zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Family Self-Sufficiency Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise the purpose of the Family-Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program to include the use of both low-income housing assistance under Section 8 of such Act (as in current law) and public housing capital and operating funds under Section 9 in order to enable eligible families to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency.

Eliminates the budget allocation reserved for public housing agency (PHA) incentive awards.

Prescribes and/or revises eligibility requirements for families to participate in local FSS programs and for the eligible entities to administer them.

Makes the owner or sponsor of a multifamily property receiving rental assistance under Section 8, as well as a PHA, an eligible entity for administering a local FSS program.

Revises the scope of supportive services provided through a local FSS program under a contract of participation between an eligible entity and a leaseholder receiving assistance under Sections 8 or 9 to include: (1) education for attainment of a GED, (2) education in pursuit of a post-secondary degree or certification, (3) health and mental health services as needed, (4) homeownership education and assistance, and (5) financial literacy. Removes training in homemaking and parenting skills from the list of authorized supportive services.

Revises requirements for and limitations on rent increases. Requires an eligible entity to place in an interest-bearing escrow account, for each participating family, an amount equal to any increase in rent the family pays. Requires payment of the escrow account funds to the family after the end of the contract of participation, unless the family fails to qualify to receive it.

Modifies requirements for the establishment of fees for costs incurred by eligible entities administering FSS programs.

Authorizes owners of privately-owned properties, under specified conditions, voluntarily to make local FSS programs available to their tenants by entering into cooperative agreements with local PHAs administering FSS programs.

Date: 2013-03-05
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Livable Communities Act of 2014 - Establishes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) to review and coordinate federal policies that:

 encourage locally directed comprehensive and integrated planning and development at the state, regional, and local levels, and coordinated public investments through development of comprehensive regional plans; and provide long-term affordable, accessible, energy-efficient, healthy and location-efficient housing choices for all people, particularly low-income families. Requires the OSHC Director to establish a program to make comprehensive planning grants and community challenge grants to units of general local government or Indian tribes to carry out projects meeting specified criteria.

Authorizes the Secretary of HUD to make or guarantee (up to 75% of) loans to eligible governmental, corporate, or partnership borrowers for infrastructure development projects used to support transit-oriented development.

Requires the Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes to lead the federal initiative to support healthy housing and eradicate housing-related health hazards.

Requires the Secretary to study how sustainable building features in housing, such as energy efficiency, affect: (1) the quality of the indoor environment, (2) the prevalence of housing-related health hazards, and (3) the health of the occupants.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Community Parks Revitalization Act

 Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a community revitalization program of federal grants to eligible local governments located within standard metropolitan statistical areas for various park and recreation purposes, including grants for rehabilitation and construction, innovation and recreation programming, and recovery action programs.

Authorizes the Secretary to designate local governments not located in standard metropolitan statistical areas to receive such grants under a partial eligibility waiver.

Prescribes requirements, including matching requirements, for rehabilitation and construction and for innovation and recreation grants.

Limits to 10% the use of funds appropriated for rehabilitation and construction grants for acquisition of land or interests in land.

Allows a recipient, at its discretion, to transfer a grant in whole or in part to private nonprofit agencies for recreational areas and facilities they own or operate which offer recreational opportunities to the general population.

Requires an applicant, for project approval, to submit to the Secretary evidence of its commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation, and maintenance programs for its park and recreation systems, expressed in a five-year local park and recreation recovery action program.

Prescribes requirements for the five-year park and recreation recovery action program under an at-risk youth recreation grant.

Authorizes the Secretary to increase federal rehabilitation and construction, innovation, and at-risk youth recreation grants to a state under this Act by an additional match of up to 15% (but not more than 15%) of total project or program cost. Limits the aggregate amount of the grant and the additional grant amounts to 85% of total project or program cost.

