United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2008
Calls for the enactment of laws that: (1) make more American energy available for exploration and production, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Offshore Continental Shelf, and federal lands onshore, including for shale oil and coal-to-liquid production; and (2) streamline the permitting process for building American refineries and allow the construction of refineries on federal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Federal Efficiency and Performance Act of 2008 - Requires the President to recommend to Congress, with proposed legislation, which existing federal programs and agencies should be modernized, consolidated, reprioritized, and where necessary, terminated in order to: (1) reduce federal expenditures; (2) increase efficiency and effectiveness of government operations; (3) eliminate overlap and duplication in federal programs and offices; (4) abolish agencies, programs, and activities that no longer serve an important governmental purpose; and (5) identify reductions in amounts of discretionary budget authority or direct spending that can be dedicated to federal deficit reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a National Prader-Willi Awareness Month; and (2) increased funding for research into the causes, treatment, and cure for Prader-Willi syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2008
Commends the Republic of Bulgaria for developing increasingly friendly and meaningful relations with the United States over the past 100 years. Recognizes Bulgaria's continued contributions toward peace and prosperity in South Eastern Europe. Salutes Bulgaria's increasingly vital role as a valuable ally in the war against international terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2008
Small Business Cooperative for Healthcare Options to Improve Coverage for Employees (CHOICE) Act of 2008 or the Small Business CHOICE Act of 2008 - Provides for the establishment and governance of Fully Funded Small Business Health Insurance cooperatives, which are small businesses that form a captive insurance company chartered in a qualified state to provide excess claims coverage insurance that meets certain qualifications to its members. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an independent commission on Fully Funded Small Business Health Insurance Cooperatives to: (1) promote the development of such cooperatives; (2) make recommendations to the Secretary regarding minimum capital requirements; and (3) conduct oversight of such cooperatives. Exempts such cooperatives from certain state laws, rules, regulations, or orders, including any that would: (1) prohibit the establishment of a cooperative; (2) impose any material requirements, procedures, or standards on a cooperative that are not generally applicable to other entities engaged in a substantially similar business; or (3) discriminate against a cooperative or any of its members. Preempts any state law that conflicts with, hinders, poses an obstacle to, or frustrates the purpose of this Act. Sets forth provisions governing the provision of claims information, including protected health information, from health insurance issuers to cooperatives. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the small business CHOICE tax credit for small employers for costs related to providing qualified employer-subsidized health coverage for employees and their families. Disallows such a credit unless the employee offers a qualified small business wellness program to covered employees and family members.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2008
Requests the President issue a proclamation recognizing the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Encourages state and local governments to recognize the partnership among Omaha, its citizens, and the University of Nebraska to build a vibrant and dynamic community.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2008
Calls on the government of the People's Republic of China to perform specified actions, including ending immediately abuses of the human rights of its citizens, ceasing repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and ending its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma, in order to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness. Calls on the President to: (1) make a strong public statement on China's human rights situation prior to his departure to Beijing for the Olympic Games; (2) make a similar statement in Beijing; (3) meet with the families of jailed prisoners of conscience; and (4) seek to visit Tibet and Xinjiang.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2008
American Energy Act - Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding delineation of offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as well as related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to: (1) allow the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to grant natural gas leases in the outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and (2) revise provisions concerning oil and gas leases and withdrawals of unleased land. Provides for federal agency coordination with adjacent states on the construction of pipelines for crude oil or petroleum products or natural gas produced from the OCS. Sets forth provisions concerning the application of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to OCS programs. Declares existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds for leasing and preleasing OCS oil and natural gas to be without force or effect. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting certain activities on the federal OCS or in state waters that are incompatible with: (1) oil or natural gas leasing; and (2) full exploration and production of tracts that are geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Directs the Secretary to establish OCS Regional Headquarters in designated locations. Repeals: (1) the coastal impact assistance program; and (2) the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Requires the Secretary to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the Coastal Plain's oil and gas resources. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to terminate the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Provides for the authorization of Special Areas to be managed so as to protect and preserve the area's unique and diverse character including its fish, wildlife, and subsistence resource values in the Coastal Plain. Requires the Secretary to designate Sadlerochit Spring as a Special Area. Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue specified rights-of-ways and easements across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas; and (2) convey specified estates to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Establishes the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund and the American Renewable and Alternative Energy Trust Fund. Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to terminate the prohibition against using federal funds to prepare or publish final regulations regarding a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands or to conduct an oil shale lease sale pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions concerning credits for fuel efficiency, alternative fuel vehicles, energy efficiency, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. Requires the Secretary of Energy to provide awards for activities concerning the: (1) research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of innovative energy technologies and new energy sources; (2) manufacture of midsized sedan automobiles that operate on gasoline and can travel 100 miles per gallon; and (3) manufacture of advanced batteries. Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide financial assistance to states or tribes to facilitate the hiring of personnel with expertise in federal refinery authorizations. Requires the President to: (1) appoint a federal coordinator to facilitate such authorizations; and (2) designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for the construction of a refinery and at least one for producing biofuel. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal restrictions on federal agencies procuring alternative or synthetic fuel for mobility-related uses. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to auction to the public coal-to-liquid fuel put option contracts. Provides for standby loans for qualifying coal-to-liquid projects. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to revise provisions concerning the recycling and disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2008
Celebrates the 221st anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Honors the efforts of the 42 delegates who attended the majority of the Constitutional Convention meetings and the 39 signers. Acknowledges the significance of the ideals established by the Constitution, including the principle of a limited federal government with a system of checks and balances. Recognizes the Constitution as the source responsible for our nation's ability to withstand calamity and preserve stability.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2008
States that: (1) it shall be U.S. policy that the President and the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations work with the international community to increase political and financial support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to prevent and resolve problems related to de jure and de facto statelessness and to promote the rights of de jure or de facto stateless persons; (2) the President shall make prevention and reduction of de jure or de facto statelessness an important goal of U.S. foreign policy and human rights efforts; and (3) it shall be U.S. policy to comply with the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Directs the Secretary of State to increase staff and resources in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to work toward the prevention and resolution of de jure and de facto statelessness and the protection of de jure or de facto stateless persons.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2008
Condemns the attack on the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) peacekeepers and expresses condolences to the people of Rwanda, Ghana, and Uganda and to the families and friends of those killed and wounded. Calls upon: (1) the Sudanese government to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice; and (2) U.N. member states and the international community to contribute the resources necessary to ensure UNAMID's success. Expresses: (1) commitment to the Darfuri people; and (2) support for UNAMID.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Access to America's Orthopedic Services Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish criteria for accounting and reporting the effort expended by researchers on musculoskeletal research funded with certain grants. Sets forth reporting requirements related to musculoskeletal health, including on: (1) research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); (2) federal programs and activities relating to musculoskeletal trauma care; (3) a standard unit for the measurement of bone mass under the Medicare program; (4) access to orthopedic services by certain federal health program beneficiaries; and (5) childhood musculoskeletal diseases, conditions, and injuries in the United States. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to establish the Transplantation Transmission Sentinel Network to track disease transmission from organ, tissue, or eye transplants. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations relating to the accreditation of: (1) establishments engaged in the manufacture of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products; and (2) personnel who participate in related activities. Requires the Secretary to conduct studies related to: (1) a national registry of artificial joint replacements in Medicare beneficiaries; (2) severe trauma to extremities resulting from motor vehicle crashes; (3) workplace-related musculoskeletal injuries and conditions; (4) funding available for graduate medical education in orthopedics; (5) methods for measuring bone mass in Medicare beneficiaries; and (6) aging in the United States. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a national public awareness program on musculoskeletal health; and (2) award grants for certain health and aging activities for seniors. Provides for musculoskeletal diseases and conditions to be treated as a priority within the Office of Minority Health.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Emergency Energy Cut the Red Tape Now Act of 2008 - Declares without force or effect all: (1) federal prohibitions against the leasing of federal lands or federal submerged lands for exploration, development, or production of oil, gas, or oil shale; (2) federal withdrawals of such lands from such leasing; or (3) federal prohibitions against the expenditure of federal funds for such leasing. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to waive the application of any federal law that requires a permit to engage in drilling for oil or gas under a lease of federal lands or federal submerged lands during any period in which the most recent spot market price for West Texas Intermediate crude oil at the domestic spot market at Cushing, Oklahoma, is less than $100 per barrel. Requires such a waiver during any period in which the most recent spot price is equal to or greater than $100 per barrel. Requires the Department of Energy to act as the lead agency to coordinate all applicable federal refinery authorizations and related environmental reviews with respect to a designated refinery. Requires each federal and state agency or official required to provide a federal refinery authorization to cooperate with the Secretary of Energy and comply with deadlines the Secretary establishes. Requires the Secretary to establish a schedule for all federal refinery authorizations with respect to a designated refinery. Requires the Secretary to approve an application for a federal refinery authorization within 30 days after any failure of a federal or state administrative agency or official to complete an approval proceeding in accordance with the schedule established by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2008
Schoolchildren's Health Protection Act - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the provision of federal education funding to state or local educational agencies that provide unemancipated minors with postcoital emergency contraception or prescriptions for such contraception on the premises of elementary or secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2008
Declares that the House of Representatives honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career of the Honorable Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., a public servant and former Senator from North Carolina. Expresses condolences to his wife, "Dot," and their three children on his passing.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2008
Grow American Supply Act - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding the delineation of lateral offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends OCSLA with respect to Adjacent Zones and Planning Areas in the outer Continental Shelf (OCS) subsoil and seabed. Revises procedures governing natural gas lease administration. Requires deposit of a portion of OCS receipts from certain new leases into a Special Dedicated Account in the Social Security Trust Fund to reduce Social Security debt. Establishes the Deficit Reduction Trust Fund to accept specified OCS receipts to reduce the federal debt. Prohibits oil and gas leasing east of the Military Mission Line. Cites conditions for granting a federal permit to construct a crude oil or petroleum products pipeline without adjacent state concurrence within the part of the adjacent state's Adjacent Zone that is withdrawn from oil and gas or natural gas leasing. Exempts lease suspensions and preliminary activities on OCS tracts from the requirement to prepare statutory environmental assessments or impact statements. Prohibits construction or operation of any facility, or designation or maintainance of a restricted transportation corridor or operating area, on the federal OCS or in state waters that will be incompatible with oil and gas or natural gas leasing and substantially full exploration and production of tracts that are geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to repurchase and cancel specified leases. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise regulations governing onshore surface-disturbing activities. Rigs to Reefs Act of 2008 - Amends OCSLA to prescribe requirements for the use of decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms for artificial reefs. Instructs the Secretary to establish: (1) OCS regional headquarters for the Atlantic and the Pacific OCS region; and (2) Federal OCS Joint Regional Permitting Offices. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to set royalty rates for leases for oil shale and tar sands. Repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require regulations that promote: (1) production of natural gas from gas hydrates; and (2) enhanced oil and natural gas production through carbon dioxide injection. Sets forth: (1) minimum rental rates for future oil, gas, and coal federal leases; and (2) onshore oil and gas royalties.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Developing Resources Immediately and Long-Term through Leases on Our Nation's Offshore Waters Act of 2008, or DRILL NOW Act of 2008 - Declares without force or effect all existing federal law which prohibits spending appropriated funds to conduct oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing on the outer Continental Shelf. Revokes: (1) all withdrawals from leasing on federal submerged lands of the outer Continental Shelf (including withdrawals by the President); and (2) Presidential authorities with respect to such leasing (except in the interest of national security). Amends of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorize a state governor to petition the Secretary of the Interior to issue leases for oil and natural gas exploration and extraction activities in any area that is at least 50 miles beyond the state's coastal zone. Cites circumstances under which the Secretary shall approve or deny the petition. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit revenues from leasing operations into designated funds and accounts. Provides that any funds that would be received by the United States as royalties under any existing federal oil and gas lease on the outer Continental Shelf that lies within 50 miles of the coastal zone of the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama shall be paid to that state if it enacts an expenditure plan for those funds.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Americans for American Energy Act of 2008 - Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding delineation of offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as well as related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to allow the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to grant outer Continental Shelf (OCS) natural gas leases. Revises provisions concerning oil and gas leases and withdrawals of unleased land. Provides for federal agency coordination with adjacent states on the construction of pipelines for OCS crude oil, petroleum, or natural gas. Establishes the Federal Energy Natural Resources Enhancement Program. Declares existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds for leasing and preleasing OCS oil and natural gas to be without force or effect. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting on the federal OCS or in state waters certain activities that are incompatible with: (1) oil or natural gas leasing; and (2) full exploration and production of tracts geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Renames the Minerals Management Service as the National Ocean Resources and Royalty Service. Rigs to Reefs Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary to issue regulations regarding the authorization to use decommissioned offshore oil and gas facilities for artificial reef and scientific research. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal a requirement regarding conducting comprehensive inventories of OCS oil and natural gas resources. Directs the Secretary to establish OCS regional headquarters in designated locations. Repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. Removes application fees for the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) drill permits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth provisions concerning: (1) credits and deductions for alternative and nonconventional fuel, the capture of carbon dioxide, energy efficiency and conservation, and renewable energy; (2) extensions of elections to expense certain refineries; and (3) exemptions for electric transmission facilities. American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act - Requires the Secretary to establish a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of Alaska's Coastal Plain's oil and gas resources. Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to terminate the prohibition against leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Oil Shale Opportunity Act of 2008 - Amends the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the limitation on the use of funds for implementing a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for the treatment of revenues received through an oil shale or tar sands lease. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal restrictions on federal agencies procuring alternative or synthetic fuel for mobility-related uses. Coal Liquid Fuel Act - Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) agreements between the Secretary of Energy and qualifying coal-to-liquid projects; and (2) public auctions of coal-to-liquid fuel put option contracts. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to revise provisions concerning the recycling and disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. Establishes the American Energy Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to implement a program to lease federal lands for the development and operation of commercial photovoltaic and concentration solar power energy systems. Provides for: (1) the coordination of the authorization of federal crude oil refineries; and (2) the designation of closed military bases for the construction of refineries and the designation of brownfield sites for refinery sites. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization. Amends the Clean Air Act to require new source review regulations to provide that routine maintenance and repair do not constitute a modification of an existing source. Strengthening Americas Science and Technology Education Act - Requires the Secretary to appoint a Stakeholder Committee for Science and Technology Education. Establishes the National Science and Technology Education Center. Sets forth provisions concerning educational programs for technology and nuclear science.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Federal Exploration and Production Reform Act of 2008 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to revise requirements for review and approval of outer Continental Shelf (OCS) plans for geological and geophysical exploration on any area under an oil and gas lease. Repeals the requirement that approval be denied if: (1) any proposed activity under the plan would result in serious harm or damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), to property, to any mineral, to the national security or defense, or to the marine, coastal, or human environment; and (2) such proposed activity cannot be modified to avoid such harm or damage. Repeals the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to cancel the lease or permit if the plan is disapproved. Revises requirements for review and approval of OCS oil and gas development and production plans. Requires the Secretary to seek and accept the assistance of the Department of Defense in the review of any plan prepared for a lease containing military operating stipulations or other restrictions. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary require modification of a plan without adequate provision for safe operations on the lease area or for protection of the human, marine, or coastal environment. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to revise requirements for regulation of surface-disturbing activities, including preparation of exploration and development and production plans. Eliminates the requirement of an adequate bond, surety, or other financial arrangement before commencement of surface-disturbing activities on any lease to ensure reclamation of the lease tract, and restoration of any lands or surface waters adversely affected by lease operations after abandonment or cessation of oil and gas operations on the lease. Repeals the prohibition against issuance of a lease, or approval of its assignment, if reclamation requirements and other related standards have not been complied with.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2008
Amends the federal criminal code to allow an exception to the minimum sentencing requirement for a crime of violence while using, carrying, or possessing a firearm for a law enforcement officer who committed the offense during or in relation to the pursuit of an individual whom the officer reasonably believed committed a crime of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008
Recognizes that respect for human rights is a fundamental value and that the bilateral relationship between the United States and Egypt should be a platform for promoting the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. Calls on the Egyptian government to: (1) respect human rights, minority rights, and freedoms of religion and expression; and (2) release Ayman Nour and all political activists. Welcomes Egypt's efforts to secure the border with Gaza and fight smuggling. Urges the President and the Secretary of State to put human rights and religious freedom developments in Egypt very high on the U.S. government's agenda during meetings with Egyptian officials.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008
