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![Official portrait of Rep. Lewis, John [D-GA-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000287_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
8,563 records where Rep. Lewis, John [D-GA-5] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2007
Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover the services of a qualified respiratory therapist performed under the general supervision of a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the special rule allowing a tax deduction for charitable contributions of food inventories by business taxpayers (other than C corporations).
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2007
Commends the 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry of the Alaska Army National Guard upon its completion of deployment and service to the Commonwealth of Alaska and the citizens of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 116 Helen Highway in Cleveland, Georgia, as the "Sgt. Jason Harkins Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2007
Recognizes National Veterans Awareness Week. Supports the designation of a National Veterans History Project Week. Calls on the people of the United States to interview at least one veteran in their families or communities according to guidelines provided by the Veterans History Project. Encourages local, state, and national organizations along with federal, state, city and county governmental institutions to participate in support of the effort to document, preserve, and honor the service of American wartime veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2007
Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 50 percent of the costs of reducing lead hazards in U.S. homes built before 1960 in which certain low-income children less than six years of age and women of child-bearing age reside. Allows a maximum credit of $3,000 for lead abatement costs and $1,000 for the cost of interim lead control measures.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2007
Trade and Globalization Act of 2007 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to allow the filing of a petition with the Secretary of Labor for certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by adversely affected workers in a service sector firm, a public agency, or subdivision. Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to cover: (1) a shift, by such workers' firm or subdivision to a foreign country, of production of articles or in provision of services, like or directly competitive with articles which are produced, or services that are provided by the workers' firm or subdivision; or (2) instances where the workers' firm or subdivision obtains or is likely to obtain such articles or services from a foreign country. Provides for the certification for TAA of: (1) adversely affected workers in a public agency, its subdivision, or in a domestic industry; and (2) adversely affected secondary workers in a service sector firm or its subdivision. Prohibits TAA program benefits from being provided to an alien worker unless such worker is a lawful permanent resident living in the United States. Revises certain qualifying requirements for TAA for adversely affected workers. Increases: (1) the amount of payments for training of adversely affected workers; and (2) the maximum allowance to cover costs of such workers for job search expenses and relocation expenses. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit for health insurance costs of certain TAA and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension recipients. Sets forth requirements to prevent a lapse of health care coverage for TAA workers and their families. Establishes eligibility requirements for reemployment TAA for adversely affected older workers. Establishes the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance. Extends through FY2012 the TAA program for workers and farmers. Allows the filing of a petition with the Secretary of Commerce for certification of eligibility to apply for TAA by a service sector firm. Extends the TAA program for firms through FY2012. Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act - Amends the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Labor to make unemployment compensation modernization incentive payments in FY2008-FY2012 by certain transfers from the federal unemployment account to the accounts of the states in the Unemployment Trust Fund. Provides for the issuance of manufacturing redevelopment bonds (qualified tax credit bonds) and tax-exempt facility bonds and require the proceeds to be used for environmental remediation and public infrastructure improvements in manufacturing redevelopment zones. Increases the state low-income housing credit for buildings located in such zones. Allows a credit to holders of such qualified tax credit bonds.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2007
Recognizes the 20th anniversary of the Freedom Sunday Rally for Soviet Jews in Washington, DC, which embodies the American principle of citizen activism for the greater good.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2007
Income Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) deny employers a tax deduction for payments of excessive compensation to any employee (i.e., more than 25 times the lowest compensation paid any other employee); and (2) require such employers to file a report on compensation paid to their employees with the Secretary of the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2007
Congratulates the United States Women's National Soccer Team on its performance at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. Commends the United States Soccer Federation, the United States Soccer Foundation, and the supporters, coaches, referees, and parents of young soccer players across America for their role in the success of soccer in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2007
