zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.

The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits.

The bill provides appropriations to HHS for:

 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.)

The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands).

The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State and Other International Programs for:

 the Administration of Foreign Affairs, Global Health Programs, International Security Assistance, Multilateral Assistance, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.

Date: 2016-04-21
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Zika Response and Regulatory Relief Act 

This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) by revising requirements for state permit programs under the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must waive for 180 days after this bill's enactment: (1) state NPDES permit requirements for public health pesticide applications of a mosquito control program, and (2) certain reporting requirements for such pesticide applications in permits issued by the EPA before this bill's enactment. The EPA may extend the period during which permit and reporting requirements may be waived for up to an additional 180 days beyond the original period to protect the public health.

States administering NPDES programs must also waive reporting requirements with respect to the pesticide applications during those periods.

Date: 2016-04-28
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Environmental protection
Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act or the SMASH Act

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend through FY2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants for mosquito control programs. The grant program is expanded so that grants may be used to address emerging, infectious mosquito-borne diseases and to improve existing control programs. The CDC must give preference to applicants that have: (1) a public health emergency due to a mosquito-borne disease, or (2) a control program that is consistent with existing state preparedness plans. The requirement for matching funds may be waived if the area covered by a grant applicant has an extreme need due to the size or density of the human population, the size or density of the mosquito population, or the severity of the mosquito-borne disease.

Date: 2016-06-09
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy services to beneficiaries with pre-diabetes or risk factors for developing type-2 diabetes.

Date: 2016-06-22
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Dialysis PATIENT Demonstration Act of 2016 or the Patient Access to Integrated-care, Empowerment, Nephrologists and Treatment Demonstration Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a demonstration program for the provision of integrated care to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Under the voluntary program, eligible participating providers may form organizations to offer ESRD integrated care models and serve as medical homes for program-eligible beneficiaries. Such a model: (1) shall cover medical and hospital services, other than hospice care, under Medicare; (2) must include benefits for transition into palliative care; and (3) may cover prescription drug benefits. An organization must offer at least one open network model but may also offer one or more preferred network models.

An organization shall return savings achieved under the models to program-eligible beneficiaries.

A beneficiary shall have the opportunity to: (1) opt out of the program, (2) make an assignment change into an open network model offered by a different organization, or (3) elect a preferred network model.

The bill establishes requirements regarding: (1) benefits for program-eligible beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, (2) program quality and reporting, (2) ESRD integrated care strategy, (3) program operation and scope, (4) beneficiary notification, and (5) payment.

Date: 2016-06-23
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
This bill amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office, upon receiving a request from Congress, to determine if legislation would reduce spending outside of the 10-year budget window through the use of preventive health and preventive health services.

Date: 2016-07-06
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Strategies to Address Antibiotic Resistance Act or the STAAR Act

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions regarding the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force.

The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria must provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must carry out activities to collect data on antibiotic resistance, including assessing conditions and outcomes related to antibacterial resistance and working with others to obtain human antibiotic drug consumption data.

The CDC must establish Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance and Laboratory Network sites, including to monitor antibiotic-resistant bacteria, describe and respond to outbreaks, and evaluate resistance testing methods.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases must maintain: (1) a Clinical Trials Network on Antibacterial Resistance, and (2) a leadership group to advance a clinical research agenda to address antibacterial resistance.

The CDC must work with state and local health departments to support efforts by groups of health care facilities to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The CDC and the epicenters participating in the Prevention Epicenters Program must work with others to: (1) evaluate prevention programs and interventions to limit infections in health care facilities, and (2) facilitate research on the prevention and control of resistant organisms. The CDC must use research from the epicenters to create and disseminate educational materials for use in health care facilities.

Date: 2016-07-13
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Beneficiary Respiratory Equipment Access and Transparency to Home Ventilator Care Act of 2016 or the BREATH Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish policies and standards for determining the appropriate use of certain ventilators under the Medicare program.

Subject to budget neutrality requirements, the bill: (1) increases the Medicare payment rate for such ventilators for 2017; and (2) for subsequent years, establishes a new base payment rate based on the percentage change, between 2015 and 2017, in the total number of beneficiaries receiving such ventilators under Medicare.

