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
REIT Investment Diversification and Empowerment Act of 2007 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to real estate investment trusts (REITs) to: (1) treat passive foreign exchange gains attributable to overseas real estate investment as qualifying REIT income; (2) increase from 20 to 25% the the maximum value of a REIT's total assets thay may be represented by securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries; (3) revise safe harbor rules for the excise tax penalty on certain REIT sales activities; (4) treat rental payments made by a health care facility to a REIT as qualifying REIT income; and (5) treat income from, and interests in, foreign-qualified REITs as qualifying REIT income and assets.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Physician Pathology Services Continuity Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with regard to a laboratory-furnished technical component of certain physician pathology services, to treat such component as a service for which payment shall be made to the laboratory, and not as an inpatient hospital or hospital outpatient service for which payment is made to the hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Honors the Marquis de Lafayette on the 250th anniversary of his birth. Urges military academy cadets and military officers participating in various professional military education courses to study Lafayette's impact on the creation of the United States and on the U.S. military.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2007
Repeals provisions of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 requiring federal, state, and local governmental entities to withhold 3% of payments due to vendors providing goods and services to such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
English Language Unity Act of 2007 - Amends federal to declare English to be the official language of the United States. Requires: (1) official functions of the United States (meaning in this case the states and the District of Columbia) to be conducted in English; and (2) a uniform English language rule for U.S. naturalization, and all naturalization ceremonies to be conducted in English. Sets forth exceptions to and rules of construction for such requirements. Declares that English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with the laws of the United States. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue for public notice and comment a proposed rule for uniform testing of English language ability of candidates for naturalization, based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Local Emergency Radio Service Preservation Act of 2007 - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), consistent with the representations made by digital audio radio satellite service licensees that digital audio radio satellite service would be a national service, to revise its regulations to provide that digital audio radio satellite service (DARSS): (1) licensees shall not provide services that are locally differentiated or that result in programming being delivered to consumers in one geographic market that is different from programming delivered in any other geographic market; and (2) repeaters shall be restricted to simultaneously retransmitting the programming transmitted by satellite directly to DARSS subscribers' receivers. Requires the FCC to complete a rulemaking proceeding to determine whether DARSS licensees should be permitted to provide locally oriented services on nationally distributed channels, taking into account, among other things, the ability of such licensees to afford listeners the same emergency and other information as is afforded listeners of local broadcast stations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2007
Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to small business to: (1) extend through 2008 the work opportunity tax credit: (2) qualify certain individuals between age 18 and 40 living in an empowerment zone, enterprise community, or renewal community for the work opportunity tax credit and expand the eligibility for, and amount of, such credit for certain disabled veterans; (3) increase to $125,000 (adjusted for inflation) the expensing allowance for small business assets and extend such increased allowance through 2010; (4) allow employers to claim a business tax credit for social security taxes paid with respect to employee cash tips without regard to any increase in the federal minimum wage rate; (5) allow a full credit against alternative minimum tax liability for the work opportunity tax credit and the employer credit for social security taxes paid with respect to employee cash tips; (6) treat certain businesses jointly owned by married couples as sole proprietorships for tax purposes; (7) deny preferential tax rates on capital gains and dividend income to certain dependents of taxpayers; and (8) grant the Internal Revenue Service with an additional four months to notify taxpayers of tax deficiencies before the suspension period for interest and penalties on underpayments takes effect. Amends the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 to increase the estimated tax rate for corporations with assets of not less than $1 billion in the third quarter of 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act - Establishes an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and an Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office in the Civil Rights Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Makes the Chief of the Section (Chief) and the Chief Investigator of the Office responsible for investigating violations of criminal civil rights statutes in which the alleged violation occurred before January 1, 1970 and resulted in death. Requires: (1) consultation with state or local officials regarding venue when there has been a violation of a criminal civil rights statute that is also a violation of a state or local law; and (2) referral to the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division if the subject of the complaint has violated a criminal civil rights statute but the violation does not meet the requirements for the Unsolved Crimes Section. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to authorize staff of an Inspector General to assist the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by conducting reviews of inactive case files to develop recommendations for further investigations and engaging in similar activities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007- Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General to assume the obligation to repay student loans for borrowers who agree to remain employed, for at least three years, as: (1) state or local criminal prosecutors; or (2) state, local, or federal public defenders in criminal cases. Allows a borrower and the Attorney General to enter into an additional loan repayment agreement, after the required three-year period, for a successive period of service which may be less than three years. Limits the amount paid under such program on behalf of any borrower to $10,000 per calendar year and $60,000 total.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Recognizes the men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the U.S. Armed Forces for their heroic role in the preservation, protection, and restitution of monuments, works of art, and other artifacts of inestimable cultural importance in Europe and Asia during and following World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Pledge Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the federal judicial code to deny jurisdiction to any federal court, and appellate jurisdiction to the Supreme Court, to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance or its validity under the Constitution. Makes this limitation inapplicable to: (1) any court established by Congress under its power to make needful rules and regulations respecting the territory of the United States; or (2) the Superior Court of the District of Columbia or the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2007
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) so long as all of the active members of such clubs are full-time students at the college or university with which such clubs are associated. Defines "collegiate housing and infrastructure grants" to include grants to provide, improve, operate, or maintain collegiate housing.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2007
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 silver coins emblematic of the design selected by the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, in commemoration of disabled American veterans. Expresses the sense of Congress that, to the greatest extent possible, the coins should be struck at the U.S. Mint at West Point, New York. Limits the period for coin issuance to the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2010. Imposes a $10 surcharge per coin, to be distributed to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the purpose of establishing an endowment to support the construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2007
States that Congress will not cut off or restrict funding for units and members of the Armed Forces that the Commander in Chief has deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2007
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal. Requires proceeds from the sale of such medals to be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, but are not derived from a human embryo. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required for additional research; (2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for near-term clinical benefit; and (3) take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Designates the U.S. courthouse located at 555 Independence Street, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the "Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. United States Courthouse."
