United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2008
Nurses' Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to enter into an agreement with eligible individuals for the repayment of education loans in exchange for working as a full-time member of the faculty of an accredited school of nursing.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Veteran Voting Support Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to permit a state to designate facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) located in the state as voter registration agencies under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Requires any VA facility designated as a voter registration agency to: (1) provide information relating to the opportunity to request an absentee ballot; (2) make available absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots upon request, as well as assistance in completing them; and (3) work with local election officials to ensure the proper delivery of such applications and ballots. Directs the Secretary to permit a meaningful opportunity for nonpartisan organizations to provide voter registration information and assistance at VA facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from banning any election administration official, whether state or local, party-affiliated or non-party affiliated, or elected or appointed, from providing nonpartisan voting information to veterans at any VA facility. Directs the Secretary to provide reasonable access to VA facilities to state and local election officials for the purpose of providing nonpartisan voter registration services to individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Recognizes that it is imperative that this nation strengthen its public health system to provide all persons with the resources they need to make healthier choices and live healthier lives and to protect people from health threats beyond their control. Commits to creating public health strategies to eliminate health disparities and improve the health of all people in the United States. Expresses support for prioritizing public policies focusing on the prevention of disease and injury and calls for community-based programs to support healthy lifestyles. Urges the expansion of the prevention strategies of daily aspirin therapy, smoking cessation, colorectal cancer screening, annual flu immunizations, and breast cancer screening. Declares that the congressional budget process should reflect the savings associated with investments in the prevention of disease and injury. Encourages the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to consider the savings associated with a reduced chronic disease burden due to preventive services and programs when formulating its health care cost estimates. Pledges support for increasing the investment in federal public health programs to at least 1% of total federal spending within five years.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2008
Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to three years for possessing, shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption. Reduces the prison term to one year if the offense involves less than five horses or less than 2,000 pounds of horse flesh or carcass and the offender has no prior conviction for this offense.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2008
Appropriates funds to the Secretary of Agriculture for payments to growers and first handlers of fresh tomatoes that experienced crop and/or market losses resulting from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Public Health Advisory issued on June 7, 2008. Limits payments to not more than 75% of the greater of: (1) the value of the unmarketed tomatoes; and (2) the actual loss incurred by the grower or handler.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2008
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day. Encourages: (1) primary care physicians and other clinicians nationwide to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services; and (2) individuals to get tested for HIV and educate themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2008
States that: (1) it shall be U.S. policy that the President and the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations work with the international community to increase political and financial support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to prevent and resolve problems related to de jure and de facto statelessness and to promote the rights of de jure or de facto stateless persons; (2) the President shall make prevention and reduction of de jure or de facto statelessness an important goal of U.S. foreign policy and human rights efforts; and (3) it shall be U.S. policy to comply with the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Directs the Secretary of State to increase staff and resources in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to work toward the prevention and resolution of de jure and de facto statelessness and the protection of de jure or de facto stateless persons.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2008
Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization of 2008 - Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program through FY2015 and to revise program requirements to: (1) provide for competitive grants to nonprofit organizations to assist in locating missing patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; (2) expand such program to include locating other missing elderly individuals; (3) require the Attorney General to solicit grants for program applications in the Federal Register and on the Department of Justice (DOJ) website; and (4) establish a preference in awarding grants to national nonprofit organizations that have a direct link to patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their families (currently, grants may be awarded to only such organizations).
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2008
Timley Due Process for the Disabled Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) establish time frames, within specified limits, to ensure timely disability determinations; and (2) establish a program for the monitoring of disability determinations in reconsideration.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2008
Prohibits the collection by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of copayments or other fees for hospital or nursing home care in the case of catastrophically disabled veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
National Guard Technician Recruitment and Retention Act of 2008 - Provides that if an individual is first employed by the National Guard as a military technician (dual status) while already a member of a reserve component, the Secretary of the military department concerned may not require the individual to repay any enlistment, reenlistment, or affiliation bonus connected with the individual's enlistment or reenlistment before such employment. Prohibits such individual from being precluded from receiving any such bonus or denied the opportunity to participate in any Department of Defense (DOD) educational loan repayment program as an additional incentive to accept and maintain reserve membership. Repeals the prohibition against overtime pay for such technicians.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Mental Health for Heroes' Families Act of 2008 - Removes the requirement that, in order for family members of a veteran being treated in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital for a non-service-connected disability to be eligible for counseling, training, and mental health services in connection with the veteran's treatment: (1) such services must have been initiated during the veteran's hospitalization; and (2) the continued provision of such services on an outpatient basis is essential to permit the veteran's discharge from the hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Supports the designation of July 10, 2008, as National Summer Learning Day. Urges people to promote summer learning activities to send youth back to school ready to learn, support working parents and their children, and keep children safe and healthy during the summer months.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Just and Lasting Peace in Sudan Act of 2008 - Prohibits sanctions imposed against the government of Sudan from being lifted until the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the following conditions have been met for at least one year: (1) the government of Sudan (government) implements the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Darfur Peace Agreement; (2) the Abyei Boundary Commission recommendations are implemented and oil revenue shares are paid retroactively; (3) the government hands over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) all indicted individuals; (4) the government ends its atrocities against innocent civilians in Darfur and other parts of Sudan; (5) the government allows the deployment of United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur forces and allows unhindered access to humanitarian workers; (6) the government ends its terrorist ties; and (7) senior government officials are held accountable for crimes committed in the Nuba, South Sudan, Southern Blue Nile, and Eastern Sudan, and for their support for Osama bin Laden and other terrorist groups. Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. government should not normalize relations with Sudan until such conditions have been implemented for at least one year.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act - Makes appropriations for FY2008 for payments under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (LIHEAP Program).