Date: 2016-07-13
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Cancer Care Payment Reform Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish the Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project, through which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall make special payments to participating oncology practices that coordinate patient care and meet other specified requirements.

During the first two years of the project, CMS shall pay a care coordination management fee to each such practice. After the third, fourth, and fifth years of the project, CMS shall pay a performance incentive payment to each participating practice that meets or exceeds performance standards developed by CMS.

CMS shall assess the performance of each participating oncology practice annually. Performance standards shall address: (1) specified measures related to patient care, resource utilization, survivorship, and end-of-life care; and (2) the patient experience of care, as reflected in surveys submitted by each practice. CMS shall also assess the extent to which a practice has used breakthrough or other best-in-class therapies.

To the extent practicable, CMS shall select practices of varying sizes and geographic areas for participation.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, upon determination of a public health emergency, to provide for the convening of a group of federal officials to prepare monthly reports concerning such matters as funding, collaboration, and best practices.

The bill makes appropriations to the Public Health Emergency Fund upon determination of an emergency. Funding is subject to a calculation that compares amounts available in the fund to average public health emergency relief expenditures over preceding fiscal years.

The bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt the fund from sequestration, a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must report on:

 the capacity of the public health system to respond effectively to infectious disease outbreaks, the coordination between federal, state, and local government entities when responding to infectious disease outbreaks, the most effective ways to provide or allocate resources for public health emergency response, and an audit of how funds for public health emergencies have been expended within the last two years. GAO must also issue a post-emergency report on response efforts by government entities.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Servicemembers' Zika Protection Act of 2016

This bill makes Department of Defense (DOD) funds available for: (1) the deployment of insect repellant and other appropriate measures for members of the Armed Forces and DOD civilian personnel stationed in or deployed to areas affected or that may soon be affected by the Zika virus inside and outside the United States, and (2) the treatment for insects at military installations located in such areas.

DOD also shall provide support to foreign governments for treatment for insects at foreign military installations in such areas outside the United States where Armed Forces and DOD civilian personnel are stationed.

DOD shall submit a strategy to counter Zika should it become a long-term issue to members of the Armed Forces.

DOD may transfer funds to and among DOD accounts for: (1) operations to counter or control Zika, and (2) research and testing of Zika-related medical items.

Date: 2016-09-07
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emergency Response Act of 2016

This bill establishes and provides funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Response Fund. The CDC may use this fund when emergency operations are activated in response to a public health emergency or potential public health emergency. Funds may be used to detect, prepare for, or respond to public health threats domestically and abroad.

The CDC may not use amounts over a specified threshold in a fiscal year until 30 days after it notifies Congress and the President of its plan to use those amounts. A joint resolution of Congress may prohibit the CDC from using those amounts.

Date: 2016-09-08
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to specify that certain deductible, coinsurance, initial coverage limit, and cost-sharing requirements that apply under the Medicare prescription drug benefit shall not apply with respect to the shingles vaccine.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide to Medicare beneficiaries specified information regarding: (1) coverage of vaccines for seniors, and (2) access to the shingles vaccine without cost-sharing.

Date: 2016-11-17
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
No Hero Left Untreated Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a one-year pilot program to provide access to magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy to treat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, chronic pain, or opiate addiction.

The VA shall: (1) carry out the program at up to two VA facilities, and (2) provide access to such therapy to not more than 50 veterans.

Date: 2016-12-09
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Adoption Information Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require family planning service projects or programs, as a condition of receiving certain grants or contracts, to assure the Secretary of Health and Human Services that they will provide each person who inquires about their services with a pamphlet containing a comprehensive list of adoption centers in their state. Directs the Secretary to prepare, annually update, and distribute such pamphlets to such projects or programs.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Domestic Violence Victim Protection Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) include among the eligibility criteria for certain federal grants state laws authorizing gun confiscation by law enforcement officers in certain domestic violence cases; and (2) authorize grants for state hire of additional personnel for entering information relating to protection orders.Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 to: (1) authorize grants for training programs to establish integrated domestic violence courts; (2) include among the eligibility criteria of the National Stalker and Domestic Violence Reduction grant program state certification that its laws relating to the elements of a stalking offense require only that the defendant has on more than one occasion harassed or threatened the victim (thereby excluding any requirement for a specific intent to cause fear); and (3) authorize grants for state hire of additional personnel for entering information relating to stalking and domestic violence data.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Baby Abandonment Prevention Act of 2007 - Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, to establish the Task Force on Baby Abandonment to: (1) collect information and maintain a database on incidents of child abandonment, including information on demographics, circumstances, outcomes, and trends; and (2) submit annual reports and recommendations to Congress.

