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Education

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301 records in US in 2007

Records

Bill· SS. 1996 (110th)referred

A bill to reauthorize the Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to rename part D (Achievement through Technology and Innovation) and reauthorize it through FY2013. Alters the current program to require states to use a portion of their allotted funds to develop challenging academic content and achievement standards to ensure that students are technologically literate before the end of grade eight. Specifies that such standards are only for tracking technological literacy and not for assessing adequate yearly progress (AYP) under title I. Permits technological literacy testing to be embedded in other state tests or performance-based assessments portfolios, or made through other valid and reliable means. Requires states to use the bulk of their part D allotment for two new subgrant programs for local educational agencies (LEAs), devoting: (1) 60% for formula subgrants to improve teaching and learning through technology; and (2) 40% for competitive subgrants for systemic school redesign through technology integration. Requires LEAs to: (1) include a new or updated local long-range strategic educational technology plan in their applications; (2) use a specified percentage of each subgrant for teacher training; and (3) use each subgrant to acquire and apply technology to identify individual student learning needs and support individualized learning. Allows LEAs that receive funds for both programs to use all the funds for systemic school redesign through technology integration program activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) conduct an annual national study and report on the extent to which student technology literacy is attained by grade eight; (2) annually publish the results of state technology literacy assessments; and (3) implement, and update every five years, a National Education Technology Plan. Requires the Secretary to award a competitive grant to an education technology research entity, or a partnership comprising such an entity and one or more educational, nonprofit, or research entities, to establish a National Center for Achievement Through Technology that will identify and disseminate promising practices and exemplary programs that effectively use educational technologies.

Bill· SS. 2004 (110th)open

A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish epilepsy centers of excellence in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate, establish, and operate at least six Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care facilities as locations for epilepsy centers of excellence. Requires the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals for the designation of such centers. Requires the Secretary to designate a VHA national coordinator for epilepsy programs to: (1) supervise the operation of the centers; (2) coordinate and support throughout the VA health-care system better access to diagnosis, research, care, and education for epilepsy and traumatic brain injury; and (3) conduct regular evaluations of the centers.

Bill· SS. 2014 (110th)referred

A bill to provide for statewide longitudinal data systems to improve elementary and secondary education, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive five-year matching grants to states to build or upgrade statewide pre- through high-school longitudinal data systems that include: (1) unique and consistent statewide student identifiers; (2) the ability to track student participation and performance over time; (3) unique and consistent statewide teacher identifiers that match student records to the appropriate teacher; and (4) the ability to link their data to data from higher education, workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, and military services information systems. Increases the state match required as a grant matures. Authorizes the Secretary to award matching grants to states to build the capacity of educators and policymakers, at the local educational agency and school level, to use data and data systems by: (1) training educational personnel to effectively collect, report, and use data; (2) developing processes to analyze and disseminate the best approaches for using the data systems to enhance teaching and learning; and (3) aligning statewide longitudinal data systems with local student information management systems and curriculum or instructional management systems. Provides such funding as is necessary to support a state education data center and state educational data coordinators.

Bill· SS. 2005 (110th)referred

Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to award grants for: (1) educational campaigns on the health consequences of secondhand smoke in multiunit housing; and (2) projects to demonstrate ways of educating the public about the health consequences of secondhand smoking in public spaces, including public parks, playgrounds, and national parks. Directs the Secretary to award grants for regional or local education programs to provide health care providers and workers with minimum tobacco cessation training as part of their ongoing education. Allows the Secretary to contract, where appropriate, with public health organizations for evaluations of tobacco dependence treatment and educational programs under this Act.

Bill· SS. 2001 (110th)referred

All Students Can Achieve Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

All Students Can Achieve Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise and augment programs created or amended under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Requires states to implement: (1) data systems capable of tracking individual student performance over time and linking such performance to teachers, programs, and services; and (2) highly effective teacher and principal rating systems based primarily on objective measures of student achievement. Allows states that meet these requirements to use a growth model in calculating students' adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward academic performance standards. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) provide professional development and support to teachers and principals not rated as highly effective; and (2) remove them if they fail to attain such rating over specified periods. Provides grants to states for innovative programs to: (1) reform teacher training, compensation, tenure, and assignment policies; and (2) implement school-based reward systems. Requires states to distribute equitably nonfederal funds and effective teachers and principals among their LEAs and schools. Targets increased school improvement grant funds to states on the basis of their share of schools not making AYP. Directs the National Assessment Governing Board to create voluntary: (1) American content and performance standards and assessments in language arts or reading, mathematics, and science for grades 3 through 12; and (2) high-quality alternative assessments for disabled and limited English proficient (LEP) students. Requires states to establish P-16 stewardship commissions to align state learning standards with college and workplace needs. Differentiates the reforms for schools needing comprehensive intervention and those needing focused intervention on the basis of whether the school is identified as needing improvement due to the failure of one-half or more, or less than one-half of its students, respectively. Makes students at schools needing comprehensive intervention or in failing subgroups that are the subject of focused intervention eligible for supplemental educational services when intervention begins. Requires students to meet state proficiency standards in science by the 2019-2020 school year. Permits states to: (1) use alternative academic achievement standards for disabled students; and (2) determine AYP for LEP students by excluding new arrivals and including former LEP students. Establishes an Adjunct Teachers Corps grant program to recruit and train professionals and individuals with subject-matter expertise to teach secondary school courses in core subjects. Allows low-income students from schools in need of comprehensive intervention to transfer (with federal funds to follow) to schools served by other LEAs if they are unable to transfer to schools that are not in need of such intervention within their current LEA service area. Requires public charter schools to receive funding commensurate with that provided to other public schools. Requires each state to designate an office or position to oversee the implementation of parental involvement requirements. Provides for the incorporation of universal design for learning principles in the choice of educational standards, assessments, curricula, methods, materials, and technology. Increases funding for research and development on primary and secondary education reform. Awards grants to states and, through them, subgrants to LEAs for specified activities designed to facilitate participation in the mainstream school environment by homeless and foster care students. Includes the graduation rate of each secondary school subgroup in AYP determinations. Requires LEAs to implement districtwide school improvement plans if at least one-half of their: (1) students failed to make AYP in the preceding year; or (2) schools failed to make AYP for such year and suffer from low attendance rates.