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Increasing Student Achievement through School Attendance Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies, states, and Indian tribes for the implementation of innovative measures to increase school attendance by preventing student truancy, suspension, and expulsion. Includes among such measures: (1) collaboration between school systems, the legal system, child welfare agencies, and community-based organizations; (2) training school personnel in positive student behavioral interventions and graduated disciplinary practices; and (3) staffing of school suspension and expulsion programs with student support services personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Caregiver Financial Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow caregivers of family members with long-term care needs a refundable tax credit of $3,000 for up to two such family members each year through 2010; (2) allow in 2009 and 2010 the tax credit for dependent care expenses for parents (or ancestors of such parents) who do not reside with the taxpayer; and (3) allow in 2009 and 2010 an increased exclusion from gross income for employer-provided dependent care assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Expresses support for the designation of a National GEAR UP Day. (GEAR UP is the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, created to facilitate the transition of low-income high school students into postsecondary education.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2008
HOPE VI Amendment Act of 2008 - Continues through September 30, 2009, the availability of amounts appropriated for FY2002 for grants to certain public housing agencies for public housing demolition, site revitalization, replacement housing, and tenant-based assistance (HOPE VI grants). Makes eligible for such continued grant availability any public housing agencies that since October 1, 2002, have suffered project delays, and cost increases due to shortages in labor and materials, as a result of natural catastrophes, fire, flood, explosion, or the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2008
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4233 West Hillsboro Boulevard in Coconut Creek, Florida, as the "Army SPC Daniel Agami Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2008
Authorizes additional appropriations for FY2008-FY2009 to the Secretary of Labor for summer youth employment activities under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2008
Reaffirms the historic commitment of the United States as a nation founded by refugees. Calls on: (1) the Department of State to support the refugee assistance efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and of nongovernmental organizations; (2) the U.S. government to continue its international leadership role in response to the people of the Darfur region of Sudan who have been displaced by Sudan's genocide; and (3) the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the resettlement of an appropriate number of Darfuris. Urges the parties to the conflicts in and between Chad and Sudan to conclude a cessation of hostilities agreement. Calls upon the Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur to ensure that displaced persons are fairly represented in peace negotiations. Affirms the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterates a strong commitment to protecting the millions of refugees who live without material, social, and legal protections.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2008
Climate Market, Auction, Trust & Trade Emissions Reduction System Act of 2008, or the Climate MATTERS Act of 2008 - Declares the purpose of this Act to establish a federal program to reduce US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions substantially enough by 2050 to avert the catastrophic impacts of global climate change. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an international reserve GHG emission allowance program, whose allowance sales proceeds shall be used to mitigate the negative impacts of global climate change on disadvantaged communities in World Trade Organization (WTO) participant countries. Establishes the International Climate Change Commission to determine annually whether a WTO participant country has taken certain action to limit its GHG emissions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish a system for issuing, auctioning, recording, and tracking GHG emission allowances; and (2) impose an excess emissions penalty on owners or operators of covered facilities that fail to submit one or more emission allowances to the Secretary for any year. Establishes a Carbon Market Efficiency Board to: (1) analyze information on the GHG emission allowance market; and (2) authorize the Secretary to carry out cost relief measures if the market poses a substantial harm to the U.S. economy. Provides for the distribution of emission allowances to owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired electric power generating facilities and of energy intensive manufacturing facilities. Establishes: (1) the Deficit Reduction Trust Fund; and (2) the Citizen Protection Trust Fund (CPTF). Directs the Secretary to administer a Climate Change Rebate Program. Provides for a healthy families fund. Sets forth allocations of specified CPTF account funds for: (1) investment in natural resource adaptation to impacts of climate change and ocean acidification; (2) owners and operators of covered facilities who take actions that result in verified GHG emission reductions; (3) states that comply with certain federal building energy standards; (4) states with GHG emission reduction programs exceeding federal GHG emission reduction targets; (5) reductions in GHG emissions from the agriculture and forestry sectors, including those from deforestation activities in foreign countries; and (6) states and load-serving entities that implement energy-efficiency programs. Requires distribution of certain funds for grants for fixed guideway transit and other specified alternative transportation projects. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) develop a federal greenhouse gas registry; (2) make certain GHG emission determinations for covered facilities; and (3) promulgate regulations that require that U.S. GHG emissions in uncovered sectors do not grow.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008
