United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2007
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to Constantino Brumidi, in recognition of his contributions to the Nation as a designer and decorator of the U.S. Capitol. Requires the Architect of the Capitol to arrange for the gold medal to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Social Security Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal: (1) government pension offset requirements applicable to husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments; and (2) windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize appropriations for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program through FY2012.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2007
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2007
9/11 Heroes Health Improvement Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to eligible entities to provide medical and mental health monitoring, tracking, and treatment to individuals whose health has been directly impacted as a result of the attacks on New York City and at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Includes as eligible individuals firefighters, police officers, paramedics, workers, volunteers, residents, students, and any other individual who worked at Ground Zero, Fresh Kills (recovery site on Staten Island), or the Pentagon or lived or worked in the vicinity of such areas, whose health has deteriorated as a result of the attacks, and who has been evaluated by a physician or mental health professional for 9/11-related health conditions and needs treatment for such conditions. Sets the order of priority for individuals covered under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Paterson Great Falls National Park Act of 2007 - Establishes in Paterson, New Jersey, the Paterson Great Falls National Park as a unit of the National Park System. Requires the Park to be administered in partnership by the Secretary of the Interior, the state of New Jersey, the city of Paterson and its applicable subdivisions, and others. Establishes the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Partnership to coordinate the activities of federal, state, and local authorities and the private sector in the development, for the Secretary's approval, and implementation of an integrated resource management plan. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to establish a Paterson Great Falls National Park Advisory Council. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire land or interests within the boundaries of the Park by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Surface Transportation and Rail Security Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a task force to complete a vulnerability and risk assessment of freight and passenger rail transportation, and develop specific prioritized recommendations for improving rail security. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (or Secretary of Transportation, where appropriate) to make grants for certain system-wide Amtrak, freight, hazardous materials transportation, and passenger rail security upgrades, including to Amtrak for fire and life-safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to tunnels on the Northeast Corridor. Directs Amtrak to submit to the National Transportation Safety Board a plan to address the needs of families of passengers involved in rail passenger accidents. Requires railroad carriers to develop rail security training programs for all front-line workers. Sets forth certain whistleblower protections for rail employees or other persons providing information about perceived security threats. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (or Secretary of Transportation, where appropriate) to require: (1) rail carriers transporting hazardous materials to develop high hazard material security threat mitigation plans; and (2) motor carriers transporting hazardous materials to maintain route plans that meet certain requirements. Sets forth requirements regarding : (1) equipping rail cars and motor carriers transporting high hazard materials with wireless communications and tracking technology; (2) hazardous materials security plans of shippers, carriers, and other persons; (3) truck security assessment; (4) a national security public sector response system; (5) over-the-road bus operators or over-the-road bus terminal operators system-wide security improvements; (6) a Pipeline Security and Incident Recovery Protocols Plan; and (7) pipeline security plans and inspecting of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines and pipeline facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
National Energy and Environmental Security Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to enhance the security of the United States by reducing its dependence on foreign and unsustainable energy sources and the risks of global warming by: (1) requiring reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases; (2) diversifying and expanding the use of secure, efficient, and environmentally-friendly energy supplies and technologies; (3) reducing the burdens on consumers of rising energy prices; (4) eliminating tax giveaways to large energy companies; and (5) preventing energy price gouging, profiteering, and market manipulation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Rebuilding America's Military Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should enact legislation to: (1) restore and enhance the capabilities of the Armed Forces for deterrence, combat, and post-conflict operations; (2) enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces, including the reset of military equipment; and (3) support the men and women of the Armed Forces, including members of the National Guard and Reserves.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Perchlorate Monitoring and Right-to-Know Act of 2007 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) publish a health advisory for perchlorate that fully protects the health of vulnerable persons (including pregnant women, fetuses, and children) considering body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure; and (2) promulgate a final regulation requiring monitoring for perchlorate in drinking water. Makes such regulation effective unless and until monitoring for perchlorate is required under a national primary drinking water regulation. Requires consumer confidence reports to disclose the presence and health risks of perchlorate in drinking water.