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United States · Official source
3,803 records where Rep. Olver, John W. [D-MA-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Supports the goals and ideals of a National Suffragists Day to promote awareness of the women suffragists who worked for the right of U.S. women to vote.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should act to reduce risks posed by global climate change and to foster economic growth by: (1) participating in negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and leading efforts in other international fora with the objective of securing U.S. participation in agreements that advance and protect U.S. interests, that establish mitigation commitments by all countries that are major emitters of greenhouse gases, that establish flexible international mechanisms to minimize the cost of efforts by participating countries, and that achieve a significant long-term reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions; and (2) establishing a bipartisan observer group in the House of Representatives and the Senate to monitor international negotiations on climate change and to ensure that the advice and consent function of the Senate is exercised to facilitate timely consideration of any applicable treaty.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate NIH activities on paralysis research; (2) to award grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia; (3) to educate and disseminate information and receive public comment on NIH programs and research regarding paralysis; (4) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, to expand and coordinate NIH research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis; and (5) to make grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for multicenter clinical trial networks to design clinical rehabilitation intervention protocols and measures of outcomes on paralysis. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to study the health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities and carry out projects and interventions to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Permits the Secretary to award grants for activities related to paralysis, including to: (1) establish paralysis registries; and (2) disseminate information to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Liver Research Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Center on Liver Disease Research in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to ensure the development of increased understanding of, and better treatments and cures for, liver diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the Liver Disease Research Advisory Board to: (1) advise and assist the Director of the Center concerning matters relating to liver disease research; and (2) develop the Liver Disease Research Action Plan to identify scientific opportunities and priorities of liver disease research. Requires the Director of each institute or center within NIH to allocate for liver disease research amounts necessary to: (1) fund existing scientific research opportunities; and (2) carry out the recommendations of the Plan.
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 · 28 March 2007
Declares that the United States Postal Service (USPS) should discontinue the practice of contracting out mail delivery services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2007 - States that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) pursue a global HIV prevention strategy that emphasizes the needs of married and unmarried women and girls and addresses the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; and (2) balance funding for HIV prevention methods. Directs the President to: (1) formulate and submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and make available to the public, a comprehensive and culturally appropriate global HIV prevention strategy that addresses the HIV vulnerability of married and unmarried women and girls and seeks to reduce the factors that lead to gender disparities in HIV infection rates; (2) ensure that the United States coordinates its overall HIV/AIDS policy and programs with foreign governments, international organizations, other donor countries, and indigenous organizations; and (3) provide clear guidance to U.S. field missions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Latin America Military Training Review Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of the Army to suspend operation of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Institute). Suspends the authority of the Secretary of Defense to operate such an education and training facility until submission of a report containing the results of an investigation in response to violations of human rights to which training at such Institute contributed. Establishes: (1) a joint congressional task force to assess appropriate education and training for DOD to provide to military personnel of Latin American nations; and (2) a commission to investigate activities of the United States Army School of the Americas and its successor institution, the Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Bulb Replacement in Government With High-Efficiency Technology Energy Savings Act of 2007 or the BRIGHT Energy Savings Act of 2007 - Requires each: (1) public building constructed or significantly altered by the Administrator of General Services to be equipped, to the maximum extent feasible (as specified under this Act), with lighting fixtures and bulbs that are energy efficient (as specified under this Act); and (2) lighting fixture or bulb that is replaced in the normal course of maintenance of public buildings to be replaced with an energy efficient fixture or bulb.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits denying or abridging equality of rights under the law by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Common Sense Budget Act of 2007 - Requires certain reductions in amounts appropriated for FY2008 for specified Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) programs. Makes amounts from such reductions available for: (1) modernization of school facilities; (2) the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act; (3) adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities; (4) programs to increase energy efficiency and conservation and increase investment in sustainable and renewable energy alternatives; (5) sustainable development and humanitarian assistance programs to alleviate global poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, disease, and disaster; (6) homeland security safeguard improvements; (7) deficit reduction; and (8) veterans health care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the passengers and crew members, collectively, on board United Airlines Flight 93 in recognition of their heroic service to the Nation. Requires the gold medal, after such award, to be given to the Flight 93 National Memorial located in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, in Pennsylvania, to be displayed as appropriate and made available for research.