United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2007
Every Student Counts Act - Requires states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and high schools annually to calculate and report, as part of the report cards required under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the percentage of high school students: (1) graduating in four years and in five years with a regular high school diploma from each cohort graduating class; and (2) the percentage of students in each grade, except the graduating grade, prepared to advance to the next grade. Requires such data to be reported in the aggregate and disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged. Directs states that lack a statewide longitudinal data system with individual student identifiers to make certain interim graduation rate calculations, but requires all states to make the four and five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate calculations by 2012. Requires the use of such rates in determining the success of each high school and LEA in making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards under the ESEA. Requires schools and LEAs whose four and five-year adjusted cohort graduation rates fall below 90% overall or for any low-income, minority, disabled, migrant, or limited English proficient student subgroup, to make specified yearly progress in improving such rates or be deemed as failing to make AYP.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to extend the American Battlefield Protection Program until September 30, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 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. Prohibits any funds made available by any Act of Congress from being obligated or expended to: (1) establish any military installation or base for providing for the permanent stationing of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq; or (2) exercise U.S. economic control of the oil resources of Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Housing Fairness Act of 2007 - Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct, and report to Congress on, a nationwide testing program to: (1) detect and document differences in the treatment of persons seeking to rent or purchase housing or obtain or refinance a home mortgage loan; (2) measure patterns of adverse treatment because of the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability status, or national origin of a renter, home buyer, or borrower; and (3) measure the prevalence of such discriminatory practices across housing and mortgage lending markets. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to reauthorize the fair housing initiatives program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should: (1) fully comply with such Act's requirements to establish, design, and maintain a national education and outreach program for the development and dissemination of the fair housing rights of individuals who seek to rent, purchase, sell, or facilitate the sale of a home; (2) use all amounts appropriated for such program; and (3) promulgate regulations on the fair housing obligations of each recipient of federal housing funds to affirmatively further fair housing. Directs the Secretary to implement a competitive matching grant program to assist private nonprofit organizations in: (1) conducting comprehensive studies of specified aspects of the causes and effects of housing discrimination and segregation; and (2) implementing pilot projects that test solutions to help prevent or alleviate housing discrimination and segregation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Keep Teachers Teaching Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), states, and partnerships of LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of innovative teacher retention programs that include: (1) professional development; (2) teacher mentoring; (3) advanced certification or credentialing; (4) research, travel, or fellowship opportunities; and (5) pairing of teachers with research or industry professionals. Requires the Secretary to identify, and inform states and LEAs of, the most promising teacher retention strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Veterans Education Tuition Support Act of 2007 or VETS Act of 2007 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to require an institution of higher education, whenever a servicemember is called, activated, or ordered to military service and therefore withdraws or takes a leave of absence from such institution, to: (1) refund to the servicemember tuition and other fees paid for the portion of the program of education for which the servicemember did not receive academic credit after such withdrawal or leave; and (2) provide the servicemember an opportunity to reenroll at the institution with the same educational and academic status that the servicemember had when ordered to military service. Requires a provider of a student loan with respect to such a servicemember: (1) if the servicemember reenrolls in the program of education (or a comparable program) within 13 months following the period of military service, to disregard the entire period that the education was discontinued in determining the date on which student loan repayment is to begin; or (2) if the servicemember does not reenroll, to not require loan repayment to begin before the later of the last day of such 13-month period or the date the repayment was otherwise required to begin. Prohibits a court from granting a creditor relief from the 6% limit on interest charged against the indebtedness of a servicemember during a period of military service in the case of an obligation or liability incurred by a servicemember who is a student at an institution of higher education at the time of the call to service.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812. Requires a coin design emblematic of the War of 1812, particularly the Battle for Fort McHenry that formed the basis for the Star-Spangled Banner . Authorizes the Secretary to issue the coins only during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012. Requires specified surcharges in sales of the coin, which shall be paid to the Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission for: (1) the purpose of supporting bicentennial activities; and (2) preservation and improvement activities relating to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Victims of Crime Act Preservation Fund Act of 2007 - Excludes receipts and disbursements of the Crime Victims Fund from executive and congressional budgets. Prohibits the consideration of any legislation in the House of Representatives or the Senate that would authorize the use of amounts in the Crime Victims Fund for a purpose not authorized by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984. Allows the Senate to waive or suspend such prohibition by a three-fifths vote.