requires written notification to the complainant of the final disposition of the complaint and the reasons for such disposition. Sets forth requirements for the initiation of a investigation of a law enforcement officer, interrogations, disciplinary action, administrative appeals, and the confidentiality and protection of officer personnel files. Requires that an investigation based on a complaint against an officer begin not later than 15 days after the receipt of such complaint. Prohibits an officer from being compelled to submit to a lie detector test during an investigation..
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007 - Establishes an independent National Infrastructure Bank to: (1) designate qualified transit, public housing, water, highway, bridge, or road infrastructure projects for loans, loan guarantees, and other financial assistance; and (2) issue general purpose and project-based infrastructure bonds exempt from state and local taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Preventive Medicine and Public Health Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to or enter into contracts with certain eligible entities to provide training to graduate medical residents in preventive medicine specialties. Requires grant funds to be used for: (1) residency programs for preventive medicine or public health; (2) financial assistance to resident physicians who plan to specialize in preventive medicine or public health; (3) preventive medicine or public health program costs, including curriculum development and practicum costs; and (4) the improvement of academic administrative units.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information on emergency contraception, including, at a minimum, a description of emergency contraception and an explanation of the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of such contraception. Requires that the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop and disseminate to health care providers, including pharmacists, information on emergency contraception that includes, at a minimum: (1) information describing the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of emergency contraception; (2) a recommendation regarding its use in appropriate cases; and (3) information explaining how to obtain copies of information from the CDC.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007
States that it is the responsibility of the United States to take steps to stop human rights abuses by the Chinese regime against its citizens and to stop the Chinese regime from supporting human rights abuses by Sudan, Burma, and North Korea. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. government should take steps to boycott the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing unless the Chinese regime ends such human rights abuses.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for certain low-income HIV-infected individuals. Provides states taking advantage of this option with an enhanced federal Medicaid match.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007
Federal Dog Protection Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to make it unlawful to knowingly: (1) sponsor or exhibit an animal in, or knowingly attend, a dog fighting venture; (2) sell, buy, possess, train, transport, deliver, or receive for purposes of transportation any dog or other animal for the purpose of having the dog or other animal, or offspring of the dog or other animal, participate in a dog fighting venture; or (3) use the U.S. mail service or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech that promotes or furthers such prohibited actions. Makes costs incurred for the care of animals seized and forfeited recoverable from the owner (currently recoverable costs are limited to those incurred by the United States). Allows animal control agencies, humane societies, or societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals to commence a civil suit to enjoin any private party who is alleged to be in violation of provisions concerning animal fighting. Provides for enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007
GEAR UP Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) created to facilitate the transition of low-income high school students into postsecondary education. Establishes a seven year GEAR UP grant period. Requires grantees to provide services to students through their first year of postsecondary education. Revises GEAR UP matching requirements to allow: (1) matching funds to accrue over the duration of a grant; (2) grantees to request that the match be reduced; and (3) each non-federal dollar obligated for student financial aid to be treated as two dollars toward the match. Expands permissible uses of grant funds to include promoting student financial and economic literacy and facilitating family and community involvement in the program. Permits state grantees to use program funds for technical assistance to middle or secondary schools or partnership grantees located in the state. Provides that GEAR UP scholarships are to supplement aid to which students are already eligible. Alters the formula used in determining the minimum GEAR UP scholarship to factor in the minimum, rather than maximum, Pell Grant. Reauthorizes GEAR UP appropriations through FY2014.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007
HIV Nondiscrimination in Travel and Immigration Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) bar to U.S. admission. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) convene a panel of public health experts to review immigration policies regarding HIV as a communicable disease of public health significance (and thus a health-related ground for inadmissibility); and (2) make a determination and report to Congress regarding the continued listing of HIV as a health-related ground for inadmissibility.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007
Kalaupapa Memorial Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to authorize Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, a nonprofit organization consisting of patient residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park, to establish a memorial at the location(s) approved by the Secretary at Kalawao or Kalaupapa within the boundaries of Kalaupapa National Historical Park on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, to honor those individuals who were forcibly relocated to Kalaupapa Peninsula from 1866 to 1969.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007
21st Century Servicemembers Protection Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow individuals called to military service to terminate or suspend a service contract, after the date of entry into service or the date of the military orders, if: (1) the service contract (such as phone, cable, Internet, or utilities) is executed before the individual is called to service for a period of at least 90 days; or (2) the person enters into the contract while in military service and thereafter receives orders for a change of permanent station to a location outside the United States, or to deploy with a military unit for a period of at least 180 days. Provides penalties against anyone who: (1) holds property or funds of a person in military service who lawfully terminates a contract; or (2) violates the 6% limit on interest rates charged to servicemembers during a period of military service.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007
Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2007 or the PRE-K Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs. Sets forth a grant formula favoring states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early learning standards; (2) follow nationally-established best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to hold at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; and (4) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers hold at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education. Directs the Secretary to establish a competitive process for awarding grants to other states that demonstrate that they will meet such requirements within two fiscal years. Prohibits state grantees from reducing their preschool or child care expenditures. Includes among grant uses: (1) increasing the qualifications of, and benefits provided to, teachers, teacher aides, and program directors; (2) decreasing class size and improving teacher-to-student ratios; (3) providing certain comprehensive services that support healthy child development; (4) extending program hours per day and weeks per year; and (5) improving program monitoring and learning environments. Reserves funds for competitive grants to Indians for their preschool programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should set a national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years using a strategy that promotes good jobs at livable wages.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2007
Measuring and Evaluating Trends for Reliability, Integrity, and Continued Success Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require each state receiving school improvement funds to implement, within four years of this Act's enactment, a pre- through high-school longitudinal data system that includes: (1) a unique and consistent statewide student identifier; (2) the ability to track student participation and performance over time; (3) a unique and consistent statewide teacher identifier that matches student records to the appropriate teacher; and (4) the ability to link its data to data from higher education, workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, and military services information systems. Allots funds to states to operate, upgrade, and optimize the use of their data systems. Reserves funds for competitive grants to nonprofit entities to support a state education data center.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2007
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act - Requires state accountability systems, required under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), to measure not only student academic progress, but their progress toward a national goal of 150 minutes of weekly physical education in elementary school and 225 minutes of weekly physical education in middle and high schools. Amends the ESEA to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs. Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, safe and drug-free schools and communities, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, parental involvement in their childrens' education, and the construction of healthy high-performing schools. Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study and provide recommendations regarding school programs to improve student health and participation in physical activities. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states to implement assessments effectively measuring cognitive development in physical education and physical activity skills, motor skills development, and how much students value physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2007
National Commission on Detainee Treatment Act of 2007 - Establishes the National Commission on Detainee Treatment to: (1) conduct a comprehensive review of matters relating to the capture, custody, judicial proceedings, and repatriation of suspected unlawful enemy combatants; and (2) prepare and submit to Congress and the President a final report on Commission recommendations, findings, and conclusions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2007
Travel Promotion Act of 2007 - Establishes the Corporation for Travel Promotion as a nonprofit corporation that is not an agency or establishment of the U.S. government. Makes the Corporation subject to the provisions of the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act. Requires the Corporation, among other things, to provide useful information to people interested in traveling to the United States, identify and address perceptions in other countries regarding U.S. entry policies, and promote U.S. travel. Establishes in the Treasury the Travel Promotion Fund. Requires the transfer of Treasury funds to the Corporation, requiring nonfederal matching funds. Authorizes the U.S. government, if a fully automated electronic system is implemented to determine, in advance of travel, the eligibility of an alien to travel to the United States, to charge an applicant a system use fee. Amends the International Travel Act of 1961 to replace references to the United States National Tourism Organization with references to the Corporation. Modifies various requirements applicable to the Tourism Policy Council. Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2003 to remove provisions establishing the United States Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2007
National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the courage, pride, sacrifice, sense of duty, and history of the U.S. Infantry, in commemoration of the legacy of the U.S. Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center. Expresses the sense of Congress that the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York, to the greatest extent possible. Restricts coin issuance to calendar year 2012. Requires a $10 surcharge per coin, and payment of all surcharges received to the National Infantry Foundation to establish an endowment to support the maintenance of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2007
Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007 - Amends the National Dam Safety Program Act to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a program to provide grant assistance to states for use in rehabilitating publicly-owned dams that fail to meet minimum safety standards and pose an unacceptable risk to the public (deficient dams). Sets forth provisions regarding procedures for grant awards and fund allocation. Requires: (1) a state receiving a grant under this Act to comply with requirements applicable to contributions of federal funds under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and (2) FEMA to develop a risk-based priority system for identifying deficient dams for which such grants may be made. Limits the federal share of rehabilitation costs to 65%.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2007
Repeals certain personnel management authorities, including a provision authorizing the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to employ and fix the compensation, terms, and conditions of employment for passenger and property screeners. Directs: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security to take any measures necessary to provide for the uniform treatment of all TSA screeners; and (2) the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the pay system that applies to such employees.