United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, national summit, and guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2007 - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to revise requirements for health care programs and services for Indians, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations. Provides for: (1) expanded coverage for qualified Indians in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA), as well as Medicare under SSA title XVIII and Medicaid under SSA title XIX; and (2) related payments to Indian Health Programs and Urban Indian Organizations operating in the state. Replaces the Urban Health Programs Branch with a Division of Urban Indian Health. Requires the Indian Health Service to be administered by an Assistant Secretary of Indian Health (currently, it is administered by a Director). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Indian Health Service and Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to consolidate certain existing programs into a new program of comprehensive behavioral health, prevention, treatment, and aftercare for Indian tribes. Establishes the National Bipartisan Indian Health Care Commission to: (1) establish a study committee to study the extent of Indian health services needs; (2) review and analyze the study committee's report; and (3) make recommendations to Congress regarding the delivery of federal health care services to Indians. Provides for the confidentiality of medical quality assurance records created by or for any Indian Health Program or a health program of an urban Indian organization as part of a medical quality assurance program. Reauthorizes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (as amended by this Act) through FY2017. Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to direct the Secretary to establish the Native American Health and Wellness Foundation. Amends related SSA provisions to conform with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to revise the definition of "food of minimal nutritional value," the sale of which in areas where school meals are sold or eaten is prohibited as a condition for federal funding of school lunch and breakfast programs. Applies such definition (and prohibition) to all food sold outside such programs anywhere on school campuses at any time of the day, with the possible limited exemption of food sold at school fundraisers. Requires the Secretary, when revising such definition, to consider the recommendations of authoritative scientific organizations and evidence concerning the relationship between diet and health.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an alternative motor vehicle tax credit for new qualified plug-in hybrid motor vehicles. Defines such a vehicle as any new qualified hybrid motor vehicle that: (1) is a passenger automobile or light truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of not more than 8,500 pounds; (2) meets or exceeds the Bin 5 Tier II emission standard established by the Environmental Protection Agency; (3) draws propulsion energy from a traction battery of not less than 4 kWh; and (4) is equipped with a means of recharging its energy storage system from an external source of electricity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual list of countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that torture, cruel, or degrading treatment is commonly used in the detention or interrogation of individuals. Prohibits the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the United States for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a listed country. Sets forth conditions under which: (1) the Secretary may waive such transfer prohibition; and (2) a treaty-based transfer may occur. Prohibits the transfer from the United States of any person to a non-listed country without an opportunity to challenge such transfer on the grounds of being subjected to torture or cruel or degrading treatment. Amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to direct the appropriate government agencies to prescribe regulations to implement U.S. obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Extends the conditional time limit for the use of basic educational assistance by members of the Selected Reserve and members of the reserve components supporting contingency operations and certain other operations to 14 years after the date on which the person first becomes entitled to such assistance (current law) or ten years after the date on which (currently, the date on which) the person is separated from the Selected Reserve or reserve component.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) individuals diagnosed with bone marrow diseases and their families should have access to a variety of treatment and counseling options; and (2) such families should be linked to support networks and counseling information services provided by nonprofit organizations like the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation. Calls for the federal government to: (1) raise awareness about the importance of early detection of and proper treatment for such diseases; (2) provide adequate funding for research on such diseases; (3) engage in such public health initiatives as surveillance, education, and awareness of such diseases; and (4) continue to consider ways to improve health care services for such diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2007
Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to add a program for emergency retiree health benefit protections. Prohibits group health plans from reducing retiree health benefits after the retirement of a plan beneficiary. Requires such plans to adopt provisions barring post-retirement reductions in retiree health benefits. Requires group health plan sponsors to grant retired plan participants the option of benefit restoration. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to waive or vary requirements for benefit restoration if compliance with such requirements would: (1) be adverse to the interests of plan participants in the aggregate; (2) not be administratively feasible; and (3) cause substantial business hardship to plan sponsors. Establishes the Emergency Retiree Health Loan Guarantee Program. Authorizes the Program to guarantee loans provided by private financial institutions to assist plan sponsors in meeting benefit restoration obligations under this Act. Terminates loan guarantee authority after 2013. Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil penalties for violations of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate a corridor of approximately 600 miles following the route taken by the armies of General George Washington and Count Rochambeau between Newport, Rhode Island, and Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 and 1782, as the "Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail."
