United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2007
Michelle's Law - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from terminating coverage of a dependent child due to a medically necessary leave of absence from a postsecondary education institution or any other change in enrollment at that institution that commences while such child is suffering from a severe illness or injury and causes such child to lose full-time student status before that earlier of: (1) one year after the first day of the medically necessary leave of absence; or (2) the date on which such coverage would otherwise terminate under the terms of the plan. Requires certification by the child's attending physician. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market.
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 · 22 June 2007
Preexisting Condition Exclusion Patient Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to allow a group health plan to impose a preexisting condition exclusion only if: (1) such exclusion relates to a condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received within the 30-day period ending on the enrollment date; and (2) such exclusion extends not more than three months, or nine months for a late enrollee, after the enrollment date. Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market. Allows an issuer of individual health insurance coverage to impose a preexisting condition exclusion for a period of not more than three months under certain circumstances. Revises provisions that prohibit health insurance issuers that offer health insurance coverage in the individual market from declining to offer coverage or imposing any preexisting condition exclusion on coverage to an eligible individual to remove eligibility requirements that require an individual to have: (1) elected COBRA continuation coverage, if it was offered; and (2) exhausted such continuation coverage, if elected.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007
Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2007 - Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban depository institution to a U.S. depository institution in payment for a product authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to U.S. agricultural producers, cooperative organizations, or state agencies to promote U.S. agricultural exports products to Cuba. Authorizes the issuance of temporary entry visas to Cuban nationals to facilitate purchase of U.S. agricultural products. Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the prohibition on enforcement of rights to certain U.S. intellectual properties and such properties' transfer. Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, and any regulation restricting or prohibiting such travel shall have no effect, relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions, (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers. Amends the Democracy Act of 1992 to repeal the requirement for onsite verification of certain medical exports to Cuba. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the airport ticket tax for transportation between the United States and Cuba by $1; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Agricultural Export Promotion Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2007
Amends emergency relief fund provisions providing for the repair of highways, roads, and trails damaged as a result of a natural disaster to authorize on or after April 29, 2007, the expenditure of fund amounts for additional mass transportation services, including the operation of traveler information services, provided as temporary substitute highway traffic services on federal-aid highways during a natural disaster emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2007
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2009-FY2013 for: (1) type I diabetes research; and (2) diabetes prevention and treatment through Indian health facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2007
Congratulates: (1) the women's water polo team of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for winning the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Water Polo National Championship; and (2) UCLA on becoming the first school to win 100 NCAA sports national championship titles.
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
Prevent Prematurity and Improve Child Health Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give states new options to cover: (1) low-income pregnant women; and (2) low-income legal immigrant pregnant women and children under Medicaid and SCHIP. Extends coverage under Medicaid of prescription drugs and counseling services to tobacco cessation medications to help pregnant women enrolled in the program quit using tobacco. Requires coverage of tobacco cessation counseling services for pregnant women, and exempts such services from cost-sharing charges. Gives states the option under Medicaid to: (1) provide family planning services and supplies to individuals with incomes that do not exceed a state's income eligibility level for medical assistance; and (2) extend the postpartum period for provision of family planning services and supplies. Gives states the option to provide supplemental SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a demonstration program to provide payments to states for telemedicine services for the treatment of applicable individuals; (2) develop and disseminate a national set of core pediatric and perinatal quality measures; and (3) collect data regarding the extent to which states use pediatric and perinatal inpatient and outpatient quality measures on an ongoing basis.
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 · 14 June 2007
Children's Health Care Quality Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to: (1) identify quality and performance measures for pediatric service providers; and (2) award grants or contracts for the development, validation, and testing of new and emerging measures. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish demonstration projects to award grants to states to improve the delivery of health care services to children under Medicaid and SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP). Requires demonstration projects in the categories of: (1) health information technology systems; (2) disease management for children with chronic conditions; (3) evidence-based quality improvement; and (4) quality and performance measures for providers of children's health care services. Requires the Comptroller General to make recommendations to Congress for the design and implementation of a demonstration project to evaluate the suitability of existing quality and performance measures for children's inpatient hospital services for public reporting, differentiating quality, identifying best practices, and providing a basis for payment rewards.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2007
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National HIV/AIDS Testing Day. Encourages the use of rapid test kits approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for HIV testing.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2007
Mammogram and MRI Availability Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provides coverage for diagnostic mammography for any woman 40 years old or older to provide no less favorable coverage for annual screening mammography for such a woman, and diagnostic mammography, annual screening mammography, and annual magnetic resonance imaging for any high risk woman. Prohibits a group health plan from denying enrollment or renewal solely to avoid the requirements of this Act, providing monetary incentives to encourage women to accept less than such minimum protections, penalizing providers for providing care in accordance with this Act, or providing incentives to induce providers to provide care in a manner inconsistent with this Act. Applies such requirements and prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market.
