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United States · Official source
6,541 records where Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to educational organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Re-empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers Act or the RESPECT Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to revise the definition of "supervisor" in the following ways: (1) require the individual to have authority over employees for a majority of the individual's worktime; and (2) remove authority to assign other employees and to responsibly direct employees as conditions for being considered a supervisor.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Teach for America Act of 2007- 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 · 22 March 2007
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts from taxation benefits paid under this Act.
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
Responsible Education About Life Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Expresses the sense of Congress that states are encouraged but not required to provide matching funds. Requires the Secretary to provide for a national evaluation of a representative sample of such programs for effectiveness in changing adolescent sexual behavior, including delaying sexual and high-risk activity, preventing pregnancy and disease (including HIV/AIDS), and increasing contraceptive knowledge. Requires states receiving such grants to provide for an individual evaluation of the state's program by an external, independent entity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Urges the government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt that opened in the waters off the east coast of Canada on November 15, 2006.
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
New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the New England National Scenic Trail as a National Scenic Trail. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to use the Trail Management Blueprint as the framework for management and administration of the Trail. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with Massachusetts (and its political subdivisions), Connecticut, (and its political subdivisions), the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, and other regional, local, and private organizations deemed necessary and desirable to accomplish cooperative trail administrative, management, and protection objectives consistent with the Blueprint. Encourages the Secretary to work with New Hampshire and appropriate local and private organizations to include that part of the Metacomet-Monadock Trail in New Hampshire (which lies between Royalston, Massachusetts and Jaffrey, New Hampshire) as a component of the Trail.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Accessing College through Comprehensive Early Outreach and State Partnerships Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace the current special leveraging educational assistance partnership program with a program of allotments to enable states to: (1) expand and enhance partnerships with institutions of higher education, early information and intervention, mentoring, or outreach programs, private corporations, philanthropic organizations, and other interested parties to carry out specified activities and provide coordination and cohesion among federal, state, and local governmental and private efforts providing financial assistance to help low-income students attend college; (2) provide need-based grants for college access and increased college persistence to eligible low-income students; (3) provide early notification to low-income students of their eligibility for financial aid; and (4) encourage increased participation in early information and intervention, mentoring, or outreach programs. Requires partnerships for the award of grants between a state agency and: (1) at least one public and one private degree granting institution of higher education located in the state; (2) new or existing early information and intervention, mentoring, or outreach programs also located in the state; and (3) at least one philanthropic organization located in, or providing funding in, the state, or one private corporation located in, or doing business in, the state. Requires different federal shares of program costs and different amounts of grants awarded in partnerships with institutions of higher learning: (1) serving less than a majority of students in the state; and (2) serving the majority of students in the state. Requires annual early notification of low-income students of their potential eligibility for student financial assistance. Prescribes minimum eligibility requirements for such students.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2007
Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or would be entitled to such pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits recoupment by the Secretary of Defense of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member. Changes to October 1, 2007 (previously October 1, 2008) the effective date for paid-up coverage provisions under the SBP and the Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan.
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
America's Better Classroom Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for investment in qualified public school modernization bonds, defined to include: (1) bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of a public school facility or for the acquisition of land for such facility (qualified school construction bonds); (2) bonds to finance certain academic programs below the postsecondary level in empowerment zones or enterprise communities (qualified zone academy bonds); and (3) bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of certain Indian tribal schools (qualified tribal school modernization bonds). Establishes a national limitation on the issuance of such bonds and provides for the allocation of bond amounts among the states according to a specified formula. Limits the term of such bonds to 15 years and terminates the authority for issuance of such bonds after September 30, 2008 (December 31, 2013, for qualified tribal school modernization bonds). Amends the General Education Provisions Act to apply certain labor standards to public school construction projects financed by this Act. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require states to establish employment and training programs relating to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.
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
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation on behalf of Congress of a gold medal of appropriate design to Dr. Muhammad Yunus in recognition of his many enduring contributions to the fight against global poverty.
