United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2007
Student Aid Reward Act of 2007 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a Student Aid Reward (SAR) Program of payments to encourage institutions of higher education (IHEs) to participate in the student loan program under title IV that is most cost-effective for taxpayers. Requires that a SAR payment to an IHE equal at least 50% of the savings to the federal government generated by the IHE's participation in the most cost-effective student loan program, rather than one not cost-effective for taxpayers. Requires IHEs receiving SAR payments to: (1) provide student loans under that most cost-effective program for five years after the payment date; and (2) use payment funds, where appropriate, to supplement student Pell Grants. Allows such funds to be used also to award need-based grants to lower and middle income graduate students.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2007
Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007 - Reinstates for ten years repealed criminal provisions regarding assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices (the assault weapons ban). Revises the definition of "semiautomatic assault weapon" to include conversion kits (for converting a firearm to such a weapon) and any semiautomatic rifle or pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and that has specified characteristics, including a telescoping stock. Prohibits the transfer of such a weapon except through a licensed dealer or a state or local law enforcement agency, subject to specified requirements. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a record of the make, model, and date of manufacture of any such weapon which the Attorney General is made aware has been used in relation to a crime, and of the nature and circumstances of the crime involved; and (2) annually submit the record to Congress and make it available to the public. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of any assault weapon with a large capacity ammunition feeding device; and (2) a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer who transfers such a device that was manufactured on or before this Act's enactment from failing to certify to the Attorney General, within 60 days of the transfer date, that the device was manufactured on or before that date. Sets forth penalties for violations. Prohibits: (1) the transfer of such a weapon or device to a juvenile; and (2) the importation of such a device.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2007
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers of such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Civil Rights History Project Act of 2007 - Requires the Librarian of Congress and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (acting through the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture) to establish an oral history project to: (1) collect video and audio recordings of, and visual and written materials relevant to the personal histories of, participants in the Civil Rights movement; and (2) make the collection available for public use through the Library of Congress and the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5757 Tilton Avenue in Riverside, California, as the "Lieutenant Todd Jason Bryant Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Executive Branch Reform Act of 2007 - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require recording and filing by each executive branch official with the Office of Government Ethics on any significant contact made between that official and any private party relating to an official government action. Outlines the authorities and responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Government Ethics with regard to such reports. Provides for penalties and fines. Sets prohibitions on covered executive branch officials who are entering or leaving government service. Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to: (1) prohibit a former federal agency contracting official from accepting compensation from a contractor as a lawyer or lobbyist of the contractor within a specified time frame; (2) prohibit former federal officials from accepting compensation from contractors if it is either a reward or if the acceptance of the compensation is inappropriate and affects the integrity of the procurement process; (3) require federal procurement officers to disclose job offers made on behalf of relatives; and (4) prohibit a federal employee who is a former employee of a contractor with the government from being personally and substantially involved with the award or administration of a contract to the employee's former employer for a specified period. Sets a prohibition on unauthorized expenditure of funds for publicity or propaganda purposes. Requires an advertisement or other communication paid for by an executive agency to disclose that such advertisement or communication is paid for by that agency. Directs each federal agency to submit to the Archivist of the United States and specified congressional committees a report describing the use of "pseudo" classification designations. Requires the Archivist to report on the use of such designations and promulgate regulations banning them. Defines "'pseudo' classification designations" as information control designations that are not defined by federal statute or Executive order relating to the classification of national security information but that are used to manage, direct, or route government information, or control its accessibility, regardless of its form or format.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether state law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the Authority to issue regulations establishing rights and responsibilities for public safety employers and employees in states that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the Authority, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a voting majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such Authority regulations and authority through appropriate state courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 - Includes as a protected disclosure by a federal employee any lawful disclosure an employee or applicant reasonably believes is credible evidence of waste, abuse, gross mismanagement, or substantial and specific danger to public health or safety without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure. Defines "disclosure" to mean a formal or informal communication, not including a communication concerning policy decisions that lawfully exercise discretionary authority unless the employee providing the disclosure reasonably believes that the disclosure evidences: (1) any violation of law; or (2) mismanagement, waste, abuse of authority, or a danger to the public. Codifies the legal standard for determining whether