Date: 2007-01-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act.

Date: 2007-01-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Religious Freedom for Providers of Adoption, Foster Care, and Child Welfare Services Act - Amends the Social Security Act to prohibit federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance to a state or local government that discriminates against any entity that provides adoption or foster care services to only those couples who are united in marriage (defined as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife) and to only those individuals whose conduct is in accordance with such entity's religious principles and practices.

Date: 2007-01-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants for projects to prevent teen pregnancies in racial, ethnic minority, or immigrant communities with a substantial incidence or prevalence of cases of teen pregnancy as compared to the average number of such cases in communities in the state involved. Allows the Secretary to make grants to: (1) provide necessary social and cultural support services regarding teen pregnancy; (2) provide health and educational services related to the prevention of teen pregnancy; (3) promote better health and educational outcomes among pregnant teens; (4) provide training for individuals who plan to work in school-based support programs regarding the prevention of teen pregnancy; and (5) provide public education and increase awareness with respect to the issue of teen pregnancy and related social and emotional issues. Requires the Secretary to make grants to establish and operate a National Clearinghouse for Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to conduct, support, and coordinate research on the prevention of teen pregnancy in such communities. Allows a grant to be made under this Act only if the applicant agrees that: (1) all information provided pursuant to the Act will be age-appropriate, factually and medically accurate and complete, and scientifically based; and (2) information, activities, and services under the grant will be provided in the language and cultural context that is most appropriate for individual groups.

Date: 2007-01-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2007 - Exempts provisions expanding the adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 from the general terminating (sunset) provisions of that Act.

Date: 2007-01-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Amends title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of the Social Security Act to provide for the mandatory revocation of passports of individuals who are more than $5,000 in arrears in child support payments.

Date: 2007-01-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan or coverage provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Applies such prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2007 - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. At-Risk Communities Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Requires the Secretary to award grants for teenage pregnancy prevention research. Truth in Contraception Act of 2007 - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates. Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicaid's coverage of family planning services. Responsible Education About Life Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary to make grants to states for family life education, including education on abstinence and contraception, to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Date: 2007-02-05
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Jane's Law - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or a prison term of up to two years on any person who travels in interstate or foreign commerce to evade compliance with a court-ordered property distribution in a divorce proceeding involving more than $5,000. Requires payment of restitution equal to the total unpaid property distribution from any person convicted of evading payment.

Date: 2007-02-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Suzanne Gonzales Suicide Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the use of any facility of interstate or foreign commerce to teach a person how to commit suicide, or to provide such person with material support or resources in committing suicide, knowing such person is likely to use such assistance to commit suicide. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of not more than five years for violations. Increases the prison term to any number of years or life if a violation results in a death.

Date: 2007-02-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies.Provides for: (1) grants to prevent teen pregnancy; and (2) a national center for parents of adolescents to support parents in preventing teen pregnancy.Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of Social Security Act to expand coverage of family planning services. Sets forth requirements for primary care clinics that receive federal financial assistance and provide abortion services.Expands state options to provide health care coverage to low-income pregnant women.Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations for voluntary family planning projects.Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit individual health insurance coverage from excluding pregnancy as a preexisting condition. Provides for: (1) grants for ultrasound equipment and prenatal testing for pregnant women; and (2) programs to better identify and treat pregnant women and mothers who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Allows the Secretary to make grants to public institutions of higher education to assist students who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and parenting students in continuing their studies and graduating. Requires the Secretary to require that federally funded group homes for pregnant and parenting women provide, upon request, adoption counseling and counseling on parenting skills.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the tax credit for adoption expenses; (2) make such tax credit refundable; and (3) increase the exclusion from gross income for employer-paid adoption expenses.Provides for: (1) education of teen and first-time mothers through home visits by registered nurses; and (2) the collection and reporting of abortion surveillance data.