Resolution· SRESS.Res. 301 (110th)passed

A resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, one of the most significant events in the American civil rights movement.

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Recognizes the extraordinary bravery and courage of the Little Rock Nine (the first African-American students at Little Rock Central High School). Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School. Encourages all people of the United States to reflect on the importance of this event and acknowledges that continued efforts and resources should be directed to enable all children to achieve equal opportunity in education in the United States.

Bill· HRH.R. 3438 (110th)referred

Bullying and Gang Reduction for Improved Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Bullying and Gang Reduction for Improved Education Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to add bullying and gang prevention to the violence and drug abuse prevention activities currently supported under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program. Provides that, in addition to fostering a safe and drug-free learning environment, such program should facilitate healthy, physically active lifestyles. Makes local park and recreation agencies eligible for funding under the program's mentoring programs for children.

Bill· HRH.R. 3426 (110th)referred

Flexibility for Individual Excellence in Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Flexibility for Individual Excellence in Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the requirement that teachers be highly qualified by: (1) applying it only to teachers of core subjects; (2) allowing new middle or secondary school teachers to teach subjects for which they earned a college minor; (3) allowing greater consideration to be given to the time experienced teachers have spent teaching a subject; and (4) extending the deadline for rural teachers to meet such requirements. Provides additional funding for rural teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development activities. Allows state determinations of students' adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards to: (1) assess disabled students at the instructional level most closely corresponding to their individualized education plans; and (2) use growth models and multiple measures of student achievement. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to identify schools as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring only if they fail to make AYP in the same subject for the same group of students over the requisite period of time. Provides school transfers and supplemental services to students in the failing group, rather than to all students in an affected school. Gives LEAs the option of providing such students with supplemental services rather than transfers for the year following a school's identification as needing improvement.

Bill· HRH.R. 3406 (110th)referred

Success in the Middle Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Success in the Middle Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make matching grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle school improvement plans that describe what students must master to successfully complete the middle grades and matriculate to an academically rigorous high school; and (2) award competitive matching subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop and implement a comprehensive local middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Favors LEAs with high proportions of poor children and eligible schools. Defines "eligible schools" as those where: (1) a majority of middle grade students matriculate to high schools with graduation rates below 60%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade five exhibit key risk factors or warning signs for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts. Permits states to make subgrants to LEAs that did not receive a competitive subgrant to assist them in applying for competitive subgrants and developing comprehensive local middle school improvement plans. Provides the Secretary with funding to: (1) create a national clearinghouse in best middle level educational practices and a national database identifying factors that facilitate or impede middle grade student achievement; (2) require certain educational field research designed to enhance the performance of middle grade schools and students; (3) create a research and development center that addresses topics pertinent to middle grade schools; and (4) provide grants to entities that partner with states and LEAs to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing middle grade schools.

Bill· HRH.R. 3378 (110th)referred

College Affordability for Working Students Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

College Affordability for Working Students Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to carry out a Demonstration Loan program providing guaranteed and direct loans to less than half-time students for not more than six terms, semesters, or substantially equivalent periods of enrollment over the duration of the students' studies. Limits program participation to up to 100 institutions of higher education or consortia of IHEs. Requires program loans to be: (1) subject to deferral of repayment while the borrower is enrolled as a student, even if less than half-time; and (2) repaid pursuant to a repayment plan selected by the borrower that commences six months after the borrower's enrollment ends. Authorizes the Secretary to waive, for IHE participants, certain requirements limiting what may be included in the cost of attendance for less than half-time students.

Bill· HRH.R. 3439 (110th)referred

Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to implement a demonstration project providing competitive, four-year grants to at least 10 secondary schools that have a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of 60% or lower, for the provision of additional school counselors and counselor resources. Expresses the sense of Congress that grantees should provide one additional counselor for every 250 students at risk. Requires the additional school counselors to serve primarily students identified as being at risk of not graduating in four years. Makes grantees that demonstrate progress in improving their graduation rates eligible for subsequent grants.

