zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Veterans' Benefits Protection Act - Repeals the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe qualifications and standards of, and to set fees charged by, agents or attorneys representing veterans in claims before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Authorizes the Secretary to require that such individuals show that they are of good moral character, and qualified and competent to assist claimants. Removes some instances under which the Secretary may suspend or exclude an agent or attorney from such representation.Repeals the Secretary's authority to review and order a reduction in the fee charged to a claimant by an agent or attorney.Imposes fines and criminal penalties for soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any part of a benefit or claim allowed to a claimant (or attempting such acts).

Date: 2007-03-05
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 to extend the period during which members of the Armed Forces deployed in connection with Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, or Iraqi Freedom may request and receive reimbursement for purchasing protective helmet pads.

Date: 2007-03-06
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvement Act of 2007 - Makes a veteran who served on active duty during a period of war eligible for a mental health evaluation and hospital care, medical services, nursing home care, and family and marital counseling for any identified mental health condition, notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the condition is attributable to such service. Requires: (1) post-deployment medical and mental health screenings to be conducted within 30 days after a deployment; (2) each member, upon discharge, to be provided an electronic copy of all military records of such member; and (3) the Secretary of Defense to ensure appropriate outreach to members of the National Guard and reserves concerning benefits and services available upon discharge or deactivation. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and maintain a Global War on Terrorism Veterans Information System. Requires quarterly reports from the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Defense on the effects on veterans and on each such department of participation in the Global War on Terrorism.

Date: 2007-03-06
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Sports and Special Events Promotion Act of 2007 - Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs an Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events, headed by a Director, to establish, carry out, and promote programs for the participation of disabled veterans in approved sporting and other events. Authorizes the Director to provide a monthly assistance allowance to service-connected disabled veterans participating in an event sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) or residing at a USOC training center. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the USOC to provide support and reimbursement for USOC expenditures for the military paralympic program.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Homeland Security Transparency Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) require homeland security grant recipients to submit quarterly reports describing the nature and amount of each expenditure made using grant funds; and (2) publish such information and make it publicly available on the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Internet website.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the Armed Forces who have served on active duty in a combat zone for 90 days or more (including hospitalizations due to wounds, disease, or injury incurred while in combat) a tax deduction from gross income for two percent of their adjusted gross income up to $2,000.

Date: 2007-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income 2% of the compensation of members of the Armed Forces for active service and inactive-duty training.

Date: 2007-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Backlog Reduction Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a three-year pilot program to reduce the backlog of claims for benefits pending with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct the pilot program with County Veterans Service Officers in California, Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas; and (2) refer certain claims requiring further development to such Officers. Requires such Officers to: (1) act as claimant advocates in developing such claims; and (2) have access to client information contained in the VA's Benefits Delivery Network.

Date: 2007-03-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Retired Pay Restoration Act - Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only a disability rated at 50 percent or more). Makes the 2004 through 2013 phase-in limitations for the concurrent receipt of such pay for qualified retirees with service-connected disabilities rated as total applicable: (1) only during 2004 for retirees with a 100 percent disability; and (2) only during 2004 through 2007 for retirees with a total disability by reason of unemployability. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.

Date: 2007-03-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Supply Our Soldiers Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide for a program under which postal benefits are provided to a member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty and who is either: (1) serving in Iraq or Afghanistan; or (2) hospitalized at a military medical facility as a result of such service. Provides the postal benefits in the form of coupons or other evidence of credit (vouchers) to use for postal-free mailings.

Date: 2007-03-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay an interim benefit of $500 per month when a claim for veterans' benefits is remanded by either the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims or the Board of Veterans' Appeals and the Secretary does not make a decision on the matter within 180 days of the date of the remand.

Date: 2007-03-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Fairness Act - Eliminates a $3 per round trip deductible charged by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in connection with the veterans beneficiary travel program (a program authorizing a travel allowance or reimbursement for beneficiaries providing transportation for veterans to obtain medical care). Directs the Secretary, in determining the amount of such allowance or reimbursement, to use the mileage reimbursement rates for the use of privately owned vehicles by government employees traveling on official business.

Date: 2007-03-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act - Permits a veteran with any compensable service-connected disability (and the veteran's dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.

