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
Telephone Excise Tax Repeal Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on communication services (i.e., local telephone service, toll telephone service, and teletypewriter exchange service).
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2007
Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand and intensify research and related NIH activities with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to conduct or support research to expand understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a national psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient registry. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into cooperative agreements to develop, implement, and manage a system for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient data collection and analysis; (2) ensure the collection and analysis of longitudinal data related to individuals of all ages; (3) convene a summit on current federal activities to conduct or support research, treatment, education, and quality-of-life activities with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; and (4) enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to study insurance coverage of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
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
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to change from 2000 to 2020 the target year for achieving the objectives established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for reductions in the rate of mortality from breast and cervical cancer in the United States for the committee coordinating Public Health Service activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project which allows the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to waive, for two-year periods, requirements for awarding breast and cervical cancer grants that specify the percentage of grant funds to be spent on screening and referrals for medical treatments if certain requirements are met, including: (1) the state involved will use the waiver to leverage private funds to supplement screening and referral services or the application of such requirements would result in a barrier to the enrollment of women; and (2) the Secretary finds that granting such a waiver to a state will not adversely affect the quality of such services. Allows the Secretary to extend a waiver if the waiver requirements are and have been met. Requires the Secretary to include information on waivers as part of the evaluations of the activities carried out pursuant to breast and cervical cancer grants.
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
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
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends federal law to provide that, with regard to an employee in fire protection activities: (1) heart disease, lung disease, specified cancers and infectious diseases shall be presumed to be proximately caused by the employee's employment; (2) the disability or death of an employee in fire protection activities due to such a disease shall be presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the performance of such employee's duty; and (3) such presumptions may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence.
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
Declares that Congress: (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Celiac Awareness Month; (2) should work with health care providers and celiac disease advocacy and education organizations to encourage screening and early detection of celiac disease; and (3) should increase federal funding for celiac disease research.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning services to provide individuals diagnosed with cancer a plan that details all aspects of the care to be provided. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards for such services. Directs the Secretary to conduct a two-year demonstration project under which Medicare payments will be made for comprehensive cancer care symptom management services furnished by an eligible entity in accordance with a described plan. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) establish new, or expand existing, palliative care and symptom management programs for cancer patients; (2) improve the quality of graduate and postgraduate training of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers in palliative care and symptom management for such patients; and (3) improve the quality of continuing professional education provided to qualified individuals regarding palliative care and symptom management for cancer patients. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a program of grants for research on palliative care, symptom management, communication skills, and other end-of-life topics for such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Authorization Act - Extends through December 31, 2009, 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 · 15 February 2007
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase, over five cost reporting periods, the Medicare caps on the total number of full-time equivalent residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine (graduate medical education (GME) positions) for states with a shortage of residents. Requires the aggregate number of such increases for a state to be at least 15, but no more than the state resident cap increase.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
School Safety Enhancements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) allow the placement and use of surveillance equipment in schools under the matching grant program for school security; (2) allow the use of grant funds to establish hotlines or tiplines for reporting potentially dangerous students and situations and for making capital improvements to make school facilities more secure; (3) set the federal matching share of program costs at 80%; and (4) revise application requirements for school security grants. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Secretary of Education to establish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate advisory school safety guidelines.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2007
Heart Disease Education, Analysis Research, and Treatment for Women Act or the HEART for Women Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act to require an application for approval or for investigation of a drug, device, or biological product to include information stratified by sex, race, and ethnicity, including any differences in safety and effectiveness. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) withhold approval of such an application or place a clinical hold on an investigation if such information is not included; and (2) report to the scientific community and make information available to the public on such stratified data upon approval of an application. Requires the Comptroller General to study the drug approval process to ensure compliance with this Act. Requires the Secretary to require that all nonidentifiable patient safety work product reported to a patient safety database be stratified by sex. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to report to Congress concerning the quality of and access to care for women with heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Provides for an educational campaign relating to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases in women. Authorizes appropriations to enable the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) program projects in all states and territories.
