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United States · Official source
3,388 records where Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2007
Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a two-year moratorium on certain Medicare physician payment reductions for imaging services. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress during such moratorium on imaging services furnished under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2007
S.I. Hayakawa Official English Language Act of 2007 - Makes English the official language of the U.S. government. Requires the government to: (1) conduct its official activities in English, including preparing publications, income tax forms, and informational materials in English; and (2) preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States. Provides that no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the government act, communicate, perform, or provide services or materials in any other language, unless expressly provided for in an applicable provision of law. Provides that this Act may not: (1) apply to the use of a language other than English for religious purposes, for training in foreign languages for international communication, or in school programs designed to encourage students to learn foreign languages; or (2) be considered to prevent the U.S. government from providing interpreters for persons over age 62. Repeals provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 regarding bilingual election requirements and regarding congressional findings of voting discrimination against language minorities, prohibition of English-only elections, and other remedial measures. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that all public ceremonies in which the oath of allegiance is administered pursuant to such Act be conducted solely in English. Specifies that this Act may not be construed to preempt any state law.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2007
Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans to establish a separate account for the funding of outreach activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and a separate subaccount for the funding of outreach activities of the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and maintain procedures for ensuring the effective coordination of VA outreach activities between and among such elements, the Office of the Secretary, and the Office of Public Affairs; and (2) ensure that outreach is provided in locations proximate to populations of veterans and other individuals in states that offer a high probability of improving veterans' outreach and assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to appropriate state veterans agencies for such purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2007
Secret Ballot Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for: (1) an employer to recognize or bargain collectively with a labor organization that has not been selected by a majority of the employees in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board; and (2) a labor organization to cause or attempt to cause an employer to recognize or bargain collectively with a representative that has not been selected in such manner.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2007
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2007
Student Loan Accountability and Disclosure Reform Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (the Act) to expand prohibitions on guaranty agencies operating under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program by prohibiting their offering specified inducements to institutions of higher education (IHE) or lenders to secure business or providing certain services for such institutions without appropriate compensation. Requires lenders to provide student loan applicants with certain written information regarding: (1) loan conditions; (2) their possible qualification for title IV assistance; (3) the method for determining the applicable interest rate; and (4) whether the loans provided exceed a student's attendance costs. Directs the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Treasury to review the private educational loan market to identify possible discriminatory lending practices affecting students who qualify for a simplified needs test or application process. Expands the activities disqualifying lenders from participation in the FFEL program, including: (1) offering specified inducements to IHEs; (2) performing certain uncompensated services for IHEs; and (3) entering into certain business arrangements with students or school financial aid employees. Establishes a private loan exception to the prohibition IHE certification of a student's eligibility to borrow amounts in excess of those allowable under the FFEL program. Requires limitation, suspension, or termination of an IHE's participation in title IV loan programs for noncompliance with a student loan code of conduct prohibiting IHEs or their financial aid employees from accepting certain inducements from, or entering into certain business arrangements with, lenders. Bans IHEs from designating preferred lenders; but allows lenders to submit a standard electronic template to IHEs regarding loan conditions which will then be made available to students and their parents. Terminates the authority of a school to serve as a lender or a lender to serve as a school trustee under the FFEL program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2007
Acknowledges and commends charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators across the country for their ongoing contributions to education and the public school system. Supports the goals and ideals of the eighth annual National Charter Schools Week (April 30-May 4, 2007).