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Medicare Hearing Health Care Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for direct access to qualified audiologists for Medicare beneficiaries, without regard to any requirement that the beneficiary be under the care of (or referred by) a physician or other health care practitioner, or that such services are provided under the supervision of a physician or other health care practitioner. Covers audiology services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Responsible Education About Life Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that states are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires states receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the state's program by an external, independent entity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 or STRIVE Act of 2007- Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing the New Worker Program established in title IV or grant conditional nonimmigrant classification under title VI of this Act prior to certification to the President and to Congress that specified conditions have been met respecting: (1) border security; (2) document security; and (3) first phase implementation of the electronic employment verification system. Sets forth border security and enforcement provisions, including provisions respecting: (1) personnel and asset increases and enhancements; (2) a National Strategy for Border Security; (3) border security initiatives, including biometric data enhancements and a biometric entry-exit system, and document integrity, (4) international cooperation; (5) Central American gangs; and (6) National Guard use on the southern border. Authorizes a border relief grant program for a tribal, state, or local law enforcement agency in a county: (1) no more than 100 miles from a U.S. border with Canada or Mexico; or (2) more than 100 miles from any such border but which is a high impact area. Sets forth protections for asylum seekers and other immigrants who are subject to expedited removal and/or detention. Establishes within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an Office of Detention Oversight. Provides for a secure (detention) alternatives program. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to combat human smuggling. Sets forth interior enforcement provisions, including provisions respecting: (1) criminal aliens; (2) voluntary departure; (3) expedited removal; (4) background checks; (5) the state criminal alien assistance program; (6) tribal lands security; (7) state and local enforcement of immigration laws; (8) detention and alternatives; (9) passport and immigration fraud; (10) illegal entry and reentry; (11) detention and removal; (12) criminal penalties; (13) alien street gang members; and (14) alien smuggling. Makes it unlawful to knowingly hire, recruit, or refer for a fee an unauthorized alien. Sets forth verification provisions. Provides for implementation of an electronic employment verification system, which shall include required, voluntary, and excluded employer categories. Sets forth system provisions respecting: (1) procedures; (2) criminal and civil penalties; and (3) privacy and anti-discrimination safeguards. Provides for additional worksite and fraud detection personnel. Establishes a temporary guest worker program (H-2C visa) (New Worker Program) of 400,000 initial entrants. Provides for: (1) a three-year admission with one additional three-year extension; (2) issuance of H-4 nonimmigrant visas for accompanying or following spouses and children; (3) U.S. and guest worker protections; (4) implementation of an alien employment management system; (5) specified employer obligations; and (6) establishment of a Standing Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets. Provides for H-2C adjustment of status to permanent resident if the alien: (1) has been employed in H-2C status for a cumulative period of at least five years and establishes evidence of employment; (2) pays a $500 application fee; (3) is physically present in the United States; and (4) is pursuing English language and U.S. history education. Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate bilateral agreements with H-2C worker home countries. Sets forth backlog reduction provisions respecting: (1) family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant levels, including recapture of unused visas; (2) country limits; (3) immigrant visa allocations; (4) shortage occupations; (5) nurses and physical therapists; (6) Iraqi and Afghan translators; (7) aliens of extraordinary artistic ability; (8) Canadian powerline workers and boilermakers; (9) aliens in specialty occupations; (10) U.S. educated immigrants; (11) students; (12) L-visa (intracompany transfer) aliens; and (13) minor children and widows. Provides for status adjustment filing of qualifying employment based immigrants regardless of whether an immigrant visa is immediately available. Establishes a special immigrant category for certain children and women at risk of harm. 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. Provides that determinations under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 as to whether an individual is a child of a parent shall be made using the individual's age and status on October 21, 1998. Expands the S-visa (witness/informant) classification. Limits the L-visa (intracompany transfer) classification. Replaces the existing fashion model H-1B visa classification with an O-visa classification. Return of Talent Act - Directs the Secretary to establish the return of talent program to permit eligible aliens to temporarily return to their country of citizenship in order to make a material contribution if the country is engaged in post-conflict or natural disaster reconstruction activities. Major Disaster and Emergency Victims Immigration Benefits Preservation Act - Sets forth disaster- or emergency-related immigration benefit preservation provisions respecting: (1) special immigrant status; (2) filing or reentry deadline extensions; (3) surviving spouses and children, including surviving spouses and children of refugees and asylees; (4) waiver of public charge inadmissibility grounds; (5) age-out protection; (6) documents and address requirements; and (7) foreign students. Authorizes a six-year conditional nonimmigrant status for a qualifying alien (and spouse and children as conditional nonimmigrant dependents) who has been illegally and continually present and employed in the United States since before June 1, 2006 up to the present. Requires: (1) criminal and security background checks; (2) payment of a $500 fine and applicable application fees; and (3) payment of tax obligations. Prohibits such status for an alien who has: (1) participated in persecutions; or (2) been convicted of a felony or three or more misdemeanors. Permits permanent resident status adjustment. Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 or DREAM Act of 2007 - Repeals 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 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; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; and (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal. Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status. Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2007 or AgJOBS Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary to confer "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) has performed agricultural employment in the United States for at least 863 hours or 150 work days during the 24-month period ending on December 31, 2006; (2) applied for such status during the 18-month application period beginning on the first day of the seventh month that begins after the date of enactment of this Act; (3) is otherwise admissible to the United States; and (4) has not been convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor, an element of which involves bodily injury, threat of serious bodily injury, or harm to property in excess of $500. Directs the Secretary to adjust a blue card alien (and spouse and minor children) to permanent resident status if the alien has fulfilled specified periods of agricultural employment. Amends the Social Security Act to exempt blue card aliens from prosecution for social security-related identity or payment false statements if such conduct occurred prior to the granting of blue card status. Revises H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Replaces the existing labor certification requirement with a labor attestation requirement containing: (1) a description of the nature and location of the job; (2) the job's expected beginning and ending dates; (3) the number of jobs; and (4) specified labor assurances respecting job opportunities covered by collective bargaining agreements and non-covered job opportunities. Authorizes an initial entry, adjustment, and citizenship assistance grant program. Strengthening American Citizenship Act of 2007 - Directs the Chief of the Office of Citizenship of DHS to provide grants to assist legal U.S. residents who declare an intent to apply for citizenship in the United States to meet naturalization requirements. Provides that a legal U.S. resident who demonstrates English fluency will satisfy the residency requirement upon the completion of four years (currently, five years) of continuous U.S. legal residency. Directs the Secretary to establish an American citizenship grant program for qualified entities to provide civics, history, and English classes to promote the patriotic integration of prospective citizens. Authorizes the Secretary to establish the United States Citizenship Foundation to support the functions of the Office of Citizenship. Establishes a new citizens award program to recognize citizens who: (1) have made an outstanding contribution to the United States; and (2) were naturalized during the ten-year period ending on the date of such recognition. Authorizes the Secretary of State to award a grant to a U.S. land grant university to establish a national program for a broad, university-based Mexican rural poverty mitigation program. Provides for increases in DHS immigration attorneys and Department of Justice immigration attorneys and judges. Expresses the sense of Congress that an effective and fair immigration court system should be established. Sets forth citizenship assistance provisions for members of the Armed Forces. Provides permanent resident status adjustment or cancellation of removal and permanent resident status adjustment for a requesting alien who was on September 10, 2001, the wife, child, or dependent son or daughter of a lawful nonimmigrant alien who died as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States. Authorizes an alien who is under removal or ordered to depart voluntarily from the United States to apply for such status adjustment. Excludes from such provisions an alien who is: (1) inadmissible or deportable under criminal or security grounds, including September 11, 2001, terrorist activity; or (2) a family member of such an alien. Establishes: (1) the Office of Internal Corruption Investigation; (2) the State Impact Assistance Account; and (3) the New Worker Program and Conditional Nonimmigrant Fee Account; and (4) the Immigrant Entrepeneur Regional Account Center. Provide permanent resident status adjustment for certain persecuted religious minorities. Establishes grants for state courts to implement programs to assist individuals with limited English proficiency to understand court proceedings. Provides for notice and hearing if DHS intends to remove an alien to a country other than the one designated at the removal hearing. Requires that Department of State and Department of Justice immigration documents comply with specified authentication, documentation, and machine readable standards.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations through FY2012 for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Specifies Commodity Credit Corporation fund amounts to be used for the Program in each of FY2008-FY2012. Makes the Secretary of Agriculture responsible for specified program administration provisions currently delegated to the President.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Community Choice Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that there should be enacted a national program of mandatory, market-based limits and incentives on emissions of greenhouse gases that slow, stop, and reverse the growth of such emissions at a rate and in a manner that will: (1) not significantly harm the U.S. economy; and (2) encourage comparable action by other nations that are major trading partners and key contributors to global emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
