Care for Life Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-7091
Sponsor: Rep. Fortenberry, Jeff [R-NE-1]
Introduced: 2008-09-25 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Child care and development
Child health
Department of Health and Human Services
Disability and health-based discrimination
Education programs funding
Employee benefits and pensions
Executive agency funding and structure
Family services
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health programs administration and funding
Higher education
Income tax credits
Income tax exclusion
Lawyers and legal services
School administration
Sex and reproductive health
Student aid and college costs
Tax treatment of families
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: 
Care for Life Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) an Office of Pregnancy Support Services to encourage and assist pregnant women throughout pregnancy and following childbirth by providing services that will alleviate the financial, social, emotional, and other difficulties that may otherwise compel them to seek an abortion.
 
Requires: (1) development of a Pregnancy Care Information Service as a publicly accessible database; (2) an annual nationwide conference on best practices in pregnancy support services and the key burdens or adverse circumstances facing pregnant women; (3) establishment and operation of a toll-free number for service referrals; and (4) a public outreach campaign regarding such services.
 
Authorizes the awarding of competitive grants to provide pregnancy support services.
 
Prohibits any preexisting condition exclusion or other discrimination in coverage or premiums against a woman because she is pregnant if the woman has had at least 12 months of health insurance coverage before seeking individual market coverage.
 
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants to or contracts with higher education institutions and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies to establish and operate pregnant and parenting student services offices or agencies solely to provide pregnancy support services.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the tax credit for adoption expenses; (2) make such tax credit refundable; and (3) increase the exclusion from gross income for employer-paid adoption expenses.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-09-25
text: Introduced in House