zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Home Health Documentation and Program Improvement Act of 2015

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to:

 develop a single form or document to be used by a physician to satisfy the documentation requirements necessary to fulfill the requirement of a face-to-face encounter and other criteria for home health eligibility (otherwise known as the certification for home health services); and notify and provide guidance and education to Medicare administrative contractors, recovery audit contractors, and any other appropriate entity regarding application of the form or document to such documentation requirements. HHS shall also:

 develop and implement processes to open and review claims denied on or after January 1, 2011, and before enactment of this Act, due solely to the face-to-face documentation requirements; issue revised decisions of such denials as if the requirements of related regulations did not apply at the time such services were furnished; and establish a voluntary process for home health agencies to enter into a settlement agreement with HHS in lieu of reprocessing claims whose payment this bill now requires.

Date: 2015-06-23
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)

Date: 2015-10-22
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish an Advance Directive Certification Program. Under the program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall grant accreditation to advance directive vendors that meet specified accreditation criteria.

CMS shall establish procedures for an eligible beneficiary to register the adoption of a certified advance directive under the program. Beneficiary registration in the program shall be optional, but each eligible beneficiary who adopts and registers a certified advance directive shall receive a one-time incentive payment.

CMS shall provide for related education and outreach.

Date: 2015-11-18
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Living Independently for Extended Time Act or the LIFETIME Act 

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to enable eligible states to develop innovative programs to meet the unique need for long-term services and supports in the state.

Date: 2015-12-01
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Preserve Access to Medicare Rural Home Health Services Act of 2015

This bill amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend through 2021 the rural add-on, which is a payment increase for Medicare home health services furnished to patients in rural areas.

The bill also amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to lower, for FY2018-FY2022, the annual ceiling on the home health outlier adjustment, which is a payment increase for home health services furnished to the costliest Medicare beneficiaries, from 2.5% to 2.25% of the total Medicare payments projected to be made under the prospective payment system for home health services. (Under the Medicare prospective payment system, payment is made according to a predetermined, fixed amount.)

Date: 2015-12-10
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Verifying Electronically the Receipt of In-Home Care For Individuals Act or the VERIFI Act

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require the use of electronic visit verification systems for certain services under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. An "electronic visit verification system" is a system under which care-related visits are electronically verified with regard to: (1) the type and date of service, (2) the individual receiving the service, (3) the individual providing the service, (4) the location of service delivery, and (5) the time the service begins and ends.

With respect to the Medicare program, a home health agency must have such a system in place for home health services as a condition of participation.

In the case of a state Medicaid program that does not require the use of such a system for both personal care services and home health services, the federal medical assistance percentage for medical assistance expended on such services shall be reduced beginning in 2019. These reductions increase incrementally from 0.25% to 1.00% through 2023.

With respect to the Medicare program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall establish standards for the systems and must consult with agencies to ensure that such standards: (1) are minimally burdensome, (2) account for existing best practices and electronic visit verifications systems already in use, and (3) require that the systems are conducted in accordance with specified legal requirements related to privacy and security. In regard to a state Medicaid program, a state shall do the same.

Date: 2015-12-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
This bill amends the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act to revise the formula and requirements for distributing funds under the Housing Opportunities for Persons With Aids (HOPWA) Program.

 A grantee that received an allocation in FY2016 shall continue to be eligible for such allocations in subsequent fiscal years, subject to approval by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the amounts available from appropriations Acts.

HUD shall:

 redetermine a grantee's eligibility at least once every 10 years, and ensure that a grantee that received an allocation in the prior fiscal year does not receive an allocation 5% less than or 10% greater than the share of total available formula funds allocated to that grantee in the preceding fiscal year. HUD may also award such funds to an alternative grantee if the original grantee agrees in a written document meeting HUD approval.

References to "cases of AIDS" and "AIDS cases" shall be replaced by "individuals living with HIV or AIDS," which means, with respect to the counting of cases in a geographic area during a period of time, the sum of:

 the number of living non-AIDS cases of HIV in the area, and the number of living cases of AIDS in the area.