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 · 12 June 2007
Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from: (1) denying an eligible participant or beneficiary participation in clinical trials related to the treatment of cancer that are federally funded or conducted under an investigational new drug application reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); (2) denying (or limiting or imposing additional conditions on) the coverage of routine patient costs for items and services furnished in connection with such participation; or (3) discriminating against an individual on the basis of such participation. Includes as routine patient costs all items and services provided in the clinical trial that are otherwise generally available to a qualified individual, with certain exceptions. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study the impact on group health plans and health insurance issuers of requiring them to cover routine patient care costs for individuals with serious and life threatening diseases other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2007
Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act or the IMPACT Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand an existing grant program for training for health profession students to include the treatment of individuals who are overweight, obese, or have eating disorders. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for the training of primary care physicians and other health professions on how to identify, treat, and prevent obesity or eating disorders and aid individuals who are overweight or obese or who suffer from eating disorders. Requires the Secretary, acting though the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants for the planning and implementation of programs that promote healthy eating behaviors and physical activity. Allows the Secretary, acting through the National Center for Health Statistics, to provide for the collection and analysis of data for determining the fitness levels and energy expenditures of children and data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to review the research to determine if the information might be important for the health disparities report. Permits states to use preventive health and health services block grants for activities and community education programs designed to address and prevent obesity and eating disorders. Requires the Secretary to report to the relevant congressional committees on: (1) the causes and health implications of being overweight, obese, or having an eating disorder; and (2) the effectiveness of campaigns to change children's behaviors and reduce obesity.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2007
NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to: (1) require federal and state agencies to transmit certain criminal and mental health records to the Attorney General for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS); (2) require the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide information to the Attorney General relevant for determining whether a person is disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm; (3) require the Attorney General to maintain the accuracy, confidentiality, and privacy of records in the NICS and to allow the deletion of records that are inaccurate or obsolete; (4) restrict the types of criminal and mental health records that states may transmit to the NICS; and (5) require states to establish procedures to allow persons with disabilities relating to mental health status or commitment to obtain relief from such disabilities for purposes of firearms eligibility. Requires the Attorney General to make grants to states and Indian tribes to: (1) establish or upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations; and (2) allow state and tribal courts to automate criminal history dispositions and mental health records and electronically transmit such records to the NICS. Prohibits the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from charging user fees for NICS background checks. Requires: (1) the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to study and evaluate NICS operations and to report annually to Congress and to states on best practices for handling criminal records and mental health information transmitted to the NICS; and (2) the Comptroller General to audit expenditures for criminal records improvement.