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services: (1) to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan; and (2) acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research. Requires the Secretary to award grants to: (1) support arthritis-specific research projects at the Centers for Prevention Research by the CDC; (2) support state comprehensive arthritis control and prevention programs and public health surveillance, prevention, and control activities; and (3) assist in the implementation of a national strategy for arthritis control and prevention. Requires the Secretary to coordinate a national education and outreach program on arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Requires the Secretary to establish an Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to: (1) improve coordination of federal research activities related to arthritis and rheumatic diseases; and (2) convene a summit to provide a detailed overview of such current federal research. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify juvenile arthritis research. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to support juvenile arthritis data collection. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to support the development of a National Juvenile Arthritis Patient Registry. Requires the Secretary to promote and support pediatric rheumatology training, including by allowing the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the economic impact of arthritis in the workplace.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to limitations on payments for physicians' imaging services. Renames the imaging services concerned advanced diagnostic imaging services. Eliminates X-ray and ultrasound (including echocardiography) services from payment limitations for such services. Confines existing payment limitations to diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) (all specified under current law), plus nuclear cardiology procedures. Imposes a two-year moratorium, however, on the application of existing payment limitations for such services. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on patient access and service issues relating to the availability and quality of advanced diagnostic imaging services in physician offices and freestanding clinics that would have resulted (but for the moratorium declared by this Act) from payment changes made under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide funds to States to enable them to increase the wages paid to targeted direct support professionals in providing services to individuals with disabilities under the Medicaid program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, to audit a sample from among the States in order to assess the effectiveness of progress made in reducing or eliminating the wage gap between targeted and reference direct support professionals through funds under this Act. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the wage equalization and recruitment and retention of direct support professionals who are providing services and supports to individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Program for Real Energy Security Act or the PROGRESS Act - Establishes the National Commission on Energy Security and Transition to New Fuels. Sets forth the duties of the Commission, including to make recommendations to Congress and the President for: (1) preserving the national energy security in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster; and (2) reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil over a specified period. Establishes: (1) the New Manhattan Center for High Efficiency Vehicles; and (2) the Advisory Council on Federal Participation. Requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program of grants to federal and private sector researchers (including the Center) to research and develop alternative fuels and technologies to improve the productivity of U.S. automotive firms in the manufacture of high efficiency vehicles. Establishes a grant program to provide assistance to retail and wholesale motor fuel dealers or other entities to install, replace, or convert motor fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure for use in the storage and dispensing of biobased fuels. Sets forth requirements calling for: (1) the production and distribution of biobased fuels (ethanol) and deployment of new engine technologies for fuel-flexible, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and biodiesel vehicles; (2) greater use of alternative fuels in dual fueled vehicles operating in the federal fleet; and (3) the increase and expansion of employer-provided mass transit fringe benefits. Transit Rail Accommodation Improvement and Needs Act - Allows for the shared use of rail carrier trackage and rail rights-of-way by mass transportation authorities. Authorizes capital investment grants to improve intercity passenger rail service. Allows a tax credit to holders of qualified high-speed rail infrastructure bonds. Railroad Track Modernization Act of 2007 - Establishes a capital grant program for the rehabilitation, preservation, or improvement of railroad track of class II and class III railroads. Requires the issuance of regulations implementing reliability standards for the safe transportation of energy supplies by rail.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to list permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer; (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements; (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat and owned it for not less than one year; or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sets forth additional monetary penalties for related violations. Prohibits federal facilities from purchasing or otherwise acquiring dogs or cats for exhibition purposes except from: (1) the operator of an auction that comports with legal requirements; or (2) a person holding a valid dealer or exhibitor license. Prohibits dealers from selling or otherwise providing a research facility with random source dogs or cats unless specified certification requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Medigap Access Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for guaranteed issue of replacement Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies for beneficiaries under age 65 upon first enrolling under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Makes permanent provisions requiring the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp for first-class mail that costs not less than 15% more than the regular first-class stamp to contribute funding for breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2007 - Repeals current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces. Prohibits the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Authorizes the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated for homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual conduct. Requires such Secretaries to ensure that regulations governing the personal conduct of members of the Armed Forces are written and enforced without regard to sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise national quality assurance standards to assure consistent performance by laboratories of valid and reliable cytology services, to include requirements that each clinical laboratory: (1) ensure that all individuals involved in screening and interpreting cytological preparations participate annually in an approved continuing medical education program in gynecologic cytology that provides each participant with gynecologic cytologic preparations designed to improve locator, recognition, and interpretive skills; and (2) maintain a record of program results. Requires the Secretary to terminate individual proficiency testing that was in effect before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
