United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2005
Imposes a six-month moratorium on terminations of certain pension plans, instituted under specified provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), in cases in which reorganization of contributing sponsors is sought in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2005
Recognizes the independence of the State of Israel as a significant event in providing refuge and a national homeland for the Jewish people, and congratulates the people of Israel as they celebrate the 57th anniversary of Israel's independence. Praises the efforts of President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to create the conditions for Middle East peace. Commends the bipartisan commitment of all administrations and Congresses since 1948 to stand by Israel and work for its security and well-being.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
21st Century Health Information Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to regional health information organizations to develop and implement regional health information technology plans. Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to establish and maintain a national technical assistance center to provide assistance to physicians to facilitate adoption of health information technologies and participation in such regional plans. Requires the Secretary to establish a program of accrediting health information networks. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the progress of regional health information organizations in realizing the purposes of this Act. Prohibits federal funds available under this Act from being used for the purchase of a health information technology product unless such product has been certified as incorporating interoperability data standards and compliance criteria. Allows the Secretary to make loans to any accredited regional health information organization to finance investments in network infrastructure and technology acquisition, training, and workflow engineering for physicians. Amends the Social Security Act to exclude the provision of equipment or services for the development of such a regional plan from illegal remuneration provisions and limitations on physician compensation arrangements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a methodology for making adjustments in Medicare payments to providers participating in an accredited network; and (2) make matching Medicaid payments to states for the development and implementation of a regional plan under certain circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight centers to conduct multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer. Requires each such center to: (1) be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence; (2) establish ongoing collaborations with community organizations; (3) be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions; (4) be supported under this Act for a period of not more than five years with additional periods allowed after review and recommendation; and (5) use innovative approaches to study unexplored areas of the environment and breast cancer. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to make recommendations for and to review grants awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Children's Vision Improvement and Learning Readiness Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make grants to states for providing: (1) comprehensive eye examinations for children, with priority given to children under nine years old; (2) subsequent vision treatment or services to correct vision problems; and (3) educational materials to parents, teachers, and health care practitioners on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria to collect data related to vision assessment and the utilization of follow-up services; and (2) coordinate the grant program with appropriate federal and state child services programs. Requires states to annually submit to the Secretary a program evaluation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Pension Fairness and Full Disclosure Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish a termination fairness standard that limits availability of benefits under an employer's nonqualified deferred compensation plans if such employer's defined benefit pension plan is subjected to: (1) a termination based on bankruptcy reorganization; or (2) a conversion to a cash balance plan. Prohibits funding nonqualified deferred compensation plans while maintaining underfunded defined benefit plans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose excise taxes on funding nonqualified deferred compensation plans: (1) in the event of a pension plan termination based on bankruptcy reorganization or of a conversion to a cash balance plan; or (2) while maintaining underfunded defined benefit plans. Requires disclosure with respect to nonqualified deferred compensation plans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2005
Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations for all light passenger vehicles to: (1) require that power windows and panels automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction to prevent children from being trapped, injured, or killed; (2) require a system of driver notification or a reminder system once the ignition switch is in the off position if passengers remain in any of the rear seating positions of the vehicle; and (3) require a rearward visibility performance standard to prevent backing incidents. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a database of, and collect data on, injuries and deaths in nontraffic, noncrash events involving motor vehicles; and (2) either supplement a consumer information program on child safety or create a new program with information about hazards to children in nontraffic, noncrash incident situations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community Act of 2005 - Establishes the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington, D.C.