a whistleblower has a reasonable belief that a disclosure evidences governmental waste, fraud, or abuse, or a violation of law. Includes under the definition of: (1) "personnel action" the implementation or enforcement of any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement; and (2) "prohibited personnel practice" implementing or enforcing any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement not containing a statement that it is consistent with specified provisions governing disclosures and conducting an investigation of an employee or applicant because of any protected activity. Authorizes the President to exclude certain agencies engaged in the conduct of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities from whistleblower protections if such exclusion is made prior to any personnel action against the whistleblower. Expands the authority of the Merit Systems Protection Board to impose disciplinary action for prohibited personnel practices. Requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on security clearance revocations after 1996, claims in connection with such revocations, and resulting actions. Allows an employee, former employee, or applicant who seeks corrective action from the Merit Systems Protection Board with respect to an alleged prohibited personnel practice to bring action in federal district court for de novo review. Provides that an employee of a covered agency may not be discharged, demoted, or discriminated against as a reprisal for making a disclosure of covered information to an authorized Member of Congress, authorized executive official, or the Inspector General of the covered agency. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) reprisal complaints; (2) determinations by the covered agency on whether the employee was subjected to a prohibited reprisal; and (3) re-initiation of procedures to restrict an employee's access to classified or sensitive information after a corrective action to restrict such access was voided. Entitles employees of executive agencies that are not covered agencies, for purposes of any disclosure of covered information which consists of classified or sensitive information, to the same protections, rights, and remedies under this Act as if those agencies were covered. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 and Armed Forces procurement provisions to modify remedy and enforcement authority relating to the protection of contractor employees from reprisal for disclosure of certain information. Makes certain prohibited personnel practices provisions applicable to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Includes within the meaning of "abuse of authority": (1) actions that compromise the validity of federally funded research or analysis; and (2) the dissemination of false or misleading scientific, medical, or technical information.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Advance Democratic Values, Address Nondemocratic Countries, and Enhance Democracy Act of 2007 or ADVANCE Democracy Act of 2007 - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to provide that the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor shall also be responsible for matters relating to the development of democracy in nondemocratic countries. Directs the Secretary of State to establish: (1) Democracy Liaison Officer positions; (2) a Democracy Fellowship Program; (3) an Internet democracy and human rights site; and (4) foreign service democracy promotion training programs. Requires U.S. missions in nondemocratic or transition countries to develop democracy promotion programs. Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to: (1) cooperation with other democratic countries; (2) strengthening the Community of Democracies; (3) initiatives at the United Nations; (4) the Human Rights and Democracy Fund; and (5) democracy assistance. Directs the President to investigate violations of international humanitarian law.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Edward William Brooke III Congressional Gold Medal Act - Awards a congressional gold medal to Edward William Brooke III, the first African American elected by popular vote to the U.S. Senate, in recognition of his unprecedented and enduring service to our Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Recognizes: (1) the 50th anniversary of the founding of Stax Records; (2) the important role played by Stax Records in launching the careers of many legendary soul music artists; and (3) the continuing contributions and influence of soul music to America's cultural life.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act - Establishes an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and an Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office in the Civil Rights Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Makes the Chief of the Section (Chief) and the Chief Investigator of the Office responsible for investigating violations of criminal civil rights statutes in which the alleged violation occurred before January 1, 1970 and resulted in death. Requires: (1) consultation with state or local officials regarding venue when there has been a violation of a criminal civil rights statute that is also a violation of a state or local law; and (2) referral to the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division if the subject of the complaint has violated a criminal civil rights statute but the violation does not meet the requirements for the Unsolved Crimes Section. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to authorize staff of an Inspector General to assist the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by conducting reviews of inactive case files to develop recommendations for further investigations and engaging in similar activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to redefine: (1) "person" to include financial institutions, insurers, underwriters, guarantors, other business organizations including foreign subsidiaries, and export credit agencies; and (2) "petroleum resources" to include petroleum by-products and liquified natural gas.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007- Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General to assume the obligation to repay student loans for borrowers who agree to remain employed, for at least three years, as: (1) state or local criminal prosecutors; or (2) state, local, or federal public defenders in criminal cases. Allows a borrower and the Attorney General to enter into an additional loan repayment agreement, after the required three-year period, for a successive period of service which may be less than three years. Limits the amount paid under such program on behalf of any borrower to $10,000 per calendar year and $60,000 total.