United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2008
10 Million-Solar Roofs Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to provide rebates (for each watt of installed capacity) to eligible individuals or entities for the purchase and installation of photovoltaic systems, over a 10-year period, of at least an additional 10 million solar systems in the United States with a cumulative capacity of at least 30,000 megawatts. Provides eligibility requirements for homeowners, businesses, nonprofit entities, and state and local governments. Sets minimum Energy Star or equivalent ratings that must be achieved by the buildings for which the photovoltaic system is installed. Limits the total amount of a rebate to 50 percent of the purchase and installation cost of the system.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2008
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., former Senator from North Carolina. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on July 7, 2008, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Helms.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Title VII Fairness Act - Amends the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and title VII (Equal Employment Opportunities) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to delay the start of the time period for filing charges of employment discrimination until the aggrieved person has, or should be expected to have, enough information to support a reasonable suspicion of the discrimination, provided the aggrieved person demonstrates that the person did not have, and should not have been expected to have, enough information to support a reasonable suspicion of such discrimination on the date on which the alleged discrimination occurred. Prohibits applying these amendments to alleged discrimination relating to pensions or pension benefits. Applies the above Civil Rights Act of 1964 amendment to discrimination claims brought under: (1) specified provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and (2) provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 relating to employment by the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to prescribe procedures for petition, by the governor of a state with a new producing area within the offshore administrative boundaries beyond the state's submerged land, to make the new producing area available for oil and gas leasing. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit specified percentages of outer Continental Shelf revenues into: (1) the general fund of the Treasury; and (2) into a special account in the Treasury for disbursal to both new producing states and to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Amends the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008, to repeal the prohibition against funding: (1) regulations regarding a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands; or (2) an oil shale lease sale. Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) expand and accelerate research and development efforts for advanced batteries; and (2) implement a direct loan program for up to 30% of the costs of advanced battery production. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the federal government should implement policies to increase federal purchases of plug-in electric drive vehicles. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to study jointly and report to Congress on the international regime for regulating trading in energy commodity futures and derivatives. Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to prohibit the CFTC from permitting a foreign board of trade to provide to participants subject to CFTC jurisdiction direct access to electronic trading and order matching unless specified requirements are met. Directs the CFTC to: (1) promulgate rules for routine reporting requirements for index traders and swap dealers in energy and agricultural transactions; and (2) disaggregate and make public monthly information on the positions and value of index funds and other passive, long-only positions in the energy and agricultural futures markets. Instructs the CFTC to report to certain congressional committees on: (1) the scope of commodity index trading in the futures markets; (2) whether classification of index traders and swap dealers in the futures markets can be improved for regulatory and reporting purposes; and (3) whether index trading activity is adversely impacting the price discovery process in the futures markets and whether different practices and controls should be required. Instructs the CFTC to hire additional employees.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Attorney-Client Privilege Protection Act of 2008 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any U.S. agent or attorney, in any federal investigation or criminal or civil enforcement matter, including any form of administrative proceeding or adjudication, from: (1) demanding or requesting that an organization, or a current or former employee or agent of such organization, waive the protections of the attorney-client privilege or attorney work product doctrine; (2) offering to reward or actually rewarding an organization, or current or former employee or agent, for waiving such protections; or (3) threatening adverse treatment or penalizing an organization, or current or former employee or agent, for declining to waive those protections. Prohibits a U.S. agent or attorney in any federal investigation or criminal or civil enforcement matter, including any form of administrative proceeding or adjudication, from considering specified conduct in: (1) making a civil or criminal charging or enforcement decision relating to an organization, or one of its current or former employees or agents; or (2) determining whether an organization, or a current or former employee or agent, is cooperating with the government. Numbers among the actions a U.S. agent or attorney may not use as a charging decision condition or a cooperation-determining factor: (1) any valid assertion of the protection of the attorney-client privilege or attorney work product doctrine; (2) the provision of counsel to, or contribution to the legal defense fees or expenses of, a current or former employee or agent of an organization; (3) entry into, or existence of, a valid joint-defense, information-sharing, or common-interest agreement between an organization and a current or former employee or agent, or among its current or former employees; (4) the sharing of relevant information in anticipation of or in response to an investigation or enforcement matter between an organization and a current or former employee or agent, or among its current or former employees, unless shuch sharing is itself an offense; or (5) the failure to terminate the employment or affiliation of or otherwise sanction any employee or agent of the organization because of the employee's or agent's decision to exercise personal constitutional rights or other legal protections in response to a government request. Prohibits a U.S. agent or attorney from demanding or requesting that an organization or an affiliated person not take any such action.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2008
