Statement by the Press Secretary on Bill Signings

On Wednesday, December 20, 2006 the President signed into law:

H.R. 394, which directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the Colonel James Barrett Farm for inclusion in the Minute Man National Historical Park, Massachusetts;

H.R. 758, which establishes an interagency task force to develop a strategy for aerospace workforce development;

H.R. 854, which directs the Department of the Interior to convey approximately 240 acres of land to the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe in California and to place the land into trust;

H.R. 864, the "Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act" or the "STOP Act," which establishes a Federal coordinating committee to prevent underage drinking and authorizes a national media campaign, new grant programs, and research to combat underage drinking;

H.R. 1285, the "Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Reauthorization Act of 2005," which extends for 3 years after enactment the application deadline for the H-1C visa program, which provides nonimmigrant admission to foreign nurses to work in regions of the country with shortages of health care workers;

H.R. 1674, the "Tsunami Warning and Education Act," which authorizes the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration to: (1) operate a program to provide tsunami detection, forecasts, and warnings; (2) conduct a tsunami hazard mitigation program; and (3) maintain a tsunami research program;

H.R. 4057, which clarifies that Department of Justice attorneys are eligible for compensatory time off for travel;

H.R. 4416, which permanently reauthorizes the use of official and franked mail to assist in the location and recovery of missing children;

H.R. 4510, which directs the congressional Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and to display the bust in a suitable location in the Capitol;

H.R. 4583, the "Wool Suit Fabric Labeling Fairness and International Standards Conforming Act," which amends the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 to modify labeling requirements for wool and cashmere products based on internationally accepted standards;

H.R. 5132, "River Raisin National Battlefield Study Act," which directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the sites relating to the Battles of the River Raisin in Michigan, for inclusion in the National Park System;

H.R. 5136, the "National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006," requires the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a National Integrated Drought Information System to provide an effective drought early warning system;

H.R. 5646, which directs the Environmental Protection Agency to study the energy consumption of Federal and private computer data centers;

H.R. 6131, which modifies the International Revenue Code to allow expenditures from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund for specified additional purposes;

H.R. 6316, which extends through December 31, 2008, the Army's authority to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal entities to expedite the processing of permits;

S. 1346, the "Michigan Lighthouse and Maritime Heritage Act," which requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a resource study of maritime heritage sites in the State of Michigan;

S. 1998, the "Stolen Valor Act of 2005," which expands criminal penalties for fraud relating to military decorations and medals;

S. 3938, the "Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006," which reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank until September 30, 2011, and amends Bank authorities;

S. 4044, which clarifies the treatment of certain charitable contributions under provisions of the Bankruptcy Code; and

S. 4046, which extends the termination date for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and requires the Special Inspector General to prepare a final forensic audit report on all funds made available to the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.