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to prescribe requirements for a Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard for calendar years 2010 through 2039. Specifies a schedule of graduated annual percentages of a supplier's base amount that shall be generated from renewable energy resources, from 1% in 2010 up to 20 % in 2020 and thereafter. Authorizes a retail electric supplier to satisfy such requirements through submission of renewable energy credits to the Secretary of Energy. Provides for energy credit trading or borrowing among suppliers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage federally-owned utilities, municipally-owned utilities, and rural electric cooperatives that sell electric energy to electric consumers for purposes other than resale to participate in the renewable portfolio standard program; and (2) establish by December 31, 2009, a state renewable energy account program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Emergency Farm Assistance Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to provide assistance: (1) to producers of specialty crops in disaster counties that suffered losses in 2005 or 2006; (2) to citrus producers in disaster counties that suffered losses in 2007; (3) to producers of other specialty crops in disaster counties that suffered losses in 2007; (4) to dairy producers in disaster counties that suffered losses in 2006; and (5) for livestock indemnity payments to producers in disaster counties that incurred losses in 2006 or 2007, or both. Directs the Secretary to make grants to California for an expedited disaster assistance program to qualified small businesses that suffered losses during the 2005, 2006, or 2007 crop year as a result of weather-related agricultural losses to the California specialty crop or livestock production sectors. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to tree or fruit and tree nut producers in disaster counties that suffered losses in 2005, 2006, or 2007, or any combination of such years. Defines "tree" to include: (1) a tree (including a Christmas tree, ornamental tree, nursery tree, and potted tree); (2) a bush (including a shrub, nursery shrub, nursery bush, ornamental bush, ornamental shrub, potted bush, and potted shrub); and (3) a vine (including a nursery vine and ornamental vine). Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide unemployment assistance and temporary mortgage rental assistance to California agricultural workers (including low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers) who are unemployed due to disasters in 2007. Directs the Secretary to provide: (1) food coupons and surplus commodities to such workers; and (2) emergency grants for California low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers who are unemployed due to disasters in 2007. Appropriates additional funds to the Secretary of Commerce for emergency disaster assistance to fishing communities, Indian tribes, and small businesses adversely affected by harvesting restrictions on Klamath River Fall chinook salmon.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms. Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met. Requires the manufacturer of such a drug or an animal feed for food-producing animals containing such a drug to report sales information to the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Supports the goals of International Women's Day. Recognizes and honors the women who have fought and continue to struggle for equality. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to ending discrimination and violence against women and girls, to ensuring their safety and welfare, and to pursuing policies that guarantee their basic rights. Encourages the President to: (1) affirm his commitment to pursue policies to protect human rights and civil liberties, particularly of women and girls; and (2) issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe International Women's Day.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007 - Directs the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission to conduct a plebiscite in Puerto Rico during the 111th Congress, giving voters the option to vote for continued U.S. territorial status or for a path toward a constitutionally viable permanent nonterritorial status. Provides for subsequent procedures, depending on ballot results. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to allocate certain funds for the self-determination process.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
International Nuclear Fuel for Peace and Nonproliferation Act of 2007 - States that it is U.S. policy to support the establishment of an international regime for the assured supply of nuclear fuel for peaceful means under multilateral authority, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Authorizes the President to make grant basis contributions to the IAEA for an international nuclear fuel bank to maintain a low-enriched uranium reserve of reactor fuel for eligible countries. Requires the President, prior to making such contributions, to certify to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that: (1) the IAEA has received specified monetary pledges for the international nuclear fuel bank; (2) the bank will be established in a non-nuclear weapon state under IAEA oversight; and (3) the bank will provide nuclear reactor fuel only to a country that is in full compliance with IAEA and other safeguards, agrees to use the nuclear reactor fuel in accordance with IAEA safeguards, and the country does not operate uranium enrichment or spent-fuel reprocessing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
Graduation Really Achieves Dreams Act or the GRAD Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Project GRAD USA, a nonprofit educational organization for improving high school graduation and college attendance and completion rates for disadvantaged students, to provide technical assistance and support through subgrants to existing and new programs that implement a set of integrated education reform services. Requires the grantee to select only subgrantees that serve a substantial number or percentage of low-income students. Requires the programs to identify one or more groups of public schools at which services will be provided through a feeder pattern through which elementary and secondary schools channel students having participated in program services into an identified high school. Requires program services to include: (1) research-based programs in reading, mathematics, and classroom management; (2) campus-based social services programs, including increasing family and community involvement in schools; (3) a college access program, including providing college scholarships for students who meet established criteria, increasing student and family college awareness, and assisting students to apply for college financial aid; and (4) other services the grantee identifies as necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act - Amends provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 that prohibit the importation of dog or cat fur to modify the definitions of "cat fur" and "dog fur" to include the pelt or skin of the domestic cat or dog, respectively. Amends the Fur Products Labeling Act to expand the definition of "fur product" to include all fur as defined by such Act regardless of the quantity used.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
