United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from awarding any contracts under the competitive durable medical equipment items and services acquisition program unless: (1) the quality standards have been implemented; and (2) the Secretary has received advice from the program oversight committee. Requires the Secretary (who currently is authorized), in carrying out competitive acquisition programs, to exempt: (1) rural areas and areas with low population density within urban areas that are not competitive, unless there is a significant national market through mail order for a particular item or service; and (2) items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings. Exempts smaller metropolitan statistical areas as well. Modifies requirements for the protection of small suppliers in bidding and contracting. Requires the Secretary to permit all suppliers to continue to participate as suppliers at the selected award price so long as they submit bids at less than the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable and otherwise comply with program requirements. Provides for appeal rights (currently denied). Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings of at least 10%. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a program with respect to an item or service unless inclusion of the item or service will make significant savings of at least 10% probable, compared to the fee schedule in effect on January 1, 2007. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing certain payment rate basis requirements for covered items furnished after January 1, 2009, with respect to an area that is not a competitive acquisition area, unless a comparability analysis has been completed and published. Directs the Secretary, after fully implementing the initial 10 competitive acquisition areas, to analyze and report to Congress on the impact of competitive bidding in those areas. Prohibits expanding the coverage of competitive acquisition programs, or applying bid rates to non-bid areas, beyond the 10 competitive acquisition areas, unless specifically authorized by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to improve dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); (2) include dental services as a basic service under SCHIP; and (3) allow states to provide wrap-around coverage under SCHIP for dental services to privately-insured children. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Graduate Medical Education (GME) payments for dental residency programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a grant program to expand the availability of primary dental care services in dental health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas. Authorizes retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of HRSA and the Director of the Indian Health Service, to establish demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health; and (2) Chief Dental Officers for Medicaid and SCHIP, HRSA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Requires the Director of the CDC to collect data on dental, craniofacial, and oral health. Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries (tooth decay) and to develop prevention programs. Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to states and Indian tribes to improve their basic capacity to improve the oral health of children and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
House Ethics Commission Establishment Act of 2007 - Establishes an independent House Ethics Commission within the legislative branch. Amends Rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to revise the duties of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to conform with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Rural Wind Energy Development Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for the installation of wind energy property; and (2) an accelerated depreciation allowance for such property.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the exclusion from gross income for employer-provided health care coverage to certain eligible beneficiaries and their dependent children; (2) revise the definition of "dependent" for purposes of the tax deduction for the health insurance costs of self-employed individuals; and (3) extend voluntary employees' beneficiary association sick and accident benefits to eligible beneficiaries and their dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a commemorative postage stamp honoring Rosa Louise McCauley Parks should be issued; (2) the provision requiring that an honoree must have died at least 10 years before this honor should be waived; and (3) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend that such a stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states and Indian tribes for colorectal cancer programs that include: (1) providing colorectal cancer screening to individuals who are over 50 years of age or at high risk for such cancer; (2) providing case management and referrals for medical treatment; (3) ensuring the full continuum of follow up and cancer care for individuals screened; (4) carrying out activities to improve the education, training, and skills of health professionals in the detection and control of colorectal cancer; and (5) developing and disseminating public information and education programs for the detection and control of colorectal cancer and promoting the benefits of receiving screenings through this program. Gives priority to low-income individuals who lack adequate coverage under health insurance and health plans with respect to screenings for colorectal cancer. Allows the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and operation of programs funded by a grant under this Act. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical assistance to individuals who have been screened for colorectal cancer under this Act and who need treatment for complications due to screening or colorectal cancer. Applies provisions related to breast and cervical cancer programs to programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act with respect to payment rates for meals and meal supplements provided by service institutions under summer food service programs for children. Requires payments for administrative costs to be set at levels determined by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to a specified study. (Currently, payments to service institutions shall equal the full cost of food service operations, excluding administrative costs. Payments for administrative costs shall equal the full amount of state-approved administrative costs incurred, not to exceed the maximum allowable levels the Secretary determines pursuant to such study.) Repeals authority for simplified summer food pilot projects.