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![Official portrait of Del. Christensen, Donna M. [D-VI-At Large]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000380_200.jpg)
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 · 26 January 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income hazard mitigation payments received under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or the National Flood Insurance Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2005
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7). Encourages: (1) State and local governments to recognize such day, publicize its importance among their communities, and encourage individuals to undergo HIV testing; (2) media organizations to carry messages in support of such day; and (3) the President to emphasize the importance of addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic among the African American community.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms, located on the southeastern shore of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue coins commemorating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School and its contribution to civil rights in America. Specifies the sale price of such coins and applicable surcharges. Requires surcharges collected from sales to be used equally for: (1) the Jefferson National Parks Association for support of the activities and mission of Little Rock Central High National Historic Site; and (2) site improvements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act - Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal. Requires proceeds from the sale of such medals to be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to grant lawful permanent resident status to certain nationals of Montserrat previously granted temporary protected status in the United States (and specified family members). Authorizes aliens previously ordered excluded, deported, or removed, or ordered to depart voluntarily, to apply for adjustment of status under this Act. Requires the Secretary to provide work authorization and related documentation to principal aliens seeking the benefits of this Act. Directs the Secretary to provide specified administrative review procedures for such aliens and their qualifying family members. States that the granting of adjustment of status for principal aliens under this Act shall not reduce the number of available immigrant visas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Redesignates the Ellis Island Library, on the third floor of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the Bob Hope Memorial Library.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Military Educational Parity Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education, as a condition of their participation in the student aid program, to grant students who are called or ordered to active duty a military leave of absence while serving on active duty and for one year after conclusion of such service. Entitles students receiving such leave, upon release from active duty, to be restored to prior educational status attained without loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition or fees paid, unless those have been refunded. Requires institutions to give such students certain refunds of tuition or fees paid prior to active duty. Includes as active duty, in the case of National Guard members, active State duty. Excludes training or attendance at a service school from treatment as active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Judicial District of the Virgin Islands Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal judicial code to establish a two-judge Article III court in the Virgin Islands (with court held in Christiansted for the Saint Croix Division, and in Charlotte-Amalie for the Saint Thomas and Saint John Division). Requires pleadings and procedures to be conducted in the English language. Amends the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands to state that: (1) the judicial power of the Virgin Islands shall be vested in an appellate court and lower local courts as may have been or may hereafter be established by local law (eliminates references to the district court of the Virgin Islands); and (2) the U.S. district court of the Virgin Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all income-tax related criminal and civil proceedings in the Virgin Islands, except for ancillary tax laws enacted by the Virgin Islands legislature. Sets forth provisions respecting: (1) assignment of additional judges; and (2) relations between U.S. courts and local courts under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act - Amends Federal postal law to extend through December 31, 2007, the U.S. Postal Service's authority to issue special postage stamps to help fund breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2005
Calls for the President to grant a pardon, posthumously, to Jack Johnson, the first African-American professional boxer to hold the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2005
Military Death Benefit Improvement Act of 2005 - Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity payable to the survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die: (1) while on active duty or inactive duty training; or (2) within 120 days after discharge or release from such duty or training, if the death resulted from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during such duty or training.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Conveys to the U.S. Virgin Islands specified submerged lands in the area between the island of Saint Croix and the islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John. States that for purposes of U.S. laws, except as otherwise provided by international law or international agreement in force for the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands' territorial waters shall extend nine miles seaward from the line of ordinary low water along that portion of the coast which is in direct contact with the open sea and the line marking the seaward limit of inland waters.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Require the head of each Executive department and of each independent establishment to: (1) establish an Office of Territorial Affairs; and (2) appoint a Director of the Office of Territorial Affairs, who shall be the head of such office. Requires the Director to serve as the liaison to the territories with respect to implementation of the programs of the Executive department or independent establishment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Virgin Islands National Park Land Exchange Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to exchange certain Virgin Islands National Park land on the island of Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands, with the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands for the purpose of establishing a school on such island.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2005