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century Act - Revises, expands, or provides new rights and benefits for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents and survivors, including, among others: (1) an FY 2006 increase in funding for veterans' medical care; (2) a prohibition until the end of FY2006 on medication copayments and on the imposition of a health care system enrollment fee; (3) an extension until 2010 of Vietnam veterans' eligibility for readjustment counseling services; (4) the collection of data from pre- and post-deployment health assessments, and preventive maintenance post-deployment intervention; (5) the prevention, early detection, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for returning troops; (6) a Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Council on Post-Deployment Mental Health; (7) survivors' and dependents' eligibility for family and bereavement counseling; (8) certain educational initiatives; (9) a National Steering Committee on PTSD Education and a PTSD public awareness program; (10) certain benefits and outreach services for disabled veterans; (11) an increase in survivors' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC); (12) certain pay increases and bonuses for active-duty members; (13) an expansion of benefits under under both the active-duty and reserve Montgomery GI Bill programs; (14) employment assistance for homeless veterans; (15) expanded reserve member eligibility under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense managed health care program); (16) certain recruitment and retention incentives for Selected Reserve members; and (17) certain pay matters with respect to Federal employees performing active-duty reserve service. Repeals the: (1) DIC offset from Survivor Benefit Plan surviving spouse annuities; (2) pay reduction and high school graduation requirement for participation in the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program; (3) delimiting date for entitlement to basic educational assistance under such program; (4) time limitation on the exclusion of combat zone compensation by reason of hospitalization; (5) tax cut (implemented in 2001) for high-income taxpayers; (6) scheduled termination of the phaseout of personal exemptions; and (6) scheduled phaseout of the overall limitation on itemized deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2005
Generate Retirement Ownership Through Long-Term Holding Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that no gain shall be recognized on the receipt of a capital gain dividend distributed by a regulated investment company if such dividend is automatically reinvested in additional shares of the company pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
FamilyCare Act of 2005 - Renames the State Children's Health Insurance program (SCHIP) under title XXI of the Social Security Act (SSA) as the FamilyCare program. Provides for: (1) FamilyCare coverage of parents and pregnant women under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) as well as under new SSA title XXI; (2) optional FamilyCare coverage of parents of targeted low-income children; (3) automatic eligibility for FamilyCare coverage of children born to a parent on FamilyCare assistance; (4) optional coverage of legal immigrants and of children through age 20 under Medicaid and FamilyCare; (5) authorization of a State to use simplified procedures under Medicaid for families under Family care; (6) revision of the transitional medical assistance program; (7) limitations on specified conflicts of interests under Medicaid and FamilyCare; (8) a limitation on cost-sharing to 2.5 percent for families with income below 150 percent of the poverty level; and (9) increased Federal reimbursement for language services under Medicaid and FamilyCare. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on funding under SSA title XXI. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award demonstration grants to up to seven States (or other qualified entities) to conduct innovative programs designed to improve outreach to enroll homeless individuals and families and provide them services under specified programs for the homeless (including Medicaid and FamilyCare).
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Medicare Early Access Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to add a new part E (Purchase of Medicare Benefits by Certain Individuals 55 to 65 Years of Age). Provides access to Medicare benefits for individuals 55 to 64 years of age who do not have coverage under a Federal health insurance program or under a group plan. Requires enrollees to pay a premium to receive Medicare coverage. Requires the Secretary to base the premium on the Secretary's estimate of the average, national annual per capita amount of the cost of providing services to the population. Allows early retirees with access to retiree coverage to enroll under this part while keeping their Federal or State COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) continuation coverage. Allows an employer that offers employment-based retiree health coverage to an individual who enrolls under this part to modify such coverage to provide for: (1) employer payment of items and services for which payment may not be made under Medicare; and (2) employer payment of 25 percent of the monthly premium applicable to the individual after enrollment. Creates in the Treasury the Medicare Early Access Trust Fund to hold the premiums collected under this Act and to support the new program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow program enrollees to receive a 75 percent advance, refundable credit to offset Medicare early access premium costs (thus requiring program enrollees in the Medicare early access program to be responsible for 25 percent of the monthly premiums).