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Uniting America's Military Families Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to waive inadmissibility grounds based on visa, document, or immigration benefit misrepresentation in the case of an immediate family member of an active duty or reserve member of the Armed Forces. Amends V-visa (permits nonimmigrant spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents who are beneficiaries of an immigrant petition to reside and work in the United States while waiting to obtain immigrant status) provisions to eliminate specified restrictions on a petition's filing date and length of pendency for a petition filed by an active duty or reserve member of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
National Park Centennial Act - Establishes the National Park Centennial Fund in the Treasury. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers to designate overpayments and contributions for the benefit of the National Park System. Allocates such amounts to the Fund (along with necessary amounts from the General Fund to the extent that such amounts are inadequate in any fiscal year) for expenditure by the Secretary of the Interior. Authorizes appropriations for a public awareness campaign about the Fund and the ability of taxpayers to make tax-related contributions. Requires a specified percentage of Fund deposits to be used: (1) for the elimination of the backlog of unmet needs in the national parks as identified in the Facility Condition Index of the National Park Service (NPS); (2) to protect natural resources within the parks; and (3) to protect cultural resources within the parks. Requires a majority of such percentages to be distributed to those national parks that have completed comprehensive business plans under the Business Plan Initiative of the NPS. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) annually to submit a report on the National Park System. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to elementary and secondary schools for cooperative agreements with the NPS providing distance learning and onsite education programs. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit specified reports assessing the national parks.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2007 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) pursue a global HIV prevention strategy that emphasizes the needs of married and unmarried women and girls and addresses the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; and (2) balance funding for HIV prevention methods. Directs the President to: (1) formulate and submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and make available to the public, a comprehensive and culturally appropriate global HIV prevention strategy that addresses the HIV vulnerability of married and unmarried women and girls and seeks to reduce the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; (2) ensure that the United States coordinates its overall HIV/AIDS policy and programs with foreign governments, international organizations, other donor countries, and indigenous organizations; and (3) provide clear guidance to U.S. field missions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Training for Realtime Writers Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to make competitive grants to eligible entities to promote recruitment, training, and placement of individuals, including individuals who have completed a court reporting training program, as realtime writers providing closed captioning in video programming. Sets forth priorities in making grants. Limits grants to $1.5 million for a two-year period. Repeals this Act five years after funds are appropriated to carry it out.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the state-sponsored violence taking place in Zimbabwe represents a serious violation of fundamental human rights and the rule of law and should be condemned by all responsible governments, civic organizations, religious leaders, and international bodies; and (2) the government of Zimbabwe has not lived up to its commitments as a signatory to the Constitutive Act of the African Union and African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights. Condemns: (1) the government of Zimbabwe's violent suppression of political and human rights; (2) the harassment and intimidation of lawyers attempting to carry out their professional obligations to their clients and repeated failure by police to comply with court decisions; and (3) the harassment of foreign officials, journalists, human rights workers, and others. Commends U.S. Ambassador Christopher Dell and other U.S. officials and foreign officials for their support to political detainees and victims of torture and abuse while in police custody or in medical care centers. Calls on the government of Zimbabwe to end: (1) its violent campaign against fundamental human rights, respect the courts and members of the legal profession, and restore the rule of law; and (2) illegitimate interference in travel abroad by its citizens, especially for humanitarian purposes. Calls on the leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) to consult with all Zimbabwe stakeholders to intervene with the government of Zimbabwe while applying appropriate pressures to resolve the economic and political crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for: (1) elimination of the lifetime limit on inpatient mental health services; (2) parity in treatment for outpatient mental health services; (3) coverage of intensive residential services under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and of intensive outpatient services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); (4) exclusion of clinical social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing facility prospective payment system; and (5) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study and report to Congress on whether the criteria for coverage of any therapy service or any outpatient mental health care service under Medicare unduly restricts the access to such a service of any Medicare beneficiary with Alzheimer's disease or a related mental illness because the coverage criteria requires the Medicare beneficiary to display continuing clinical improvement to continue to receive the service.