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the limitation on the amount of distilled spirits tax covered (paid over) into the treasuries of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the posthumous award of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and ground-breaking achievements in politics, her election as the first African-American woman in Congress, and her campaign to be the first African-American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Requires the Governor of the Virgin Islands to appoint a Chief Financial Officer, with the advice and consent of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, from a list required by this Act. States that if: (1) the Legislature has not confirmed a nominee within 90 days the Governor shall appoint an Acting Chief Financial Officer until the Legislature consents to a Chief Financial Officer; and (2) a Chief Financial Officer has not been appointed within 180 days the Virgin Islands Chief Financial Officer Search Commission shall appoint from such list an Acting Chief Financial Officer until a Chief Financial Officer is appointed. Sets forth the Chief Financial Officer's duties. Transfers the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to the Chief Financial Officer. Alters the position of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to that of the Deputy Chief Financial Officer. Implements such changes for a five-year period. Establishes the Virgin Islands Chief Financial Officer Search Commission to recommend at least three candidates for the Chief Financial Officer position. Authorizes appropriations to the Government of the Virgin Islands for the installation of a Financial Management System. Prohibits anything in this Act from being construed to permit the Governor and Legislature of the Virgin Islands to delegate or otherwise alter the powers and authority of the Office of Management and Budget established under the laws of the Virgin Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow States to be compensated for incarcerating undocumented aliens who are charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors (currently, conviction is required).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act - Establishes the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans to examine: (1) the institution of slavery which existed within the United States and the colonies that became the United States from 1619 through 1865; (2) the extent to which the Federal and State governments supported the institution of slavery in constitutional and statutory provisions; (3) Federal and State laws that discriminated against freed African slaves and their descendants; and (4) the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery on living African-Americans and on society in the United States. Instructs the Commission to address the following issues when making its recommendations to Congress: (1) whether the Federal government should offer a formal apology for the perpetration of gross human rights violations on African slaves and their descendants; (2) whether African-Americans still suffer from the lingering effects of slavery; and (3) whether any form of compensation to the descendants of African slaves is warranted.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the Revised Statutes of the United States, to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish at least one Border Patrol unit for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Ensuring College Access for All Americans Act - Prohibits the application of the annual updates (prescribed in the Federal Register on December 23, 2004) to the allowance for State and other taxes in the tables used in the Federal Needs Analysis Methodology to determine a student's expected family contribution for the award year 2005-2006 under the Higher Education Act of 1965, to the extent such updates will reduce the amount of Federal student assistance for which the student is eligible.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities for up to half the cost of installing fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Requires grant priority to be given eligible entities that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities; and (2) at least ten percent for eligible entities that are social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and an eligible entity under this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Cure and Understanding through Research for Alzheimer's Act of 2005 or La Cura Act of 2005 - Authorizes appropriations for conducting and supporting research on Alzheimer's disease at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Requires the Director of NIH to ensure sufficient resources for activities relating to Alzheimer's disease and Hispanic communities, including by: (1) increasing efforts in epidemiological work in Hispanic subgroups; (2) allocating resources to the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's disease research centers and other academic centers involved in such research to increase participation of Hispanics in research and clinical trials in sufficient numbers to draw valid conclusions; and (3) conduct social, behavioral, and health services research to understand the underlying reasons why Hispanic individuals delay diagnosis and underutilize services and to identify culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches to address such delays and underutilization. Requires the Director to expand and intensify NIH efforts to educate communities about the importance of research relating to Alzheimer's disease and to respond effectively to cultural concerns about participation in such research. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for a program of grants to States to carry out demonstration programs related to Alzheimer's disease. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct an aggressive, evidence-based education and outreach program to promote public awareness and risk reduction with respect to Alzheimer's disease, particularly to Hispanic populations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