Bill· HRH.R. 3419 (110th)referred

Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2007 - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to create an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services within the Department of Education to improve specialized instructional support services in schools. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Reduced Barriers to Learning program authorizing the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states to: (1) establish or expand specialized instructional support services and programs at the state level that are designed to provide technical assistance, coordination, and support to specialized instructional support services and programs that address barriers to learning within local educational agencies and individual schools; and (2) to hire and support specialized instructional support services coordinators to provide such assistance, coordination, and support. Replaces pupil services and pupil services personnel with specialized instructional support services and specialized instructional support personnel. Defines such services as those provided by school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified professionals that provide assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other necessary services as part of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.

Bill· HRH.R. 3409 (110th)referred

Place to Call Home Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Place to Call Home Act - Amends and reauthorizes the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to increase funding for the safe and stable families program. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to substance abuse prevention and the treatment performance partnership block grant program. Amends SSA title IV part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) with respect to the curtailment of involuntary separation of children from their families. Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to prohibit the involuntary separation of youth from their families. Provides for: (1) expanded eligibility for foster care and adoption assistance; (2) kinship guardianship assistance payments; (3) eligibility for foster care maintenance payments and adoption assistance payments through age 20; and (4) youth access to the child welfare system. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Reauthorization of 2008 - Reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a national homeless youth awareness campaign. Revises requirements for the use of funds under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. Directs the Attorney General to establish a Youth Offender Reentry Grants program. Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to provide for transitional housing assistance for youth victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified homeless youth a targeted group of the work opportunity credit. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 with respect to unaccompanied youth access to workforce investment activities. Amends the Public Health Service Act with respect to the prioritization of services for runaway, homeless, and street youth. Provides for enhanced youth access to medical assistance under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act with respect to the access of homeless children and youths to elementary and secondary education, including grants to increase student attendance. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to financial assistance for disconnected students and continued access to student housing for homeless youth. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide for section 8 rental assistance (housing choice vouchers) for homeless youth. Amends SSA title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) with regard to young family concerns. Outlines requirements for custody, release, family reunification, and detention of unaccompanied immigrant youth, including: (1) access to child advocates and counsel; and (2) children's asylum claims. Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 with respect to the deinstitutionalization of status offenders.

Bill· HRH.R. 3414 (110th)referred

Veterans Upward Bound Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Veterans Upward Bound Improvement Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit members of the Armed Forces Reserves who served on active duty in support of a contingency operation on or after September 11, 2001, from being deemed ineligible for participation in federal TRIO programs due to age. (TRIO programs prepare disadvantaged students for, and support their pursuit of, postsecondary education.)

Bill· HRH.R. 3368 (110th)referred

Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to expand, intensify, and coordinate the Institute's pulmonary hypertension research activities. Requires the Director to establish a Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Research Network to conduct clinical trials to evaluate new treatment approaches for pulmonary hypertension and facilitate collaboration among investigators with expertise in pulmonary hypertension. Directs the network to include: (1) a steering committee; and (2) an Institute project scientist. Provides for the establishment of a national Pulmonary Hypertension Preceptorship and Training Program to facilitate the direct education and training of medical professionals by experienced pulmonary hypertension specialists in clinical settings. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information regarding pulmonary hypertension. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Director of CDC, to develop and disseminate to health care providers information on pulmonary hypertension to ensure that providers remain informed about the disease, its presenting symptoms, and current treatment options. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the coverage standards that apply to individuals with pulmonary hypertension under Medicare and Medicaid.

Bill· HRH.R. 3373 (110th)referred

Catalyst to Better Diabetes Care Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Catalyst to Better Diabetes Care Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish an outreach program to: (1) identify existing efforts to increase awareness of the diabetes and screening benefit among Medicare beneficiaries and providers; and (2) maximize economies of scale, cost-effectiveness, and resource allocation in increasing utilization of the Medicare diabetes screening program. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish an advisory group to examine and recommend best practices of chronic illness employee wellness incentivization and disease management programs. Directs the Secretary to prepare, biennially, a diabetes report card for the nation and for each state that: (1) is adaptable by state and local agencies in order to rate or report local diabetes care, costs, and prevalence; and (2) includes trend analysis in order to track progress in meeting established national goals and objectives and to inform policy and program development. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the collection, analysis, and publication of data on the prevalence and incidence of type 1 and 2 diabetes and of pre-diabetes. Requires such activities to include an assessment of diabetes as a primary or underlying cause of death. Allows the Secretary to promote the addition to death certificates of language to improve the collection of diabetes mortality data. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study of the impact of diabetes on the practice of medicine in the United Sates and the level of diabetes medical education that should be required prior to licensure, board certification, and board recertification.

Bill· HRH.R. 3374 (110th)open

Small Community Visioning Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Small Community Visioning Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to eligible recipients for small community visioning processes to: (1) help small communities address pressing local needs; (2) facilitate coordination between small communities, land-grant and other universities, and design professionals; (3) encourage public-private partnerships; and (4) develop design projects that integrate physical planning and design techniques with sustainable community action.

Bill· HRH.R. 3407 (110th)referred

Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow states to allocate school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA for coordinated, early intervention services for all students. Includes among such services, schoolwide positive behavior support, defined as a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior with all students. Requires improvements in schoolwide learning climates, including schoolwide positive behavior supports, to be a target of: (1) technical assistance provided by states to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools, and by LEAs to schools identified as needing improvement; (2) schoolwide programs that allow LEAs to consolidate educational funds to upgrade the entire educational program of schools that serve a high proportion of low-income families; (3) funding under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program; (4) elementary and secondary school counseling programs; and (5) professional development funding. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish, within the Department of Education, an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services to oversee and implement the provision of specialized instructional support services in schools by school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified professionals.

