United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2007
Disabled Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the uniformed services whose retired pay in any taxable year is reduced due to an award of disability compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs an extension of the three-year limitation period for filing tax refund claims until one year after the date of a disability determination. Limits the period for which such refund claims may be filed to taxable years beginning less than 15 years before the date of a disability determination.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2007
Encourages all citizens to join in a national effort to salute AmeriCorps members and alumni. Acknowledges the significant accomplishments of AmeriCorps members, alumni, and community partners. Encourages citizens of all ages to participate in service opportunities in their communities, including in AmeriCorps programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2007
Kinship Caregiver Support Act - Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible entities to pay for the federal share of the cost of carrying out kinship navigator programs. Amends part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize all states to opt to enter agreements to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of children to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of children for whom they have cared as foster parents and have committed to care for on a permanent basis. Provides that adoptive parents of children with special needs remain eligible for adoption assistance, even if they receive kinship guardianship assistance. Authorizes the use of foster care independence program funds to provide independent living services and education and training vouchers for children who exit foster care to kinship guardianship or adoption after age 14. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with eligible entities to conduct demonstration kinship guardianship assistance projects. Requires states to: (1) notify all adult grandparents and other adult relatives (with exceptions due to family or domestic violence) when a child is removed from custody of a parent or parents; and (2) explain the options the relative has to participate in the child's care and placement. Allows state agencies to establish separate standards for foster family homes in which a foster parent is a relative of the foster child. Expands the definition of family support services to include assisting kinship caregivers or guardians in locating and accessing needed services. Requires that states inform case workers and families considering guardianship of all permanency options and service eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2007
Supports the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest humanitarian network, by honoring World Red Cross Red Crescent Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Practicality in Education Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to exclude the results of limited English proficient students, during their first two school years in this country, from adequate yearly progress (AYP) assessments, when such students are assessed in reading or mathematics in a language other than their native tongue. Allows state determinations of AYP pursuant to state academic achievement standards to employ a growth model, measuring the achievement of the same students and subgroups from year to year. Requires that 4% of disabled students taking modified assessments be counted in measuring student proficiency pursuant to such standards. Gives schools which are identified as needing improvement, due to having failed for two consecutive years to make AYP pursuant to such standards, a full new school year to meet the standards before its students must be given the option to transfer to another public school. (Currently, such transfers must be allowed at the beginning of the school year following such identification.) Provides that, in determining AYP, a student in more than one group subject to measurable annual objectives shall be counted only toward one such group. Allows states to consider new middle and secondary school special education and rural teachers to be highly qualified even if they do not pass a rigorous state academic subject test in every subject they teach, provided they pass such a test for one subject they teach and, with respect to each other subject they teach, work in close consultation with another teacher who is highly qualified in such other subject.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Medicare Ambulance Payment Extension Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide an additional 5% increase in Medicare payments for ground ambulance services furnished on or after January 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant that replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or that changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Working Family Child Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revneue Code to: (1) revise the income threshold formula for calculating the refundable portion of the child tax credit; and (2) repeal the annual inflation adjustment to the threshold amount.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Healthy Kids Act of 2007 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to extend the SCHIP program for FY2008 and each subsequent fiscal year at increased levels. Limits to one year starting FY2008 (currently three years) the initial availability of SCHIP allotments. Revises requirements for redistribution of unused allotments to address state funding shortfalls. Provides for bonus payments for states that implement administrative policies to streamline enrollment procedures under Medicaid and SCHIP. Gives states the option to provide for "express lane" and simplified determinations of a child's financial eligibility for Medicaid or SCHIP. Provides for enhanced federal funding for improvements related to implementation of certain model outreach and enrollment practices. Provides for: (1) optional coverage of targeted low-income pregnant women under SCHIP; (2) optional coverage of legal immigrants under Medicaid and SCHIP; (3) adjustment of SCHIP allotment due to increased outreach; (4) grants to promote innovative outreach and enrollment under Medicaid and SCHIP; (5) authority for qualifying states to use a portion of their SCHIP allotment for any fiscal year for certain Medicaid expenditures; and (6) application of Medicaid outreach procedures to all pregnant women and children. Prohibits limitations on enrollment under SCHIP. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a tax credit for qualified health insurance for qualifying children; and (2) advanced payment of such credit. Requires that, if a broker is otherwise required to make a return with respect to any applicable security, the broker shall include in it the customer's adjusted basis for each such security.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