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
Wildlife Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance Act or Wildlife GAINS Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), acting through one or more eligible organizations, to establish and maintain a program to implement a Wildlife Global Animal Information Network for Surveillance. Requires the Administrator to manage an international surveillance program under which federal and non-federal partners: (1) monitor and test for the presence or arrival of avian pathogens and other significant pathogens in free-ranging wildlife; (2) use trained professionals to collect samples and data; (3) conduct disease surveillance, field investigations, training and capacity-building activities, and research; (4) send samples for pathogen identification and testing to certified laboratories; and (5) transmit information related to global distribution and characteristics of significant pathogens to the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to: (1) use surveillance reports and other sources to identify and investigate local outbreaks of infectious diseases involving wildlife; (2) develop a long-term baseline of regional data related to pathogens in migratory birds and other wildlife for analysis between and across sites to create a system to identify when and where outbreaks might occur and paths of dispersal; (3) provide technical assistance for disease prevention and control programs; (4) provide analytical disease findings to USAID and other federal partners; and ( 5) manage, map, and make available on an Internet database all results and information gathered under this Act. Directs the Administrator to request accredited colleges of veterinary medicine and other partners to train members of the Network to: (1) monitor important wildlife areas around the world; and (2) test for the presence or arrival of avian influenza and other significant pathogens of zoonotic concern or of concern to domestic or wild animals.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2007
New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the new markets tax credit through 2013; and (2) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limitation amount for such credit after 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2007
Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate NIH activities on paralysis research; (2) to award grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia; (3) to educate and disseminate information and receive public comment on NIH programs and research regarding paralysis; (4) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, to expand and coordinate NIH research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis; and (5) to make grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for multicenter clinical trial networks to design clinical rehabilitation intervention protocols and measures of outcomes on paralysis. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to study the health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities and carry out projects and interventions to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Permits the Secretary to award grants for activities related to paralysis, including to: (1) establish paralysis registries; and (2) disseminate information to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2007
Graduation Promise Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for differentiated high school improvement systems targeting support to schools with low student achievement and graduation rates after the school fails for two consecutive years to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) pursuant to state academic performance standards. Requires state grantees to establish comprehensive school performance indicators and minimum annual improvement benchmarks for use, in addition to current AYP measures, in analyzing school performance and determining the improvement category into which a school is placed. Directs LEA subgrantees to convene a local school improvement team for each school placed in an improvement category that will use performance indicators to conduct a school needs assessment and develop a multiyear school improvement plan tailored to the school's need categorization. Permits LEAs to use funds to improve feeder middle schools. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to: (1) LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop and implement, or replicate, effective school models for struggling students and dropouts; and (2) states to adjust their policies to allow for educational innovations that improve high school graduation rates while ensuring rigorous education content standards and assessments, if such states implement differentiated high school improvement systems and statewide longitudinal student data systems.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2007
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald, a former Representative from California. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on April 23, 2007, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Representative Millender-McDonald.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Designates the week beginning April 22, 2007, as "Week of the Young Child."
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize expansion of Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services to diseases, conditions, or disorders other than diabetes or a renal disease.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Specialty Crops Competition Act of 2007 - Defines "specialty crop" as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, nursery crops, floriculture, and horticulture. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act to provide for marketing order specialty crop food safety programs. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) carry out fruit and vegetable market news activities; (2) make grants to states to enhance specialty crop competitiveness; (3) prepare a foreign market access strategy plan; (4) establish in the Department of Agriculture an office for the protection of intellectual property rights in plants and plant-derived materials; (5) make grants for market analysis of antidumping and countervailing duty cases; (6) establish a program of specialty crop research and grants; (7) establish an invasive pest threat identification and mitigation program; (8) establish the national clean plant network to provide diagnostic and pathogen elimination services; (9) establish the nutrition education program review committee; (10) carry out an integrated pest management initiative; and (11) carry out a specialty crop census every five years. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to obligate funds for specialty crop operating loans. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to: (1) increase and extend specialty crop technical assistance; (2) make nursery tree growers eligible for tree program assistance; (3) provide for increased fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop purchases; and (4) remove the income limitation from the environmental quality incentives program. Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to increase and extend funding for value-added agricultural market development grants. Revises specified plant patent provisions. Amends the Plant Protection Act to revise compensation provisions. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to restore import and entry agricultural inspection functions to the Department of Agriculture. Establishes the international agricultural inspection program within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Amends the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary to provide emergency assistance to specialty crop producers who suffer qualifying losses in disaster-designated counties. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand the fresh fruit and vegetable program. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to include food stamp nutrition education (as defined by this Act) within the scope of the food stamp program. Establishes a food stamp fruit and vegetable electronic benefit transfer pilot program. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make transportation infrastructure grants to eligible state and local governments, shippers, and specialty crop producers; and (2) carry out food safety initiatives. Establishes in the Department an Office of Pest Management Policy. Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to provide loans and grants for housing farm laborers admitted for temporary residence (H-2A visas).