Honors the life and public service of Jacob Birnbaum on the occasion of his 80th birthday, especially his commitment to freeing Soviet Jews from religious, cultural, and communal extinction.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2007
City Youth Violence Recovery Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to partnerships between a state mental health authority and one or more local public or private entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in urban communities with a high or increasing incidence of such violence by providing violence-prevention education, mentoring, counseling, and mental health services to children and adolescents. Gives priority to grant applicants that agree to use the grant in communities that lack the resources to address youth violence. Requires grant applicants to agree to use no more than 15% of a grant for violence-prevention education.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2007
Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2007 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to consolidate housing assistance programs for homeless persons. Requires the establishment of a community homeless assistance planning board for a geographic area to lead a collaborative planning process to design, execute, and evaluate programs, policies, and practices to prevent and end homelessness. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to designate an entity to be a community board if it has engaged in local homeless housing and services planning and has applied for federal funding for homeless assistance prior to enactment of this Act. Instructs the Secretary to make available technical assistance to governmental entities and community boards to implement this Act. Provides for the protection of personally identifying information by victim service providers. Sets forth: (1) an emergency shelter grants program; (2) activities eligible for grants; and (3) a program for continuum of care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan or coverage provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2007 - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. At-Risk Communities Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention research. Truth in Contraception Act of 2007 - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates. Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicaid's coverage of family planning services. Responsible Education About Life Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) with respect to: (1) ballot verification and mandatory paper record audit capacity; and (2) accessibility and ballot verification of results for individuals with disabilities. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to study, test, and develop best practices to enhance the accessibility of ballot verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, voters whose primary language is not English, and voters with difficulties in literacy. Requires laboratories to meet standards prohibiting conflicts of interest as a condition of accreditation for the testing of voting system hardware and software. Outlines additional voting system requirements and prohibitions. Extends the authorization of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Provides for complaints to the Attorney General by persons aggrieved by violations of HAVA. Makes available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Directs the chief auditor of each state to appoint an Election Audit Board to administer, without advance notice to the precincts selected, random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots required to be produced and preserved for each such election held in the state. Repeals the exemption of the EAC from certain government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative (card-check) and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives, particularly a preliminary investigation of an alleged unfair labor practice (ULP) which may lead to proceedings for injunctive relief. Requires that priority be given to a preliminary investigation of any charge that, while employees were seeking representation by a labor organization, or during the period after a labor organization was recognized as a representative until the first collective bargaining contract is entered into, an employer: (1) discharged or otherwise discriminated against an employee to encourage or discourage membership in the labor organization; (2) threatened to discharge or to otherwise discriminate against an employee in order to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of guaranteed self-organization or collective bardaining rights; or (3) engaged in any other related ULP that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of such guaranteed rights. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Cuban-American Family Rights Restoration Act - Prohibits that President from regulating or prohibiting: (1) travel to or from Cuba by any U.S. person; or (2) transactions (baggage, living expenses, personal use goods or services, normal banking transactions) incident to travel for the purpose of visiting a close relative who is a national of Cuba. Directs the President to rescind all regulations that so regulate or prohibit such travel or transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 - Deems certain service performed before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts as active military service for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Repeals certain provisions discounting such service as qualifying service.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee. Requires the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health regarding how officials can: (1) ensure interagency coordination and communication and minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne diseases; (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other federal agencies and private organizations addressing such diseases; (3) ensure interagency coordination and communication with constituency groups; (4) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints is represented in public heath policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is balanced; and (5) advise relevant federal agencies on priorities related to Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Requires the Secretary, acting through the appropriate federal officials, to provide for the coordination of all federal programs and activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including: (1) developing sensitive and accurate diagnostic tools and tests, (2) improving the efficient utilization of diagnostic testing currently available; (3) accurately determining the prevalence of such diseases; (4) evaluating the feasibility of creating a national uniform reporting system; (5) providing and promoting access to a clearinghouse of information on such diseases; (6) increasing public education related to such diseases; (7) creating a physician education program; (8) establishing epidemiological research objectives to determine the long term course of illness for Lyme disease; and (9) determining the effectiveness of different treatment modalities by establishing treatment outcome objectives