St. Croix National Heritage Area Study Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to report on the feasibility of designating the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, as the St. Croix National Heritage Area.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Fairness to All Vietnam Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to Congress: (1) to identify veterans who died after October 31, 1955, as a result of military operations in southeast Asia whose names are not eligible for inscription on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and (2) on the feasibility and equitability of revising the eligibility requirements to be more inclusive of such veterans or of creating an alternative means for recognizing them, including alternatives involving an education center at the Memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts benefits paid under this Act from taxation. Provides for benefits for World War II Merchant Mariners under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Servicemembers Anti-Predatory Lending Protection Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to set forth terms for consumer credit extended to a servicemember or servicemember's dependent, including terms of interest with respect to the extension of such credit. Prohibits a creditor from imposing an annual percentage rate greater than 36 percent with respect to the consumer credit extended. Sets forth mandatory loan disclosures, including: (1) a statement of the annual percentage rate applicable to the extension of credit; and (2) a clear description of the payment obligations. Prohibits a creditor from automatically renewing, repaying, refinancing, or consolidating any consumer credit with the proceeds of other credit extended to a servicemember or a servicemember's dependent by the same creditor without: (1) executing new loan documentation signed by the servicemember; and (2) providing the mandatory loan disclosures. Preempts any State or Federal law, rule, or regulation, including any State usury law, to the extent that it is inconsistent with this Act. States that this Act does not preempt any such law, rule, or regulation that provides additional protection. Prescribes criminal penalties for violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Constitutional Amendment - States that the right of a citizen to vote in a presidential election shall not be denied or abridged on account of residency in a territory or commonwealth of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Amends titles XI and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) remove the cap on Medicaid payments for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa; and (2) adjust the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for those territories.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Director of the Office of Minority Health, to: (1) designate health empowerment zones and make grants in accordance with this Act; and (2) establish a health empowerment zone coordinating committee for each zone. Authorizes the Secretary to designate a community as a health empowerment zone if a participating community partnership requests such designation and demonstrates that the community is a community of color experiencing disproportionate disparities in health status and health care. Directs the Secretary to make grants to community partnerships to establish health empowerment zone programs to improve the health or environment of minority individuals and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status and health care. Requires at least one such grant to be made to a health empowerment zone in a U.S. territory or possession. Gives preference in awarding grants to indigenous community entities with expertise in providing culturally appropriate and linguistically responsive services to communities of color. Directs the Secretary, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to: (1) provide assistance for such programs; (2) identify programs that may be used to further the purposes of such zones; and (3) give priority in administering identified programs to a designated community if doing so would further the purposes of the empowerment program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Democracy Day Act of 2005 - Requires the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2008 and in each even-number year thereafter (Election Day) to be treated in the same manner as November 11 (Veterans Day) for purposes of any laws relating to Federal employment. Urges private employers to give their employees that day off to enable them to vote. Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the impact of such requirement on voter participation.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Amends Federal law to repeal specified provisions pertaining to real property taxation in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" to honor those members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2005
Expresses the sense of the Congress that schools in the United States should honor the contributions of individuals from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands by including such contributions in the teaching of U.S. history.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Act to Save America's Forests - Amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to revise eligibility criteria for members of the land and resource management scientific committee. Revises the committee termination date. Directs the Chief of the Forest Service, the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to each prepare a continuous inventory of forest land administered by each agency head and to document whole-system measures that will be taken as a result of the inventory. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for conservation and restoration of native biodiversity in forested areas. Prohibits clearcutting or other even-age logging operations on any stand or watershed on certain Federal land, National Forest System land, and National Wildlife Refuge System land. Provides for Federal enforcement and a private right of action. Designates special areas which shall be subject to restrictions on road construction and logging in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Requires the Secretaries concerned to appoint a committee of independent scientists to recommend additional special areas. Restricts road construction and logging on Federal land in ancient forests, special areas, roadless areas, and watershed protection areas. Provides for Federal enforcement and a private right of action. States that this Act shall not apply to Federal wilderness areas designated under the Wilderness Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Winning the War on Terror Act of 2004 - Provides for increases in the numbers of U.S. special operations forces. Provides counter-proliferation measures, including a Global Threat Reduction Initiative (to secure nuclear and radiological materials outside the United States) and radiological material threat assessments. Requires elimination of the U.S. chemical stockpile no later than the end of 2012. Establishes a Terrorist Screening Center in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Secure Borders Act - Institutes, or modifies, measures related to: (1) border infrastructure and monitoring, transportation workers and cargo containers, and public and tribal lands; (2) identification document standards; (3) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staffing, detention and removal operations, informant aliens, and alien smuggling penalties; (4) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) foreign coordination, visa security, and the visa waiver program; and (5) immigration benefit functions, including identification techniques. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to make grants for public transportation security. Directs the Secretary to develop public transportation best practices, public awareness, and security plans. Requires a Memorandum of Agreement between the Secretaries of Homeland Security and of Transportation concerning their respective roles in public transportation security matters. Secure Containers from Overseas and Seaports from Terrorism Act or Secure COAST Act - Requires establishment of security standards and verification procedures for maritime cargo containers moving within the intermodal transportation system. Imposes validation and inspection requirements, including deployment of radiation detection portal equipment at all ports of entry and a staffing assessment. Authorizes appropriations for port security grants and requires funding for an information sharing and analysis capability within the maritime industry. Increases funding for Coast Guard components associated with the Integrated Deepwater System. Increases authorized Coast Guard active duty personnel levels. Requires aviation security measures that include provision of checked baggage screening for explosives, phaseout of passenger "bag-matching" programs, technology assessment, a shipping companies database, wireless flight crew communications, a national transportation security strategy, and passenger watchlists. Private Sector Preparedness Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and implement a private sector emergency preparedness program. Sets forth requirements for promoting the sharing of intelligence and homeland security information. Requires the Secretary to develop: (1) a plan for security critical infrastructure; and (2) a national biodefense strategy. Rapid Pathogen Identification to Delivery of Cures Act - Requires a strategy and research programs to expedite the development and approval of countermeasures against novel or unknown pathogens or toxins. Chemical Security Improvement Act of 2004 - Establishes procedures for assessment of the vulnerability of chemical sources to terrorist release and planning to address security concerns. Authorizes establishment of a program to fund cybersecurity professional development programs. Creates a National Cybersecurity Office in DHS. Connecting the Operations of National Networks of Emergency Communications Technologies for First Responders Act of 2004 - Establishes an Office of Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Communications and a program to fund communications interoperability improvements. Strengthening Homeland Innovation to Emphasize Liberty, Democracy, and Privacy Act or the SHIELD Privacy Act - Requires designation of a Chief Privacy Officer within the Office of Management and Budget and of an official primarily responsible for privacy policy in each executive branch agency. Establishes a Commission on Privacy, Freedom, and Homeland Security and a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Homeland Security Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2004 - Revises DHS organizational provisions to institute certain civil rights and civil liberties safeguards. Sets forth policies (and measures) regarding prevention of future international terrorism, including concerning: (1) the role of Pakistan; (2) the future of Afghanistan; (3) the U.S.-Saudi relationship; (4) politics, culture, and education in the Islamic world; and (5) the use of economic and trade policies as part of a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. Urges a comprehensive coalition strategy to fight Islamist terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Emergency Relief for Caribbean Nationals Act - Requires Haiti, Grenada, and the Cayman Islands to be treated as if such countries had been designated for purposes of the temporary protected status (TPS) provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Requires the initial period of designation to remain in effect for 18 months beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. Limits eligibility for TPS under this Act to aliens who: (1) have been continuously physically present in the United States since September 7, 2004; (2) are admissible as immigrants or eligible for certain waivers of inadmissibility and are not ineligible for TPS; and (3) register for TPS in the manner established by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Directs the Secretary to give prior consent to travel abroad to an alien granted TPS pursuant to this Act if the alien establishes that emergency and extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the alien require the alien to depart for a brief, temporary trip abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2004
Coordinated Environmental Health Network Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish and operate the Coordinated Environmental Health Network (the Network), including by: (1) identifying, expanding, and coordinating among existing Federal public health and environmental infrastructure; (2) providing for public access to an electronic national database on the incidence and prevalence of specified priority chronic conditions and relevant environmental and other factors; (3) operating a National Environmental Health Rapid Response Service to develop strategies to rapidly respond to, and conduct investigations of, higher than expected incidence and prevalence rates of priority chronic conditions and environmental exposures; (4) awarding grants to States, local governments, territories, and Indian tribes to establish, maintain, and operate State Environmental Health Networks; (5) developing minimum standards and procedures for data collection and reporting for State Networks, including mechanisms for allowing States to set priorities and allocate resources accordingly; (6) establishing an Advisory Committee for the Network; (7) awarding John H. Chafee Public Health Scholarships to eligible students who are enrolled in an accredited school of public health or medicine; and (8) entering into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to train and place applied epidemiology fellows in State and local health departments. Allows the Secretary to award grants to accredited schools or programs of public health to establish, maintain, and operate Centers of Excellence for research and demonstration with respect to chronic conditions and relevant environmental factors, which may include investigating causal connections between chronic conditions and environmental factors.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2004 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers for community policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs. Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations. Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities. Repeals provisions of the Act regarding termination of grants for hiring officers. Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts; and (3) in paying overtime to existing career law enforcement officers. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000. Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Influenza Vaccine Emergency Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require influenza vaccine manufacturers to include a provision in any contract for the sale of the vaccine in interstate commerce expressing the policy that the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to take title to necessary quantities of the vaccine if the Secretary declares that there is a public health emergency by reason of an influenza vaccine shortage, and that the manufacturer will reimburse the purchaser for any such quantity not received. Requires the Secretary to pay the manufacturer or distributor for any quantity taken at the price the manufacturer or distributor would have received for that quantity of vaccine. Requires the Secretary to determine the extent of compliance with guidelines for the distribution of influenza vaccine and, before using the authority to take title to the vaccine, to publish notice that such compliance has not been sufficient to constitute an adequate response to the emergency. Allows the Secretary, in lieu of taking title to a vaccine, to order any vaccine manufacturer or distributor to honor its contracts with States or political subdivisions. Requires the Secretary to provide any influenza vaccine to States, political subdivisions, and such other public or private entities as appropriate as a response to the emergency involved. Allows the Secretary to make an emergency declaration if the delivery waiting time for States or political subdivisions to receive the vaccine constitutes a significant threat to children, adolescents, or adults served by the immunization program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2004
Voter Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit willfully providing misleading or fraudulent information to an individual and thereby interfering with that individual's voting, qualifying to vote, qualifying or campaigning as a candidate, or qualifying or acting as any legally authorized official in any primary, special, or general election.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2004
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of Homeland Security should designate Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas under the Immigration and Nationality Act to make nationals of those countries eligible for temporary protected status.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2004
Homeland Security Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include within the primary mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that civil rights are not diminished by efforts aimed at securing the homeland. Requires DHS's Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to report directly to the Secretary of DHS. Includes among the Officer's responsibilities to: (1) assist the Secretary, directorates, and offices of DHS to develop, implement, and periodically review DHS policies and procedures to ensure that the protection of civil rights is appropriately incorporated into DHS programs and activities; (2) oversee compliance with requirements relating to civil rights; (3) coordinate with the DHS Privacy Officer; and (4) investigate complaints and information indicating possible abuses of civil rights unless the DHS Inspector General (IG) determines that such complaints or information should be investigated by the IG. Directs the IG to designate a senior official within the IG's Office to perform specified functions, including initiating investigations of alleged abuses by DHS employees, officials, contractors, or grantees. Requires the Privacy Officer to report directly to the Secretary. Makes the Privacy Officer responsible for coordinating with the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to ensure that programs, policies, and procedures involving civil rights and privacy are addressed in a comprehensive manner and that Congress receives appropriate reports.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2004
Free Market Drug Act - Establishes the National Institute for Biomedical Research and Development to provide for the development of drugs, biological products, and devices to: (1) increase the number and medical efficacy of drugs, biological products, and devices on the market; and (2) make the drugs, biological products, and devices available to the public at reasonable prices. Requires the Director of the Institute to: (1) monitor the results of certain research to identify discoveries that, if subjected to appropriate research and development activities, may be suitable for approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as drugs, biological products, or devices for use in humans (candidate discoveries); (2) identify candidate discoveries and carry out appropriate research and development regarding such discoveries; (3) establish, review, and revise a plan for the development, testing, and manufacture of candidate discoveries through the Institute; (4) establish priorities among candidate discoveries; and (5)) maintain an Internet site to make available to the public information on activities under this Act. Allows the Director to identify a discovery as a candidate discovery only if the Federal Government holds, or can reasonably be expected to obtain, a patent on the discovery. Prohibits the Director from transferring ownership of such patent to any non-Federal entity. Allows civil suits to protect Federal ownership of patents. Requires the Director to: (1) grant non-exclusive licenses for the commercial marketing of FDA-approved candidate discoveries; (2) establish Federal laboratories to carry out this Act; and (3) establish a fund to provide cash awards for making significant advances in knowledge regarding a disease, disorder, or other health condition.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Secure Borders Act - Establishes the Land Border Infrastructure Improvement Fund. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to conduct a vulnerability assessment of land ports of entry (POEs). Directs the Secretary to: (1) make permanent specified pre-enrollment programs that allow expedited inspections at POEs for participants; (2) develop a comprehensive plan to deploy technological surveillance systems along U.S. borders; (3) increase the number of K-9 units working within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); (4) ensure that radiation portal monitors are installed at all southern border POEs no later than September 30, 2005; (5) contract with an independent entity to study the necessary allocation of personnel at POEs and Border Patrol sectors; and (6) provide ongoing training for inspectors. Requires the Commissioner of Customs to submit a report to Congress on the One Face at the Border Initiative (a Department of Homeland Security [DHS] initiative that unifies customs, immigration, and agricultural inspection functions by cross-training CBP personnel) that addresses: (1) the effectiveness of the initiative in enhancing security and facilitating trade; (2) the number of CBP personnel who worked for the former Customs Service or the former Immigration and Naturalization Service before the DHS was established and the number hired after its establishment; (3) training time provided to each employee for initiative components; (4) steps taken by CBP to ensure that expertise is retained with regard to customs, immigration, and agriculture inspection functions under the initiative; and (5) whether the missions of customs, agriculture, and immigration are equally emphasized. Requires the Comptroller General to review such reports and report on the effectiveness of the initiative. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit unclassified and classified versions of a comprehensive border security strategy; (2) integrate the IDENT and IAFIS databases; and (3) make interoperable those databases used by inspectors in secondary inspections. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create the positions of Northern Border Coordinator and Southern Border Coordinator within the DHS's Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Requires the President to submit information regarding progress toward implementation of the Smart Border Accords. Expresses the sense of Congress that Mexicans and Canadians should be treated with parity in establishing periods of lawful admission. States that, once the entry-exit data system required by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is fully implemented, the period of admission for aliens holding border crossing cards shall be six months. Requires the Secretary to create an Office of US-VISIT Outreach to inform local border officials, residents, and businesses about developments in the US-VISIT program. Amends the Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act of 2000 to reconstitute the integrated entry-exit system task force. Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure implementation of electronic arrival/departure records no later than December 1, 2005; (2) report on the development and distribution of a transportation worker identification card; and (3) establish standards and verification procedures for the security of intermodal cargo containers. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the need for additional staff for the U.S. Consulate-General in Mexico. Establishes the Office of Tribal Security within DHS. Requires the Secretary to transfer the CBP Customs Patrol Officers unit operating on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation (known as the Shadow Wolves) to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Requires development and implementation of State identification document standards as a prerequisite for the acceptance of such documents by Federal agencies. Requires the Secretary to make grants to assist States and localities in issuing documents that meet those standards. Authorizes appropriations for an increase in staff and detention space for ICE. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) immigration cases involving incarcerated criminal aliens should be processed while the alien is in prison; and (2) appropriations should be authorized for staff increases for judicial and prosecutorial offices to better enforce immigration laws. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new subclass in the S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant visa category for certain aliens in possession of critical reliable information regarding commercial alien smuggling organizations or enterprises. Provides for adjustment of status for such nonimmigrants. Imposes increased penalties for, and establishes a rewards program to combat, aggravated alien smuggling. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) to promulgate sentencing guidelines that reflect enhanced sentences and fines for alien smuggling. Amends the Federal criminal code to enhance penalties for smuggling merchandise into the United States. Requires the USSC to amend sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for merchandise smuggling that results in a death. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create an Office of Overseas Service within DHS's Office of International Affairs. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on implementation of prior recommendations regarding visa security; (2) establish an electronic advance passenger screening system for visa waiver program (VWP) participants as part of an integrated entry-exit system; (3) create a VWP Office; and (4) provide fraud detection and foreign language training for inspectors inspecting VWP aliens. Requires the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman to launch a public information campaign and to establish an advisory group that provides private sector input. Directs the Comptroller General to assess CIS and report findings to the Secretary, the Secretary of State, and appropriate congressional committees. Requires the Secretary to study biometric identifiers that might be used for immigration benefit applications and petitions. Requires all fingerprints taken for adjudicating such applications or petitions to be digitized, and all such applications or petitions to be registered using a biometric identifier, no later than January 1, 2005.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
Northern Marianas Delegate Act - Prescribes a procedure for election to the House of Representatives as a nonvoting Delegate of the Resident Representative to the United States authorized under the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2004
National Fish and Wildlife Policy Fellowship Program Act of 2004 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to award fellowships to qualified graduate and post-graduate level students engaged in advanced degree programs concerning freshwater and anadromous fish, wildlife, conservation management, or biology in order to: (1) provide such students with opportunities to participate in the policy process within executive and legislative branches of the Federal Government; and (2) provide Federal agencies and Congress with specific expertise to aid in the effective management of the nation's natural living resources. Requires the Secretary to strive to ensure equal access to the fellowship program for minority and disadvantaged students and to report to Congress on such efforts. States that the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shall administer fellowships awarded under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2004
States that the House of Representatives: (1) condemns in the strongest terms all efforts to suppress and intimidate voters in the United States; (2) reaffirms that voting is a fundamental right of all eligible U.S. citizens; (3) urges States to replace decades-old election machinery with less error-prone equipment before the November 2004 national elections; (4) calls upon all States to institute a moratorium on the erection of roadblocks or identity checkpoints designed to racially profile or intimidate voters on Election Day; and (5) calls upon the Attorney General to monitor vigorously and investigate all credible allegations of voter intimidation and suppression, and to prosecute expeditiously all offenders to the full extent of the law.