Date: 2016-03-10
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Housing and community development
Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow payment under Medicare for certain services furnished to hospice patients by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).

With respect to a patient who elects to receive hospice care under Medicare, current law generally limits payment for services that are either duplicative of such care or related to the treatment of the individual's terminal illness. However, current law exempts from this limitation: (1) physicians' services furnished by the individual's attending physician, if not an employee of the hospice program; and (2) services provided or arranged by the hospice program.

The bill expands this exemption with regard to rural health clinic and FQHC services. Specifically, the Medicare payment limitation shall not apply to such services that: (1) would otherwise be physicians' services if furnished by an individual unaffiliated with a rural health clinic or FQHC; and (2) are either arranged by the hospice program or furnished by the individual's attending physician, if not an employee of the hospice program.

Date: 2016-04-13
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Compassionate Care Act

This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and implement a national campaign that informs the public of the importance of end-of-life or advanced care planning and of an individual's right to direct and participate in health care decisions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) must establish a website for qualified health care providers about those rights and advance care planning.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish a pilot grant program for end-of-life training in certain medical and health education schools.

The AHRQ must develop quality measures for end-of-life care in each relevant qualified health care provider setting. Health care providers must begin reporting on their performance relating to such measures on April 1, 2018.

The Health Resources and Services Administration must approve existing and develop new curricula on advance care planning and end-of-life care for continuing education that states may adopt for qualified health care providers.

HHS must establish a demonstration program for supporting the provision of advance care planning through videoconferencing for patients who live far from their health care provider.

Date: 2016-05-19
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish, with respect to certain spinal cord specialty hospitals, a temporary exemption from specified Medicare payment limits applicable to long-term care hospital (LTCH) inpatient services. Current law generally applies payment limits to inpatient services for LTCHs that do not meet certain discharge requirements.

Date: 2016-06-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Act

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.

Date: 2016-06-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Independence at Home Act of 2016

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a permanent Independence at Home Medical Practice Program, under which a primary care practice shall be accountable for: (1) providing comprehensive, coordinated, continuous, and accessible care to applicable Medicare beneficiaries at home; and (2) coordinating health care across all treatment settings.

Subject to meeting specified quality performance standards, a participating practice is eligible to receive an incentive payment under the program if actual expenditures for applicable beneficiaries are less than the estimated spending target established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

CMS shall terminate a program agreement with a participating practice if the practice: (1) for the third of three consecutive years under the program, will not receive an incentive payment; or (2) fails to meet a minimum number of quality performance standards established by CMS.

The bill extends the existing Independence at Home Medical Practice Demonstration Program pending implementation of the permanent program. In addition, the bill removes the limit on the number of beneficiaries that may participate in the demonstration program.

Date: 2016-07-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Verifying Electronically the Receipt of In-Home Care For Individuals Act or the VERIFI Act

This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the use of electronic visit verification systems for certain services under the Medicare program. An "electronic visit verification system" is a system under which care-related visits are electronically verified with regard to: (1) the type and date of service, (2) the individual receiving the service, (3) the individual providing the service, (4) the location of service delivery, and (5) the time the service begins and ends.

A home health agency must have such a system in place for home health services as a condition of participation in the Medicare program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall establish standards for the systems and must consult with agencies to ensure that such standards: (1) are minimally burdensome, (2) account for existing best practices and electronic visit verifications systems already in use, and (3) require that the systems are conducted in accordance with specified legal requirements related to privacy and security.

Date: 2016-09-08
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Currency Harmonization Initiative through Neutralizing Action Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to analyze annually the exchange rate policies of the People's Republic of China, and to impose additional tariffs, if necessary, to equalize any currency manipulations.