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Public Service Academy Act of 2007 - Establishes in the Department of Homeland Security a U.S. Public Service Academy for the instruction in and preparation for public service of selected individuals. Sets forth provisions relating to: (1) key personnel positions and faculty and departments; (2) student qualifications and requirements for admission; (3) procedures for the appointment of students to the Academy by Members of Congress and the President; (4) curriculum standards; and (5) study abroad requirements. Requires each Academy student to sign an agreement with respect to length of public service. Imposes tuition and cost repayment requirements for Academy students who fail to graduate or accept or complete assigned public service. Establishes a Board of Visitors to inquire into the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of the Academy. Requires the tuition of each Academy student to be fully subsidized. Provides for public (80%) and private funding for the Academy.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Joins the Secretary of Defense in honoring the children of members of the Armed Forces and recognizes that they share in the burden of protecting the nation. Urges Americans to join the military community in observing April as National Month of the Military Child. Recognizes with great appreciation the contributions of private sector organizations in providing resources and assistance to military families and their communities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act - Prohibits any employee from being terminated, demoted, or discriminated against in the terms or conditions of employment because the employee is absent or late as a result of serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services as part of a response to an emergency or major disaster. Excludes absences for which the employee: (1) is absent for more than 14 days per calendar year; (2) responds to an emergency or major disaster without being official deployed in accordance with a coordinator national deployment system; or (3) fails to provide written verification within a reasonable period of time. Allows employers to: (1) reduce the employee's regular pay for such time as the employee is absent; and (2) require the employee to provide written verification from the supervising Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state, or local official that such employee responded in an official capacity at a specified time and date. Requires such an employee to make a reasonable effort to notify his or her employer that he or she may be absent or late. Gives such an employee a private cause of action for discrimination which violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Responsible Education About Life Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that states are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires states receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the state's program by an external, independent entity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 or STRIVE Act of 2007- Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing the New Worker Program established in title IV or grant conditional nonimmigrant classification under title VI of this Act prior to certification to the President and to Congress that specified conditions have been met respecting: (1) border security; (2) document security; and (3) first phase implementation of the electronic employment verification system. Sets forth border security and enforcement provisions, including provisions respecting: (1) personnel and asset increases and enhancements; (2) a National Strategy for Border Security; (3) border security initiatives, including biometric data enhancements and a biometric entry-exit system, and document integrity, (4) international cooperation; (5) Central American gangs; and (6) National Guard use on the southern border. Authorizes a border relief grant program for a tribal, state, or local law enforcement agency in a county: (1) no more than 100 miles from a U.S. border with Canada or Mexico; or (2) more than 100 miles from any such border but which is a high impact area. Sets forth protections for asylum seekers and other immigrants who are subject to expedited removal and/or detention. Establishes within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an Office of Detention Oversight. Provides for a secure (detention) alternatives program. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to combat human smuggling. Sets forth interior enforcement provisions, including provisions respecting: (1) criminal aliens; (2) voluntary departure; (3) expedited removal; (4) background checks; (5) the state criminal alien assistance program; (6) tribal lands security; (7) state and local enforcement of immigration laws; (8) detention and alternatives; (9) passport and immigration fraud; (10) illegal entry and reentry; (11) detention and removal; (12) criminal penalties; (13) alien street gang members; and (14) alien smuggling. Makes it unlawful to knowingly hire, recruit, or refer for a fee an unauthorized alien. Sets forth verification provisions. Provides for implementation of an electronic employment verification system, which shall include required, voluntary, and excluded employer categories. Sets forth system provisions respecting: (1) procedures; (2) criminal and civil penalties; and (3) privacy and anti-discrimination safeguards. Provides for additional worksite and fraud detection personnel. Establishes a temporary guest worker program (H-2C visa) (New Worker Program) of 400,000 initial entrants. Provides for: (1) a three-year admission with one additional three-year extension; (2) issuance of H-4 nonimmigrant visas for accompanying or following spouses and children; (3) U.S. and guest worker protections; (4) implementation of an alien employment management system; (5) specified employer obligations; and (6) establishment of a Standing Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets. Provides for H-2C adjustment of status to permanent resident if the alien: (1) has been employed in H-2C status for a cumulative period of at least five years and establishes evidence of employment; (2) pays a $500 application fee; (3) is physically present in the United States; and (4) is pursuing English language and U.S. history education. Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate bilateral agreements with H-2C worker home countries. Sets forth backlog reduction provisions respecting: (1) family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant levels, including recapture of unused visas; (2) country limits; (3) immigrant visa allocations; (4) shortage occupations; (5) nurses and physical therapists; (6) Iraqi and Afghan translators; (7) aliens of extraordinary artistic ability; (8) Canadian powerline workers and boilermakers; (9) aliens in specialty occupations; (10) U.S. educated immigrants; (11) students; (12) L-visa (intracompany transfer) aliens; and (13) minor children and widows. Provides for status adjustment filing of qualifying employment based immigrants regardless of whether an immigrant visa is immediately available. Establishes a special immigrant category for certain children and women at risk of harm. Exempt sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas. Provides that determinations under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 as to whether an individual is a child of a parent shall be made using the individual's age and status on October 21, 1998. Expands the S-visa (witness/informant) classification. Limits the L-visa (intracompany transfer) classification. Replaces the existing fashion model H-1B visa classification with an O-visa classification. Return of Talent Act - Directs the Secretary to establish the return of talent program to permit eligible aliens to temporarily return to their country of citizenship in order to make a material contribution if the country is engaged in post-conflict or natural disaster reconstruction activities. Major Disaster and Emergency Victims Immigration Benefits Preservation Act - Sets forth disaster- or emergency-related immigration benefit preservation provisions respecting: (1) special immigrant status; (2) filing or reentry deadline extensions; (3) surviving spouses and children, including surviving spouses and children of refugees and asylees; (4) waiver of public charge inadmissibility grounds; (5) age-out protection; (6) documents and address requirements; and (7) foreign students. Authorizes a six-year conditional nonimmigrant status for a qualifying alien (and spouse and children as conditional nonimmigrant dependents) who has been illegally and continually present and employed in the United States since before June 1, 2006 up to the present. Requires: (1) criminal and security background checks; (2) payment of a $500 fine and applicable application fees; and (3) payment of tax obligations. Prohibits such status for an alien who has: (1) participated in persecutions; or (2) been convicted of a felony or three or more misdemeanors. Permits permanent resident status adjustment. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 or DREAM Act of 2007 - Repeals the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Authorizes the Secretary to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her sixteenth birthday, and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; and (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal. Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2007 or AgJOBS Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary to confer "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) has performed agricultural employment in the United States for at least 863 hours or 150 work days during the 24-month period ending on December 31, 2006; (2) applied for such status during the 18-month application period beginning on the first day of the seventh month that begins after the date of enactment of this Act; (3) is otherwise admissible to the United States; and (4) has not been convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor, an element of which involves bodily injury, threat of serious bodily injury, or harm to property in excess of $500. Directs the Secretary to adjust a blue card alien (and spouse and minor children) to permanent resident status if the alien has fulfilled specified periods of agricultural employment. Amends the Social Security Act to exempt blue card aliens from prosecution for social security-related identity or payment false statements if such conduct occurred prior to the granting of blue card status. Revises H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Replaces the existing labor certification requirement with a labor attestation requirement containing: (1) a description of the nature and location of the job; (2) the job's expected beginning and ending dates; (3) the number of jobs; and (4) specified labor assurances respecting job opportunities covered by collective bargaining agreements and non-covered job opportunities. Authorizes an initial entry, adjustment, and citizenship assistance grant program. Strengthening American Citizenship Act of 2007 - Directs the Chief of the Office of Citizenship of DHS to provide grants to assist legal U.S. residents who declare an intent to apply for citizenship in the United States to meet naturalization requirements. Provides that a legal U.S. resident who demonstrates English fluency will satisfy the residency requirement upon the completion of four years (currently, five years) of continuous U.S. legal residency. Directs the Secretary to establish an American citizenship grant program for qualified entities to provide civics, history, and English classes to promote the patriotic integration of prospective citizens. Authorizes the Secretary to establish the United States Citizenship Foundation to support the functions of the Office of Citizenship. Establishes a new citizens award program to recognize citizens who: (1) have made an outstanding contribution to the United States; and (2) were naturalized during the ten-year period ending on the date of such