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
Mental Health Care for Our Wounded Warriors Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) members of the Armed Forces (members) deserve the best possible treatment for mental and physical illnesses and injuries sustained while in military service; (2) members should have access to mental health providers; (3) mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) should be treated with an urgency similar to physical ailments incurred by members; (4) there is a need to recruit, train, and retain more mental health care professionals to diagnose and treat members; and (5) there is a continued need for research, new treatments, and best practices for treating PTSD, as well as a long-term strategy for recruiting, training, and retaining the mental health workforce of the Department of Defense (DOD). Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish at least two centers of excellence in military mental health for, among other things, the development and implementation of DOD strategy for the prevention, identification, and treatment of combat-related mental health conditions, with an emphasis on PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional defense committees on appropriate actions to address current personnel shortages in the DOD mental health workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2007
United Nations Population Fund Women's Health and Dignity Act - Authorizes the President to make a voluntary contribution on a grant basis to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to: (1) provide and distribute equipment, medicine, supplies, and expertise to ensure safe childbirth and emergency obstetric care; (2) make contraceptives available for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS; (3) reduce abortion and related maternal mortality; (4) reduce and eliminate coercive family planning practices; (5) reduce and eliminate sex selection; (6) prevent and treat cases of obstetric fistula; (7) promote abandonment of harmful traditional practices, including female genital cutting and child marriage; (8) reestablish maternal health services in areas where medical infrastructure has been destroyed by natural disasters; and (9) promote the access of unaccompanied women and other vulnerable people to vital services, including access to water, sanitation facilities, food, and health care, in emergency situations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2007
Calls for Congress to support: (1) efforts to promote awareness about the incidence, symptoms, and treatment options of cancer among children; (2) increased investment in childhood cancer research; (3) incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology; (4) incentives to encourage the development of drugs and biologics designed to treat pediatric cancers; (5) policies that encourage participation in clinical trials; (6) medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients; and (7) enhanced education, services, and other resources related to late effects from treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Access to Birth Control Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require pharmacies to comply with certain rules related to contraceptives, including: (1) providing a customer a contraceptive without delay if it is in stock; (2) immediately informing a customer if the contraceptive is not in stock and either transferring the prescription to a pharmacy that has the contraceptive in stock or expediting the ordering of the contraceptive and notifying the customer when it arrives, based on customer preference; and (3) ensuring that pharmacy employees do not take certain actions relating to a request for contraception, including intimidating, threatening, or harassing customers, interfering with or obstructing the delivery of services, intentionally misrepresenting or deceiving customers about the availability of contraception or its mechanism of action, breaching or threatening to breach medical confidentiality, or refusing to return a valid, lawful prescription. Provides that a pharmacy is not prohibited from refusing to provide a contraceptive to a customer if: (1) it is unlawful to dispense the contraceptive to the customer without a valid, lawful prescription and no such prescription is presented; (2) the customer is unable to pay for the contraceptive; or (3) the employee of the pharmacy refuses to provide the contraceptive on the basis of a professional clinical judgment. Provides that this Act does not preempt state law or any professional obligation of a state board that provides greater protections for customers. Sets forth civil penalties and establishes a a private cause of action for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Borderlands Conservation and Security Act of 2007 - Requires: (1) not later than May 30, 2008, development of a border protection strategy that supports U.S. border security needs in the manner that best protects units of the National Park System, National Forest System land, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) land, and other relevant land under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture; and (2) development of a border protection strategy for tribal lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. Requires provision of: (1) federal land resource training for Customs and Border Protection agents assigned to patrol protected land; and (2) cultural resource training for such agents assigned to patrol tribal lands. Requires: (1) the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to submit to the Secretary of Homeland Security an inventory of costs incurred related to illegal border activity and border enforcement activities, including the cost of identified items; and (2) the development of recommendations for a cost recovery mechanism related to such items. Establishes a program for: (1) providing financial assistance for projects to improve management of ecologically sensitive or listed species, improving wildlife habitat to aid in their management, and mitigating the impacts of border enforcement, human and drug smuggling, and unauthorized immigration on them; and (2) awarding grants to eligible organizations to promote conservation of such species. Establishes the Borderland Conservation Fund to carry out projects under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2007
Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) to permit states to expand coverage for children between 18 and 25 years of age.
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
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to: (1) promulgate rules prohibiting, as unfair and deceptive acts or practices, persons from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that such persons provide abortion services; and (2) enforce violations of such rules as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Marine Vessel Emissions Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations that, effective beginning on December 31, 2010, require specified marine vessels to use fuel that contains not more than 1,000 parts per million of sulfur in their main and auxiliary engines. Authorizes the Administrator to promulgate interim regulations upon determining that compliance with such requirement is not technically feasible by such date. Authorizes the Administrator to provide for an alternative mechanism of compliance for a marine vessel if: (1) the vessel employs a control technology that reduces emissions of sulfur oxides and particulate matter to at least the same degree as the reduction that would be achieved through compliance with the applicable fuel sulfur content limitation; and (2) the emission reductions achieved are in addition to any reductions required to achieve