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Protecting Pregnant Women and Children From Perchlorate Act of 2007 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish a health advisory and promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate that fully protect the health of vulnerable persons (including pregnant women, fetuses, infants, and children), taking into consideration body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to make the United States more secure by implementing unfinished recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to fight the war on terror more effectively and to improve homeland security.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Kids Come First Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX of the Social Security Act (SSA) to give states the option to receive 100% Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) for medical assistance for children in poverty in exchange for expanded coverage of children in working poor families under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) or SCHIP (SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance)). Eliminates the cap on SCHIP funding for states that expand eligibility for children. Gives states the option to: (1) provide wrap-around SCHIP coverage to children who have other health coverage; (2) enroll low-income children of state employees in SCHIP; (3) provide optional coverage of legal immigrant children under Medicaid and SCHIP; and (4) provide for passive renewal of eligibility for children under Medicaid and SCHIP. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for: (1) a refundable income tax credit for health insurance coverage of children; and (2) forfeiture of the personal tax exemption for any child not covered by health insurance. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to require group market health insurers to offer a dependent coverage option for workers and other individuals with children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for partial repeal of rate reduction in the highest income tax bracket.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007- Repeals provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that eliminated the jurisdiction of any court to hear or consider applications for a writ of habeas corpus filed by aliens who have been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as enemy combatants (or who are awaiting such determination) and actions against the United States relating to the detention of such aliens and to military commissions (thus restoring habeas corpus rights existing prior to the enactment of such Act). Allows courts to hear or consider legal challenges to military commissions only as provided by the Code of Military Justice or by a habeas corpus proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following ethical requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics for the purpose of fertility treatment and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) such individuals donate the embryos with written informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements. Requires the Secretary to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, but that are not derived from a human embryo. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required for additional research; (2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for near-term clinical benefit; and (3) take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit profiteering and fraud involving a contract or the provision of goods or services in connection with a war, military action, or relief or reconstruction activities within U.S. jurisdiction (including making materially false statements or representations or materially overvaluing any good or service with the specific intent to make excessive profit). Sets penalties for violations, including up to 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of the greater of $1 million or twice the gross profits or other proceeds. Subjects: (1) any property which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to a violation to civil and criminal forfeiture; and (2) transactions involving such property or proceeds to money laundering provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 - Deems certain service performed before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts as active military service for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Repeals certain provisions discounting such service as qualifying service.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
College Opportunity Act of 2007 - Declares the sense of Congress that the Congress should enact, and the President sign, measures that make college more affordable by increasing Pell Grants and providing more favorable student loans and other benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends federal veterans' benefits provisions to entitle to educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill individuals in certain length-of-service categories who, commencing on or after September 11, 2001, serve on active duty in the Armed Forces. Establishes the duration of such assistance (in most cases 36 months) and assistance amounts. Requires programs of education pursued with such assistance to be approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Allows for the pursuit of an approved program of education while on active duty. Allows, under such assistance, for the pursuit of: (1) programs on less than a half-time basis; (2) apprenticeship or other on-job training; (3) correspondence courses; (4) flight training; (5) tutorial assistance; and (6) licensure and certification tests. Makes individuals entitled to assistance under this Act also eligible for supplemental educational assistance for additional active duty service. Requires the Secretary to carry out a program, to be known as the "Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program," under which colleges and universities may enter into an agreement with the Secretary to cover, for certain individuals, a portion of established charges not otherwise covered and match contributions toward such costs. Requires educational assistance under this Act to be used within 15 years of the individual's discharge or release from active duty (with exceptions). Allows individuals currently under the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program to elect to participate in the post-9/11 educational assistance program with respect to any unused entitlement.