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United States · Official source
3,919 records where Del. Christensen, Donna M. [D-VI-At Large] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
HOPE VI Reauthorization Act of 2005 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to extend and authorize appropriations for the HOPE VI revitalization program through FY2011.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
States' Right To Innovate in Health Care Act of 2005 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (State Comprehensive Health Care and Cost Containment Demonstration Projects) to allow up to ten states to receive from the Secretary of Health and Human Services planning and demonstration grants to develop a cost-effective delivery system of universal, comprehensive health care with simplified administration.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2005
Remembers and commemorates the lives and work of Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan, and extends sympathy and support for the families, friends, and religious communities of the four U.S. churchwomen. Calls upon the people of the United States and religious congregations to participate in local, national, and international events commemorating the 25th anniversary of their martyrdom. Calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the heads of other U.S. agencies to support the government of El Salvador and private sector, nongovernmental, and religious organizations in their efforts to reduce poverty and to promote educational opportunity, health care, and social equity for the people of El Salvador.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Credit Card Minimum Payment Warning Act of 2005 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to include among the mandatory disclosures at each billing cycle of open end consumer credit plans: (1) the words "Minimum Payment Warning: Making only the minimum payment will increase the amount of interest that you pay and the time it will take to repay your outstanding balance;" (2) the number of years and months it would take the consumer to pay the entire amount of the balance if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments; (3) the total cost to the consumer, as well as a breakdown in principal and interest payments, of paying that balance in full if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments, and if no further advances are made; (4) the monthly payment amount that would be required to eliminate the outstanding balance in 36 months if no further advances are made; and (5) a toll-free telephone number for information about accessing credit counseling and debt management services. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission to issue jointly guidelines for creditors to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone number for such disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2005
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) recognizes that the important contributions of chemical scientists and engineers to technological progress and the health of many industries have created new jobs, boosted economic growth, and improved the Nation's health and standard of living; and (2) supports the goals of National Chemistry Week as founded by the American Chemical Society.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Assistance to Individuals Delivering for America Act of 2005 or the AID for America Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for 50 percent of the wages paid to employees serving as disaster relief volunteers. Limits the amount of such credit to $100 per day per employee.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2005
Expresses sorrow at the death of John Harold Johnson (founder of Jet and Ebony magazines) and commends his accomplishments.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2005 - Provides for increased regular unemployment compensation payments or emergency extended unemployment compensation for certain individuals who held employment or resided in an area declared a disaster as a result of Hurricane Katrina in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Establishes in the legislative branch a bipartisan Katrina Commission to: (1) examine and report upon the federal, state, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other affected areas; (2) evaluate and report on the information developed by all relevant governmental agencies related to Hurricane Katrina before it struck the United States and in the days and weeks following; (3) make a complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding the approach of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf states, and the extent of the Government's preparedness for and response to it; (4) examine planning necessary for future cataclysmic events that will require a significant marshaling of federal resources, mitigation, response, and recovery to avoid significant loss of life; (5) analyze whether any decisions differed with respect to response and recovery for different communities and what problems occurred as a result of a lack of a common plan, communication structure, and centralized command structure; and (6) investigate and report to the President and Congress on immediate corrective measures that can be taken to prevent problems with federal response to future cataclysmic events.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Fair Wages for Hurricane Victims Act - Reinstates the application of the wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to all federal contracts in counties affected by Hurricane Katrina, notwithstanding the President's proclamation dated September 8, 2005, or any other provision of law.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Katrina Assistance Tax Relief Incentives for Necessities Act of 2005 or the KATRINA Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) designate Hurricane Katrina disaster victims as members of a targeted group for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit; (2) allow a tax credit, up to $1,000 annually, for individuals who house Hurricane Katrina disaster victims free of charge; (3) allow a tax credit, up to $5,000, for Hurricane Katrina disaster victims who purchase a principal residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area; and (4) increase the per capita housing credit ceiling for the low-income housing tax credit for Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi for 2006 and 2007 (from $1.75 to $3.70 multiplied by the state's population) and to waive certain requirements for such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2005
Assistance to Individuals Delivering for America Act of 2005 or the AID for America Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for 50 percent of the wages paid to employees serving as disaster relief volunteers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2005
Displaced Student Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies in FY2005-FY2006 to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and success in public elementary and secondary schools of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Limits such grants to a maximum of $8,305 per student. Deems such students eligible for free lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2005
Directs the President to present a plan immediately to eradicate poverty by 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 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 · 6 September 2005
Financial Safeguards for Hurricane Survivors Act of 2005 - Amends the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 to extend its general effective date from 180 days after date of enactment to 910 days after its date of enactment (thus extending for two additional years the time within which bankruptcy petitions may be filed under the bankruptcy law in effect before enactment of such Act). Declares this Act effective as of September 1, 2005, (thereby making victims of Hurricane Katrina eligible to file under the current bankruptcy law).