Mentoring for All Act of 2008 - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to direct the Corporation for National and Community Service to award competitive, matching, three-year grants to nonpartisan, collaborative, public-private partnerships at the state and local level for efforts to grow and strengthen direct-service youth mentoring programs in all forms and settings in their service areas. Requires partnership grantees to use at least 80% of their grant for competitive subgrants to mentoring programs: (1) operated by or being created by, nonprofit organizations, schools, or local governments; or (2) operated by local collaboratives that each include at least two experienced youth mentoring organizations and at least one entity that provides volunteer mentors. Allows partnership grantees to give subgrant priority to collaboratives. Requires each partnership grantee to participate in a collaborative national network of mentoring partnerships. Directs the Corporation to award competitive, matching, three-year grants to entities or collaboratives of entities enabling the entities or collaboratives to: (1) build the necessary infrastructure to create a state mentoring partnership; or (2) implement national mentoring projects. Requires the Corporation to evaluate this Act's programs and provide training and technical assistance to grant fund recipients that is based on support from the national network of mentoring partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008
Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act - Makes appropriations for FY2008 for payments under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (LIHEAP Program).
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should: (1) identify global conservation goals that help ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and protect biological diversity in terrestrial and marine environments of developing countries; and (2) work with donor nations and international organizations in support of such goals.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2008
Encourages all Americans to pause and remember Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner and the 44th anniversary of their deaths. Commemorates their lives and work, and those of all other brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of civil rights and voting rights for all Americans. Commemorates and acknowledges the legacy of the brave Americans who participated in the civil rights movement and the role that they played in changing the hearts and minds of Americans, and creating the political climate necessary to pass legislation to expand such rights.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2008
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to impose criminal penalties on an individual who assists an alien to enter the United States who has engaged in Nazi persecution or participated in genocide, torture, or extrajudicial killings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2008
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (Act) to reauthorize through FY2013 the juvenile delinquency prevention programs of such Act. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Office) to include in the annual report of the Office information on juveniles held in state and local secure detention and correctional facilities, the treatment of status offenders (e.g., runaways, truants), and evidence based programs for juvenile delinquency prevention. Expands requirements for state plans under the Act to require: (1) statewide compliance with the core requirement of the Act for protection of incarcerated juveniles; (2) alternatives to detention for juveniles who are status or first-time minor offenders; (3) use of community-based services to address the needs of at-risk youth; (4) programs to improve the recruitment, selection, training, and retention of professionals working in juvenile delinquency prevention programs; and (5) the identification of racial and ethnic disparities among juveniles in the juvenile justice system. Authorizes the Administrator to make incentive grants to state and local governments for juvenile delinquency prevention programs, including evidence based programs for the prevention and reduction of juvenile delinquency, personnel recruitment and training, and mental health and substance abuse screening and treatment. Includes mentoring programs as a permissible grant purpose under the Incentive Grant Program for Local Delinquency Prevention. Reauthorizes such grant program through FY2013.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2008
Permits Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, to lie in honor in the rotunda of the Capitol upon his death, so that U.S. citizens may pay their last respects to this great American.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2008
Honors the courage and humanity of Dr. Feng Shan Ho for acting at great personal risk to issue Chinese visas to Jews in Vienna between 1938 and 1940. Recognizes his heroic deeds in saving the lives of thousands of Jewish persons by allowing them to escape the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2008
Safe Aviation Facilities Ensure Aircraft Integrity and Reliability Act of 2008 or the SAFE AIR Act of 2008 - Requires the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to: (1) prescribe regulations requiring maintenance work on passenger aircraft to be performed by certain authorized individuals; (2) certify to Congress that the FAA has inspected each foreign repair station that has performed work on U.S. air carrier aircraft or components at least twice in the preceding year and tested persons who perform safety-sensitive functions at such stations for use of alcohol or controlled substances; and (3) develop a plan to identify all noncertified maintenance providers that have performed maintenance work on such aircraft. Prohibits the Administrator from certifying a foreign repair station unless it complies with certain final security regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2008