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Intelligence Community Audit Act of 2007 - Reaffirms the authority of the Comptroller General to audit and evaluate financial transactions, programs, and activities of elements of the intelligence community (those elements identified in the National Security Act of 1947) and obtain access to records for such purposes. Allows the Comptroller General to conduct an audit or evaluation of intelligence sources and methods or covert actions only upon a request of a congressional intelligence committee or the majority or minority leader of the Senate or the House of Representatives. Requires the Comptroller General to disclose the results of any such audit or evaluation only to the original requestor, the Director of National Intelligence, and the head of the relevant element of the intelligence community. Requires the Comptroller General to establish safeguards to protect the unauthorized disclosure of all classified and other sensitive information furnished to the Comptroller General in conducting an audit or evaluation. Requires elements of the intelligence community to cooperate with the Comptroller General in providing documentation and information necessary for audits and evaluations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 - Authorizes a point of order by any Senator against consideration of a conference report that includes any matter not committed to the conferees by either chamber. Adds Rule XLIV (Earmarks) to the Standing Rules of the Senate to make it out of order to consider any Senate bill, amendment, or conference report, unless a list of all its earmarks, the identity of the Member or Members proposing them, and an explanation of their essential governmental purpose, along with any associated joint statement of managers, is made available to all Members, and to the general public on the Internet, for at least 48 hours before its consideration. Amends Rule XXVIII (Conference Committee; Reports; Open Meetings) to make it out of order to consider a conference report unless it is available to all Members and the general public on the Internet for at least 48 hours before its consideration. Amends Rule XXIII (Privilege of the Floor) to deny floor privileges (except for ceremonial functions and events) to former Senators and Senators elect, Secretaries, Sergeants at Arms of the Senate, and Speakers of the House of Representatives if they: (1) are registered lobbyists or agents of a foreign principal; or (2) are in the employ of or represent any party or organization for the purpose of influencing, directly, or indirectly, the passage, defeat, or amendment of any legislative proposal. Amends Rule XXXV (Gifts) to exclude gifts from lobbyists or agents of a foreign principal from the gift ban exceptions. Requires a Member, officer, or employee, before accepting otherwise permissible transportation or lodging from any person other than a governmental entity, to obtain a written certification from such person that includes certain disclaimers regarding a registered lobbyist or foreign agent. Prescribes additional disclosure requirements, including certain information regarding noncommercial air travel. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require a publicly available report, in the case of a principal campaign committee of a federal candidate (other than one for President or Vice President), of any flight taken by the candidate on an aircraft not licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate for compensation or hire. Amends Rule XXXVII (Conflict of Interest) to impose a one-year lobbying moratorium, upon leaving such position, on any employee on the staff of a Member or on the staff of a committee meeting specified rate of pay and congressional employment criteria. Prohibits a Senator from directly negotiating or having any arrangement concerning prospective private employment until after the election for his or her successor has been held, unless public disclosure of such employment negotiations and arrangements is provided. Requires a Member to prohibit all of his or her staff from having any official contact with the Member's spouse or immediate family member if such individual is a registered lobbyist or is employed or retained by a registered lobbyist to influence legislation. Amends Rule XLIII (Representation by Members) to prohibit a Member, with the intent to influence on the basis of partisan political affiliation an employment decision or employment practice of any private entity, from: (1) taking or withholding, or offering or threatening to take or withhold, an official act; or (2) influencing, or offering or threatening to influence, the official act of another. Expresses the sense of the Senate that any applicable restrictions on congressional branch employees in this Act should apply to the executive and judicial branches. Prohibits a Member of Congress from receiving a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) if he or she voted for any amendment (or against tabling it) that provided that such adjustment would not be made. Specifies conditions under which the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate shall recognize a notice of intent of a member of their caucus to object to proceeding to a measure or matter. Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) with respect to lobbying disclosures reports, including electronic filing and mandatory free availability to the public over the Internet. Increases the penalty for noncompliance with LDA disclosure requirements. Includes among lobbying activities any paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying, but excludes grassroots lobbying itself. Amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act, with respect to foreign government lobbying registration statements and updates, including electronic filing and mandatory free availability to the public over the Internet. Requires the Comptroller General to audit annually lobbyist disclosure information. Requires the Select Committee on Ethics to provide certain ethics training and awareness programs for Senators and their staff. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the lobbying community should develop specified proposals for multiple self-regulatory organizations. Requires the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics each to report annually on alleged ethics violations in its chamber. Amends the federal criminal code to extend from one to two years the ban on lobbying contacts by former very senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and officers of the legislative branch with any Member, officer, or employee of the entity in which such person served before his or her tenure terminated. Prohibits former employees of either chamber of Congress, within one year after leaving office, from making lobbying contacts with a Member, officer, or employee of either chamber. Exempts contacts with staff of the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House regarding compliance with LDA lobbying disclosure requirements. Amends the LDA to prohibit a registered lobbyist from knowingly making a gift or providing travel to a Member, officer, or employee of Congress, unless the gift or travel may be accepted under the rules of the House or the Senate. Subjects lobbyists to LDA penalties for violating this ban. Commission to Strengthen Confidence in Congress Act of 2007 - Establishes in the legislative branch the Commission to Strengthen Confidence in Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan or coverage provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2007 - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. At-Risk Communities Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention research. Truth in Contraception Act of 2007 - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates. Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicaid's coverage of family planning services. Responsible Education About Life Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment of this Act; (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day. Applies federal minimum wage requirements to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sets forth a transition period during which a specified minimum wage in the Commonwealth shall be gradually increased to equal the federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2007
9/11 Heroes Health Improvement Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to eligible entities to provide medical and mental health monitoring, tracking, and treatment to individuals whose health has been directly impacted as a result of the attacks on New York City and at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Includes as eligible individuals firefighters, police officers, paramedics, workers, volunteers, residents, and any other individual who worked at Ground Zero, Fresh Kills (recovery site on Staten Island), or the Pentagon or lived or worked in the vicinity of such areas, whose health has deteriorated as a result of the attacks, and who has been evaluated by a physician or mental health professional for 9/11-related health conditions and needs treatment for such conditions. Sets the order of priority for individuals covered under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2006
Toxic Right-to-Know Protection Act - Amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 to repeal provisions authorizing the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to modify the frequency of submitting toxic chemical release forms. Requires the Administrator to establish the eligibility threshold regarding the use of a form A certification statement under the Toxic Release Inventory Program at not greater than 500 pounds for nonpersistent bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals. Prohibits the use of such form with respect to any chemical of special concern identified by the Administrator. Prohibits the Administrator from implementing the proposed rule dated October 4, 2005, to revise requirements under such Program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2006
Condemns the December 2006 conference denying the Holocaust's existence that will take place in Iran under the aegis of the Foreign Ministry of Iran. Calls on the President, on behalf of the United States, to repudiate in the strongest terms such conference and its goal of denying the Holocaust's existence.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2006
Aircraft Noise Reduction Act of 2006 - Prohibits the operation of any civil subsonic turbojet of 75,000 pounds or less operating out of airports in the continental United States unless such aircraft complies with stage three noise levels as determined by the Secretary of Transportation. Allows an opt-out of such requirement for any aircraft operator at an airport who notifies the Secretary of intent to continue the operation of noncompliant aircraft. Requires notices of such opt-outs to be made accessible to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2006
Guarantee of Medical Accuracy in Sex Education Act - Prohibits a federal agency from providing funds or assistance to an entity for the development of course material or the provision of instruction on human development and sexuality if such material or instruction will include medically inaccurate information. Directs such an agency to require a sufficient assurance that such material or instruction will not include medically inaccurate information. Defines "medically inaccurate information" as information related to medical, psychiatric, psychological, empirical, or statistical statements that is unsupported or contradicted by peer-reviewed research by leading medical, psychological, psychiatric, and public health organizations and agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2006
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) on the fourth anniversary of his passing, Senator Paul Wellstone should be remembered for his compassion and leadership on social issues throughout his career; and (2) Congress should act to end discrimination against U.S. citizens who live with a mental illness by enacting legislation to provide for coverage of mental health benefits with respect to health insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2006