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Congratulates the Town of New Milford, Connecticut, on the occasion of its 300th anniversary. Honors the town for its history, growth, and contributions to Connecticut and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2011 for: (1) airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning programs; (2) air navigation facilities and equipment; and (3) FAA operations. Authorizes additional authorizations of appropriations from the general fund of the Treasury for aviation programs through FY2011. Amends the airport improvement program (AIP) to increase passenger facility charge amounts that can be imposed by an eligible agency to finance an eligible airport-related project. Expands eligibility requirements for airport-related projects to include projects for: (1) construction of airport bicycle storage facilities; (2) mitigation of noise to buildings caused by large hub airports; and (3) an intermodal ground access pilot project. Establishes user fees for aircraft owners or operators for certain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) services. Provides for the adjustment of overflight fees. Makes specified amendments to the AIP, including increasing the allotment of discretionary funds in a fiscal year for the airport security program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the modernizing of the U.S. air transportation system, through implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, is a national priority. Allows a pilot who has attained 60 years of age to serve as a passenger airline pilot until the age of 65 years old, provided certain conditions are met and subject to a limitation for international flights. Requires certain air carriers and airport operators to submit for the Secretary of Transportation's approval emergency contingency plans for: (1) how food, water, restroom facilities, and access to medical treatment will be provided to passengers who are grounded on aircraft for extended periods; and (2) the sharing of facilities and gates during an airport emergency. Establishes a pilot program to carry out a number of environmental mitigation demonstration projects at public-use airports. Increases in the number of aviation safety inspectors in the Flight Standards Service. Requires an assessment of training programs for FAA air traffic controllers. Extends the Secretary's authority to provide insurance and reinsurance against loss or damage arising out of any risk from the operation of a domestic or foreign aircraft. Establishes within the FAA a working group to make recommendations for the realignment of FAA services and facilities to assist in the transition to next generation facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007
Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) make grants for conducting workshops in the performing arts, public speaking, writing, and culinary arts to further the readjustment of veterans; and (2) make emergency grants to repair or replace facilities used to provide care for homeless veterans. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in remote areas; (2) provide peer outreach services, peer support services, and readjustment and mental health services to veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom; (3) carry out a pilot program to assist returning war veterans who are at risk of not seeking mental health services; (4) ensure that at least one full-time employee of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is assigned to oversee and coordinate homeless veterans programs at the office of each of the VA regional health delivery networks; (5) annually increase the rate of payment for providing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services to homeless veterans; (6) carry out a demonstration program to prevent veterans who are at risk of homelessness after discharge or release from active military duty from becoming homeless; (7) carry out a pilot program for the provision of permanent housing for homeless veterans; and (8) provide financial assistance for the provision of supportive services for very low-income veteran families residing in permanent housing. Allows homeless veterans' comprehensive services grant funds to be used to provide funding for service center staff. Extends through FY2011 a program of referral and counseling for veterans transitioning from certain institutions who are at risk of homelessness. Repeals a provision limiting to FY2003 and FY2004 the funding for VA domiciliary care programs for homeless veterans. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such programs are adequate, with respect to capacity and safety, to meet the needs of women veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that a commemorative postage stamp be issued by the United States Postal Service to honor our nation's disabled veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2007
Recognizes and congratulates Malaysia on its 50th anniversary of independence. Supports a strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Malaysia and continued cooperation in such important areas as counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and trade.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007
Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide compensation to relatives of U.S. citizens who were killed in the U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa on August 7, 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2007
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted when an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice, or when an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time compensation is paid. Allows a person filing an action to challenge similar or related instances of compensation discrimination after an aggrieved person filed a charge without filing another charge. Accrues liability, and an aggrieved person may obtain relief including recovery of back pay for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the amendments of this paragraph to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Amends the Age Discrimination Act of 1967 to declare that an unlawful practice occurs when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when a person becomes subject to the decision or other practice, or when a person is affected by the decision or practice, including each time compensation is paid. Allows a person filing an action to challenge similar or related instances of compensation discrimination after an aggrieved person filed a charge without filing another charge with the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate, establish, and operate at least six Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care facilities as locations for epilepsy centers of excellence. Requires the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals for the designation of such centers. Requires a VHA national coordinator for epilepsy programs to: (1) supervise the operation of the centers; (2) coordinate and support throughout the VA health-care system better access to diagnosis, research, care, and education for epilepsy and traumatic brain injury; and (3) conduct regular evaluations of the centers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2007