Recognizes the leadership of John Berthoud, Ph.D, in the formulation of tax policy and his work on public policy issues, such as tax reform and economic growth, and mourns his death.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2008
Eminent Domain Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income gain from the conversion of property by reason of eminent domain.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2008
Reaffirms the historic commitment of the United States as a nation founded by refugees. Calls on: (1) the Department of State to support the refugee assistance efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and of nongovernmental organizations; (2) the U.S. government to continue its international leadership role in response to the people of the Darfur region of Sudan who have been displaced by Sudan's genocide; and (3) the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the resettlement of an appropriate number of Darfuris. Urges the parties to the conflicts in and between Chad and Sudan to conclude a cessation of hostilities agreement. Calls upon the Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur to ensure that displaced persons are fairly represented in peace negotiations. Affirms the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterates a strong commitment to protecting the millions of refugees who live without material, social, and legal protections.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008
Expresses sympathy for the victims of the tornado in Little Sioux, Iowa, on June 11, 2008, and gratitude to those persons who responded to treat the wounded.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2008
Boumediene Jurisdiction Correction Act - Allows any person being held under military authority in the part of Cuba leased to the United States to challenge the circumstances and legality of that person's detention to the same extent and with the same rights as are provided under the writ of habeas corpus. Grants the courts established under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and operating in that part of Cuba exclusive original jurisdiction to hear and determine any such challenge.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008
Demands that the 2010 decennial census count every person living in the United States, any U.S. territory or possession, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and all federal civilian and military personnel serving abroad. Urges the Secretary of Commerce to use all reasonable means to achieve that goal.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008
Private Property Rights Protection and Government Accountability Act - Makes any state or political subdivision thereof that carries out a public taking for any private purpose in or affecting interstate commerce ineligible for any federal economic development funds for ten fiscal years. Entitles any owner of private property subject to such a taking to injunctive and declaratory relief. Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Commerce for FY2009-FY2013.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2008
Green Jobs Improvement Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to make nonunion training programs eligible for federal funding under the energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program (Green Jobs program). Applies certain worker protections and nondiscrimination requirements to such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008
$150 Barrel Energy Extortion Act of 2008 - Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe certain income tax regulations relating to an election to expense certain refineries. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to treat domestic use oil refinery facilities bonds as exempt facility bonds. Instructs the President to designate, and make available to the private sector, at least 10 federal sites for siting and construction of an oil refinery or natural gas refinery (or both). Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to revise the terms and conditions under which the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) is authorized to guarantee obligations for innovative technologies. Revises requirements governing the Secretary's authority to enter into contracts with sponsors of an advanced nuclear facility. Directs the Secretary to carry out a Nuclear Power 2010 Program to position the nation to start construction of new nuclear power plants as close to 2010 as achievable. Establishes an Interagency Working Group to make recommendations to coordinate federal actions and programs to promote increasing domestic manufacturing capacity and export of domestic nuclear energy products and services. Amends the IRC to allow tax credits for: (1) investment in a qualifying nuclear power manufacturing project or equipment; and (2) nuclear power facility construction. Instruct the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations to implement a training program to meet the demand for a nuclear energy workforce. Instructs the Secretary to establish a National Nuclear Energy Council. Authorizes the Secretary to initiate temporary spent nuclear fuel storage agreements. Declares that no consideration of the public health and safety, common defense and security, or environmental impacts of the storage of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel generated in reactors licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is required in connection with development, construction, and operation of a civilian nuclear power reactor or any facility for the treatment or storage of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. Amends the IRC to: (1) apply the tax credit for producing fuel from nonconventional sources to gas produced onshore from formations more than 15,000 feet deep; and (2) allow a tax credit for carbon dioxide captured from industrial sources and used as a tertiary injectant in enhanced oil and natural gas recovery. Terminates all laws prohibiting expenditures for oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for areas of the outer Continental Shelf. American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act - Provides for: (1) a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas on the Alaskan Coastal Plain; (2) distribution of federal and state revenues from federal oil and gas leasing and operations; (3) rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation; and (4) financial assistance for local government impact aid and community service assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2008
Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2008 or the SHOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate an office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer a health insurance program for small businesses and self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance coverage meeting certain requirements. Establishes a Small Business Health Board to monitor the implementation of the program and make recommendations for improvements. Requires the Administrator of the program to: (1) enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to provide health insurance coverage under this Act; and (2) enter into agreements with entities to serve as navigators to provide information about the program and assist in enrollment. Requires a participating employer to ensure that each eligible employee has an opportunity to enroll in a plan. Sets forth requirements for health plans offered under this Act. Requires the Administrator to contract with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to study the rating requirements, administrative procedures, and standards of external and internal review that apply to such plans and to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in the states and to develop recommendations concerning rating requirements. Sets forth premium-setting rules for plans under this Act. Allows a state to prohibit participation in this program if the state offers alternative health benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small employers for qualified employee health insurance expenses under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008
Commends the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children. Calls on fathers across the United States to use Father's Day to: (1) reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives; (2) spend Father's Day with their children; and (3) express their love and support for their children. Urges men to understand the level of responsibility fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement of children's moral, academic, and spiritual development. Encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children, including the devotion of time, energy, and resources.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon the request of a state governor, or in the case of Native American tribes or tribal territories, the designated leader of the tribe or tribal community, to provide financial assistance to hire additional personnel to assist the state or tribe or tribal community with expertise in fields relevant to consideration of federal refinery authorizations. Requires a federal agency responsible for refinery authorization to provide, upon the request of a state governor, or in the case of Native American tribes or tribal territories, the designated leader of the tribe or tribal community, technical, legal, or other nonfinancial assistance to facilitate state or tribal consideration of such authorizations. Directs the President to appoint a federal coordinator to facilitate such authorizations. Requires the coordinator, upon the request of an applicant seeking a federal refinery authorization, to establish a memorandum of agreement, executed by relevant federal and state agencies, setting forth the most expeditious coordinated schedule possible for completion of all such authorizations. Instructs the President to designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for the construction of a refinery. Requires that at least one such site be designated as potentially suitable for construction of a refinery to refine biomass in order to produce biofuel. Requires the redevelopment authority, in preparing or revising the redevelopment plan for each such designated installation, to consider the feasibility and practicability of siting a refinery on the installation. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal certain requirements regarding refinery revitalization.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the prohibition on using certain funds to issue regulations for: (1) a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands; or (2) an oil shale lease sale.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Amends the Clean Air Act to authorize the President to waive the requirement concerning the applicable volume of renewable fuels in gasoline in any year after 2007 through 2022 if the President finds that complying with such requirement in that year is not technologically feasible or that the fuel concerned is not commercially available in the required volume for that year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Directs the Secretary of Energy to award at least 65 four-year grants per year to undergraduate institutions to fund scholarships for students majoring in nuclear science or nuclear engineering. Requires the Secretary to provide Congress with recommendations for developing a robust nuclear workforce in this country.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2013 the tax credit for producing electricity from wind, open and closed-loop biomass, geothermal or solar energy, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash combustion, refined coal, and hydropower facilities; (2) include marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy as a resource eligible for such credit; (3) extend through 2017 the investment tax credit for solar, fuel cell, and microturbine property; (4) repeal the dollar per kilowatt limitation for fuel cell property for purposes of the investment tax credit; and (5) allow public utility property to qualify for the investment tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to use amounts in the Nuclear Waste Fund to make competitive grants to or enter into long-term contracts with private sector entities for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to complete a rulemaking establishing a process for licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, of facilities for the recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to provide that the receipt and disbursements of the Nuclear Waste Fund shall not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficits or surplus for purposes of the executive budget, the congressional budget, or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) (thereby moving the Fund off-budget).