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 · 15 March 2007
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the maximum Pell Grant award for academic years 2007-2008 through 2011-2012. Increases such amount to $7,600 for 2007-2008, and by $1,000 increments in each subsequent academic year, until it stands at $11,600 for 2011-2012. Requires a further increase in any such maximum Pell Grant award, by an amount sufficient to achieve a 5% increase in students' purchasing power relative to the cost of attendance at an institution of higher education, if the Secretary of Education determines that the amount authorized does not increase such purchasing power by at least 5% from one academic year to the next.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Alzheimer's Family Assistance Act of 20007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a phased-in tax credit ($1,000 in 2007 increasing by $500 each year until allowing $3,000 in 2011) for family caregivers of spouses and dependents who have long-term care needs; (2) allow a tax deduction for long-term care insurance premiums; and (3) apply certain consumer protection standards to long-term care insurance contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2007
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions for employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Short Line Railroad Investment Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the allowable amount of the railroad track maintenance tax credit; (2) extend such credit through 2010; and (3) allow such credit against alternative minimum tax liabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Savings for Working Families Act of 2007 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal. Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2007
Calls on the President: (1) to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and (2) in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide to accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the U.S. intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2007
Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for certain low-income HIV-infected individuals. Provides states taking advantage of this option with an enhanced federal Medicaid match.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Microbicide Development Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Office of AIDS Research to: (1) expedite the implementation of the federal strategic plan for the conduct and support of microbicide research and development; and (2) expand, intensify, and coordinate all activities with respect to research and development of microbicides to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to: (1) establish within the Division of AIDS an organizational branch to carry out microbicide research and development; and (2) assign priority to ensuring adequate funding and support for the Microbicide Trials Network and other programs for supporting microbicides clinical trials. Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fully implement the CDC's microbicide agenda to support microbicide research and development. Directs the head of the Office of HIV/AIDS of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop and implement a program to support the development of microbicides products for the prevention of the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, and facilitate wide-scale availability of such products. Requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress on advance market commitments of microbicides to prevent HIV infection as a means of creating private sector investment incentives.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to provide a two-year extension of supplemental security income (SSI) through FY2010 for qualified aliens (including asylees and certain Cuban and Haitian entrants).
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require an application for the approval of a medical device or a product development protocol to include: (1) a description of any pediatric subpopulations that suffer from the disease or condition that the device is intended to treat, diagnose, or cure; and (2) the number of affected pediatric patients. Excludes a medical device distributed pursuant to the humanitarian device exemption from the prohibition that no device be sold for an amount that exceeds the cost of the device if: (1) the device is intended for the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that occurs in pediatric patients; and (2) other specified requirements are met. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to designate a contact point to help innovators and physicians access funding for pediatric medical device development. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for demonstration projects to promote pediatric device development. Includes as a duty of the Office of Pediatric Therapeutics increasing pediatric access to medical devices. Allows the Secretary to require: (1) postmarket surveillance on certain devices that are expected to have significant use in pediatric populations; and (2) a prospective surveillance period of more than 36 months for such devices, as necessary. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to establish a publicly accessible database of all studies and surveillance of medical devices.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Reappoints Walter E. Massey as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Reappoints Patricia Q. Stonesifer as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2007
Reappoints Roger W. Sant as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the national program for traumatic brain injury registries to include grants for state traumatic brain injury surveillance systems. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , to conduct a study to: (1) determine the incidence of traumatic brain injury and prevalence of traumatic brain injury related disability; (2) report national trends in traumatic brain injury; (3) identify common therapeutic interventions which are used for the rehabilitation of individuals with such injuries; (4) identify interventions and therapies that can prevent or remediate the development of secondary neurologic conditions related to traumatic brain injury; and (5) develop practice guidelines for such rehabilitation. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2011 for the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) trauma research program. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to states and American Indian consortia (currently, only states) to improve access to rehabilitation (currently, health) and other services regarding traumatic brain injury. Requires the Administrator and the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to coordinate the collection of data regarding protection and advocacy services. Directs the Administrator to make a grant for training and technical assistance to protection and advocacy systems, if funds permit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance, including through international or nongovernmental organizations, for programs to improve human health care capacity in sub-Saharan Africa. Directs the President to develop and transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring assistance programs for human health care capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Community Choice Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Child Support Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to repeal a provision that prohibited federal matching funds to a state for expenditures from federal amounts paid to the state for child support and establishment of paternity to carry out an agreement for services of the Federal Parent Locator Service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act with respect to payment rates for meals and meal supplements provided by service institutions under summer food service programs for children. Requires payments for administrative costs to be set at levels determined by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to a specified study. (Currently, payments to service institutions shall equal the full cost of food service operations, excluding administrative costs. Payments for administrative costs shall equal the full amount of state-approved administrative costs incurred, not to exceed the maximum allowable levels the Secretary determines pursuant to such study.) Repeals authority for simplified summer food pilot projects.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Expresses the sense of the Senate that it is U.S. policy to: (1) maintain and deepen its long-term strategic partnership with Pakistan; (2) work with the government of Pakistan to combat international terrorism and to end the use of Pakistani territory as a safe haven for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated terrorist organizations; (3) work with the government of Pakistan to dismantle existing proliferation networks and prevent nuclear proliferation; (4) facilitate the peaceful resolution of all bilateral disputes between Pakistan and its neighboring countries; (5) encourage Pakistan's transition to a fully democratic system of governance; and (6) implement an aid strategy that supports programs in Pakistan related to education, governance, rule of law, women's rights, medical access, and infrastructure development. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the determination of appropriate levels of U. S. military assistance to Pakistan should be guided by progress by the government of Pakistan in: (1) preventing Al Qaeda and associated terrorist organizations from operating in Pakistan; (2) preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a sanctuary to launch attacks within Afghanistan; and (3) implementing democratic reforms.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2007
Designates the week of March 12-March 18, 2007, as National Safe Place Week. Calls on people and groups to promote awareness of, and volunteer involvement in, the Safe Place program (which offers young people in early stages of crisis safe places where trained volunteers are available to counsel and advise them).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, national summit, and guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public.
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
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 or the DREAM Act of 2007 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her sixteenth birthday, and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; and (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal. Sets forth the conditions for conditional permanent resident status, including: (1) termination of status for violation of this Act; and (2) removal of conditional status to permanent status. Authorizes an alien who has satisfied the appropriate requirements prior to enactment of this Act to petition the Secretary for conditional permanent resident status. Provides for: (1) exclusive jurisdiction; (2) penalties for false application statements; (3) confidentiality; (4) fee prohibitions; (5) higher education assistance; and (6) a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report respecting the number of aliens adjusted under this Act.
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
Telecommuters Tax Fairness Act of 2007 - Prohibits a state from imposing an income tax on the compensation of a nonresident individual for any period in which such individual is not physically present in or working in such state or from deeming such nonresident individual to be present in or working in such state on the grounds that: (1) such individual is present at or working at home for convenience; or (2) such individual's work at home fails any convenience of the employer test or any similar test.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to revise the definition of "food of minimal nutritional value," the sale of which in areas where school meals are sold or eaten is prohibited as a condition for federal funding of school lunch and breakfast programs. Applies such definition (and prohibition) to all food sold outside such programs anywhere on school campuses at any time of the day, with the possible limited exemption of food sold at school fundraisers. Requires the Secretary, when revising such definition, to consider the recommendations of authoritative scientific organizations and evidence concerning the relationship between diet and health.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Harriett Woods will be remembered as a pioneer in women's politics, whose actions and leadership inspired hundreds of women nationwide to participate in the political process and to break gender barriers at every level of government.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Designates March 25, 2007, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2007
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Thomas F. Eagleton, a former member of the United States Senate from Missouri.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2007
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2013 for the Department of Defense (DOD) for the Army and Air National Guards for equipment reset (resupply) requirements, and to otherwise remedy other equipment shortfalls in order to bring the Army and Air National Guards to full equipment readiness. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on the capability of the U.S. defense industrial base to produce the necessary equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2007
Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 - Requires the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration, within 30 days of enactment, to submit all public transportation security assessments to the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to review and augment such assessments, not later than July 31, 2007. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish and annually update security improvement priorities (improvement priorities), by September 30, 2007, that are consistent with relevant State Homeland Security Plans; (2) annually update the assessments and annually conduct assessments of all public transportation agencies considered to be at greatest risk of a terrorist attack; (3) by July 31, 2007, conduct security assessments of local bus-only public transportation systems and of selected transportation systems receiving grants as other than urbanized areas; and (4) use information collected from the assessments to develop security guidelines for public transportation security and design a security improvement strategy. Directs the Secretary, consistent with relevant State Homeland Security Plans, to award grants to public transportation agencies for allowable capital and operational security improvements based on the improvement priorities. Defines allowable. Requires congressional notification before the award of any grant. Sets forth public transportation agency requirements for receiving a grant. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and issue regulations for a public transportation worker security training program; (2) ensure that DOT receives timely notification of all credible terrorist threats against U.S. public transportation assets; (3) provide assistance for the reasonable costs of the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) for Public Transportation to protect critical infrastructure; and (4) award grants or contracts for research and the demonstration of technologies and methods to reduce and deter terrorist threats or mitigate damages resulting from terrorist attacks. Requires public transportation agencies determined to be at significant risk of terrorist attack to participate in the ISAC and encourages all other public transportation agencies to participate in the ISAC. Prohibits charging a fee to any public transportation agency for participating in the ISAC. Sets forth reporting requirements. Authorizes appropriations through FY2010. Terminates grant authority on October 1, 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2007
America COMPETES Act or America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act - American Innovation and Competitiveness Act - Directs the President to: (1) convene a National Science and Technology Summit; (2) establish a President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness; and (3) establish the Innovation Acceleration Research Program. Directs the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to: (1) establish an Aeronautics Institute for Research; (2) coordinate basic and fundamental research activities related to physical sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and (3) establish a Basic Research Executive Council. Authorizes appropriations for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. Requires the NIST Director to: (1) establish the Standards and Technology Acceleration Research Program; and (2) reestablish the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology. Requires the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to: (1) establish a program of ocean and atmospheric research and development; and (2) develop an ocean, coastal, and atmospheric science education plan. Protecting America's Competitive Edge Through Energy Act or PACE-Energy Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) appoint a Department of Energy (DOE) Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education, and establish a Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education Fund; (2) award grants for establishing specialty schools for mathematics and science; (3) establish a national laboratories summer internship program for middle and secondary school students; (4) establish Centers of Excellence in Mathematics and Science at schools in regions of national laboratories; (5) establish or expand programs to strengthen mathematics and science teaching skills of public school teachers; (6) establish a program to expand and enhance higher education nuclear science educational capabilities; (7) award grants to outstanding DOE early-career researchers; and (8) establish a program to support the appointment of distinguished scientists by institutions of higher education and national laboratories. Establishes the Advanced Research Projects Authority-Energy. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) develop and implement programs to provide courses of study in mathematics, science, engineering, or critical foreign languages with concurrent teacher certification or to enhance teacher knowledge and teaching skills; (2) increase the number of teachers and students teaching or enrolled in advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses in mathematics, science, or critical foreign languages; (3) help low-income students performing below grade level in mathematics; (4) establish programs of study in critical foreign languages; (5) promote content knowledge requirements for secondary school graduation and establish or improve a statewide P-16 education data system. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to: (1) expand the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program; (2) establish a clearinghouse and pilot programs relating to the creation or improvement of professional science master's degree programs; (4) establish a program to provide mentors for women interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and (5) establish a program of basic research in advanced information and communications technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act - Authorizes appropriations for seed funding for Peace Corps volunteers to carry out approved demonstration projects. Authorizes charitable fundraising by Peace Corps volunteers. Requires the Director of the Peace Corps to: (1) award grants to private nonprofit corporations and returned Peace Corps volunteers to enable such volunteers to to develop programs and projects in the United States to promote Peace Corps goals; (2) increase the number of Peace Corps volunteers with at least five years of relevant work experience, and establish FY2008-FY2010 experienced volunteer demonstration programs in at least 20 countries; (3) establish a electronic system for promoting improved communication among Peace Corps volunteers and staff; (4) provide for volunteer input in senior staff and program reviews; (5) review the Peace Corps medical screening process; (6) seek to secure the right of volunteers to suspend enrollment in retiree health plans and to resume such enrollment upon service completion; and (7) provide whistleblower and administrative separation protection. Provides for a Volunteer Advisory Committee for each country in which volunteers serve. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to provide tax deduction guidance for volunteers or volunteer leaders enrolled under the Peace Corps Act. Requires the Peace Corps to publish a financial guide for applicants and volunteers.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2007
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.