Date: 2007-03-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Presumes a claimant presenting a claim for veterans' benefits with respect to a service-connected disability or death to have presented a valid claim of service-connectedness, unless the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines there is positive evidence to the contrary. Requires the claimant to support the claim with proof of service in a conflict referred to in the claim, as well as a brief description of the nature, including service-connection, of the disability or claim. Directs the Secretary to redeploy, for the purpose of assisting veterans applying for benefits, those employees involved with processing claims that are no longer needed to evaluate claims due to the above presumption.

Date: 2007-03-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Armed Forces Tax Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income all compensation received for active service as a member of the Armed Forces, not including pensions and retirement pay. (Terminates the current limited exclusion from gross income for combat pay.)

Date: 2007-03-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Samuel B. Moody Bataan Death March Compensation Act - Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay certain compensation to individuals (or their survivors) who, as members of the armed forces during World War II: (1) were captured on the peninsula of Bataan or the island of Corregidor in the Philippines by Japanese forces; and (2) participated in and survived the Bataan Death March. Allows a survivor payment to be made to the nearest surviving relative of such individual.

Date: 2007-03-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care Patient Navigators Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a Department of Defense (DOD)-wide patient navigator program and assign responsibility for overseeing the program to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Requires patient navigators to be assigned as representatives to medical holdover patients and their families in order to improve health care outcomes. Prohibits the ratio of navigators to patients from being higher than one to ten.

Date: 2007-03-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care Performance Metrics and Transparency Act - Assigns the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs responsibility for establishing performance standards for each step of the medical holdover patient process. Defines "medical holdover patient" as a member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or other reserve component, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or who is otherwise in medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated while on active duty.Directs the Secretary of Defense to require each military medical installation to perform a quarterly inspection based on the performance standards established by this Act. Requires the Assistant Secretary to provide reports on such inspections to the Secretary, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, and other military officials. Requires the Assistant Secretary to develop and enforce standards for: (1) security and medical personnel to perform daily rounds of each medical inpatient and outpatient facility, including a requirement for 24-hour access for patients with medical emergencies or needs; (2) responding to patient questions and scheduling medical appointments; and (3) in-processing and out-processing, counseling, and information for patients and family members. Requires the Assistant Secretary to: (1) submit monthly reports to the Secretary and the Inspector General on military service performance in all categories of medical holdover patient care; and (2) meet semi-annually with the Secretaries of the military departments to address medical holdover program execution issues.Requires the Inspector General to audit and review the medical holdover system and the performance standards developed by this Act.

Date: 2007-03-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act - Repeals, as of the later of October 1, 2007, or the date of enactment of this Act, certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Provides for the recoupment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to waive the recoupment requirement in certain cases. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.

Date: 2007-03-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemembers Credit Protection Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to direct the Secretary of Defense, in case of the deployment of a servicemember away from their usual duty station to duty for which the servicemember is entitled to special pay, to notify each consumer reporting agency (agency): (1) of the deployment of such servicemember within 30 days after the deployment; and (2) within 30 days after the end of such deployment. Requires the Secretary, in providing such notice, to take measures to ensure agency compliance with provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act with respect to the servicemember. Increases penalties for consumer credit reporting violations involving servicemembers deployed to an overseas combat zone. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require each agency that receives a combat zone duty alert from the Secretary with respect to a servicemember to: (1) include the alert in the file of that consumer and provide such alert along with any credit score, until notified by the Secretary that the consumer no longer qualifies for such alert; and (2) during the period of the alert, exclude the consumer from any list provided to a third party to offer credit or insurance to such consumer as part of a transaction not initiated by the consumer. Requires the combat zone duty alert included in any consumer's file to include a summary of the consumer's rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and the duties of creditors and other persons to the consumer.

Date: 2007-03-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Improving Veterans' Reemployment Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Labor to include, in a currently-required annual report to Congress concerning the enforcement of veterans' reemployment rights: (1) the number of cases reviewed by the Secretary of Defense under the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve of the Department of Defense; and (2) the number of cases which are disability-related. Directs the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the information required to be submitted is categorized in a uniform way; and (2) also submit all reported information to the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Attorney General, and the Office of Special Counsel.

Date: 2007-03-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires that, in case of a review conducted by the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of a member of the Armed Forces who is killed in action by weapon fire other than as the result of an act of an enemy (friendly fire death), the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that a summary of review results are provided to the primary next of kin at least 24 hours before such results are released to the public. Authorizes the primary next of kin to waive the notice requirement to expedite the public release of such results.

Date: 2007-03-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 to increase the amount of back pay received by members of the Navy and Marine Corps selected for promotion while interned as prisoners of war during World War II to reflect increases in the cost of living since basic pay was paid to or for that person.