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Constitutional Amendment - Marriage Protection Amendment - Defines marriage in the United States as consisting only of the union of a man and a woman. Prohibits either the U.S. Constitution or the constitution of any state from being construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon any other union.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2008 - Amends the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) regarding delineation of lateral offshore state boundaries with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as well as related oil and gas mineral rights. Amends the OCSLA with respect to Adjacent Zones and Planning Areas in the outer Continental Shelf (OCS) subsoil and seabed. Revises procedures governing natural gas lease administration. Prohibits the President from: (1) revising or revoking a withdrawal that is extended by a state; or (2) withdrawing from leasing any area for which a state has failed to prohibit leasing. Requires the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to include, in each five-year OCS leasing program, lease sales that, when viewed as a whole, propose to offer to lease at least 75% of the available unleased acreage within each OCS Planning Area for oil and gas or natural gas. Prescribes conditions for a federal agency permit, without adjacent state concurrence, to construct a crude oil or petroleum products pipeline within the part of the adjacent state's Adjacent Zone that is withdrawn from oil and gas or natural gas leasing. Exempts lease suspensions and all preliminary activities on OCS tracks from the requirement to prepare environmental assessments or impact statements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Establishes the Federal Energy Natural Resources Enhancement Program to manage wildlife and natural resources related to energy and minerals development on federal lands. Declares without force or effect existing federal prohibitions against spending appropriated funds for leasing and preleasing OCS oil and natural gas. Prohibits a federal agency from permitting certain activities on the federal OCS or in state waters that are incompatible with: (1) oil or natural gas leasing; and (2) full exploration and production of tracts geologically prospective for oil or natural gas. Requires the Secretary to repurchase and cancel certain federal oil and gas, geothermal, coal, oil shale, tar sands, or other mineral leases, whether onshore or offshore. Redesignates the Minerals Management Service as the National Ocean Resources and Royalty Service. Rigs to Reefs Act of 2008 - Amends the OCSLA to prescribe requirements for the use of decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms for an artificial reef, scientific research, or any other use authorized for leases, easements, or rights-of-way for energy and related purposes. Redesignates the Mining and Mineral Resource Institutes Act of 1984 as the Energy and Mineral Schools Reinvestment Act. Directs the Secretary to provide funds to state-chartered petroleum or mining schools. Establishes the Office of Petroleum and Mining Schools. Directs the Secretary to appoint an advisory Committee on Petroleum, Mining, and Mineral Engineering and Energy and Mineral Resource Education. Authorizes grants to schools for career technical education. Establishes a Physical Science, Engineering, and Technology Scholarship Program. Directs the Secretary to establish OCS Regional Headquarters in designated locations. National Geo Fund Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary to establish a program for production of: (1) fuels from strategic unconventional resources; and (2) oil and gas resources using CO2 enhanced recovery. Directs the Secretary to establish grant programs for production of: (1) geothermal and geopressure oil and gas energy; (2) liquid fuels; and (3) renewable energy from ocean waves, currents, and thermal resources. Grants the lessee of an existing oil and gas lease located completely within 100 miles of the coastline within the California or Florida Adjacent Zones the option of exchanging such lease for a new oil and gas lease having a primary term of five years. Amends OCSLA to repeal the coastal impact assistance program. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the requirement for payments for oil shale and tar sands leases. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prescribe requirements for treatment of oil shale or tar sands lease revenues and royalty rates for commercial leases. Amends OCSLA to make OCS receipts available in certain circumstances for payments under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. Repeals the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2008
Freedom to Serve Act of 2008 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties for: (1) using force or the threat of force or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate or interfere with anyone providing federal or state military recruiting services or anyone seeking to inquire about or volunteer for military service in the active or reserve Armed Forces or the National Guard of any state; or (2) intentionally damaging or destroying facilities that house or host military recruiting services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2008
