110th Congress and President Bush

Democrats control Congress; Republicans control White House
Legislative achievements: (became law)
Head Start re-authorization Bill - (December 12, 2007)

This critical bipartisan bill improves and expands the Head Start program, with provisions to:

Improve teacher and classroom quality, including improving teacher qualifications and increasing teacher salaries;
Strengthen the focus on school readiness, including requiring the Head Start program to use the latest and best science on early childhood brain development in its curriculum and materials;
Provide access to Head Start for more children, with higher authorization levels for Head Start and a priority on the expansion of Early Head Start, which serves children from birth to age three; and
Impose strong accountability measures, to better ensure that Head Start funds are used appropriately and efficiently and that underperforming programs are either replaced or quickly improved.

Do not call Improvement Act of 2007 - (February 15, 2008)
the “Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007,” which prohibits the automatic removal of telephone numbers registered on the Federal “Do-Not-Call” registry which previously was removed after five years; and S. 781, the “Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007,” which extends permanently the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to charge fees to telemarketers required to access the Federal “Do-Not-Call” registry and specifies the fees to be charged.
“The President’s action to reinforce and improve Do-Not-Call regulations to protect the rights of consumers will change business practices moving forward,” commented Dean Garfinkel, Chief Executive Officer of Compliance Systems Corporation. “A company’s ability to reach its target audiences is forever altered by the recently signed legislation, forcing businesses to adjust their tactics accordingly.”
The FTC and the Department of Justice together, have taken action against thirty-four parties, collecting a total of over $16 million in civil penalties and $8 million in consumer restitution since the Do-Not-Call Registry was established in 2003.