Bill· HRH.R. 3394 (110th)referred

Support Our Schools With Quality Teaching Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Support Our Schools With Quality Teaching Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive five-year grants to up to 250 local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, support, and retain highly qualified and effective teachers through participation in the Targeted High Need Initiative Take One! program of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Gives priority to LEAs that have: (1) the highest number of disadvantaged students; (2) the highest number of schools identified for school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring; and (3) the lowest number of teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Requires LEAs to use such grants to: (1) partner with institutions of higher education or other appropriate entities in conducting grant activities; (2) provide teachers participating in the Take One! program with training, mentoring, and technological resources; (3) cover the assessment fee for teachers who apply for certification by such Board and agree to teach at the participating school for at least three years after their certification; (4) provide specified monetary awards to teachers and their sponsoring schools after completion of the Take One! program; and (5) conduct an independent evaluation of such program's affect on teaching quality and student performance.

Bill· HRH.R. 3357 (110th)referred

To reauthorize the National Writing Project.

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to raise monetary caps on the federal share of National Writing Project teacher training costs. Reauthorizes the National Writing Project through FY2013.

Bill· HRH.R. 3441 (110th)referred

Instructional Leadership Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Instructional Leadership Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, or partnerships or consortia which include at least one of those entities to develop innovative programs and sites (such as leadership development schools) to train school principals in instructional leadership skills. Requires the Secretary to award additional competitive grants to states or partnerships or consortia which include states for pilot programs that evaluate and promote the incorporation of instructional leadership standards into state principal certification or licensure. Directs the Secretary to establish a definition of "highly-qualified principal" that is based on reports from this Act's grantees and emphasizes instructional leadership standards.

Bill· HRH.R. 3450 (110th)referred

College Student Success Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

College Student Success Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot program awarding competitive, matching, Student Success grants to institutions of higher education in which, during the preceding three-year period, an average of at least 50% of entering first-year students were enrolled in developmental courses to bring their reading, writing, or mathematics skills up to college-level. Requires the grants to be used to help Pell grant eligible students persevere in postsecondary education, beginning from their first year of study. Requires such help to include the assignment of a Student Success Coach to every student participant to provide intensive career and academic advising, ongoing personal help in navigating college services, and assistance in connecting to community resources that can help students overcome family and personal challenges to success. Gives grant priority to schools proposing to replicate policies and practices that have proven effective in increasing persistence and completion by low-income students or students in need of developmental education. Provides that the size of each grant shall be based on the number of a grantee's student participants; but limits each school to no more than 200 participants each academic year. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grantees who, after three years, are not significantly improving their student participants' perseverance in their studies.

Bill· HRH.R. 3379 (110th)referred

To amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include the Territory of Guam in the list of affected areas with respect to which claims relating to atmospheric nuclear testing shall be allowed, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include the Territory of Guam among the affected areas for which health claims relating to atmospheric nuclear testing are allowed. Sets forth periods of required presence during testing periods for persons in Guam filing leukemia or specified disease claims. Authorizes assistance for residents of Guam not otherwise covered, to be determined on a case-by-case basis by the National Cancer Institute. Makes covered individuals eligible for the costs of screening, follow-up referrals, work-up diagnosis, and disease-specific treatment. Directs the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct an education program about the health risks of fallout exposure from the U.S. nuclear-weapons testing.

Bill· HRH.R. 3430 (110th)referred

Mental Health in Schools Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Mental Health in Schools Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make changes to the program to apply a public health approach to mental health services, including by revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. Makes only a consortium that includes at least one educational agency eligible for such funding. Allows such a consortium to: (1) include a community program, an agency that is involved in mental health, or a school; and (2) consist of a consortium in which the members select an agent (such as a local educational agency or community health care entity) to act on the consortium's behalf. Sets forth assurances required for eligibility, including assurances that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with relevant community-based entities that clearly states the responsibilities of each consortium member; (2) the program will include comprehensive staff development for school and community service personnel working in the school and training for children with mental health disorders, for family members of such children, and for concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a process for evaluating grant program activities, including: (1) the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) the development of measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, to include student and family measures and local educational measures.

Bill· HRH.R. 3372 (110th)referred

Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2007

Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate to the public information on emergency contraception, including, at a minimum, a description of emergency contraception and an explanation of the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of such contraception. Requires that the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to develop and disseminate to health care providers, including pharmacists, information on emergency contraception that includes, at a minimum: (1) information describing the use, safety, efficacy, and availability of emergency contraception; (2) a recommendation regarding its use in appropriate cases; and (3) information explaining how to obtain copies of information from the CDC.