Directs the Secretary of the Army to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council of the National Academies to conduct a comprehensive study of the water management, needs, and conservation of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System. Requires that the study include: (1) a summary of the existing body of scientific knowledge on the ecology, hydrology, geomorphology, and biogeochemistry of the Apalachicola River and the greater River System, the ecosystem services provided by that River, the impact of variation in freshwater flow on the ecology of the river and downstream coastal ecosystems, and how to restore the natural hydraulic function of the System; (2) assessments of models that serve as the basis for the master manuals of the System, of water availability, supply options, demand-management alternatives, and socioeconomic factors that influence uses in the System, and of policies, regulations, and other factors that affect federal water project operations; and (3) recommendations for an approach to determine water limits that recognize the needs of all water users along the System and for additional measures to address the long-term watershed management needs of the System.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2008
Recognizes and honors the contributions of Timothy John Russert, Jr., as an award-winning political analyst. Expresses condolences upon his death to his wife, Maureen Orth, his son Luke, and his surviving family members and friends.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Next Steps for Haiti Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Director of Foreign Assistance, in consultation with the government of Haiti and Haitian civil society organizations, to establish the Haiti Professional Exchange Program whose purpose shall be to assign qualified Haitian Americans and others to provide technical assistance to help Haiti improve in areas vital to its growth and development, including education, energy, environment, health care, infrastructure, security, transportation, and disaster preparedness. Requires that the Director establish an outreach program to encourage Exchange Program participation. Sets forth Program provisions. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Acquisition Reform Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Prescribes requirements for application of accreditation in implementing quality standards. Requires suppliers to disclose subcontractors. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Specifies topics for the Comptroller General's required study and report to Congress on the impact of competitive acquisition of DME on suppliers, manufacturers, and patients. Sets forth a special rule for the competitive acquisition program for diabetic testing strips.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Recognizes the efforts of: (1) southern African trade unions, religious leaders, and advocacy groups to raise awareness about a possible weapons transfer to Zimbabwe as part of a campaign to address Zimbabwe's worsening political, economic, and humanitarian crisis; and (2) southern African governments which denied access through their territories for a weapons shipment destined for a regime that continues to perpetuate gross human rights violations against its own citizens. Urges the United States to continue to work with African governments and multilateral institutions to compel Robert Mugabe's regime to respect the will of its citizens and find a peaceful solution to the current political standoff. Urges the U.S. Permanent Representative at the United Nations to advocate for an international moratorium on arms shipments to Zimbabwe until democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are respected by the government of Zimbabwe.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2008
Declares that Congress: (1) supports the goals and ideals of Black Music Month (June 2008); (2) honors the outstanding contributions that African-American singers, musicians, composers, and producers have made to this country; and (3) calls on the people of the United States to take the opportunity to study, reflect on, and celebrate the majesty, vitality, and importance of African-American music.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008
Restorative and Enhanced Vision Access for Medicare Patients (REVAMP) Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover vision restoration therapy devices and associated software used in the patient's home to treat impaired visual function as durable medical equipment (DME).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008
Supports the designation of Gospel Music Heritage Month (September 2008), which would recognize the contributions to U.S. culture derived from the rich heritage of gospel music and gospel music artists.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008
Expresses concern that the government of the Republic of Iraq refuses to recognize the existence of Israel and urges Iraq to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Calls on the Administration to use its influence to persuade Iraq and other countries with which the United States has diplomatic relations to recognize the right of Israel to exist and to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008
Honors the life of Louis Jordan on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Recognizes his important contributions to American music as a musician, composer, and entertainer.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2008
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free). Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and more effectively facing the challenges of the future; and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Veterans' Medical Personnel Recruitment and Retention Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to appoint personnel for health care positions within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) not specifically listed as authorized categories for appointment, as long as the Secretary provides prior notification to the congressional veterans' committees and the Office of Management and Budget. Requires newly-appointed nurses to serve a probationary period. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) appoint nurse assistants; and (2) waive required pay offsets for federal annuitants reemployed in VA health care positions. Sets the minimum rate of basic pay for appointees to certain positions in the Office of the Under Secretary for Health at the lowest rate of basic pay for a Senior Executive Service position. Allows for the payment of: (1) comparability pay of up to $100,000 annually for Office positions which are not physicians or dentists; and (2) special incentive pay of up to $40,000 annually to a VHA pharmacist executive. Removes or waives certain pay restrictions for: (1) physicians or dentists occupying administrative or executive leadership positions; (2) nurses; and (3) certified registered nurse anesthetists. Revises locality pay scale computations. Increases from $25,000 to $100,000 the special pay for nurse executives. Makes part-time nurses eligible for additional nurse pay. Provides limitations on overtime duty, weekend duty, and alternative work schedules for nurses, with exceptions for emergency situations. Reinstates the VA's health professionals educational assistance scholarship program, and increases maximum assistance amounts. Authorizes the Secretary to provide an educational loan repayment program for clinical researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