Prohibits the conversion, without HUD approval, of any property improved or developed with assistance under this Act for uses other than for public recreation.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
EDA Elimination Act of 2015

Terminates the Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Repeals the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take such actions as necessary and appropriate to conclude the outstanding affairs of the EDA, including dispositions of personnel, assets, and obligations.

Date: 2015-02-02
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for mortgage interest, to: (1) allow, in lieu of such deduction, a tax credit for 15% of mortgage interest paid in a taxable year for the taxpayer's principal residence and one other residence; (2) provide for a phaseout of the tax deduction for mortgage interest between 2016 and 2020; (3) allow a deduction for interest and taxes relating to land for dwelling purposes owned or leased by cooperative housing corporations; and (4) increase the state housing credit ceiling for the low-income housing tax credit.

Directs the Department of the Treasury to apply the savings from the enactment of this Act to the Housing Trust Fund, for assistance under the Section 8 low-income housing program, and for the Public Housing Capital Fund.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Taxation
Local Zoning and Property Rights Protection Act of 2015

This bill requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to withdraw:

 the proposed HUD rule entitled "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)," any final rule based on it (including the rule with the Regulation Identifier Number RIN 2501-AD33), and any successor rule that is substantially similar to them; and the HUD notice relating to the AFFH Assessment Tool, any proposed or final rule issued pursuant to such notice, and any successor notice or rule substantially similar to them. HUD is required to consult with state, local government, and public housing agency officials to develop recommendations, consistent with applicable rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court, to further the Fair Housing Act's purposes and policies.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Renovate and Enhance Veterans' Meeting Halls and Posts Act of 2015 or REVAMP Act of 2015

 Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make competitive grants to eligible veterans service organizations for: (1) repairs or rehabilitation of their existing facilities, and (2) acquiring or upgrading computers and technology for such facilities.

Defines "eligible veterans service organization" as: (1) a tax-exempt entity organized on a local or area basis; and (2) a tax-exempt local or area chapter, post, or other unit of a national, regional, statewide, or other larger entity of which local or area chapters, posts, or units are members (but not any such national, regional, statewide, or other larger entity itself).

 Prohibits an eligible veterans service organization from receiving such grant amounts, for any single fiscal year, in an amount exceeding the lesser of: (1) the aggregate cost of the proposed activities and uses for which the grant amounts will be used, or (2) $200,000.

Makes a grant recipient ineligible to receive another such grant for any of the five succeeding fiscal years.

Prohibits the use of such grants for construction or acquisition of a new facility.

Date: 2015-05-01
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Solar and Water-Efficient Homes Act of 2015

 This bill amends the National Housing Act, with respect to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insurance of financial institutions which finance housing alterations, repairs, improvements, or conversions, to increase the premium charge from 1% per annum of the net proceeds of a loan, advance of credit, or purchase, for the term of the obligation, to 1.5% per year of the remaining insured principal balance, with a specified exclusion and without taking into account delinquent payments or prepayments.

 There may also be a single upfront additional premium charge of 2.75% of the original insured principal obligation with respect to existing single-family or multi-family structures.

HUD may increase the limitations on premium payments to percentages greater than these but only if necessary, and not in excess of the minimum increase necessary to maintain a negative credit subsidy for insurance of loans, advances of credit, or certain purchases.

The maximum insurance amount (10% of the total amount of such loans, advances of credit, and purchases) any financial institution may receive is repealed.

The maximum obligation of an individual loan, advance of credit, or purchase that may be insured for improvements: (1) to an existing single-family dwelling is increased from $25,000 to $42,000; and (2) to an existing multi-family structure is increased from $60,000 to $100,380, with an average amount of $20,076 (currently $12,000) per family unit.

HUD shall develop a method of indexing to increase these dollar amount limitations annually, based on consumer price index data on housing collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.

These dollar amount limitations may also be increased by up to 150%, not to exceed the dollar amount of the loan used for purchasing or installing solar energy systems or for purchasing or implementing water conserving improvements.