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Small Business Health Insurance Promotion Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain small employers (not more than 50 employees) a business tax credit equal to 50 percent of amounts paid by such employers for the health care coverage of their employees under a qualified health pooling arrangement. Limits the period during which the tax credit may be taken to four years from the date the employer begins participating in a qualified health pooling arrangement. Defines "qualified health pooling arrangement" as a national or state arrangement that provides health benefits coverage substantially similar to that of the four largest health benefit plans offered to Federal employees. Directs the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor to provide for the offering and oversight of qualified State and national health pooling arrangements and to conduct a study, through the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, of the operation of such arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2005
Condemns the attacks on U.S. citizens by Palestinian terrorists and demands that the Palestinian Authority (PA) work with Israel to protect all innocent individuals, regardless of citizenship, from terrorist atrocities. Offers condolences to the families of U.S. citizens killed by Palestinian terrorist attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2005
Advance Directives Improvement and Education Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to provide for Medicare coverage of end-of-life planning consultations. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive executed outside the State in which it is presented, even one that does not appear to meet the formalities of execution, form, or language required by the State in which it is presented, to the same extent as such provider or organization would give effect to an advanced directive that meets such requirements. Permits a provider or organization to decline to honor such a directive if it can be reasonably demonstrated that it is not an authentic expression of the individual's wishes. Makes such advance directive requirements applicable under Medicaid, title XIX of the Social Security Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary to conduct a national public education campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of planning for care near the end of life, and specified related issues. Directs the Secretary to provide for the establishment of a national, toll-free, information clearinghouse as well as clearinghouses that the public may access to find out about State-specific information regarding advance directive and end-of-life decisions. Requires General Accounting Office studies and reports on end-of-life planning issues.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Focus On Committed and Underpaid Staff for Children's Sake Act - FOCUS Act - Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Development and Retention Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allot funds to eligible states (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) for distribution directly, or at state option through local governments, to pay the federal share of the cost of making grants to eligible child care providers under both such programs. Healthy Early Education Workforce Grant Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary to allot funds to eligible states (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) to pay for the federal share of the cost of providing access to affordable health benefits coverage for: (1) eligible child care providers; and (2) at state option, the spouses, domestic partners, and dependents of such providers. Directs the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of several such funded state programs representing various approaches to increasing the rate of coverage for child care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins emblematic of the San Francisco Old Mint Building, its importance to California and U.S. history, and its role in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Requires that all surcharges received by the Secretary from such coin sales be promptly paid to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for purposes of rehabilitating the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to states and political subdivisions to: (1) establish model law enforcement programs that promote the effective prosecution of persons who solicit an unlawful commercial sex act, persons who purvey others to engage in such an act, and sex traffickers; and (2) assist victims of such an act. Amends the federal criminal code to modify prohibitions against transportation for illegal sexual activity and related crimes (generally) and for coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution or criminal sexual activity to explicitly cover purchasers of commercial sexual activities and acts. Directs federal agencies involved in combating sex trafficking and providing services to victims of commercial sex acts inside the United States to coordinate their activities with the Senior Policy Operating Group established by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) report annually to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees regarding grants and evaluating success in enhancing the prosecution and conviction of purchasers, sex traffickers, and exploiters and in reducing demand for commercial sexual activity; (2) disseminate best methods and practices for training state and local law enforcement personnel involved in enforcing laws prohibiting commercial sexual acts at each annual conference conducted by the Department of Justice; and (3) carry out a biennial comprehensive statistical review and analysis of commercial sexual acts in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2005
Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Government of Saudi Arabia must immediately and unconditionally: (1) cooperate fully with the United States in the investigation of terror groups and individuals; (2) close permanently all organizations in Saudi Arabia that fund, train, encourage, or in any way aid terrorism anywhere in the world; (3) end funding for terror organizations outside Saudi Arabia; and (4) block funding from private Saudi citizens and entities to Saudi-based or offshore terror organizations. Directs the President to prohibit certain exports to Saudi Arabia and restrict travel of certain Saudi diplomats if the President cannot certify to the appropriate congressional committees that the Government of Saudi Arabia: (1) is fully cooperating with the United States in investigating and preventing terrorist attacks; (2) has closed permanently all Saudi-based terror organizations; (3) has ended funding for any offshore terror organization; and (4) has made all efforts to block funding from private Saudi citizens and entities to offshore terror organizations. Allows the President to waive such sanctions for national security reasons.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to expand and intensify research and related activities on postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. Requires the Director of NIMH to conduct or support research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, such conditions. Directs the Secretary to make grants to establish, operate, and coordinate effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with such conditions and their families. Allows the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grant recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2005