Date: 2007-03-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned, in the case of a regular or reserve member of the Armed Forces with a combat-related disability who is entitled to monthly retired pay, to permit such member to elect an alternative retired pay rate based on $2,917, the average monthly salary for high school graduates in the United States. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with respect to veterans with service-connected disabilities, to permit such veterans to elect to receive a monthly compensation of $2,917 (in the case of a service-connected disability rated as total) or a percentage of such amount (depending on the percentage rating of the disability).

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Care Advocate Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish within each Department of Defense (DOD) military medical treatment facility an Ombudsman for Recovering Servicemembers to act as a liaison for recovering servicemembers and their families with respect to their evaluation and care under the physical disability evaluation systems. Defines as "recovering servicemembers" those in a medical hold or holdover status due to an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated while on active duty.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 1940 to extend from 90 days to one year the period following release from active duty during which a member of the Armed Forces shall be protected from mortgage foreclosure.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a two-year pilot program in three states to use a mobile processing unit to conduct outreach, take applications from veterans for benefits, and determine the status of veterans' benefits claims.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop a rules-based expert system to automate the adjudication of veterans' disability compensation claims. Requires such system to: (1) provide a disability rating recommendation based on the applicable rate of disability compensation; and (2) be implemented at no less than two regional offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) within four years after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to convey to the state of Texas the Thomas T. Conally Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Marlin, Texas.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Redefines the term "period of war" for purposes of eligibility for veterans' pension benefits to include any period of active military, naval, or air service not specifically referenced for which a veteran received an expeditionary medal.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the definition of "period of war" to extend eligibility for veterans' pension benefits to those veterans who served during specified time periods in the Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Granada, or Panama.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a separate Veterans Affairs Service Network for the Gulf Coast region of the United States, which shall include specified counties in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or would be entitled to such pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits recoupment by the Secretary of Defense of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member. Changes to October 1, 2007 (previously October 1, 2008) the effective date for paid-up coverage provisions under the SBP and the Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends federal law to provide that the National Security Personnel System shall not apply with respect to certain Department of Defense laboratories (under current law the system would have applied in specified circumstances on or after October 1, 2008.)

Date: 2007-04-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Disabled Veterans Insurance Act of 2007 - Increases from $20,000 to $40,000 the maximum amount of supplemental service disabled veterans' insurance for totally disabled veterans.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Pay Improvement Act of 2007 - Waives, during FY2008, the basic military pay adjustment tied to increases in the Employment Cost Index. Increases, effective January 1, 2008, such basic pay by 3.5%.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the President to transition the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq to the following purposes: (1) conducting limited scope and duration operations against al Qaeda and other international terrorist organizations; (2) providing security for U.S. infrastructure and personnel; and (3) training and equipping Iraqi security services. Exempts such activities from the funding and redeployment provisions of this Act. Directs the President to begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Prohibits funds from being obligated or expended to continue the U.S. Armed Forces deployment in Iraq after March 31, 2008.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: International affairs
Cadet and Midshipman Disability Fairness Act - Extends eligibility for disability retired pay and separation pay to former cadets and midshipmen who were discharged from an enlisted grade in order to accept an appointment as a cadet or midshipman, and who incurred physical disabilities after January 1, 2000.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Traumatic Brain Injury Access to Options Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that each member of the Armed Forces who incurs a traumatic brain injury (where the member is unable to perform activities of daily living for at least five consecutive days from the date of a medical assessment) while on active duty shall be retained on active duty for one year after the date of the assessment. Prohibits such member from being evaluated during the one-year period by a physical evaluation board for determining eligibility for retirement or separation due to such disability. Allows a member (or his or her guardian or legal advocate) to choose to make such requirements inapplicable to the member. Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to extend the one-year period as appropriate in light of medical progress. Requires annual Comptroller General assessments of traumatic brain injury care and services provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Date: 2007-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Provides that if a member of the National Guard serves on active duty for one year or more in support of a contingency operation or homeland defense mission, that member shall be given the option of serving on full-time National Guard duty for up to 90 days upon being relieved from that active duty, in order to ease the transition to civilian life. Allows reintegration (transition) programs for such members to include: (1) mandatory decompression time; (2) education and employment workshops; (3) financial counseling; (4) health and welfare briefings; and (5) disaster mitigation or emergency response duties.