Designates June 20, 2008, as American Eagle Day. Applauds the issuance of bald eagle commemorative coins by the Secretary of the Treasury as a means of generating critical funds for the protection of bald eagles. Encourages educational entities, organizations, businesses, conservation groups, and government agencies with a shared interest in conserving endangered species to collaborate and develop educational tools for use in U.S. public schools.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of State to establish within the Department of State an Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. (Current law authorizes such Office's establishment.) Directs the President to implement an anti-trafficking program monitoring system. Authorizes the President to establish the Paul D. Wellstone Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Sets forth protections for aliens who: (1) may be trafficking victims or who may testify against traffickers (including parole entry for certain family members); (2) are work-based nonimmigrants; (3) are domestic workers; or (4) are employees of foreign diplomatic or other government personnel, or employees of international organization personnel. Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) assistance for trafficking victims, including child victims and U.S. citizens; (2) offenses of trafficking, forced labor, enticement into slavery, sex trafficking of children, and sex tourism. Directs the Secretary to develop: (1) policies and procedures to ensure that unaccompanied alien children in the United States are safely repatriated to their country of nationality or of last habitual residence; and (2) a safe repatriation pilot program for alien children. States, with specified exceptions, that the care and custody of unaccompanied alien children in the United States shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Sets forth related provisions and authorizations of appropriations. Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 - Prohibits, with a national interest waiver, funds for specified military and related areas from being made available to the government of a country identified by the Department as having governmental armed forces or government supported armed groups that recruit and use child soldiers. 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. 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 implementation of measures to demobilize child soldiers and for programs to support professionalization of the military. Makes it a federal crime to recruit or use child soldiers. Makes such recruitment or use a grounds for an alien's removal from the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. Requires the coin design to be emblematic of the 100 years of the organization. Restricts issuance of such coins to February 8 through December 31, 2010. Subjects coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin. Requires payment of such surcharges to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation, to be made available to local councils in the form of grants for the extension of Scouting in hard-to-serve areas.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Designates August 2008 as Digital Television Transition Awareness Month to increase public awareness and encourage consumers to learn about the government coupon program for obtaining converter boxes. Encourages consumers to make the transition well before the conversion date (February 17, 2009). Encourages local nonprofit organizations to assist households in applying for the coupons and installing converter boxes and to educate consumers about websites and other sources of transition information.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2008
Authorizes the use of the Capitol rotunda on June 18, 2008, for a ceremony to honor the only living veteran of the First World War, Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles, as a tribute and recognition of all U.S. military members who served in the First World War.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2008
Access, Compassion, Care, and Ethics for Seriously Ill Patients Act or the ACCESS Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to permit an investigational drug, biological product, or device to be made available for expanded access under a treatment investigational new drug application or treatment investigational device exemption if specified Compassionate Investigational Access requirements are met. Gives immunity to the manufacturer, distributor, administrator, sponsor, or physician from suit or liability relating to products approved under this Act. Establishes a procedure for accelerated approval of an investigational drug, biological product, or device that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit to a patient suffering from a serious or life-threatening condition. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) the Accelerated Approval Advisory Committee; (2) a new program to expand access to investigational treatments for individuals with serious or life threatening conditions and diseases; and (3) a demonstration project under the Medicare program to pay for drugs, biological, products, and devices approved under this Act. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the definition of "medically accepted indication" to provide for coverage of a covered Part D drug based on the sponsor's or organization's determination that the drug is for a medically accepted indication. Requires the Secretary to consider the clinical judgment and risks to the patient from the disease or condition in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drugs, biological products, and devices that treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions, including the evaluation of nonstatistical information. Requires any committee evaluating investigational drugs, devices, or biological product applications to have at least two patient representatives as voting members.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2008
