Washtenaw County Chapter
Legislation Committee
Veterans For Peace - Michigan is very involved with legislation dealing with active duty/veterans issues as well as peace/justice concerns. Below are ways you can help obtain peace and justice by writing letters to Congress
Take Action
Letters to Congress are very much needed on the legislation listed below. Addresses are as follows...
Representative ___________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Senator _________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
You can also call Congress to voice an opinion by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for your Senators or Representatives office. These calls usually take less than a minute and do make a difference.
1. Depleted Uranium Screening and Testing Act - H.R.207
Title: To provide for identification of members of the Armed Forces exposed during military service to depleted uranium, to provide for health testing of such members, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] (introduced 1/4/2007)
Cosponsors (15) as of 8/14/2007
Latest Major Action: 2/1/2007
Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Summary As Of 1/4/2007 -- Introduced
Depleted Uranium Screening and Testing Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to: (1) establish procedures for the predeployment notification to members of the Armed Forces of any known or likely use of depleted uranium in the theater of operation and any health risks associated with exposure to depleted uranium; (2) provide for training deploying members on the safe handling of depleted uranium contamination; (3) carry out a program to identify individuals exposed to depleted uranium during active service in the Armed Forces; (4) provide such individuals with bioassay testing and notification of test results; and (5) identify specified depleted uranium exposure events.
Requires the Secretary of each military department to establish procedures for collecting, tracking, and maintaining information on the health status of individuals tested under this Act to assess long-term health consequences of exposure to depleted uranium.
Requires the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct an independent review of bioassay types and contamination thresholds for purposes of required testing.
Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide appropriate treatment for any illness of an individual resulting from depleted uranium contamination or exposure.
Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a survey of radioisotope identification equipment used by the Department of Defense (DOD) to assess the capability of DOD facilities to identify concentrations of different radioisotopes in naturally occurring levels of uranium and to report survey findings to Congress.
2. Student Privacy Protection Act of 2007 - H.R.1346
Title: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct local educational agencies to release secondary school student information to military recruiters if the student's parent provides written consent for the release, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] (introduced 3/6/2007)
Cosponsors (59) As Of 8/14/2007
Latest Major Action: 6/5/2007
Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Summary As Of: 3/6/2007--Introduced
Student Privacy Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for military recruiter access to secondary school student information.
Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to consent to a release of the student's name, address, and telephone listing to military recruiters, and to give the parent the opportunity to provide such consent in writing.
Requires such LEAs to provide military recruiters, upon their request, with access to such information on a student only if the student's parent has given such written consent.
3. Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - H.R.1352
Title: To prohibit the return or other transfer of persons by the United States, for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise, to countries where torture or other inhuman treatment of persons occurs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] (introduced 3/6/2007)
Cosponsors (53) As Of 8/14/2007
Latest Major Action: 3/6/2007
Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Summary As Of 3/6/2007--Introduced
Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of State to submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual list of countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that torture, cruel, or degrading treatment is commonly used in the detention or interrogation of individuals.
Prohibits the direct or indirect transfer or return of persons by the United States for the purpose of detention, interrogation, trial, or otherwise to a listed country. Sets forth conditions under which: (1) the Secretary may waive such transfer prohibition; and (2) a treaty-based transfer may occur.
Prohibits the transfer from the United States of any person to a non-listed country without an opportunity to challenge such transfer on the grounds of being subjected to torture or cruel or degrading treatment.
Amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to direct the appropriate government agencies to prescribe regulations to implement U.S. obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.