United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Credit Card Minimum Payment Warning Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to include among the mandatory disclosures at each billing cycle of open end consumer credit plans: (1) the words "Minimum Payment Warning: Making only the minimum payment will increase the amount of interest that you pay and the time it will take to repay your outstanding balance;" (2) the number of years and months it would take the consumer to pay the entire amount of the balance if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments; (3) the total cost to the consumer, as well as a breakdown in principal and interest payments, of paying that balance in full if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments, and if no further advances are made; (4) the monthly payment amount that would be required to eliminate the outstanding balance in 36 months if no further advances are made; and (5) a toll-free telephone number for information about accessing credit counseling and debt management services. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission jointly to issue guidelines for creditors to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone number for such disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require a proxy, consent, or authorization for a shareholder meeting occurring on or after January 1, 2009, to permit a separate shareholder vote to approve executive compensation. States that such shareholder vote shall not be binding on the board of directors, nor construed: (1) as overruling a board decision; (2) to create or imply additional fiduciary duty by such board; and (3) to restrict or limit shareholder ability to make proposals for inclusion in proxy materials related to executive compensation. Requires proxy solicitation material for a shareholder meeting occurring on or after January 1, 2009, concerning disposition of substantially all of an issuer's assets, to disclose compensation agreements or understandings with the principal executive officers of either the issuer or acquiring issuer regarding any type of (golden parachute) compensation which: (1) relates to such disposition; and (2) has not been subject to a shareholder vote. Provides that proxy solicitation material containing such executive compensation disclosures shall require a separate shareholder vote to approve such agreements or understandings. States that such shareholder vote shall not be binding on the board of directors, nor construed: (1) as overruling a board decision; (2) to create or imply additional fiduciary duty by such board; and (3) to constrain shareholder ability to make proposals for inclusion in proxy materials related to executive compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Designates the third week of April 2007 as National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week. Commends those organizations that are: (1) working to increase awareness of the danger of shaking young children; (2) educating parents and caregivers on how they can help protect children from injuries caused by abusive shaking; and (3) helping families cope with the challenges of child-rearing and other stresses in their lives. Encourages participation in educational programs to help prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2007
Recognizes May 15, 2007, as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the federal, state, and local officers that have been killed or disabled in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Federal Employee Combat Zone Tax Parity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of civilian federal employees compensation for active service in a combat zone or for periods of hospitalization for wounds, diseases, or injuries incurred while serving in a combat zone.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007 - Defines "child soldier." Prohibits, with a national interest waiver, funds appropriated or otherwise made available for specified military and related areas from being obligated or otherwise made available to the government of a country identified by the Department of State as having governmental armed forces or government supported armed groups, including paramilitaries, militias, or civil defense forces, that recruit or use child soldiers. Directs the Secretary of State to notify any government so identified. Authorizes the President to reinstate assistance upon certifying to Congress that a government is implementing: (1) compliance measures; and (2) mechanisms to prohibit future use of child soldiers and to ensure that no children are recruited, conscripted, or otherwise compelled to serve as child soldiers. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to a country for international military education and training otherwise prohibited under this Act upon certifying to Congress that such assistance is for programs that implement measures to demobilize child soldiers and for programs to support professionalization of the military.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize part B programs of education of all children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for part B: (1) for FY2008-FY2015 in specified amounts; and (2) for FY2016 and each fiscal year thereafter in an amount equal to the sum of the maximum amounts of the grants all states may receive under certain IDEA provisions. (Provides phased-in increases of such authorized funding.) Makes appropriations for part B for FY2008-FY2015, as well as for FY2016 and each fiscal year thereafter, in amounts less than the amounts this Act authorizes to be appropriated.
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
Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture conduct a study of hunger in the United States and develop recommendations on reducing domestic hunger. Directs the Secretary to make: (1) hunger-free communities collaborative grants to eligible public food program service providers or nonprofit organizations; (2) hunger-free communities infrastructure grants to eligible emergency feeding organizations; and (3) hunger-free communities training and technical assistance grants to eligible national or regional nonprofit organizations. (States that such grants' federal share shall not exceed 80%.) Sets forth grant priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2007
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2007 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert; (3) Grand Staircase-Escalante; (4) Moab-La Sal Canyons; (5) Henry Mountains; (6) Glen Canyon; (7) San Juan-Anasazi; (8) Canyonlands Basin; (9) San Rafael Swell; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas; (3) federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Conservation Reserve Program Tax Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Social Security Act to treat payments under the Conservation Acreage Reserve Program as rentals from real estate and thus not self employment income subject to employment tax. Transfers from the general fund of the Treasury to specified social security trust funds amounts necessary to cover any reductions in trust fund revenues resulting from this Act.