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Taxpayers' Freedom of Conscience Act of 2007 - Prohibits a federal official from expending federal funds for any foreign or domestic population control or population planning program or family planning activity (including any abortion procedure).

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Foster Children Self-Support Act - Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to ban the use of Social Security or SSI benefits, paid to representative payees on behalf of foster children, to reimburse foster care maintenance payments by states. Amends SSA title IV part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) to require the state plan for foster care and adoption assistance to provide for screening of foster children for eligibility for Social Security and SSI benefits and assistance. Requires written notice to the attorney or guardian ad litem appointed to represent a foster child of the Commissioner of Social Security's initial determination to certify payment of such benefits to a representative payee. Requires a state plan to require the appropriate state agency to develop a plan for each foster care child receiving Social Security or SSI benefits which is designed to best meet the individual's current and future needs and enable the child to achieve self-support after leaving foster care. Requires a representative payee to manage the benefits paid on behalf of such a foster child in accordance with the plan developed for the child. Excludes from the calculation of an individual's resources under the SSI program any assets managed on the individual's behalf in accordance with such plan. Disregards support and maintenance furnished in cash or in kind in determining the income of foster children under the SSI program.

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Drug Endangered Children Act of 2007- Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to extend the grant program for drug-endangered children through FY2009. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2009.

Date: 2007-02-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Medicaid Foster Care Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish independent foster care adolescents as a mandatory category of individuals for coverage under state Medicaid programs.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Child Support Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to repeal a provision that prohibited federal matching funds to a state for expenditures from federal amounts paid to the state for child support and establishment of paternity to carry out an agreement for services of the Federal Parent Locator Service.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Parents' Tax Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide for a minimum tax credit for household and dependent care services for dependents under the age of seven and to phase out such credit based on the amount by which the taxpayer's adjusted gross income exceeds a threshold amount; (2) increase to $5,000 the amount of the personal tax exemption; (3) eliminate the marriage penalty in all income tax brackets and in the tax deduction for student loan interest; (4) establish a standard tax deduction for expenses related to business usage of a home; (5) make permanent increases in the child tax credit and adjust the amount of such credit for inflation on an annual basis after 2007; (6) allow employers a tax credit for employees who telecommute; and (7) allow an exclusion from employee gross income for employer-provided computer equipment used to work at home.Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to award social security credits to parents who stay at home, instead of working outside the home, to care for children who are either under age seven. Authorizes transfers from the general fund to specified Social Security trust funds to cover the cost of such credits.

Date: 2007-03-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility, and Opportunity Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to local educational agencies, state and local public health agencies, and nonprofit private entities for projects to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies. Gives priority to communities with significantly above averages rates of teen pregnancy. Requires the Secretary to establish criteria to evaluate such projects. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to increase authorized appropriations for community learning centers. Authorizes appropriations for physical education programs. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize appropriations for TRIO and GEARUP programs. Authorizes the Secretary to make matching grants to public or nonprofit private entities for demonstrating innovative approaches to prevent teen pregnancies.

Date: 2007-05-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Elder Abuse Prevention Act - Requires a state that is receiving funds for certain law enforcement assistance programs under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to adopt laws and policies that prohibit parole for: (1) any individual who is convicted of a criminal sexual offense against a victim who is elderly; or (2) a sexually violent predator. Grants states three years to implement such laws and policies (with one additional two-year extension for states making good faith efforts at implementation). Renders any state that does not implement such laws and policies within the required period ineligible for 10% of funding for its law enforcement assistance programs. Requests the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promptly review its guidelines for sexual offenses committed against the elderly and to consider new guidelines for enhanced sentencing for such crimes.

Date: 2007-05-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
No Parole for Sex Offenders Act - Requires a state that is receiving funds for certain law enforcement assistance programs under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to put into effect laws and policies that prohibit parole for any individual convicted of a crime against a minor and any sexually violent predator. Grants states three years to implement such laws and policies (with one additional two-year extension for states making good faith efforts at implementation). Renders any state that does not implement such laws and policies within the required period ineligible for 10% of funding for its law enforcement assistance programs.