9/11 Comprehensive Health Benefits Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare-based eligibility and benefits for individuals with a 9/11 disaster-connected health condition. Prohibits a workers' compensation law or plan from discriminating against an individual by virtue of the individual's entitlement to such benefits. Prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual regarding hiring, advancement, compensation, or other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment by virtue of the individual's entitlement to such benefits. Makes Medicare the primary payor for 9/11-related coverage. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a consortium to conduct and coordinate screening, monitoring, treatment, and diagnostic research on the 9/11 disaster-connected health conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Keeping Faith With the Greatest Generation Military Retirees Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive the monthly part B premium (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) with respect to: (1) an individual who is entitled to military retired or retainer pay based upon service that began before December 7, 1956; and (2) the spouse, widow, or widower of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to veterinary schools or institutions offering training for veterinarians to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one such school or institution.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any person to sell crude oil, gasoline, natural gas, or petroleum distillates at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; or (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage unusual market conditions or the circumstances of an emergency to increase prices unreasonably. Declares unlawful: (1) intentional reporting of false price information concerning wholesale prices of such products; and (2) market manipulation regarding the purchase or sale at wholesale of such products. Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General to enforce this Act. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Requires fines and penalties collected under this Act to be deposited in a separate fund in the treasury to be known as the Consumer Relief Trust Fund to provide assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Declares that nothing in this Act preempts state law. Directs the FTC to facilitate price transparency in wholesale markets for the sale of crude oil and essential petroleum products.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2007
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member of the Armed Forces entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member. Directs the Secretary to reimburse such eligible persons for pharmacy benefits received from a pharmacy that is not a TRICARE (Department of Defense managed health care plan) network pharmacy in the same manner as the Secretary would reimburse such person for such benefits received from a TRICARE network pharmacy. Requires such persons, in order to receive such reimbursement, to submit a certification from their physician stating that the person does not have access to a TRICARE network pharmacy due to physical or medical constraints.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the newborns and infants hearing loss program to: (1) provide services for young children (currently, limited to infants and newborns); and (2) include diagnostic services among services provided. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to assist in the recruitment, retention, education, and training of qualified personnel and health care providers. Includes within the purposes of such program: (1) developing efficient models to ensure that newborns, infants, and young children who are identified with a hearing loss through screening are not lost to follow-up by a qualified health care provider; and (2) ensuring an adequate supply of qualified personnel to meet the screening, evaluation, and early intervention needs of children. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, to establish a postdoctoral fellowship program to foster research and development in the area of early hearing detection and intervention. Amends the definition of "early intervention" to require that families be given the opportunity to obtain the full range of early intervention services, educational and program placements, and other options for their child from highly qualified providers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Kidney Care Quality and Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish demonstration projects to: (1) increase public awareness about the factors that lead to chronic kidney disease, how to prevent it, how to treat it, and how to avoid kidney failure, as well as enhance surveillance systems and expand research to better assess the prevalence and incidence of kidney disease; and (2) enable individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to develop self-management skills. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare coverage of kidney disease patient education services. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish blood flow monitoring demonstration projects; and (2) arrange with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the barriers to increasing the number of individuals with ESRD who elect to receive home dialysis services or other treatment modalities under Medicare. Sets forth required training for patient care dialysis technicians. Directs the Secretary to establish an independent, multidisciplinary, nonpartisan End-Stage Renal Disease Advisory Committee. Establishes the annual update framework for the Medicare ESRD composite rate. Directs the Secretary to establish a three-year continuous quality improvement initiative under which quality payments are provided to renal dialysis facilities, providers of services, and physicians that: (1) provide items and services to individuals with ESRD enrolled under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance); and (2) meet quality benchmarks and demonstrate quality improvements. Requires the Secretary to make quality incentive payments to facilities and providers whose services to individuals with ESRD have substantially improved or exceeded a certain threshold. Extends Medicare as secondary payer with respect to individuals with ESRD.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