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity; and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Establishes a National Center for Proven Practices Research to provide PCCs and the public current research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention and intervention. Directs the Administrator to award grants to hire and train law enforcement officers as youth-oriented police to work with PCCs, other community-based organizations, and high-risk youths. Establishes a Center for Youth-Oriented Policing. Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to authorize grants for the creation and expansion of state, local, and tribal juvenile witness and victim protection programs. Extends and increases funding for juvenile accountability block grants through FY2013.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2007
Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2007 or the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2007 - Requires the Attorney General to appoint a Special Counsel for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction within the Office of Deputy Attorney General to coordinate Department of Justice (DOJ) policies and strategies for the prevention and investigation of child exploitation cases. Establishes within the Office of Justice Programs in DOJ an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC Task Force), consisting of state and local task forces (one task force for each state) to address online enticement of children, child exploitation, and child obscenity and pornography cases. Requires the Attorney General to establish a National Internet Crimes Against Children Data Network Center to assist the ICAC Task Force program and federal, state, local, and tribal agencies investigating and prosecuting child exploitation. Authorizes the Office of Justice Programs to award grants to state and local ICAC task forces to combat Internet crimes against children. Requires the Attorney General to establish additional computer forensic capacity to address backlogs, including for child exploitation investigations. Authorizes funding for additional agents and personnel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress annually on resources used to investigate and prosecute child exploitation and child obscenity cases.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2007
Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide for the suspension of each provision of the Act with respect to a federal or state agency that manages a federal river basin if the Secretary of the Army (acting through the Chief of Engineers) or the governor of the relevant state determines that: (1) a drought is in effect in the region in which the basin is located; and (2) such drought presents a threat to the health, safety, or welfare of the region's population. Terminates such a suspension on the date the Secretary or governor determines the drought is no longer in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2007
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2007
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants to eligible entities to provide education and training in newborn screening and congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders to health care professionals and newborn screening laboratory personnel. Adds as a condition for eligibility for grants for screening, counseling, or health care services to newborns and children having, or at risk for, heritable disorders that an entity assure that it has or is implementing guidelines and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. Requires the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children to: (1) make recommendations that include the heritable disorders for which all newborns should be screened; and (2) develop a model decision-matrix for newborn screening program expansion. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to: (1) establish a central clearinghouse for information on newborn screening; and (2) award grants for newborn screening educational programs and for a system to assess and coordinate treatment relating to congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to provide for: (1) quality assurance for screening laboratories; (2) population-based pilot testing for evaluating new screening tools; and (3) a national contingency plan for newborn screening in the event of a public health emergency. Requires the Secretary, acting through an Interagency Group, to: (1) collect, analyze, and make available data on certain heritable disorders; (2) operate regional centers to conduct applied epidemiological research on interventions to prevent poor health outcomes from such disorders; and (3) research and promote the prevention of poor health outcomes. Requires the Secretary to establish the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2007
Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to increase, by specified increments over five years, the level of earnings demonstrating the ability of a blind person to engage in substantial gainful activity for purposes of determining disability insurance benefit payments.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2007
Condemns the September 2007 attacks on African Union (AU) peacekeepers that occurred in Haskanita, Darfur, Sudan. Expresses condolences and sympathies to the people and governments of Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, and Botswana and to the families and friends of those individuals who were killed, injured, or missing in the attacks. Expresses readiness to support efforts to bring to justice those individuals responsible for the attacks and to dismantle the networks that carry out such attacks. Expresses support for the people of Darfur, and encourages all parties involved in the conflict to commit to negotiate a final peace agreement at the peace talks scheduled for October 27, 2007, in Tripoli, Libya.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2007