Thomas J. Manton Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states to carry out: (1) prostate cancer prevention programs (including screening and referrals for treatment); and (2) demonstration projects to provide preventive health services with respect to prostate cancer (including blood pressure and cholesterol screenings). Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical assistance to individuals who have been screened for prostate cancer under this Act and who need treatment for prostate cancer. Applies provisions related to breast and cervical cancer programs to programs under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2007
Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 - Prohibits a federal entity (an entity or employee of the judicial or executive branch or an administrative agency) from compelling a covered person (a person engaged in journalism, including their supervisor, employer, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate) to testify or produce any document unless a court makes specified determinations by a preponderance of the evidence. Requires the content of compelled testimony or documents to be limited and narrowly tailored. Applies this Act to communications service providers with regard to testimony or any record, information, or other communication that relates to a business transaction between such providers and covered persons. Sets forth notice requirements. Permits a court to delay notice to a covered person upon determining that such notice would pose a substantial threat to the integrity of a criminal investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 - Establishes the Federal Railroad Safety Administration within the Department of Transportation (effectively replacing the Federal Railroad Administration). Directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop a long-term strategy for improving railroad safety. Redefines "signal employee" to eliminate the requirement that such individual be employed by a railroad carrier. Revises hours of service requirements for a signal employee and a train employee to prohibit, except in an emergency, a railroad carrier from requiring or allowing such employee to remain or go on duty: (1) unless the employee has had at least 10 consecutive hours off duty during the prior 24 hours; (2) for a period in excess of 12 consecutive hours; or (3) unless the employee has had at least one period of at least 24 consecutive hours off duty in the past seven consecutive days. Requires each railroad carrier to submit to the Secretary a fatigue management plan to reduce accidents and injuries caused by fatigue. Sets forth additional whistleblower protections for those who provide notification of a work-related injury or illness, who cooperate with a safety investigation, who furnish rail accident information, who accurately report hours of duty, or who refuse to authorize the use of safety equipment, track, or structures that are in a hazardous condition. Entitles a prevailing employee who alleges discrimination to damages. Sets forth criminal penalties for violations of such requirements. Revises emergency notification of grade crossing problems provisions to require each railroad carrier to establish a toll-free telephone service for the public to report malfunctions of signals and disabled vehicles blocking railroad tracks at grade crossings. Increases penalties for violations of rail safety regulations prescribed or orders issued by the Secretary, including violations related to rail accident reporting and hours of service. Makes it unlawful for a person to knowingly interfere with a rail accident investigation. Sets forth rail safety requirements concerning: (1) positive train control systems; (2) warnings in nonsignaled areas; (3) track management; (4) conductor certification; (5) employee training; (6) treatment of employee injuries; (7) emergency breathing apparatus; and (8) the locomotive cab environment. Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act of 2007 - Directs the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to provide certain assistance to families of passengers involved in a rail passenger accident that results in a major loss of life. Requires each rail passenger carrier to submit to the Secretary and the NTSB a plan for addressing the needs of such families.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
No Child Left Behind Reform Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow states to include measures of individual or cohort growth over time in determining whether students are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards. Eliminates the consideration of student attendance rates. Allows schools to be given credit for performing well on measures other than test scores when calculating student achievement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive: (1) grants to state educational agencies to develop or increase the capacity of data systems for accountability purposes; and (2) subgrants to increase the capacity of local educational agencies to upgrade, create, or manage information databases for the purpose of measuring AYP. Allows schools to target school choice and supplemental services to the students who are members of specified types of groups that fail to make AYP. Requires placement and service in the least restrictive environment for students who receive services under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act who use an option to transfer under ESEA. Revises the definition of highly qualified teacher to authorize states to: (1) use a generalist exam for middle school teachers; and (2) issue certificates that qualify teachers to teach a number of subjects in social studies or in science.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow bonds guaranteed by any federal home loan bank to be treated as tax-exempt state or local bonds (thus excluding interest on such bonds from gross income).
