United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2007
21st Century High-Performing Public School Facilities Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to make grants in each fiscal year to local educational agencies (LEAs) in each state for the construction, modernization, or repair of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Gives priority to LEAs serving a high number or percentage of disadvantaged children and those whose public schools are in relatively poor condition. Requires LEAs to contribute funds toward the costs of the program, but uses a sliding scale that factors in the relative poverty of an LEA's service area. Requires the Secretary to make low-interest loans to LEAs in each fiscal year for the same purposes and with the same priorities given in the distribution of the grants. Establishes the School Construction, Modernization, and Repair Revolving Fund consisting of amounts derived from the low-interest loans and appropriations made to the Fund by this Act. Amends part D of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize and make appropriations for educational technology.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2007
Microloan Amendments and Modernization Act - Amends provisions of the Small Business Act regarding the Microloan program (a program administered by the Small Business Administration [SBA] to provide small-scale loans to startup, newly established or growing small businesses for working capital or the acquisition of materials, supplies, or equipment) to: (1) require the SBA Administrator to establish a process under which a lender provides to the major credit reporting agencies information about the borrower that is relevant to credit reporting (such as loan payment activity); (2) remove the requirement that Microloan loans be short-term only; (3) revise Microloan intermediary eligibility requirements; (4) increase from $7,500 to $10,000 the limit for loans made to intermediaries that will receive a reduced interest rate; (5) increase from 25% to 35% of grant funds received by Microloan intermediaries the amount that may be used to provide information and technical assistance to small businesses that are prospective borrowers; and (6) include disabled entrepreneurs and small business owners under the Microloan program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2007
SBA Trade Programs Act of 2007 - Amends the Small Business Act to require the director of the Office of International Trade (Office) within the Small Business Administration (SBA) to: (1) present recommendations regarding small business exporters to trade negotiators; (2) develop trade policies that support small businesses in domestic and foreign markets; (3) implement trade policies through relationships developed with federal trade policymakers and transnational organizations; (4) establish programs to boost exports of entrepreneurs and encourage transnational organizations to support and publicize such programs; (5) notify the congressional small business committees of pending strategic alliances; (6) develop and maintain a small business trade strategy; (7) develop a system to track small business exports and the use by small businesses of federal trade promotion resources; (8) design a program that provides technical assistance, counseling services, and reference materials to assist small businesses in navigating the trade dispute and remedy processes; (9) establish a comprehensive set of services to assist small business trade readjustment; and (10) carry out a national study to compare the rates of exports from each state and major metropolitan region to the availability of SBA staff participating in Export Assistance Centers in such state or region. Requires the Office to: (1) design counseling services for small businesses taking legal action to secure their rights to domestic patents in foreign countries; and (2) increase the number of trade finance specialists at Export Assistance Centers. Directs the SBA to increase outreach and marketing of international trade loans to district offices and private lenders. Increases SBA business loan limits for small and medium-sized exporters participating in export working capital and international trade programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812. Requires a coin design emblematic of the War of 1812, particularly the Battle for Fort McHenry that formed the basis for the Star-Spangled Banner . Authorizes the Secretary to issue the coins only during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012. Requires specified surcharges in sales of the coin, which shall be paid to the Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission for: (1) the purpose of supporting bicentennial activities; and (2) preservation and improvement activities relating to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Currency Reform for Fair Trade 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. Requires, when measuring subsidy benefits, the use of benchmarks outside of a nonmarket economy country when benchmarks in such a country are not available or are inappropriate. Includes fundamental and actionable misalignment of a currency (undervaluation of a foreign currency) by a foreign country as a countervailable subsidy. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to: (1) report annually to Congress on international monetary policy and currency exchange rates (including fundamentally misaligned currencies); (2) analyze semiannually the prevailing real exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies and to designate fundamentally misaligned foreign currencies for priority action; and (3) seek bilateral consultations with fundamentally misaligned currency countries designated for priority action to eliminate such misalignment. Requires the United States to inform the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of countries that fail to eliminate fundamentally misaligned currencies designated for priority action and to request the IMF Managing Director to consult with such countries regarding their observance of the IMF Articles of Agreement and to report the results of such consultations to the IMF Executive Board. Prohibits the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) from, and instructs multilateral banks to oppose, financing projects in countries that issue fundamentally misaligned currencies designated for priority action. Requires: (1) the Secretary to take certain actions with respect to countries that fail to eliminate fundamentally misaligned currencies designated for priority action; and (2) the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to request consultations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) with such countries regarding the consistency of their actions with regard the WTO Agreement. Establishes an Advisory Committee on International Exchange Rate Policy. Repeals the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Great Lakes Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) from intentionally diverting waste streams to bypass any portion of the treatment facility if the diversion results in a discharge into the Great Lakes unless: (1) the bypass is unavoidable to prevent loss of life, personal injury, or severe property damage; (2) there is no feasible alternative; and (3) the treatment works provides notice; or (4) the bypass does not cause effluent limitations to be exceeded and is for essential maintenance to ensure efficient operation of the treatment facility. Requires: (1) such notice to be provided to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (or to a state with an approved permit program) prior to an anticipated bypass or within 24 hours of becoming aware of an unanticipated bypass; and (2) follow-up notice regarding the cause and duration of, volume of discharge resulting from, and public access areas affected by an unanticipated bypass. Includes among prohibited bypasses those resulting in discharges from a POTW that consist of effluent routed around treatment units and blended with effluent from treatment units prior to discharge. Directs the Administrator to establish procedures to ensure that permits issued to POTWs under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System include requirements to implement this Act. Provides an increased maximum civil penalty for violations occurring on or after January 1, 2027. Applies the prohibition on diverting waste streams to a bypass occurring after the last day of the one-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment. Establishes the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund from which amounts shall be provided for improving wastewater discharges.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2007
Congratulates the Town of New Milford, Connecticut, on the occasion of its 300th anniversary. Honors the town for its history, growth, and contributions to Connecticut and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2007
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2011 for: (1) airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning programs; (2) air navigation facilities and equipment; and (3) FAA operations. Authorizes additional authorizations of appropriations from the general fund of the Treasury for aviation programs through FY2011. Amends the airport improvement program (AIP) to increase passenger facility charge amounts that can be imposed by an eligible agency to finance an eligible airport-related project. Expands eligibility requirements for airport-related projects to include projects for: (1) construction of airport bicycle storage facilities; (2) mitigation of noise to buildings caused by large hub airports; and (3) an intermodal ground access pilot project. Establishes user fees for aircraft owners or operators for certain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) services. Provides for the adjustment of overflight fees. Makes specified amendments to the AIP, including increasing the allotment of discretionary funds in a fiscal year for the airport security program. Expresses the sense of Congress that the modernizing of the U.S. air transportation system, through implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, is a national priority. Allows a pilot who has attained 60 years of age to serve as a passenger airline pilot until the age of 65 years old, provided certain conditions are met and subject to a limitation for international flights. Requires certain air carriers and airport operators to submit for the Secretary of Transportation's approval emergency contingency plans for: (1) how food, water, restroom facilities, and access to medical treatment will be provided to passengers who are grounded on aircraft for extended periods; and (2) the sharing of facilities and gates during an airport emergency. Establishes a pilot program to carry out a number of environmental mitigation demonstration projects at public-use airports. Increases in the number of aviation safety inspectors in the Flight Standards Service. Requires an assessment of training programs for FAA air traffic controllers. Extends the Secretary's authority to provide insurance and reinsurance against loss or damage arising out of any risk from the operation of a domestic or foreign aircraft. Establishes within the FAA a working group to make recommendations for the realignment of FAA services and facilities to assist in the transition to next generation facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 326 South Main Street in Princeton, Illinois, as the "Owen Lovejoy Princeton Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2007