Date: 2015-07-08
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Private Investment in Housing Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) Directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a demonstration program under which, in FY2016 through FY2019, HUD may execute budget-neutral, performance-based agreements (for up to 12 years each) that result in a reduction in energy or water costs with appropriate entities to carry out projects for energy or water conservation improvements at up to 20,000 residential units in multifamily buildings participating in:

 Section 8 project-based rental assistance programs under the United States Housing Act of 1937, other than Section 8 (voucher program) assistance; supportive housing for the elderly programs under the Housing Act of 1959; or supportive housing for persons with disabilities programs under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. Specifies requirements for payment under an agreement, which shall be contingent on documented utility savings, as well as for agreement terms, eligibility, geographical diversity, and funding for the program.

Limits this demonstration program to properties subject to affordability restrictions, which may be through an affordability agreement under a new housing assistance payments contract with HUD, or through an enforceable covenant with the property owner, for at least 15 years after completion of any conservation improvements made under the program. Requires HUD to submit to specified congressional committees a detailed plan for the implementation of this Act.

Authorizes HUD, for each fiscal year during which an agreement is in effect, to use any HUD appropriated funds for the renewal of contracts under the program.

Date: 2015-07-09
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Protect Local Independence in Housing Act of 2015

Amends the Fair Housing Act to prohibit its provisions from being construed to prohibit conduct resulting in a disparate impact on a class protected by such Act unless the person engaging in that conduct intended that impact.

Date: 2015-07-21
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Renters Fairness and Equality Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction of all rent paid paid or accrued on the principal residence of a taxpayer, but denies such deduction if the assessed or appraised value of the residence exceeds $1 million.

Date: 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Taxation
Helping Our Middle-Income Earners Act or the HOME Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers an income-based tax deduction, up to $5,000, for qualified homeowners association assessments paid during the taxable year. The bill defines "qualified homeowners association assessments" as regularly occurring, mandatory financial assessments: (1) that are paid by a taxpayer to a homeowners association for the taxpayer's principal residence, (2) that directly benefit such residence, and (3) that arise from the taxpayer's mandatory and automatic membership in such association. The bill requires homeowners associations to file an informational return that sets forth the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of a taxpayer from whom the association receives assessments and the amount of such assessments.

Date: 2016-03-03
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Taxation
Homeowners Access to Visitability Enhancements (HAVE) Act of 2016

This bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to low-income families to assist them in obtaining residences that are visitable for individuals.

A residence shall be "visitable" if it complies with the most current version of the visitability standards of the International Code Council/American National Standards Institute.

Amounts from such grants may be used only for:

 acquiring a visitable residence that has never previously been occupied, constructing a visitable residence, and retrofitting or renovating an existing residence to make it visitable.

Date: 2016-05-06
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Preserving HUD's Multifamily Field Offices Act of 2016

This bill prohibits the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from relocating to any core office of the Office of Multifamily Housing any asset management position (including any account executive, senior account executive, and troubled asset specialist position) that, as of this bill's enactment, is located at a non-core office of that Office.

"Core office" is defined as a regional hub office located in Atlanta, Chicago, Fort Worth, New York City, or San Francisco.

Upon the occurrence of a vacancy in any asset management position at any non-core office (including any vacancy in existence as of the date of enactment), HUD may newly hire an employee to fill that position only at the same non-core office.

Date: 2016-05-11
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Helping Expand Lending Practices in Rural Communities Act of 2015 or the HELP Rural Communities Act of 2015

Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an application process under which a person who lives or does business in a state may apply to have an area in the state identified as a rural area if it has not yet been so designated by the CFPB for purposes of federal consumer financial law.

 Prescribes criteria for the CFPB to consider when evaluating the application. States that if, at any time before submission of an application, the area subject to review has been designated as nonrural by certain federal agencies, the CFPB is not required to consider that designation in its evaluation. Requires the CFPB to: (1) grant or deny the application within 90 days after the public comment period ends; and (2) publish the grant or denial in the Federal Register, including an explanation of the factors upon which the CFPB relied in making its determination.