Congratulates Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for receiving the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and commends the Norwegian Nobel Committee for selecting them. Recognizes: (1) Vice President Al Gore's work to increase awareness about the dangers of global warming; and (2) the Panel's work to create an informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming. Recommends that the public takes action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Encourages Congress and the President to enact climate change legislation to substantially reduce U.S. contributions to GHG emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007 - Provides that, in the case of a member of the Armed Forces who is retired or separated for disability due to a combat-related injury, the Secretary of Defense shall require the continued payment of any bonuses or special pay to which the member: (1) was entitled to immediately before the retirement or separation; and (2) would continue to be entitled to if not retired or separated. Requires such payment in a lump sum within 30 days after such retirement or separation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2007 - Allows federal employees to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay available for either the: (1) birth of a child; or (2) placement of a child with the employee for either adoption or foster care. Makes available for any of the 12 weeks of leave an employee is entitled to for such purposes: (1) eight administrative weeks of paid leave in connection with the birth or placement involved; and (2) any accumulated annual or sick leave. Amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to allow the same substitution for covered congressional employees.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance, including through international or nongovernmental organizations, for programs to improve human health care capacity in sub-Saharan Africa. Directs the President to develop and transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring assistance programs for human health care capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
Calls upon the President to develop within the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a Women and Girls of Darfur Initiative to improve assistance to victims and potential victims of rape and sexual violence in Darfur, Sudan, eastern Chad, and the Central African Republic. Calls upon the Secretary General of the United Nations, the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the Arab League, and other nations to take steps to ensure that a fully funded and fully equipped U.N.-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) is deployed to Darfur, including an adequate number of female troops and police to properly manage incidents of rape and sexual violence. Calls upon the Security Council to: (1) find the government of Sudan in noncompliance with Security Council Resolution 1325; (2) call on the government of Sudan to provide legal protections to victims of rape and sexual violence and to bring to justice individuals responsible for such crimes; and (3) enforce the arrest warrants for Ahmad Muhammad Harun and Ali Muhammad Al Abd-Al-Raham, and further recognize the systematic rape of women and girls in Darfur as crimes against humanity and war crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
Encourages the distribution of estate planning information by professionals to all Americans. Supports the designation of a National Estate Planning Awareness Week (third week of October).
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2007
Recognizes the importance of increasing the foster youth high school graduation rate. Expresses concern that such rate is currently too low. Supports efforts to improve such rate, including increased coordination between child welfare and educational agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2007
Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act - Designates specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, as wilderness areas or components of the National Wilderness Reservation System. Provides with respect to specified public lands in the Tongass National Forest for: (1) designation as Land Use Designation II lands; (2) designation as restoration lands; and (3) designation as special management areas. Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate as wild, scenic, and recreational rivers specified waters in the Tongass National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2007
Vision Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand and intensify programs to increase awareness of vision problems. Directs the Secretary to expand and intensify: (1) activities to establish a solid scientific base of knowledge on the prevention, control, and rehabilitation of vision problems and related disabilities; (2) research within CDC on the prevention and management of vision loss; and (3) programs targeted to prevent vision loss, treat eye and vision conditions, and rehabilitate people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted in underserved and minority communities. Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to authorize appropriations to enable the Secretary to introduce core performance measures on eye health by incorporating vision screening and examination standards into state programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for vision rehabilitation professional development.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2007