Date: 2007-01-09
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Fair Currency Act of 2007 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to expand the authority of the administering authority or the International Trade Commission (ITC) to impose countervailing duties on products from a nonmarket economy country that have been provided a countervailable subsidy. Includes exchange-rate misalignment (undervaluation of a foreign currency) by a country as a countervailable subsidy. Requires the administering authority to use methodologies that measure certain benchmarks outside of a nonmarket economy country where exchange-rate misalignment exists when measuring the benefit of a countervailable subsidy bestowed on a product by such country in a countervailing duty proceeding. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to include exchange-rate misalignment by the People's Republic of China as a condition in determining market disruption to the domestic producers of a like or directly competitive product from products imported from China. Prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from procuring defense articles imported from China if such articles are competitive with domestic industry articles critical to the defense industrial base of the United States. Applies provisions of this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico. Amends the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to consider in the annual analysis of foreign exchange rate policies whether countries have a currency that is in fundamental misalignment, and if so, to initiate bilateral corrective negotiations. Directs the Secretary, prior to U.S. approval of a change in an international financial institution's governance, to determine whether a member who would benefit from such change has a currency that is manipulated or in fundamental misalignment, and if so, oppose such change. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the administering authority, in determining whether a country is a nonmarket economy country, to consider whether such country's manipulation or fundamental misalignment of its currency adversely affects the U.S. economy.

Date: 2007-01-31
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Imposes an additional duty rate of 27.5 % ad valorem on any article imported into the United States that is the growth, product, or manufacture of the People's Republic of China (PRC) unless the President certifies to Congress that: (1) the PRC is no longer manipulating the exchange rate between its currency and the U.S. dollar in order to prevent an effective balance of payments and gain an unfair international trade advantage; and (2) the PRC's currency is valued in accordance with accepted market-based trading policies. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to begin negotiations with the PRC for adoption of a market-based currency valuation.

Date: 2007-02-12
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Japan Currency Manipulation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress on: (1) currency intervention by Japan with respect to the rate of exchange of the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar and other currencies since 2000; and (2) any effort by Japan to create an exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies since March 2004. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a proposal for a comprehensive joint U.S.-European Union plan to address the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies. Directs the Secretary to: (1) initiate consultations with Japan to decrease Japan's foreign currency reserve holdings to permit effective balance of payments adjustments and to eliminate its unfair competitive advantage in international trade; and (2) take appropriate action to dissuade, prevent, or object to currency intervention by Japan. Directs the United States to call for the convening of a special meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reach a multilateral agreement regarding: (1) the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies; (2) the destabilizing effects of the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen; and (3) Japan's excessive foreign currency reserve holdings. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) progress made toward decreasing Japan's foreign currency reserve holdings; and (2) actions taken at meetings of the G-7 Leaders, G-7 Finance Ministers, and the IMF regarding the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies, including any progress toward eliminating such misalignment.