Law· SS. 1983 (110th)enacted

Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete an initial and subsequent registration review of each pesticide or pesticide case in specified periods. Requires registrants of pesticides to pay an annual fee for FY2008-FY2012. Revises provisions concerning the amount of such fees. Terminates the Administrator's authority regarding the administration of such fees on September 30, 2012. Prohibits the Administrator from levying any other fees for the registration of a pesticide except as provided under FIFRA until September 30, 2014. (Currently, this prohibition ends on September 30, 2010.) Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the Administrator from collecting tolerance fees until September 30, 2012. Authorizes the use of the Reregistration and Expedited Processing Fund for offseting the costs of registration review. Revises requirements concerning pesticide registration service fees, including allowing registration applications to be subject to additional fees and limiting any waiver, refund, credit, or other reduction of greater than 75% of such a fee. Provides for fee adjustments for pesticide registration applications received: (1) between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2010; and (2) on or after October 1, 2010. Requires the Administrator to waive 75% of the registration service fees payable by specified small businesses. (Currently, the Administrator is required to waive all such fees.) Specifies the amount in the Fund that shall be used for worker protection, partnership grants, and the pesticide safety education program for FY2008-FY2012. Prohibits fees from being assessed for a fiscal year unless the amount of appropriations for salaries, contracts, and expenses for the functions of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs for such year are at least equal to the amount of appropriations for functions in FY2002. Requires the Administrator, within specified periods, to conduct an initial screening of the content of the application and reject an application when it does not pass such screening. Requires additional content for reports on actions taken in regards to pesticide registration service fees. Provides for the phaseout of the requirement to pay and collect registration service fees in FY2013-FY2014. Terminates the requirement on September 30, 2014.

Bill· SS. 1978 (110th)referred

Co-Teaching Educator Professional Development Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Co-Teaching Educator Professional Development Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), or LEAs in collaboration with an institution of higher education, a teacher organization, or a state, to provide professional development and high-quality support for general education teachers and special education teachers, principals, and administrators that implement a co-teaching model that allows disabled students, with appropriate support and services, to be educated with their peers in the least restrictive environment.

Bill· SS. 1979 (110th)referred

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide for school improvement, comprehensive, high-quality multi-year induction and mentoring for new teachers, and professional development for experienced teachers, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist low-achieving, high-need schools that serve a high proportion of low-income students in implementing: (1) comprehensive, coherent, high-quality induction and mentoring programs for teachers during at least their first two years of full-time teaching; and (2) ongoing, high-impact professional development programs for teachers, principals, and administrators. Requires the induction and professional development programs to be: (1) integrated and aligned; (2) aligned with the state's school improvement efforts under title I of the ESEA; and (3) subject to a formal evaluation conducted by the state, institutions of higher education, or external agencies experienced in qualitative research. Permits LEAs to use school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA to supplement this Act's induction and professional development program grants.

Bill· SS. 1965 (110th)referred

Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to carry out a nationwide program to increase public awareness and provide education to promote the safe use of the Internet by children. Directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an Online Safety and Technology working group consisting of members of the business community, public interest groups, and other appropriate groups and federal agencies to review and evaluate industry efforts to promote online safety for children. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) require schools to educate minors about appropriate use of the Internet; and (2) impose a forfeiture penalty on carriers who violate requirements to report online child pornography. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to increase fines on providers of electronic communication or remote computing services who fail to report violations of child pornography laws. Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to: (1) require reporting of online child pornography to foreign law enforcement agencies (in addition to federal and state agencies); and (2) authorize the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to provide information or images relating to child pornography to providers of electronic communication or remote computing services to stop the further transmission of such pornography and develop anti-child pornography technologies and related industry best practices.

Bill· SS. 1970 (110th)open

Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, and Health Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Addressing the Disaster Needs of Children Act of 2007 - Establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission on Children and Disasters, which shall: (1) assess facts and causes relating to the needs of children before, during, and after all hazards, disasters, and emergencies, including child health and welfare, housing, and juvenile justice needs and emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities; (2) evaluate relevant laws and past events regarding the mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, coordination, and service delivery policies of federal, state, and local governments and nongovernmental entities relative to addressing such needs; and (3) report to the President and Congress. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Resource Center on Children and Disasters, which shall: (1) establish a clearinghouse for information and resources on issues relating to such needs; and (2) develop and maintain a website and related systems for disseminating information on such issues. Directs the Secretary to: (1) collaborate with any executive department and specified parties responsible for policies and regulations relevant to such needs; and (2) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation and the Attorney General to collaborate on the functions of the Center.

Bill· SS. 1967 (110th)referred

New Savers Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

New Savers Act - Requires the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to notify individual taxpayers of their options to: (1) have their income tax refunds electronically deposited to a designated bank account (e.g., savings account); and (2) purchase U.S. savings bonds when they file their federal income tax returns. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make grants to provide matching funds for clinics to assist low-income taxpayers in preparing and filing their federal income tax returns; (2) increase payments to financial institutions to offset the costs of opening electronic transfer accounts; and (3) provide grants to states to increase participation in qualified tuition programs by moderate and low-income families. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish performance measures to evaluate the extent to which Americans save and use the federal tax filing process to facilitate savings activities; (2) establish a program to support and promote the expansion of access to financial services and development of new financial products and services; (3) convene a federal advisory board to expand access to U.S. savings bonds; and (4) publish an annual report on the use of qualified tuition programs for paying tuition and other higher education costs. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a performance measure for the percentage of state benefit recipients who receive benefits by direct deposit into insured bank accounts. Establishes as a tax-exempt individual retirement account (IRA) a young savers account, to be treated in the same manner as a Roth IRA. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow tax credits for contributions to qualified tuition programs and Coverdell education savings accounts and for employer contributions to employee payroll savings plans; and (2) impose certain reporting requirements for managers of qualified tuition programs.