Sunsets this Act two years after its enactment.

Amends The Truth in Lending Act with respect to CFPB authority to treat a balloon loan as "a qualified mortgage" to mean a balloon loan extended by any creditor operating in rural or underserved areas even if it does not operate predominantly in them. Exempts such a creditor from the requirements for escrow or impound accounts governing certain consumer credit transactions secured by a first lien on the consumer's principal dwelling.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Local Zoning Decisions Protection Act of 2015

This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to:

 implement, administer, or enforce the final rule of the Department of Housing and Urban Development entitled "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" (80 Fed. Reg. 42272 [July 16, 2015]); or design, build, maintain, utilize, or provide access to a federal database of geospatial information on community racial disparities or disparities in access to affordable housing.

Date: 2015-07-30
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 

This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 and other housing laws to modify the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rental assistance (including section 8 low-income [voucher]) and public housing programs, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requirements for condominium mortgage insurance, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) single family housing guaranteed loan program.

The bill revises the requirements for Public House Agencies (PHAs) to inspect dwelling units before making housing assistance payments to ensure that units comply with housing quality standards.

A PHA shall review the incomes of assisted families in dwelling units, and may not rent a dwelling unit to or assist families with net family assets exceeding $100,000 annually (adjusted for inflation) or an ownership interest in property that is suitable for occupancy.

The bill also revises requirements for:

 PHA project-based assistance, including vouchers; the public notice requirements for proposed Fair Market Rents; and the Family Unification Program, especially coordination between PHAs and public child welfare agencies in carrying it out. The Housing Act of 1949 is amended to permit USDA to delegate to preferred lenders its loan approval authority for the Rural Housing Service single family housing guaranteed loan program.

The National Housing Act is amended to require the FHA to modify its certification requirements for condominium mortgage insurance.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is amended to require HUD to define the ''geographic area'' for purposes of the Continuum of Care Program (which awards project sponsors or unified funding agencies competitive grants focused on addressing the long-term housing and services needs of homeless individuals and families).

 Local governments receiving Emergency Solutions Grants may distribute all or part of the assistance to PHAs or Local Redevelopment Authorities. (The grants are awarded to assist the homeless and prevent homelessness. Distribution of the grants is currently limited to nonprofit organizations.)

The bill transfers to the Office of the Secretary the Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs, currently in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs.

HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs must report annually to Congress on the number of veterans assisted by HUD programs, coordination of services for veterans, and the cost of administering programs to veterans.

The bill also revises the formula and requirements for distributing funds under the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program.

Date: 2016-06-22
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for the development of housing for middle-income households.

The credit is based on the existing low-income housing tax credit and applies to the development or rehabilitation of residential rental properties if: (1) 60% or more of the residential units in the project are both rent-restricted and occupied by individuals whose income is 100% or less of the area median gross income, and (2) the project is not federally subsidized or financed with a federally funded grant.

The credits are allocated to each state based on population, and state housing agencies then distribute the credits to developers using a competitive process. The credits are paid over a 15-year credit period, and the amounts of the credits are based on a percentage of a project's qualified basis, which is the portion of the project dedicated to affordable middle-income housing.

The credit dollar amount allocated to a project may not exceed the amount that is necessary for the financial feasibility of the project and its viability as a qualified middle-income housing project throughout the credit period.

To qualify for the credit, the developer must make a long-term commitment to middle-income housing, under which the affordability restrictions for a property remain in place for at least an additional 15 years after the close of the credit period.

Date: 2016-09-22
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Taxation
HUD Inspection Process and Enforcement Reform Act of 2016

This bill allows the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to remove certain HUD employees from civil service or to reduce their grade or pay for misconduct or performance. HUD employees may challenge a removal or reduction in grade or pay by filing an appeal with the Merit Systems Protection Board.