Date: 2007-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish and operate centers for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research, education, and clinical activities; (2) ensure the geographic distribution of such centers; and (3) designate no more than five centers. Requires the: (1) official within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) responsible for TBI care to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals submitted for the designation of such centers; and (2) Under Secretary of Health to ensure the dissemination throughout the VHA of information produced through the research, education, and clinical activities of the centers.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Advisory Committee on Rural Veterans Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish the Advisory Committee on Rural Veterans to consult with and advise the Secretary on the administration of benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for rural veterans, reports and studies relating to rural veterans, and the needs of rural veterans with respect to primary care, mental health care, and long-term care.

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Establishes in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) an Office of the Ombudsman, headed by a Director. Outlines Office and Director duties, including: (1) serving as a last resort for veterans' health care and benefits complaints and issues that cannot be resolved at a local or regional level; and (2) maintaining a public website with contact information for each patient advocate at each VA medical center. Requires the Director to: (1) appoint three regional administrators to support VHA facilities and veterans integrated service networks in their patient advocacy activities; and (2) establish a board to hear appeals from veterans dissatisfied with efforts of their local medical center and service network, and issue letters outlining possible solutions. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate the Ombudsman within 180 days after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to furnish up to $250 worth of civilian clothing and luggage to a member of the Armed Forces, or to reimburse the member up to such amount for the purchase of such civilian clothing and luggage, for use for travel in connection with a medical evacuation. (Under current law $250 is allowed, but only for furnishing civilian clothing or reimbursement for such clothing.)

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Caring for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) the Committee on Care of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury to continually assess VHA capability to meet the treatment and rehabilitation needs of veterans with traumatic brain injury.

Date: 2007-05-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the uniformed services whose retired pay in any taxable year is reduced due to an award of disability compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs an extension of the three-year limitation period for filing tax refund claims until one year after the date of a disability determination. Limits the period for which such refund claims may be filed to taxable years beginning less than 15 years before the date of a disability determination.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits Act - Entitles to veterans vocational rehabilitation benefits any member of the Armed Forces hospitalized or receiving outpatient medical care, services, or treatment who is: (1) determined to have a permanent total disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; and (2) likely to be discharged or released from active service for such disability.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of benefits claims representatives employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) so that there are no fewer than two representatives for each center for the provision of veterans' readjustment counseling and related mental health services (known as vet centers). Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that representatives have a specified level of knowledge of the benefits claims process; and (2) direct additional VA resources to more hours of social worker and mental health time, more staff to keep vet centers open longer, and the provision of links to veteran job centers and training.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense to ensure that every member of the Armed Forces who has served in the Global War on Terror: (1) undergoes a physical examination before the member's separation or discharge to determine their medical condition; or (2) is reimbursed for receiving such an examination from a licensed physician within 45 days after separation or discharge. Requires: (1) the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to use the same forms for medical examinations for members and veterans, respectively; (2) Secretary of the military department concerned to ensure that a copy of a member's service medical record is transmitted to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs upon the member's separation or retirement; and (3) Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use results of medical examinations provided by the Secretary of Defense for purposes of making disability compensation claim determinations.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to award the Army Combat Action Badge to any member of the Army who participated in combat during which the person actually engaged, or was personally engaged by, the enemy at any time between December 7, 1941, and September 18, 2001, as long as such person has not been previously recognized for such participation.

Date: 2007-05-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Pay Veterans First Act - Prohibits for FY2007 the payment of a performance-based bonus to any officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) who is appointed by the President, by and with the consent of the Senate, or who is a senior politically appointed officer unless, at the time of the payment, fewer than 100,000 claims for veterans' disability compensation are pending before the VA. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct an audit of VA claims processing, and report audit results to Congress, for any quarter of FY2007 during which the percentage of disallowed claims exceeds by more than 10% the percentage that were disallowed during FY2006.

Date: 2007-05-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a process for determining whether a geographic area is sufficiently served by the national cemeteries located in that area, taking into account, among other things: (1) the number of veterans living in the area; and (2) the average distance a resident of the area must travel to reach the nearest national cemetery. Requires the Secretary, in case of an area with insufficient land to establish a cemetery, to consider alternatives such as establishing a mausoleum.