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 · 13 February 2007
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers of such patients.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 - Provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states or local governments. Directs the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether state law provides specified rights and responsibilities for public safety officers, including: (1) granting public safety employees the right to form and join a labor organization which excludes management and supervisory employees, and which is, or seeks to be, recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for such employees; and (2) requiring public safety employers to recognize and agree to bargain with the employees' labor organization. Requires the Authority to issue regulations establishing rights and responsibilities for public safety employers and employees in states that do not substantially provide for such public safety employee rights and responsibilities. Directs the Authority, in such cases, to: (1) determine the appropriateness of units for labor organization representation; (2) supervise or conduct elections to determine whether a labor organization has been selected as an exclusive representative by a voting majority of the employees in an appropriate unit; (3) resolve issues relating to the duty to bargain in good faith; (4) conduct hearings and resolve complaints of unfair labor practices; and (5) resolve exceptions to arbitrator's awards. Grants a public safety employer, employee, or labor organization the right to seek enforcement of such Authority regulations and authority through appropriate state courts. Prohibits public safety employers, employees, and labor organizations from engaging in lockouts or strikes. Provides that existing collective bargaining units and agreements shall not be invalidated by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2007
Edward William Brooke III Congressional Gold Medal Act - Awards a congressional gold medal to Edward William Brooke III, the first African American elected by popular vote to the U.S. Senate, in recognition of his unprecedented and enduring service to our Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to prescribe requirements for a Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard for calendar years 2010 through 2039. Specifies a schedule of graduated annual percentages of a supplier's base amount that shall be generated from renewable energy resources, from 1% in 2010 up to 20 % in 2020 and thereafter. Authorizes a retail electric supplier to satisfy such requirements through submission of renewable energy credits to the Secretary of Energy. Provides for energy credit trading or borrowing among suppliers. Directs the Secretary to: (1) encourage federally-owned utilities, municipally-owned utilities, and rural electric cooperatives that sell electric energy to electric consumers for purposes other than resale to participate in the renewable portfolio standard program; and (2) establish by December 31, 2009, a state renewable energy account program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income and to exempt from social security, unemployment taxes, and withholding of tax requirements rebates of real or personal property taxes or any other benefit provided by a State or local government to a member of a volunteer emergency response organization providing firefighting or emergency medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2007
Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2007 - Entitles independent pharmacies negotiating contract terms with a health plan for the provision of health care items or services to the same treatment under the antitrust laws as the treatment to which bargaining units recognized under the National Labor Relations Act are entitled. Treats such a pharmacy as an employee engaged in concerted activities in connection with such negotiations. Exempts actions taken in good faith reliance on this Act from being subject to criminal sanctions or civil penalties beyond actual damages incurred. Prohibits: (1) exempting from the antitrust laws any agreement or otherwise unlawful conspiracy that excludes, limits the participation or reimbursement of, or otherwise limits the scope of services to be provided by any independent pharmacy or group of independent pharmacies with respect to the performance of services that are within their scope of practice as defined or permitted by relevant law or regulation; and (2) applying this Act to negotiations between independent pharmacies and health plans pertaining to federal health benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for the pass-through of child support collected on behalf of families receiving assistance under the program of block grants to states for temporary assistance for needy families (TANF). Requires pass-through to a family receiving TANF of the total amount of collected child support. (Currently the federal government receives its share and the state retains or distributes to the family the state share of such child support.) Requires payment to: (1) the federal government of its share of foster care maintenance payments; (2) the state for retention, or distribution to the family, of the state share of such payments; and (3) the family of any remaining amount.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2007
National Endowment for Workforce Education in Renewables and Agriculture Act of 2007, or NEW ERA Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make competitive grants to community colleges and advanced technology education centers located in Iowa or other midwestern states to support the education and training of technicians in the fields of bioenergy and other agricultural, renewable energy resources. Requires grant applicants to demonstrate the ability to leverage existing partnerships and develop educational and occupation outreach and training programs with secondary schools, four-year institutions of higher education, and the agricultural extension system. Gives funding priority to specified occupational education and training initiatives, which include: (1) improving the capacity of bioenergy service industry technicians to meet the needs of agricultural bioenergy businesses; (2) teacher training in agricultural bioenergy research, efficiency, and conservation; (3) the identification of agricultural bioenergy employment opportunities; and (4) the development of partnerships with nonprofit organizations dedicated to bioenergy education and training. Requires grant applications to include a comprehensive education and training evaluation component.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2007
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to establish a national standard for the carrying of concealed firearms (other than a machinegun or destructive device) by non-residents. Authorizes a person who has a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state and who is not prohibited from carrying a firearm under federal law to carry a concealed firearm in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state or as specified under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2007
Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2007 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to consolidate housing assistance programs for homeless persons. Requires the establishment of a community homeless assistance planning board for a geographic area to lead a collaborative planning process to design, execute, and evaluate programs, policies, and practices to prevent and end homelessness. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to designate an entity to be a community board if it has engaged in local homeless housing and services planning and has applied for federal funding for homeless assistance prior to enactment of this Act. Instructs the Secretary to make available technical assistance to governmental entities and community boards to implement this Act. Provides for the protection of personally identifying information by victim service providers. Sets forth: (1) an emergency shelter grants program; (2) activities eligible for grants; and (3) a program for continuum of care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act - Modifies the standard for awarding disability compensation to veterans for loss of vision to require payment of compensation for impairment of vision (currently, blindness) involving both eyes due to a service-connected and non service-connected disability. Defines such impairment as a visual acuity of 20/200 or less or of a peripheral field loss of 20 degrees or less. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services with information for comparison with the National Directory of New Hires to determine eligibility for certain veteran benefits and services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan or coverage provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2007 - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. At-Risk Communities Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention research. Truth in Contraception Act of 2007 - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates. Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicaid's coverage of family planning services. Responsible Education About Life Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) with respect to: (1) ballot verification and mandatory paper record audit capacity; and (2) accessibility and ballot verification of results for individuals with disabilities. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to study, test, and develop best practices to enhance the accessibility of ballot verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, voters whose primary language is not English, and voters with difficulties in literacy. Requires laboratories to meet standards prohibiting conflicts of interest as a condition of accreditation for the testing of voting system hardware and software. Outlines additional voting system requirements and prohibitions. Extends the authorization of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Provides for complaints to the Attorney General by persons aggrieved by violations of HAVA. Makes available additional funding to enable states to meet the costs of the requirements imposed by this Act. Directs the chief auditor of each state to appoint an Election Audit Board to administer, without advance notice to the precincts selected, random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots required to be produced and preserved for each such election held in the state. Repeals the exemption of the EAC from certain government contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Great Lakes Invasive Species Control Act - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to apply requirements directing vessels equipped with ballast water tanks to carry out exchange of ballast water or alternative ballast water management methods prior to entry into any port within the Great Lakes to vessels that are not carrying ballast water. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to conduct a study of the effectiveness of alternative ballast water management methods in reducing the threat of invasive species to the Great Lakes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2007
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative (card-check) and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives, particularly a preliminary investigation of an alleged unfair labor practice (ULP) which may lead to proceedings for injunctive relief. Requires that priority be given to a preliminary investigation of any charge that, while employees were seeking representation by a labor organization, or during the period after a labor organization was recognized as a representative until the first collective bargaining contract is entered into, an employer: (1) discharged or otherwise discriminated against an employee to encourage or discourage membership in the labor organization; (2) threatened to discharge or to otherwise discriminate against an employee in order to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of guaranteed self-organization or collective bardaining rights; or (3) engaged in any other related ULP that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of such guaranteed rights. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Fair Currency Act of 2007 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to expand the authority of the administering authority or the International Trade Commission (ITC) to impose countervailing duties on products from a nonmarket economy country that have been provided a countervailable subsidy. Includes exchange-rate misalignment (undervaluation of a foreign currency) by a country as a countervailable subsidy. Requires the administering authority to use methodologies that measure certain benchmarks outside of a nonmarket economy country where exchange-rate misalignment exists when measuring the benefit of a countervailable subsidy bestowed on a product by such country in a countervailing duty proceeding. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to include exchange-rate misalignment by the People's Republic of China as a condition in determining market disruption to the domestic producers of a like or directly competitive product from products imported from China. Prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from procuring defense articles imported from China if such articles are competitive with domestic industry articles critical to the defense industrial base of the United States. Applies provisions of this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico. Amends the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to consider in the annual analysis of foreign exchange rate policies whether countries have a currency that is in fundamental misalignment, and if so, to initiate bilateral corrective negotiations. Directs the Secretary, prior to U.S. approval of a change in an international financial institution's governance, to determine whether a member who would benefit from such change has a currency that is manipulated or in fundamental misalignment, and if so, oppose such change. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the administering authority, in determining whether a country is a nonmarket economy country, to consider whether such country's manipulation or fundamental misalignment of its currency adversely affects the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2007