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the government of Japan should: (1) formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility for its Imperial Armed Force's coercion of young women into sexual slavery (comfort women) during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II; (2) have this official and public apology presented by the Prime Minister of Japan; (3) refute any claims that the sexual enslavement and trafficking of the comfort women never occurred; and (4) educate current and future generations about this crime while following the international community's recommendations with respect to the comfort women.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) recognizes that African American spirituals are a poignant and powerful genre of music that have become one of the most significant segments of American music in existence; (2) expresses the deepest gratitude, recognition, and honor to the former enslaved Africans in the United States for their gifts to our Nation, including their original music and oral history; and (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation that reflects on the important contribution of African American spirituals to American history, and naming the African American spiritual a national treasure.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007 or the KIDS Act of 2007 - Amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to require a convicted sex offender to: (1) provide for inclusion in the National Sex Offender Registry any electronic mail address, instant message address, or other similar identifier used to communicate over the Internet; and (2) keep such information current. Requires jurisdictions that maintain information about sex offenders to exempt from public disclosure any electronic mail address, instant message address, or other similar Internet identifier used by a sex offender. Requires the Attorney General to maintain a system to allow commercial social networking websites to compare their databases of users to the Internet identifiers of persons in the National Sex Offender Registry. Exempts such websites from civil liability if compliant with the requirements of this Act. Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term: (1) of up to 10 years for failure by any sex offender to provide information required by this Act; and (2) of up to 20 years for age misrepresentation with the intent to use the Internet to engage in criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Demands that: (1) Hamas release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit; (2) Hezbollah accept the mandate of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 by releasing Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev; and (3) Hezbollah and Hamas accede to basic standards of humanitarian conduct and allow access to the Israeli captives by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Expresses: (1) commitment to Israel's survival as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders; (2) support and interest in achieving a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel; (3) concern for the families of Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser, and Eldad Regev; and (4) commitment to seek the Israeli captives' release. Condemns: (1) Hamas and Hezbollah for the cross border attacks and kidnappings which precipitated the armed conflict between Israel, Hezbollah, and armed Palestinian groups; and (2) Iran and Syria, the primary state sponsors of global terrorism and the patrons of Hezbollah and Hamas, for their ongoing support for international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2777 Logan Avenue in San Diego, California, as the "Cesar E. Chavez Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Annie Fox Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to expand, intensify, and coordinate Institute activities regarding breast cancer in younger women, including the conduct and support of: (1) basic and clinical research on the causes, prevention, detection, treatment, and long-term effects of breast cancer in young women; and (2) information and education programs for health professionals and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Declares that it is the policy of the United States not to: (1) establish any military installation or base for providing for the permanent stationing of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq; and (2) exercise U.S. control over Iraqi oil resources.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Condemns the assassination of Hrant Dink. Urges the government of Turkey to: (1) continue its investigation and prosecution of those individuals responsible for Hrant Dink's murder; and (2) protect freedom of speech in Turkey by repealing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and by opposing intolerance, intimidation, and violence against individuals who are exercising their right of freedom of speech.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