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Rapid Pathogen Identification to Delivery of Cures Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a report setting forth a strategy to reduce the time frame from pathogen identification to the development and emergency approval for human use of a reasonably safe and effective priority countermeasure against a novel or unknown pathogen or toxin. Requires the report to include: (1) technical impediments to reducing this time frame; (2) research, development, and technology needs to address these impediments; and (3) potential liability concerns stemming from distribution of rapidly-developed priority countermeasures. Allows the Secretary to contract with any firm or institution to conduct necessary research and analysis for this report. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a system to rapidly: (1) establish clinical research programs to examine the safety and efficacy of treatments for novel, unknown, or bioengineered pathogens or toxins; and (2) disseminate results and recommendations to clinicians. Authorizes establishment of a fund to support such clinical research. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish an interagency working group to carry out this Act. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of HHS to conduct research to rapidly identify, develop, produce, and approve for human use priority countermeasures. Requires the Secretaries of Defense and HHS to carry out research, development, and procurement to provide the federal government with the capability to rapidly identify, develop, produce, and approve for human use under emergency conditions priority countermeasures against a novel, unknown, or engineered pathogen or toxin for which no existing countermeasure has been determined to be safe or efficacious.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers for the purpose of providing treatment for diabetes in minority communities. Conditions grants on the recipient agreeing to provide: (1) services in the languages most appropriate for, and with consideration for the cultural backgrounds of, service recipients; (2) outreach activities; and (3) offsite information on diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Cancer Testing, Education, Screening, and Treatment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to qualifying health centers and nonprofit organizations for programs providing cancer screening, counseling, and treatment and information and education on cancer prevention. Targets service populations with significant numbers of low-income minority individuals who are at-risk for cancer, requiring programs to provide: (1) services in the languages most appropriate for, and with consideration for the cultural backgrounds of, services recipients; (2) outreach activities; and (3) cancer information. Requires the Secretary to designate the type(s) of cancer covered by a grant.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2005
Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand treatment services for patients with Alzheimer's disease and training and support services for families and caregivers. Conditions grants on the recipient agreeing to: (1) employ a comprehensive approach to care that integrates the treament of patients with training and support services for families and caregivers; (2) provide services in the languages most appropriate for, and with consideration for the cultural backgrounds of, service recipients; (3) provide outreach activities; and (4) provide information on Alzheimer's. Allocates 10% of grant funds for medically underserved communities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act - FamilyCare Act of 2005 - Renames title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act as the FamilyCare Program and extends coverage to certain low-income adults. Establishes the National Commission for Expanded Access to Health Care. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide limited English proficient individuals with improved access to health care, including by establishing the Robert T. Matsui Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Healthcare. Provides for activities regarding: (1) health workforce diversity; (2) disparities in health and health care experienced by racial and ethnic minorities; and (3) data collection, analysis, and reporting by race, ethnicity, and primary language. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish: (1) the Office of Health Disparities within the Office of Civil Rights to prevent discrimination in federal programs; and (2) the Office of Minority Affairs within the Office of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Restablishes the Indian Health Service as an agency of the Public Health Service to be administered by an Assistant Secretary of Indian Health. Minority Health and Genomics Act of 2005 - Establishes the Minority Health and Genomics Commission to study issues relating to genomics research as applied to minority groups. Establishes the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice and the Federal Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. Sets forth programs designed to improve the quality of and access to health care for minorities, including by establishing the Health Safety Net Infrastructure Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) the Annie Dodge Wauneka and Susan Laflesche-Picotte Native American Health and Wellness Foundation; and (2) a Joint Working Group on Telehealth. Authorizes integrative eldercare, American Indian and Alaska Native, and oral health telehealth demonstration projects.