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
Congratulates Chicago on securing the bid to represent the United States in the international competition to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Encourages the International Olympic Committee to select Chicago as the site of such Games.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2007
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala is an innovative mechanism to support local efforts to confront the problem posed by illegal armed groups and clandestine security organizations in Guatemala and their infiltration into state institutions. Encourages the Guatemalan Congress to enact legislation to implement the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala and other pending legislation needed to fulfill the 1996 peace agreement. Calls on the government of Guatemala and all sectors of society in Guatemala to support the investigation and prosecution of illegal armed groups and clandestine security organizations. Reiterates the Senate's commitment to support the government of Guatemala in its efforts to strengthen the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Taxpayer Abuse Prevention Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that advance payments of the earned income tax credit are not transferable or assignable or subject to the claims of any creditors, except outstanding claims of the federal government. Prohibits: (1) the collection of a debt from a debtor's federal tax refund by means of a refund anticipation loan; and (2) mandatory arbitration as a condition of providing a refund anticipation loan. Terminates the Department of the Treasury Debt Indicator Program. Excludes tax returns that have been filed subject to a refund anticipation loan from any determination of whether goals for electronic filing of tax returns have been met. Allows earned income tax credit benefits to be paid through electronic transfer accounts. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) develop and implement a program to encourage the greater use of the advance earned income tax credit; and (2) enter into cooperative agreements with federally insured depository institutions to provide low- and moderate-income taxpayers with the option of establishing low-cost direct deposit accounts using appropriate tax forms.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Legal Services Benefit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to restore, increase, and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2007
Preventive Medicine and Public Health Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to or enter into contracts with certain eligible entities to provide training to graduate medical residents in preventive medicine specialties. Requires grant funds to be used for: (1) residency programs for preventive medicine or public health; (2) financial assistance to resident physicians who plan to specialize in preventive medicine or public health; (3) preventive medicine or public health program costs, including curriculum development and practicum costs; and (4) the improvement of academic administrative units.
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 · 12 April 2007
Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal laws; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim or is a violation of state, local, or tribal hate crime laws. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for such assistance: (1) with respect to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one state; and (2) to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist state, local, and Indian law enforcement agencies with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to state, local or tribal programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Amends the federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties for causing (or attempting to cause) bodily injury to any person using fire, a firearm, or any explosive or incendiary device because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of such person. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to require Attorney General to: (1) acquire data on crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on gender and gender identity; and (2) include in an annual summary of such data crimes committed by, and against, juveniles.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2007
New Homestead Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to repay a specified percentage (up to $2,000 per year) of certain education loans to an individual who completes a degree and both resides and is employed for at least five years in an area outside a metropolitan statistical area which for 20 years has a net out-migration of inhabitants of at least 10% of the county population (qualifying county). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a: (1) tax credit for the lesser of $5,000 or 10% of the purchase price of a principal residence in a qualifying county; and (2) capital loss deduction with respect to a sale or exchange of a principal residence in a qualifying county. Provides for the creation of tax-exempt individual homestead accounts, funded by individual cash contributions and matching federal contributions according to a specified formula, whose tax-free distributions after five years are used by residents of qualifying counties for qualified higher education or medical expenses, first-time homebuyer or business capitalization costs, or rollovers. Establishes a rural investment tax credit of 70% of the present value of new buildings (including rehabilitation projects) or 30% of the present value of existing buildings. Establishes a qualified rural small business investment credit of 30% of expenditures for starting or expanding a business, including costs for capital, plant and equipment, inventory expenses, and wages, but not including interest costs. Provides for accelerated depreciation of business property in rural investment projects. New Homestead Venture Capital Fund Act - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish the New Homestead Venture Capital Fund (Fund), owned by private investors, to generate and provide equity capital to rural businesses in qualifying counties. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide funding and guarantees for private investors in the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2007