American Health Security Act of 2007 - Establishes the State-Based American Health Security Program to provide every U.S. resident who is a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful resident alien with health care services. Requires each participating state to establish a state health security program. Eliminates benefits under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare), XIX (Medicaid), and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; (2) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; and (3) the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Requires each state health security program to prohibit the sale of health insurance in that state that duplicates benefits provided under the program. Establishes the American Health Security Standards Board to: (1) develop policies, procedures, guidelines and requirements to carry out this Act; (2) establish uniform reporting requirements; (3) provide for an American Health Security Advisory Council and an Advisory Committee on Health Professional Education; and (4) establish a national health security budget specifying the total Federal and State expenditures to be made for covered health care services. Establishes the American Health Security Quality Council to: (1) review and evaluate practice guidelines, standards of quality, performance measures, and medical review criteria; and (2) develop minimum competence criteria. Establishes the Office of Primary Care and Prevention Research within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to create the American Health Security Trust Fund and appropriates to the Fund specified tax liabilities and current health program receipts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Lupus Research, Education, Awareness, Communication, and Healthcare Amendments of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand research on lupus to include: (1) basic research to discover the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease; and (2) research to validate lupus biomarkers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to work with a consortium of academic health institutions to undertake an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence and incidence of lupus in the United States. Requires the Director of CDC to: (1) enter into a cooperative agreement with such consortium to develop, implement, and manage a system for lupus data collection and analysis; and (2) ensure that such consortium represents different geographic areas and includes individuals of racial and ethnic backgrounds disproportionately affected by lupus. Requires the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to study and make recommendations related to lupus, to include: (1) evaluating federal and state activities related to lupus and recommending ways to expand such activities; (2) identifying gaps in federal research; and (3) recommending ways to improve the quality of life for people with lupus. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office on Women's Health, to conduct and support a national lupus public awareness and health professional education campaign, with an emphasis on reaching populations at highest risk for the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow. Apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the U.S. people for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors. Commits to rectifying the lingering consequences of slavery and Jim Crow and to stopping future human rights violations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Congratulates former Vice President Al Gore on the Academy Award for Best Documentary Film given to An Inconvenient Truth. Commends director Davis Guggenheim and producers Lawrence Bender and Laurie David. Recognizes Al Gore's role in making climate change one of the major issues of the 110th Congress. Expresses the hope that Congress and the President will enact meaningful climate change legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that the global use of child soldiers is unacceptable and that the international community should find remedies to end this practice.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act - Declares it is U.S. policy to protect and preserve living and other resources of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (Farallones NMS) and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Cordell Bank NMS) marine environments. Makes certain adjustments to expand the boundaries of the Farallones NMS and the Cordell NMS. Prohibits within the Farallones NMS and the Cordell Bank NMS: (1) the leasing, exploration, development, production, or transporting by pipeline of minerals or hydrocarbons; (2) the conduct of aquaculture (with exceptions); and (3) subject to limitation, the discharge of materials, substances, or introduced species or a harmful change in the salinity. Prohibits the conduct of aquaculture within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to complete: (1) an interim supplemental management plan for each sanctuary that focuses on protective resource management in the areas added by this Act; and (2) a revised comprehensive management plan for each of the sanctuaries. Requires the Secretary to review the operations of the Farallones NMS to determine whether area added to it by this Act shall be designated as a new and separate NMS.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Freedom through Renewable Energy Expansion (FREE) Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal provisions regarding: (1) the next generation nuclear plant project; (2) standby support for certain nuclear plant delays; and (3) incentives for oil and gas production from federal lands. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to repeal: (1) the credit for production from advanced nuclear power facilities; (2) the election to expense certain refineries; (3) treatment of natural gas distribution lines as 15-year property; (4) treatment of natural gas gathering lines as seven-year property; (5) the rule for determining the small refiner exception to the oil depletion deduction; and (6) the amortization of geological and geophysical expenditures. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to repeal the suspension of: (1) offshore royalties pertaining to the Planning Areas offshore Alaska; and (2) the royalty with respect to the national petroleum reserve in Alaska. Sets forth price thresholds for royalty suspension provisions affecting leases in Central and Western Gulf of Mexico. States that Congress reaffirms the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to vary, based on the price of production from an oil lease, the suspension of royalties (in effect, impose price thresholds for certain lease sales) under any lease subject to the Outer Continental Shelf Deep Water Royalty Relief Act. Sets forth prerequisites for issuance of new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, and for lease transfers. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish conservation of resources fees for federal oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate certain average fuel economy standards for passenger automobiles manufactured after model year 2009. Amends the IRC to extend the credit for: (1) renewable electricity production; (2) solar energy property, qualified fuel cell property, and geothermal property; and (3) residential energy efficient property. Allows a tax credit for wind energy property installed in residences and businesses. Authorizes appropriations for geothermal research. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to prescribe a federal renewable portfolio standard. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to revise certain federal energy purchase requirements. Instructs the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program for local schools and school districts to promote the use of renewable energy sources in school facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Enhancement Act - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to expand, intensify, and coordinate the Institute's research activities on inflammatory bowel disease, with an emphasis on: (1) genetic research on susceptibility for inflammatory bowel disease; (2) research targeted to increase knowledge about the causes and complications of inflammatory bowel disease in children; (3) animal model research; (4) clinical research; (5) expansion of the Institute's Inflammatory Bowel Disease Centers program with a focus on pediatric research; and (6) other research initiatives identified in specified documents. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop a system to collect data on pediatric inflammatory bowel disease; (2) establish the National Pediatric IBD Registry; and (3) establish the Advisory Committee on Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease to study and make recommendations relating to the Registry. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prepare a National Inflammatory Bowel Disease Action Plan to: (1) address the burden of inflammatory bowel disease in both adult and pediatric populations; (2) address strategies for determining the unique demographic, geographic, and environmental-exposure characteristics of the inflammatory bowel disease population; (3) focus on strategies for increasing awareness about the disease within the general public and the health care community; and (4) address mechanisms designed to prevent the progression of the disease and the development of complications.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) include community organizations in the geographic area served by the center; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions and community groups; and (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years, with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation. Requires the Secretary to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to: (1) develop a comprehensive research strategy for centers; (2) make recommendations with respect to the mechanisms, peer review criteria, and allocations under this Act; (3) assist in the overall program evaluations; and (4) make recommendations for the dissemination of information on program process. Requires the Director of NIH to provide for coordination of information among, and an equitable geographical distribution of, centers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. (who performed the first successful coronary bypass, pioneered the field of telemedicine, was elected the first President of Baylor College of Medicine, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and the National Medal of Science) in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Kids Come First Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give states the option to receive 100% Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) for medical assistance for children in poverty in exchange for expanded coverage of children in working poor families under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) or SCHIP (SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance)). Eliminates the cap on SCHIP funding for states that expand eligibility for children. Gives states the option to: (1) provide wrap-around SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage; (2) enroll low-income children of state employees in SCHIP; (3) provide optional coverage of legal immigrant children under Medicaid and SCHIP; and (4) provide for passive renewal of eligibility for children under Medicaid and SCHIP. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a refundable income tax credit for health insurance coverage of children; and (2) forfeiture of the personal tax exemption for any child not covered by health insurance. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to require group market health insurers to offer a dependent coverage option for workers and other individuals with children.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission to plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and to carry out other specified duties. Directs the National Endowment for the Humanities to award grants for appropriate activities relating to the Civil War sesquicentennial, and to consider for such grants university, museum, or academic programs with national scope that sponsor multidisciplinary projects, including those that concentrate on the role of African Americans in the Civil War.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
REAL ID Repeal and Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007 - Repeals title II of the Real ID Act of 2005. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish by regulation minimum standards for acceptance of state-issued driver's licenses and personal identification cards by federal agencies; (2) establish a negotiated rulemaking process before publishing such standards; and (3) award grants to states to assist them in conforming to such standards. Prohibits federal agencies from accepting state-issued driver's licenses and personal identification cards after specified deadlines unless such identification conforms to the minimum standards promulgated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Sole Community Hospital Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, particularly the transitional adjustment for sole community hospitals to limit any decline in payment. Holds sole community hospitals permanently harmless from any decline in payment. Increases the payment for covered OPD services in a sole community hospital by the amount of any difference between the pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (pre-BBA) amount and a lesser PPS amount. Specifies the rebasing of the payment-to-cost ratio for sole community hospitals for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services"; and (2) make physical therapists eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (to assure an adequate supply of physical therapists among other health professionals).