Date: 2007-06-27
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Japan Currency Manipulation Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress on: (1) currency intervention by Japan with respect to the rate of exchange of the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar and other currencies since 2000; and (2) any effort by Japan to create an exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies since March 2004. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a proposal for a comprehensive joint U.S.-European Union plan to address the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies. Directs the Secretary to: (1) initiate consultations with Japan to decrease Japan's foreign currency reserve holdings to permit effective balance of payments adjustments and to eliminate its unfair competitive advantage in international trade; and (2) take appropriate action to dissuade, prevent, or object to currency intervention by Japan. Directs the United States to call for the convening of a special meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reach a multilateral agreement regarding: (1) the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies; (2) the destabilizing effects of the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen; and (3) Japan's excessive foreign currency reserve holdings. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on: (1) progress made toward decreasing Japan's foreign currency reserve holdings; and (2) actions taken at meetings of the G-7 Leaders, G-7 Finance Ministers, and the IMF regarding the exchange-rate misalignment of the Japanese yen with respect to the U.S. dollar and other currencies, including any progress toward eliminating such misalignment.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Currency Reform and Financial Markets Access Act of 2007 - Amends the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988 to revise U.S. policy provisions by urging: (1) the United States, and other major industrialized countries, to work together to ensure that the exchange rate of the currencies of major trading nations and the U.S. dollar reflect market forces and contribute to the growth and balance of the international economy; and (2) the United States to take appropriate action to ensure that U.S. trading partners are not engaged in hidden or unfair subsidies through management of their currency or international exchange rates. Revises a certain annual analysis the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) must make with respect to the exchange rate policies of foreign countries to include an analysis of whether any country, regardless of intent, manipulates the exchange rate between its currency and the U.S. dollar in a manner that results in an accumulation of substantial dollar currency reserves. Requires the Secretary, if the Secretary makes specified findings, to make an affirmative determination that a country is manipulating its currency and to take the following actions, including: (1) establishing a plan to remedy the currency manipulation; and (2) initiating bilateral negotiations with such country, and instructing the Executive Director to the International Monetary Fund to use the U.S. vote, in order to ensure that such country adjusts the exchange rate between its currency and the U.S. dollar to permit balance of payment adjustments and to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage. Provides procedures for a joint resolution of congressional disapproval when Congress disapproves of the Secretary's findings concerning currency manipulation. Promoting Market Access for Financial Services Act - Amends the Financial Reports Act of 1988 to require: (1) the Secretary to report annually (under current law, every four years) to Congress beginning July 1, 2008, on the treatment of U.S. financial institutions by foreign countries; and (2) such report to include a summary of the results of the most recent U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) and how such results pertain to promoting foreign market access for U.S. financial institutions.

Date: 2007-06-21
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
China Currency Manipulation Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) make an affirmative determination that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is manipulating the rate of exchange between its currency and the U.S. dollar; (2) establish and report to Congress on a plan of action to remedy such currency manipulation; (3) initiate expeditiously bilateral negotiations with the PRC to ensure that it regularly adjusts the rate of exchange between its currency and the U.S. dollar in order to permit effective balance of payment adjustments and eliminate unfair competitive advantage in trade; and (4) instruct the Executive Director to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to use the U.S. vote to ensure that the PRC takes such action to achieve such goals.

Date: 2008-04-03
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Derivatives Trading Integrity Act of 2008 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to: (1) repeal the exemption or exclusion from regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) of specified derivative transactions, swap transactions, and related electronic trading facilities; (2) restrict futures trading to contract markets or derivatives transaction execution facilities; and (3) abolish exempt boards of trade.

Date: 2008-11-20
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as a "countervailable subsidy" requiring action under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding the benefit conferred on merchandise imported into the United States from foreign countries with fundamentally undervalued currency. Defines "benefit conferred," in cases where the currency of a foreign country is exchanged for foreign currency (i.e., U.S. dollars) obtained from export transactions, as the difference between: (1) the amount of currency provided by a foreign country in which the subject merchandise is produced; and (2) the amount of currency such country would have provided if the real effective exchange rate of its currency were not fundamentally undervalued. Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding. Requires the administering authority to determine that the currency of a foreign country is fundamentally undervalued if for an 18-month period: (1) the government of the country engages in protracted, large-scale intervention in one or more foreign exchange markets; (2) the country's real effective exchange rate is undervalued by at least 5%; (3) the country has experienced significant and persistent global current account surpluses; and (4) the country's government has foreign asset reserves exceeding the amount necessary to repay all its debt obligations falling due within the coming 12 months, 20% percent of the country's money supply, and the value of the country's imports during the previous 4 months. Requires the use, for calculating a country's "real effective exchange rate undervaluation," of certain guidelines of the Consultative Group on Exchange Rate Issues of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or, if those guidelines are not available, generally accepted economic and econometric techniques and methodologies. Requires the use, also, of inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted exchange rates. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.