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Traumatic Brain Injury Access to Options Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that each member of the Armed Forces who incurs a traumatic brain injury (where the member is unable to perform activities of daily living for at least five consecutive days from the date of a medical assessment) while on active duty shall be retained on active duty for one year after the date of the assessment. Prohibits such member from being evaluated during the one-year period by a physical evaluation board for determining eligibility for retirement or separation due to such disability. Allows a member (or his or her guardian or legal advocate) to choose to make such requirements inapplicable to the member. Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to extend the one-year period as appropriate in light of medical progress. Requires annual Comptroller General assessments of traumatic brain injury care and services provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants Access Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the state option to include nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants as primary care case managers. Specifies as primary care case managers any nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant that provides primary care case management services under a primary care case management contract. Revises the coverage of certain nurse practitioner services under the Medicaid fee-for-service program to remove the specification of certified pediatric nurse practitioner and certified family nurse practitioner in order to extend such coverage to services furnished by a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. Includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists in the mix of service providers which Medicaid managed care organizations are required to maintain.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Health Insurance for Life Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to remove all limitations on Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) continuation coverage that establish a period by which such coverage must end, and instead provides no deadline for discontinuing such coverage. Sets forth a formula to determine the maximum allowable premium that certain qualified disabled beneficiaries and individuals receiving extended coverage provided pursuant to this Act may be charged based on the average monthly actuarial cost of such continuation coverage. Applies such provisions to continuation coverage provided pursuant to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Internet Radio Equality Act - Declares to be ineffective: (1) the March 2, 2007, Determination of Rates and Terms of the U.S. Copyright Royalty Judges regarding rates and terms for the digital performance of sound recordings and ephemeral recordings; (2) the April 17, 2007, modification of that determination by an order denying motions for rehearing; and (3) any subsequent modification by the Copyright Royalty Judges published in the Federal Register. Replaces standards for determining reasonable rates and terms of royalty payments for public performances of sound recordings by means of eligible nonsubscription transmission services and new subscription services with a requirement that such rates and terms be established in accordance with stated objectives of the Copyright Royalty Judges. (Currently, rates and terms are required to distinguish among different types of eligible nonsubscription transmission services and include a minimum fee for each type.) Allows a minimum annual royalty for each provider subject to such rates and terms. Provides a transition rule for payment of royalties by providers of digital audio transmissions that would have been subject to the rates and terms nullified by this Act. Revises royalty payment provisions concerning the use of certain works in noncommercial broadcasting to include: (1) sound recordings; and (2) performance or display by nonprofit organizations and public broadcasting entities. Provides a transition rule for the payment by a public broadcasting entity to owners of copyrights in sound recordings. Requires a report to the Copyright Royalty Judges by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information on the competitiveness of the Internet radio marketplace and the effect on Internet radio providers of proposed rate determinations in proceedings concerning: (1) public performances of sound recordings by means of the services described above; or (2) the use of certain works in noncommercial broadcasting. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), upon publication of the commencement of proceedings of the Copyright Royalty Judges to determine rates and terms under the statutory license described in this Act, to report on the effect of such proposals on localism, diversity, and competition in the Internet radio marketplace (including in rural areas). Requires a report to Congress and the Copyright Royalty Judges by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on the effect of such proposals upon public broadcasting licensees and permittees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Biogas Production Incentive Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business tax credit for the production and sale of biogas. Defines "biogas" as a gas that is derived by processing qualified energy feedstock (i.e., manure of agricultural livestock and other waste material) in an anaerobic digester and which contains at least 60% methane and carbon dioxide and trace gases. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) use Commodity Credit Corporation funds for making countercyclical payments to qualified biogas producers for biogas production facilities placed in service before December 31, 2013; and (2) make loans, loan guarantees, and grants to providers of qualified energy feedstock for collecting and transporting such feedstock to a biogas facility or for the purchase or construction of equipment of facilities for such collection and transportation activities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2007
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2007 - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Authorizes appropriations. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2007
National Landscape Conservation System Act - Establishes in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the National Landscape Conservation System (thus, enacting into law the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) created by BLM in 2000) in order to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of current and future generations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2007
Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act - Amends the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act to require the seller to provide the prescriber with a toll-free telephone number and email address for questions relating to a contact lens prescription verification request. Revises the verification event in which a prescription is verified if the prescriber fails to communicate with the seller within eight business hours, or a similar time as defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), after receiving required patient and prescription information from the seller to provide that, if a prescriber communicates a question or concern to a seller through such toll-free telephone service or dedicated email address before such eight-hour period has ended, the seller must obtain affirmative confirmation of the accuracy of the prescription from the prescriber before the prescription is considered verified. Authorizes a prescriber to make a written request to a seller that all contact lens prescription verification requests be communicated by a preferred method of communication, including telephone, facsimile, or email. Prohibits any seller of contact lenses from overfilling a prescription. Authorizes fines for violations of this Act in amount up to $100,000 per violation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2007
Right Start Child Care and Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the rates and maximum allowable amount of the tax credit for employer-provided child care; (2) increase the dollar limit on the child care tax credit; and (3) allow a $2,000 tax credit for child care providers who hold a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, child care, or a related degree and who provide at least 1,200 hours of child care services in a taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the standard mileage rate for the tax deduction for the charitable use of passenger automobiles from 14 cents per mile to the standard mileage rate prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury for business purposes (48.5 cents per mile in 2007).