Iraq Reconstruction Accountability Act of 2006 - Amends the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 to change the date for termination of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Office). Provides that the Office shall terminate 10 months after 80% of the funds appropriated or made available for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund have been expended. Requires the Special Inspector General, prior to the termination date of the Office, to prepare a final forensic audit report on all funds appropriated or made available to the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States: (1) should continue to demonstrate international leadership regarding the conservation and sustainable use of high seas living marine resources by promoting adoption of a resolution at this year's U.N. General Assembly calling on all nations to prohibit destructive fishing activity in areas where there are no applicable conservation or management measures or in areas with no applicable international fishery management organizations or agreements until conservation and management measures consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, and other relevant instruments are implemented; and (2) calls upon U.N. member nations to adopt a resolution to protect the living resources of the high seas from destructive fishing practices.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Recognizes, on its 20th anniversary, the national role of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities as an advocate and champion for Hispanic higher education. Applauds Hispanic Serving Institutions for providing quality educational opportunities for all Hispanic and other students attending their institutions. Urges those providing and supporting Hispanic higher education to continue to recruit, retain, educate, and graduate students who might not otherwise pursue higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) on the fourth anniversary of his passing, Senator Paul Wellstone should be remembered for his compassion and leadership on social issues throughout his career; (2) Congress should act to end the discrimination against U.S. citizens who live with a mental illness by guaranteeing equal status for mental and physical illness by health insurance companies; and (3) mental health parity legislation should be a priority for consideration in the 110th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2006
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) on the fourth anniversary of his passing, Senator Paul Wellstone should be remembered for his compassion and leadership on social issues throughout his career; (2) Congress should act to help U.S. citizens who live with a mental illness by enacting legislation to provide for equal coverage of mental health benefits with respect to health insurance coverage unless comparable limits are imposed on medical and surgical benefits; and (3) mental health parity legislation should be a priority for consideration in the 110th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2006
Intelligence Community Audit Act of 2006 - Reaffirms the authority of the Comptroller General to audit and evaluate financial transactions, programs, and activities of elements of the intelligence community (those elements identified in the National Security Act of 1947) and obtain access to records for such purposes. Allows the Comptroller General to conduct an audit or evaluation of intelligence sources and methods or covert actions only upon a request of a congressional intelligence committee or the majority or minority leader of the Senate or the House of Representatives. Requires the Comptroller General to disclose the results of any such audit or evaluation only to the original requestor, the Director of National Intelligence, and the head of the relevant element of the intelligence community. Requires the Comptroller General to establish safeguards to protect the unauthorized disclosure of all classified and other sensitive information furnished to the Comptroller General in conducting an audit or evaluation. Requires elements of the intelligence community to cooperate with the Comptroller General in providing documentation and information necessary for audits and evaluations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2006
Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to issue regulations that subject low-stress hazardous liquid pipelines to the same standards as other hazardous liquid pipelines, with specified exceptions. Authorizes the Secretary to retain or remove such exceptions after such regulations become effective. Revises certain one-call notification system minimum requirements to prohibit a person from: (1) excavating without first using the one-call notification system to establish the location of underground pipelines; (2) disregarding pipeline location information or markings; and (3) failing to take reasonable steps to prevent pipeline damage during excavation and to report damage caused by such excavation. Authorizes the Secretary to make: (1) a grant to a state to improve its damage prevention program provided it has an annual pipeline safety program certification or a pipeline safety agreement, and a qualified damage prevention program; and (2) technology development grants to an organization to prevent pipeline damage caused by excavation activities. Authorizes the Secretary: (1) after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to order corrective action for pipelines that pose a risk to public safety or the environment; and (2) to waive such notice and hearing requirements in emergency situations. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) risk analysis and integrity management program enforcement; (2) transparency of gas and hazardous liquid pipeline enforcement actions; (3) minimum standards for integrity management programs for gas distribution pipelines; (4) implementation of certain National Transportation Safety Board pipeline safety recommendations; (5) coordination of pipeline repairs and hazardous liquid pipeline construction projects; (6) reduction of gas and hazardous liquid pipeline accidents due to human risks factors; (7) waiver of pipeline safety standards; (8) the 811 national excavation damage prevention phone number; (9) certification of pipeline integrity management program performance reports; (10) a Pipeline Security and Incident Recovery Protocols Plan; and (11) pipeline safety and security assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2006