United States · United States Congress · 18 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 · 18 April 2007
Designates April 20, 2007 as National and Global Youth Service Day. Recognizes and commends the significant contributions of the youth of the United States and encourages the cultivation of a common civic bond between young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Extends the Senate's best wishes to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and its hopes for his speedy and complete recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for 25% of the cost of new qualified freight rail infrastructure property and new qualified locomotive property; and (2) a taxpayer election to expense the cost of qualified freight rail infrastructure property (i.e., deduct all costs in the current taxable year). Terminates such credit and expensing election after 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Invest in America Act - Repeals the general termination date (i.e., December 31, 2010) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (thus making provisions of that Act that reduce income tax rates and repeal the estate and gift tax permanent). Repeals the termination date in the Jobs Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 applicable to the reduction in taxes on dividends and capital gains. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent: (1) the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) the increased expensing allowance for small business assets; and (3) the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers. Repeals the alternative minimum tax on individuals after 2006. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Committee on Finance should report legislation before December 31, 2007, to simplify the federal income tax system, without raising tax rates.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2007
Expresses the heartfelt condolences of the Senate to the victims and their families, and to students, faculty, administration and staff and their families who have been deeply affected by the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Expresses its hope that the tragedy will lead to a shared national commitment to take steps that will help our communities prevent such tragedies in the future. Recognizes that Virginia Tech has served as an exemplary institution of teaching, learning, and research for well over a century and will continue these proud and historic traditions.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any person or entity, in or affecting interstate commerce, from knowingly: (1) performing or attempting to perform human cloning; (2) participating in such an attempt; or (3) shipping or receiving an embryo produced by human cloning or any product derived from such an embryo. Prohibits knowingly importing such an embryo. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties. Provides that nothing in this Act restricts areas of scientific research not specifically prohibited, including research in the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells other than human embryos, tissues, organs, plants, or animals other than humans. Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the need to amend such prohibition, including through: (1) a discussion of new developments, the need for somatic cell transfer to produce medical advances, current public attitudes and prevailing ethical views concerning its use, and potential legal implications of somatic cell transfer research; and (2) a review of any technological developments that may require technical changes to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 1 Freedom Way in Augusta, Georgia, as the "Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center."
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
New River Wild and Scenic River Act of 2007 - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a specified segment of the New River in North Carolina and Virginia as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Safer Drug Assessment Technology Advancement Act or the Safer DATA Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) minimum standards for collection and transmission of postmarketing data elements from electronic health data systems; and (2) a validated and integrated postmarket risk identification and analysis system to integrate and analyze safety data from multiple sources. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain an active surveillance infrastructure to collect and report data for pharmaceutical postmarket risk identification and analysis. Requires the Secretary to establish and implement procedures under which the Secretary may routinely collaborate with a qualified entity to: (1) clean, classify, or aggregate data collected and data that is publicly available or that is provided by the Secretary; (2) perform advanced research on identified drug safety risks; (3) identify safety questions that require further clinical study; and (4) convene an expert advisory committee to oversee the establishment of standards for the ethical and scientific uses for, and communication of, postmarketing data collected. Requires the Secretary to improve the transparency of pharmaceutical data and allow patients and health care providers better access to pharmaceutical data by developing and maintaining an Internet site that: (1) provides comprehensive drug safety information for prescription drugs; and (2) improves communication of drug safety information to patients and providers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards to ensure the safety and accuracy of medical imaging studies and radiation therapy treatments. Imposes such standards on personnel who perform, plan, or evaluate, or verify patient doses for, medical imaging studies and radiation therapy procedures and not on the equipment used. Exempts physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Directs the Secretary to ensure that individuals demonstrate compliance with such standards. Requires the Secretary to provide a method for the recognition of individuals whose training and experience are determined to equal or exceed that of: (1) a graduate of an accredited educational program in that specialty; or (2) an individual who is regularly eligible to take the licensure or certification examination for that discipline. Directs the Secretary to certify qualified nonprofit organizations as approved bodies to provide accreditation to individuals that demonstrate compliance with such standards. Requires individuals who provide medical imaging services relating to mammograms to continue to meet standards under the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992. Deems state standards for licensure or certification of personnel, accreditation of educational programs, or administration of examinations to be in compliance with the standards under this Act unless the Secretary determines otherwise. Requires the Secretary to establish a process by which a state may appeal such a determination. Requires the Secretary to ensure that all programs under the authority of the Secretary meet such standards. Authorizes the Secretary to develop alternative standards for rural areas or health professional shortage areas as appropriate to assure access to quality medical imaging.