Nurse Education, Expansion, and Development Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award a grant to each eligible school of nursing to increase the number of nursing faculty and students. Requires such schools to formulate and implement a plan to accomplish at least two of specified goals, which include: (1) establishing or significantly expanding an accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing program designed to graduate new nurses in 12 to 18 months; (2) establishing cooperative interdisciplinary training between schools of nursing and other specified health related fields; (3) increasing admissions, enrollment, and retention of qualified individuals who are financially disadvantaged; (4) increasing enrollment of minority and diverse student populations; (5) increasing enrollment of new graduate baccalaureate nursing students in graduate programs that educate nurse faculty members; (6) developing post-baccalaureate residency programs to prepare nurses for practice in specialty areas where nursing shortages are more severe; and (7) increasing integration of geriatric content into the core curriculum. Requires the Comptroller General to study ways to increase participation in the nurse faculty profession and to submit a report to Congress that includes: (1) a discussion of the master's degree and doctoral degree programs that are successful in placing graduates as faculty in schools of nursing; and (2) an examination of compensation disparities throughout the nursing profession and between higher education instructional faculty generally and higher education instructional nursing faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Veterans Reassignment Protection Act - Prohibits a preference eligible federal employee (including a preference eligible serving in or under the U.S. Postal Service) from being involuntarily separated for failing to accept a directed reassignment to a position outside his or her commuting area or to accompany a position outside of such area pursuant to a transfer of function unless such preference eligible: (1) receives written notice of the reassignment at least 30 days before the effective date of the reassignment; and (2) is allowed to elect to have the selection of employees for release conducted in the same manner as would be required in the case of a reduction in force. Entitles a preference eligible involuntarily separated in the circumstances described above to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board any failure to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007 or the KIDS Act of 2007 - Amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to require a convicted sex offender to: (1) provide for inclusion in the National Sex Offender Registry any electronic mail address, instant message address, or other similar identifier used to communicate over the Internet; and (2) keep such information current. Requires jurisdictions that maintain information about sex offenders to exempt from public disclosure any electronic mail address, instant message address, or other similar Internet identifier used by a sex offender. Requires the Attorney General to maintain a system to allow commercial social networking websites to compare their databases of users to the Internet identifiers of persons in the National Sex Offender Registry. Exempts such websites from civil liability if compliant with the requirements of this Act. Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term: (1) of up to 10 years for failure by any sex offender to provide information required by this Act; and (2) of up to 20 years for age misrepresentation with the intent to use the Internet to engage in criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Water Quality Financing Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide: (1) technical assistance to rural and small municipalities for wastewater infrastructure financing; and (2) technical assistance and training for rural and small publicly owned treatment works. Authorizes appropriations through FY2012 for: (1) state pollution control programs; and (2) watershed pilot projects. Revises: (1) eligibility requirements for grants for sewage collection systems; and (2) state water pollution control revolving fund provisions. Requires states to: (1) establish a list of revolving fund projects that prioritizes water quality improvement projects; and (2) provide financial assistance to only projects on such lists. Authorizes and increases funding for capitalization grants for state water pollution control revolving funds for FY2008-FY2012. Revises funding allocations for activities serving Indian tribes and reservations. Requires the Comptroller General to study the funding mechanisms and funding sources available to establish a Clean Water Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2007
Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution - Calls upon the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide to characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, and to recall the proud history of U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Industrial Bank Holding Company Act of 2007 - Requires an industrial bank holding company to register and file certain reports with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) within ninety days after becoming an industrial bank holding company. Prohibits such holding company from being controlled by a commercial firm. Grandfathers certain institutions to exempt them from the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2007
Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations for the pilot program for alternative water source projects.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Keeping Our Promises to America's Children Act of 2007 - Provides a moratorium on compliance by failing schools with certain requirements for achieving adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Allows states and local educational agencies, if the federal funds appropriated for the pertinent remedial program, project, or activity are less than those authorized, to defer, modify, or suspend related functions the agencies are required to carry out to ensure that schools achieve AYP. Requires the Secretary of Education to ensure that negative consequences shall not apply to such agencies for actions taken under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Fallen Servicemember Respectful Return Act - Requires that, when transportation of the remains of a deceased member of the Armed Forces who dies during active duty or inactive-duty training includes transportation by aircraft, the Secretary of the military department concerned shall provide for the delivery of such remains to the commercial, general aviation, or military airport nearest to the place selected by the deceased's designee, or if such a selection is not made, nearest to the cemetery selected by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2007
Taxpayer Abuse and Harassment Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into contracts with private collection agencies to collect unpaid taxes.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kagen, Steve [D-WI-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000365_200.jpg)