Extends condolences to the people of Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis, and vows full support with the people of Burma. Calls on Americans to provide emergency assistance to cyclone victims in Burma through humanitarian agencies. Calls for the Burmese military junta to consider the well-being of its people and accept international assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2008
Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend certain tax incentives for energy production and conservation. Extends through 2009 the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources (e.g., biomass, geothermal energy, landfill gas, and trash combustion). Includes marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy as a renewable resource eligible for such credit. Allows sales of electricity produced from renewable resources to regulated public utilities. Extends through 2016 the energy investment tax credit for solar energy, fuel cell, and microturbine property. Repeals the dollar per kilowatt limitation for fuel cell property under the energy investment tax credit. Allows public electric utilities to qualify for such credit. Extends through 2009 the tax credit for residential energy efficient property expenditures. Repeals the $2,000 limitation on the tax credit for solar electric property. Allows an offset against the alternative minimum tax (AMT) of tax credit amounts. Extends through 2009 the tax credit for investment in clean renewable energy bonds. Increases the national limitation amount for such bonds. Extends through 2009 deferral provisions relating to the recognition of gain by certain electric utilities. Extends through 2009 the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property. Includes residential biomass fuel stoves (pellet stoves) as eligible energy property for purposes of such credit. Extends through 2010 the tax credit for energy efficient new homes. Extends through 2009 the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings and increases the allowable amount of such deduction. Extends the tax credit for energy efficient appliances to include appliances produced in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Revises and updates energy efficiency standards for such appliances in accordance with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Patients' Health Care Reform Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment and governance of : (1) HealthMarts, which are nonprofit organizations that offer health benefits coverage to employers, employees, and individuals through contracts with health insurance issuers; and (2) individual membership associations (IMAs), which are organizations that offer health benefits coverage to members through health insurance issuer contracts. Requires the Secretary of Heath and Human Services to pay 50% of a state's costs to provide health benefits coverage under a high-risk pool, a reinsurance pool, or other risk-adjustment mechanisms used to subsidize the purchase of private health insurance. Small Business Access and Choice for Entrepreneurs Act of 2007 [ sic ]- Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans whose sponsors are trade, industry, professional, chamber of commerce, or similar business associations and which meet certain ERISA certification requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide individuals with a tax credit for payments for qualified health insurance and allows the Secretary of the Treasury to make advance payments of the credit to providers. Excludes from gross income any compensating coverage payment made by an employer to an employee who elects not to participate in the employer's subsidized health plan. Requires health insurance issuers offering coverage in connection with a group health plan to provide certain information to the administrator of the plan, including information regarding: (1) plan benefits and exclusions; (2) a participant's financial responsibilities; and (3) legal recourse options for participants and beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Remove Incentives for Producing Ethanol Act of 2008 or the RIPE Act of 2008 - Amends the Clean Air Act to repeal the renewable fuel standard. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the excise tax credit for alcohol fuel mixtures and the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide for the duty free treatment for ethyl alcohol or a mixture containing ethyl alcohol if it is to be used as fuel. Applies such treatment to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption, on or after the 15th day after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2008
Honors the life and accomplishments of the late James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart and the artistic, military, and political contributions he made to the nation on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000373_200.jpg)