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Hope Offered through Principled and Ethical Stem Cell Research Act or the HOPE Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of stem cells, including pluripotent stem cells that have the flexibility of embryonic stem cells (whether or not they have an embryonic source), that may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, provided that such techniques do not involve: (1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a human embryo of embryos other than those that are naturally dead. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required for additional research; (2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for near-term clinical benefits; (3) take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research; and (4) require assurances from grant applicants, in the case of research involving stem cells from a naturally dead embryo, that no alteration of the timing, methods, or procedures used to create, maintain, or intervene in the development of a human embryo was made solely for the purpose of deriving the stem cells. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study to: (1) recommend an optimal structure for an amniotic and placental stem cell bank program; and (2) address pertinent issues to maximize the potential of such technology.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Universal Health Care Choice and Access Act - Provides for health promotion and disease prevention activities, including requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene an interagency coordinating committee to develop a national strategic plan for prevention. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow participants in high deductible health care insurance plans an increased tax deduction for contributions to a health savings account; and (2) allow individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit for health insurance costs paid. Requires states to establish and operate a qualified high risk pool or a state-designated alternative that ensures access to private health insurance for medically uninsurable individuals. Health Care Choice Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to apply the laws of the primary state (as designated by the health insurance issuer) to individual health insurance coverage offered by that issuer in the primary state and in any secondary state if certain requirements are met. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize the Secretary to adjust the amount of the Medicare Part B premium for participation in certain healthy behaviors. Establishes in the Treasury a Medical Retirement Account Fund to distribute retirement benefits to individuals who renounce eligibility for Medicare. Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to establish a Medicaid Advantage program to provide individuals a medical home where they receive a seamless continuum of medical care and care management that meets certain requirements. Allows the Secretary to award grants to states for administrative health care tribunals for the resolution of disputes concerning injuries allegedly caused by health care providers. Amends SSA title XI to create safe harbors from civil and criminal penalties in current anti-kickback laws for providing certain health information technology and training services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish a grant program to enable states to develop statewide stroke care systems; (2) foster the development of stroke care systems through information sharing among involved agencies and individuals; (3) develop a model curriculum for training emergency medical services personnel in the identification, assessment, stabilization, and prehospital treatment of stroke patients; (4) issue recommendations and guidelines on best practices for establishing and operating such systems; and (5) provide public information on recognition of stroke signs and symptoms and appropriate actions. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements for such purposes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) maintain the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry; and (2) award grants to states to develop stroke care systems that provide high-quality prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Authorizes the Secretary to make related state planning grants. Requires the Secretary to give special consideration in awarding grants to states in a geographic area with an elevated incidence of stroke or stoke-caused disabilities or demonstrating a significant need for assistance in establishing such a system.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" to include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on possession of handgun restricted pistol bullets; and (3) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked. Repeals the definition of restricted pistol bullet as any bullet designed for use in a pistol which, when fired from a pistol with a barrel of five inches or less in length, is capable of penetrating commercially available body armor with a penetration resistance equal to or greater than that of 18 layers of kevlar. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person. Amends the District of Columbia Code to extend to firearms generally (currently, only to pistols) the prohibition against carrying such a weapon either openly or concealed within the District without a license issued pursuant to D.C. law. Specifies exceptions to the prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in the District.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2007
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend through October 1, 2012, the annual cap exemption for returning H-2B aliens (temporary nonagricultural worker).
