hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1454
Sponsor: Sen. Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Cost of living adjustments
Veterans' benefits

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2007 - Increases the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits; or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharged or released from active military service for a service-connected disability and for whom there is no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs. 
Increases the burial plot allowance for veterans who, at the time of death, were receiving hospital or nursing home care in or through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Authorizes the annual adjustment of such allowances based on increases in the Consumer Price Index.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
National Health Information Technology and Privacy Advancement Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1455
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Department of Health and Human Services
Executive reorganization
Government Operations and Politics
Health information systems
Health planning
Medical records
Medical research
Nonprofit organizations
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
National Health Information Technology and Privacy Advancement Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) provide federal governmental assistance to the planning and development of, and provide for the implementation of, a national program for the establishment and operation of a national health information technology and privacy system; (2) ensure that timely arrangements are made under which there can be national participation in the establishment and use of the system; and (3) provide for incentives for physicians to engage in electronic patient-provider interactions.

Establishes the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Authorizes the establishment of a nonprofit national health information technology and privacy corporation to: (1) plan, initiate, construct, own, manage, and operate a national health information technology and privacy system; (2) furnish access to individuals and to authorized providers and payers of health care services; and (3) specify rules for allowing access to non-identifiable health care data for public health and research purposes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6945-6946)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Employees Electronic Personal Health Records Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1456
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Federal employees
Government employees' health insurance
Government paperwork
Health
Internet
Medical records
Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Federal Employees Electronic Personal Health Records Act of 2007 - Amends federal civil service law to require each contract between the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and a qualified carrier offering a health benefit plan for federal employees to provide for establishment and maintenance of electronic personal health records for each individual and family member enrolled in the plan.
 
Requires such records to be: (1) in a standard electronic format, available for electronic access through the Internet; and (2) based on the federal messaging and health vocabulary standards endorsed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the American Health Information Community, or the Secretary of Health and Human Services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Mail Delivery Protection Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1457
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Government service contracts
Postal service

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Mail Delivery Protection Act of 2007 - Prohibits the U.S. Postal Service from contracting for the delivery of mail on any route with one or more families per mile. Allows existing contracts to remain in effect until terminated by their terms and to be renewed one or more times. (Chapter 52 of title 39, U.S. Code, was repealed by P.L. 109-435, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6554)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6554)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Agricultural Air Quality Incentives Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1458
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural machinery
Agricultural pollution
Air pollution control
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection
Federal aid to air pollution control
Ozone
Pesticides

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Agricultural Air Quality Incentives Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) promote air quality by providing cost-share payments and incentive payments to individual producers to address agricultural air quality concerns; and (2) provide cost-share payments to producers for mobile or stationary equipment (including engines) used in an agricultural operation that would reduce emissions of air pollutants and air pollutant precursors.
 
Requires a project to be in a county: (1) that is in nonattainment under the Clean Air Act with respect to ambient air quality standards for ozone, particulate matter, or both; (2) in which there is air quality degradation to which agricultural emissions significantly contribute; or (3) in which pesticide drift is a priority concern. 
 
Sets forth project priority criteria.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1459
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Arthritis
Autoimmune diseases
Clinical trials
Coinsurance
Communication in medicine
Communication in science
Conferences
Congressional reporting requirements
Directories
Drugs
Education
Epidemiology
Finance and Financial Sector
Genetic research
Government Operations and Politics
Governmental investigations
Health education
Health information systems
Health insurance
Higher education
Medical education
Medical records
Medical research
Medical tests
Pharmaceutical research
Prescription pricing
Quality of life
Science, Technology, Communications
Skin diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to expand and intensify research and related NIH activities with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. 
 
Requires the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to conduct or support research to expand understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a national psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient registry. 

Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into cooperative agreements to develop, implement, and manage a system for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patient data collection and analysis; (2) ensure the collection and analysis of longitudinal data related to individuals of all ages; (3) convene a summit on current federal activities to conduct or support research, treatment, education, and quality-of-life activities with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; and (4) enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to study insurance coverage of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6555-6556)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6554-6555)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from imposing penalties against a State under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program for failure to satisfy minimum work participation rates or comply with work participation verification procedures with respect to months beginning after September 2006 and before the end of the 12-month period that begins on the date the Secretary approves the State's work verification plan.

Bill: 110-s-1461
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Aid to dependent children
Cash welfare block grants
Economics and Public Finance
Families
Government Operations and Politics
Labor and Employment
Welfare work participation

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services for a specified period from reducing the state family assistance grant to or imposing other penalties against a state under part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)) of title IV of the Social Security Act for failure to satisfy minimum work participation rates or comply with work participation verification procedures.

Specifies such period as the months from October 2006 through the end of the 12-month period that begins on the date the Secretary approves the state's work verification plan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6556)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Adoption Equality Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1462
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Adoption
Aliens
Child abuse
Child safety
Child welfare
Crime and Law Enforcement
Families
Foster home care
Immigration
Indian children
Minorities
Minority children

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Adoption Equality Act of 2007 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for children with special needs in the adoption assistance program. Requires that the child be in the care of a public or licensed private child placement agency or Indian tribal organization pursuant to a voluntary placement agreement, relinquishment, or involuntary removal of the child from the home, where the state has determined that continuation in the home would be contrary to the child's safety or welfare. Specifies related requirements.