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2007
Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities at the rate provided to federal employees in connection with the performance of official duties. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate at least one and up to five centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (2) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in remote rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; and (4) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers. Requires that grant funds be used to provide teachers to local educational agencies that serve a substantial percentage of students eligible for free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide for a study, at least once every three years, comparing the academic achievement of students taught by teachers assisted by this Act with the academic achievement of students taught by other teachers in the same schools and positions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national; (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or (3) an alien performing active service in the armed forces.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions allowing a tax credit for holders of clean renewable energy bonds (CREBs) to: (1) extend the period for reimbursement of costs paid by CREB borrowers; (2) require ratable amortization of CREB principal; (3) revise the maximum term for maturity of such bonds; and (4) extend through 2009 the authority for issuing CREBs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Colon Cancer Screen for Life Act of 2007- Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the use of and reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening tests covered under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) increase Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests; and (2) cover an outpatient office visit or consultation for the purpose of beneficiary education before a colorectal cancer screening test consisting of a colonoscopy, or in conjunction with the beneficiary's decision to obtain such a screening, regardless of whether the screening is medically indicated with respect to the beneficiary.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Medicare Academic Anesthesiology and CRNA Payment Improvement Act of 2007- Amends title XVIII (Medicare) part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled) of the Social Security Act to set forth a special payment rule for teaching anesthesiologists (TAs) and teaching certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). Requires payment of 100% of the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable for anesthesia services personally performed by the TA alone when the TA is training physician residents or student nurse anesthetists in a single anesthesia case or two concurrent anesthesia cases, if: (1) the TA is present during all critical or key portions of the anesthesia service or case involved; and (2) either the TA or an anesthesiologist or a CRNA with whom the TA has made special arrangements is immediately available to furnish anesthesia services during the entire case. States that this special payment rule shall not apply in the case of physician services furnished by an anesthesiologist who medically directs a CRNA involved in the training of student nurse anesthetists in a single anesthesia case or two concurrent anesthesia cases. Applies to a CRNA medically directed or medically supervised by a physician in the performance of anesthesia services the current fee schedule amount of one-half of the amount for a physician's medical direction of the performance of such services, regardless of whether or not the CRNA is involved in the training of student nurse anesthetists in a single case or two concurrent cases. Requires payment, however, of 100% of the fee schedule amount otherwise applicable for anesthesia services personally performed by a teaching CRNA alone when the teaching CRNA is not medically directed but is involved in the training of student nurse anesthetists in a single anesthesia case or two concurrent anesthesia cases, if: (1) the teaching CRNA is present during all critical or key portions of the anesthesia service or case involved; and (2) the teaching CRNA (or other CRNA or anesthesiologist with whom the CRNA has made special arrangements) is immediately available to furnish anesthesia services during the entire case.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Commemorates the 400th Anniversary of the founding of the colony Jamestown in 1607, and urges all Americans to honor this seminal event in our nation's history.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Cool and Efficient Buildings Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 20-year depreciation recovery period, calculated on a straight line basis, for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or commercial refrigeration systems installed in nonresidential buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts attributable to the discharge of certain residential mortgage obligations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Amends federal monetary law relating to reduction of a tax refund by the amount of a tax debt to establish a pilot program during 2009 and 2010 for the collection of past-due legally enforceable local government tax obligations. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury, upon receiving notice from any eligible state on behalf of a local government that a named person owes such local government a past-due, legally enforceable tax obligation, to: (1) reduce the federal tax refunds payable to such person by the amount of such debt; (2) pay the amount of such reduction to the state for payment to the affected local government; (3) notify the state of the person's name, taxpayer identification number, address, and the amount collected; and (4) notify the person due the refund that it has been reduced by an amount necessary to satisfy a past-due, legally enforceable tax obligation. Requires the Secretary to select between three and five states to participate in the pilot program, including from among: (1) Illinois; (2) Iowa; (3) Louisiana; (4) New York; (5) Ohio; and (6) Virginia. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit disclosure of taxpayer information to agencies of states requesting refund offsets for tax debts owed to local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services. Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas; (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Expanding the Promise for Individuals With Autism Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) convene, on behalf of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a Treatments, Interventions, and Services Evaluation Task Force to evaluate evidence-based biomedical and behavioral treatments and services for individuals with autism; (2) establish a multi-year demonstration grant program for states to provide evidence-based autism treatments, interventions, and services. (3) establish planning and demonstration grant programs for adults with autism; (4) award grants to states for access to autism services following diagnosis; (5) award grants to University Centers of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities to provide services and address the unmet needs of individuals with autism and their families; (6) make grants to protection and advocacy systems to address the needs of individuals with autism and other emerging populations of individuals with disabilities; and (7) award a grant to a national nonprofit organization for the establishment and maintenance of a national technical assistance center for autism services and information dissemination. Directs the Comptroller General to issue a report on the financing of autism services and treatments.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Contractor Tax Enforcement Act - Amends federal claims law to direct the head of any federal agency that administers either a loan or a loan guarantee program, or issues a request for proposals for a federal contract, to require each loan or guarantee applicant and each entity that submits a contract proposal to submit a form authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose to the head of the agency information on whether the applicant or prospective contractor has an outstanding debt under the Internal Revenue Code in delinquent status.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