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish the Genomics and Personalized Medicine Interagency Working Group (IWG) to facilitate collaboration, coordination, and integration of activities among federal agencies relating to genomic research and initiatives; (2) establish a national biobanking distributed database for the collection and integration of genomic data and associated environmental and clinical health information; (3) establish a grant program for academic medical centers and other entities to develop or expand biobanking initiatives; (4) improve genetics and genomics training for diagnosis, treatment, and counseling of adults and children for both rare and common disorders; (5) contract with the National Academy of Sciences to study incentives to encourage companion diagnostic test development; and (6) make information available on the safety and efficacy of genetic tests and commission a study for improving federal oversight and regulation of such tests. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to: (1) conduct an analysis of the public health impact of direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests; and (2) expand efforts to educate the public about genomics and its health applications.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2007
Expresses support and gratitude for the men and women of the Armed Forces in defense of freedom and democracy during the Vietnam War. Extends sympathies to all people in the United States who suffered the loss of friends and family in Vietnam. Encourages the people of the United States to remember the sacrifices of our veterans. Commemorates the 25th anniversary of the construction and dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Striving Readers Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide peer-reviewed grants for literacy initiatives benefiting students in grades 4 through 12 to: (1) local educational agencies (LEAs) eligible for school improvement funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, if appropriations under this Act are less than $200 million; or (2) state educational agencies (SEAs), and through them, to LEAs, if appropriations equal or exceed such amount. Allots funds to SEAs on the basis of their relative proportion of needy children aged 5 to 17 and eighth graders underachieving in reading. Requires SEAs, in addition to providing subgrants, to use grant funds to: (1) provide professional development assistance to LEAs; (2) enhance public higher education for students preparing to teach any of grades 4 through 12; (3) recommend improvements to state licensure and certification standards for reading instruction in such grades; and (4) report to the Secretary of Education on SEA and LEA progress in improving adolescent literacy. Requires LEAs to use grant or subgrant funds on literacy initiatives that include: (1) student need and progress assessments and reports; (2) development of adolescent literacy plans for underperforming students that provide intensive, accelerated, and extended instruction for such students and professional development for teachers; and (3) initiative training for school leaders. Prohibits the use of subgrant funds on schools that do not meet specified need criteria. Authorizes the withholding of grant or subgrants funds from SEAs and LEAs making insufficient progress in improving adolescent literacy. Requires a national evaluation and the dissemination of information regarding the effectiveness of the grant and subgrant programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007 - Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to expand the definitions of "petroleum resources" and "person." Expresses the sense of Congress concerning certain sanctions against Iran. Subjects Russia to specified nuclear energy cooperation prohibitions unless the President certifies to Congress that: (1) Russia has suspended all nuclear assistance and transfers of advanced conventional weapons and missiles to Iran; or (2) Iran has verifiably dismantled all nuclear enrichment-related and reprocessing-related programs. Subjects Iran to specified economic sanctions unless the President certifies to Congress that Iran has verifiably dismantled all nuclear enrichment-related and reprocessing-related programs. Subjects, with respect to prohibited transactions with Iran, a parent company to penalties for violations committed by certain subsidiaries outside the United States that would be subject to prohibitions if committed inside the United States or by a U.S. person. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate specified geological and geophysical expense amortization benefits if petroleum-related sanctions are imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 on any member of an expanded affiliated group whose common parent is a foreign corporation. Revises the definition of "affiliated group." Directs the President to reduce annual U.S. contributions to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) based upon Bank amounts provided to entities and projects in Iran. Authorizes appropriations for the Department of the Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit to Congress an updated National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Authorizes the President to: (1) carry out exchange programs with the people of Iran; and (2) make voluntary grant-based contributions to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the establishment of an international nuclear fuel bank to maintain a reserve of low-enriched uranium in case of a disruption in the supply of reactor fuel by normal market mechanisms. Sets forth specified Iran investment-related reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Amniotic Fluid and Placental Stem Cell Banking Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into one-time contracts with qualified amniotic fluid and placental stem cell banks to assist in the collection and maintenance of 100,000 new units of high-quality amniotic fluid and placental stem cells to be made available for treatment though the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation and Treatment Program. Sets forth provisions relating to requirements for contract recipients, the duration of such contracts, and extensions of funding under such contracts. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the Program to provide for amniotic fluid and placental stem cell functions, recruitment, and educational activities. Authorizes appropriations for the Program through FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Expresses support and gratitude for the men and women of the Armed Forces in defense of freedom and democracy during the Vietnam War. Extends sympathies to all people in the United States who suffered the loss of friends and family in Vietnam. Encourages the people of the United States to remember the sacrifices of our veterans. Commemorates the 25th anniversary of the construction and dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize qualified physical therapists to provide services for Medicare beneficiaries without the requirement of a physician referral. Provides for treatment of outpatient speech-language pathology services separately from outpatient physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the National Cancer Institute, to establish special programs of research excellence in the area of pediatric cancers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a grant mechanism for the establishment of Research Fellowships in Pediatric Cancer to support adequate numbers of pediatric focused clinical and translational investigators. Requires the Director to award a grant for the operation of a population-based national childhood cancer database, the Childhood Cancer Research Network. Requires the Secretary to award grants to recognized childhood cancer professional and advocacy organizations to raise public awareness of currently available information, treatment, and research with intent to ensure access to best available therapies for pediatric cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2007
Economic Development Act of 2007 - Authorizes any state to provide to any person for economic development purposes tax incentives that otherwise would be the cause or source of discrimination against interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Disqualifies any incentive that: (1) is dependent upon the state or country of incorporation, commercial domicile, or residence of an individual; (2) requires the recipient to acquire, lease, license, use, or provide services to property created in the state; (3) is reduced or eliminated as a result of an increase in out-of-state activity by the recipient or other person or as a result of such other person not having a taxable presence in the state; (4) results in loss of a compensating tax system, because the tax on interstate commerce exceeds the tax on intrastate commerce; (5) requires that other taxing jurisdictions offer reciprocal tax benefits; or (6) requires that a tax incentive earned with respect to one tax can only be used to reduce a tax burden for, or provide a tax benefit against, any other tax that is not imposed on apportioned interstate activities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for conducting and supporting research on Alzheimer's disease in FY2008-FY2012. Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2012 programs for research on the aging process regarding women, the clinical research and training awards, and demonstration projects relating to Alzheimer's disese. Requires the Director of the National Institute on Aging to: (1) give priority to projects for conducting and supporting Alzheimer's disease research; (2) increase the emphasis on the need to conduct Alzheimer's disease prevention trials within NIH; (3) ensure that Alzheimer's disease is maintained as a high priority for the existing neuroscience initiative; (4) conduct and support cooperative clinical research regarding Alzheimer's disease; and (5) make grants for research related to the early detection, diagnosis, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, the relationship of vascular disease and Alzheimer's disease, and Alzheimer's disease services and caregiving. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) convene a summit of researchers and other industry representatives on Alzheimer's disease; (2) make grants for public education programs on risk factors associated with cognitive health, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias; and (3) make grants to community organizations to establish and operate Alzheimer's call centers to provide 24-hour information on Alzheimer's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Services To Prevent Veterans Homelessness Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide financial assistance to eligible entities (private nonprofit organizations or consumer cooperatives) to provide and coordinate the provision of various supportive services for very low-income veteran families occupying permanent housing. Requires: (1) equitable geographic distribution of such assistance; and (2) the Secretary to provide training and technical assistance to participating entities regarding the planning, development, and provision of such services. Directs the Secretary to conduct a two-year study of the effectiveness of the assistance program in meeting the needs of very low-income veteran families.