National Security Language Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish programs to encourage early foreign language instruction, including grants to: (1) partnerships of institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) for activities relating to foreign language instruction at elementary or secondary schools, with priorities for high-need LEAs and less-commonly taught foreign languages; and (2) IHEs that develop innovative programs for the teaching of foreign languages, with priorities for combining foreign languages with science and technology and for less-commonly taught foreign languages. Provides undergraduate student loan forgiveness of up to $10,000 for students who major in a critical foreign language and are employed as teachers of such language in elementary or secondary schools or as using such language regularly in a federal agency. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) establish a foreign language education marketing campaign to encourage students at secondary schools and IHEs to study foreign languages, particularly ones less commonly taught and critical to national security; and (2) conduct a study to identify foreign language heritage communities and recruit speakers of such critical languages. Amends the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 to establish an International Flagship Language Initiative with grants to IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) - Establishes the United States National Health Insurance (USNHI) Program (the Program) to provide all individuals residing in the United States and in U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services. Prohibits an institution from participating in the Program unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that actually deliver care in their own facilities to participate in the Program. Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions. Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits. Sets forth methods to pay hospitals and health professionals for services. Prohibits financial incentives between HMOs and physicians based on utilization. Establishes the USNHI Trust Fund to finance the Program with amounts deposited: (1) from existing sources of Government revenues for health care; (2) by increasing personal income taxes on the top 5% income earners; (3) by instituting a progressive excise tax on payroll and self-employment income; and (4) by instituting a small tax on stock and bond transactions. Requires the Program to give first priority in retraining and job placement and unemployment benefits to individuals whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration. Establishes a National Board of Universal Quality and Access to provide advice on quality, access, and affordability. Provides for the eventual integration of the Indian Health Service into the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Restroom Gender Parity in Federal Buildings Act of 2007 - Requires the Administrator of General Services to include in a prospectus submitted to Congress for approval of a proposed public facility a statement that the number of toilets in women's restrooms in such facility will exceed the number of toilets (including urinals) in men's restrooms by a ratio of two to one or a statement as to why such a ratio is not needed.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act - States that it is U.S. policy that all nonambulatory livestock in interstate and foreign commerce be immediately and humanely euthanized when such livestock become nonambulatory. Amends the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations providing for the humane treatment, handling, and disposition of nonambulatory livestock by a covered entity, including a requirement that nonambulatory livestock be humanely euthanized. Requires an entity to: (1) humanely euthanize nonambulatory livestock (while not limiting the Secretary's ability to test nonambulatory livestock for disease, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy); and (2) not move nonambulatory livestock while such livestock is conscious, and ensure that such livestock remains unconscious until death. Prohibits an inspector at an establishment covered by the Federal Meat Inspection Act to pass nonambulatory livestock, carcass, or carcass parts through inspection. Requires an inspector or other employee at such establishment to label such material as "inspected and condemned." Defines "covered entity," "nonambulatory livestock," and "humanely euthanize."
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy Act or DRIVE Act - Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to publish in the Federal Register an oil savings target and action plan for specified calendar years. Directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a national media campaign to decrease oil consumption in the United States over the next decade. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop: (1) a fuel efficiency program for passenger car and light truck tires; (2) a program to designate Transit-Oriented Development Corridors; and (3) pilot projects to save oil by reducing vehicle miles traveled. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) develop a testing and assessment program to determine the fuel economy of heavy duty vehicles; (2) establish a near-term electric transportation deployment program; and (3) implement a fuel and technology neutral program to reduce tailpipe emissions. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe average heavy duty vehicle fuel economy standards. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy to make loan guarantees for eligible projects to improve hybrid technologies or to encourage production of efficient hybrid and advanced diesel vehicles. Requires a specified graduated percentage of passenger cars manufactured by light-duty motor vehicles manufacturers to be fuel choice enabling motor vehicles or alternative fuel automobiles. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an advanced technology motor vehicles manufacturing tax credit; (2) allow a flexible fuel vehicle tax credit; (3) extend the alternative vehicle tax credit for new qualified hybrid motor vehicles; (4) allow a fuel-efficient tax credit for private fleets; (5) subject heavy vehicles to the depreciation limitation for certain luxury automobiles; (6) increase the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property tax credit; (7) provide a graduated tax credit for plug-in hybrid electric passenger and light truck vehicles; and (8) allow an idling reduction tax credit for heavy-duty diesel-powered on-highway vehicles. Establishes the Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Trust Fund. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to obligate sums from the Fund for the Clean Cities grant program to increase the availability to consumers of ethanol, biodiesel, and other alternative fuels. Amends the Clean Air Act to prescribe minimum annual quantities of renewable fuel from cellulosic biomass. Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) require at least a 20% reduction in the federal fleets' petroleum consumption (including that at least 30% of federal vehicles required to be alternative fuel vehicles be flexible fuel hybrid or flexible fuel plug-in hybrid vehicles); (2) submit to Congress an action plan calling for a specified graduated percentage of the nation's ground fuel demand to be supplied by fuels derived from sources other than oil; and (3) carry out a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle prize program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Taxpayer Abuse and Harassment Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into contracts with private collection agencies to collect unpaid taxes.
![Official portrait of Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000410_200.jpg)