Patients First Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support basic and applied research to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, testing, and human clinical use of stem cells that may result in improved understanding of, or treatments for, diseases and other adverse health conditions, including pluripotent stem cells that have the flexibility of embryonic stem cells (whether or not such pluripotent stem cells have an embryonic source), provided that such techniques will not involve: (1) the creation of a human embryo for research purposes; (2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a living human embryo; or (3) the use of any stem cell the derivation or provision of which would be inconsistent with this Act. Requires the Secretary to issue guidelines implementing this Act to ensure that any research (including any clinical trial) supported under this Act: (1) is clearly consistent with the standards established in this Act, if conducted using human cells; (2) is prioritized in terms of potential for near-term clinical benefit in human patients; and (3) may take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on peer reviewed stem cell research proposals that were not funded; and (2) study and submit recommendations to Congress on any structural changes to the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program that would help to expand access to new and future stem cell therapeutic products.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2007
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2009-FY2013 for: (1) type I diabetes research; and (2) diabetes prevention and treatment through Indian health facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007
Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules to protect children from indecent video programming carried by a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD). Gives MVPDs the option to either: (1) in accordance with FCC indecency and profanity policies and standards, not transmit indecent or profane material in the expanded basic tier between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. in the Eastern or Pacific time zones or between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the Central or Mountain times zones; (2) scramble or block any channel that a subscriber does not wish to receive; or (3) allow a subscriber to subscribe to a family tier of programming (defined as including all channels on the expanded basic tier, except those that carry programs rated TV-14 or TV-MA during those hours). Requires MVPDs that elect to scramble or block channels to issue credit in certain circumstances to a subscriber for any channel the subscriber elects to block. Requires MVPDs that elect to provide a family tier to allow a subscriber to obtain the family tier of programming for one or more of the subscriber's reception devices while simultaneously obtaining other tiers for other of the subscriber's reception devices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2007
Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 with respect to hours-of-service requirements airline flight crews must meet to qualify for leave under such Act. Declares that a flight attendant or flight crewmember will be considered to meet such requirements if he or she has been paid for or has worked 60% of the employer's monthly hour or trip guarantee, or the equivalent annualized over the preceding 12-month period.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2007
Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act of 2007 - Sets forth purposes of this Act, including to strengthen national energy security and mitigate the effects of climate change by promoting energy efficient transportation and public buildings, create incentives for the use of alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy, and ensure sound water resource and natural disaster preparedness planning. Establishes a Center for Climate Change and Environment in the Department of Transportation. Authorizes additional funding for FY2008 and FY2009 for urbanized and non-urbanized area formula grants to improve public transportation services. States that the federal share of costs for congestion mitigation and air quality projects shall be 100%. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish: (1) a grant program to assist railroad carriers and state and local governments in purchasing, or reconditioning to become, green locomotives (locomotives that exceed Environmental Protection Agency emission standards); (2) a capital grant program for the improvement of railroad track of class II and class III railroads; (3) a short sea transportation program to mitigate landside congestion; and (4) a green port initiative to promote U.S. ports and shipyards to use technologies to reduce particulate air emissions. Requires the Secretary of Energy to conduct feasibility studies for the construction of pipelines dedicated to the transportation of ethanol. Amends the Prevent Pollution from Ships Act to apply provisions of Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 relating to emissions from ships to certain public vessels that enter, or depart from, U.S. ports, shipyards, or offshore terminals, or U.S. navigable waters or the U.S. exclusive economic zone. Directs: (1) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enter into a cooperative agreement with an institution, entity, or consortium to carry out a program to develop CLEEN engine and airframe technology (lower energy, emissions, and noise engine and airframe technology) for aircraft over the next 10 years; and (2) the Secretary of Transportation to establish a pilot program to carry out environmental mitigation demonstration projects at no more than six public-use airports. Requires General Services Administration (GSA): (1) leases for space to include minimum performance standards requiring energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy; and (2) public buildings to be equipped with energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs. Requires the Architect of the Capitol to include energy efficiency measures, climate change mitigation measures, and other appropriate environmental measures in the Capitol Complex Master Plan. Establishes: (1) U.S. policy for all federal water resources projects; and (2) the 21st Century Water Commission. Requires a study on the effects of climate change on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2007