Date: 2007-05-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Working Family Child Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revneue Code to: (1) revise the income threshold formula for calculating the refundable portion of the child tax credit; and (2) repeal the annual inflation adjustment to the threshold amount.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Parent's Right to Know Act of 2007 - Prohibits any funds appropriated for carrying out federal family planning programs from being made available to any family planning project if any service provider in the project knowingly provides contraceptive drugs or devices to a minor, unless: (1) such provider has given actual written notice to a custodial parent or legal guardian at least five business days prior to providing the drugs or prescription devices; (2) the minor has written consent of a parent or legal guardian; (3) the minor is emancipated; or (4) a court has directed that the minor may receive such drugs or prescription devices. Requires providers to certify to the Secretary of Health and Human Services compliance with this Act.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Kinship Caregiver Support Act - Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to eligible entities to pay for the federal share of the cost of carrying out kinship navigator programs. Amends part E (Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize all states to opt to enter agreements to provide kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of children to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of children for whom they have cared as foster parents and have committed to care for on a permanent basis. Provides that adoptive parents of children with special needs remain eligible for adoption assistance, even if they receive kinship guardianship assistance. Authorizes the use of foster care independence program funds to provide independent living services and education and training vouchers for children who exit foster care to kinship guardianship or adoption after age 14. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with eligible entities to conduct demonstration kinship guardianship assistance projects. Requires states to: (1) notify all adult grandparents and other adult relatives (with exceptions due to family or domestic violence) when a child is removed from custody of a parent or parents; and (2) explain the options the relative has to participate in the child's care and placement. Allows state agencies to establish separate standards for foster family homes in which a foster parent is a relative of the foster child. Expands the definition of family support services to include assisting kinship caregivers or guardians in locating and accessing needed services. Requires that states inform case workers and families considering guardianship of all permanency options and service eligibility.

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking (domestic or sexual violence). Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for victims of domestic or sexual violence on emergency leave. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit denial of unemployment compensation to individuals separated from employment due to their experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to require training of unemployment compensation and TANF personnel to provide necessary services to victims of domestic or sexual violence.Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices against victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage (including termination of health insurance coverage) based on the status of the applicant or insured as a victim of domestic or sexual violence.

Date: 2007-05-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Labor and employment
Pregnant Women Support Act - Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data. Requires health facilities that perform abortions to obtained informed consent from a pregnant woman seeking an abortion. Amends title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow states to extend health care coverage to an unborn child. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a health insurance issuer offering individual coverage from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion or a waiting period or otherwise discriminating against a woman on the basis that she is pregnant. Allows the Secretary to make grants for the purchase of ultrasound equipment for examinations of pregnant women. Provides for the collection and dissemination of information on Down syndrome and other prenatally diagnosed conditions. Provides for services to pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Requires states to require a pregnancy determination for homicide victims. Requires the Secretary to make grants to increase public awareness of resources available to pregnant women and new parents. Allows the Secretary to make grants to public institutions of higher education to establish and operate pregnant and parenting student services offices. Requires the Secretary to provide for programs to work with pregnant or parenting teens to complete high school. Requires group homes for pregnant and parenting women to provide counseling on adoption and parenting skills. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase and make refundable the tax credit for adoption expenses. Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the eligibility threshold for food stamps.

Date: 2007-07-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Health
Single Parent Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individual taxpayers who are entitled to receive child support a refundable tax credit for any unpaid portion of such support; and (2) increase the income tax liability of any individual required to pay child support by the amount of the unpaid child support allowed as a tax credit by this Act.

Date: 2007-07-31
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
A Casa for Every Child Act of 2007 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require states to provide foster children with court-appointed special advocates who meet national standards.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Best Help for Rape Victims Act - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to include within the national protocol on sexual assault forensic examinations a recommendation that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy from rape should be: (1) offered information about emergency contraception; and (2) provided with such contraception on site at the victim's request. Requires the Attorney General to revise any existing protocol in accordance with this Act.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow parents of a murdered child to continue to claim a personal tax exemption for such child for five years after the death of such child or the date on which such child would have attained the age of 18, whichever is earlier.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Employment Assistance for Victims of Domestic Abuse Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow small employers (employers averaging 50 or fewer employees) a work opportunity tax credit for hiring an individual receiving assistance as a victim of domestic abuse.