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2005 - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals aged 62 years of age or older. Authorizes appropriations. Amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVIII (Medicare) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits under such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions regarding a research planning conference required to be convened by the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to require such conference to: (1) investigate Parkinson's research funded by NIH; and (2) identify shortcomings and opportunities for more effective treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease. Requires the result of each conference to be included in a research investment plan that also: (1) provides for measurable results with the goals of better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease determining the allocation of research dollars; (2) includes an outline of how to fully utilize the Udall Center program; and (3) includes a budget and implementation strategy. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure adequate funding to carry out activities described in the investment plan. Requires the Director to ensure funding for an additional Morris K. Udall research center to coordinate activities conducted by, and manage the interdisciplinary efforts of, the other centers. Requires each research center to ensure that there is a significant clinical component and ongoing basic research. Requires the Director to establish an application review process for grants to fund such research centers. Directs (currently, allows) the Director to award grants to support qualified investigators with potential for significant future Parkinson's disease breakthroughs. Requires the Director to investigate and report to Congress on the incidence of Parkinson's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act - Establishes an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Requires the Chief of the Section to be responsible for investigating and prosecuting violations of criminal civil rights statutes in which the complaint alleges that such a violation occurred not later than December 31, 1969, and resulted in a death. Requires the Chief to consult with state or local officials regarding the appropriate venue for a case where there has been a violation of a criminal civil rights statute that is also a violation of a state or local law. Directs the Chief to refer cases to the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division if the Chief determines that the subject of the complaint has violated a criminal civil rights statute but the violation does not meet the requirements for the Unsolved Crimes Section. Requires the Chief, annually, to determine the cases under his or her jurisdiction for which there is sufficient evidence to prosecute violations of criminal civil rights statutes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Medicaid prospective payment system for federally-qualified health centers is critical to ensuring that both Medicaid recipients and the nation's uninsured population have access to quality affordable primary and preventive care services. Recognizes the critical role of such health centers as an essential source of care for millions of Medicaid recipients and uninsured Americans and supports continuation of the prospective payment system in helping to maintain this system of care.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 2005 - Amends the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to: (1) continue providing for the coverage of funds into the Historic Preservation Fund through FY2011 pursuant to such Act; (2) modify membership and quorum requirements for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; (2) allow agencies or private entities, other than the Department of the Interior, to provide financial and administrative services to the Council by agreement; (3) authorize the Council to enter into cooperative agreements with any Federal agency that administers an NHPA grant or assistance program to improve program administration; and (4) authorize the Council to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs and make recommendations for improvement to agency heads, the President, and Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2005
Supports the goals and ideals of The Year of the Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2005
Declares that Congress should act and encourage states to act to ensure that restraining orders are uniformly enforced and to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence from perpetrators.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2005
Robin Danielson Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide for the conduct or support of research on the extent to which additives in feminine hygiene products pose any risks to the health of women or the health of the children of women who use those products during or before the pregnancies involved. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) collect, analyze, and make available data on toxic shock syndrome, including data on the causes of such syndrome; and (2) determine the national incidence and prevalence of such syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) over the past four decades Medicaid has been a core component of the American health system; (2) Medicaid has ensured that the vast majority of Medicaid beneficiaries did not join the ranks of the current 45 million Americans with no health insurance; and (3) Congress must continue and strengthen the state-federal partnership that provides this vital health insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) for the past 40 years, Medicare has made significant medical, social, and economic contributions to our Nation; (2) the access to care provided by Medicare has changed the course of health outcomes for the elderly and those with disabilities, preventing physical deterioration and preventing more individuals from slipping into poverty; (3) the program standards set under Medicare have brought social benefits such as quality certification and oversight of medical facilities to the benefit of all Americans; and (4) Congress must continue to support and strengthen this vital federal health insurance program that guarantees all Medicare beneficiaries affordable quality health care that meets their needs..