Establishes within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services, who shall report to the VHA's Under Secretary for Health on all matters relating to the education and training, employment, appropriate utilization, and optimal participation of physician assistants within VHA programs and initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2007
Recognizes the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum of Navy SEALs and their predecessors, including the Underwater Demolition Teams, Naval Combat Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units, and Amphibious Scouts and Raiders.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007
Northern California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act - Prohibits oil and gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities in areas of the outer Continental Shelf located off the coast of Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties in the state of California. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to exclude such areas from a mandatory inventory of reserves in the Outer Continental Shelf.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007
Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 with respect to hours-of-service requirements airline flight crews must meet to qualify for leave under such Act. Declares that a flight attendant or flight crewmember will be considered to meet such requirements if he or she has been paid for or has worked 60% of the employer's monthly hour or trip guarantee, or the equivalent annualized over the preceding 12-month period.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007
NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), to mint and issue $50 gold and $1 silver coins emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of NASA and JPL. Requires all such coin sales to include a surcharge of $50 per $50 coin, and of $10 per $1 coin. Requires distribution of the first $4 million to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties. Requires distribution of: (1) one-half of the next $1 million of the remaining amounts to the Dr. Ronald E. McNair Educational (D.R.E.M.E.) Science Literacy Foundation and the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence; and (2) the remainder to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for the preservation, maintenance, and display of space artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum (including the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center). Authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the $50 gold coins.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2007
Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act of 2007 - Requires the manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold, leased, or otherwise introduced into U.S. commerce to: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to consumers and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information necessary to enable aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers. Authorizes enforcement of this Act by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and civil actions by state attorneys general, consumers, and service providers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2007
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends federal veterans' benefits provisions to entitle to educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill certain individuals who serve on active duty in the Armed Forces (including the reserves) on or after September 11, 2001. Requires such individuals to complete the requirements of a secondary school diploma (or its equivalent) before applying for such assistance. Establishes the duration of such assistance (in most cases 36 months) and assistance amounts. Requires programs of education pursued with such assistance to be approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Allows for the pursuit of an approved program of education while on active duty. Allows, under such assistance, for the pursuit of: (1) programs on less than a half-time basis; (2) apprenticeship or other on-job training; (3) correspondence courses; (4) flight training; (5) tutorial assistance; and (6) licensure and certification tests. Requires such educational assistance to be used within 15 years of the individual's discharge or release from active duty (with exceptions). Allows individuals currently under the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program to elect to participate in the post-9/11 educational assistance program with respect to any unused entitlement.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2007
Green McAdoo School National Historic Site Study Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the site of Green McAdoo School in Clinton, Tennessee, to evaluate the national significance, suitability, and feasibility of designating such site as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2007
Directs the Medical Follow-Up Agency of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (Agency) to maintain and manage the assets (including electronic data files and biological specimens of study participants) transferred to the Agency from the Air Force Health Study. Authorizes the Agency, during FY2007-FY2011, to conduct additional research on such assets toward the goal of understanding the determinants of health, and promoting wellness, in veterans. Requires an Agency report to Congress assessing the feasibility and advisability of conducting additional research on such assets after the end of FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2007