Fair Pay Act of 2007 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin. (Allows payment of different wages under seniority systems, merit systems, systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of production, or differentials based on bona fide factors that the employer demonstrates are job-related or further legitimate business interests.) Prohibits the discharge of or any other discrimination against an individual for opposing any act or practice made unlawful by this Act, or for assisting in an investigation or proceeding under it. Directs courts, in any action brought under this Act for violation of such prohibition, to allow expert fees as part of the costs awarded to prevailing plaintiffs. Allows any such action to be maintained as a class action. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to: (1) undertake studies and provide information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning effective means available to implement this Act; and (2) carry on a continuing program of research, education, and technical assistance with specified components related to the purposes of this Act. Makes conforming amendments relating to congressional and executive branch employees to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and the Presidential and Executive Office Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2007
Housing America's Workforce Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for up to 50 percent of the qualified housing expenses paid for the benefit of their employees. Defines "qualified housing expenses" to include homeownership assistance and rental assistance. Limits the amount of such credit to the lesser of $10,000 or six percent of an employee's home purchase price, or up to $2,000 for rental assistance. Excludes from employee gross income the value of employer-paid housing assistance. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award grants in FY2008-FY2010, on a competitive basis, to nonprofit housing organizations or local governments for certain costs, including operating costs and technical assistance costs, of employer-assisted housing programs. Requires the Secretary to establish a national clearinghouse, including a website, to provide information about employer-assisted housing programs to federal, state, and local governments and other interested entities. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a national evaluation of employer-assisted housing programs and provide to the Secretary an interim report by January 1, 2011, and final report by December 31, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2007
Homes for Heroes Act of 2007 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veteran access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs; (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans; and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families (that is, families with incomes not exceeding 50% of the area median income). Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to homeless veterans; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning. Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans; and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on HUD activities relating to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2007
Joins people around the world in observing Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and mourning the millions who were lost during the Holocaust. Commends the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Poland, and the Netherlands as the member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service that have ratified the May 2006 amendments to the Agreement Constituting an International Commission for the International Tracing Service (Bonn Accords). Calls on: (1) Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Luxembourg, the member countries of the International Commission that have not yet ratified the May 2006 amendments to the Bonn Accords, to do so; and (2) the International Commission to approve the immediate distribution of copies of the documents from the Bad Arolsen archives that have already been digitized when the International Commission meets in Amsterdam in May 2007. Requests the Secretary of the Senate to transmit copies of this resolution to the Secretary of State and to the ambassadors of the member countries of the International Commission in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Medical Education Affordability Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to revise specified regulations regarding student loan repayment deferment under certain programs of the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to borrowers who qualify for such deferment on the basis of economic hardship and are in postgraduate medical or dental internship, residency, or fellowship programs. Revises such regulations to: (1) make such deferment available to such borrowers for the duration of postgraduate medical or dental internship, residency, or fellowship programs if they must be successfully completed to begin work in the profession, or they lead to a degree or certificate from a health professional school or facility that offers postgraduate training; and (2) make it unnecessary for borrowers to apply annually for such deferments while participating in such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
H-1B and L-1 Visa Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise employer and government requirements with respect to H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfer) nonimmigrant aliens. Revises H-1B provisions to: (1) subject all H-1B employers (currently H-1B dependent employers) to such provisions; (2) lengthen U.S. worker displacement protection; (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor to initiate an H-1B employer investigation; and (4) increase employer penalties. Sets forth employer petition requirements for an L-1 alien coming to the United States to open, or be employed in, a new facility. Prohibits blanket L-1 petitions. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to initiate an L-1 employer investigation. Sets forth L-1 employer penalty provisions. Provides H-1B and L-1 alien whistleblower protections. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to hire 200 additional employees to administer H-1B programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Healthy Places Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an interagency working group to discuss environmental health concerns, particularly concerns disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a program at the National Center of Environmental Health at CDC focused on advancing the field of health impact assessment. Requires the Director to develop guidance for the assessment of potential health effects of land use, housing, and transportation policy and plans. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish a program to provide funding and technical assistance to state or local governments affected or potentially affected by an activity or proposed activity to prepare health impact assessments; and (2) establish and maintain a health impact assessment database. Requires the Director to establish a grant program to award grants to state or local communities for environmental health improvement activities. Requires grantees to: (1) establish a planning and prioritizing council; and (2) conduct environmental health assessment. Requires the Secretary to provide grants to public or private nonprofit institutions to conduct and coordinate research on the built environment and its influence on individual and population-based health.