Sponsored Legislation

Title: Department of Homeland Security Procurement Improvement Act of 2007. 

Summary: Department of Homeland Security Procurement Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require: (1) the Chief Procurement Officer to provide homeland security procurement training to acquisition employees, including establishing training objectives, standards, requirements, and courses; and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Council on Procurement Training to make policy and training curriculum recommendations.

Directs the Secretary to require any offeror for a contract to provide goods or services to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit, as part of the offeror's bid: (1) an attestation disclosing any substantial role the offeror, the offeror's employees, or any corporate parent or subsidiary may have played in creating a solicitation, request for proposal, or statement of work or objectives for DHS; (2) a description of safeguards used to prevent the offeror from receiving information through such role that could provide an undue advantage in submission of a contract offer; and (3) a written certification indicating whether the offeror is in default or delinquent on any tax payment to the federal government.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) consider the contractor's past performance based on a review of information submitted regarding performance of government and private sector contracts; and (2) contact the relevant official who administered each such contract performed during the five-year period preceding the review. 

Requires the Secretary to review, strengthen, and issue DHS-wide guidance on the policy governing the use of DHS purchase cards by employees to conduct official business.

Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on DHS contracting processes.

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You can view the text of the legislation here and a list of co-sponsors here.

5. H.R.1330

Title: To extend the time that reservists have to use their education assistance.

Summary: Extends the conditional time limit for the use of basic educational assistance by members of the Selected Reserve and members of the reserve components supporting contingency operations and certain other operations to 14 years after the date on which the person first becomes entitled to such assistance (current law) or ten years after the date on which (currently, the date on which) the person is separated from the Selected Reserve or reserve component.

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You can view the text of the legislation here.

6. H.R.1403

Title: Tax reduction for our Armed Forces in combat zones.

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

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You can view the text of the legislation here.

7. H.R.1404  

Title: Tax reduction for our Armed Forces.

Summary: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income 2% of the compensation of members of the Armed Forces for active service and inactive-duty training.

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You can view the text of the legislation here.

8. H.R.1639

Title: A bill to bring accountability to the procurement process at DHS.

Summary: Prohibits any entity performing lead system integrator functions in the acquisition of a major system by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from having any direct financial interest in the development or construction of any individual system or element of any system of systems with respect to contracts entered into after May 1, 2007. 

Makes exceptions if: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies that an entity was selected by DHS as a contractor through competitive procedures and DHS took appropriate steps to prevent any organizational conflict of interest in the selection process; (2) an entity was selected by a subcontractor to serve as a lower-tier subcontractor through a process over which the entity exercised no control; or (3) the work to be performed is work necessary to integrate two or more individual systems or elements.

Directs the Secretary, by May 1, 2007, to update DHS's acquisition regulations to: (1) specify the matters regarding lead system integrators set forth in this Act; and (2) include a definition of "lead system integrator" modeled after that used by the Department of Defense (DOD) and a specification of appropriate types of contracts and fee structures for use by integrators in the production, fielding, and sustainment of complex systems.

You can view the text of the legislation here.

9. H.R.2126

Title: Child Tax Credit.

Summary: 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.

You can view the text of the legislation here.

10. H.AMDT.192 

Title: To increase the time Guard and Reserve members have to use their education benefits.

Amendment Purpose: An amendment numbered 49 printed in House Report 110-151 to express the sense of Congress that Guard and Reserve members should have up to ten years to use their education benefits.

11. H.R.3099