340B Program Improvement and Integrity Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the drug discount program to allow participation as a covered entity by certain: (1) children's hospitals; (2) critical access hospitals; (3) entities providing maternal and child health services, community mental health services, or treatment services for substance abuse; (4) Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals; (5) sole community hospitals; and (6) rural referral centers. Prohibits enrolled hospitals from obtaining covered outpatient drugs through a group purchasing arrangement. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish reasonable exceptions to such requirements, including for drugs unavailable through the program and to facilitate generic substitution when a generic covered drug is available at a lower price. Expands the program to include a drug used in connection with an inpatient or outpatient service by enrolled hospitals. (Currently, only outpatient drugs are covered under the program.) Requires hospitals enrolled in the 340B drug discount program to provide to each state a credit on the estimated annual costs to such hospital of single source and innovator multiple source drugs and noninnovator multiple source drugs provided to Medicaid recipients for inpatient use. Sets forth a formula for calculating the credit. Allows a hospital to avoid paying such credits under certain circumstances. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out activities to improve compliance by manufacturers and covered entities with the requirements of the drug discount program; and (2) establish an administrative process for resolving claims by covered entities and manufacturers of violations of such requirements. Requires manufacturers to offer each covered entity covered drugs for purchase at or below the applicable ceiling price if such a drug is made available to any other purchaser at any price.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2007
Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2007 - Amends the International Financial Institutions Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury, within the Paris Club of Official Creditors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and other international financial institutions, to: (1) provide for debt cancellation of eligible low-income countries (as defined by this Act) to such institutions and to the United States; (2) provide for establishment of frameworks for creditor transparency and responsible lending; and (3) provide that such debt cancellation is not conditioned on harmful economic or environmental conditions. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit the debt portfolios of previous governments in certain countries, including South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2007
Mentoring America's Children Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to make miscellaneous changes to the Mentoring grant program under title IV that include: (1) improvement of school connectedness and character education among mentoring's purposes; (2) corporations, universities, and other entities among program providers; (3) a requirement that mentors help children become responsible and successful adults; (4) suburban children in high crime areas and children living in high gang involvement, drug use, or dropout areas among those most in need of mentoring; (5) limitation of each mentor to no more than three children; and (6) mandatory information on grant applicants about plans for monitoring mentor/mentee matches and the satisfaction of grant matching requirements that increase from 10% to 50% over the three-year grant term; Allows grantees to be considered for new grants if: (1) their prior performance was satisfactory; (2) they propose to use the new grant exclusively for expanded service to a new area or population; and (3) they are able to provide a 50% match to the new grant funds. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) provide training and technical assistance to, and track and evaluate the performance of, grantees; and (2) arrange for research on school-based mentoring, the results of which are to be provided to the mentoring community. Includes mentoring in ESEA programs for: (1) Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaskan Native education; (2) the transitioning of youth offenders into education; and (3) school violence and drug abuse prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Help Identify Indicators of Potential Student Aggression Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to prepare and periodically revise: (1) concise written materials to be used by school personnel in elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education to help to identify the possible warning signs of a student with a high potential to be aggressive and harmful to property, themselves, or others, and report such behavior to designated school personnel; and (2) more detailed written materials to be used by designated school personnel to determine the appropriate actions to take with respect to such a student, including whether he or she should be referred to a mental health expert. Requires the first version of such materials to be provided to the Secretary of Education within 90 days of this Act's enactment for distribution to schools.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Empowerment Zone and Renewal Community Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to tax-preferred empowerment zones, rural enterprise communities, and renewal communities to: (1) extend the period of designation for such areas through 2015; (2) provide a safe harbor standard for employee residency requirements in empowerment zones; (3) eliminate certain residency requirements for the empowerment zone employment tax credit; (4) grant authority to expand the boundaries of empowerment zones and enterprise communities, including those located in rural areas; (5) allow carryovers of unused expensing allowances for enterprise zone businesses; (6) allow certain empowerment zone businesses to elect to receive payments in lieu of tax benefits; (7) allow federal guarantees and tax exemptions for enterprise zones and renewal communities; and (8) allow the issuance of tax-exempt rural enterprise community bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Inactive Reservists Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2007 - Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement a mortgage assistance program through grants and loans for direct mortgage payments for the primary residential property of designated eligible households. Requires such mortgage assistance to be paid monthly directly to the mortgage servicer during the period that a member of the eligible household is serving on active duty for a period of more than 30 days in the Armed Forces, including extensions in the period of such active duty. Sets forth requirements governing: (1) grant assistance, repayment, and repayment in cases of foreclosure; and (2) application procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Condemns the vote by the University and College Union of May 30, 2007, to boycott Israeli academics and academic institutions. Urges the international scholarly community, the European Union, and individual governments, to reject, or continue to reject, calls for an academic boycott of Israel and reaffirm their commitment to academic freedom and cultural and scientific international exchange. Urges governments and educators throughout the world to reaffirm the importance of academic freedom and open dialogue and to condemn measures that would prevent the production, sharing, and exchange of knowledge. Urges other unions and organizations to reject the troubling and disturbing actions of the UCU. Urges the general members of the UCU to reject the call of the union's leadership to boycott Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified maps as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character. Authorizes the Forest Service to modify such maps for the sole purpose of improving their accuracy or inclusiveness. Requires any substantial modification of those maps to be made through the national forest management planning process and documented in an environmental impact statement.