Prohibits adoption assistance to parents with respect to a child who is not a U.S. citizen or resident, and who was adopted outside of the United States or brought into the United States for the purposes of being adopted.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6556-6557)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1463
Sponsor: Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Agriculture and Food
Ammonia
Business records
Chemical industries
Commerce
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal justice information
Explosives
Fertilizers
Fines (Penalties)
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Identification devices
Identification of criminals
Larceny
Law
Licenses
Nitrates
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate.

Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a threshold percentage for ammonium nitrate in a substance; and (2) a process by which the owner of an ammonium nitrate facility or anyone intending to purchase ammonium nitrate must register with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Requires the facility owner to maintain records of each sale or transfer over a two-year period.

Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) exemptions involving use exclusively as an explosive material under a federal explosives license; (2) ensuring that agricultural producer access is not unduly burdened; and (3) restricting information disclosures.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish procedures to efficiently receive applications, conduct checks, and promptly issue or deny a registration number; (2) take steps to maximize the number of applications processed during the initial six-month period; and (3) check identifying information and deny issuance of a registration number if such information appears in DHS's terrorist screening database. Provides for expedited review of applications and appeals.

Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) confidentiality; (2) information sharing with law enforcement; (3) rechecking persons; (4) inspecting and auditing facility owner records; and (5) reporting theft or unexplained loss of ammonium nitrate.

Prohibits: (1) taking possession of or transferring ammonium nitrate, or owning or operating a facility, without a registration number; or (2) failing to comply with this Act. Prescribes a civil penalty. Sets forth civil liability protections.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Global Service Fellowship Program Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1464
Sponsor: Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Arts, Culture, Religion
Cultural relations
Exchange of persons programs
Scholarships
Social Welfare
Volunteer workers

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Global Service Fellowship Program Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish and administer a Global Service Fellowship Program to fund fellowships to promote international volunteering opportunities as a means of building bridges across cultures, addressing critical human needs, and promoting mutual understanding.
 
Sets forth Program provisions. 
 
Authorizes appropriations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6557)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage under the Medicare program of certain medical mobility devices approved as class III medical devices.

Bill: 110-s-1465
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad, Kent [D-ND]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Disabled
Medical supplies
Medicare
Self-help devices for the disabled
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of certain medical mobility devices approved as a class III medical device pursuant to a premarket approval application under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude property tax rebates and other benefits provided to volunteer firefighters, search and rescue personnel, and emergency medical responders from income and employment taxes and wage withholding.

Bill: 110-s-1466
Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Fire fighters
Government Operations and Politics
Health
Income tax
Labor and Employment
Local taxation
Medical personnel
Property tax
Rescue work
Social Welfare
Social security taxes
State taxation
Tax exclusion
Tax exemption
Tax rebates
Unemployment insurance
Volunteer workers
Withholding tax

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income rebates of state or local real or personal property taxes or any other benefit provided by a state or local government to volunteer firefighters, search and rescue personnel, and emergency medical responders. Exempts such rebates and benefits from employment and unemployment taxes and from withholding of tax requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish an establish an Early Federal Pell Grant Commitment Demonstration Program.

Bill: 110-s-1467
Sponsor: Sen. Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
College costs
Cost effectiveness
Economics and Public Finance
Education of the disadvantaged
Education savings accounts
Educational accountability
Educational statistics
Elementary and secondary education
Federal aid to education
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Higher education
Scholarships
School districts
School lunch program
Secondary education
Social Welfare
Student aid
Student records

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize an Early Federal Pell Grant Demonstration Program. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to four states to cover administrative expenses incurred in the program. Limits a state to a cohort of up to 10,000 of its eighth grade students who are eligible for a free or reduced price meal under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Provides for a cohort for each of the academic years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. Declares that each student who participates in the demonstration project receives a commitment to receive a Pell Grant during their first year of undergraduate study at an institution of higher education, subject to a specified condition.
 
Requires state grantees to choose local educational agencies to participate in the program from among those serving students at least half of whom are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
 
Calculates participating students' Pell Grants by deeming them to have no expected family contribution.
 
Directs the Secretary to arrange for an independent evaluation of the demonstration program's effectiveness in providing needy students with access to, and an incentive to pursue, higher education.
 
Requires state grantees annually to provide program participants with information concerning college costs, Pell Grants, state college savings programs, and other state and federal aid programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6558-6559)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6557-6558)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1468
Sponsor: Sen. Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Cost of living adjustments
Veterans' benefits

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2007 - Increases the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits; or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharged or released from active military service for a service-connected disability and for whom there is no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs. 
Increases the burial plot allowance for veterans who, at the time of death, were receiving hospital or nursing home care in or through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Authorizes the annual adjustment of such allowances based on increases in the Consumer Price Index.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6560)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6559)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility Closure Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-1469
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2007-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Appropriations
Caribbean area
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Congress
Congress and military policy
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Courts-martial and courts of inquiry
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal investigation
Cuba
Defense budgets
Detention of persons
Economics and Public Finance
Human rights
International Affairs
International law
Kansas
Latin America
Law
Military base closures
Military bases
Prisoners of war
Prisons
Prosecution
Punishment
Relocation
Terrorism
Torture
Treaties
United Nations

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: 
Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility Closure Act of 2007 - Directs the President to close the Department of Defense (DOD) detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
 
Prohibits (with exceptions) the use of funds appropriated for FY2007 or FY2008 for such facility or for the detention at such facility of any foreign national who was detained there on or after March 31, 2007.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6561)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6560-6561)
action_date: 2007-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate