United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Personalized Health Information Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to provide financial incentives for the use of interactive qualifying personal health records by Medicare and other patients and their health care providers in order to: (1) provide patients (or their authorized representatives) access to and control over their personal health data and information and educational information; (2) make available to authorized health care providers a more accurate minimum data set of patient information at all points of care; and (3) accomplish other specified objectives. Requires that under the program each qualified physician receive an incentive payment for each qualifying patient. Directs the Secretary to: (1) publish online a list of qualifying physicians who participate in Medicare and have received such payments; and (2) take steps to educate Medicare beneficiaries and providers and other patients about the benefits of qualifying personal health records. Sets forth requirements for a qualified web-based personal health record, including that such record: (1) is controlled solely by the patient; (2) meets minimum security standards; (3) is capable of exchanging standards-based clinical and patient data with other health data sources and users; (4) is capable of sending patient-specific patient education, reminders, and clinical messages to the patient; and (5) is capable of providing de-identified data for public health analysis and research purposes. Requires the Secretary to: (1) set minimum security, privacy, and data use standards for such health records; (2) establish a consumer protection board to recommend standards and procedures to the Secretary; and (3) establish a PHR Incentive Fund to make incentive payments. Authorizes such Fund to accept contributions from: (1) the Secretary for Medicare beneficiaries; (2) drug manufacturers for messages regarding medical adherence programs; and (3) other Fund partners.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Child Support Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to repeal a provision that prohibited federal matching funds to a state for expenditures from federal amounts paid to the state for child support and establishment of paternity to carry out an agreement for services of the Federal Parent Locator Service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Medicaid Foster Care Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish independent foster care adolescents as a mandatory category of individuals for coverage under state Medicaid programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit treatment limits or the imposition of financial requirements on mental health and substance-related disorder benefits in group health plans which are not similarly imposed on substantially all medical and surgical benefits in any category of items or services under such plans. Directs the Comptroller General to study the effect of the implementation of this Act on various aspects of the health care system, including the cost of and access to health insurance coverage, the quality of health care, Medicare, Medicaid, and state and local mental health and substance abuse treatment spending, and spending on public services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
EXTEND the Energy Efficiency Incentives Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers a tax credit for home energy efficiency expenditures; (2) extend the tax credits for nonbusiness energy and new energy efficient home expenditures through 2011; (3) extend the tax deduction for expenditures for energy efficient commercial buildings through 2012 and increase the amount of such deduction; (4) allow new tax deductions for expenditures for energy efficient low-rise buildings and for energy efficient property expenditures; and (5) allow a new tax credit for energy savings training and certification costs and certification equipment expenditures.
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
NIDA and NIAAA Name Redesignation Act - Redesignates: (1) the National Institute on Drug Abuse as the National Institute on Diseases of Addiction; and (2) the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as the National Institute on Alcohol Disorders 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
Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvement Act of 2007 - Makes a veteran who served on active duty during a period of war eligible for a mental health evaluation and hospital care, medical services, nursing home care, and family and marital counseling for any identified mental health condition, notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the condition is attributable to such service. Requires: (1) post-deployment medical and mental health screenings to be conducted within 30 days after a deployment; (2) each member, upon discharge, to be provided an electronic copy of all military records of such member; and (3) the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate outreach to members of the National Guard and reserves concerning benefits and services available upon discharge or deactivation. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and maintain a Global War on Terrorism Veterans Information System. Requires quarterly reports from the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Defense on the effects on veterans and on each such department of participation in the Global War on Terrorism.
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
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
Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification, for depreciation purposes, of any motorsports entertainment complex as seven year property.
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
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
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.
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
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
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
Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations for light motor vehicles to require: (1) automatic reversal of direction by power windows and panels when they detect an obstruction; (2) a rearward visibility performance standard to prevent backing incidents; and (3) automatic transmissions to have an anti-rollaway system that requires the service brake to be depressed before the transmission can be shifted out of park, which shall function in any starting system key position in which the transmission can be shifted out of park. Provides a phase-in period for the power window and rearward visibility provisions. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a database of injuries and deaths in nontraffic, noncrash events involving light motor vehicles; and (2) supplement a consumer information program on child safety or create a new program with information about hazards to children in nontraffic, noncrash incident situations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2007
Community Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require determination and calculation of the manufacturer's average sales price for a drug or biological on a monthly instead of a quarterly basis. Requires the payment amounts to be updated and applied by the Secretary of Health and Human Services based on the manufacturer's average sales price for the drug or biological calculated for the most recent month for which data are available. Removes prompt pay discounts from the calculation of such price. Provides for an increase in the Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) payment for chemotherapy administration services. Directs the Secretary to make an additional 2% for any drug administration services payment to physicians, taking into account pharmacy facilities management costs. Directs the Secretary to develop new CPT codes for reporting and billing of physician's services associated with pharmacy facilities management and with medical oncology treatment planning.
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 · 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
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
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
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 profound sorrow of the House of Representatives and deep condolences to the McCarthy family on the occasion of the death of Leo McCarthy on February 5, 2007.
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
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act - Amends the definition of the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Requires such service that is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer: (1) after enactment of this Act to be treated as service performed as a law enforcement officer for federal retirement purposes; and (2) before, on, or after enactment as service performed as such an officer for federal retirement purposes only if an appropriate written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) within five years after enactment or before separation from government service, whichever is earlier. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the involuntary separation of an officer before the end of the three-year period following enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies. Provides for: (1) grants to prevent teen pregnancy; and (2) a national center for parents of adolescents to support parents in preventing teen pregnancy. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of Social Security Act to expand coverage of family planning services. Sets forth requirements for primary care clinics that receive federal financial assistance and provide abortion services. Expands state options to provide health care coverage to low-income pregnant women. Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for voluntary family planning projects. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit individual health insurance coverage from excluding pregnancy as a preexisting condition. Provides for: (1) grants for ultrasound equipment and prenatal testing for pregnant women; and (2) programs to better identify and treat pregnant women and mothers who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Allows the Secretary to make grants to public institutions of higher education to assist students who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and parenting students in continuing their studies and graduating. Requires the Secretary to require that federally funded group homes for pregnant and parenting women provide, upon request, adoption counseling and counseling on parenting skills. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the tax credit for adoption expenses; (2) make such tax credit refundable; and (3) increase the exclusion from gross income for employer-paid adoption expenses. Provides for: (1) education of teen and first-time mothers through home visits by registered nurses; and (2) the collection and reporting of abortion surveillance data.
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
Safe Babies Act of 2007 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to require the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award a grant to a national early childhood development organization to establish a National Court Teams Resource Center to: (1) promote the well-being of maltreated infants and toddlers and their families; (2) help prevent the recurrence of abuse and neglect of children; (3) promote timely reunification of families or other successful permanency outcomes for maltreated infants and toddlers in foster care; and (4) select, and provide assistance to, local Court Teams created to achieve those goals. Sets forth organization selection criteria and application requirements, including assurance that at least one qualified judge will serve as Judicial Leader of each Court Team receiving assistance. Requires the Center to: (1) develop materials to guide judges in the decision-making process regarding, and to train Court Teams in the appropriate care for, maltreated infants and toddlers; (2) develop a database to track the progress of and to evaluate such Teams; and (3) provide information to communities and courts seeking to adopt the Court Teams approach. Requires Center assistance to each Team to include: (1) direction, coordination, oversight, training, and technical assistance; and (2) providing a Local Community Coordinator to serve as a resource of child development expertise.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2007
Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that any lists of congressional earmarks, limited tax, and tariff benefits (and the name of the requesting Member), required for legislation reported or not reported by a committee or included in a conference report, be made publicly available on the Internet in a searchable format at least 48 hours before a measure's consideration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2007
Community Restoration and Revitalization Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an increased rehabilitation tax credit for certain low-income buildings; (2) allow a basis reduction adjustment for property eligible for the credit; (3) increase the credit for certain smaller buildings; (4) allow property eligible for the credit to be used for lodging purposes; (5) modify placed-in-service rules for credit property; (6) modify qualification rules for credit property that is tax-exempt use property; (7) increase the credit for buildings in high cost areas; and (8) exempt certain condominium transactions from rehabilitation tax credit recapture requirements.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kennedy, Patrick J. [D-RI-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000113_200.jpg)