College Aid Made EZ Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): (1) consumer-friendly, with 50% fewer data elements within five years of this Act's enactment; (2) available in both paper and (downloadable) electronic formats; (3) flexible enough to permit applicants to enter data years before enrolling and selectively update information; and (4) include data elements relevant to state student aid determinations. Directs the Secretary to develop a simplified paper EZ FAFSA for applicants having no expected family contributions and simplified electronic FAFSAs for applicants to whom a simplified needs test applies. Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration program assessing the feasibility and benefits of allowing dependent students to apply for aid in their junior year of high school. Reduces the types of income and benefits which are considered untaxed and thereby included in student need analyses. Excludes untaxed distributions from qualified education benefits as income or assets in computing expected family contributions in student aid calculations. Treats a qualified education benefit as: (1) the parent's asset when considering the family contribution for a dependent student; and (2) the student's asset when considering such contribution for independent students. Excludes from need analyses any untaxed distributions from state prepaid tuition plans or Coverdell education savings accounts. Urges the Secretary and the Secretary of the Treasury to develop a process allowing the Department of Education, with the applicant's permission, to complete the FAFSA by drawing income information directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Allows the Secretary to use the previous tax year's income information to facilitate this end.
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
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the state, local, or tribal hate crime laws. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one state and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist state, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to expand data collection and reporting requirements under such Act to include: (1) crimes manifesting prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) hate crimes committed by and against juveniles.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
American Dairy Farmer Protection Act - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend national dairy market loss payments through September 30, 2012. Increases the maximum payment quantity for all producers on a single dairy operation. Sets the FY2008 minimum price for Class 1 milk under a federal marketing order at $15.58 per hundredweight.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Clean Money, Clean Elections Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of clean election financing of House election campaigns; (2) establishment of a House Clean Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations as well as such allocations; (4) a seed money contribution requirement; (5) contribution and expenditure requirements; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a clean money candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) payment of fair fight funds; (9) administration of the House Clean Elections System; (10) reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates; (11) modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements; (12) limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates; and (13) treatment of coordinated expenditures as contributions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit for voluntary donations to the House Clean Elections Fund. Establishes the Clean Elections Review Commission. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to entitle clean money candidates to receive specified free broadcast time and reduced broadcast rates in certain circumstances. Amends federal postal law to prohibit franked mass mailings by Members of Congress (except public meeting notices) during the 90 days before primary and general election periods, unless they are not candidates for re-election to any other federal office. Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a proceeding on certiorari; and (2) reduce from 48 to 24 hours the deadline for electronic filing with the FEC of reports by each political committee of contributions received within 90 days before an election.
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 · 20 March 2007
Safe Climate Act of 2007 - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate: (1) targets for a 2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year from 2010-2050; and (2) regulations requiring reductions to meet such targets, including by setting caps on emissions of sources and sectors with the largest emissions or the best opportunities to reduce them, by issuing and authorizing trading of emission allowances, and by imposing penalties for excess emissions. Requires relevant federal agencies to finalize a rule to carry out the National Academies' recommendations for regulatory action needed to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations or explain their reasons for declining to act. Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan for the distribution of emission allowances (including through auctions) and the use of proceeds (to be deposited in a Climate Reinvestment Fund) for specified goals, including mitigating the effects of energy cost increases and climate change. Requires the EPA to ensure that emissions and allowances are accurately tracked, reported, and verified. Authorizes the emission reduction regulations to include: (1) additional requirements for any source or sector; and (2) performance standards, best management practices, and technology-based requirements. Requires such regulations to set standards for the reduction of greenhouse emissions from motor vehicles at least as quickly as the standards adopted by the California Air Resources Board at its September 2004 hearing. Requires the EPA to revise such standards in 2014 and every five years thereafter to further reduce emissions. Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) require, beginning in 2010, an annual increase in the percentage of electric energy generated from renewable sources that is sold at the retail level in the United States and to require such percentage to be at least 20% of the total electricity sold by 2020; and (2) set end-user savings targets for retail electric-energy and natural gas suppliers. Authorizes DOE to: (1) increase the required percentage of end-user savings for years after 2020; and (2) allow suppliers to achieve the targets through a market-based trading system.