Commends the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children. Calls on fathers across the United States to use Father's Day to: (1) reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives; (2) spend Father's Day with their children; and (3) express their love and support for their children. Urges men to understand the level of responsibility fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement of children's moral, academic, and spiritual development. Encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children, including the devotion of time, energy, and resources.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2007
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to make a grant to an eligible energy-related research organization to establish and operate an ethanol anti-idling power unit research program. Sets forth program goals, including to develop an ethanol-powered solid oxide fuel cell power system and to facilitate commercial uses of ethanol fuel cell power systems in vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2007
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any public or private person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in an attempt to perform human cloning; or (3) shipping, receiving, or importing the product of human cloning for any purpose. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties for violations. Provides that nothing in this Act shall restrict areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited by this Act, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2007
Iraq Study Group Recommendations Implementation Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress: (1) that the President should formulate a comprehensive plan to implement the Iraq Study Group recommendations; (2) respecting diplomatic efforts in Iraq; and (3) respecting redeployment of U.S. combat brigades not necessary for force protection and other specified duties by the first quarter of 2008. States U.S. policy respecting: (1) security and military forces in Iraq; (2) strengthening the U.S. military; (3) police and criminal justice in Iraq; (4) the oil sector in Iraq; (5) improving assistance programs in Iraq; (6) budgetary preparation; and (7) conditions for continued U.S. assistance to Iraq based upon the government of Iraq meeting specified milestones. Requires the President to report to Congress every 90 days respecting such policies' implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act - Identifies roadless areas within the National Forest System set forth in specified maps as National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas, and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to manage such Areas to maintain their roadless character. Authorizes the Forest Service to modify such maps for the sole purpose of improving their accuracy or inclusiveness. Requires any substantial modification of those maps to be made through the national forest management planning process and documented in an environmental impact statement.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Protecting Our Children Comes First Act of 2007 - Amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to reauthorize through FY2013, and revise requirements for uses of, the annual grant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY2008 130 percent of the amount obligated during FY2006. Adjusts the amount provided for fiscal years after FY2008 based on the number of enrolled veterans and the number of other persons eligible but not enrolled who are provided care, multiplied by the per capita baseline amount for FY2006, as increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Prohibits the availability of such funds for: (1) construction, acquisition, or alteration of veterans' medical facilities (other than for repairs provided for before the date of enactment of this Act); or (2) grants for the construction of state home facilities for the furnishing of veterans' domiciliary, nursing home, and hospital care.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2007
Recreational Boating Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to redefine the term "pollutant" to exclude any deck runoff from a recreational vessel, any engine cooling water, gray water, bilge water effluent from properly functioning recreational marine engine, laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes from a recreational vessel, or any other discharge incidental to the normal operation of a recreational vessel. Declares that such exclusion does not apply to rubbish, trash, garbage, or any other such materials discharged overboard by a recreational vessel. Defines "recreational vessel" to mean a vessel that is: (1) manufactured for operation, or operated primarily for recreational purposes; or (2) leased, rented, or chartered to an individual for recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2007
Nanotechnology in the Schools Act - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a nanotechnology in the schools program awarding matching grants to certain eligible institutions for the purchase of nanotechnology equipment and software and the provision of nanotechnology education to students and teachers. Lists as eligible grantees: (1) public, private, parochial, and charter secondary schools that offer advanced or international baccalaureate science courses; (2) community colleges; (3) four-year institutions of higher education; and (4) informal learning science and technology centers. .