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Amends the airport improvement program to provide that the federal share of costs for airport improvement projects at airports that are receiving subsidized small community air service and that are located in economically depressed communities shall be 100% (effectively exempting such airports from matching grant requirements under the program).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Renewable Fuels and Energy Independence Promotion Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income and excise tax credits for alcohol and biodiesel used as fuel. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to move the effective date for tariff duties on ethyl alcohol and ethyl tertiary-butyl ether (ethanol) to the effective date of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) sponsoring or exhibiting a bird in a fighting venture in a state where it would not otherwise be in violation of the law, only if the person knew that any bird in the venture was knowingly bought, sold, delivered, transported, or received in interstate or foreign commerce for such purpose; or (2) knowingly sponsoring or exhibiting in an animal fighting venture any other animal that was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits knowingly: (1) selling, buying, transporting, delivering, or receiving, for purposes of transportation in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal to participate in an animal fighting venture; (2) using interstate mail service for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the states (with an exception for bird fights in states whose laws allow them); or (3) selling, buying, transporting, or delivering in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument to be attached to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting venture. Increases the penalties to a fine and up to three years' imprisonment for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a three-fifths rollcall vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a three-fifths rollcall vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each chamber by rollcall vote. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2006
Honors Arnold "Red" Auerbach as a basketball genius, a leader in the effort to removal racial barriers and allow merit to prevail in professional sports, and one of the greatest coaches and executives of all time.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow enterprise zone businesses operating in empowerment zones (economically depressed areas) who file necessary information with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development documenting reasonable efforts to meet the residency requirement applicable to zone employees to receive an exemption from such requirement if at least 35% of their employees during the final three months of a taxable year are residents of the empowerment zone or any area within a 15-mile radius of the qualified business which has been designated by any governmental unit as an area of pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general distress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Physician Pathology Services Continuity Act of 2006 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with regard to a laboratory-furnished technical component of certain physician pathology services, to treat such component as a service for which payment shall be made to the laboratory, and not as an inpatient hospital or hospital outpatient service for which payment is made to the hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress that public policy should continue to protect and strengthen the ability of farmers and ranchers to join together in cooperative self-help efforts to: (1) improve their income from the marketplace and their economic well-being; (2) capitalize on new market opportunities; and (3) help meet the food and fiber needs of consumers, provide for increased energy production, promote rural development, maintain and create needed jobs, and contribute to a growing U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2006
Margaret Thatcher Congressional Gold Medal Act - Provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Margaret Thatcher in recognition of her dedication to the values of free markets and free minds.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2006
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinic in Farmington, Missouri, as the "Robert Silvey Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2006
Expresses the sense of Congress concerning the importance of success in moving families from welfare to work, as well as in promoting healthy marriage and other means of improving child well-being.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2006
Honors the town of Nicodemus, Kansas, for its contribution to American history. Commends and encourages the preservation efforts of the National Park Service and the residents of Nicodemus.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2006
Renewable Fuels and Energy Independence Promotion Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the income and excise tax credits for alcohol and biodiesel used as fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2006
Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the estate and gift tax exclusion amount to $5 million beginning in 2010; (2) lower to 15% the estate tax rate for estates up to $25 million and 30% for estates of $25 million or more; (3) repeal after 2009 the estate tax deduction for estate, inheritance, legacy, or succession taxes paid to states; (4) allow a surviving spouse to claim any unused portion of a deceased spouse's estate or gift tax exclusion amount; and (5) allow a taxpayer election to deduct from gross income the lesser of 60% of qualified timber gain or net capital gain. Provides that the general termination date of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001(EGTRRA) (i.e., December 31, 2010) shall not apply to the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax provisions of EGTRRA not amended by this Act. Repeals provisions of EGTRRA relating to carryover basis of estate property to allow heirs of such property after 2009 to use date-of-death fair market values.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2006
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Declares that: (1) marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman; and (2) neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2006