recognition. Authorizes the Secretary of State to award a grant to a U.S. land grant university to establish a national program for a broad, university-based Mexican rural poverty mitigation program. Provides for increases in DHS immigration attorneys and Department of Justice immigration attorneys and judges. Expresses the sense of Congress that an effective and fair immigration court system should be established. Sets forth citizenship assistance provisions for members of the Armed Forces. Provides permanent resident status adjustment or cancellation of removal and permanent resident status adjustment for a requesting alien who was on September 10, 2001, the wife, child, or dependent son or daughter of a lawful nonimmigrant alien who died as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. Authorizes an alien who is under removal or ordered to depart voluntarily from the United States to apply for such status adjustment. Excludes from such provisions an alien who is: (1) inadmissible or deportable under criminal or security grounds, including September 11, 2001, terrorist activity; or (2) a family member of such an alien. Establishes: (1) the Office of Internal Corruption Investigation; (2) the State Impact Assistance Account; and (3) the New Worker Program and Conditional Nonimmigrant Fee Account; and (4) the Immigrant Entrepeneur Regional Account Center. Provide permanent resident status adjustment for certain persecuted religious minorities. Establishes grants for state courts to implement programs to assist individuals with limited English proficiency to understand court proceedings. Provides for notice and hearing if DHS intends to remove an alien to a country other than the one designated at the removal hearing. Requires that Department of State and Department of Justice immigration documents comply with specified authentication, documentation, and machine readable standards.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers (RESPECT) Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to revise the definition of "supervisor" in the following ways: (1) require the individual to have authority over employees for a majority of the individual's worktime; and (2) remove authority to assign other employees and to responsibly direct employees as conditions for being considered a supervisor.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Authorizes the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a Science and Technology Scholarship Program to award scholarships to students at institutions of higher education to recruit and prepare them for careers in the National Weather Service and in NOAA marine research, atmospheric research, and satellite programs. Sets forth provisions governing such Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Graduation for All Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish a program that will provide grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish reading and writing programs to improve overall reading and writing performance among middle and high school students. Limits eligibility for subgrants to LEAs in a state that are among those that have the lowest graduation rates for public secondary school students. Includes among required uses of LEA subgrant funds: (1) hiring and inservice training of literacy coaches; (2) counseling for at-risk students; and (3) professional development for educators that addresses literacy needs of certain student groups. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include public secondary school graduation rates for all students under requirements for: (1) accountability for adequate yearly progress (AYP); and (2) annual state report cards. Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to require annual reports on the number participants who are 16, 17, or 18 years old in certain programs and services, disaggregated by certain attributes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations through FY2012 for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Specifies Commodity Credit Corporation fund amounts to be used for the Program in each of FY2008-FY2012. Makes the Secretary of Agriculture responsible for specified program administration provisions currently delegated to the President.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Community Choice Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in recognition of Constantino Brumidi's contributions to the Nation as a designer and decorator of the U.S. Capitol. Requires the Architect of the Capitol to arrange for the gold medal to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of marriage and family therapist services generally, and particularly those provided in rural health clinics and in hospice programs, and mental health counselor services under part B of the Medicaid program. Amends Medicare part C (Miscellaneous) to exclude such services from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system. Authorizes marriage and family therapists to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act - Recognizes the suffering and the loyalty of the people of Guam during the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make specified payments to: (1) living Guam residents who were raped, injured, interned, or subjected to forced labor or marches resulting from, or incident to, such occupation and subsequent liberation; and (2) survivors of compensable residents who died in war or survivors of compensable injured residents (such payments to be made after payments have been made to surviving Guam residents). Defines "compensable Guam decedent" and "compensable Guam victim." Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to specify injuries that would constitute a severe personal injury or a personal injury. Authorizes the Commission to adjudicate claims and determine payment eligibility. Requires: (1) claims to be filed within one year after the Commission publishes public notice of the filing period in the Federal Register; and (2) the Commission to make filing period information available to the public through the media in Guam. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program for research, educational, and media activities that memorialize the events surrounding the occupation of Guam during World War II or honor the loyalty of the people of Guam during such occupation, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the state, local, or tribal hate crime laws. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one state and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist state, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to expand data collection and reporting requirements under such Act to include: (1) crimes manifesting prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) hate crimes committed by and against juveniles.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Clean Money, Clean Elections Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of clean election financing of House election campaigns; (2) establishment of a House Clean Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations as well as such allocations; (4) a seed money contribution requirement; (5) contribution and expenditure requirements; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a clean money candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) payment of fair fight funds; (9) administration of the House Clean Elections System; (10) reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates; (11) modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements; (12) limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates; and (13) treatment of coordinated expenditures as contributions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit for voluntary donations to the House Clean Elections Fund. Establishes the Clean Elections Review Commission. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to entitle clean money candidates to receive specified free broadcast time and reduced broadcast rates in certain circumstances. Amends federal postal law to prohibit franked mass mailings by Members of Congress (except public meeting notices) during the 90 days before primary and general election periods, unless they are not candidates for re-election to any other federal office. Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a proceeding on certiorari; and (2) reduce from 48 to 24 hours the deadline for electronic filing with the FEC of reports by each political committee of contributions received within 90 days before an election.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Safe Climate Act of 2007 - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate: (1) targets for a 2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year from 2010-2050; and (2) regulations requiring reductions to meet such targets, including by setting caps on emissions of sources and sectors with the largest emissions or the best opportunities to reduce them, by issuing and authorizing trading of emission allowances, and by imposing penalties for excess emissions. Requires relevant federal agencies to finalize a rule to carry out the National Academies' recommendations for regulatory action needed to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations or explain their reasons for declining to act. Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan for the distribution of emission allowances (including through auctions) and the use of proceeds (to be deposited in a Climate Reinvestment Fund) for specified goals, including mitigating the effects of energy cost increases and climate change. Requires the EPA to ensure that emissions and allowances are accurately tracked, reported, and verified. Authorizes the emission reduction regulations to include: (1) additional requirements for any source or sector; and (2) performance standards, best management practices, and technology-based requirements. Requires such regulations to set standards for the reduction of greenhouse emissions from motor vehicles at least as quickly as the standards adopted by the California Air Resources Board at its September 2004 hearing. Requires the EPA to revise such standards in 2014 and every five years thereafter to further reduce emissions. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) require, beginning in 2010, an annual increase in the percentage of electric energy generated from renewable sources that is sold at the retail level in the United States and to require such percentage to be at least 20% of the total electricity sold by 2020; and (2) set end-user savings targets for retail electric-energy and natural gas suppliers. Authorizes DOE to: (1) increase the required percentage of end-user savings for years after 2020; and (2) allow suppliers to achieve the targets through a market-based trading system.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Enhancing Drug Safety and Innovation Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require an application for approval for a new drug or biological product to include a proposed risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, which must include: (1) labeling for the drug for use by health care providers; (2) submission of reports for the drug; and (3) a statement as to whether the analysis and surveillance are sufficient to assess the serious risks of the drug. Establishes a Drug Safety Oversight Board. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Reagan-Udall Institute for Applied Biomedical Research as a nonprofit corporation to advance the Critical Path Initiative to modernize medical product development, accelerate innovation, and enhance product safety. Requires the Institute to have a Board of Directors. Allows the Board to coordinate and collaborate with other entities to conduct research, education, and outreach and to modernize the sciences of developing, manufacturing, and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of diagnostics, devices, biologics, and drugs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish and administer a clinical trial registry database and a clinical trial results database. Requires a responsible part for a clinical trial to submit clinical trial information to the Director for inclusion in the databases. Requires each individual under consideration for a term on an advisory committee providing advice or recommendations to the Secretary regarding FDA activities to disclose industry financial interests.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for conducting and supporting research on Alzheimer's disease in FY2008-FY2012. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute on Aging to: (1) give priority to projects for conducting and supporting Alzheimer's disease research; (2) increase the emphasis on the need to conduct Alzheimer's disease prevention trials within NIH; (3) ensure that Alzheimer's disease is maintained as a high priority for the existing neuroscience initiative; (4) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's disease; and (5) make grants for research related to the early detection, diagnosis, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, the relationship of vascular disease and Alzheimer's disease, and Alzheimer's disease services and caregiving. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) convene a summit of researchers and other industry representatives on Alzheimer's disease; (2) make grants for public education programs on risk factors associated with cognitive health, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias; and (3) make grants to community organizations to establish and operate Alzheimer's call centers to provide 24-hour information on Alzheimer's disease. Extends through FY2012 funding for demonstration projects relating to Alzheimer's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007 - Requires a member of the Armed Forces (member) in an outpatient status at a military medical treatment facility to be assigned a medical care case manager who has completed a training program and curriculum for such management. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a toll-free hotline for reporting deficiencies in medical-related support facilities. Requires expedited investigation of reported deficiencies. Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) notify appropriate Members of Congress of the hospitalization of members evacuated from a theater of combat; and (2) ensure that members appearing before medical evaluation boards have access to an independent medical advocate. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a standardized training program and curriculum for military personnel and health care professionals involved in the disability evaluation system; and (2) a pilot program for the transition from military service of separated or retired members. Establishes the Department of Defense Medical Support Fund. Requires reports on: (1) enhanced training for individuals providing assistance to recovering members; (2) the adequacy and quality of medical and medical-support facilities of the Department of Defense (DOD); and (3) the disability evaluation systems used by DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Establishes the Oversight Board for Wounded Warriors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Prescription Coverage Now Act of 2007 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide for an expedited process for the qualification for low-income assistance through a request to the Secretary of the Treasury for tax return and other information sufficient to identify: (1) whether the individual involved is likely eligible for subsidies; and (2) the amount of premium and cost-sharing subsidies for which they would qualify based on such information. Provides for modification of resource standards for determination of eligibility for low-income subsidy and revision of income and asset rules. Requires indexing of deductibles and cost-sharing above the annual out-of-pocket threshold for individuals with income below 150% of the poverty line. Requires screening by the Commissioner of Social Security for eligibility under Medicare savings programs. Creates a special enrollment period for subsidy eligible individuals. Waives the late enrollment penalty for subsidy eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators. Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network. Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Visa Waiver Modernization Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should modernize the visa waiver program by enhancing program security requirements and extending visa-free travel privileges to nationals of foreign countries that are allies in the war on terrorism; and (2) such expansion will have positive security, economic, and bilateral effects. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the visa waiver program to provide that the Secretary of Homeland Security shall certify to Congress that an air exit system is in place when such system can verify the departure of at least 97% of foreign nationals exiting through U.S. airports. Authorizes, upon such certification, waiver of low visa refusal rate requirements for a country that meets security and counterterrorism cooperation requirements and has a sustained reduction in visa refusal rates. Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider specified security-related issues in determining whether to waive low visa refusal requirements; and (2) consider visa overstay rates in determining program eligibility. Provides for the following program security enhancements: (1) implementation of an electronic travel authorization system which shall provide biographical information; (2) participant country reporting of lost and stolen passports to the U.S. government; (3) participant country acceptance of its citizens or nationals removed from the United States; and (4) security-related information exchange about a country's citizens or nationals traveling to the United States. Requires the Secretary to establish an exit system that records the departure on a flight leaving the United States of every alien program participant. Requires that such system: (1) match an alien's biometric information against watch lists and immigration information; and (2) compare such biometric information against air carrier manifests to confirm departures.