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Improved Hurricane Tracking and Forecasting Act of 2007 - Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to carry out a program for an improved ocean surface winds vector satellite for purposes including: (1) to address science and application questions related to air-sea interaction and coastal circulation; (2) to improve forecasting for hurricanes, coastal winds and storm surge, and other weather-related disasters; (3) to ensure continuity of quality for satellite ocean surface vector wind measurements so that existing weather forecasting and warning capabilities are not degraded; and (4) to advance satellite ocean surface vector wind data capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY2008 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY2006. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY2008 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capita baseline amount for FY2006, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of state home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
America's Better Classrooms Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for investment in qualified public school modernization bonds, defined to include: (1) bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of a public school facility or for the acquisition of land for such facility (qualified school construction bonds); and (2) bonds to finance certain academic programs below the postsecondary level in empowerment zones or enterprise communities (qualified zone academy bonds). Establishes a national limitation on the issuance of such bonds and provides for the allocation of bond amounts among the states according to a specified formula. Terminates the authority for issuance of such bonds after 2009. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to apply certain labor standards to public school construction projects financed by this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require states to establish employment and training programs relating to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Recreational Boating Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to redefine the term "pollutant" to exclude any deck runoff from a recreational vessel, any engine cooling water, gray water, bilge water effluent from properly functioning recreational marine engine, laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes from a recreational vessel, or any other discharge incidental to the normal operation of a recreational vessel. Declares that such exclusion does not apply to rubbish, trash, garbage, or any other such materials discharged overboard by a recreational vessel. Defines "recreational vessel" to mean a vessel that is: (1) manufactured for operation, or operated primarily for recreational purposes; or (2) leased, rented, or chartered to an individual for recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Reducing Coverage Gaps for Kids Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to prohibit states from requiring eligibility determinations for children for Medicaid and SCHIP benefits more frequently than annually.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Declares that the President and Congress should reaffirm the federal commitment to eradicate poverty in America as a leading national priority, immediately establish a national goal of cutting poverty in half in the next 10 years, and adopt a national strategy to reach that goal.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2007
Wakefield Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend by one year the length of time for which a grant may be awarded under the emergency medical services for children grant program, which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states or schools of medicine to support projects to expand and improve emergency medical services for children who need treatment for trauma or critical care. Sets forth as the purpose of the program the reduction of child and youth morbidity and mortality by supporting improvements in the quality of all emergency medical care children receive. Requires the Secretary to support emergency medical services for children by supporting projects that: (1) develop and present scientific evidence; (2) promote existing innovative technologies appropriate for the care of children; and (3) provide information on health outcomes and effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Directs that such program: (1) strive to enhance the pediatric capability of emergency medical service systems; and (2) be coordinated with all research, evaluations, and awards undertaken by the federal government related to emergency medical services for children.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2007
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). Declares the sense of Congress 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 2007
Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to replace the term "navigable waters," throughout the Act, with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting them, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution. Declares that nothing in such Act shall be construed as affecting the authority of the Secretary of the Army or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act related to discharges: (1) composed entirely of agricultural return flows; (2) of stormwater runoff from oil, gas, and mining operations; or (3) of dredged or fill materials resulting from normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities or from activities with respect to which a state has an approved program, or for the purposes of maintenance of currently serviceable structures or drainage ditches, construction or maintenance of farm or stock ponds, irrigation ditches, or farm, forest, or temporary roads for moving mining equipment, or construction of temporary sedimentation basins on construction sites.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2007