Date: 2007-05-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
SBA Veterans' Programs Act of 2007 - Title I: Office of Veterans Business Development - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development to: (1) increase veteran outreach by ensuring that Veteran Business Outreach Centers regularly participate, on a nationwide basis, in the workshops of the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Labor; and (2) submit to Congress progress reports on the implementation of such requirement. Requires the Associate Administrator to establish a Women Veterans Business Training Resource Program to compile information on resources available to women veterans for business training. Title II: Veterans Assistance and Services -Authorizes a small business development center to apply for a grant to carry out a veterans assistance and services program. Sets at $75,000 and $250,000 the minimum and maximum grant amounts. Title III: Expanding Veterans Business Outreach Centers - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to increase, by at least two for each of FY2008 and FY2009, and by an appropriate number for each fiscal year thereafter, the number of Veterans Business Outreach Centers throughout the United States. Requires the Administrator to (1) sponsor an independent study on gaps in the availability of such Centers across the United States; and (2) report to Congress on study results.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Commerce
21st Century GI Bill of Rights Act of 2007 - Entitles to basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill certain members of the Armed Forces or reserves who, after September 11, 2001: (1) are deployed overseas; or (2) serve for an aggregate of at least two years or, before such period, are discharged due to a service-connected disability, hardship, or certain medical conditions. Entitles such individuals to 36 months of educational assistance. Authorizes: (1) specialized training and certification programs for veterans with service-connected disabilities; and (2) payments for tutorial assistance and licensure and certification tests. Requires (with exceptions) the use of such assistance within ten years after the individual's last discharge or release from active duty. Requires individuals eligible under both the above program and the regular Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program to elect one program for participation. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the maximum guaranty amount under the veterans' home loan program with respect to residences of a particular size in an area for which the median price for such size exceeds the normal guaranty maximum. Repeals the home loan guaranty fees charged to veterans. Amends the Small Business Act relating to the microloan program to authorize small business loans to veterans in amounts up to $100,000 at an interest rate of no more than 2.5%.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Right to Know Act of 2007 - Requires that, for any veterans' benefit claim for which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has made no decision, the Secretary shall provide to the claimant notice of the status of such claim no later than 60 days after the claim was submitted and every 60 days thereafter until a decision is made, unless the claimant chooses not to receive such notice. Directs the Secretary to implement the notification requirement within 60 days after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2007-05-22
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act - Permits a veteran with any compensable service-connected disability (and the veteran's dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honoring Existing Retirement Obligations for Every Servicemember Act of 2007 - Provides that, with respect to a person whose absence from regular employment was necessitated by required service in the uniformed services, if that person dies during the period of such service, then the employer shall treat the person as not having incurred a break in employment until the date of the person's death, for purposes of pension and retirement benefits.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make payments to state and local approving agencies (agencies that approve educational courses for veterans) out of amounts in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) readjustment benefits account (under current law, out of amounts available for the payment of readjustment benefits) and out of amounts appropriated to the Secretary for such purpose. Makes $13 million the fiscal year amount to be paid from the readjustment benefits account.

Date: 2007-06-06
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Repeals a provision prohibiting the Department of Defense (DOD), after October 30, 2000, from granting or renewing a security clearance for a person who: (1) was convicted of a crime and served a sentence of not less than one year; (2) is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance; (3) is determined mentally incompetent; or (4) has been discharged or dismissed from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Spouses Employment Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include spouses of members of the Armed Forces on extended active duty (more than 90 days or for an indefinite period) as members of a targeted group for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit (thus giving employers a tax incentive for hiring military spouses).Repeals certain restrictions on disposals to foreign nations of naval vessels in excess of 3,000 tons or less than 20 years of age.

Date: 2007-06-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Veterans' Dignified Burial Assistance Act of 2007 - Increases from $300 to $400 the burial plot allowance paid for veterans interred in cemeteries other than national cemeteries. Waives the requirement that, for a state to receive such allowance for the reimbursement of burial costs, it must file for such within two years after the burial or cremation of the veteran. Authorizes the use of up to $5 million per year under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) state cemetery grant program for operating and maintaining state cemeteries.

Date: 2007-06-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Makes eligible for veterans' mortgage life insurance members of the Armed Forces receiving specially adapted housing assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Date: 2007-06-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends federal veterans' benefits provisions to entitle to educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill certain individuals who serve on active duty in the Armed Forces (including the reserves) on or after September 11, 2001. Requires such individuals to complete the requirements of a secondary school diploma (or its equivalent) before applying for such assistance. Establishes the duration of such assistance (in most cases 36 months) and assistance amounts. Requires programs of education pursued with such assistance to be approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Allows for the pursuit of an approved program of education while on active duty. Allows, under such assistance, for the pursuit of: (1) programs on less than a half-time basis; (2) apprenticeship or other on-job training; (3) correspondence courses; (4) flight training; (5) tutorial assistance; and (6) licensure and certification tests. Requires such educational assistance to be used within 15 years of the individual's discharge or release from active duty (with exceptions). Allows individuals currently under the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program to elect to participate in the post-9/11 educational assistance program with respect to any unused entitlement.