Declares that the Senate: (1) honors Lyndon B. Johnson for bringing about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965; (2) extols his contributions to the United States; and (3) commends him for establishing the Medicare Act of 1965. Recognizes the 100th birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president and designer of the Great Society.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2008
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2008 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2012 the grant program for armor vests for law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2008
Honoring Our Nation's Obligation to Returning Warriors Act or HONOR Warriors Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide scholarships to individuals pursuing education or training in behavioral health care specialties that are critical to the operations of Vet Centers (centers for readjustment counseling and related mental health services for veterans) in order to recruit and retain individuals with such specialties for service in Vet Centers. Conditions the scholarship agreeing to serve in such a capacity for whatever period the Secretary specifies in the agreement. Makes any Armed Forces member who serves in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers regardless of whether the member is on active duty at the time of receipt of counseling and services. Directs the Secretary, on receipt of a request for counseling from an individual who has been discharged or released from active service, to: (1) provide referrals to assist the individual in obtaining mental health care and services outside the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (2) if pertinent, advise such individual of the individual's rights to apply for review of the discharge or release. Treats the suicide of a former member that occurs within two years after separation or retirement, if the member had a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as a death in line of duty for purposes of the survivors' eligibility to burial benefits and benefits under the Survivor Benefit Plan, laws administered by the Secretary, and the Social Security Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide emotional support services for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces and deceased veterans through the survivors' peers. Directs the Secretary of the Army to carry out at Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of various means of enhancing awareness among members of the Army of PTSD.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2008
World War II War Crimes Accountability Act of 2008 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States should encourage extradition and prosecution of the remaining Nazi war criminals; (2) the Simon Wiesenthal Center should be commended for its historic work in bringing to light the atrocities of the Holocaust and in advancing justice for Nazi war criminals through Operation: Last Chance; and (3) the Office of Special Investigation of the Department of Justice is advancing U.S. foreign policy by bringing wanted World War II criminals to justice and should be commended for its actions. Directs the Attorney General, in evaluating the effect on U.S. law enforcement and security interests for purposes of a country's eligibility for visa waiver program designation, to consider the extent to which such country is: (1) cooperating in extraditing or prosecuting Nazi war criminals; and (2) admitting into its territory aliens ordered removed from the United States because of participation in Nazi persecution, genocide, torture, or extrajudicial killing. Authorizes the President, after congressional notification, to not terminate a country's designation based upon such evaluation if in the national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2008
Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a group health plan from: (1) denying an eligible participant or beneficiary participation in clinical trials related to the treatment of cancer that are federally funded or conducted under an investigational new drug application reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); (2) denying (or limiting or imposing additional conditions on) the coverage of routine patient costs for items and services furnished in connection with such participation; or (3) discriminating against an individual on the basis of such participation. Includes as routine patient costs all items and services provided in the clinical trial that are otherwise generally available to a qualified individual, with certain exceptions. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study the impact on group health plans and health insurance issuers of requiring them to cover routine patient care costs for individuals with serious and life threatening diseases other than cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2008
Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act - Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to revise requirements for services provided under grants from the Secretary of Health and Human Services for centers for runaway and homeless youth and their families. Limits the length of stay in such a center to 21 days. Increases grant allotments for states and specified U.S. territories. Requires the plan proposed by grant applicants for a runaway and homeless youth center to include an adequate emergency preparedness and management plan. Revises requirements for transitional living programs to provide for a longer length of stay. Requires the Secretary to give priority (currently, special consideration) to grant applicants for specified research, evaluation, demonstration, and service projects. Modifies selection and priority factors for such grants. Requires the Secretary to report periodically to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate estimates of the incidence and prevalence of runaway and homeless individuals between 13 to 26 years of age. Requires the Secretary to: (1) give priority to public and, as under current law, nonprofit private agencies for sexual abuse programs; (2) conduct a national homeless youth awareness campaign; (3) establish performance standards for grant recipients; and (4) establish appeals procedures regarding amounts or denials of such grants. Redefines "homeless youth" for purposes of such transitional living programs to extend the age limit to 21. Defines "runaway youth" as an individual under age 18 who absents himself or herself from home or place of legal residence without the permission of parents or legal guardians.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2008
