United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2007
Commends the first democratic elections in Aceh, a province in Sumatra, Indonesia, in which the Acehnese have shown their commitment to democracy and peace, and congratulates Irwandi Yusuf, the first democratic elected governor of Aceh. Supports the democratic development of Aceh and the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding signed by the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement on August 15, 2005. Encourages both parties to live up to their commitments under the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding, especially with regard to establishing a Human Rights Court for Aceh and a Commission of Truth and Reconciliation. Encourages the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to commit resources in supporting the peace and building a strong civil society in Aceh.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2007
Acknowledges and recognizes the dedication and significant contributions of all members of the Armed Forces, especially members who are serving or have served as military nurses. Supports programs to strengthen and increase the nursing workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 9 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 · 9 March 2007
Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance for projects for the conservation of rare felids and rare canids. Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group of individuals representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of felids and canids. Restricts the use of grants for captive breeding or display purposes. Establishes in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund as a separate account the Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund. Defines "rare canid" to: (1) mean any canid species, subspecies, or population that is not native to the United States and Canada, and is included in the threatened or endangered lists of the World Conservation Union, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or the Endangered Species Act of 1973; and (2) include such a subspecies or population of dhole, gray wolf, Ethiopian wolf, bush dog, or maned wolf. Defines "rare felid" to: (1) mean any felid species, subspecies, or population that is not native to the United States and Canada, and is included in the threatened or endangered lists of the World Conservation Union, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or the Endangered Species Act of 1973; and (2) include such a subspecies or population of lion, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, clouded leopard, cheetah, or Iberian lynx. Excludes any tiger.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
American-Owned Property in Occupied Cyprus Claims Act - Amends the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 to urge the President to authorize the Secretary of State to begin negotiations with Turkey to allow for certain claims by U.S. nationals respecting real property in the Turkish-held portions of Cyprus. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to establish in the Treasury a Claims Fund for the payment of unsatisfied claims of U.S. nationals against Turkey. Sets forth payment procedures. Grants U.S. district court jurisdiction for civil actions against any private person (any natural person or legal entity other than Turkey) by a U.S. national who owns property in the Turkish-held portion of Cyprus. Sets forth the conditions under which an action may be brought against the government of Turkey in U.S. or state courts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
Supply Our Soldiers Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide for a program under which postal benefits are provided to a member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty and who is either: (1) serving in Iraq or Afghanistan; or (2) hospitalized at a military medical facility as a result of such service. Provides the postal benefits in the form of coupons or other evidence of credit (vouchers) to use for postal-free mailings.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to revise the classification criterion used to determine whether a hospital or hospital unit is an inpatient rehabilitation facility under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Eliminates the current schedule of applicable percentages. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, instead, to require in the classification criterion a compliance rate no greater than the 60% compliance rate that became effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 2006. Requires the Secretary, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 2008, to include patients with comorbidity in the inpatient population that counts towards such 60% compliance rate. Requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Medicare fiscal intermediaries, Medicare administrative contractors, recovery audit contractors, and other government agents to use and apply the criteria established in HCFA Ruling 85-2, as issued on July 31, 1985, as the sole standard for determining the medical necessity of servivces provided by inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and units to Medicare beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees: (1) an examination of the impact of the 75% rule on the Medicare program, and specifically on Medicare beneficiaries; and (2) alternatives to the 75% rule policy for determining exclusion criteria for inpatient rehabilitation hospital and unit designation under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