Date: 2011-02-10
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as a "countervailable subsidy" requiring action under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding the benefit conferred on merchandise imported into the United States from foreign countries with fundamentally undervalued currency. Defines "benefit conferred," in cases where the currency of a foreign country is exchanged for foreign currency (i.e., U.S. dollars) obtained from export transactions, as the difference between: (1) the amount of currency provided by a foreign country in which the subject merchandise is produced; and (2) the amount of currency such country would have provided if the real effective exchange rate of its currency were not fundamentally undervalued. Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding. Requires the administering authority to determine that the currency of a foreign country is fundamentally undervalued if for an 18-month period: (1) the government of the country engages in protracted, large-scale intervention in one or more foreign exchange markets; (2) the country's real effective exchange rate is undervalued by at least 5%; (3) the country has experienced significant and persistent global current account surpluses; and (4) the country's government has foreign asset reserves exceeding the amount necessary to repay all its debt obligations falling due within the coming 12 months, 20% percent of the country's money supply, and the value of the country's imports during the previous 4 months. Requires the use, for calculating a country's "real effective exchange rate undervaluation," of certain guidelines of the Consultative Group on Exchange Rate Issues of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or, if those guidelines are not available, generally accepted economic and econometric techniques and methodologies. Requires the use, also, of inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted exchange rates. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.

Date: 2011-02-14
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as a "countervailable subsidy" requiring action under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding the benefit conferred on merchandise imported into the United States from foreign countries with fundamentally undervalued currency.

Defines "benefit conferred," in cases where the currency of a foreign country is exchanged for foreign currency (i.e., U.S. dollars) obtained from export transactions, as the difference between: (1) the amount of currency provided by a foreign country in which the subject merchandise is produced, and (2) the amount of currency such country would have provided if the real effective exchange rate of its currency were not fundamentally undervalued.

Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding.

Requires the administering authority to determine that the currency of a foreign country is fundamentally undervalued if for an 18-month period: (1) the government of the country engages in protracted, large-scale intervention in one or more foreign exchange markets; (2) the country's real effective exchange rate is undervalued by at least 5%; (3) the country has experienced significant and persistent global current account surpluses; and (4) the country's government has foreign asset reserves exceeding the amount necessary to repay all its debt obligations falling due within the coming 12 months, 20% percent of the country's money supply, and the value of the country's imports during the previous 4 months.

Requires the use, for calculating a country's "real effective exchange rate undervaluation," of certain guidelines of the Consultative Group on Exchange Rate Issues of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or, if those guidelines are not available, generally accepted economic and econometric techniques and methodologies. Requires the use, also, of inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted exchange rates.

Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.

Date: 2013-03-20
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act 

 Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include as a "countervailable subsidy" requiring action under a countervailing duty or antidumping duty proceeding the benefit conferred on merchandise imported into the United States from foreign countries with fundamentally undervalued currency.

Defines "benefit conferred," in cases where the currency of a foreign country is exchanged for foreign currency (i.e., U.S. dollars) obtained from export transactions, as the difference between: (1) the amount of currency provided by a foreign country in which the subject merchandise is produced, and (2) the amount of currency such country would have provided if the real effective exchange rate of its currency were not fundamentally undervalued.

Declares that the fact that such a subsidy is also provided in circumstances not involving export shall not, for that reason alone, mean it cannot be considered export contingent and actionable under a countervailing duty and antidumping duty proceeding.

Requires the administering authority to determine that the currency of a foreign country is fundamentally undervalued if for an 18-month period: (1) the government of the country engages in protracted, large-scale intervention in one or more foreign exchange markets; (2) the country's real effective exchange rate is undervalued by at least 5%; (3) the country has experienced significant and persistent global current account surpluses; and (4) the country's government has foreign asset reserves exceeding the amount necessary to repay all its debt obligations falling due within the coming 12 months, 20% percent of the country's money supply, and the value of the country's imports during the previous 4 months.

Requires the use, for calculating a country's "real effective exchange rate undervaluation," of certain guidelines of the Consultative Group on Exchange Rate Issues of the International Monetary Fund or, if those guidelines are not available, generally accepted economic and econometric techniques and methodologies. Requires the use, also, of inflation-adjusted, trade-weighted exchange rates.

Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Foreign Trade (Exchange Rates)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
District of Columbia Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2007 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Requires the: (1) President to submit to Congress a revised version of the most recent statement of such apportionment; and (2) Clerk of the House, upon receipt of such revision, to send to the executive of each state a certificate of the number of Representatives to which such state is entitled and to identify to the Speaker of the House the state (other than the District) which is entitled to one additional Representative. Subjects the general elections for such additional Representatives to specified requirements.

Date: 2007-01-09
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Congress
National Capital Transportation Amendments Act of 2007 - (Sec. 2) Amends the National Capital Transportation Act of 1969 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to provide additional funding through grants to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to finance in part the capital and preventive maintenance projects included in the Capital Improvement Program. Subjects such grants to specified limitations and conditions. Prohibits funding to WMATA until it notifies the Secretary that certain amendments to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Compact have taken effect, including: (1) requiring that all local payments for the cost of operating and maintaining the adopted regional rail system are made from dedicated funding sources (i.e., funding which is earmarked or required under state or local law to be used to match federal appropriations authorized under this Act for payments to the Transit Authority); (2) establishing the Office of the Inspector General of WMATA; and (3) expanding the WMATA Board of Directors to include four additional Directors appointed by the Administrator of General Services. Prohibits funding to WMATA unless it: (1) provides access to wireless service to rail service customers within the metro system and ensures that each wireless provider of such service has access to the system for upgrades and maintenance; and (2) certifies to the Secretary of Transportation that overtime paid to a WMATA employee does not exceed one-third of the employee's basic rate of pay and that, with respect to a WMATA employee who is separated from employment, such overtime shall be excluded from the annual salary used for determining the employee's retirement annuity. Requires WMATA, not later than one year after enactment of this Act, and each of the three years thereafter, to report to Congress on the implementation of this subsection. Authorizes appropriations in increments over ten fiscal years beginning in FY2009. (Sec. 3) Establishes within WMATA the Office of Inspector General. Requires the Inspector General to make specified reports on Office activities: (1) semiannually, to the WMATA Board of Directors and General Manager who shall transmit reports to the appropriate committees or subcommittees of Congress; and (2) annually, to the Governors of Maryland and Virginia, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, and Congress. (Sec. 4) Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the use of funds provided under this Act.

Date: 2007-01-11
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Transportation and public works
District of Columbia Voting Rights Restoration Act of 2007 - Restores the right of District of Columbia residents to participate as Maryland residents in congressional elections and presidential elections. Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act that establishes the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 that provides for electing a Senator and Representative for the District.

Date: 2007-01-16
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of 2007 - Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to eliminate, with respect to each fiscal year that is not a control year, all federally-imposed mandates over the District of Columbia's: (1) local budget process, financial management, audits, and accountability requirements; and (2) short-term borrowing of money, with specified exceptions. Declares that the process by which the District develops and enacts the District government's budget for a fiscal year, the activities carried out regarding financial management of the District government, and the process and rules by which the District issues bonds or otherwise borrows money shall be established under laws enacted by the District. Provides that Acts adopting the District government's annual budget for FY2008 and succeeding non-control fiscal years shall take effect upon their prescribed dates. (Thus eliminates congressional review of such Acts). Repeals the federal cap on amounts the District may borrow (other than in a control year).

Date: 2007-01-30
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
District of Columbia Legislative Autonomy Act of 2007 - Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to eliminate congressional review of newly-passed District laws.

Date: 2007-02-14
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Amends the District of Columbia Access Act of 1999 to authorize the public school and private school tuition assistance programs established under the Act through FY2012. Redefines the term "eligible student" under such Act to include an individual from a family with a taxable annual income of less than $1 million.

Date: 2007-02-16
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
District of Columbia District Attorney Establishment Act of 2007 - Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to establish the Office of the District Attorney for the District of Columbia (DA). Specifies the qualifications for the DA, including residence and domicile in the District. Prohibits the DA from engaging directly or indirectly in private practice. Requires the DA to be elected to a four-year term on a partisan basis. Requires the Mayor to appoint the first DA, to serve until succeeded by an elected one. States that nothing in this Act shall affect the authority of the Attorney General or the U.S. Attorney for the District to exercise jurisdiction concerning violations of federal laws.