Date: 2007-09-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Family Tax Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) the increase the alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts and adjust such amounts for inflation after 2008; and (2) make permanent the allowance of the dependent care tax credit, the child tax credit, and the adoption tax credit against the AMT.

Date: 2007-10-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Dave Thomas Adoption Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow for penalty-free withdrawals from individual retirement plans if used to pay adoption expenses.

Date: 2007-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Job Protection for Survivors Act - Prohibits an employer from failing to hire, or to discharge, harass, or otherwise discriminate against an individual with respect to his or her employment because he or she was a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Entitles such employee to: (1) a total of 15 days of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to obtain certain victim services; and (2) leave for court proceedings resulting from an incident of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Makes it unlawful for an employer to interfere with, or discriminate against, any employee exercising any right provided under this Act. Authorizes an employee to file an action for damages or equitable relief in federal or state court against an employer who violates the requirements of this Act. Requires the Secretary of Labor to investigate and resolve complaints of violations of this Act.

Date: 2007-10-31
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Labor and employment
Unemployment Insurance for Survivors Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Unemployment Tax Act) to add as a condition for approval of a state unemployment compensation law that it does not deny unemployment compensation to individuals separated from employment because of circumstances resulting from the experience of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits states from imposing additional conditions restricting the individual's eligibility for or receipt of unemployment benefits beyond those required of other individuals forced to leave their jobs or deemed to have good cause for voluntary separating from a job. Amends title III (Grants to States for Unemployment Compensation Administration) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prohibit the Secretary of Labor from providing grants to states for unemployment compensation administration unless: (1) unemployment compensation applicants are notified of the requirements of this Act; and (2) claims reviewers and hearing personnel are adequately trained in the nature and dynamics of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and in methods of ascertaining and keeping confidential information about such applicants' possible experiences. Amends SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) (TANF) to require a state TANF plan to require the state's chief officer to certify that the state has established and is enforcing standards and procedures to: (1) notify TANF applicants of the requirements of this Act and related assistance; and (2) ensure that TANF personnel receive adequate related training. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award development grants for model training programs under this Act to a national victim services organization and to state, tribal, or local agencies.

Date: 2007-10-31
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Labor and employment
Child Care Family Tax Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the rate of the tax credit for expenses for household and dependent care services; and (2) allow an inflation adjustment after 2007 to the adjusted gross income limitation applicable to such credit. Makes such increased tax credit permanent.

Date: 2007-11-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Adoption Equality Act of 2007 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for children with special needs in the adoption assistance program. Requires that the child be in the care of a public or licensed private child placement agency or Indian tribal organization pursuant to a voluntary placement agreement, relinquishment, or involuntary removal of the child from the home, where the state has determined that continuation in the home would be contrary to the child's safety or welfare. Specifies related requirements.Prohibits adoption assistance to parents with respect to a child who is not a U.S. citizen or resident, and who was adopted outside of the United States or brought into the United States for the purposes of being adopted.Expresses the sense of the Congress that the states should reinvest in child welfare programs any savings resulting from the implementation of this Act.

Date: 2007-11-06
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Foster and Adoptive Parent Recruitment Programs Act of 2007 - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make competitive grants to support establishment and expansion of programs that use networks of public, private, and faith-based organizations to recruit and train foster and adoptive parents and provide support services to foster and adoptive children and their families. Makes eligible for such grants state or local governments, local public agencies, community-based or nonprofit organizations, or private entities, including charitable or faith-based organizations. Directs the Secretary to provide for a National Clearinghouse for Adoption Promotion and Foster Parent Recruitment Programs through a contract with a nationally recognized, nonprofit adoption promotion and foster parent recruitment organization.

Date: 2007-11-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families
Partnership for Children and Families Act - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise the eligibility requirements for adoption assistance and foster care maintenance payments, eliminating certain income criteria. Allows each state with an approved part E plan to apply to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) receive foster care maintenance payment savings achieved (in a "child welfare reinvestment fund") by reducing the total number of days children in the state experience in foster care during the fiscal year; and (2) use the savings to provide children with family preservation services, family support services, time-limited family reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services, and to train the staff of state and local child welfare agencies in effective service practices.

Date: 2007-11-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Family Issues)
Subject: Families