This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require an entity receiving section 8 housing assistance payments under a payment contract to: (1) maintain decent, safe, and sanitary conditions for dwelling units covered under such payment contract; and (2) comply with any standards under applicable state or local laws, rules, ordinances, or regulations relating to the physical condition of the dwelling units. HUD must, under certain conditions, take enforcement actions for violations of dwelling-unit physical condition standards.

HUD may provide tenant-based assistance for dwelling units covered under a section 8 payment contract if: (1) the dwelling units' owner has received a Notice of Default; or (2) the units pose an imminent health and safety risk to tenants. A Notice of Default cites deficiencies in the physical condition of a section 8 dwelling unit and provides a specified period of time for correction of such deficiencies.

HUD must issue a publicly available report on its website regarding Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections of all properties assisted, insured, or both, under a HUD program.

The Government Accountability Office must issue a report on its website regarding such REAC inspection areas that should be reformed and improved.

Date: 2016-09-27
Topic: Housing (General)
Subject: Housing and community development
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny U.S. companies doing business in Sudan the foreign tax credit and other tax benefits until the Secretary of State certifies to the Secretary of the Treasury that the Government of Sudan has ceased to support, and has taken steps to end, acts of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, including: (1) ensuring that the military is not attacking civilians or obstructing human rights monitors or humanitarian assistance; (2) disarming Government supported militias; (3) allowing access for providing humanitarian assistance to all regions; and (4) cooperating with international missions.

Date: 2007-01-12
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Taxation
Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the protection of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and their full participation in the reestablishment of democracy are essential to Afghanistan's reconstruction, and to achieve such reconstruction the U.S. government must commit resources to advance the rights of women throughout Afghanistan. Amends the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 to revise the provisions respecting assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan. Extends funding authority. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) condition the provision of such assistance on the recipient adhering to international standards for women's rights and human rights; and (2) ensure that Afghan women-led nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated experience in delivering services to Afghan women and children receive grants without ethnic, religious, or any other discrimination.

Date: 2007-02-08
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Wartime Treatment Study Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of European Americans to review U.S. government wartime treatment (from September 1, 1939, through December 31, 1948) of European Americans and European Latin Americans.Requires the Commission to review: (1) government actions with respect to European Americans and European Latin Americans pursuant to the Alien Enemies Acts, Presidential Proclamations 2526, 2527, 2655, 2662, 2685, Executive Orders 9066 and 9095, and related directives pertaining to the registration, arrest, exclusion, internment, exchange, or deportation of such people; (2) registration requirements, travel and property restrictions, internment, and forced abandonment of property; (3) participation by European Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces; and (4) appropriate remedies, including future protection of civil liberties during wartime.Establishes the Commission on Wartime Treatment of Jewish Refugees to review the U.S. government's refusal to allow entry into the United States of Jewish and other refugees fleeing persecution or genocide in Europe. Directs the Commission to include reviews of: (1) the rationale for such refusal, its perceived benefit, and its impact on refugees; and (2) federal refugee policy concerning those fleeing persecution or genocide.

Date: 2007-02-16
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Immigration
Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual list of countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that torture, cruel, or degrading treatment is commonly used in the detention or interrogation of individuals. Prohibits the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the United States for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a listed country. Sets forth conditions under which: (1) the Secretary may waive such transfer prohibition; and (2) a treaty-based transfer may occur. Prohibits the transfer from the United States of any person to a non-listed country without an opportunity to challenge such transfer on the grounds of being subjected to torture or cruel or degrading treatment. Amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to direct the appropriate government agencies to prescribe regulations to implement U.S. obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Date: 2007-03-06
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations for FY2008-FY2009 to: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to programs in the United States to cover the costs of services provided by domestic treatment centers in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs to enable them to provide such services; (2) the President for grants to treatment centers and programs in foreign countries that carry out projects and activities specifically designed to treat victims of torture for the physical and psychological effects of torture; and (3) the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.