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2007
Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to replace the term "navigable waters," throughout the Act, with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting them, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution. Declares that nothing in such Act shall be construed as affecting the authority of the Secretary of the Army or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act related to discharges: (1) composed entirely of agricultural return flows; (2) of stormwater runoff from oil, gas, and mining operations; or (3) of dredged or fill materials resulting from normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities or from activities with respect to which a state has an approved program, or for the purposes of maintenance of currently serviceable structures or drainage ditches, construction or maintenance of farm or stock ponds, irrigation ditches, or farm, forest, or temporary roads for moving mining equipment, or construction of temporary sedimentation basins on construction sites.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish an initiative for advancing health care information enterprise integration within the United States. Allows the Director to assist health care representatives and organizations and federal agencies in the development of technical roadmaps that identify the remaining steps needed to ensure that standards will be in place. Requires the Director to develop or adopting existing technology-neutral information technology infrastructure guidelines and standards to enable federal agencies to effectively select and utilize health care information technologies in a manner that is: (1) sufficiently secure and provides adequate privacy to meet needs; and (2) interoperable, to the maximum extent possible. Requires the Undersecretary of Commerce for Technology to establish a Senior Interagency Council on Federal Healthcare Information Technology Infrastructure to coordinate: (1) the development and deployment of health care information technology solutions; (2) the associated technology transfer to and from the private sector; and (3) federal funding and participation in private, voluntary standards development organizations as related to electronic health care records system. Requires the Director to establish a program of assistance to institutions of higher education to establish multidisciplinary Centers for Healthcare Information Enterprise Integration in order to: (1) generate innovative approaches to health care information enterprise integration; and (2) develop and use information technologies and other complementary fields. Directs the National High-Performance Computing Program to coordinate federal research and development programs related to the development and deployment of health information technology.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
Calls upon the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to condemn the atrocities taking place in Darfur, Sudan, and end military and economic assistance to the government of Sudan until Sudan stops civilian attacks and engages in peace negotiations. Recognizes the close relationship between the PRC and Sudan and urges the PRC to use its political, international, and economic influence to stop the violence in Darfur, Sudan. Recognizes that the spirit of the Olympics, which is to bring together nations and people from all over the world in peace, is incompatible with actions supporting acts of genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2007
Condemns the April 2007 murders of the three Christian workers in Turkey. Supports the government of Turkey's efforts to investigate and prosecute those individuals responsible in order to underline the defense of all residents and citizens of Turkey from attacks by Islamic extremists. Urges the government of Turkey to: (1) take further steps to ensure that religious minority groups in Turkey are protected from such acts of terror by Islamic extremists; and (2) promote freedom of speech and peaceful religious expression in Turkey.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
SBA Veterans' Programs Act of 2007 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development to: (1) increase veteran outreach by ensuring that Veteran Business Outreach Centers regularly participate, on a nationwide basis, in the workshops of the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Labor; and (2) establish a Women Veterans Business Training Resource Program. Authorizes a small business development center to apply for a grant to carry out a veterans assistance and services program. Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to: (1) increase the number of Veterans Business Outreach Centers throughout the United States; and (2) sponsor an independent study on gaps in the availability of such Centers across the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2007
Responsible Renewable Energy Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the tax credit for renewable diesel used as fuel for any fuel derived from coprocessing biomass with a feedstock that is not biomass.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2007
Cancer Screening, Treatment, and Survivorship Act of 2007 - 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 make matching grants to states or Indian tribes for: (1) cancer screening and referrals; (2) developing and disseminating public information and education programs for the detection and control of certain cancers; (3) improving the education, training and skills of health professionals in detecting certain cancers; and (4) establishing mechanisms to monitor the quality of screening procedures. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide coverage under Medicaid for individuals not otherwise eligible who are under the age 65 and who: (1) have been screened for cancer and have been referred for treatment; or (2) have been diagnosed or treated for cancer. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to expand research programs to identify and improve cancer screening and testing protocols and tools, with particular emphasis on those cancers with the highest incidence of mortality and disability. Directs the Secretary to award grants for activities to raise public awareness to ensure widespread use of cancer screening programs and access to the best available screening and testing services. Requires the Director of NIH to: (1) expand cancer survivorship research activities at NCI-designated cancer centers; and (2) provide assistance to such centers for research to evaluate models of survivorship care.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2007