PROTECT Act or Protecting the Retirement of Our Troops by Ensuring Compensation is Timely Act - Prohibits the Secretary of a military department, regarding a participant in the Survivor Benefit Plan who the Secretary of State has determined was kidnapped in Iraq or Afghanistan on or after October 7, 2001, from making a determination that the participant is missing, with the presumption of death, until the earlier of: (1) at least seven years after the Secretary of State's determination; or (2) the date on which the participant is confirmed dead. Directs the Secretary of a military department, regarding such a participant who was presumed to be dead before enactment of this Act, to pay retired pay for periods before and after enactment of this Act until one of the above conditions is met.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Condemns all forms of sexual violence, including rape, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Calls on the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to address the large-scale sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Urges an increased U.S. and donor country effort to provide greater assistance for police and military human rights training in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Calls on the Secretary of State to: (1) appoint a special envoy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to sustain U.S. engagement in a peace process and stabilization programs; and (2) encourage the Congolese government to refer individuals or armed groups found guilty of rape and sexual violence consistent in magnitude to crimes against humanity to an international criminal court system. Encourages: (1) the international community to ensure greater coordination in its response to sexual violence and to provide further humanitarian assistance in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo; (2) full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 and related law and policy on the protection of women and girls; and (3) U.S. companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to exert oversight concerning where their products are coming from and who is benefiting from the trade. Reaffirms support for constitutional government, the rule of law, human rights, and democratic processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Supports the goals and ideals of Vietnam Veterans Day. Calls on the American people to remember those men and women who sacrificed their lives defending the nation in Vietnam, recognize the prisoners of war and Armed Forces members who are missing in action, and honor all Vietnam veterans who served the nation faithfully to protect its freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Honors the valedictorians and graduating seniors of the class of 2008 for their academic achievements and contributions to their communities. Encourages all valedictorians and graduating seniors to continue their studies. Supports the continued social engagement of valedictorians and graduating seniors.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Supports the goals and ideals of Caribbean-American Heritage Month (in the month of June). Affirms that: (1) the contributions of Caribbean-Americans are a significant part of the history, progress, and heritage of the United States; and (2) the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Declares that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability through economic, political, and diplomatic means is vital to U.S. national security. Urges the President to use his authority to impose sanctions on: (1) Iranian banks engaged in proliferation activities or the support of terrorist groups; (2) international banks which conduct financial transactions with proscribed Iranian banks; (3) energy companies with large investments in the Iranian petroleum or natural gas sector; and (4) all companies which do business with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Demands that the President initiate an international effort to increase economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. Urges the President to lead a regional diplomatic effort to support the legitimate governments in the region against Iranian destabilization efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
Recognizes the important social and economic contributions and accomplishments of the New Deal to our nation on the 75th anniversary of legislation establishing the initial New Deal social and public works programs. Encourages observation of National New Deal Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2008
National Silver Alert Act - Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a national Silver Alert communications network to assist regional and local search efforts for missing seniors; (2) assign a Department of Justice officer to serve as the Silver Alert Coordinator to coordinate the network with states; and (3) award grants to states for support of Silver Alert plans and the network. Defines "missing senior" as any individual who is reported as missing to or by a law enforcement agency and who meets state requirements for designation as a missing senior. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) establish minimum standards for the issuance of, and the extent of the dissemination of, alerts issued through the network; and (2) make available to states, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and other concerned entities network training and information.
![Official portrait of Rep. Brown, Corrine [D-FL-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000911_200.jpg)