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Freedom to Fly Act of 2007 - Allows a pilot who has attained 60 years of age to serve as a passenger airline pilot until the age of 65 years old only if the pilot serves: (1) as a required pilot in multi-crew aircraft operations; and (2) with another required pilot who has not yet attained 60 years of age. Terminates the age-60 rule (mandatory retirement age) 30 days after enactment of this Act. Declares that such requirements shall not provide the basis for a claim of seniority made under any labor bargaining agreement in effect between the pilots and an air carrier by any pilot who has attained age 60 before the effective date of this Act and who is seeking a position as a pilot with such carrier following that pilot's termination or cessation of employment or promotion or transfer to another position with such air carrier.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Open Space Preservation Promotion Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow installment sales treatment for land sold to a governmental unit or tax-exempt charitable organization for conservation purposes even though the purchase funds for such sale are held in a sinking or similar fund, as required by state law.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Supports the goals and ideals of National Clean Beaches Week. Recognizes the value of beaches to the American way of life and the important contributions of beaches to the economy, recreation, and natural environment of the United States. Encourages all Americans to work to keep beaches, which are a critical part of the natural heritage of the United States, safe and clean for the continued enjoyment of the public. Urges individuals to engage in activities during National Clean Beaches Week to encourage stewardship and volunteerism along our coastlines.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" to honor those members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Honors and recognizes the American labor movement. Supports the designation of a National Labor History Month. Urges government officials, educators, the media, and all Americans to observe such a month with ceremonies, activities, and programs that encourage reflection on the labor movement's heritage and its many contributions to the creation and maintenance of a just America.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the regulation of tobacco products by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Food and Drug Administration, including through disclosure, annual registration, inspection, recordkeeping, and user fee requirements. Sets forth criteria by which tobacco products are deemed adulterated or misbranded. Allows the Secretary to require prior approval of all label statements. Allows the Secretary to restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion, if the Secretary determines that such regulation would be appropriate for the protection of the public health. Prohibits such regulations from: (1) limiting product sales or distribution to authorization of a practitioner licensed to prescribe medical products; (2) prohibiting product sales in face-to-face transactions by a specific category of retail outlets; or (3) establishing a minimum age greater than 18 years of age for product purchases. Prohibits cigarettes from containing any artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, cinnamon, or coffee. Requires the Secretary to establish tobacco product standards to protect the public health, but reserves to Congress the power to ban any tobacco products or reduce the nicotine level to zero. Allows the Secretary to take specified actions, including public notification and recall, against unreasonably harmful products. Requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products. Sets forth standards for the sale of modified risk tobacco products. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) judicial review; (2) coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); (3) congressional review of regulations; and (4) state and local authority. Requires the Secretary to establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to change cigarette warning label and advertising requirements. Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to change smokeless tobacco warning label and advertising requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
HIPAA Recreational Injury Technical Correction Act - 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 or health insurance issuer offering group health coverage from denying benefits or coverage otherwise provided under the plan for the treatment of an injury solely because it resulted from participation in a legal mode of transportation or recreational activity.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000627_200.jpg)