Bill· SS. 1981 (110th)referred

No Child Left Inside Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, as a prerequisite to receiving implementation grants, to develop environmental literacy plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Directs the Secretary to award Environmental Education Professional Development Grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or state or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the operation of model environmental education programs. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to nonprofit organizations, states, LEAs, or IHEs for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards; (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs; (3) research; and (4) creating new funding sources. Authorizes the use of grants to states out of the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund for activities incorporating field-based learning, service learning, and outdoor experiential learning into the curricula and instruction. Authorizes the use of funds under the Fund for the Improvement of Education program to advance environmental education. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to create an Office of Environmental Education to advance K-12 environmental education and administer environmental education grant programs.

Bill· SS. 1982 (110th)referred

United States Employee Ownership Bank Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

United States Employee Ownership Bank Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish the United States Employee Ownership Bank to foster increased employee ownership and greater employee participation in company decisionmaking throughout the United States. Requires the Bank to make: (1) loans (subordinated to the interests of all other creditors) and loan guarantees to employees to purchase a business through an employee stock ownership plan or eligible worker-owned cooperative; and (2) grants to states and nonprofit and cooperative organizations with experience in developing employee-owned businesses and worker-owned cooperatives to provide education, outreach, and technical assistance to such employee business efforts. Requires the Bank to insure such loans or loan guarantees against nonrepayment of the outstanding loan balance.

Bill· SS. 1980 (110th)referred

Long-term Care Quality and Modernization Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Long-term Care Quality and Modernization Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Service to conduct a demonstration program under which the Secretary shall require a state to establish a process for joint training and education of surveyors and providers for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities at least annually. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) and title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to set forth provisions related to resumption of nursing aid training programs for skilled nursing facilities after correction of deficiencies. Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities: (1) high cost and low probability cancer treatment drugs; and (2) all ambulance services. Authorizes a physician, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist to certify under Medicare that a prescribed series of blood glucose tests are medically required. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to establish a national nursing database to predict future nursing shortages. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide for a 15-year recovery period for qualified long-term care improvement property; (2) establish an investment tax credit for long-term care facility information technology; (3) establish tax-exempt long-term care trust accounts; (4) allow cash contributions to such accounts up to $5,000 annually; (5) allow an exclusion from gross income for certain distributions, including for long-term care services for chronically-ill individuals; (6) impose penalties for excess contributions to such accounts and for failure to provide required reports on such accounts; and (7) allow a refundable tax credit for 10% of the annual contributions to such accounts.

Bill· SS. 1942 (110th)referred

Public School Repair and Renovation Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Public School Repair and Renovation Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to allocate funds to states for competitive school repair and renovation grants to local educational agencies (LEAs). Requires each state, in awarding such grants, to: (1) award high-need and rural LEAs, in the aggregate, at least the same proportion of this Act's LEA funds for the state that they received of total LEA school improvement funds for the state under part A of Title I of the ESEA; and (2) consider the percentage of poor children LEAs serve, the condition of their public schools, and their fiscal capacity to cover repairs and renovations without such a grant. Directs each state to reserve a portion of their allocation for a state-level database of public school facility inventory, condition, design, and utilization. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the costs of, and public and private expenditures for, repairing, renovating, and constructing public elementary and secondary schools.

Bill· HRH.R. 3313 (110th)referred

Improving Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Improving Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality Act - Amends part B of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the inclusion of informal science education centers and business consortia as partners in the grant program to improve the quality of elementary and secondary school mathematics and science teachers. Requires the inclusion of teacher training departments of institutions of higher education in such partnerships, but removes state educational agencies as partnership participants. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such grants to states for redistribution as competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships. (Currently, the Secretary awards grants directly to such partnerships if appropriations do not exceed a specified amount.) Requires that grant priority be given to eligible partnerships that carry out activities modeled after programs which are to be identified and disseminated by the Secretary, in consultation and coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, for replication on a more expansive basis. Removes the provision of financial incentives to recruit and retain teachers from authorized grant uses. Reauthorizes appropriations for the programs under parts A and B of title II of the ESEA through FY2013.

Bill· HRH.R. 3324 (110th)referred

First Tee in Character Education Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

The First Tee in Character Education Act of 2007 - Amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a First Tee Life Skills program authorizing the Secretary of Education to award grants to states, local educational agencies (LEAs), nonprofit organizations, or partnerships of LEAs and such entities for youth development programs that give youth the opportunity to develop life-enhancing values though their participation in sports, such as golf. Directs grantees to provide, to the extent feasible and appropriate, for the participation of private elementary and secondary school teachers and students in program activities.

Bill· HRH.R. 3317 (110th)referred

GEAR UP Enhancement Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

GEAR UP Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) created to facilitate the transition of low-income high school students into postsecondary education. Establishes a seven year GEAR UP grant period. Requires grantees to provide services to students through their first year of postsecondary education. Revises GEAR UP matching requirements to allow: (1) matching funds to accrue over the duration of a grant; (2) grantees to request that the match be reduced; and (3) each non-federal dollar obligated for student financial aid to be treated as two dollars toward the match. Expands permissible uses of grant funds to include promoting student financial and economic literacy and facilitating family and community involvement in the program. Permits state grantees to use program funds for technical assistance to middle or secondary schools or partnership grantees located in the state. Provides that GEAR UP scholarships are to supplement aid to which students are already eligible. Alters the formula used in determining the minimum GEAR UP scholarship to factor in the minimum, rather than maximum, Pell Grant. Reauthorizes GEAR UP appropriations through FY2014.