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions regarding employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Katie Elise and Meghan Agnes Act - Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to promulgate: (1) consumer product safety standards applicable to any furniture or electronic appliance that the Commission determines poses a substantial safety hazard due to tipping because of its design, height, weight, stability, or other features; (2) regulations requiring warning labels on the packaging of such items and on the packaging of furniture with drawers that pose a danger to children due to tipping. Requires the Commission, in promulgating safety standards under this Act, to take into consideration the intended uses of furniture and electronic appliances and the likelihood that children could climb on or tip the furniture.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2005
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2005
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2005 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin; (2) Zion and Mojave Desert; (3) the Grand Staircase and the Escalante Canyons; (4) Moab-LaSal Canyons; (5) Henry Mountains; (6) Glen Canyon; (7) San Juan-Anasazi; (8) Canyonlands Basin; (9) San Rafael Swell; and (10) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees; (2) the exchange of State-owned lands within such areas; (3) Federal reservation of water rights; (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness; (5) authorized livestock grazing; and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2005
HRIFA Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) include document fraud among the grounds of inadmissibility which shall not preclude an otherwise qualifying Haitian alien from permanent resident status adjustment; and (2) provide that determinations with respect to children shall be made using the age of an individual as of the date of enactment of this Act. Permits new status adjustment applications to be filed for a limited time period. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish procedures for reopening status adjustment applications based upon the amendments made by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Prevention First Act - Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2005 - Authorizes appropriations for family planning services grants and contracts under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). Family Planning State Empowerment Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow States to provide family planning services and supplies to certain individuals not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and PHSA to prohibit a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group coverage, from excluding or restricting benefits in any way for prescription contraceptive drugs, devices, and outpatient services if the plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription drugs, devices, or outpatient services. Amends PHSA to apply those prohibitions to coverage offered in the individual market. Emergency Contraception Education Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on emergency contraception to the public and to health care providers. Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act - Requires hospitals, as a condition of receiving Federal funds, to offer and to provide, upon request, emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. Preventing Teen Pregnancy Act - Amends PHSA to authorize the Secretary to award grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teenage pregnancy prevention programs. Truth in Contraception Act - Requires that any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through specified federally funded education programs be medically accurate and include health benefits and failure rates.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to prohibit U.S. courts from recognizing, enforcing, or otherwise validating any assertion of rights by an individual (currently, by a designated Cuban national) of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was used in connection with a business or assets that were confiscated by the Cuban government unless the original owner of such mark or name, or such owner's bona fide successor, has expressly consented. Applies such prohibition only if the individual asserting the rights knew or had reason to know at the time of acquiring the rights asserted that the mark or name was the same or substantially similar to the mark or name used in connection with the business or assets that were confiscated.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Employee Free Choice Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. Sets forth special procedural requirements for reaching an initial collective bargaining agreement following certification or recognition. Revises enforcement requirements with respect to unfair labor practices during union organizing drives. Provides, under injunction provisions, for priority to be given to preliminary investigation of charges of violations by employers or other entities. Adds to remedies for such violations: (1) back pay plus liquidated damages; and (2) additional civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2005
Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for and enforcement of prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages to: (1) add nonretaliation requirements; (2) increase penalties; and (3) authorize the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to provide for certain studies, information, national summit, and guidelines, awards, and assistance for employer evaluations of job categories based on objective criteria. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect certain pay information. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey; (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity; and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require any pharmacy receiving prescription drugs or prescription devices in interstate commerce to: (1) ensure that any in stock prescription that one pharmacist refuses to fill on the basis of a personal belief is filled by another pharmacist employed by the pharmacy without delay; (2) ensure that any individual who presents a prescription for an item that is not in stock which one pharmacist refuses to order on the basis of a personal belief is immediately informed that the product can be ordered by the pharmacy and to order such product without delay; and (3) not employ any pharmacist who engages in any conduct with the intent to prevent or deter an individual from filling a valid prescription, including refusing to return a prescription form, refusing to transfer a prescription, or subjecting the individual to humiliation or harassment. Provides that this Act does not require the pharmacy to keep any particular product in stock nor does it apply with respect to a product for a health condition if the pharmacy does not keep in stock any product for such condition. Sets forth civil penalties. Allows a private cause of action for a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