Honors the 50th anniversary of Althea Gibson's becoming the first African-American to win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Championship at Forest Hills in New York City. Encourages: (1) support of the Althea Gibson Foundation and other organizations that support under-privileged youth in their educational aspirations and athletic pursuits in tennis and golf; and (2) preservation of the memory, legacy, and well-being of pioneer athletes who served as inspirations for succeeding generations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Global Service Fellowship Program Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish and administer a Global Service Fellowship Program to fund fellowships to promote international volunteering opportunities as a means of building bridges across cultures, addressing critical human needs, and promoting mutual understanding. Sets forth Program provisions. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Commission on Wartime Contracting Establishment Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Contracting to investigate and report to Congress on federal agency contracting for: (1) the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan; and (2) the logistical support of coalition forces and the performance of security and intelligence functions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Includes contracts entered into and/or performed in both in the United States and abroad. Requires the Commission to assess: (1) the extent and impact of reliance on contractors; (2) the extent of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement under such contracts and the extent to which those responsible have been held accountable; and (3) the appropriateness of the organizational structure, policies, and practices of the Department of Defense and the Department of State for handling contingency contract management and support. Requires the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction to conduct audits to identify potential waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement in the performance of: (1) Department of Defense contracts for the logistical support of coalition forces in such Operations; and (2) federal contracts for the performance of security, intelligence, and reconstruction functions in such Operations. Prohibits the termination of the Office of such Special Inspector General until 60 days after the Commission's final report. Reaffirms the Special Inspector General's duties and responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Social Investment and Economic Development for the Americas Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide assistance to reduce poverty, expand the middle class, and foster increased economic opportunity in Western Hemisphere countries. Establishes within USAID the Western Hemisphere Economic Investment and Development Advisory Committee which shall: (1) serve as a link among the U.S. government, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and other interested parties; and (2) review projects funded under this Act. Amends the Inter-American Development Bank Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the United States Executive Director at the Bank to use U.S. influence to urge the Bank to establish a Social Investment and Economic Development Fund for the Americas to provide assistance to reduce poverty, expand the size of the middle class, and foster increased economic opportunity in Western Hemisphere countries. Authorizes appropriations for payment to the Inter-American Development Bank of arrears owed by the United States to the Multilateral Investment Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Safety Assurance For Every Consumer Product Act or the SAFE Consumer Product Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to require (in current law, authorize) the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to prescribe consumer product testing programs. Requires nongovernmental, independent third party testing of children's products. Increases the actions the CPSC may take in ordering recalls of products presenting substantial hazards. Makes recalled product retail sale unlawful. Requires manufacturers to mark products or packaging to enable purchasers to determine the product's source, date, and production cohort. Removes the cap on Consumer Product Safety Act civil penalties. Removes a requirement that criminal penalties may only be imposed after noncompliance notice. Reduces the period after CPSC notification to manufacturers and private labelers before public disclosure of information obtained under the Act. Requires any person who must give public notice of a substantial product hazard to post a notice on the Internet. Declares any children's product containing more than a specified amount of lead to be a banned hazardous substance under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, allowing a temporary exception for electronic devices. Requires certain actions to facilitate recalls of children's products and authorizes the CPSC to extend the requirements to consumer products other than children's products. Requires children's product's warning labels to be included in Internet advertisements. Removes provisions requiring a minimum number of CPSC members to transact business. Modifies rulemaking notice requirements. Declares the sense of Congress that the full complement of five CPSC members is necessary to conduct CPSC business and the President should fill vacancies expeditiously. Prohibits any consumer product safety standard or other CPSC action after enactment of this Act from containing a preemption provision which affects any action under state statutory or common law unless the provision is expressly authorized by statute.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Declares that the House of Representatives strongly condemns the Ku Klux Klan for its long history of hate and for its most recent expression through the targeting of immigrant groups.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2007
Urges the President to: (1) call upon associates and appointees who have asserted executive privilege to come forward and testify before Congress; and (2) use all legal means at his disposal to compel people to cooperate with a congressional investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2007