Bill· HRH.R. 3345 (110th)referred

Substitute Teaching Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Substitute Teaching Improvement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive demonstration grants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between such LEAs and institutions of higher education or nonprofit education organizations for the establishment of comprehensive training programs to increase the effectiveness of substitute teaching. Requires LEAs to use such grants to: (1) train substitute teachers; (2) train principals and permanent teachers in effectively integrating substitute teachers into school operations; (3) develop a resource kit for substitute teachers; and (4) collect data on substitute teachers and practices for managing substitute teachers in participating districts. Directs the Secretary to commission an independent evaluation of the prevalence of substitute teaching and current state and local efforts to improve its effectiveness.

Bill· HRH.R. 3333 (110th)referred

Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2007

Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) develop an Internet Clearinghouse within the Office of Minority Health; (2) provide for programs of excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minorities; and (3) support demonstration projects designed to improve the health and health care of racial and ethnic minority groups through improved access to health care, patient navigators, primary prevention activities, health promotion and disease prevention activities, and health literacy education and services. Provides for grants to: (1) promote positive health behaviors; (2) implement culturally and linguistically appropriate, evidence-based, and community-driven sustainable strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic health and health care disparities; (3) implement systems of primary care practices to eliminate disparities in the delivery of health care and improve the health care provided to all patients; and (4) address long-standing unmet health needs in the Mississippi Delta. Requires the Secretary to establish the Health Action Zone Initiative demonstration program to support comprehensive state, tribal, or local initiatives to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority groups. Provides for research to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority groups. Requires the Secretary to ensure the collection of data from federally conducted or supported health programs by race, ethnicity, geographic location, socioeconomic position, primary language, and, when practicable, health literacy. Sets forth duties for the Office of Minority Health. Requires the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Minority Health.

Bill· SS. 1913 (110th)referred

No Child Left Behind Enhancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

No Child Left Behind Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter requirements for adequate yearly progress (AYP) assessments of student groups by: (1) lowering, from 95% to 90%, the minimum percentage of students in each group in a school that must take such assessments; (2) allowing the fractional counting of students who are in more than one group, for each such group; (3) allowing states to treat as proficient or advanced specified scores on alternate assessments for disabled students and those not proficient in English; and (4) allowing states to use alternative methods of defining AYP. Revises criteria for local educational agency (LEA) identification of schools needing improvement. Declares that only those meet such criteria that fail AYP standards, for two consecutive school years (as under current law), in the same subject for the same group of students. Revises eligibility criteria for school transfers after a school is identified as needing improvement. Declares that only failing students in the failing group, instead of all students in such a school, may transfer. Allows such schools to provide students with supplemental services rather than transfers during that school year. Requires states to develop procedures allowing LEAs to register complaints concerning approved supplemental service providers or those seeking the state's approval. Considers new middle or secondary school special education teachers to be highly qualified if, in addition to having a bachelor degree and high competence in their subject area, they have obtained a state special education certificate qualifying them to teach in the state.

Bill· SS. 1920 (110th)referred

GRADUATES Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

Getting Retention and Diplomas Up Among Today's Enrolled Students Act or the GRADUATES Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a Secondary School Innovation Fund program awarding competitive matching grants to partnerships, which must include at least one state or local educational agency, for the implementation of innovative strategies to improve the achievement of at-risk students in secondary schools. Permits partnerships to award subgrants to schools for the implementation of such strategies. Lists activities, one or more of which grantees or subgrantees must implement, that include: (1) creating multiple pathways that offer students a range of educational options aligned with their needs and interests and preparing them for postsecondary education and the workforce; (2) creating expanded learning time opportunities, such as arts, service, higher, and work-based education; (3) improving student transitions from middle school to high school or from high school to postsecondary education and the workforce; (4) increasing the autonomy and flexibility of secondary schools; (5) improving rural education through educational technology; (6) redesigning middle schools; and (7) improving teaching and increasing academic rigor at the secondary school level. Requires the Secretary to disseminate best practices in improving secondary school student achievement.

Bill· HRH.R. 3289 (110th)reported

PRE-K Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2007 or the PRE-K Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs. Sets forth a grant formula favoring states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early learning standards; (2) follow nationally-established best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to hold at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; and (4) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers hold at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education. Directs the Secretary to establish a competitive process for awarding grants to other states that demonstrate that they will meet such requirements within two fiscal years. Prohibits state grantees from reducing their preschool or child care expenditures. Includes among grant uses: (1) increasing the qualifications of, and benefits provided to, teachers, teacher aides, and program directors; (2) decreasing class size and improving teacher-to-student ratios; (3) providing certain comprehensive services that support healthy child development; (4) extending program hours per day and weeks per year; and (5) improving program monitoring and learning environments. Reserves funds for competitive grants to Indians for their preschool programs.