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require (currently, authorizes) the President to furnish assistance for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, and elimination. Gives priority to activities described in the Stop TB Strategy (as defined by this Act). Revises related fund use provisions. Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide increased resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high TB rates and other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy and specific strategies related to addressing drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Authorizes appropriations for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) TB activities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Prescription Coverage Now Act of 2007 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Service to provide for an expedited process for the qualification for low-income assistance through a request to the Secretary of the Treasury for tax return and other information sufficient to identify: (1) whether the individual involved is likely eligible for subsidies; and (2) the amount of premium and cost-sharing subsidies for which they would qualify based on such information. Provides for modification of resource standards for determination of eligibility for low-income subsidy and revision of income and asset rules. Requires indexing of deductibles and cost-sharing above the annual out-of-pocket threshold for individuals with income below 150% of the poverty line. Requires screening by the Commissioner of Social Security for eligibility under Medicare savings programs. Creates a special enrollment period for subsidy eligible individuals. Waives the late enrollment penalty for subsidy eligible individuals.
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
Healthy Farms, Foods, and Fuels Act of 2007 - Extends: (1) the conservation reserve program; (2) the wetlands reserve program; (3) the conservation security program; (4) the grassland reserve program; (5) the environmental quality incentives program; (6) the wildlife habitat incentive program; (7) the agricultural management assistance program; Establishes: (1) the cooperative conservation partnership initiative; (2) the community forestry and open space conservation program; (3) an integrated pest management initiative; (4) a conservation initiative for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers; (5) a conservation planning pilot program; and (6) a cooperative conservation educational assistance program. Authorizes a conservation loan guarantee program. Revises: (1) the farmland protection program; and (2) funding for the healthy forests reserve program. Revises and extends the biorefinery development program. Extends: (1) the energy audit and renewable energy development program; (2) the renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements program; (3) the Department of Agriculture bioenergy program; (4) biomass research and development; and (5) carbon cycle research. Extends: (1) the community food project grant program; (2) the farm-to-cafeteria program; (3) the women, infants, and children (WIC) farmers' market nutrition program; (4) the senior farmers' market nutrition program; and (5) farmers' market promotion program. Establishes: (1) a fruit and vegetable nutrition promotion program; (2) a food stamp fruit and vegetable electronic transfer pilot program; and (3) a farm viability program (currently, program authority is discretionary). Provides for Department of Defense and Department of Agriculture procurement of locally produced agricultural products. Extends: (1) the organic agriculture research and extension initiative; (2) education grant programs for Hispanic-serving institutions; (3) the value-added agricultural product market development grant program; and (4) and revises the national organic certification and transition cost share program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to reduce the minimum net worth ratio requirements of credit unions. Revises the minimum risk-based net ratio for such capitalizations. Transfers from the federal banking agencies to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) the authority to adjust the net worth levels of credit unions. Instructs the National Credit Union Administration Board (Board) to design the risk-based net worth requirement to take account of material risks to insured credit unions that are taken account of by comparable standards applicable to FDIC-insured institutions. Establishes a temporary waiver of the net worth restoration plan requirement for an undercapitalized credit union which attains its status due to a major natural or man-made disaster. Revamps requirements for limits and restrictions on member business loans. Authorizes credit unions to lease to any business enterprise separate and clearly distinct space in credit union office buildings in underserved areas. Authorizes the Board, in specified circumstances, to encompass within credit union membership any person or organization within an underserved local community, neighborhood, or rural district. Permits a credit union to invest in securities for its own account. Increases the investment and lending limit in credit union service organizations. Exempts certain voluntary mergers involving multiple common-bond credit unions from the numerical limit for eligibility within the field of membership category of a credit union. Directs the Board to prescribe criteria for continued membership of certain member groups in the case of certain credit union conversions to a community charter. Includes just cause as grounds for expulsion from membership. Authorizes term limits for board members of federal credit unions. Revises voting requirements for credit union conversions to mutual savings banks. Amends the Clayton Act to exempt from its pre-merger notification and waiting period requirements any mergers of one insured credit union activities with another which require agency approval under the Federal Credit Union Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions for employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the New England National Scenic Trail as a National Scenic Trail. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to use the Trail Management Blueprint as the framework for management and administration of the Trail. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with Massachusetts (and its political subdivisions), Connecticut, (and its political subdivisions), the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, and other regional, local, and private organizations deemed necessary and desirable to accomplish cooperative trail administrative, management, and protection objectives consistent with the Blueprint. Encourages the Secretary to work with New Hampshire and appropriate local and private organizations to include that part of the Metacomet-Monadock Trail in New Hampshire (which lies between Royalston, Massachusetts and Jaffrey, New Hampshire) as a component of the Trail.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Allows employees of federally-qualified health centers to enroll in an approved health benefits plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Fuel Economy Reform Act - Amends federal transportation law to: (1) revise the definition of automobile to require including all automobiles up to 10,000 pounds (currently, not all automobiles up to 10,000 pounds are required to be included in the definition); and (2) continue applying the current minimum corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for non-passenger and passenger automobiles to automobiles manufactured through model year 2011, but, for passenger automobiles, adds an increase of 4% per year in such standard for model years 2009 through 2011. Requires an average fuel economy standard of 27.5 miles per gallon for automobiles manufactured by a manufacturer for model year 2012, and an average fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon for automobiles manufactured by a manufacturer for model year 2018, with a minimum increase of 4% in the average fuel economy from the level for the prior model year for model year 2013 and beyond, with specified exceptions from the 4% increase permitted. Prohibits this Act from being construed to limit, supercede, or expand the Secretary of Transportation's authority under federal transportation law to prescribe motor vehicle safety standards to reduce traffic accidents and deaths and injuries due to such accidents.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Salmon Economic Analysis and Planning Act - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences for scientific analysis of federal salmon protection, restoration, and recovery actions. Requires such analysis to include: (1) the biological effectiveness of current recovery actions for Columbia and Snake River Basin salmon and steelhead populations; (2) a comparison of the effectiveness of salmon recovery actions; and (3) an identification of limiting factors and global climate change on salmon recovery actions. Requires the Comptroller General to study the potential effects and costs of partially and fully removing the four lower Snake River dams, including those on: (1) the economy of surrounding communities; (2) freight transportation; (3) irrigation; (4) energy production; and (5) the extinction of salmon and steelhead populations in the Snake River. Requires the Comptroller General to study the accuracy of the engineering costs associated with dam removal as determined by the February 2002 Army Corps of Engineers Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Urges: (1) the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), the Inter-American Development Bank, and other multilateral financial institutions to cancel Haiti's debts to such institutions; and (2) the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct U.S. Executive Directors at such institutions to use U.S. influence to accomplish this goal.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2007
Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require prompt payment of clean claims to pharmacies by prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD Plans). Defines "prompt payment" as within 14 calendar days from submission for claims submitted electronically, and within 30 calendar days for claims submitted otherwise. Requires payment of interest, also, if a payment is not issued, mailed, or otherwise transmitted within the applicable number of calendar days. Makes it unlawful for a PDP sponsor to display on any explanatory prescription drug information and enrollee cards the name, brand, or trademark (co-branding) of any pharmacy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2007
Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and federal civil service law relating to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to cover qualified acupuncturist services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2007
Commuter Benefits Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to equalize and increase to $200, with a modified cost-of-living adjustment, the tax exclusion for both transportation and parking fringe benefits. Extends such benefits to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2007
VA Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative to report on health care quality in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. Requires the Secretary, at least semiannually, to publish reports on VA hospital quality, including assessments of effectiveness, safety, timeliness, and efficiency.
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
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 · 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
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
Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2007- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain landowners whose property contains the habitat of an endangered or threatened species and who enter into a habitat protection agreement a tax credit for costs relating to habitat protection easements and restoration. Places limits on the amount of such credit for calendar years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of such credit. Allows a tax deduction for expenditures related to recovery plans approved by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Excludes from gross income certain payments under: (1) the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program authorized by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act; and (2) the Landowner Incentive Program, the State Wildlife Grants Program, and the Private Stewardship Grants Program authorized by the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Supports the goals and ideals of a world day of remembrance for road crash victims.
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.