United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a national combat veteran reintegration program (to be known as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program) to provide National Guard members and their families with information, services, referral, and outreach opportunities throughout the entire deployment cycle. Requires the Program to consist of informational events and activities for such members, their families, and community members through the following phases of the deployment cycle: (1) pre-deployment; (2) deployment; (3) demobilization; and (4) post-deployment-reconstitution. Requires the: (1) National Guard Bureau to establish the Office for Reintegration Programs to administer state National Guard reintegration programs; and (2) Bureau Chief to establish a Center for Excellence in Reintegration.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Recognizes Jack Valenti as one of the greatest contributors to the motion picture industry. Honors Jack Valenti for his service to his country, tremendous accomplishments, and contributions to such industry and to the nation. Extends the deepest condolences of the House of Representatives to the family of Jack Valenti.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) federal authorities should use all tools at their disposal to strengthen and enforce immigration laws; (2) the policy of certain cities and other political subdivisions of providing sanctuary to illegal aliens encourages illegal immigration; (3) state and local law enforcement officials should report immigration violations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); (4) Congress should reject legislation which would grant amnesty to illegal aliens currently residing in the United States until all existing immigration laws are enforced; and (5) federal immigration laws must be enforced to ensure the integrity of our immigration system and the sovereignty of our nation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2007
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to grant the Attorney General the authority to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of a federal firearms and explosives license to any individual if the Attorney General: (1) determines that such individual has been engaged in or has provided material support or resources for terrorist activities; and (2) has a reasonable belief that such individual may use a firearm or explosive in connection with terrorism. Allows any individual whose firearm or explosives license application has been been denied to bring legal action challenging the denial. Prohibits the sale or disribution of firearms or explosives to any individual whom the Attorney General has determined to be engaged in terrorist activities. Permits the Attorney General to withhold information in firearms and explosives license denial revocation suits if the Attorney General determines that the disclosure of such information would likely compromise national security Authorizes the Attorney General to revoke firearms and explosives licenses and permits held by individuals determined to be engaged in terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2007
New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the new markets tax credit through 2013; and (2) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limitation amount for such credit after 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Medicare Anesthesiology Teaching Funding Restoration Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) to set forth a special payment rule of 100% of the fee schedule amount for teaching anesthesiologists involved in the training of physician residents, if certain presence and availability requirements are met.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Promoting Lifelong Active Communities Every Day Act or the PLAY Every Day Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop the Community Play Index to measure the policy, program, or environmental barriers in communities to participating in physical activity. Requires the Index to include: (1) measurements that examine barriers to physical activities across multiple settings; and (2) measurements to assist economically and culturally diverse communities in examining the social determinants of health. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award grants to state health departments for work in partnership with community-based coalitions to plan and implement model communities of play that: (1) increase the physical spaces and places available for physical activity; (2) increase the opportunities for children and families to participate in quality play and the number of children and families participating in quality play; and (3) increase knowledge and awareness about the importance of individuals achieving 60 minutes of recommended physical activity every day.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month; and (2) President Bush's Commission on Mental Health, including funding of it's 2003 findings that the failure to prioritize mental health is a national tragedy. Recognizes that mental well-being is equally as important as physical well-being and must be treated with parity to other illnesses. Applauds the new coalescing of national and community organizations and their work in promoting public awareness to reduce the stigma of mental health treatment and in providing critical information to support the people and families of those dealing with mental illness. Urges all organizations and health practitioners to promote information to reduce and eliminate stigma and to focus on mental well-being awareness, ensure access to appropriate services, and support overall quality of life for those living with mental illness.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Congratulates: (1) the residents of Jerusalem and the people of Israel on the 40th anniversary of the reunification of that historic city; and (2) the people of Israel on the 59th anniversary of their independence. Believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel during the past 40 years. Calls upon the President and Secretary of State to affirm as a matter of U.S. policy that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel. Urges: (1) the President to discontinue the waiver contained in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and begin the process of relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem; and (2) U.S. officials to refrain from any actions that contradict U.S. law on this subject. Reaffirms Israel's right to take necessary steps to prevent any future division of Jerusalem.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2007