compliance with an applicable engine emission standard. Requires: (1) the Administrator, no later than December 15, 2008, to establish and periodically revise standards for emissions of oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide from newly-manufactured and in-use main and auxiliary engines in oceangoing marine vessels that enter or leave a U.S. port or offshore terminal; and (2) such standards to require, beginning January 1, 2012, that the engines achieve the greatest degree of emission reduction achievable through the application of available technology. Directs the Administrator, upon determining that the maximum level of control required by regulations applicable to on-road, nonroad, and stationary engines or achieved by sources from which control technologies may be transferred, including sources that use advanced aftertreatment technologies, will not be technically achievable by January 1, 2012, to promulgate: (1) standards that require the level of control that will be technically achievable by that date; and (2) additional standards that require either such maximum level of control or the level that will be technically achievable beginning January 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Protecting Our Children Comes First Act of 2007 - Amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to reauthorize through FY2013, and revise requirements for uses of, the annual grant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Beach Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to include among eligible grant activities the development and implementation of programs for source tracking, sanitary surveys, and prevention efforts to address the identified sources of beach water pollution. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY2007-FY2012. Requires grant recipients to identify: (1) the use of a rapid testing method; (2) measures for communication within 24 hours of the results of a water sample concerning pollutants to specified officials and all state agencies with authority to require the prevention or treatment of the sources of beach water pollution; (3) measures to develop and implement a beach water pollution source identification and tracking program for the coastal recreation waters that are not meeting applicable water quality standards for pathogens; (4) a publicly accessible and searchable global information system database, with information updated within 24 hours of its availability, organized by beach and with defined standards, sampling plan, monitoring protocols, sampling results, and number and causes of beach closings and advisory days; and (5) measures to ensure that closures or advisories are made or issued within 24 hours after a state government determines that its coastal recreation waters are not meeting water quality standards for pathogens. Sets forth provisions requiring: (1) a review by the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator of state and local compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and grant conditions; (2) corrective actions by such governments not in compliance; and (3) a review by the Comptroller General such compliance review and corrective action. Amends the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations to carry out such Act through FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish new separate fee schedule areas for physicians' services in states with multiple fee schedule areas to improve Medicare physician geographic payment accuracy.
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
FDA Scientific Fairness for Women Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish the Office of Women's Health within the Office of the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Deems a breast implant to be a class III medical device. Requires premarket approval of breast implants irrespective of whether the implant has been cleared for commercial distribution in interstate commerce before the date of enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from finding that a reasonable assurance of safety has been shown for an application for premarket approval for a a breast implant unless the applicant involved has demonstrated its safety for the life of the implant. Deems an already approved breast implant to be unsafe under the conditions of use prescribed, recommended, or suggested in the labeling. Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue appropriate, voluntary guidance for clinical care, removal, and replacement for breast implants; (2) require such guidance to be clearly expressed in the labeling and all marketing materials; and (3) require dissemination of such guidance to patients who have already received the implant. Requires the Breast Implant Advisory Panel of the General and Plastic Surgery Advisory Committee to review the results and quality of the research on saline breast implants and silicone gel implants. Requires the Secretary to study the ionization and levels of platinum in silicone breast implants. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to convene a scientific workshop to review and evaluate current scientific data on the use of emergency contraception by females of childbearing potential under the age of 18.
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
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions requiring centers to provide appropriate information, training, and technical assistance on youth suicide to require such information, training, and assistance on suicide among all ages, particularly for youth. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for research, training, and technical assistance centers related to mental health, substance abuse, and the justice system and suicide. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that a state does not receive more than one grant or cooperative agreement for the development of youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies at any one time. (Current law requires the Secretary to ensure that each state is awarded only one such grant or cooperative agreement.) Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for such grants or cooperative agreements. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for grants to institutions of higher education for services to students with mental and behavioral health problems.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Calls for establishment of a National Cancer Research Month to support the American Association for Cancer Research in public education efforts to make cancer research a national and international priority. Congratulates the Association on its 100-year anniversary. Expresses gratitude for the Association's contributions and progress in advancing cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Recognizes the significance of the centennial of the birth of Rachel Carson (ecologist and author of "Silent Spring") and commends her for her contributions to science, literature, and the health of the natural environment all over the world.
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
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of National Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness Month; (2) efforts to educate people about the disease; and (3) raising awareness of the consequences of undiagnosed and untreated peripheral arterial disease and the need to seek appropriate care. Acknowledges the importance of peripheral arterial disease awareness to improve national cardiovascular health.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2007
Federal Aviation Administration Facility Consolidation Moratorium Act of 2007 - Suspends the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to realign FAA air traffic control facilities and services until January 1, 2009.