Stop Arming Iran Act - Prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from selling any parts for the F-14 fighter aircraft (parts), whether through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service or through another DOD agency or element. Provides an exception with respect to the sale of such parts to a U.S. museum or similar organization involved in the preservation of F-14 fighter aircraft for historical purposes. Prohibits the issuance of any license for the export of such parts to a non-U.S. person or entity.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (Act) to establish the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which shall have supervisory and regulatory authority over the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) ("enterprises") and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Establishes the Federal Housing Enterprise Finance Oversight Board to advise the Director. Authorizes the Director to: (1) raise minimum capital levels to ensure that regulated entities operate in a safe and sound manner; (2) establish temporary minimum capital increases; and (3) establish additional capital and reserve requirements for a particular program. Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 to include the Director on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). Transfers from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to FHFA, the authority to approve programs and to oversee the mission requirements of the enterprises. Sets forth enterprise conforming loan limits for small family residences, and related requirements. Requires the Director to establish an annual purchase goal for each enterprise for conventional, conforming, single-family, owner-occupied, and purchase money mortgages for: (1) low-income families; (2) families residing in low-income areas; and (3) very low-income families. Requires the Director to establish a Multifamily Special Affordable Goal for mortgages that finance: (1) dwelling units for low-income families and very low-income families; and (2) dwelling units assisted by the low-income housing tax credit. Requires each enterprise to: (1) undertake activities relating to mortgages on housing for very low-, low-, and moderate-income families involving a reasonable economic return that may be less than the return earned on other activities; and (2) increase the liquidity of mortgage investments and improve the distribution of investment capital available for mortgage financing for underserved markets. Requires the Director to establish and manage an affordable housing fund. Amends the Act to require the Director to establish capital classifications for regulated entities. Prohibits a regulated entity from making a capital distribution that would result in its undercapitalization. Prescribes supervisory action governing undercapitalized and significantly undercapitalized regulated entities. Authorizes the Director to establish a conservatorship or receivership over a critically undercapitalized regulated entity . Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to replace the Federal Housing Finance Board with FHFA. Abolishes: (1) the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) of HUD; and (2) the Federal Housing Finance Board. Directs the Secretary of HUD to transfer the enterprise-related functions and employees of HUD to FHFA.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
Voters' Right to Know Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require any person conducting a federal election phone bank (except through non-political general media facilities) to report to the Federal Election Commission specified information about phone bank costs, funding sources, household contacts, and questions asked or information provided to respondents. Limits such requirement to projects contacting at least 1,500 households during the 25 days before a federal election.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007- Repeals provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that eliminated the jurisdiction of any court to hear or consider applications for a writ of habeas corpus filed by aliens who have been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as enemy combatants (or who are awaiting such determination) and actions against the United States relating to the detention of such aliens and to military commissions (thus restoring habeas corpus rights existing prior to the enactment of such Act). Allows courts to hear or consider legal challenges to military commissions only as provided by the Code of Military Justice or by a habeas corpus proceeding. Repeals the prohibition in the Military Commissions Act of 2006 against invoking the Geneva Convention as a source of rights in any habeas corpus or other civil actions in which the United States or a member of the Armed Forces is a party.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007 - States that nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing the use of force or the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against Iran. Subjects, with respect to prohibited transactions with Iran, a parent company to penalties for violations committed by certain subsidiaries outside the United States that would be subject to prohibitions if committed inside the United States or by a U.S. person. Establishes specified additional import and export sanctions against Iran. Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to require the imposition of procurement sanctions as part of the sanctions against a person contributing to Iran's petroleum resources. Directs the President to report every six months to the appropriate congressional committees (committees) respecting investment activity that could contribute to Iran's development of petroleum resources, and U.S. steps in response to such activity. Expands the definitions of "petroleum resources" and "person." Eliminates the national security waivers for imposition of sanctions. Directs the President to determine and report to the committees whether the the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps should be: (1) designated as a foreign terrorist organization; (2) placed on the list of designated global terrorists; and (3) placed on the list of weapons of mass destruction proliferators and their supporters. Authorizes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Authorizes the President to carry out exchange programs with the people of Iran. Directs the President to reduce annual U.S. contributions to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) based upon Bank amounts provided to entities and projects in Iran. Restricts nuclear cooperation with countries assisting Iran's nuclear program or transferring advanced conventional weapons or missiles to Iran. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate specified geological and geophysical expense amortization benefits if petroleum-related sanctions are imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 on any member of an expanded affiliated group whose common parent is a foreign corporation. Revises the definition of "affiliated group." States that specified restrictions respecting Iran shall not have effect if the President determines and certifies to the committees that Iran: (1) has ended efforts to develop or acquire nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons, or ballistic missiles; (2) has been removed from the list of countries supporting international terrorism; and (3) poses no significant threat to U.S. national security, interests, or allies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 - Amends federal provisions concerning the prosecution of unlawful enemy combatants by U.S. military commissions to, among other things: (1) repeal the authority for civilian trial (prosecution) counsel in a commission proceeding, but authorize civilian military defense counsel; (2) exclude statements made by coercion; (3) authorize the Secretary of Defense to make exceptions to commission procedures and rules of evidence as required by unique circumstances of military or intelligence operations during hostilities; (4) provide for self-representation by the accused, while requiring assistance by military defense counsel; (5) authorize the military judge to dismiss charges or take other action upon a determination that substitute information for classified exculpatory evidence is insufficient to protect the fair trial right of the defendant; (6) require commission decision review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces rather than by the Court of Military Commission Review; (7) provide the scope of review of detention-related decisions; (8) repeal a provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 prohibiting invoking the Geneva Conventions (Conventions) or similar protocols in any habeas corpus or other action to which the United States is a party; (9) require the President to notify other parties to the Conventions that the United States expects members of U.S. Armed Forces and other U.S. citizens detained in a conflict not of an international character to be treated in a manner consistent with the Conventions; (10) include as War Crime offenses the denial of trial rights and the imposition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; (11) restore habeas corpus for individuals detained by the United States; and (12) provide for expedited judicial review of civil actions that challenges any provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Microbicide Development Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Office of AIDS Research to: (1) expedite the implementation of the federal strategic plan for the conduct and support of microbicide research and development; and (2) expand, intensify, and coordinate all activities with respect to research and development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to: (1) establish within the Division of AIDS an organizational branch to carry out microbicide research and development; and (2) assign priority to ensuring adequate funding and support for the Microbicide Trials Network and other programs for supporting microbicides clinical trials. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fully implement the CDC's microbicide agenda to support microbicide research and development. Requires the President to direct the head of the Office of HIV/AIDS of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop and implement a program to support the development of microbicides products for the prevention of the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other diseases and facilitate wide-scale availability of such products.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Extends the warm congratulations and best wishes of the House of Representatives to the people of Greece as they celebrate the 186th anniversary of the independence of Greece. Expresses the support of the House of Representatives for the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed. Notes the important role that Greece has played in the wider European region and in the community of nations since gaining its independence 186 years ago.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Honors the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. Encourages early diagnosis and access to high-quality care for people with cystic fibrosis. Expresses support for research to find a cure by fostering an enhanced research program through a strong federal commitment and expanded public-private partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act - Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Insurance Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make five-year grants to a state or local government to pay for the federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Fairness Act of 2005 [ sic ]- Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to extend coverage to employees at worksites where the employer employs at least 25 (currently, 50) employees at the worksite and within 75 miles of that worksite. Amends FMLA and federal civil service law to entitle to leave those employees who must address the effects of domestic violence. Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2005 [ sic ]- Permits the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to contract with one or more employing agencies to conduct a grant project that provides paid leave for eligible individuals who are responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Requires the leave to last for at least six weeks during a 12-month period. Time for Schools Act of 2005 [ sic ] - Amends FMLA to allow employees covered by such Act to take up to 24 hours, during any 12-month period, of school involvement leave to participate in: (1) an academic activity of their child's school, such as a parent-teacher conference or an interview for a school; or (2) literacy training under a family literacy program. Amends federal civil service law to provide the same school involvement leave allowance for federal employees.