Polar Bear Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit issuing permits for the importation of polar bear parts taken in a sport hunt.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 127 East Locust Street in Fairbury, Illinois, as the "Dr. Francis Townsend Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2007
Airport Badge Security Act - Makes an employer (other than a governmental entity or airport operator) who fails to collect an airport security badge from an employee that has been terminated and does not notify the operator of the airport of such termination within a specified time liable to a civil penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2007
United States Commitment to Global Child Survival Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance to improve the health of newborns, children, and mothers in developing countries. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive U.S. government strategy to reduce mortality and improve the health of newborns, children, and mothers in developing countries. Establishes the Interagency Task Force on Child Survival and Maternal Health in Developing Countries.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2007
21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007 - Establishes, revises, and extends specified science, mathematics, education, engineering, technology, research, and training programs. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010 for the: (1) National Science Foundation (NSF); and (2) specified programs and activities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Soviet Union's decades-long occupation of Estonia was illegal and a violation of Estonia's sovereignty. Expresses support for Estonia as a sovereign state and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Condemns: (1) recent acts of violence and looting in Estonia; (2) attacks and threats against Estonia's embassies and officials in Russia and other countries; and (3) political efforts to exploit the memory of the victims of the Second World War. Urges all activists to express their views peacefully. Honors the sacrifice of all those, including Red Army soldiers, who gave their lives to defeat Nazism. Supports the government of Estonia's efforts to initiate a peaceful dialogue with the government of the Russian Federation. Urges the governments of all countries to: (1) condemn the violence that has occurred in Estonia, Moscow, and elsewhere in 2007, and to urge all parties to express their views peacefully; (2) assist the government of Estonia in its cyber-attacks investigation; and (3) fulfill their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant that replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or that changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Automatic IRA Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require certain small employers who do not offer qualified retirement plans or arrangements to their employees to allow eligible employees to participate in a payroll deposit individual retirement account (IRA) arrangement (automatic IRAs); (2) allow employers who do not have more than 100 employees a tax credit for costs associated with establishing a payroll deposit IRA arrangement; and (3) treat automatic IRAs as individual retirement accounts (and as Roth IRAs) for income tax purposes. Establishes in the executive branch the TSP II Board to establish policies and procedures relating to payroll deposit IRA arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2007
Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require a person that has reason to believe that any food introduced into interstate commerce may be in violation of the FFDCA to immediately notify the Secretary of the Health and Human Services of the identity and location of the food. Requires the Secretary, upon a determination that such food is in violation of the FFDCA and that there is a reasonable probability that the food, if consumed, would present a threat to the public health, to give appropriate persons an opportunity to: (1) cease distribution of the food; (2) notify all relevant persons to cease distribution of the food; (3) recall the food; and (4) provide notice to consumers and public health officials. Authorizes the Secretary to control and possess the food and to order the person to immediately cease distribution of the food if the person refuses or does not adequately carry out such actions. Sets forth certification and inspection requirements for foreign governments and foreign firms seeking to import food into the Unites States. Directs the Secretary to take certain action during an ongoing recall of human or pet food, including posting information regarding recalled products on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) processing and ingredient standards for feed, pet food, animal waste, and ingredient definitions; (2) update standards for pet food labeling that includes nutritional information and ingredient information; and (3) an early warning and surveillance system to identify contaminations of the pet food supply and outbreaks of illness from pet food.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 - Establishes the Federal Railroad Safety Administration within the Department of Transportation (effectively replacing the Federal Railroad Administration). Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop a long-term strategy for improving railroad safety. Redefines "signal employee" to eliminate the requirement that such individual be employed by a railroad carrier. Revises hours of service requirements for a signal employee and a train employee to prohibit, except in an emergency, a railroad carrier from requiring or allowing such employee to remain or go on duty: (1) unless the employee has had at least 10 consecutive hours off duty during the prior 24 hours; (2) for a period in excess of 12 consecutive hours; or (3) unless the employee has had at least one period of at least 24 consecutive hours off duty in the past seven consecutive days. Requires each railroad carrier to submit to the Secretary a fatigue management plan to reduce accidents and injuries caused by fatigue. Sets forth additional whistleblower protections for those who provide notification of a work-related injury or illness, who cooperate with a safety investigation, who furnish rail accident information, who accurately report hours of duty, or who refuse to authorize the use of safety equipment, track, or structures that are in a hazardous condition. Entitles a prevailing employee who alleges discrimination to damages. Sets forth criminal penalties for violations of such requirements. Revises emergency notification of grade crossing problems provisions to require each railroad carrier to establish a toll-free telephone service for the public to report malfunctions of signals and disabled vehicles blocking railroad tracks at grade crossings. Increases penalties for violations of rail safety regulations prescribed or orders issued by the Secretary, including violations related to rail accident reporting and hours of service. Makes it unlawful for a person to knowingly interfere with a rail accident investigation. Sets forth rail safety requirements concerning: (1) positive train control systems; (2) warnings in nonsignaled areas; (3) track management; (4) conductor certification; (5) employee training; (6) treatment of employee injuries; (7) emergency breathing apparatus; and (8) the locomotive cab environment. Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2007 - Directs the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to provide certain assistance to families of passengers involved in a rail passenger accident that results in a major loss of life. Requires each rail passenger carrier to submit to the Secretary and the NTSB a plan for addressing the needs of such families.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Urges the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to observe its obligations under the 1995 U.N.-brokered Interim Accord which directs the parties (FYROM and Greece) to prohibit hostile activities or propaganda by state-controlled agencies and to discourage acts by private entities likely to incite hatred or hostility and review the contents of textbooks, maps, and teaching aids to ensure that such tools are stating accurate information. Urges the FYROM to work, within the framework of the U.N. process, with Greece to reach a mutually-acceptable official name for the FYROM.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Health Insurance for Life Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to remove all limitations on Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) continuation coverage that establish a period by which such coverage must end, and instead provides no deadline for discontinuing such coverage. Sets forth a formula to determine the maximum allowable premium that certain qualified disabled beneficiaries and individuals receiving extended coverage provided pursuant to this Act may be charged based on the average monthly actuarial cost of such continuation coverage. Applies such provisions to continuation coverage provided pursuant to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue, during 2014, up to 350,000 one-dollar coins designed to be emblematic of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its contribution to civil rights in America. Requires sales to include a $10 surcharge per coin, which shall be paid to the United Negro College Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11033 South State Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the "Willye B. White Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2007 - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Authorizes appropriations. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2007
National Landscape Conservation System Act - Establishes in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the National Landscape Conservation System (thus, enacting into law the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) created by BLM in 2000) in order to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of current and future generations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2007
Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise the prohibition on importing convict-made goods into the United States to make it unlawful to: (1) import into, or export from, the United States any sweatshop good; or (2) introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in commerce, offer to sell, or transport or distribute in U.S. commerce, any sweatshop good. Grants the President, for reasons of national interest, authority to recommend waiver of the applications set forth in this Act in connection with the goods of any country with respect to one or more of the principles and rights defined in this Act as a core labor standard. Sets forth procedures for consideration of such a waiver. Makes it unlawful for persons to introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or advertise in commerce, offer to sell or transport or distribute in commerce any sweatshop good. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce this prohibition as if it were an unfair or deceptive act or practice proscribed under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Allows specified persons with standing to bring a civil action in U.S. district courts against sellers of goods, wares, articles, or merchandise on grounds of a violation of such prohibition. Prohibits executive agencies and the Armed Forces from entering into procurement contracts for sweatshop goods. Prohibits anything in this Act from being construed to preempt a state from regulating labor standards required in the mining, production, or manufacture of merchandise purchased by the state.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Expresses support for the goal and mission of America Recycles Day. Encourages all Americans to participate in promoting the social, environmental, and economic benefits of recycling and buying recycled-content products.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Bristol Bay Protection Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the conduct of oil and gas preleasing, leasing, and related activities in areas of the outer Continental Shelf located in the North Aleutian Basin Planning Area. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to exclude such Planning Area from a mandated inventory of oil and natural gas resources beneath the waters of the outer Continental Shelf.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lipinski, Daniel [D-IL-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000563_200.jpg)