Date: 2007-03-26
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Genocide Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code allow the prosecution of acts constituting genocide committed by an alleged offender who is: (1) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; (2) a stateless person whose habitual residence is in the United States; or (3) brought into, or found in, the United States, even if the offense occurred outside the United States.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Iran Human Rights Act of 2007 - Amends the Iran Freedom Support Act to direct the President to appoint a special envoy for human rights in Iran within the Department of State to coordinate efforts to improve respect for the fundamental human rights of the people of Iran and work with organizations committed to promoting democracy in Iran. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) there is a direct relationship between the state of freedom and democracy within Iran and the efforts of the Iranian regime to acquire nuclear weapons and the long-term success of the global war on terror; (2) it is essential that the issue of human rights violations in Iran should remain a top U.S. foreign policy priority independent of efforts to address the nuclear threat in Iran; (3) the U.S. government should explore the possibility of a regional human rights dialogue with Iran; (4) the United Nations has a significant role to play in improving human rights in Iran; and (5) the commitment to human rights and democracy of an Iranian national who has applied for a U.S. entry visa should be considered when determining visa eligibility.

Date: 2007-09-25
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
International Women's Freedom Act of 2007 - Establishes within the Department of State an Office of International Women's Rights to be headed by an Ambassador at Large for International Women's Rights. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) establish a women's rights Internet site; and (2) maintain prisoner lists and issue briefs on women's rights concerns. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to include instruction on the internationally recognized rights of women and the various aspects and manifestations of violations of women's rights in Foreign Service officer training. Establishes the United States Commission on International Women's Rights. (Terminates the Commission 12 years after the date of the initial appointment of its members.) Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to express the sense of Congress that there should be within the National Security Council (NSC) staff a Special Adviser to the President on International Women's Rights. Directs the President to take specified actions in response to women's rights violations, including actions in response to particularly severe rights violations. Provides for prohibition of economic, multilateral, military, and export assistance in instances of particularly severe women's rights violations. Provides for the promotion of women's rights. Provides for women's rights-related training with respect to refugee, asylum, and consular matters. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the inadmissibility of foreign government officials who have engaged in particularly severe women's rights violations. Expresses the sense of Congress that transnational corporations operating overseas should adopt codes of conduct upholding the rights of their female employees.

Date: 2007-10-02
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act of 2007 - Establishes the United States Commission to Monitor Slavery and its Eradication in Sudan, which shall have as its primary responsibility: (1) reporting on progress made by the government of Sudan and nongovernmental organizations in identifying the location of slaves in Sudan and ensuring their freedom; (2) working with the government of Sudan to ensure safe passage of freed slaves and family reunification; (3) documenting existing cases of slavery and working to prevent new cases from occurring; (4) ensuring that former slaves have access to basic education and skill training, as well as medical, social, and psychological support needed for their rehabilitation and reintegration into society; (5) ensuring that those individuals responsible for slavery are brought to justice; and (6) recommending U.S. government actions in response to the Sudanese government's inaction to eradicate slavery. Terminates the Commission six years after the initial appointment of all of the members.

Date: 2007-10-16
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
American Anti-Torture Act of 2007 - Amends the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 to prohibit any person in the custody or control of the United States (under current law, the Department of Defense) from being subject to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation. Makes such prohibition inapplicable with respect to any person in the custody or control of the United States (under current law, the Department of Defense) pursuant to a U.S. criminal or immigration law.

Date: 2007-11-08
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 and the federal criminal code to include waterboarding (simulated drowning) within the definitions of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and torture. Includes individuals under the custody or physical control of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) within the protection against cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government.