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Elder Justice Act - Amends the Social Security Act to establish an Elder Justice program under title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services). Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC). Establishes the Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to establish stationary and mobile forensic centers, to develop forensic expertise regarding, and provide services relating to, elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for individuals to train for, seek, and maintain employment providing direct care in a long-term care (LTC) facility. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LTC facilities to: (1) offer continuing training and varying levels of certification to employees who provide direct care to LTC facility residents; and (2) provide bonuses or other benefits to employees who achieve certification. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to assist LTC facilities in offsetting the costs for standardized clinical health care informatics systems designed to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events and health care complications resulting from medication errors. Directs the Secretary to ensure that HHS: (1) provides funding to state and local adult protective services services offices that investigate reports of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and (2) collects and disseminates related data in coordination with the Department of Justice. Establishes a program of annual adult protective services grants to states. Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) improve the capacity of state LTC ombudsman programs to respond to and resolve abuse and neglect complaints; and (2) conduct pilot programs with state or local LTC ombudsman offices. Directs the Secretary to establish programs to provide and improve ombudsman training for national organizations and state LTC ombudsman programs. Amends part A of SSA title XI to require each individual owner, operator, employee, manager, agent, or contractor of an LTC facility receiving certain federal support to report to the Secretary and local law enforcement entities any reasonable suspicion of crimes occurring in such facility. Requires the owner or operator of such an LTC facility to notify the Secretary and the appropriate state regulatory agency of a facility's impending closure, as well as a plan for the transfer and adequate relocation of facility residents. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the EJCC and appropriate congressional committees on establishing a national nurse aide registry.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007 or the Second Chance Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize, rewrite, and expand provisions for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects to provide expanded services to offenders and their families for reentry into society. Directs the Attorney General to award grants for: (1) state and local reentry courts; (2) Comprehensive and Continuous Offender Reentry Task Forces; (3) pharmacological drug treatment services to incarcerated offenders; (4) technology career training for offenders; and (5) mentoring services for reintegrating offenders into the community. Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to require the Secretary of Education to establish a program for education and employment counseling for youth offenders. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants for: (1) the establishment of a National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center; (2) drug treatment programs as an alternative to imprisonment; (3) evaluation of methods to improve academic and vocational education for incarcerated offenders; (4) demonstration programs to reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs in long-term substance abusers; (5) incentive grants to improve drug treatment to offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (6) pharmacological drug treatment services to incarcerated offenders; (7) prison-based family treatment programs for incarcerated parents of minor children; and (8) a study of parole or post-incarceration supervision violations and revocations. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to establish: (1) a prisoner reentry program; and (2) a pilot program for the release of elderly nonviolent offenders (age 60 or older).
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Employee Free Choice Act of 2007- Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative (card-check) and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives, particularly a preliminary investigation of an alleged unfair labor practice (ULP) which may lead to proceedings for injunctive relief. Requires that priority be given to a preliminary investigation of any charge that, while employees were seeking representation by a labor organization, or during the period after a labor organization was recognized as a representative until the first collective bargaining contract is entered into, an employer: (1) discharged or otherwise discriminated against an employee to encourage or discourage membership in the labor organization; (2) threatened to discharge or to otherwise discriminate against an employee in order to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of guaranteed self-organization or collective bardaining rights; or (3) engaged in any other related ULP that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of such guaranteed rights. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
William H. Frist Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a bronze medal to commemorate organ donors and their families. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to direct the entity holding the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to contract to establish an application procedure and determine eligibility. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services or the Network contractor to provide duplicates of the medal to any recipient. Allows the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into an agreement with the Network contractor to collect funds to offset expenditures relating to the issuance of medals, which the Secretary shall deposit in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Healthy Children and Families Act of 2007 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to provide states with the option to provide evidence-based nurse home visitation services under Medicaid and the SCHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar Estrada Chavez, pledges to promote his legacy, and encourages the people of the United States to commemorate his legacy and to always remember his rallying cry, "Si, se puede!"