Provides for the consideration of a petition for federal recognition as an Indian tribe by the Lumbee Indians of Robeson and adjoining counties of North Carolina. Expresses the sense of the Congress that review of such petition should not unnecessarily delay review of petitions awaiting active consideration.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Federal Employee Combat Zone Tax Parity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of civilian federal employees compensation for active service in a combat zone or for periods of hospitalization for wounds, diseases, or injuries incurred while serving in a combat zone.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers. Requires that grant funds be used to provide teachers to local educational agencies that serve a substantial percentage of students eligible for free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide for a study, at least once every three years, comparing the academic achievement of students taught by teachers assisted by this Act with the academic achievement of students taught by other teachers in the same schools and positions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act of 2007 - Provides for the permanent resident status adjustment of certain Liberian nationals who were granted, or are eligible to apply for, temporary protected status on or after March 27, 1991.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national; (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or (3) an alien performing active service in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement (TREE) Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a tax deduction for 60% of qualified timber gains; (2) exempt deductible timber gains from the excise tax on the undistributed income of real estate investment trusts (REITs); (3) provide for the treatment of timber gains as qualifying REIT income and for mineral royalty income as qualifying income for timber REITs; and (4) provide special rules relating to income limitations and prohibited transactions for timber REITs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Recognizes that: (1) infertility is a disease; and (2) knowledge about infertility will help people make educated decisions about family building. Commends RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association and other organizations for their efforts to promote greater public awareness about infertility. Expresses support for the goals of National Infertility Awareness Week. Acknowledges federal responsibility to raise awareness and improve education, encourage research, and improve access to information regarding infertility.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Commemorates the 400th Anniversary of the founding of the colony Jamestown in 1607, and urges all Americans to honor this seminal event in our nation's history.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2007
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Eosinophil Awareness Week. Encourages health care providers and the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders to increase education and awareness regarding eosinophilic disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2007
Recognizes the strong alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States and expresses appreciation to the Republic of Korea for its efforts in the global war against terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
NAFTA Trucking Safety Act of 2007 - Prohibits a Mexico-domiciled motor carrier from being granted authority to operate beyond U.S. municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border until one or more of the following officials as specified (the Secretaries of Transportation and of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation Inspector General) certify to Congress that they have met conditions pertaining to: (1) the identification of federal motor carrier safety regulations and acceptance of compliance with Mexican safety regulations; (2) safety enforcement tools; (3) effective and regular monitoring and enforcement of immigration and customs regulations regarding international traffic under the North American Free Trade Agreement; (4) penalties for violation of immigration and customs laws or regulations concerning transportation by Mexico-domiciled carriers; (5) driver records databases used in Mexico; (6) compliance with conditions listed in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 concerning cross-border trucking safety; and (7) English language proficiency requirements applicable to drivers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Student Protection Act - Requires that by FY2010 states have in effect laws and policies requiring an individual educator who has reason to believe that another educator has committed an act of sexual misconduct against a student to report such act to the state as quickly as possible, within 48 hours whenever possible, or else face discipline. Requires each state to have a single, statewide commission for receiving such reports that: (1) establishes policies for investigating and reporting such allegations; and (2) has a toll-free number that can be used to make anonymous allegations. Directs states to report to the Secretary of Education the details of each act of sexual misconduct against a student for which an educator has been punished, including details regarding the educator and the punishment levied. Authorizes the Secretary to penalize noncompliant states by reducing their funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by up to 5%. Directs the Secretary to maintain a national database that contains, at a minimum, the details this Act requires each state to report to the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Declares that an action for civil liability may be brought against a merchant's assignee only if the violation is apparent on the face of a rental-purchase agreement to which it relates, including, but not limited to, a disclosure that can be determined to be incomplete or inaccurate from the face of the agreement. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission and to state attorneys general. Subjects to criminal penalties any willful and knowing violation of the information disclosure requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Access Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from awarding any contracts under the competitive durable medical equipment items and services acquisition program unless: (1) the quality standards have been implemented; and (2) the Secretary has received advice from the program oversight committee. Requires the Secretary (who currently is authorized), in carrying out competitive acquisition programs, to exempt: (1) rural areas and areas with low population density within urban areas that are not competitive, unless there is a significant national market through mail order for a particular item or service; and (2) items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings. Exempts smaller metropolitan statistical areas as well. Modifies requirements for the protection of small suppliers in bidding and contracting. Requires the Secretary to permit all suppliers to continue to participate as suppliers at the selected award price so long as they submit bids at less than the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable and otherwise comply with program requirements. Provides for appeal rights (currently denied). Requires the Secretary to exempt from competitive acquisition requirements items and services for which the application of competitive acquisition is not likely to result in significant savings of at least 10%. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing a program with respect to an item or service unless inclusion of the item or service will make significant savings of at least 10% probable, compared to the fee schedule in effect on January 1, 2007. Prohibits the Secretary from implementing certain payment rate basis requirements for covered items furnished after January 1, 2009, with respect to an area that is not a competitive acquisition area, unless a comparability analysis has been completed and published. Directs the Secretary, after fully implementing the initial 10 competitive acquisition areas, to analyze and report to Congress on the impact of competitive bidding in those areas. Prohibits expanding the coverage of competitive acquisition programs, or applying bid rates to non-bid areas, beyond the 10 competitive acquisition areas, unless specifically authorized by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Agricultural Business Security Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a retailer of agricultural products and chemicals or a manufacturer, formulator, distributor, or transporter of certain pesticides a business tax credit for 30 percent of costs for or related to the protection of such chemicals or pesticides, including employee security training and background checks, installation of security equipment, and computer network safeguards. Sets a $2 million annual limit on such credit and a per facility limitation of $100,000 (reduced by credits received for the five prior taxable years). Terminates such credit after 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that it is necessary to ensure that Congress is presented with reliable information from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation as to the dynamic macroeconomic feedback effects to changes in federal law and the probable behavioral responses of taxpayers, businesses, and other parties to such changes. Requires the Joint Committee and CBO, using among other methods dynamic estimating techniques, to prepare fiscal estimates of each proposed change in federal revenue law on the basis of assumptions that estimate the probable behavioral responses of personal and business taxpayers and other relevant entities to such change and its dynamic macroeconomic feedback effects. Applies such requirement only to proposed changes that, pursuant to static fiscal estimates, have a fiscal impact exceeding $250 million in any fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends federal law governing the National Archives and Records Administration to direct the Archivist of the United States to: (1) establish a collection of records known as the Holocaust Insurance Registry, consisting of specified information provided under the Holocaust Victims Insurance Relief Act of 2007; and (2) make it accessible to the public. Requires the Secretary of State to seek agreements with European countries to make information on covered policies available to the Registry. Requires: (1) insurers to file certain disclosures of Holocaust-Era policies with the Secretary of Commerce; and (2) the Secretary to provide them to the Archivist. Subjects insurer noncompliance to a civil penalty. Requires the Secretary to notify each state's commissioner of insurance of the identity of each noncompliant insurer. States that this Act does not preempt state holocaust insurance statutes. Establishes a federal cause of action for treble damages for any claim against insurer or related company arising out of or related to an insurance policy: (1) in effect at any time between January 30, 1933, and December 31, 1945; and (2) issued to a policyholder domiciled in any area that was occupied or controlled by Nazi Germany or by any ally or sympathizer of Nazi Germany.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states and Indian tribes for colorectal cancer programs that include: (1) providing colorectal cancer screening to individuals who are over 50 years of age or at high risk for such cancer; (2) providing case management and referrals for medical treatment; (3) ensuring the full continuum of follow up and cancer care for individuals screened; (4) carrying out activities to improve the education, training, and skills of health professionals in the detection and control of colorectal cancer; and (5) developing and disseminating public information and education programs for the detection and control of colorectal cancer and promoting the benefits of receiving screenings through this program. Gives priority to low-income individuals who lack adequate coverage under health insurance and health plans with respect to screenings for colorectal cancer. Allows the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance with respect to the planning, development, and operation of programs funded by a grant under this Act. Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical assistance to individuals who have been screened for colorectal cancer under this Act and who need treatment for complications due to screening or colorectal cancer. Applies provisions related to breast and cervical cancer programs to programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to repeal group eligibility requirements for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) that: (1) the country to which the workers' firm has shifted production of the articles be a party to a free trade agreement with the United States; or (2) such country be a beneficiary country under the Andean Trade Preference Act, African Growth and Opportunity Act, or the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. Requires the Secretary of Labor, with respect to textile and apparel workers, to make group eligibility determinations without regard to the sales, imports, and production factors of the group eligibility requirements. Requires funds provided to a state to cover the administrative costs associated with its TAA responsibilities to be sufficient to cover all costs associated with operating the program, including caseworker costs. Increases the amount of payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit for health insurance costs of certain TAA and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension recipients. Requires the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Labor each to carry out compatible and coordinated programs to simplify the TAA and credit eligibility process.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Appropriations Transparency Act of 2007 - Allows a point of order to be made by any Member in the House of Representatives or the Senate against consideration of a conference report that includes any earmark or tax earmark not committed to conference by either chamber. Defines "tax earmark" as any revenue-losing provision that provides a federal tax deduction, credit, exclusion, or preference to only one beneficiary (determined with respect to either present law or any provision of which the provision is a part) under the Internal Revenue Code in any year for which the provision is in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Clay Moore Kidnaping Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 30 years on illegal aliens who kidnap individuals under age 18.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned, in the case of a regular or reserve member of the Armed Forces with a combat-related disability who is entitled to monthly retired pay, to permit such member to elect an alternative retired pay rate based on $2,917, the average monthly salary for high school graduates in the United States. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with respect to veterans with service-connected disabilities, to permit such veterans to elect to receive a monthly compensation of $2,917 (in the case of a service-connected disability rated as total) or a percentage of such amount (depending on the percentage rating of the disability).