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include a bicycle commuting allowance as a qualified transportation fringe benefit, excludable from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Scott Gardner Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to share immigration information with the Attorney General. Requires a joint report from such officials to Congress on improving the performance of federal immigration databases to ensure the prompt entry of immigration information. Requires: (1) the director of each state and local law enforcement agency receiving federal incarceration funds under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to collect and report to the Secretary all immigration and DWI (driving while intoxicated) information collected in the course of normal duties; (2) such information to appear in the wanted person file of the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) database; and (3) state or local detention of an arrested flagged alien pending federal transfer. Amends INA to: (1) require the Secretary to reimburse the costs of training state and local law enforcement employees on federal immigration laws; and (2) authorize the apprehension and detention of an alien for DWI or a similar violation, as long as the alien is deportable on any other grounds or is an illegal alien. Requires each state motor vehicle administrator to share with the Secretary all information concerning aliens with records of DWI convictions or refusals to take sobriety tests. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a formula for the allocation of federal detention facilities for aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income distributions from individual retirement accounts for certain charitable purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Imposes a two-year moratorium on implementation of a proposed rule ("Medicaid Program; Cost Limit for Providers Operated by Units of Government and Provisions To Ensure the Integrity of Federal-State Financial Partnership") relating to the federal-state financial partnerships under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Teaching Fellows for Expanded Learning and After-School Act of 2007 or the T-FELAS Act - Amends title IV (21st Century Schools) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create an Expanded Learning and After-School Fellows program under which the Secretary of Education shall award competitive three-year grants to partnerships between local educational agencies and community organizations, institutions of higher education, community learning centers or other entities to recruit, select, train, and support exemplary recent college graduates (Fellows) who: (1) establish, expand, or improve expanded learning initiatives, 21st century community learning center programs, or after-school programs in high-need schools; and (2) provide school-day support to teachers in such schools. Requires grantees to: (1) provide intensive, comprehensive, and experiential training that prepares Fellows in methods of youth development and offers them a promising career path in public education and youth development; (2) place Fellows in full-time positions where they serve for at least 30 weeks per year, and for a term sufficient to qualify the Fellow for a national service educational award; and (3) provide matching funds on the basis of a sliding scale that gauges the grantees' ability to raise funds. Favors grant applicants that agree to engage Fellows for two-year terms and arrange for them to earn an undergraduate or master's degree in education while serving. Directs the Secretary to conduct an external evaluation of this program every three years and publicize the best practices of program grantees through the Federal Youth Development Council. Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to make Fellows eligible for national service educational awards.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit: (1) federal civilian and military retirees to pay Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis (i.e., exclude premiums from gross income); and (2) a tax deduction (available to itemizers and nonitemizers) for TRICARE supplemental premiums or enrollment fees. Directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Secretary of Defense to ensure that the option of paying FEHBP and TRICARE supplemental premiums on a pretax basis is available to federal civilian and military retirees for the first open enrollment period beginning not less than 90 days after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Graduate for a Better Future Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, educational nonprofit organizations, or partnerships of such entities for their use in providing competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAS) that have a high school graduation rate of no more than 60% in the aggregate or among at least two subgroups consisting of the poor or major racial or ethnic groups. Requires each LEA subgrantee to use the funds to implement: (1) a college-preparatory curriculum aligned with rigorous secondary school studies; (2) accelerated remedial programs that allow underperforming students to become proficient in mathematics, reading and language arts, and science and thereby graduate in a timely manner; (3) systems to measure student progress in the core subjects and quickly identify students who are dropout risks; (4) a comprehensive college guidance program; (5) a program offering students opportunities for work-based and experiential learning; (6) a program providing students with access to courses in which they may earn college credit; (7) a program providing each student with an academic teacher advisor with whom the student regularly meets; and (8) a program of teacher professional development and institutional leadership that includes diagnostic and formative assessments. Requires nonfederal matching contributions equal to the grant amount. Directs the Secretary to provide for an independent evaluation of, and report to Congress on, the impact this program has on high school graduation rates, college attendance rates, and academic achievement.