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 · 21 May 2007
Proud to Be an American Citizen Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make funds available annually to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or to approved public or private nonprofit entities to support public ceremonies for administering oaths of allegiance to naturalizing legal immigrants. States that such ceremonies shall: (1) be held on a date that is on or near Independence Day; and (2) include appropriate outreach, ceremonial, and celebratory activities. Specifies: (1) ceremony fund limits ($5,000); and (2) permitted fund uses.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
Declares that the House of Representatives and the American people have lost confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Urges the President to request his resignation and to nominate a new candidate more capable of serving as the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
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
Nurse Faculty Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Secretary of Education to award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, partnerships composed of an accredited school of nursing at an institution of higher education and a hospital or other health facility to establish pilot projects to enable such a facility to retain its staff of experienced nurses while providing a mechanism to have these individuals become faculty members of such a school. Requires such individuals to teach for two years for each year of support received under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
Family and Workplace Balancing Act of 2007, or Balancing Act of 2007 - Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make five-year grants to a state or local government to pay for the federal share of projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to family caregiving needs, especially those related to the birth or adoption of a child. Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) and federal civil service law to allow employees covered by FMLA and civil servants to take specified additional leave for: (1) parental involvement in their children's or grandchildren's educational and extracurricular activities; and (2) routine family medical care needs. Amends FMLA to revise criteria for covered employees. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize additional funds for expanding child care activities for young children under age three. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Secretary of Education, to make grants to enable states, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to establish or expand quality programs of early childhood home visitation. Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Development and Retention Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program. Healthy Early Education Workforce Grant Program Act - Authorizes the HHS Secretary to allot funds to eligible states, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to pay the federal share of providing access to affordable health benefits coverage for: (1) eligible child care providers; and (2) at state option, the spouses, domestic partners, and dependents of such providers. Child Care Construction and Renovation Incentive Grants Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to provide for use of community development block grants to establish child care facilities. Amends the National Housing Act to provide for related mortgage insurance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make technical and financial assistance grants for acquiring or improving such facilities or related equipment. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a business child care incentive grant program. Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the HHS Secretary to make grants to state agencies to develop full-day, full-year universal prekindergarten programs for all children three, four, and five years old. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a universal free school breakfast program without regard to family incomes. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program of healthy school nutrition environment incentive grants. Afterschool Education Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require state educational agencies to give priority to 21st century community learning centers program grant applications submitted jointly by eligible entities consisting of at least: (1) one local educational agency receiving funds under ESEA provisions for disadvantaged students; and (2) at least one community-based organization or other public or private entity. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for treatment of employees working at less than full-time under participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans and under group health plans, including certain individuals whose services are leased or contracted for. United States Business Telework Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to conduct a pilot program in up to five states to raise awareness about telework among employers and to encourage them to offer telework options to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
Deamonte's Law - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to federally qualified health centers to expand and improve the provision of pediatric dental services to medically underserved populations by: (1) recruiting dentists, pediatric dentists, or dentists with pediatric training to provide pediatric dental services; (2) purchasing or renting dental equipment; (3) constructing and expanding space; and (4) allowing contractual relationships between such health centers and private dental providers to increase access to dental care for adults. Requires the Secretary to make grants to schools of dentistry and hospitals with accredited training programs to increase the number of individuals who pursue academic programs in pediatric dentistry by: (1) establishing, maintaining, or improving pre- and post-doctoral academic programs in pediatric dentistry; (2) recruiting and training dental students to pursue training in pediatric dentistry; (3) strengthening training in pediatric dentistry within advanced education in general dentistry and general practice residencies in dentistry programs; or (4) recruiting and training practicing dentists through continuing education programs in pediatric dentistry.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
Responsible Renewable Energy Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the tax credit for renewable diesel used as fuel for any fuel derived from coprocessing biomass with a feedstock that is not biomass.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2007
National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation Act of 2007 - Directs the President to establish a National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System to: (1) measure, track, explain, and predict events related to climate change, natural climate variability, and interactions between the oceanic and atmospheric environments, including the Great Lakes; (2) promote basic and applied research; and (3) institutionalize coordinated public outreach, education, and training. Sets forth the responsibilities and authorities of the National Ocean Research Leadership Council, the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Observations, and the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Provides for the certification or establishment of Regional Information Coordination Entities to coordinate state, federal, local, and private interests at a regional level. Authorizes member departments and agencies of the Council, subject to appropriations, to participate in interagency financing and share funds appropriated to any member agency to carry out this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Capps, Lois [D-CA-24]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001036_200.jpg)