Date: 2008-02-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to the resettlement of North Korean refugees. Amends the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 to authorize appropriations through FY2012 for: (1) activities to support human rights and democracy and freedom of information (by increasing the availability of non-government controlled sources) in North Korea; and (2) assistance to North Koreans who are outside North Korea. Directs the Broadcasting Board of Governors to report respecting U.S. broadcasting to North Korea and the extent to which the Board has achieved the goal of 12-hour-per-day broadcasting to North Korea. States that the Special Envoy on North Korean human rights issues (as renamed by this Act) in North Korea shall have the rank of ambassador. Extends the Special Envoy's annual congressional reporting requirement through FY2012. Extends the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) congressional reporting requirement respecting U.S. humanitarian assistance to North Koreans and efforts to improve transparency and monitoring in the provision of such assistance inside North Korea through 2012. Sets forth specified reporting provisions.

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
International Violence Against Women Act of 2008 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish in the Department of State the Office of Women's Global Initiatives (which shall replace the Office of International Women's Issues) to coordinate U.S. government efforts respecting international women's issues. Establishes within the Department an Advisory Commission on International Violence Against Women. Directs the President to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent violence against women and girls. Directs the Coordinator of the Women's Global Initiatives to ensure that foreign assistance programs incorporate measures to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. Provides that U.S. training of foreign military and police forces incorporates training on prevention of violence against women and girls. Directs the Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist programs that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in all humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) encourage U.N. member states to expand the number of female members of U.N. peacekeeping missions; and (2) take emergency measures to respond to violence against women and girls during conflict or post-conflict operations. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations should strengthen its ability to prevent violence against women and girls by U.N. military and civilian personnel. Provides that Foreign Service training include instruction on prevention of violence against women and girls. Authorizes appropriations to support the United Nations Development Fund for Women Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

Date: 2008-04-30
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Human Rights Commission Act of 2007 [sic] - Establishes the Human Rights Commission which shall monitor U.S. compliance with all international human rights treaties to which the United States is a party (including treaties to which the United States becomes a party after the date of the enactment of this Act).

Date: 2008-05-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
International Child Abduction Progress Reports Act - Directs the Secretary of State to report annually to Congress on progress made by the United States in negotiating and entering into bilateral treaties (or other international agreements) relating to international child abduction with countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on efforts to prohibit international child abduction in the annual human rights and security assistance reports to Congress. Directs the Attorney General to report annually to Congress respecting each case involving a request for extradition to the United States of an individual alleged to have violated international parental kidnapping provisions. Authorizes appropriations for extraditing individuals from foreign countries to the United States for violations of U.S. laws by unlawfully removing a child from the child's custodial parent.

Date: 2008-05-20
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Avena Case Implementation Act of 2008 - Authorizes a person whose rights are infringed by a nonforeign governmental authority's violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to bring a civil action to obtain: (1) declaratory or equitable relief; and (2) in any case where the plaintiff is convicted of a criminal offense where the violation occurs during and in relation to the investigation or prosecution of the offense, any relief required to remedy the harm done by the violation, including vitiation of conviction or sentence.

Date: 2008-07-14
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Law
States that: (1) it shall be U.S. policy that the President and the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations work with the international community to increase political and financial support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to prevent and resolve problems related to de jure and de facto statelessness and to promote the rights of de jure or de facto stateless persons; (2) the President shall make prevention and reduction of de jure or de facto statelessness an important goal of U.S. foreign policy and human rights efforts; and (3) it shall be U.S. policy to comply with the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Directs the Secretary of State to increase staff and resources in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to work toward the prevention and resolution of de jure and de facto statelessness and the protection of de jure or de facto stateless persons.