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to classify automatic fire sprinkler systems as five-year depreciable property. Makes this Act applicable to property placed in service after April 11, 2003.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Battle of Camden Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to evaluate the national significance of the site of the Battle of Camden, South Carolina and the site of Historic Camden, South Carolina, and to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating such sites as a unit or as separate units of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 561 Kingsland Avenue in University City, Missouri, as the "Harriett F. Woods Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Social Security Number Fraudulent Use Notification Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require the Commissioner of Social Security to notify an individual when: (1) the Social Security account number ascribed to the individual in the wage records provided by an employer to the Social Security Administration does not match relevant Administration records; or (2) the individual's Social Security account number has otherwise been used by any other person in a fraudulent or otherwise illegal manner.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in recognition of Constantino Brumidi's contributions to the Nation as a designer and decorator of the U.S. Capitol. Requires the Architect of the Capitol to arrange for the gold medal to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Second Chance Act of 2007: Community Safety Through Recidivism Prevention or the Second Chance Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize, rewrite, and expand provisions for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects to provide expanded services to offenders and their families for reentry into society. Directs the Attorney General to award grants for: (1) state and local reentry courts; (2) Comprehensive and Continuous Offender Reentry Task Forces: (3) evaluation of methods to improve academic and vocational education for offenders at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (4) demonstration programs to reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs in long-term substance abusers and reduce illegal drug demand by providing drug treatment; (5) incentive grants to improve drug treatment for offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (6) pharmacological drug treatment services to incarcerated offenders; (7) technology career training for offenders; and (8) mentoring services for reintegrating offenders into the community. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants for: (1) the establishment of a National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center; (2) drug treatment programs as an alternative to imprisonment; (3) prison-based family treatment programs for incarcerated parents of minor children; and (4) a study of parole or post-incarceration supervision violations and revocations. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to establish: (1) a prisoner reentry program; and (2) a pilot program for the release of elderly nonviolent offenders (age 60 or older).
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the allowable amount of the railroad track maintenance tax credit; (2) extend such credit through 2010; and (3) allow such credit against alternative minimum tax liabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Married Student Debt Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a husband and wife filing a joint tax return to each claim the maximum tax deduction of $2,500 for interest on education loans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators. Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network. Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Amends Rule XXV (Limitations on Outside Earned Income and Acceptance of Gifts) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit gifts to Members, officers, and employees of the House from state and local governments. Allows Members, officers, or employees of the House to accept from a state or local government reimbursement (including payment in kind) for necessary transportation, lodging, and related expenses for travel to a meeting, speaking engagement, factfinding trip, or similar event related to officeholder duties.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Savings for Working Families Act of 2007 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Condemns the arbitrary arrests of Father Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, and Le Thi Cong Nhan by the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and calls for their immediate release, as well as the immediate release of all other political and religious prisoners. Condemns the violations of the freedoms of speech, religion, movement, association, and the lack of due process in Vietnam. Challenges Vietnam's qualifications to be a member of the U.N. Security Council unless the government of Vietnam begins to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Urges the government of Vietnam to consider the implications of its actions for the broader U.S.-Vietnam relationship. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) make a top concern the immediate release, legal status, and humanitarian needs of Father Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, and Le Thi Cong Nhan, and use funds from the Human Rights Defenders Fund to assist with their legal defense and the needs of their families; (2) urge the government of Vietnam to comply with international standards for basic freedoms and human rights; (3) make clear to the government of Vietnam that it must adhere to the rule of law and respect the freedom of religion and expression in order to broaden its relations with the United States; (4) re-impose on Vietnam the country of particular concern designation if Vietnam harasses, detains, and arrests religious leaders and religious-motivated rights defenders and activists; and (5) initiate new foreign assistance programs to advance the capacity and networking abilities of Vietnamese civil society.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Compete Act of 2007 - Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to revise requirements for the internal control assessment component of a securities issuer's annual report. Requires the attestation and report by a registered public accounting firm on an issuer's management assessment of its internal control structure and procedures to focus upon the process and system used by management to identify and manage risks, identify and implement key controls, and come to a conclusion on the effectiveness of the internal controls over financial reporting. Prohibits an auditor's attestation and report from including a separate (pass/fail) opinion on the effectiveness of such internal controls. Requires such attestation and report to be performed at three-year intervals. Prescribes standards for such attestations and reports, including a risk-based evaluation. Permits attestations and reports to rely on examinations and inspections by federal and state regulatory agencies. Instructs the Securities and Exchange Commission to develop a standard of materiality for such assessments and reports based upon whether the internal control has a material effect on the company's financial statements and is significant to the issuer's overall financial status. Exempts a smaller public company from the requirements for management assessment of internal controls, unless it voluntarily elects to comply with them.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
Family Farm Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income gain from the sale or exchange of qualified farmland development rights to a tax-exempt conservation organization. Defines "qualified farmland development rights" as a restriction limiting farmland to use as a farm for farming purposes or for exclusively conservation purposes.
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