Free Speech Protection Act of 2008 - Allows any U.S. person against whom a lawsuit for defamation is brought in a foreign country on the basis of the content of any speech by that person that has been published, uttered, or otherwise disseminated in the United States to bring an action in a U.S. district court against any person who, or entity which, brought the suit, if the speech at issue in the foreign lawsuit does not constitute defamation under U.S. law. Allows the award of treble damages if it is determined by a preponderance of the evidence that the person or entity bringing the foreign lawsuit intentionally engaged in a scheme to suppress rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution by discouraging publishers or other media from publishing, or by discouraging financial supporters from employing, retaining, or supporting the research, writing, or other speech of an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2008
Community Safety Initiative Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make grants in FY2009-FY2014 to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to carry out its Community Safety Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2008
Authorizes the National District Attorneys Association to use the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, for a training program to improve the professional skills of state and local prosecutors and to enhance the ability of federal, state, and local prosecutors to work together. Authorizes the National Advocacy Center to provide comprehensive legal education in trial practice, provide substantive legal updates, and support staff training.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2008
Recognizes May 15, 2008, as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the federal, state, and local law enforcement officers that have been killed or disabled in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2008
Encouraging Mortgage Modifications Act of 2008 - Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to set forth duties of mortgage servicers regarding certain loan modifications or workout plans that affect pooled qualified residential mortgages. Specifies among such duties the duty to: (1) determine if the net present value of the payments on the modified loan is likely to be greater than the anticipated net recovery that would result from foreclosure to all investors and parties having a direct or indirect interest in the pooled loans or securitization vehicle; and (2) act in the best interests of all such investors and parties, if the servicer agrees to or implements a qualified loan modification or workout plan for a qualified residential mortgage, or takes other reasonable loss mitigation actions, including accepting partial payments or short sale of the property, if such efforts are unsuccessful or infeasible. Shields from liability a servicer who enters into a qualified loan modification or workout plan if the servicer acts in a manner consistent with such duties.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2008
Recognizes and commends the significant contributions of the youth of the United States and encourages the cultivation of a civic bond among young people dedicated to serving their neighbors, their communities, and the nation. Designates April 25, 2008, as Global Youth Service Day.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2008
Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and supports the goals and ideals of such Month. Urges national and community organizations, private businesses, colleges and universities, and the media to promote, through such Month, awareness of sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
Welcomes Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his first pastoral visit to the United States and recognizes the unique insights his moral and spiritual reflections bring to the world stage.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2008
Recognizes the historic significance of the 60th anniversary of the reestablishment of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people. Reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. Commends the people of Israel for their achievements in building a new state and a pluralistic democratic society. Reaffirms support for Israel's right to defend itself against threats to its security and existence. Extends congratulations and best wishes to Israel and the Israeli people for a peaceful and successful future.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2008
Military Personnel Citizenship Processing Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Office of the FBI Liaison in United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which shall monitor and assist with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) functions related to expeditiously processing naturalization applications filed by members and former members of the Armed Forces. Amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that USCIS, within six months of receipt of a naturalization application filed by a member of the Armed Forces: (1) process and adjudicate the application; or (2) provide the applicant with an explanation for the inability to meet such deadline and an estimate of the adjudication date. Repeals the provisions of this Act five years after the date of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2008
Makes technical corrections to provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 which provide special immigrant status for certain Iraqis employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security or State to convert approved petitions for such status with respect to which visas are not immediately available to approved petitions for petitions filed before October 1, 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2008
Declares that the Senate: (1) recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act and the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988; (2) supports activities to recognize and celebrate the historical milestone represented by the anniversaries of their enactment; and (3) encourages all levels of government to rededicate themselves to the enforcement and the ideals of fair housing laws.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2008