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Designates September 2007 as "Adopt a School Library Month" to raise public awareness about the important role school libraries play in the academic achievement of children.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2007
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the state-sponsored violence taking place in Zimbabwe represents a serious violation of fundamental human rights and the rule of law and should be condemned by all responsible governments, civic organizations, religious leaders, and international bodies; and (2) the government of Zimbabwe has not lived up to its commitments as a signatory to the Constitutive Act of the African Union and African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights. Condemns: (1) the government of Zimbabwe's violent suppression of political and human rights; (2) the harassment and intimidation of lawyers attempting to carry out their professional obligations to their clients and repeated failure by police to comply with court decisions; and (3) the harassment of foreign officials, journalists, human rights workers, and others. Commends U.S. Ambassador Christopher Dell and other U.S. officials and foreign officials for their support to political detainees and victims of torture and abuse while in police custody or in medical care centers. Calls on the government of Zimbabwe to end: (1) its violent campaign against fundamental human rights, respect the courts and members of the legal profession, and restore the rule of law; and (2) illegitimate interference in travel abroad by its citizens, especially for humanitarian purposes. Calls on the leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) to consult with all Zimbabwe stakeholders to intervene with the government of Zimbabwe while applying appropriate pressures to resolve the economic and political crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Global Climate Change Security Oversight Act - Requires the Director of National Intelligence to submit to Congress a National Intelligence Estimate on the anticipated geopolitical effects of global climate change and the implications of such effects on U.S. national security. Requires the Director to prepare the estimate using the mid-range projections of the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to make assessments and recommendation concerning the risks posed by global warming and the security implications, opportunities, and consequences of global warming. Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on the projected impact on the military installations, capabilities, and operations of the effects of global climate change as assessed in the estimate and to recommend research and analysis needed to further assess the impacts on the military of global climate change as assessed in the estimate. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should address the findings of the estimate regarding the impact of global climate change and potential implications of such impact on the Armed Forces and for the size, composition, and capabilities of Armed Forces in the next Quadrennial Defense Review. Requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the potential for: (1) large migration flows in countries of strategic interest or humanitarian concern as a response to changes in climate and the implications for U.S. security interests; and (2) diplomatic opportunities and challenges facing U.S. policy makers as a result of social, economic, or political responses of groups or nations to global changing climate. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to research the impacts of global climate change on military operations, doctrine, organization, training, material, logistics, personnel, and facilities, and the actions needed to address those impacts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Smoke Free Mothers and Babies Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require coverage, without cost-sharing, of counseling and pharmacotherapy for cessation of tobacco use by pregnant women. Provides for an increased federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for tobacco cessation counseling services and medications.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2007
Designates the first week of April 2007 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people that asbestos exposure may be hazardous to their health.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 - Establishes in the executive branch the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation to carry out this Act under the authorities of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. Requires the Foundation to award grants, increasingly for study in nontraditional study abroad destinations, to: (1) U.S. students; (2) nongovernmental institutions that provide and promote study abroad opportunities for U.S. students, in consortium with institutions of higher education (IHEs); and (3) IHEs, individually or in consortium.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2007
Designates April 2007 as Financial Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the importance of financial education in the United States and the serious consequences that may result from a lack of understanding about personal finances.
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
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require (currently, authorizes) the President to furnish assistance for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, and elimination. Gives priority to activities described in the Stop TB Strategy (as defined by this Act). Revises related fund use provisions. Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide increased resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high TB rates and other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy and specific strategies related to addressing drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Authorizes appropriations for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) TB activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Restitution for Victims of Crime Act of 2007 - Collection of Restitution Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code relating to restitution for victims of crime to: (1) require courts to enter an order for immediate restitution at the sentencing of a convict; (2) allow prosecutors to obtain from the U.S. Probation Office, without a court order, financial information about a convict who owes restitution; (3) require identifying information about convicts to be included in restitution orders of more than $100; and (4) allow crime victims reimbursement of attorney fees incurred in seeking restitution. Preservation of Assets for Restitution Act of 2007 - Requires courts to issue protective orders for preservation of assets available to satisfy restitution claims. Provides for prejudgment remedies to protect assets available to satisfy restitution claims. Environmental Crimes Restitution Act of 2007 - Provides for orders of restitution for victims of certain environmental crimes at the sentencing of a convict.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2007
Stopping Overseas Subsidies Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to apply countervailing duties to nonmarket economies. Authorizes the use of alternative methodologies in determining whether a subsidy is countervailable with respect to the People's Republic of China (PRC). Requires congressional approval for revocation of nonmarket economy country determinations made by the administering authority. Requires a United States International Trade Commission study of how the PRC uses government intervention to promote investment, employment, and exports.
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
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.
![Official portrait of Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000563_200.jpg)