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2005
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Environmental Health 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 for the development and operation of not more than six centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. Requires each center to conduct basic and clinical research, develop training protocols, conduct training, develop model continuing education programs, and disseminate information to professionals and the public, with priority to prevention activities. Allows a center to use grant funds to provide stipends for health and allied health professionals enrolled in training programs. Requires the Director to establish a comprehensive program to: (1) conduct research on the impact of chemicals that affect the health of women and children through disruption of the hormone system; (2) conduct research on the occurrence of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment and their effects on ecological and wildlife health; (3) coordinate the design of a multiagency research initiative on hormone disruption; and (4) coordinate research on hormone disruption in the United States with such research conducted in other nations. Requires the Director to establish the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission to advise the Director of the Institute and the Director of the United States Geological Survey on the development of a comprehensive agenda for conducting research on hormone disruption. Establishes a Hormone Disruption Research Panel to advise the Director of the Institute on the scientific hormone-disruption research program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Lupus Research, Education, Awareness, Communication, and Healthcare Amendments of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to expand research on lupus to include: (1) basic research to discover the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease; and (2) research to validate lupus biomarkers. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to work with a consortium of academic health institutions to undertake an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence and incidence of lupus in the United States. Requires the Director of CDC to: (1) enter into a cooperative agreement with such consortium to develop, implement, and manage a system for lupus data collection and analysis; and (2) ensure that such consortium represents different geographic areas and includes individuals of racial and ethnic backgrounds disproportionately affected by lupus. Requires the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to study and make recommendations related to lupus, to include: (1) evaluating federal and state activities related to lupus and recommending ways to expand such activities; (2) identifying gaps in federal research; and (3) recommending ways to improve the quality of life for people with lupus. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office on Women's Health, to conduct and support a national lupus public awareness and health professional education campaign, with an emphasis on reaching populations at highest risk for the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that an appropriate day should be established for the commemoration of the women suffragists who worked for the right of women to vote in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2005
Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should raise awareness of domestic violence in the nation by supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2005
Secure Transit and Rail Across America and Invest in National Security Act of 2005, or the Secure Trains Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) submit to Congress the National Strategy for Transportation Security within 30 days after enactment of this Act; and (2) develop certain supplemental requirements, including prioritized recommendations for improving public transportation and railroad security. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to improve the security of public transportation systems against acts of terrorism. Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to owners, operators, and providers of public transportation systems and specified others on best practices for the security of public transportation systems; (2) develop a national plan for public outreach and awareness of measures the public can take to increase such security; and (3) establish National Transportation Security Centers at institutions of higher education. Sets forth certain whistleblower protections for Department of Homeland Security employees and federal contractors or subcontractors who provided information or otherwise assisted in an investigation of violations of any law or regulation related to national or homeland security, filed or participated in a proceeding related to such violation, or refused to violate or assist in the violation. Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of such protections. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for freight and passenger rail (including hazardous materials transportation) security upgrades. Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak for certain fire and life-safety improvements to specified tunnels along the Northeast Corridor. Establishes a research and development (R&D) program to improve railroad security. Requires the Secretary to issue guidelines for a rail worker security training program. Sets forth certain whistleblower protections for rail employees or other persons providing information about perceived security threats. Directs the Secretary to: (1) analyze the cost and feasibility of requiring security screening for passengers, baggage, and cargo on passenger trains; (2) issue certain emergency responder training standards; and (3) provide grants to the Operation Respond Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include, under the definition of independent student for financial need analysis purposes, individuals who were adopted from the foster care system when they were 13 years of age or older.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2005