Protect America's Wildlife Act of 2007 - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to add to airborne hunting offenses a prohibition against any person shooting or attempting to shoot any bird, fish, or other animal before 3:00 a.m. following a day on which the person has traveled by aircraft other than on a regularly scheduled commercial aircraft. Increases the fine for such offenses to not more than $50,000 (currently, $5,000). Prohibits a state from authorizing or undertaking any action otherwise prohibited under such Act for the purpose of increasing any game population or sport hunting. Authorizes a state to shoot predators from an aircraft to prevent a biological emergency, if: (1) the head of the state's fish and wildlife agency determines that such an emergency is imminent and there is no other means available to eliminate the emergency; (2) the shooting is conducted by an officer or employee of such agency or of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); (3) the shooting occurs only in the area where the emergency exists; and (4) the shooting removes only the minimum number of predators necessary to eliminate the emergency. Allows the Secretary of the Interior to authorize an otherwise prohibited action to prevent the extinction of any endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 if there is no other means available to address the threat of extinction. Authorizes citizen suits under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2007
Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2007 - Amends federal bankruptcy law to increase the maximum amount per individual or corporationof unsecured claims ranked in the fourth (wages, salaries, or commissions) and fifth (employee benefit plan contributions) order of priority. Includes within the scope of a claim in bankruptcy certain equity securities held in a defined contribution plan for the benefit of certain individuals. Ranks in sixth order of priority the diminished value of debtor's equity securities held in a defined contribution plan if the employer or plan sponsor committed fraud regarding the plan. Permits within administrative expenses certain severance pay for termination or layoffs. Prohibits certain senior executive compensation from being disproportionate in light of economic concessions by debtor's nonmanagement workforce. Disallows as an administrative expense specified executive compensation enhancements. Revises requirements governing: (1) rejection of collective bargaining agreements; (2) insurance benefits for retired employees; and (3) the status of certain employee benefits in a sale of business assets. Allows defined benefit plan participants to file claims for certain shortfalls in pension benefits. Permits inclusion within the necessary costs and expenses of preserving property the mandatory recovery of unpaid obligations owed to employees. Directs the court to consider the extent to which alternative reorganization plans maintain: (1) jobs; (2) defined benefit plans; and (3) retiree health benefits. Prohibits assumption of deferred compensation for the benefit of insiders or senior management if an employee defined benefit plan has been terminated. Limits the recovery of executive compensation if the debtor has reduced its contractual obligations under either a collective bargaining agreement or retiree benefits plan. Excepts from an automatic stay: (1) a dispute resolution proceeding established by a collective bargaining agreement prior to commencement of bankruptcy; or (2) an award or settlement under such proceeding. Authorizes the bankruptcy trustee to avoid transfers made for the benefit of an insider or certain consultants in anticipation of bankruptcy. Revises prerequisites to court confirmation of a business reorganization plan which continues retiree benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2007
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that the federal government has a responsibility to: (1) raise awareness about the importance of available prostate cancer screening methods and treatment options; (2) increase research funding commensurate with the seriousness of the disease to improve screening, treatments, and cures; and (3) implement policy that improves access to, and the quality of, health care services that detect and treat prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2007
Emergency Home Ownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act of 2007 - Amends federal bankruptcy law governing a chapter 13 debtor (adjustment of debts of an individual with regular income) to prohibit the holder of a claim in bankruptcy which is secured by debtor's principal residence from adding fees, costs, or charges while the case is pending, unless such claimholder gives timely notice to both debtor and the bankruptcy trustee. Revises requirements for the discretionary features of a chapter 13 debtor's plan. Removes the prohibition against modification of the rights of a holder of a claim secured only by an interest in real property that is the debtor's principal residence. (Thus allows a plan to modify such rights.) Authorizes a chapter 13 bankruptcy plan to provide for payment of allowed claims secured by the debtor's principal residence over a period that exceeds a specified time frame. Eliminates the pre-petition credit counseling requirement for a chapter 13 debtor facing foreclosure if the debtor submits a certification to the court that the holder of a claim secured by the debtor's principal residence has initiated foreclosure on that residence. Adds to conditions for court confirmation of a plan in bankruptcy that the holder of an allowed claim secured by the debtor's principal residence shall retain the lien securing such claim until the claim is paid. Excludes from final discharge of a debtor from all debts any allowed claim secured by the debtor's principal residence before such claim is paid.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period for purposes of the tax deduction for depreciation of qualified restaurant property. Revises the term "qualified restaurant property" to include existing buildings as well as improvements to buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2007
Acknowledges and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School by the Little Rock Nine. Encourages all Americans, upon this 50th anniversary, to recognize the historic contributions of the Little Rock Nine, who not only secured integration for Little Rock Central High School, but hundreds of thousands of schools across the country. Commits the House of Representatives, in the wake of recent challenges, to continuing the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education and the Little Rock Nine by protecting and advancing equal educational opportunity for all.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4320 Blue Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri, as the "Wallace S. Hartsfield Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2007
Honors the accomplishments of Barrington Irving, the youngest pilot and first African-American to fly solo around the world and founder of Experience Aviation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that inspires youth and minorities to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace. Encourages museums throughout the United States related to aviation, including the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, to commemorate the historic achievements of Captain Barrington Irving.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2007
Calls for the President to grant a pardon, posthumously, to Jack Johnson (the first African-American professional boxer to hold the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World) to expunge from the annals of American criminal justice a racially motivated abuse of the federal government's prosecutorial authority and to recognize his athletic and cultural contributions to society.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2007 - Requires each executive agency, within one year, to use plain language in any covered document issued or substantially revised after the date of the enactment of this Act. Authorizes agencies to: (1) use plain language in any revision of a covered document issued on or before such date; and (2) follow the guidance of the Plain English Handbook published by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Plain Language Guidelines, or their own plain language guidance as long as it is consistent with such Guidelines. Defines "covered document" to include: (1) any document relevant to obtaining a benefit or service; and (2) a letter, publication, form, notice, or instruction, but not a regulation. Requires each agency head to report to specified congressional committees on how it intends to: (1) communicate the requirements of this Act to employees; (2) train employees to write in plain language; (3) meet the one year deadline; (4) ensure ongoing compliance with this Act; and (5) designate a senior official to be responsible for implementing this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide medical monitoring and treatment benefits to: (1) eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the New York City terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) establish the WTC Health Program Steering Committee and the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (2) institute a program that provides education and outreach on the existence and availability of services under the WTC program; and (3) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish similar programs with respect to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Requires the administrator to conduct or support research on: (1) physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks; and (2) diagnosing and treating WTC-related health conditions. Requires the administrator to extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to provide, under certain circumstances, for an extension of time for filing claims under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
Catalyst to Better Diabetes Care Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to: (1) review uptake and utilization of the Medicare diabetes screening benefit; (2) establish an outreach program to identify existing efforts to increase awareness of the diabetes screening benefit among Medicare beneficiaries and providers; and (3) maximize economies of scale, cost-effectiveness, and resource allocation in increasing utilization of the diabetes screening benefit. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish an advisory group to examine and recommend best practices of chronic illness employee wellness incentivization and disease management programs. Directs the Secretary to prepare, biennially, a diabetes report card for the nation and for each state. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) promote the education and training of physicians on how to properly complete birth and death certificates and the importance of such data; (2) encourage state adoption of the latest standard revisions of birth and death certificates; and (3) work with states to reengineer their vital statistics systems to provide cost-effective, timely, and vital systems data. Allows the Secretary to promote the addition to death certificates of language to improve the collection of diabetes mortality data. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of the impact of diabetes on the practice of medicine in the United Sates and the level of diabetes medical education that should be required prior to licensure, board certification, and board recertification.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) nonviolence and Mahatma Gandhi's teachings remain relevant in today's world; (2) our nation should take an active role in disseminating the message of nonviolence; and (3) the President should request the American people to observe the International Day of Non-Violence.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
Honors the life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham. Recognizes her immeasurable contributions to the arts and all of humanity.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2007
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of World Diabetes Day.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2007
Public and Teaching Hospital Preservation Act - Amends the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007 to extend by one year the moratorium on: (1) implementation of a rule relating to the federal-state financial partnership under titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act; and (2) finalization of a Medicaid rule regarding the treatment of graduate medical education (GME).
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5815 McLeod Street in Lula, Georgia, as the "Private Johnathon Millican Lula Post Office."