Equal Protection for All Workers Act - Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act to specifically include any individual employed under contract among employees whose deaths resulting from employers' willful violations of standards under the Act subject such employers to criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
National Hurricane Research Initiative Act of 2007 - Requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce and the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a National Hurricane Research Initiative and to cooperate with other specified federal agencies to carry it out. Requires such Initiative to set research objectives (based on a National Science Board report on the need for such Initiative) to: (1) make recommendations to the Board and to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board; (2) assemble the science and engineering expertise of state or local government agencies and nongovernmental entities through a multi-agency effort focused on improving severe tropical storm forecasting capabilities, on durable and resilient infrastructure, and on mitigating impacts on coastal populations, the coastal built environment, and the natural coastal environment; and (3) make grants for hurricane research, including regarding storm internal dynamics, predicting high winds, tornadoes, and storm surge, and improving measurements of hurricanes and tropical storms through specified technologies. Directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the National Science and Technology Council, to coordinate U.S. activities related to the Initiative as a formal program with a well-defined organizational structure and execution plan. Directs the Under Secretary and the Director to: (1) issue a request for proposals to undertake the basic and applied research with a sufficient annual budget to accomplish the desired research results during a 10-year term; (2) establish a National Infrastructure Database; and (3) develop a National Hurricane Research Model.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
Nutrition and Opportunities for the Underserved and Rural Incentives to Secure the Heartland Act of 2007 or NOURISH Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) establish a program through FY2013 to provide greater access and opportunities for minority and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to Department of Agriculture programs and services; and (2) establish the USDA Minority Producer Land Preservation Commission (to terminate nine years after enactment of this Act) to review pending Department foreclosure proceedings. Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to extend authorization of appropriations for education grants for Hispanic-serving institutions. Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to revise pesticide recordkeeping provisions. Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide for the inclusion of long-term health effects in labeling requirements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish, within the Department's Office of Civil Rights and Community Outreach of the Risk Management Agency, an office of Farmworker Coordination; (2) establish a conservation initiative for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers; (3) provide cost-share payments and incentive payments to individual producers to address air quality concerns associated with agriculture; (4) implement an integrated pest management initiative in priority areas; and (5) establish the rural regional entrepreneurship program. Authorizes the Secretary to make emergency grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Revises the Agricultural Fair Practices Act of 1967. Establishes within the Department the Office of Special Counsel for Competition Matters which shall: (1) investigate and prosecute violations of this Act and the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921; and (2) serve as a liaison between, and act in consultation with, the Department and the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with respect to competition and trade practices in the food and agricultural sector. Provides for Department and Department of Defense procurement of locally produced agricultural products. Establishes the national organic certification and transition cost share program (in lieu of the current national organic certification cost share program). Extends the: (1) conservation reserve program; (2) grassland reserve program; (3) environmental quality incentives program; (4) conservation innovation grant program; (5) wildlife habitat incentive program; (6) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) farmers' market nutrition program; (7) senior farmers nutrition program; (8) the community food project competitive grant program; (9) fresh fruit and vegetable program; and (10) farmers' market promotion program. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to rename the food stamp program as the secure nutrition access program (program). Revises program provisions with respect to: (1) standard deduction increases; (2) combat pay, retirement account, and education account exclusions; (3) minimum benefit increases; (4) countable resource increases; (5) legal immigrant eligibility; (6) work requirements; (7) program administration; (8) cash payment pilot projects; (9) program reauthorization; (10) block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa; (11) outreach; (12) natural disasters; (13) Puerto Rico; (14) farmers' markets; and (15) the emergency food assistance program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
Calls upon the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to condemn the atrocities taking place in Darfur, Sudan, and end military and economic assistance to the government of Sudan until Sudan stops civilian attacks and engages in peace negotiations. Recognizes the close relationship between the PRC and Sudan and urges the PRC to use its political, international, and economic influence to stop the violence in Darfur, Sudan. Recognizes that the spirit of the Olympics, which is to bring together nations and people from all over the world in peace, is incompatible with actions supporting acts of genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
Danielle's Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to require staff working with persons with a developmental disability or traumatic brain injury to call emergency services in the event of a life-threatening situation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so through: (1) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.
![Official portrait of Rep. Brown, Corrine [D-FL-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000911_200.jpg)