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2006 - Entitles federal employees and their domestic partners to benefits available to federal married employees and their spouses. Specifies certifications required for benefit eligibility, filing requirements regarding partnership dissolution, and confidentiality requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Confidence in Voting Act of 2006 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to direct the Election Assistance Commission to pay to each jurisdiction that conducts a general election on November 7, 2006, and uses a voting system other than a paper ballot voting system, an amount equal to the documented costs it pays or incurs for the preparation, production, and use of contingency paper ballots for such election. Sets a maximum payment of 75 cents for each contingency paper ballot printed. Sets forth conditions for payment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Authorizes appropriations for FY2007 to carry out title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act (popularly known as the Ryan White Care Act). Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in determining the amounts of formula grants for FY2007, from using a methodology for counting the number of AIDS or HIV cases that is different than the methodology used by the Secretary for FY2006.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Prohibits any federal funds from being provided to a hospital unless the hospital meets certain conditions related to a woman who is a victim of sexual assault, including that the hospital: (1) provides the woman with accurate and unbiased information about emergency contraception; (2) offers emergency contraception to the woman; (3) provides the woman such contraception at the hospital on her request; and (4) does not deny any such services because of the inability of the woman to pay. Prohibits any federal funds from being provided to a hospital unless the hospital provides to survivors of sexual assault, regardless of ability to pay: (1) an assessment of the individual's risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections; (2) advice concerning significantly prevalent infections for which effective post-exposure prophylaxis exists and for which the deferral of treatment either would significantly reduce treatment efficacy or would pose substantial risk to the individual's health; and (3) such prophylactic treatment for infections, upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2006
Paterson Great Falls National Park Act of 2006 - Establishes in Paterson, New Jersey, the Paterson Great Falls National Park as a unit of the National Park System. Requires the Park to be administered in partnership by the Secretary of the Interior, the state of New Jersey, the city of Paterson and its applicable subdivisions, and others. Establishes the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Partnership to coordinate the activities of federal, state, and local authorities and the private sector in the development, for the Secretary's approval, and implementation of an integrated resource management plan. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to establish a Paterson Great Falls National Park Advisory Council. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire land or interests within the boundaries of the Park by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2006
Smoke Free Mothers and Babies Act of 2006 - 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 · 19 September 2006
Directs the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and display it in a suitable permanent location in the the Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2006
Keep Children Covered Act of 2006 - Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) to: (1) establish a special rule for redistribution of unspent FY2004 allotments; (2) provide for additional allotments to eliminate FY2007 funding shortfalls remaining after redistribution of unspent FY2004 allotments; and (3) extend authority through FY2006 for qualifying states to use certain SCHIP funds for Medicaid expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2006
James Zadroga Act of 2006 - Amends the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (Fund), part of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, to extend the current December 22, 2003, deadline for filing claims under the Fund for five years following enactment of this Act if the Special Master determines that the individual: (1) was unaware that he or she had suffered physical harm as the result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist-related aircraft crashes until after the deadline and before enactment of this Act; (2) was unaware of his or her eligibility to file a claim until after December 22, 2003; (3) suffered psychological harm as a result of the crashes; or (4) in the case of an individual who had previously filed a claim, suffered a significantly greater physical harm than was known to the individual as of the date the claim was filed, but did not know its full extent until after the claim was filed and before enactment of this Act. Allows the filing of a claim also during the five years after the individual first knew that he or she had suffered physical or psychological harm as the result of such crashes, if he or she did not know that until on or after enactment of this Act. Extends the same five-year filing allowance to anyone who did not know the full extent of the harm suffered until on or after the enactment of this Act, even though he or she had previously filed a claim and had suffered a significantly greater physical or psychological harm than was known to the individual as of the date the claim was filed. Waives the single claim requirement in such circumstances. Makes a claimant eligible for compensation based on the psychological harm suffered as a result of the crashes. Defines "immediate aftermath" for compensation eligibility purposes as any period of time after the crashes that was sufficiently close in time to them that there was a demonstrable risk to the claimant of resulting physical or psychological harm, including the period of time during which related rescue, recovery, and cleanup activities were conducted.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2006
Requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to suspend its plan to use private debt collection companies to collect unpaid taxes and prohibits the use of any IRS funds for tax collection contracts with private companies.
![Official portrait of Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000123_200.jpg)