Veterans Identity Protection Act or VIP Act - Establishes as an independent office in the executive branch the Office of Veterans Identity Protection Claims, headed by a Director, to receive, process, and pay claims for injuries suffered as a result of the unauthorized use, disclosure, or dissemination of identifying information stolen from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Authorizes judicial review of claim determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2006
Calls for the establishment of a National Youth Sports Week to promote awareness of the importance of youth sports and the need to restore the focus in youth sports on the child's experience and character development.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2006
Lewis and Clark Commemorative Coin Correction Act - Amends the Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act to instruct the Secretary of the Treasury to distribute one-half of surcharge proceeds to the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, and one-half to the Missouri Historical Society. Requires that funds remaining unexpended by the National Council or the Historical Society as of June 30, 2007, be transferred to the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation to establish a trust for the stewardship of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2006
Recognizes and honors the 30th Anniversary of the California victory at the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting and recognizes the historical significance of this event to the U.S. wine industry.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Veterans Certification and Licensure Act of 2006 - Establishes within the Department of Labor the Veterans Advisory Committee on Certification, Credentialing, and Licensure to carry out a national program to: (1) facilitate the transition of members of the Armed Forces from active-duty service to employment in the private sector through credentialing; (2) collect and disseminate data on certification, licensing, and credentialing programs of the states and of the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; and (3) advise the Secretary of Labor on certification, licensing, and credentialing issues related to converting the skills acquired by veterans while serving in the Armed Forces to skills relevant to civilian occupations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2006
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act - Establishes an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and an Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Investigative Office in the Civil Rights Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Requires the Chief of the Section (Chief) and the Chief Investigator of the Office to be responsible for investigating violations of criminal civil rights statutes in which the complaint alleges that such a violation occurred not later than December 31, 1969, and resulted in a death. Requires the Chief Investigator to refer complaints determined to have violated a criminal rights statute to the Chief, who shall be responsible for prosecuting such violations. Requires the Chief to: (1) consult with state or local officials regarding the appropriate venue for a case where there has been a violation of a criminal civil rights statute that is also a violation of a state or local law; and (2) refer cases to the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division if the Chief determines that the subject of the complaint has violated a criminal civil rights statute but the violation does not meet the requirements for the Unsolved Crimes Section. Requires the Chief, annually, to determine and report on the cases under his or her jurisdiction for which there is sufficient evidence to prosecute violations of criminal civil rights statutes. Authorizes additional appropriations to the Community Relations Service of DOJ to provide technical assistance by bringing together law enforcement agencies and communities in the investigation of criminal civil rights statutes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2007-FY2011 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2006
Independence from Oil with Agriculture Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to delete provisions that terminate tax credits after a certain time (thus extending such credits) for: (1) alcohol fuels; (2) biodiesel fuels; (3) alcohol fuel mixtures; (4) biodiesel mixtures; (5) electricity produced from wind and open-loop or close-loop biomass facilities; and (6) alternative fuel vehicle refueling property. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) increase the applicable volume of renewable fuel for calendar years 2008-2012 that must be part of gasoline in the United States (except in noncontiguous states or territories); and (2) increase the number of gallons of renewable fuel in the calculation used to determine the required volume of renewable fuel in gasoline for calendar years 2013 and thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2006
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 · 5 April 2006
Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency financial assistance to eligible agricultural producers (other than sugar cane and sugar beet producers) who have incurred qualifying: (1) 2005 crop losses due to weather or related conditions (including crop disease, insects, and delayed harvest); and (2) 2006 crop losses due to flooding in California and Hawaii that occurred prior to the date of enactment of this Act and for which a petition for a disaster designation has been filed with the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to provide: (1) payments through the 2002 livestock compensation program for livestock disaster losses during calendar years 2005 and 2006 for losses that occurred prior to of enactment of this Act (including wildfire disaster losses in Texas and other states); (2) livestock indemnity payments to producers who have incurred 2005 and 2006 livestock disaster losses prior to enactment of this Act (including wildfire disaster losses in Texas and other states), including losses due to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and anthrax; (3) indemnity payments to poultry producers in hurricane-affected counties, and for 2006 ewe lamb replacement and retention; (4) compensation for certain owners of flooded crop and grazing land in North Dakota; (5) sugarcane and sugar beet disaster assistance for qualifying producers and first processors in Louisiana counties designated as disaster areas due to Hurricanes Katrina or Rita, or to qualifying producers and first processors in Florida for 2005 losses due to hurricanes, floods, rain, or storms; (6) assistance to sugarcane growers in Texas (for additional Baton Rouge demurrage costs and raw sugar transportation and storage costs) and Hawaii (for an agricultural transportation cooperative); (7) assistance to specialty and nursery crop producers in hurricane-affected counties; (8) assistance to dairy producers in hurricane-affected counties; (9) assistance to producers and first handlers of cottonseed; (10) grants for agricultural promotion; (11) supplemental economic loss payments under a specified rate to producers who received crop year 2005 commodity assistance; (12) assistance to tree producers (including Christmas, potted, ornamental, and nursery trees, shrubs, and vines) in hurricane-affected counties; and (13) emergency watershed protection and emergency conservation program activities. Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) financial and technical assistance to remove debris and animal carcasses that could adversely affect health and safety on non-federal land in hurricane-affected counties; and (2) immunizations to Department of Agriculture employees involved in direct recovery work in hurricane-affected counties. Directs the Secretary to hire additional state and county Farm Service Agency personnel to assist in agricultural disaster and economic assistance programs. Appropriates emergency drought assistance funds for: (1) the Army Corps of Engineers; and (2) the Bureau of Reclamation (Department of the Interior). Defines "hurricane-affected county" as a county, or contiguous county, covered by a natural disaster designation related to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, or Wilma.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2006
Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prohibit any U.S. officer or employee, or person operating under color of federal law, under control of a federal official, or providing services to such person, while acting in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency, from: (1) seizing or authorizing seizure of any firearm the possession of which is not prohibited under federal or state law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with federal law or as evidence in a criminal investigation; (2) requiring registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by federal or state law; (3) prohibiting possession of any firearm in any place or by any person where such possession is not otherwise prohibited; or (4) prohibiting the carrying of firearms by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms, solely because such person is operating under the direction, control, or supervision of a federal agency in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency. Authorizes any individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to seek relief by bringing an action for redress and by bringing a civil action in U.S. district court for return of a confiscated firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
House Ethics Reform Act of 2006 - Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to require the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics Committee) to establish mandatory annual ethics training for Members of the House and officers. Requires a Member, officer, standing committee, and permanent select committee of the House to designate an employee to serve as its ethics officer. Prescribes requirements for: (1) the Committee's adoption of rules for ethics investigatory powers and procedures; (2) letters of admonition; (3) due process rights of respondents; and (4) simplification of settlement during an ethics process. Amends the Rules of the House to: (1) add to the Code of Official Conduct the Code of Ethics for Government Service; (2) rename the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct as the Ethics Committee; (3) revise the terms of service of the Ethics Committee chairman and ranking minority member; (4) provide for their removal from the Committee as well as removal of staff; (5) prohibit them from discussing any investigation with the Speaker, Majority or Minority Leaders, or their staff; and (6) require certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions. Requires disclosure by registered lobbyists of activities related to such travel. Amends the Rules of the House to require electronic filing of travel records for privately-funded official travel, and their posting on the Clerk's Internet website. Requires a Member, officer, or employee to file a report on any travel on a flight on an aircraft that is not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire (nongovernmental, corporate jets) taken in connection with such individual's duties approved by the Ethics Committee. Requires posting of such information on the Member's official website. Requires: (1) immediate electronic public disclosure of lobbyists and foreign agent registrations; (2) public disclosure and website posting of any gift worth $20 or more to a Member, officer, or employee, or by a lobbyist or foreign agent; and (3) posting of lobbying registration and disclosure statements on the House official public Internet site.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Small Business Efficiency Act of 2006 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat professional employer organizations (PEOs), certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as employers for employment tax purposes (thus allowing such PEOs to pay wages and collect and remit payroll taxes on behalf of an employer). Sets forth IRS certification requirements for PEOs, including financial review and reporting requirements. Requires a PEO to post a bond, up to $1 million, to guarantee payment of employment taxes. Limits the required bond amount to $50,000 for a newly created PEO during its three-year startup period.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2006
Expresses appreciation to the Patriot Guard Riders who: (1) attend military funerals across the country to show respect for fallen members of the Armed Forces and, when needed, shield mourning family members and friends of the deceased from war protesters who interrupt, or threaten to interrupt, the dignity of a funeral; and (2) in so doing, help preserve the memory and dignity of the nation's fallen heroes.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hulshof, Kenny C. [R-MO-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h000948_200.jpg)