Urges President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA), who is also head of the Fatah Party, to officially abrogate the 10 articles from the Fatah Constitution that call for the destruction of Israel and terrorism against Israel, oppose any political solution, and label Zionism as racism.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2008
Honors the service and sacrifice of, and identifies, the 4,009 men and women who lost their lives in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and 487 men and women who lost their lives in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, as of April 3, 2008. Honors their families and loved ones.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2008
Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2008 or the SHOP Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate an office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer a health insurance program for small businesses and self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance coverage meeting certain requirements. Establishes a Small Business Health Board to monitor the implementation of the program and make recommendations for improvements. Requires the Administrator of the program to: (1) enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to provide health insurance coverage under this Act; and (2) enter into agreements with entities to serve as navigators to provide information about the program and assist in enrollment. Requires a participating employer to ensure that each eligible employee has an opportunity to enroll in a plan. Sets forth requirements for health plans offered under this Act. Requires the Administrator to contract with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to study the rating requirements that apply to health insurance purchased in the small group markets in the states and to develop recommendations concerning rating requirements. Sets forth premium-setting rules for plans under this Act. Allows a state to prohibit participation in this program if the state offers alternative health benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for small employers for qualified employee health insurance expenses under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2008
Employment Access for Recidivism Reduction Nationwide or the EARN Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) promote the work opportunity tax credit program by reducing backlogs of employer applications for certifications under such program and by increasing awareness of the availability of such credit; and (2) increase the number of fidelity bonds purchased and issued by states through the Federal Bonding Program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the work opportunity tax credit for employers who employ ex-felons hired under certain federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2008
Declares that: (1) time on a budget resolution may only be yielded back by consent; (2) no first degree amendment may be proposed after the 10th hour of debate on such legislation unless it has been submitted to the Journal Clerk before the expiration of such hour; (3) no second degree amendment may be proposed after the 20th hour of debate on a budget resolution unless it has been submitted to such Clerk before the expiration of the 20th hour; (4) the budget resolution shall be set aside for one calendar day, after up to 40 hours of debate, so that all filed amendments are printed and made available in the Congressional Record before debate continues; and (5) provisions contained in such measure or its amendments shall exclude programmatic detail not within the Senate Committee on the Budget's jurisdiction. Permits waiver or suspension of such requirements, or successful appeals from rulings of the Chair, only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60) of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2008
Clean Boating Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to provide that no permit shall be required by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for the discharge from a recreational vessel of graywater, bilge water, cooling water, weather deck runoff, oil water separator effluent, or effluent from properly functioning marine engines or for any other discharge that is incidental to the normal operation of such vessel. Defines a "recreational vessel" as any vessel that is leased, rented, or chartered to a person for that person's pleasure or that is manufactured or used primarily for pleasure, excluding vessels that are subject to Coast Guard inspection and that are engaged in commercial use or that carry paying passengers. Requires the Administrator to: (1) develop management practices for recreational vessels to mitigate the adverse impacts on U.S. waters of discharges incidental to normal vessel operation (excluding sewage) in any case in which the Administrator determines that the use of those practices is reasonable and practicable; and (2) promulgate federal standards of performance (which may distinguish among vessel types) for each discharge for which such a management practice is developed. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations governing the design, construction, installation, and use of management practices for recreational vessels as necessary to meet such standards. Prohibits the owner or operator of a recreational vessel from operating in U.S. waters if such owner or operator is not using applicable management practices in compliance with such regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2008
Child Protection Improvements Act of 2008 - Amends the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to direct the Attorney General to provide for a program for national criminal history background checks for child-serving organizations. Amends the PROTECT Act to provide for an extension of the Child Safety Pilot Program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2008
Amends federal transportation law to allow certain air carriers that hold or operate air carrier slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which are used for scheduled air service between that airport and a large hub airport, to use such slots also to provide nonstop air transportation service between Reagan National Airport and another airport more than 1,250 statute miles away (perimeter rule limit).
![Official portrait of Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000709_200.jpg)