Date: 2007-06-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs: (1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to develop and maintain, in a compact disk (CD) read-only memory format, information that lists and explains the health, education, and other benefits for which veterans are eligible through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); (2) that a copy of such CD be included as part of the preseparation counseling provided to each member of the Armed Forces being discharged or released from duty; and (3) the Secretary, Secretary of Defense, and head of any other relevant government agency to each maintain an Internet website containing an explanation of the benefits administered by that Secretary or agency head to which veterans are entitled, and how veterans can secure those benefits.

Date: 2007-06-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Reasonable Rates for Veterans Act - Sets at 21 cents per mile the rate of reimbursement for private motor vehicle travel under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiary travel program.

Date: 2007-06-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to use the fingerprints provided by an individual at the time of military enlistment to satisfy any naturalization fingerprint requirements if: (1) the individual may be naturalized under the Immigration and Nationality Act; (2) the individual was fingerprinted in accordance with Department of Defense (DOD) requirements; (3) the individual submits a naturalization application within 24 months of enlistment; and (4) the Secretary determines that the fingerprints are sufficient to adjudicate the naturalization application. Directs the Secretary to inform military naturalization applicants of their choice to provide new fingerprints if such submission would result in more timely and effective naturalization adjudication. Provides for cooperation between the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense to determine an appropriate fingerprint format. Directs the Secretary to update Department of Homeland Security (DHS) websites within 30 days of any change in naturalization law or regulation affecting members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) report to the congressional defense and judiciary committees on the naturalization application process for members of the Armed Forces; and (2) conduct a study of this Act's implementation by the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense.

Date: 2007-06-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Immigration
Veterans Education Tuition Support Act of 2007 or VETS Act of 2007 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to require an institution of higher education, whenever a servicemember is called, activated, or ordered to military service and therefore withdraws or takes a leave of absence from such institution, to: (1) refund to the servicemember tuition and other fees paid for the portion of the program of education for which the servicemember did not receive academic credit after such withdrawal or leave; and (2) provide the servicemember an opportunity to reenroll at the institution with the same educational and academic status that the servicemember had when ordered to military service. Requires a provider of a student loan with respect to such a servicemember: (1) if the servicemember reenrolls in the program of education (or a comparable program) within 13 months following the period of military service, to disregard the entire period that the education was discontinued in determining the date on which student loan repayment is to begin; or (2) if the servicemember does not reenroll, to not require loan repayment to begin before the later of the last day of such 13-month period or the date the repayment was otherwise required to begin. Prohibits a court from granting a creditor relief from the 6% limit on interest charged against the indebtedness of a servicemember during a period of military service in the case of an obligation or liability incurred by a servicemember who is a student at an institution of higher education at the time of the call to service.

Date: 2007-06-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Benefit Rating Acceleration for Veteran Entitlements Act of 2007 - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to treat as a disability for OASDI and SSI disability payment purposes any service-connected total disability, as rated and certified by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Applies the same treatment to related child's insurance and widow's and widower's insurance benefits.

Date: 2007-06-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 authorized the President to use the Armed Forces as appropriate to defend U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by the government of Iraq at the time; (2) the government of Iraq which was in power at that time has been removed; (3) the current Iraqi government does not pose a threat to the United States; and (4) after more than four years of efforts by members of the Armed Forces and U.S. civilians, the government of Iraq must now be responsible for Iraq's future course. Directs the Secretary of Defense to commence the reduction of the number of Armed Forces in Iraq beginning no later than 120 days after the enactment of this Act and complete the reduction and transition to a limited presence in Iraq by no later than April 1, 2008 Directs the President, by January 1, 2008, to transmit to the congressional defense, appropriations, and foreign relations committees a comprehensive U.S. strategy for Iraq. Requires the President to update such strategy no later than July 1, 2008, and every 90 days thereafter, including a description of the number of Armed Forces deployed to Iraq and the missions for which they are so deployed.

Date: 2007-07-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security