Honors Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the occasion of her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to regulate the handling and purchase of ammonium nitrate to prevent its misappropriation or use in an act of terrorism. Authorizes the Secretary to promulgate regulations that require: (1) handlers to register facilities, to sell or distribute ammonium nitrate only to registered handlers and purchasers, and maintain records of sale or distribution that include the name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the immediate subsequent purchaser of ammonium nitrate; and (2) registration of purchasers. Authorizes the Secretary to make warrantless inspections during business hours of any place that may handle ammonium nitrate to determine whether such handling accords with this Act. Makes it unlawful for any person to: (1) fail to perform any duty required by this Act and related regulations; (2) violate the terms of registration under this Act; (3) fail to keep any record, make any report, or allow any inspection required by this Act; or (4) violate any sale or distribution order issued under this Act. Establishes civil penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Violence Against Women Act of 2005 - Amends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, VAWA of 2000 (VAWA-2000), the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (OCCSSA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), the Social Security Act (SSA), the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, the Safe Homes for Women Act of 1994, the United states Housing Act of 1937, the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000, and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to reauthorize, revise, and establish various programs for prevention and treatment of violence against women, including domestic violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (violence). Establishes VAWA grant programs: (1) by the Department of Justice (Justice) for assisting children and youth exposed to violence, and for engaging men, women, and youth in preventing violence; and (2) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for services, education, protection, and justice for young victims of violence, and for research on effective interventions in the healthcare setting. Revises and reauthorizes: (1) grants under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to reduce violence against women on campus; (2) safe havens for children under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Reauthorizes PHSA rape prevention and education programs, including the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Establishes related PHSA grants. Establishes VAWA grant programs to address the housing needs of victims of violence. Supporting Teens through Education and Protection Act of 2005 - STEP Act - Authorizes the Attorney General, through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (Justice), to make grants to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in middle and high schools. Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of state unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence. Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Revises the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (under VAWA-2000) with respect to victims of violence, including victims of crimes of human trafficking, VAWA petitioners, and children. Prescribes requirements regarding the safety of Indian women. Best Help for Rape Victims Act - Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to include within the national protocol on sexual assault forensic examinations a recommendation that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy from rape should be: (1) offered information about emergency contraception; and (2) provided with such contraception on site at the victim's request. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide various protections for victims of trafficking. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a special unit to investigate trafficking in persons.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Immigrant Victims of Violence Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA), with respect to T-visa (victims of severe form of trafficking in persons) and U-visa (victims of certain crimes) nonimmigrant aliens. Provides a range of immigration protections for abused aliens. Amends: (1) the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 to provide access to legal services for such aliens; and (2) the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make such aliens eligible for certain public benefits. Amends INA, as amended by VAWA, to apply that Act's deportation protections for transitional relief to all VAWA petitioners. Amends the the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate the VAWA unit (as defined by this Act) as the administrative unit within the Department of Homeland Security with sole jurisdiction over VAWA case adjudication. Amends INA to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility for VAWA petitioners. Authorizes the Attorney General to award trafficking-related law enforcement training grants to state and local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Security and Financial Empowerment Act - Sets forth entitlement standards and implementation guidelines for employee use of emergency leave to address domestic or sexual violence. Permits victims of domestic or sexual violence to substitute existing leave in lieu of emergency leave. Authorizes state use of funds under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) to provide nonrecurrent short-term emergency benefits for emergency leave precipitated by domestic or sexual violence . Amends the Internal Revenue Code relating to approval of state unemployment compensation laws to prohibit denial of compensation where an individual is separated from employment due to circumstances resulting from the individual's experience of domestic or sexual violence. Amends the Social Security Act to include training under this Act for unemployment compensation personnel. Victims' Employment Sustainability Act - Prohibits certain discriminatory employer practices relating to terms or conditions of employment in connection with victims of domestic or sexual violence. Victims of Abuse Insurance Protection Act - Prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse-related claims. Authorizes the Attorney General to provide a grant for a clearinghouse and resource center to provide information and assistance to employers, labor organizations, and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic or sexual violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Answer Africa's Call Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an additional income tax (surcharge) on adjusted gross incomes exceeding certain threshold levels (in order to fund the U.S. International Finance Facility). Establishes the United States International Finance Facility Trust Fund in the Treasury consisting of such amounts appropriated or credited to the Trust Fund, including amounts collected from the surcharge). Makes such Fund amounts available without further appropriation for expenditures in connection with U.S. commitments to the International Finance Facility. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to modify the preferential trade treatment for agricultural products of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. Removes the limitation on eligibility for duty-free treatment of an agriculture product subject to a tariff-rate quota exceeding the in-quota amount, if the over-quota import is the growth, product, or manufacture of a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country. Requires the President to: (1) assess a duty on such an over-quota product if its unit import price is less than the annual trigger price; (2) establish an annual trigger price for each such product; and (3) notify the beneficiary sub-Saharan African country concerned of such additional duty. Amends the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to revise criteria for preferential treatment of apparel articles wholly assembled from fabric or yarn not available in commercial quantities in the United States to make certain yarn or fabrics eligible for use in the production of specified cut or knit-to-shape apparel articles. Modifies AGOA special rules for lesser developed countries with respect to preferential treatment for apparel articles wholly assembled, or knit to shape and wholly assembled, or both, in one or more lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries regardless of the country of origin of the fabric or yarn used. Extends through FY 2015 the applicable percentage component of the preferential treatment formula established for FY 2005. Includes Mauritius in such extension, with no change in its current limitation of 5% of such applicable percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2005
Montgomery GI Bill Second Chance Act of 2005 - Authorizes certain members of the Armed Forces to make an irrevocable election during October of any year beginning in 2005 to become entitled to basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill. Requires a reduction in basic pay of those members electing such educational assistance or, if the member is discharged or released from active duty prior to such reduction, the collection of specified amounts from the member or an equivalent reduction in retired or retainer pay. States that members who are enrolled in the post-Vietnam era veterans' educational assistance program shall be disenrolled from that program upon electing the educational assistance described in this Act. Requires the Secretary concerned, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, to provide notice of the opportunity created by this Act to elect educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2005
Cybersecurity Education Enhancement Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Cybersecurity, to establish, in conjunction with the National Science Foundation, a program to award grants to institutions of higher education for: (1) cybersecurity professional development programs; (2) associate degree programs in cybersecurity; and (3) the purchase of equipment to provide training in cybersecurity for either professional development or degree programs. Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to operate the program. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary to establish an e-security fellowship program to bring state, local, tribal, and private sector officials to participate in the work of the National Cybersecurity Division in order to become familar with Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity missions and capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
Kidney Patient More Frequent Dialysis Quality Act of 2005 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish final regulations for equivalent per treatment prospective payment rates for more frequent hemodialysis treatments furnished to qualified individuals at home and in a facility (commonly known as composite Method I and Method II Cap rates), and prospective payment rates for in-facility training for more frequent hemodialysis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2005
WISEWOMAN Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) remove the limit on the number of states that may receive preventive heath services grants; (2) require a competitive review process; and (3) include among the uses for such grants health education, counseling, and interventions for behavioral risk factors and diseases. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2005
Congratulates the San Antonio Spurs and Coach Gregg Popovich for winning the 2005 National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2005
MediKids Health Insurance Act of 2005 - Amends the Social Security Act to add a new title XXII (Medikids Program) to provide for health insurance coverage for all children born after December 31, 2006, in a program modeled after Medicare that also includes prescription drugs and reduced cost-sharing for low-income children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, during September of each year, to establish a monthly Medikids premium for the following year. Establishes in the Treasury the Medikids Trust Fund to contain the Medikids premiums collected under the Internal Revenue Code. Amends title XVIII to increase Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) membership to 19. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a Medikids premium for the taxable year on a taxpayer with a dependent enrolled in the MediKids program, with exceptions for very low-income taxpaters. Provides that in the case of a taxpayer who has a MediKid at any time during the taxable year, there shall be allowed as a refundable credit against income taxes an amount equal to the excess of: (1) the amount paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year as cost-sharing; over (2) 5% of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income for the taxable year. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to propose a gradual schedule of progressive tax changes to fund the MediKids program as the number of enrollees grows in the out-years.