States that Executive Order 12898 (pertaining to Federal actions to address environmental justice in minority and low-income populations) shall remain in force until changed by law. Makes the provisions of this Act applicable to such Executive Order. Defines environmental justice. Establishes criteria for defining an environmental justice community. Requires specified Federal agencies and offices to establish an Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). Requires Federal agencies to integrate the environmental justice strategy developed under the Executive Order into the operation and mission of the agency and to address compliance with this Act in specified activities. Directs the interagency Federal Working Group on Environmental Justice to: (1) coordinate an integrated environmental justice training plan for those Federal agencies and offices required to establish OEJs; (2) formalize public participation efforts; (3) survey Federal agencies and offices with regard to outreach efforts; (4) develop a strategy for allocating responsibilities and ensuring participation; and (5) coordinate plans to communicate research results. Requires: (1) each Federal agency and office with an OEJ to undertake outreach activities and report such activities to the Working Group; and (2) Federal agencies and the Working Group to develop ways to enhance partnerships and coordination with stakeholders. Directs Federal agencies to fund community technology centers to provide assistance relating to environmental justice.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2005
Reaffirms the rights of individuals to make medical decisions as guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Urges all Americans to: (1) set forth their health care wishes in living wills that designate health care surrogates or in other advance directives; and (2) talk to their families about preferences for medical treatment in the event they are incapable of making informed health care decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2005
Family and Workplace Balancing Act of 2005 - Balancing Act of 2005 - Provides assistance for working families through: (1) family and medical care leave; (2) expanded child care for young children and incentives for child care providers; (3) preschool, in-school, and afterschool nutrition and education; (4) temporary and part-time workers pension and health plan benefits; and (5) encouragement of business use of employee telecommuting. Family Income to Respond to Significant Transitions Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make five-year grants to a State or local government to pay for the Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects that assist families by providing wage replacement for eligible individuals responding to caregiving needs resulting from the birth or adoption of a son or daughter or other family caregiving needs. Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to allow employees covered by FMLA to take up to four hours during any 30-day period, and up to 24 hours during any 12-month period, of parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their children's or grandchildren's educational and extracurricular activities. Amends Federal civil service law to apply the same parental involvement leave allowance to Federal employees. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to authorize additional funds for expanding child care activities for young children less than three years of age. Establishes: (1) the Child Care Provider Development and Retention Grant Program; and (2) the Child Care Provider Scholarship Program. Healthy Early Education Workforce Grant Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allot funds to eligible States (and Indian tribes and tribal organizations) to pay for the Federal share of the cost of providing access to affordable health benefits coverage for: (1) eligible child care providers; and (2) at State option, the spouses, domestic partners, and dependents of such providers. Child Care Construction and Renovation Incentive Grants Act - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to provide for use of community development block grants to establish child care facilities. Amends the National Housing Act to provide for insurance for mortgages: (1) on new and rehabilitated child care facilities; and (2) for acquisition of or the refinancing of debt on existing child care facilities. Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make technical and financial assistance grants to acquire or improve child care facilities or equipment. Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a business child care incentive grant program. Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary of HHS to make grants to State agencies to develop full-day, full-year universal prekindergarten programs for all children three, four, and five years old. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a universal free school breakfast program without regard to family incomes. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program of healthy school nutrition environment incentive grants. Afterschool Education Enhancement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require State educational agencies to give priority to 21st century community learning centers program applications submitted jointly by eligible entities. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for treatment of employees working at less than full-time under participation, vesting, and accrual rules governing pension plans and under group health plans. United States Business Telework Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to conduct, in not more than five States, a pilot program to raise awareness about telework among employers, and encourage them to offer telework options to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2005
Renewing the Dream Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow homebuilders and investors a general business tax credit for building or substantially rehabilitating residences for low and moderate-income individuals in certain areas, including a rural area, an Indian reservation, or an area of chronic economic distress. Sets forth rules for the calculation of such credit and its administration and allocation by the States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
401(k) Automatic Enrollment Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to permit 401(k) pension plans to include an automatic enrollment arrangement. Preempts State laws that would preclude automatic enrollments or automatic rollovers in tax-exempt pension plans. Limits the duties and liabilities of fiduciaries with respect to automatic rollovers of 401(k) pension plan assets. Requires notice applicable to alternative methods of meeting nondiscrimination requirements for matching contributions to 401(k) plans semiannually (currently, annually). Directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Labor to report jointly to Congress on low-cost individual retirement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to make grants and create a program within the National Park Service to support and work in partnership with citizens, governmental and tribal organizations, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations for the purpose of identifying, protecting, and acquiring historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II in order to gain inspiration from these sites and to demonstrate the Nation's commitment to equal justice. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Japanese American National Heritage Coalition, to make grants to citizens, States, local, and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations to assist in carrying out the actions described above. Provides for the Secretary to require a 25 percent non-Federal match for funds provided under this Act. Terminates the force and effect of this Act two years after the disbursement to grantees of the total amount of funds authorized to be appropriated under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Jessica Lunsford Act - Amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to direct that State procedures include a process under which the State mails a nonforwardable verification form at least twice a year to the last known address of the person required to register as a sexually violent offender, to be returned within ten days after receipt, with failure to return the form within the period allowed punishable in the same manner as a failure to register. Requires a State prison officer, the court, or another responsible officer or official, if a person required to register is released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation, to: (1) notify the agency responsible for supervising the person that such person is required to register; and (2) provide that agency with the registration information relating to that person. Provides that a person required to register who has two or more convictions for failing to register or failing to keep such registration current shall, upon release from imprisonment, be required to wear a location-transmitting device (such as an anklet) at all times for not less than five years (ten years if the person is a sexually violent predator). Requires the State to frequently monitor the information transmitted. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance dates and loss of Federal funding for failure to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Recognizes the 140th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (prohibits slavery or involuntary servitude) on December 6, 1865. Encourages the American people to educate and instill pride and purpose into their communities about the history of liberation and the civil rights movement in the United States and to observe such anniversary each year.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2005
Supports the organizers and participants of the historic meeting of the Assembly to Promote the Civil Society in Cuba in May 2005 in Havana. Urges: (1) the international community to support the Assembly's mission to bring democracy to Cuba; and (2) the Administration and international community to oppose any attempts by the Castro regime to repress Assembly organizers and participants. Shares the Assembly's pro-democracy ideals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2005
Honors the life's work of the late Pope John Paul II. Extends sympathy and condolences to members of the Roman Catholic Church. Recognizes the significant contributions Pope John Paul II made during his lifetime.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2005 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a group health plan or group health coverage that provides both medical and surgical benefits and mental health benefits from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements on the mental health benefits unless comparable limitations or requirements are imposed on medical and surgical benefits. Excludes such requirements for plans and coverage for small employers. Allows a plan or coverage that provides in-network mental health benefits to provide out-of-network mental health benefits using treatment limitations or financial requirements that are not comparable to those applied to medical-surgical benefits if the in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and with reasonable access. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to: (1) study the effects of this Act on health insurance costs and access and quality of health care; and (2) provide a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft or at the flight of an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance, including through nongovernmental or international organizations, for basic care for orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries, including assistance for: (1) community-based care; (2) school food programs; (3) education and employment training; (4) psychosocial support; (5) protection of inheritance rights; and (6) HIV/AIDS care. Directs the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Advisor for Assistance to Vulnerable Populations. Directs the President to: (1) establish a system to evaluate such assistance's effectiveness; and (2) develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a coordinating strategy for such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Cesar E. Chavez Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the next of kin or other personal representative of Cesar E. Chavez in recognition of his service to the Nation. (Chavez organized farm workers to campaign for safe and fair working conditions, founded the National Farm Workers Association-- predecessor of the United Farm Workers of America-- and was a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Medicare Diabetic Footwear Quality Restoration Act of 2005 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to terminate the reduction in Medicare payment for orthopedic shoes and inserts furnished to individuals with diabetes after December 31, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2005
Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to replace the term "navigable waters," throughout the Act, with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting them, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2005
Child Predator Act of 2005 - Amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to: (1) expand the definition of "criminal offense against a victim who is a minor" to include every offense, whether Federal, State, local, tribal, foreign, or otherwise, that involves one or more of specified characteristics (such as kidnapping or sexual conduct), when committed against a minor; and (2) define "child predator" as a person who is convicted of such an offense that is sexual in nature, where the minor is age 13 or younger. Directs that State procedures require a child predator to: (1) report a change of residence within ten days; and (2) notify appropriate entities within that person's community, including schools, public housing, at least two media outlets, and law enforcement. Sets penalties of up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, for violations. Requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to disclose to the public, on a free-access Internet site, all information collected regarding each child predator, including a recent photograph. Requires the site to: (1) include a feature under which a member of the public can specify an address and be provided with registration information of all such predators within a radius of that address, as well as other searching and sorting capabilities; and (2) display the information in a manner that clearly indicates that the person is a child predator, along with the statutory definition of that term.
![Official portrait of Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_fl_23_wassermanschultz_debbie_200.jpg)