States that the Congress supports the goals and ideas of National Child Care Worthy Wage Day, and urges public officials and the general public to honor early childhood care and education staff and programs in their communities and to work together to resolve the early childhood care and education staff compensation crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2007
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Eosinophil Awareness Week. Encourages health care providers and the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders to increase education and awareness regarding eosinophilic disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Chesapeake's Healthy and Environmentally Sound Stewardship of Energy and Agriculture Act of 2007 or CHESSEA Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend funding for the the environmental quality incentives program. Gives program allocation priority to interstate watersheds. Provides a cost-share payment exception for limited resource and beginning farmers. Provides: (1) cost-share and incentive payments for private forest owners to carry out specified conservation activities; and (2) state performance incentives. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with states containing all or a portion of a large waterbody or its tributaries for water quality initiatives. (States that the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries shall be one of such waterbodies.) Authorizes appropriations. Directs (currently, authorizes) the Secretary to pay the cost of conservation innovation grants. Makes such grants available for projects that include a technology transfer plan. Extends: (1) the conservation reserve program; (2) the conservation security program; and (3) the wetlands reserve program. Directs the Secretary to establish a conservation planning pilot program in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Authorizes appropriations. Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to: (1) extend the agricultural management assistance program; and (2) make Virginia eligible for such assistance. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 with respect to the biorefinery and biofuel grant program to: (1) extend such program; and (2) provide grants for Chesapeake Bay Watershed states (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia) to develop the commercial viability of no-till soybean biodiesel production, cellulosic ethanol production, manure to energy processes, and other technologies that promote the conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals and the reduction of nutrient impacts to water. Extends the renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements program. Obligates amounts for Chesapeake Bay Watershed states.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
NAFTA Trucking Safety Act of 2007 - Prohibits a Mexico-domiciled motor carrier from being granted authority to operate beyond U.S. municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border until one or more of the following officials as specified (the Secretaries of Transportation and of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation Inspector General) certify to Congress that they have met conditions pertaining to: (1) the identification of federal motor carrier safety regulations and acceptance of compliance with Mexican safety regulations; (2) safety enforcement tools; (3) effective and regular monitoring and enforcement of immigration and customs regulations regarding international traffic under the North American Free Trade Agreement; (4) penalties for violation of immigration and customs laws or regulations concerning transportation by Mexico-domiciled carriers; (5) driver records databases used in Mexico; (6) compliance with conditions listed in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 concerning cross-border trucking safety; and (7) English language proficiency requirements applicable to drivers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Declares that an action for civil liability may be brought against a merchant's assignee only if the violation is apparent on the face of a rental-purchase agreement to which it relates, including, but not limited to, a disclosure that can be determined to be incomplete or inaccurate from the face of the agreement. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission and to state attorneys general. Subjects to criminal penalties any willful and knowing violation of the information disclosure requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt certain returning H-2B aliens (temporary nonagricultural worker) from annual numerical limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Ambulatory Surgical Center Medicare Payment Modernization Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the requirements and the formula for payments for services, including an implantable medical device, furnished to individuals in ambulatory surgical centers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to improve dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); (2) include dental services as a basic service under SCHIP; and (3) allow states to provide wrap-around coverage under SCHIP for dental services to privately-insured children. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Graduate Medical Education (GME) payments for dental residency programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a grant program to expand the availability of primary dental care services in dental health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas. Authorizes retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of HRSA and the Director of the Indian Health Service, to establish demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health; and (2) Chief Dental Officers for Medicaid and SCHIP, HRSA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Requires the Director of the CDC to collect data on dental, craniofacial, and oral health. Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries (tooth decay) and to develop prevention programs. Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to states and Indian tribes to improve their basic capacity to improve the oral health of children and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Rural Wind Energy Development Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for the installation of wind energy property; and (2) an accelerated depreciation allowance for such property.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that an appropriate site in Arlington National Cemetery should be provided for a memorial marker to honor the memory of the 40 members of the U.S. Armed Forces who lost their lives in the air crash at Bakers Creek, Australia, on June 14, 1943.
![Official portrait of Rep. Platts, Todd Russell [R-PA-19]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000585_200.jpg)