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
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 · 7 March 2007
Honors the life and contributions of John Pehle. Commends the actions of John Pehle that rescued Jews and other minorities from the Holocaust during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Reiterates support for the April 1998 Good Friday Agreement as a blueprint for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Declares support for the October 2006 St. Andrews Agreement. Commends: (1) British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for their leadership in seeking a peaceful resolution in Northern Ireland; and (2) all parties for abiding by the St. Andrews Agreement. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that all political parties in Northern Ireland should: (1) agree to share power according to the democratic mandate of the Good Friday Agreement; and (2) commit to work with all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement which established the Northern Ireland Assembly and an inclusive Executive, the North-South Ministerial Council, and the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference.
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
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
Student Privacy Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for military recruiter access to secondary school student information. Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to consent to a release of the student's name, address, and telephone listing to military recruiters, and to give the parent the opportunity to provide such consent in writing. Requires such LEAs to provide military recruiters, upon their request, with access to such information on a student only if the student's parent has given such written consent.
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 Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 to extend the period during which members of the Armed Forces deployed in connection with Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, or Iraqi Freedom may request and receive reimbursement for purchasing protective helmet pads.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Firefighters Special Operation Task Force Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration to award up to 100 grants for task forces (two or more fire services that collectively consist of at least 50 firefighting personnel, operating under a cooperative agreement to coordinate incident response) each fiscal year for: (1) salary and benefits to hire firefighting personnel; (2) training; (3) equipment or support systems; (4) communications between task force members and a local police department or hospital or with any other appropriate governmental or private sector entity; and (5) compatibility and interoperability of training and equipment. Requires the Administrator to give priority to task forces serving geographic areas that have a high population density or that are located within 50 miles of: (1) a nuclear power facility; (2) a large facility that produces, treats, or refines chemicals or petroleum products; (3) a business district of national significance; or (4) a location with one or more critical infrastructures. Requires grantees to obtain non-federal matching funds of at least 55% of the amount awarded by the Administrator for each fiscal year.
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
Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual list of countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that torture, cruel, or degrading treatment is commonly used in the detention or interrogation of individuals. Prohibits the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the United States for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a listed country. Sets forth conditions under which: (1) the Secretary may waive such transfer prohibition; and (2) a treaty-based transfer may occur. Prohibits the transfer from the United States of any person to a non-listed country without an opportunity to challenge such transfer on the grounds of being subjected to torture or cruel or degrading treatment. Amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to direct the appropriate government agencies to prescribe regulations to implement U.S. obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Small Business Lending Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to the 7(a) (business start-up loan) and the 504 (certified development company economic development loan) programs to, among other things: (1) direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to carry out a rural lending outreach program and a community express program for loans of $250,000 or less; (2) direct the Administrator to carry out a Medical Professionals in Designated Shortage Areas program and an Increased Veteran Participation program; (3) revise eligibility requirements for development company designation as a certified development company (CDC); (4) require certain CDCs to contract for the foreclosure and liquidation of defaulted small business loans; and (5) authorize SBA loans for projects which reduce energy consumption by at least ten percent.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to: (1) require certain vessels operating in U.S. waters to have invasive species management plans; (2) direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish vessel performance requirements, including provisions for ballast water exchange, treatment, and discharge, and civil and criminal penalties for violations; (3) require federal agencies to restrict the importation of live aquatic organisms of species not in trade without screening and approval; and (4) declare importation of such species to be unlawful and prescribe civil and criminal penalties for violations. Directs the Secretary of the Army to: (1) upgrade and make permanent the Chicago sanitary and ship canal dispersal barrier in Chicago, Illinois; (2) construct Barrier II; and (3) operate and maintain Barriers I and II. Renames the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 as the Nonindigenous Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Control Act of 1990. National Invasive Species Council Act - Prohibits federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would promote the introduction or spread of invasive species unless the benefits of the action outweigh the harm. Establishes the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) as an independent entity in the executive branch to lead and coordinate efforts to minimize the negative effects caused by invasive species and to reduce the threat of further invasions. Requires NISC to develop a National Invasive Species Management Plan and to establish an Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Reauthorizes and modifies the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide funding for wastewater assistance to certain municipalities and small publicly-owned treatment works; (2) authorize states to provide additional subsidization to benefit certain municipalities or state agencies that already receive assistance from the water pollution control revolving fund or to implement certain alternative techniques; (3) replace each reference to "navigable waters of the United States" with a reference to "waters of the United States"; (4) require the Great Lakes National Program Office to provide grants to reduce the quantity of mercury in the Great Lakes; and (5) require the President include a joint Great Lakes research plan in the annual budget submitted to Congress. Authorizes funding for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants for Great Lakes research and monitoring activities. Requires: (1) the President, acting through the National Ocean Research Leadership Council, to establish a system that detects and predicts changes in the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes environment that impact certain U.S. systems; and (2) the Council to establish an interagency program office to be known as OceanUS to be responsible for program planning and coordination of such system. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Program Office to develop specified science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide financial assistance for certain restoration or remediation projects; and (2) restore and remediate waterfronts and related areas. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as established by Executive Order 13340, as a task force within EPA; (2) a Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Executive Committee to hold meetings and make recommendations and reports on Great Lakes restoration goals and progress; and (3) the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to develop a restoration and protection strategy for use in Great Lakes program implementation and funding decisions, to serve as a forum for addressing regional issues relating to ecosystem restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, and to establish an oversight forum to coordinate and enhance implementation of Great Lakes programs. Provides funding for a variety of Great Lakes programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2007
Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to grant states the option of covering certain categories of eligible pregnant women and child resident aliens, including targeted low-income children, under the Medicaid and SCHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2007
Requires the Joint Committee on the Library to enter into an agreement with the Foundation of Hellenes under which the Foundation shall provide a statue of Constantino Brumidi to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center. Authorizes the Committee to delegate such requirement to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC).
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 · 5 March 2007
Interference Protection for Existing Television Band Devices Act of 2007 - Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) permit fixed location, certified unlicensed devices to use, on non-exclusive terms, unassigned, non-licensed television broadcast channels between 54 megahertz and 698 megahertz in rural areas no sooner than February 17, 2009; and (2) protect from harmful interference incumbent certified low-power auxiliary devices providing real-time, high-quality audio transmissions over distances of approximately 100 meters. Allows the FCC to consider permitting the operation of non-fixed (personal/portable) location, certified unlicensed devices to use the non-licensed television broadcast channels between 54 megahertz and 698 megahertz in certain circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Push Poll Disclosure Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require any person who conducts a federal election poll by telephone or electronic device to: (1) disclose to each respondent the identity of the person paying the poll expenses; and (2) report to the Federal Election Commission the poll's total cost and all its funding sources (if not otherwise to be made public), the total number of households contacted, and a copy of the poll questions.
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
Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2007 - Amends federal law regarding presidential archival depositories to require any presidential library fundraising organization to submit quarterly reports to the National Archives and Records Administration and specified congressional committees on every contributor who gave the organization a contribution or contributions (whether monetary or in-kind) totaling $200 or more for the quarterly period. Requires the Archivist of the United States to make such information available to the public through the Internet as soon as is practicable after each quarterly filing. Prohibits knowing and willful submissions of false information or omissions of material information by contributors or the fundraising organization. Prescribes criminal penalties for violation of such prohibitions.