Bill· HRH.R. 3275 (110th)referred

U.S.-China Language Engagement Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

U.S.-China Language Engagement Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive three-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for innovative model programs establishing, improving, or expanding Chinese language and cultural studies instruction for their elementary school and secondary school students. Directs the Secretary to award grants to LEAs for use in acquiring communications technologies or equipment to improve Chinese language instruction in elementary schools and secondary schools through computer-assisted instruction, distance learning, and virtual exchanges with schools in China. Expresses the sense of Congress that increasing the number of students who receive substantial exposure to Chinese language and cultural studies before graduating from secondary school will enhance our global economic competitiveness in the 21st century.

Bill· HRH.R. 3291 (110th)referred

Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2007 - Requires local educational agencies to have in effect policies that deem to be reasonable and permissible a search of any minor student on public school grounds if conducted by a full-time teacher or school official, acting on any reasonable suspicion based on professional experience and judgment, to ensure that the school and students remain free from the threat of all weapons, dangerous materials, or illegal narcotics. Requires search measures to be reasonably related to search objectives, without being excessively intrusive in light of the nature of the offense and the student's age and sex. Denies Safe and Drug Free School funds, provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to local educational agencies that fail to comply with this Act.

Bill· HRH.R. 3274 (110th)referred

United States-China Energy Cooperation Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

United States-China Energy Cooperation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make grants to encourage cooperation between the United States and China in joint ventures involving: (1) joint energy and climate change policy education programs; and (2) joint research, development, or commercialization of carbon capture and sequestration technology, improved energy efficiency, or renewable energy sources. Requires joint ventures to be composed of both: (1) Chinese and United States private business entities; (2) Chinese academic persons (who reside and work in China) and U.S. academic persons; or (3) Chinese and U.S. federal, state, or local government entities.

Bill· HRH.R. 3273 (110th)referred

United States-China Market Engagement and Export Promotion Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

United States-China Market Engagement and Export Promotion Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) provide grants to states to establish and operate state offices in the People's Republic of China (PRC) to promote U.S. exports to PRC; (2) establish a program to create China market advocate positions in United States Export Assistance Centers in order to provide assistance to small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses in the export U.S. goods to PRC, including assistance for business-related expenses for trade missions to PRC; and (3) submit to Congress a plan to consolidate fees for Gold Key matching services provided to such U.S. businesses that export U.S. goods or services to more than one market in PRC. Amends the Small Business Act to require the Office of International Trade of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide guidance to U.S. small businesses with respect to the export of U.S. goods and services to PRC. Establishes in the Office a Director of China Program Grants. Directs the Administrator of SBA, acting through the Director of China Program Grants, to make grants to institutions of higher education to establish and operate Chinese business education programs.

Bill· HRH.R. 3290 (110th)referred

School Environment Protection Act of 2007

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

School Environment Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish a National School Integrated Pest Management Advisory System to develop and update uniform standards and criteria for implementing integrated pest management systems in schools; (2) establish a National School Integrated Pest Management Advisory Board; and (3) provide grants to local educational agencies to develop such systems. Prohibits: (1) the application of a pesticide when a school or school ground is occupied or in use; or (2) the use of an area or room treated by a pesticide, other than a least toxic pesticide, during the 24-hour period beginning at the end of the treatment. Requires each local educational agency or school to provide notice of the integrated pest management system of the school district at the beginning of each school year and to give prior notice of any use of a pesticide (other than a least toxic pesticide). Prescribes procedures to be followed if a pest cannot be controlled after having used an integrated pest management system and least toxic pesticides. Prescribes civil penalties for violations of this Act. Establishes the Integrated Pest Management Trust Fund to carry out education, training, propagation, and development activities under school integrated pest management systems. Prohibits, any later than six years after this Act's enactment, the use of any pesticide other than a least toxic pesticide in schools unless the Administrator has met the requirements of this Act. Prohibits the Administrator from removing any pesticide that is included on the list of pesticides exempted from regulation under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act or refusing to add a pesticide to such list solely on the grounds that the pesticide is claimed to be able to be used to control a public health pest.

Bill· HRH.R. 3292 (110th)referred

Education Assessment Technical Corrections Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2007

Education Assessment Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 to except teachers in hard to staff areas from the requirement that all teachers teaching in core academic subjects within a state be highly qualified not later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Requires teachers in hard to staff areas, instead, to satisfy at least 80% of the requirements to be highly qualified by the end of the 2007-2008 school year, and satisfy all of them by the end of the following school year. Requires states and local educational agencies (LEAs) whose teachers do not meet such requirements to use all of their funds under Title II of the Act to achieve compliance. Revises requirements for assessments of student groups in measuring the adequate yearly progress (AYP) of the state, and of all public schools and LEAs in the state, toward enabling all public elementary school and secondary school students to meet the state's student academic achievement standards. Provides that a student group which has failed to meet or exceed achievement standards may satisfy assessment requirements if it met such standards in the immediately preceding year. Authorizes the testing of disabled students at their instructional level, rather than grade level, provided they show progress in accordance with individualized education programs. Permits states to change the method of counting students who are in more than one group. Revises the sanctions for schools which fail an assessment by reason of a group of no more than four students. Changes the sanction from designation as needing improvement to mandatory redirection of funds to the needs of such a group. Requires the Secretary of Education to make recommendations to Congress for increasing the percentage of limited English proficient students and disabled students who meet or exceed state academic achievement standards. Directs the Secretary, during the 2007-2008 school year, to continue to study growth models and allow more states and LEAs to use them to achieve AYP.

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