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense, no later than August 31, 2007, to complete development of a plan to provide chiropractic health care services and benefits, as a permanent part of the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program), for covered beneficiaries. Requires plan implementation by January 31, 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to reduce the minimum net worth ratio requirements of credit unions. Revises the minimum risk-based net ratio for such capitalizations. Transfers from the federal banking agencies to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) the authority to adjust the net worth levels of credit unions. Instructs the National Credit Union Administration Board (Board) to design the risk-based net worth requirement to take account of material risks to insured credit unions that are taken account of by comparable standards applicable to FDIC-insured institutions. Establishes a temporary waiver of the net worth restoration plan requirement for an undercapitalized credit union which attains its status due to a major natural or man-made disaster. Revamps requirements for limits and restrictions on member business loans. Authorizes credit unions to lease to any business enterprise separate and clearly distinct space in credit union office buildings in underserved areas. Authorizes the Board, in specified circumstances, to encompass within credit union membership any person or organization within an underserved local community, neighborhood, or rural district. Permits a credit union to invest in securities for its own account. Increases the investment and lending limit in credit union service organizations. Exempts certain voluntary mergers involving multiple common-bond credit unions from the numerical limit for eligibility within the field of membership category of a credit union. Directs the Board to prescribe criteria for continued membership of certain member groups in the case of certain credit union conversions to a community charter. Includes just cause as grounds for expulsion from membership. Authorizes term limits for board members of federal credit unions. Revises voting requirements for credit union conversions to mutual savings banks. Amends the Clayton Act to exempt from its pre-merger notification and waiting period requirements any mergers of one insured credit union activities with another which require agency approval under the Federal Credit Union Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions for employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Children's Health First Act - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)) of the Social Security Act to grant states the option to expand coverage of children whose family income is any percentage up to 400% of the poverty-line. Authorizes states to offer purchase of coverage for uncovered children under SCHIP who are not otherwise eligible for assistance under SCHIP or Medicaid. Provides subsidies for employment-based coverage of children eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid. Requires coverage of early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services, including dental services, federally-qualified health services, and rural health clinic services. Establishes the Medicaid-SCHIP Payment Advisory Commission. Provides for an increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for medical assistance for children for states that expand coverage of children. Outlines state options for additional coverage expansions, including older children under Medicaid, targeted low-income pregnant women under SCHIP, and legal immigrants under both programs. Establishes new base SCHIP allotments responsive to increases in health care costs and enrollment expansions. Provides for a two-year initial availability of SCHIP allotments, and for redistribution of unused allotments to address state funding shortfalls. Prescribes a special rule for school-based outreach and enrollment activities. Gives states the option to require certain individuals to present satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality for Medicaid eligibility. Gives states the option to provide for "express lane" and simplified determinations of a child's financial eligibility for Medicaid or SCHIP. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate a model process for the coordination of Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment and coverage of children who frequently change their state of residency or are temporarily outside such state. Requires a state Medicaid plan to apply outreach procedures to all pregnant women and children.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Allows employees of federally-qualified health centers to enroll in an approved health benefits plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Artist-Museum Partnership Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers who create literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions or similar property a fair market value (determined at the time of contribution) tax deduction for contributions of such properties, the copyrights thereon, or both, to certain tax-exempt organizations, if such properties are properly appraised and are donated no sooner than 18 months after their creation. Limits the amount of such deduction based upon the donor's artistic adjusted gross income, as defined by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Savings for Working Families Act of 2007 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Fuel Economy Reform Act - Amends federal transportation law to: (1) revise the definition of automobile to require including all automobiles up to 10,000 pounds (currently, not all automobiles up to 10,000 pounds are required to be included in the definition); and (2) continue applying the current minimum corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for non-passenger and passenger automobiles to automobiles manufactured through model year 2011, but, for passenger automobiles, adds an increase of 4% per year in such standard for model years 2009 through 2011. Requires an average fuel economy standard of 27.5 miles per gallon for automobiles manufactured by a manufacturer for model year 2012, and an average fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon for automobiles manufactured by a manufacturer for model year 2018, with a minimum increase of 4% in the average fuel economy from the level for the prior model year for model year 2013 and beyond, with specified exceptions from the 4% increase permitted. Prohibits this Act from being construed to limit, supercede, or expand the Secretary of Transportation's authority under federal transportation law to prescribe motor vehicle safety standards to reduce traffic accidents and deaths and injuries due to such accidents.
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