Date: 2007-03-01
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends specified law prohibiting the killing of wild birds and wild animals in the District of Columbia to declare that nothing in it or any other provision of law shall authorize or be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by federal law nor subject to the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Redefines "machine gun" to include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on possession of handgun restricted pistol bullets; and (3) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked. Repeals the definition of restricted pistol bullet as any bullet designed for use in a pistol which, when fired from a pistol with a barrel of five inches or less in length, is capable of penetrating commercially available body armor with a penetration resistance equal to or greater than that of 18 layers of kevlar. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person. Amends the District of Columbia Code to extend to firearms generally (currently, only to pistols) the prohibition against carrying such a weapon either openly or concealed within the District without a license issued pursuant to D.C. law. Specifies exceptions to the prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in the District.

Date: 2007-03-08
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 - (Sec. 3) Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Declares that the District shall not be considered a state for purposes of representation in the Senate. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Makes conforming amendments to federal law regarding the Armed Forces (appointments to service academies). (Sec. 4) Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members beginning with the 110th Congress and each succeeding Congress. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Prescribes a procedure for identifying the additional Representative to which a state other than the District of Columbia shall be entitled under this Act. Requires election at large of such additional Representative. Requires the first Representative from the District and the first additional Representative from another state to each be sworn in and seated as Members of the House on the same date. Makes conforming amendments to the District of Columbia Elections Code of 1955. (Sec. 5) Repeals provisions of: (1) the District of Columbia Delegate Act establishing the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House; and (2) the District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 providing for election of a Representative for the District.

Date: 2007-03-09
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Congress
District of Columbia Hatch Act Reform Act of 2007 - Amends federal law commonly referred to as the "Hatch Act" (concerning political activities of public employees) to: (1) include the District of Columbia within the definition of "state" with respect to political activities concerning certain state and local employees; and (2) remove provisions specifically applicable to employees of government of the District of Columbia. Makes such amendments effective on the date a law is enacted by the District of Columbia that places restrictions on political activities of employees of the District of Columbia government.

Date: 2007-03-19
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act - Cedes the District of Columbia to Maryland after Maryland's acceptance of such retrocession. Maintains the exclusive legislative authority and control of Congress over the National Capital Service Area in the District of Columbia.

Date: 2007-04-16
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 - Considers the District of Columbia a congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Applies to the District in the same manner as it applies to a state the federal law providing for the fifteenth and subsequent decennial censuses and for apportionment of Representatives in Congress. Limits the District to one Member under any reapportionment of Members. Modifies the formula regarding the number of presidential electors to subject it to the Twenty-Third amendment to the Constitution in the case of the District. Increases membership of the House from 435 to 437 Members beginning with the 110th Congress and each succeeding Congress. Provides for a reapportionment of Members resulting from such increase. Prescribes a procedure for identifying the additional Representative to which a state other than the District of Columbia shall be entitled under this Act. Requires election at large of such additional Representative. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase (from 110% to 110.1%) the estimated tax payment safe harbor percentage for determining the amount of estimated tax payable by individual taxpayers whose adjusted gross income for the preceding taxable year exceeds $5 million.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Congress
Amends the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to increase the salary of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia to 150% of the rate of basic pay for level I of the Executive Schedule.

Date: 2007-05-01
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Metropolitan Police Department and Fire Service Act of 2007 - Amends the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 to require the federal benefit payment made to an officer or member of the Metropolitan Police Department or Fire Service under the District Retirement Program to include any amounts which would have been included if the amendments made by the Metropolitan Police Department Amendment Act of 2006 had taken effect before the freeze date, but only with respect to an officer or member who completes 20 years of active service before retirement.

Date: 2007-05-21
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Amends the federal judicial code to declare that court in the western district of Washington shall be held at Vancouver (as well as the current locations at Bellingham, Seattle, and Tacoma).

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Government Operations (Capital City)
Subject: Law