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
Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful for anyone, within 60 days before a federal election, to knowingly communicate, or attempt to communicate, false election-related information about that election, with the intent to prevent another person from exercising the right to vote. Increases the penalty for intimidation of voters. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of any offense under this Act. Authorizes any person to report to the Attorney General false election information or intimidation of voters. Requires the Attorney General, immediately after receiving such a report, to consider and review it and, if there is a reasonable basis to find that a violation has occurred, to: (1) undertake all effective measures necessary to provide correct information to voters affected by the false information; (2) refer any pertinent matter to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice for prosecution; and (3) refer the matter to the appropriate federal and state authorities for criminal prosecution or civil action after the election. Directs the Attorney General to study the feasibility of providing such corrective information through public service announcements, the emergency alert system, or other forms of public broadcast. Requires the Attorney General to establish a Voting Integrity Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require a proxy, consent, or authorization to permit a separate shareholder vote to approve executive compensation. States that such a shareholder vote shall be neither binding on the board of directors, nor construed as overruling a decision by the board. Requires any proxy solicitation material concerning disposition of substantially all of an issuer's assets to disclose any compensation agreements or understandings with the principal executive officers of the issuer (or the acquiring issuer) regarding any type of (golden parachute) compensation which: (1) relates to such disposition; and (2) has not been subject to a shareholder vote. States that: (1) any proxy solicitation material containing such executive compensation disclosures shall require a separate shareholder approval of such agreements or understandings; but (2) the shareholder vote shall be neither binding on the board of directors, nor construed as overruling a decision by the board.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Makes eligible for a $300 plot allowance for burial in a cemetery other than a national cemetery a veteran who is eligible for burial in a national cemetery and who: (1) was discharged from active service for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; or (2) is a veteran of any war. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in lieu of furnishing a headstone or marker for an individual so entitled, to reimburse the person entitled to request such headstone or marker for acquiring a non-government headstone or marker for placement in any cemetery other than a national cemetery in connection with the burial or memorialization of the deceased individual.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Act of 2007 - Requires a covered airline to: (1) establish procedures for handling passenger complaints; (2) provide customers at the airport and aboard an aircraft with information regarding delay, cancellation, or diversion; (3) establish procedures to allow passengers to exit the aircraft in the case of a departure or arrival delay which would require passengers to remain on a grounded aircraft for more than three hours, with specified exceptions; (4) provide passengers on a departure- or arrival-delayed grounded aircraft with essential ventilation, food, water, sanitary, and medical services; (5) publish a monthly list of its chronically delayed flights and provide such information upon ticket purchase; (6) publish and update lowest fare and schedule information; and (7) make every reasonable effort to return lost baggage within 24 hours. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) review airline and airport emergency contingency plans for bad weather; (2) work with air carriers to ensure that a pilot operating a (long) departure delayed-flight is permitted to return the aircraft to the terminal to allow passengers to exit the aircraft without losing the flight's departure sequence position; and (3) conduct a study of the ability of air carriers to provide for passengers' essential needs in cases of diverted flights.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 - Amends the Presidential Records Act to require the Archivist of the United States, when making available any presidential record not previously made available publicly, to: (1) promptly provide written notice of such determination to the former President during whose term of office the record was created and to the incumbent President; and (2) make the notice available to the public. Requires such a record to be made available upon the expiration of a specified period, except any record with respect to which the Archivist receives notification from a former or incumbent President of a claim of constitutionally based privilege against disclosure. Authorizes a former or an incumbent President to extend such period for a specified time. Requires: (1) any claim to be asserted personally by a former or incumbent President; and (2) a former or incumbent President to notify the Archivist and specified Congressional committees of a privilege claim. Prohibits the Archivist from making publicly available a presidential record that is subject to a privilege claim asserted by the incumbent President unless: (1) the incumbent President withdraws the privilege claim; or (2) the Archivist is otherwise directed by a final court order that is not subject to appeal. Sets forth provisions that state when such a prohibition is inapplicable. Provides that Executive Order 13233, dated November 1, 2001 (establishing a process for review of presidential records and assertion of privilege claims), shall have no force or effect.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
American Dream Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her sixteenth birthday, and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; and (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma. Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status. Authorizes an alien who has satisfied the appropriate requirements prior to enactment of this Act to petition the Secretary for conditional permanent resident status. Sets forth requirements respecting: (1) exclusive jurisdiction; (2) confidentiality; (3) fee prohibitions; (4) higher education assistance; and (5) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ny_12_maloney_carolyn_200.jpg)