Date: 2008-07-16
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2007 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the protection of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and their full participation in the reestablishment of democracy are essential to Afghanistan's reconstruction, and to achieve such reconstruction the U.S. government must commit resources to advance the rights of women throughout Afghanistan. Amends the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 to revise the provisions respecting assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan. Extends funding authority. Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) condition the provision of such assistance on the recipient adhering to international standards for women's rights and human rights; and (2) ensure that Afghan women-led nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated experience in delivering services to Afghan women and children receive grants without ethnic, religious, or any other discrimination.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs
SIMPLE Cafeteria Plan Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a new employee benefit cafeteria plan to be known as a Simple Cafeteria Plan. Defines "Simple Cafeteria Plan" as a cafeteria plan which: (1) is established and maintained by an employer with an average of 100 or fewer employees during a two-year period; (2) requires employers to make contributions or match employee contributions to the plan; (3) requires participating employees to have at least 1,000 hours of service for the preceding plan year and allows such employees to elect any benefit available under the plan; (4) permits participation by self-employed individuals; and (5) includes long-term care insurance as an qualified benefit. Exempts employers who make contributions for employees under a simple cafeteria plans from pension plan nondiscrimination requirements applicable to highly compensated and key employees. Modifies rules applicable to employee benefit flexible spending arrangements, including health and dependent care arrangements, to permit participants to make or modify elections regarding covered benefits and to carry over up to $500 (indexed for inflation) of unused benefits to the succeeding year or transfer such unused amounts to another plan, including an individual retirement plan or a health savings account. Allows an exclusion from the gross income of an employee of up to $7,500 ($10,000 for employees with one or more dependents) for employer contributions to a flexible spending arrangement. Provides for a cost-of-living adjustment to such exclusion amounts beginning in calendar year 2007.

Date: 2007-02-12
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Taxation
Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies Act of 2007 or TRADE Act of 2007 - Authorizes the President to designate Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen, and Sri Lanka or their successor political entities (TRADE Act of 2007 countries) as beneficiary TRADE Act of 2007 countries eligible to receive duty-free treatment for certain articles that are the growth, product, or manufacture of such countries, if after receiving the advice of the International Trade Commission (ITC) the President determines that such articles are not import-sensitive in the context of imports from such countries. Conditions such designation upon eligibility requirements of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Trade Act of 1974. Prescribes the rule of origin for the articles for the duty-free treatment. Applies duty-free treatment, without any quantitative limitations, granted to textile and apparel articles under AGOA to articles imported directly into the U.S. customs territory from a beneficiary TRADE Act of 2007 country if their assembly meets specified U.S. origin requirements. Grants AGOA preferential treatment for apparel articles assembled in one or more beneficiary TRADE Act of 2007 countries or such former countries, or both, from regional fabric from yarn originating either in the United States or one or more of such countries. Establishes: (1) limitations on such preferential treatment; and (2) special rules for apparel articles wholly assembled in one or more beneficiary TRADE Act of 2007 countries or former beneficiary countries, or both, regardless of the country of origin of the yarn or fabric used to make such articles; and (3) applicable percentages of such benefits.

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Genocide Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code allow the prosecution of acts constituting genocide committed by an alleged offender who is: (1) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; (2) a stateless person whose habitual residence is in the United States; or (3) brought into, or found in, the United States, even if the offense occurred outside the United States.

Date: 2007-03-15
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007 - Defines "child soldier." Prohibits, with a national interest waiver, funds appropriated or otherwise made available for specified military and related areas from being obligated or otherwise made available to the government of a country identified by the Department of State as having governmental armed forces or government supported armed groups, including paramilitaries, militias, or civil defense forces, that recruit or use child soldiers. Directs the Secretary of State to notify any government so identified. Authorizes the President to reinstate assistance upon certifying to Congress that a government is implementing: (1) compliance measures; and (2) mechanisms to prohibit future use of child soldiers and to ensure that no children are recruited, conscripted, or otherwise compelled to serve as child soldiers. Authorizes the President to provide assistance to a country for international military education and training otherwise prohibited under this Act upon certifying to Congress that such assistance is for programs that implement measures to demobilize child soldiers and for programs to support professionalization of the military.

Date: 2007-04-19
Topic: International Affairs (Human Rights)
Subject: International affairs